Chapter : 413
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Chapter : 413
Ken felt a massive wave of absolute dread. Princess Iris was incredibly smart. She was highly perceptive. She was not like the arrogant nobles. She actually paid attention to the small details.
"Did she deduce my secret identity?" Ken panicked internally. "Does she know I am Lancelot? Does she know I possess god-like magic? Did I slip up? Did I leave a magical trace? Did she see me teleport?"
Ken’s entire dream of a quiet, peaceful life flashed before his eyes. If Iris knew his true identity, everything would change immediately.
She would not treat him like a funny, lazy friend anymore. She would treat him like a weapon. She would ask him to fight the biggest monsters. She would ask him to destroy the rival Princes. He would have to work every single day. He would have to attend boring political meetings. He would never get to take an afternoon nap again.
He would become the absolute center of the Succession War. The Emperor would summon him. The corrupt politicians would hunt him. His peaceful, boring life would be totally destroyed forever.
Ken opened his mouth. He needed to lie. He needed to spin a massive, ridiculous excuse. He needed to convince her she was totally wrong. He prepared to tell her he was just incredibly lucky. He prepared to act like a complete idiot.
Before Ken could say a single word, Princess Iris spoke again.
---
Princess Iris looked at Ken’s wide, panicked eyes. She saw him freeze. She saw the shock on his face.
Suddenly, Iris let out a warm, genuine laugh.
The laugh was bright and melodic. It echoed beautifully across the quiet, sandy beach. It sounded like pure joy.
Ken blinked. He stopped panicking for a fraction of a second. He stared at her in complete confusion.
"You do not need to look so scared, Ken," Iris laughed softly. She smiled a very kind, very fond smile. She gently placed her hand over her mouth to stop laughing. "I am not going to punish you. I am not going to scold you."
Ken slowly slouched his shoulders back down. He let out a careful, quiet breath. "You are not?"
"No," Iris smiled. She dropped her hand. She looked deeply into his dark eyes again. "I just want you to know that I see you. I see the truth. I know you are not a coward."
Ken felt his heartbeat start to slow down. "You do?"
"Yes," Iris nodded firmly. Her violet eyes shone with absolute admiration. "I know exactly what you are doing. You are a brilliant, incredibly sharp trickster."
Ken tilted his head. He listened very closely. He waited to hear her exact theory.
"You intentionally act clumsy," Iris explained warmly. "You pretend to trip over your shoes. You pretend to care only about snacks and naps. You use this goofy, lazy mask to hide your true tactical genius."
Ken stared at her. His internal panic completely shattered. The intense dread instantly vanished from his chest.
"Oh," Ken thought to himself. A massive wave of pure, undeniable relief washed over his entire body. "She does not know about the magic. She does not know about Lancelot. She just thinks I am really smart. She thinks I am a regular human guy with a big brain."
Ken almost laughed out loud. This was the absolute best possible misunderstanding. Being considered a tactical genius was infinitely better than being exposed as an omnipotent shadow god. He could totally fake being a genius. It required zero magical effort.
"I see how you guide us," Iris continued softly. She wrapped her arms tighter around her knees. "You do not want the spotlight. You do not want the glory. You prefer to operate behind the scenes. You are the absolute best intelligence gatherer and shadow-strategist in my entire vanguard."
Ken put his goofy, lazy smile back on his face. He rubbed the back of his messy black hair.
"Shadow-strategist?" Ken joked lazily. "That sounds like a very tiring job title. Does it come with a pay raise? Or maybe extra dessert at dinner?"
Iris did not laugh at the joke this time. Her expression changed. The warm smile faded away. Her face turned incredibly serious. Her violet eyes became profoundly sincere. She looked at Ken with a depth of emotion that completely caught him off guard.
"Ken," Iris whispered. Her voice was incredibly soft. It barely carried over the sound of the crashing ocean waves.
She uncrossed her arms. She turned her body slightly so she was fully facing him on the driftwood. She looked directly into his sleepy, dark eyes. She did not look away.
"The capital city is a very cruel place," Iris said. Her voice held a quiet, steady strength. "The Inner City is filled with arrogant politicians. It is filled with greedy nobles. The Succession War forces my brothers and sisters to do terrible, vicious things."
Ken listened silently. He dropped his goofy smile. He knew she was telling the absolute truth. The Empire was a harsh, unforgiving place.
"For my entire life, people have told me what a ruler should look like," Iris explained softly. "They tell me I need a traditional, shining white knight to stand beside me. They tell me I need someone in pristine, polished armor. Someone who speaks with fancy, polite words. Someone who fits perfectly into their high-society world."
Iris slowly shook her head. Her silver hair caught the moonlight.
"I do not want a traditional, shining white knight," Iris confessed.
The words hung in the cool night air.
Iris reached her hand out. She placed her soft hand gently over Ken’s hand. Her touch was warm.
Ken froze again. This time, it was not out of magical panic. It was out of pure, unfiltered human surprise. He stared at her hand resting on his.
"I do not want a knight who only knows how to march in a straight line," Iris whispered. Her violet eyes locked onto his. "I do not want someone who blindly follows arrogant rules. I need someone who actually understands the gritty, messy reality of this world."
She looked at his untucked white shirt. She looked at his scuffed, cheap shoes. She looked back at his eyes.
"I desperately need someone exactly like you, Ken," Iris declared softly. Her voice was full of deep, undeniable sincerity. "Someone who sees the truth. Someone who protects the people around him without ever asking for praise. Someone who can guide me safely from the shadows."
Ken stared at the beautiful, earnest Princess sitting right next to him.
He felt the immense, undeniable romantic weight of her profound declaration pressing down on him. It was a massive, heartfelt confession. She was asking him to be her partner. She was asking him to stand by her side against the entire corrupt Empire. She trusted him completely. She valued him more than any elite warrior or wealthy noble.
The romantic atmosphere on the beach was incredibly thick. The sound of the ocean waves provided a perfect, rhythmic background. The moonlight shined perfectly on her face.