Chapter 163

As she looked at her younger brother’s face, swollen on one side, with an expression that was two parts astonishment, three parts bewilderment, and five parts disbelief—a truly comical sight—Princess Veronica bit her lips hard to suppress a laugh, her face turning red from holding it in. But despite her efforts, a small sound of amusement escaped from the corner of her mouth.

Demeanor! Keep your composure! As if hearing the telepathic advice of some middle-aged noblewoman, Princess Veronica pinched her thigh hard, barely managing to stifle her laughter through the pain. She then raised her hand slightly higher, giving Leon a playful glare as she whispered softly:

“My dear prince~ how much longer must I wait for you here?”

“…”

Looking at the princess below the stage, her cheeks flushed (from trying not to laugh), her eyes gleaming with allure (still suppressing her giggles), and her blouse dazzlingly white (this is real), Leon hesitated for a moment before finally bending down slightly and took her hand.

It’s not that I’m power-hungry or infatuated with beauty, but… this is the Gold Badge! And the princess is the first in line to inherit the throne. As long as I maintain this superficial marital relationship with her, once the old king passes away, the Gold Badge will be upgraded into something extraordinary. How could anyone possibly refuse such an offer?

Done!

Grasping Leon’s hand meant securing the Lane family’s legacy and the future of the entire kingdom. Veronica felt her whole body relax, as if some invisible shackle that had been pressing down on her had just been lifted off.

In one step onto the main platform, tightly interlocking fingers with Leon, standing by his side, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but blush again with excitement.

If I can seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully assimilate the Lane family’s inheritance, and ensure that the royal family and my own power control both the Road Administration Department and the Military Department, then the reforms I’ve long dreamed of can be implemented!

Next, we’ll clear up years of accumulated problems, find ways to cover the fiscal deficit, and rebuild the military department, which has almost been drained by the Lane family. The kingdom will become strong again! In the future, our kingdom won’t suffer like it did six years ago, when our army collapsed at the first touch of battle, allowing enemy forces to invade deeply, forcing more than half the county’s population to be forcibly displaced, leaving nearly a million people homeless…

“Thump thump!”

Leon, whose taint value had already exceeded 3 points, didn’t yet have a fully non-human physique due to insufficient training, but his perception abilities had already improved significantly.

When the princess stood beside him, besides her increasingly rapid breathing, Leon also faintly heard her accelerating heartbeat.

“Thump thump! Thump thump!”

Looking at the princess, whose gaze seemed somewhat unfocused and whose cheeks were growing redder, feeling the subtle moisture seeping from her soft palm and her rapidly rising temperature, Leon couldn’t help but furrow his brow, softly asking:

“Your Highness? Are you alright?”

“Just call me Veronica, or Vinnie.”

With nearly a decade of anticipation about to be fulfilled, seeing her beloved country finally bathed in hope, the princess squeezed Leon’s hand tightly, her eyes filled with joy as she replied:

“I’m fine, really fine! I might even say I’ve never felt better than I do right now!”

“Prince… no! Leon! I truly must thank you, and on behalf of the entire kingdom, thank you!

Though I don’t yet know why you proposed to me, I can assure you that your choice will certainly be correct! …I think I might be getting too excited…”

“Thump thump! Thump thump! Thump thump!”

Whether intentional or unintentional, when the princess leaned over, her lustrous, plump lips lightly grazed Leon’s earlobe, the burning heat spreading from her red lips to Leon’s ears, coloring them red as well.

And the soft breaths brushing against his ear tickled it incessantly, causing his heart rate to increase, making his heart pound like a drum inside his chest, beating faster and louder…

“Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump! Thump thump thump!”

At some point, the entire hall had fallen silent again. Neither the whispering guests nor the envious prince made any sound, instinctively clutching their hearts instead.

What’s happening to me? Feeling her cheeks grow hot and flushed from blood rushing to her face, the prime minister’s wife, standing in the front row alongside the freckled prince, touched her strangely reddened face, unsure what to do. She turned to look at her attendant nearby, hoping he would help her leave the increasingly stifling hall to get some fresh air.

But before the prime minister’s wife could speak, her attendant stumbled forward, collapsing in front of the main platform after struggling several times to get back up.

This fall seemed to trigger something strange, as the hall was soon filled with the sounds of people falling to the ground one after another.

Like a group of drunkards, all the guests in the hall showed signs of strange redness on their faces, staggering a few steps before falling down around them…

None among them escaped this effect.

“Poison! Someone poisoned us!”

Finally, someone noticed something was wrong. The freckled prince, who had fallen to the ground, flipped over and glared fiercely at Leon on the stage, shouting hoarsely: “You! It’s your poison, isn’t it?”

Idiot! Not even remotely related to poison; this is clearly an attack from an anomalous item! Ignoring the prince’s wild guess, Leon listened to the synchronized thumping heartbeats throughout the hall, feeling the increasing speed of his own blood flow. He deeply inhaled, steadied himself, moved the dazed princess aside, and pulled out a small mirror from his pocket, checking his reflection.

“Woof~”

Accompanied by the puppy’s understanding bark, the shopping bag containing the sheep head and the black broom with paw prints on its handle instantly appeared in Leon’s hands.

‘Kid, I’ve thought about it, and your luck really seems to suck.’

Through the holes in the shopping bag, the Black Goat glanced at the scene of people sprawled everywhere in the hall and concluded reluctantly: ‘Just like that Conan Nightmare King you mentioned, you’re definitely a trouble magnet. Wherever you go, something happens. No matter what you prepare to do, things never go smoothly.’

‘Don’t waste time talking nonsense, let’s get to work!’

While stroking the Black Goat’s horns and quickly checking the soul states of everyone in the hall—all marked as “normal”—Leon frowned deeply, privately instructing via mental communication:

‘I suspect this is an assassination attempt on the princess by the rebels, but I haven’t found the person using the anomalous item. Their “range” might exceed my line of sight.

But apart from that, they may have deliberately used some method to avoid detection of soul perception after obtaining my intelligence. Try to keep an eye out for me!’

(End of Chapter)