Chapter 126
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Helena's Confession
"Yes. Of course. That's why I'm saying... wouldn't you want to be mine?"
"...Pardon?"
Jeon reflexively asked back at Helena's sudden and shocking statement.
"I asked if you wouldn't want to be mine."
Unlike the flustered Jeon, Helena smiled slyly and made the proposal again.
'What's wrong with everyone at this party...?'
Katrina showing up thirty minutes early and approaching him first was bewildering enough.
And now Helena, whom he'd just met today, was straight-up recruiting him—or something more.
From Jeon's perspective, it felt like the whole party was under some kind of spell.
"I have no intention of leaving Silvermont."
In truth, he'd already left, but it was the perfect excuse.
"Heh, that's not what I meant."
Helena chuckled as if amused by his words.
Her gaze carried something beyond mere curiosity—a strange unease that sent chills down his spine.
"What do you...?"
"I'm not talking about recruitment. I'm asking if you want to be my man."
Her outrageous words made Jeon's head spin.
'What the hell is this?'
So, her "be mine" wasn't about recruitment—it was romantic?
Even understanding the meaning only muddled his thoughts further.
'Why?'
Why would Helena want him? For what reason?
He couldn't fathom why she'd say something like that.
'Drag me off and sell my organs?'
His mind even jumped to grim memories from his past life, leaving him thoroughly rattled.
Watching him, Helena continued.
"Of course, I'm not saying become my man right now. Even I wouldn't rush into that, no matter how much I like you. I'm saying let's take it slow and get to know each other first."
But her so-called explanation only multiplied the question marks in Jeon's head.
'No, seriously—why me? Why us?'
Who was Helena?
The closest confidante of the Empire's Second Prince, possibly even tied to the Luin Order.
And now she was confessing out of the blue?
Why?
"Well... I think... I need some time to think about it."
No matter how much he pondered, his thoughts wouldn't settle, so he asked for time.
"Fine. I'll give you until the break ends."
"No, that's too short..."
"I can't give more."
Her tone was so firm that Jeon couldn't push for more.
Still, he needed to sort out the questions swirling in his mind, so he cautiously asked.
"But... why?"
"Why what?"
"I mean... we just met today. What made you confess like this all of a sudden...?"
"Asking that is kinda lame."
Helena rolled her eyes, but Jeon didn't care.
Seeing no reaction, she sighed with a smirk and answered.
"Simple. I like you."
"I get that, but why do you like me?"
"Hmm, first off, your looks."
"My... looks?"
"Yeah. You're really handsome."
Her unexpected answer left Jeon speechless.
But objectively, Jeon's appearance had become exceptionally striking.
After absorbing Ann's divine mystery, his golden hair had taken on a subtle allure, and his height—straddling youth and manhood—radiated a unique charm.
Plus, he'd dressed up deliberately today, so he wouldn't look out of place anywhere.
In fact, unbeknownst to him, his looks were turning heads and sparking whispers throughout the party.
"But that's not all. I also feel a sense of kinship with you."
"Kinship?"
"Exactly. I can't explain in detail yet, but I think we have a lot in common."
Her reddish-brown eyes sparkled as she spoke.
'Huh?'
Jeon sensed something off there.
Not quite dissonance—more like the kinship she mentioned.
'Could she...?'
The golden divine mystery within him revealed that the power dwelling in her wasn't just mana.
In other words, those sparkling reddish-brown eyes held some other mystical force.
'She has a divine mystery too?'
He recalled that mystery-bearers were rare.
Yet lately, he kept encountering them.
'Ann's from the ancient past, though...'
Ann was from a sealed era, not the present.
So Walter was the first modern one he'd met—but it still felt too frequent.
"Convinced now?"
"Ah, um, yeah."
Jeon nodded, forming a hypothesis in his mind.
'Walter was with the Second Prince. He had a mystery, and used it to brainwash the Third Prince on the Second's orders.'
That meant Helena, the Prince's right-hand, knew about Walter's mystery.
And she had one too?
'That's why she's acting like this... She sensed the mystery in me.'
It made more sense than her falling for him at first sight.
With that realization, the questions in his head cleared up rapidly.
"I get it, but honestly, it's overwhelming."
"I understand. But I'm sure you felt something similar toward me."
"Not sure about that."
"Even setting that aside, I can offer you so much. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try. Or do you have someone else in mind?"
Sensing his subtle rejection, Helena pressed harder.
Her determination not to let go easily made Jeon sigh inwardly.
'This is tricky.'
A woman far above his station had confessed.
Though tied to Silvermont, he was still a commoner.
The gap in status made it an offer he couldn't easily refuse—or reject without consequences.
'If I swallow my pride, it could be a great opportunity.'
It was even harder to turn down than a straight recruitment offer.
The shock could cloud judgment too—a calculated move, really.
Anyway.
Jeon had already decided to refuse.
No amount of information was worth tying himself romantically to someone so dangerous.
'She should be here any moment.'
So he stalled.
No need to reject outright—his savior would arrive soon.
And right on cue, she did.
"You two... are you that close?"
The party's host, Katrina, approached Entrance 7, where the two stood alone.
As the intermission began after Part 1, Katrina headed straight to meet Jeon.
The note she'd scribbled on his palm during their handshake was a rendezvous at his entrance during the break.
'What's this?'
But the sight at Entrance 7 was infuriating.
Jeon should have been alone—instead, there was an intruder.
A woman, not Lena from earlier, but someone entirely new.
Though surprised to see her with Jeon, Katrina knew her well.
'Helena? Why is she here?'
The Second Prince's—her brother's—closest aide, a mysterious figure even Katrina couldn't fully pin down.
Why was she with Jeon here?
"You two... are you that close?"
She inserted herself between them immediately.
Their reactions differed: relief in Jeon's eyes, unease in Helena's.
"How did Your Highness end up here...?"
Helena's cautious question carried a subtle tremor.
"I have an appointment with him."
At the word "appointment," Helena's gaze shifted to Jeon, demanding an answer.
"I couldn't refuse either of you, so this happened."
To a man and woman, it sounded sleazy—but Jeon had his side.
'Who could've predicted this?'
He'd set the meeting as a backup if Helena brought her entourage and caused trouble.
But he'd never imagined this kind of mess.
'Who sets up something this weird?'
It was unfair to him too.
Caught between Katrina and Helena—two powerhouses—his survival strategy had backfired spectacularly.
"...I didn't know you had prior plans."
"I didn't know you did either."
Intentions aside, he couldn't escape their icy glares.
All he could do was avert his eyes sheepishly from their scolding stares.
"Fine. Since even Your Highness is here, I'll step back for now."
Surprisingly, Helena conceded first.
"But next time, I'll get your answer—so be ready."
"No, I've pretty much already..."
"Nope. Next time, it'll be different."
She wasn't giving up on a yes.
"Then, Your Highness, I'll take my leave."
"...Sure."
After bidding Jeon farewell, she greeted Katrina and left.
Jeon breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Now it was just him and Katrina.
"Shall we... talk?"
"Uh, I don't really have anything to..."
"Oh, no. From your chat with Helena just now to how you've been lately—I've got tons to hear."
The moment Jeon thought he'd escaped one mess, another unfolded.