Chapter 110
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Princess's Sudden Proposal
Clear letters written on his palm using mana.
The handwriting was so straight yet natural, as if handwritten, revealing the Second Princess's exceptional skill in handling mana—the greatest talent among all the princesses.
But to Jeon right now, such facts were utterly unimportant.
'Again... tangled up again...!'
Did he have some connection to the imperial family in his previous life?
'No, my previous life was on Earth, so maybe the one before that?'
Anyway.
These damn imperial family members—he tried to avoid getting involved, but somehow, he always ended up entangled no matter what.
If he holed up in his lodging, they'd send someone to fetch him. If he tried to leave for another city, they'd show up like ghosts right before departure, forcing an encounter.
And once they met, they never let him off easily.
Lucian at least gave him the Imperial Guardian Medal as a reward, but this time was different.
'Tonight at 11 PM, come alone to my room inside the Magic Tower.'
The message written on his palm was an invitation to meet her alone tonight.
At this point, he seriously wondered if the imperial bloodline carried a gene for loving private meetings.
'This is driving me crazy, for real.'
Moreover, every time they summoned him, they never explained the reason upfront—they'd call him first and reveal it later during the private talk.
One time, he got a reward and it left a good memory.
But the most recent private meeting nearly ended with him brainwashed, so for Jeon, dealing with the imperial family one-on-one felt uncomfortable.
'What is this, a lottery draw for imperial personalities?'
So far, it had been fifty-fifty.
But this time, he had zero information on whether it would be a good or bad memory.
That meant he had to go see her face-to-face to find out.
"Haa, seriously."
Irritation bubbling up inside, Jeon ruffled his hair messily.
"What? What's wrong? Did the Princess leave some message?"
Startled by Jeon's appearance, Lena rushed over to his side.
But Jeon shook his head at her, as if it was nothing.
"No, just... seems like going to another city was a bad idea."
"Why? Did she ask to meet privately or something?"
"Not exactly... Ah, anyway, something like that."
He couldn't exactly reveal that she had personally written on his palm with mana, telling him to come alone.
Jeon clenched his hand with the writing, letting out a deep sigh.
"I'm heading back to rest."
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Rest... well."
"Yeah, you and Sir Risar worked hard too—get some good rest."
His mind was already a mess, and Katrina dropping this bomb had turned it into complete chaos.
So Jeon bid Lena and Risar good rest and left for his lodging.
He needed to sort out his chaotic thoughts first.
"Why did you invite him?"
"I'm certain."
Katrina answered Peter's question without a hint of hesitation.
"It's the first time I've seen Your Highness so strongly convinced."
"Hehe, I felt something akin to a sense of kinship with him—something similar to me."
"A sense of kinship... you mean?"
"Well, you could say my blood reacted."
Katrina gave a vague response to Peter's question and took a sip of the wine before her.
Peter didn't press further at the sight, but even if he had, that was all Katrina could say anyway.
'My blood really reacted.'
The phrase "my blood reacted" wasn't a metaphor.
The moment she saw Jeon, Katrina sensed something unusual. When she approached for a handshake, she realized her blood was drawn to him.
'I still don't know what that feeling is.'
It was a sensation she'd never felt even with siblings from the same womb or her own parents.
It was as if some deep-seated mark within her was responding to Jeon.
Since it was entirely new to Katrina too, she couldn't fully explain the feeling yet.
But separately from that, she instantly knew Jeon was the one who had normalized Lucius—the reason she'd come to the Magic Tower.
'Brother Lucius probably reacted too.'
It was a completely off-base guess.
But in conclusion, she was right that Jeon had restored Lucius, who had strangely changed at some point, to his original state.
Knock knock.
At that moment, a cautious knock sounded at the door.
"Your Highness, Jeon is here."
"Yes, let him in."
Hearing Jeon had arrived, Katrina smiled faintly.
She nodded at Peter to leave.
"...Are you really okay with this?"
"I'm fine, so hurry and go."
Even though they'd already discussed it, Peter looked reluctant but eventually stepped out, seemingly convinced.
As Peter exited, Jeon entered through the open door.
"Hi? You really came?"
Katrina greeted him, lightly raising her wine glass.
"Of course I had to come when Your Highness summoned me."
Jeon bowed his head politely to her.
"Oh, no need for such formalities. Raise your head."
At her words refusing it again, he lifted his head.
With the window behind her, Katrina's figure bathed in bright moonlight finally came into clear view.
'She's pretty.'
Lucian and Lucius too.
All the princes he'd met had impeccable appearances beyond reproach.
But Katrina surpassed even those princes in looks.
Her long, well-proportioned limbs exuded an elegant aura.
Yet the harmony of her white skin, radiant golden hair, and golden eyes was beautiful enough to draw admiration from any beholder.
'But why did she call me, exactly?'
However, whether Katrina was pretty or not meant nothing to Jeon right now.
What mattered was why the Empire's Second Princess had summoned him.
"Hehe, your face shows you're dying to know why I called you."
Jeon wasn't hiding his feelings, so Katrina read them plainly from his expression and asked with a bright smile.
"Yes. I'm curious."
Jeon answered her straightforwardly, without dodging or beating around the bush.
"Not a fan of roundabout conversations, huh?"
"Yes. I prefer getting straight to the point."
"Hm, I like your honest and bold style."
Pleased by Jeon's attitude, Katrina nodded, finished the wine in her glass, and set the empty one on a nearby table.
Then she slowly approached him.
"Then I'll be straightforward too: You're the one who restored Brother Lucius, right?"
Whether from the wine or her natural gaze, Katrina looked at Jeon with subtle eyes.
'The expected question.'
But Jeon didn't falter at her gaze or question.
He'd anticipated this when she invited him here.
So he'd already decided on his response before coming.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
Deny it outright.
She had no concrete proof he'd freed Lucius from brainwashing.
Even circumstantial evidence had been covered up by Luke and Morgan in the Magic Tower's name, so if Jeon flatly denied it, there was no way to prove otherwise.
"Hmmm... Is that so?"
Katrina narrowed her eyes at Jeon's firm denial.
Yet she kept walking toward him steadily.
Finally closing the distance, she looked up at Jeon, who was slightly taller than her.
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
A mix of wine scent and pleasant fragrance hit his nose as she came within inches.
Still, Jeon maintained his expressionless face and brazen reply.
'Getting involved is nothing but trouble.'
For all he knew, he didn't even understand why the Second Princess here was seeking the one who normalized Lucius.
If she was behind Walter, the Second Prince, she might try to kill him on the spot if caught. Even if not, any entanglement with the imperial family was bad news for Jeon.
"I was really curious. Brother Lucius suddenly went strange at some point, but right after visiting the Magic Tower, he returned to his old self."
The Lucius in Jeon's memory was close to a total scumbag.
But before Walter's brainwashing, Lucius had been entirely different.
No match for the First or Second Princes, but still highly talented, with a generous personality and no particular lust for power.
Yet after the brainwashing, he flipped into a scumbag thug overnight.
So Katrina was one who viewed her brother's change bitterly and suspected external interference.
"I really wanted to know who saved Brother Lucius. But you say it wasn't you?"
"Yes, that's correct."
Even as Katrina stated her position, Jeon held firm.
"That's a shame. I wanted to express my gratitude to that person."
"I see."
Even as she hinted at a reward, Jeon's attitude didn't waver.
"No helping it. Looks like I'll leave without finding that person."
At Jeon's demeanor, Katrina finally seemed to give up, lowering her head with a small sigh.
As Jeon sensed something suspicious in her quick surrender,
"But I came to the Magic Tower prepared with a reward, and it'd be a waste to leave empty-handed..."
Trailing off, she suddenly looked up and met Jeon's eyes directly.
At her abrupt shift, even the brazen Jeon stepped back involuntarily.
"So, how about I give that reward to someone I like?"
"Is... that so?"
Katrina giggled as if finding his retreat cute, closing the gap again and grabbing his collar.
Then, like their first meeting, she brought her lips to his ear.
As her lips moved and whispered,
"Wha-what, what, what does that... ?!"
Jeon's composure crumbled, and he jumped back.
And rightly so.
'I like you, so want to marry me?'
Her sudden whisper far exceeded Jeon's expectations.