The Princess Imprint A Traitor - Chapter 30: The One Awakened from the Dream within a Dream (12)

“Yes?”

“You said you wanted a partner with military power.”

Mikael gently turned her to face the view from the watchtower. What she saw below made her gasp in awe.

“Ah…!”

On the ground, nearly a thousand homunculi were assembled in perfect formation, a grand military parade prepared for Eve and Mikael. The sight took her breath away, leaving her momentarily speechless, while Mikael smiled softly and asked,

“How about this? Am I a sufficient partner for you?”

“…”

In that moment, Eve finally understood why Mikael seemed a little different, even more captivating.

“Mikael.”

She breathed his name like a quiet exclamation.

“You’ve awakened.”

Mikael’s smile was all the confirmation she needed.

“How did it happen?”

“When I disrupted the magic circle, the sealing stone began to react. The mana it had absorbed beyond its limit started to reverse and explode.”

“So you performed a mana drain on the sealing stone?”

“Yes. It was the only way to survive and also a chance to absorb a large amount of mana from my fellow homunculi. When I stopped the magic circle, many of them wanted to give me their mana. It was an unspoken agreement. Thanks to that, I’ve gained complete power.”

As a fully awakened homunculus king, Mikael had the ability to break the homunculi’s imprinted loyalty and control. Eve immediately realized that Snowlet had been able to remain relatively sane despite Derek’s death thanks to Mikael’s intervention. She had pieced it all together. Now, it was time for the most important question.

“Mikael… then… have your memories returned as well?”

Her amber eyes trembled with a mix of emotions. Anticipation, excitement, and even fear swirled inside her.

“Eve.”

Mikael’s voice was calm, like a confession.

“The central axis of our time loop could only ever be you, a member of the royal family. Because of that, I had one request for this version of you.”

“What was it?”

“When I returned to life, I wanted you to either kill me or choose me. One or the other.”

Mikael smiled warmly, looking at the surprised Eve.

“Thank you for choosing me.”

“Mikael…”

He intertwined his fingers with hers, holding her hand tightly, but his words weren’t finished yet.

“Thank you for taking my hand. Thank you for letting me walk the honorable and righteous path with you. Thank you for giving me the chance to live a different life from the one I had before. Thank you for letting me be a knight once more. And most of all…”

“…”

“Thank you for loving me—more than I could have ever hoped for. I only wished for a little, but you’ve given me so much.”

“…”

His confession, filled with the emotions carried over from their past life, was a clear and unambiguous answer to all of Eve’s unspoken questions. She couldn’t even find the words to respond, let alone say his name.

His words echoed in her ears, but the sincerity of his heart reverberated directly through hers. Her chest pounded painfully from the overwhelming emotions, almost suffocating her. It was impossible to keep her expression in check. With a sniffle, Eve tried to explain herself.

“I’m not usually someone who cries…”

“Neither am I.”

Their faces, a mix of laughter and tears, mirrored each other perfectly, as if reflected in a glass. Eve, too, had so much she wanted to say to the Mikael from their past life.

“Mikael, thank you for giving me this chance. You sacrificed everything you built and yielded it all to give me that opportunity. I don’t even know how to repay you for what you’ve given me.”

“I suppose that was the only good thing I did in my past life.”

Mikael’s self-deprecating remark was met with a shake of Eve’s head. She gently pressed his entwined hand against her cheek.

“It wasn’t just you. I should have chosen you back then. Even if we failed, I should have taken your hand. But I didn’t.”

“Eve…”

“I was so foolish, so afraid. I did nothing, thinking it made me different from the other royals. But that was just cowardice disguised as righteousness. I made us take the long way around. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

“…”

Her words, which absolved him of blame and placed the burden on herself, made Mikael’s throat tighten. Even someone who seemed so fair and just to everyone else was capable of showing a different kind of kindness to the one they loved. She made him realize that one didn’t need to be perfect to be worthy of love.

A sweet, aching joy filled Mikael’s heart—so much so that it almost felt too much to bear. But he didn’t want Eve to carry any sense of guilt. So, he playfully teased her.

“Don’t apologize. It’s my fault for not polishing my charm enough to win your heart sooner.”

“You—! You were holding onto that?”

“You rejected me pretty cruelly back then.”

“Ugh…”

Now that his memories had returned, Mikael was even better at playing the role of a wounded man. Eve, flustered by his feigned hurt expression, was at a loss for words. Mikael’s deep, rumbling laughter broke the tension as he spoke again, quickly dispelling the serious atmosphere.

“But there’s still one important answer I haven’t heard.”

“Huh?”

He nodded toward the ground beyond the watchtower, motioning to the gathered homunculi.

“Look at my army again. I asked if I qualify as a partner with military power.”

“Oh!”

Eve’s face flushed bright red in realization.

“Wait, is this… a p-proposal?”

“Yes. Is that so shocking?”

“It’s just so sudden…”

“As long as it’s not a problem.”

Though Mikael’s expression remained soft and kind, his eyes held a serious, slightly anxious look. He was fully focused on Eve, waiting for her response. Eve, face still flushed, buried it in her hands in embarrassment.

“Oh no, I don’t know what to say…”

“…Do you not want to?”

“No! It’s not that!”

“Then?”

“It’s just… According to imperial tradition, I’m supposed to be the one proposing. You beat me to it.”

“…”

That answer was more than enough. The subtle anxiety in Mikael’s eyes disappeared completely. His lips curled into a joyful smile, radiating happiness.

“Eve.”

He gently pulled her hands away from her face, revealing her flushed cheeks.

“M-Mikael…”

Her embarrassment made her even more endearing, and for a moment, Mikael felt an overwhelming urge to kiss her again, but he restrained himself, focusing on what he wanted to say.

“There’s no need to feel bad. You actually proposed first, remember?”

“What? I did?”

“Don’t you remember? You promised me a child.”

“Ah!”

The memory came rushing back—how she had handed him gladiolus flowers and other blooms in the palace garden, telling him she wanted to have children with him. At the time, she had been excited about how perfect Mikael was as a political partner, and without realizing it, she had practically proposed to him.

‘Oh, wow. That was instinctively good, wasn’t it?’

With that, her pride as a princess was restored. As Eve silently praised herself, Mikael chuckled and added,

“Of course, I’m assuming we’ll be making that child together, right? I’m looking forward to a beautiful child who resembles you.”

“M-Mikael, they’ll look like you too.”

“Of course. They’ll be ours.”

“Ours…”

The thought of their child left her feeling both giddy and impatient. She suddenly felt that creating that child had become an urgent task.

“Eve.”

Mikael’s voice grew serious again as he called her name, reminding her that there was still more to the proposal.

“I want to give you a gift to mark this moment, but I don’t have anything on me right now. I hope you’ll forgive me if I use a kiss instead.”

He took her left hand and brought it to his lips. Slowly, he kissed her ring finger, the soft pressure lingering like a band around it, leaving the impression of a ring.

Eve smiled, her heart swelling with joy as she responded.

“I love it. I’ll cherish it.”

“Someday, I’ll give you a real ring.”

“I’m looking forward to it. I know whatever you give me will be perfect.”

Without another word, they leaned in for a kiss, sealing their promise of a shared future atop the watchtower. The moon of Yggdrasil bathed them in its gentle light, blessing their union.

***

Unfortunately, Eve and Mikael didn’t have much time to revel in their overwhelming emotions. The incident occurred just as they descended from the watchtower. Mikael had waved away the homunculus army with a single gesture, leaving them alone when suddenly, a scream echoed from the village.

“Ahhhh!”

“…What was that?”

Startled, Eve and Mikael turned to see the commotion. From one of the second-floor windows of a large mansion, dark purple energy was pouring out in waves.

“Demonic energy? In the middle of the village?”

Mikael quickly identified the source of the disturbance.

“It’s the Eighth Princess’s room.”

“…!”

Eve didn’t waste a second.

“We need to get there, now!”

Without hesitation, she and Mikael rushed toward the source of the disturbance, driven by the sense of urgency in the air.