Chapter 131: An Unexpected Arrival

Oh, I was really surprised! But Lucas merely stared at me with a playful expression on his face, as if he was having fun.

Ugh. Yeah, eat it up. You're the most brazen guy here.

"Wait a minute! Did you follow me from the Imperial Palace?"

"Ha, I don't have that much free time."

Lucas said this as he sat across from me with his legs crossed. Uh, excuse me?

I can't help but wonder why such a busy person is currently stealing a seat in my carriage.

The next words out of Lucas' mouth shocked me again.

"Whitey's den was empty, so I took a look around."

TL/c: Lucas refered to them by Whitey since Chapt 21 of the manwha so I'm went with that.¯_(ツ)_/¯

"What?"

B-back there? What? By Whitey's, do you mean the Duke Alpheus' estate? You were snooping around there?

"I just had something personal to look into, so don't worry about it."

If you say it like that, how could I not care?!

Ugh, but it's not like this is a new situation. This isn't the first time Lucas has made a move without any prior notice. I sighed half-resigned.

"Okay, and did you find what you were looking for?"

"I think I found it, although it's a bit vague. I'll have to look into it again next time."

I was taken aback by his nonchalant response. Uh, is this a crime scene I'm seeing right now? This is trespassing!

Though I'm not in much of a position to judge since I've sneaked into the Alpheus estate before too.

"You've got something dirty smudged on you again."

I was shaking my head at the thought when Lucas spoke up out of nowhere. He was still sitting cross-legged in front of me, his chin cocked and his gaze fixed on me. I paused for a moment at his words before speaking calmly.

"We were together a while ago."

Now I knew what Lucas was referring to when he mentioned something "dirty". It was the magic that Jennette unconsciously released.

It was two years ago. After a while of practicing magic, I casually mentioned to Lucas the strange feeling I felt whenever I saw Jennette, and late that night Lucas infiltrated the Alpheus estate to scan Jennette's magical state as she slept.

When I found out the next day, I was shocked by Lucas' reckless behavior... But, there was nothing I could do. It had already happened, and even if it hadn't, I didn't have the confidence to stop this guy with my own strength.

Anyway, Lucas was relieved to disclose that he had figured out who had been smearing something dirty on me without his permission.

To be honest, I was baffled as to why someone needed his consent for something that involved me. Moving on, here's what Lucas had to say.

As a child born through black magic rather than normal means, the magic in Jennette was moving in an unusual way.

"You've got it all over you today. Every single one of these bastards are getting on my nerves."

"Really? I brushed it off every once in a while. Well, I guess you said the severity varies depending on her emotional state."

Jennette's magic behaved like a magnet, drawing in and attracting others' affection.

As Lucas said, Jennette didn't intend to use magic, but it was influenced by her unconscious will and acted on its own.

Jennette was only seven years old when Lucas first saw her, and her magic was much weaker, so he didn't notice anything unusual at the time, but now her magic was active enough that it was clearly evident to his eyes...

I was told that the reason I subconsciously lowered my guard and opened my heart every time I saw Jennette, even though I was initially weary of her, was because I was being influenced by her magic.

"Don't do that too much. Even if you can purify it right away."

Lucas frowned at me, as if Jennette's magic on me was bothering him. I can't imagine how mortified I must have looked when he suggested, "Should I just get rid of that chimera?" a year ago.

That might have been the day I caught Jennette from falling in front of me during the party?

He did clarify, though, that Jennette's magic didn't seem to have the intention of hurting me.

In any case, her magic wasn't that strong to begin with, so she couldn't charm multiple people at the same time. A lonely child longs for others to love them.

Jennette's magic power inadvertently endowed her with a slight advantage when it came to attracting other people.

"Stay still."

Before Lucas could mention destroying Jennette again, I was trying to purify the magic that had been smudged on me. But, before I could finish, Lucas reached out to me.

"It's all over you."

As Lucas touched my forehead a soft white glow spread across my field of view.

"Here too."

The hand that had been running down the back of my neck had come to a halt at my shoulder. I had learned purification magic from Lucas for the past two years and had really improved, but he still took the initiative to do it himself.

Lucas stretched his arms out to me as we both leaned forward in our seats, making the already tight distance between us even smaller. As our knees bumped slightly, I felt a little awkward.

Lucas' hand slid down my arm and caught my wrist.

"And the dirtiest of all."

I wondered if Lucas was smiling coldly when he lowered his red eyes. The area around my wrists felt empty the moment his deep voice rang in my ears.

The gloves that Ijekiel had touched before were disappearing with the purifying light. For a brief moment, I stood there in awe as my silk gloves turned to white ash and scattered in the air.

"Ah!"

It was only when Lucas saw my bare skin did his face brighten, then he came to his senses.

"My gloves! What did you just do?!"

"Got rid of them. They were dirty."

"Those were new!"

TL/c: omg Lucas just does whatever he wants LOL

Lucas waved his hand in the air once in response to my outburst of anger. He soon had a pair of silk gloves in his hands that looked similar to the ones I was wearing.

"Here, okay?"

Maybe it was my mood, but I was hesitant to even look at the new gloves, which appeared to be even more luxurious than the previous ones.

Wait, what? What is that delicate embroidery? I think this silk has a more lustrous glow than the ones before!

As I snatched the gloves from Lucas, it was harder to stay mad at him with the smooth fabric against my hands.

"No matter how much I think about it, I can't stand that kid. Even the chimera girl, she gets dirty things on my possessions without my permission. Looks like we'll have to turn Whitey's den upside down after all."

Lucas' odd whisperings to himself had me break out in a cold sweat.

"Hey, how come I'm yours? Aren't I mine? Am I not my own property?"

Lucas, however, didn't even bother to listen to my feeble rebuttal. Oh, this is uncomfortable. I think I'll just drop it.

But why do I have to be on my toes around this guy when this carriage and these gloves are mine?

I'm afraid I'll get kicked out. I glanced at Lucas with dissatisfied eyes until the carriage reached the Imperial Palace.

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It was already late when I returned to the Imperial Palace, and the sun was setting. Before the door could open, Lucas had disappeared. Despite my exhaustion and desire to rest at the Emerald Palace, I couldn't yet.

Greeting Daddy right after an outing was like a promise between the two of us.

"Why is the palace so noisy?"

The atmosphere in the palace seemed to be different than normal. I murmured to myself as I questioned the palace's bustling environment.

It was then that an attendant, who had heard something from a passing court lady in the Garnet Palace, stepped up to bow to me and opened his mouth.

"Princess, please accept my apologies, but the wizard of the Black Tower only recently learned about Your Majesty..."

The sound of the attendant's voice faded from my ears at that moment. An unidentified man walking in the distance with his back to the setting sun drew my attention.

Flap!

TL/n: This is supposed to be a flap or flutter sound. Like the sound of bird wings.

What's going on? The moment I saw him, I felt that the reality around me was slipping away. A black bird flapped its wings and flew over the setting sun.

Suddenly the man also seemed to notice me. I held my breath as I watched the dark black eyes staring straight at me.

I returned to my senses when I realized that the unknown man, who was approaching me, was ten steps away and Felix had stepped between us with his back to me.

"Ahh, that's right."

The tall man's mouth slowly opened and spat out in a languid voice.

"So, You are Princess Athanasia."

I felt an unexpected feeling of rejection from the black eyes staring at me.

TL/c: This guy is SUS >=[

"It is an honor to meet you like this, Princess."

It was the same when he moved his body, as if he were putting on an act as he greeted me.

"I should introduce myself."

His demeanor wasn't really breaking any rules, but there was something about it that felt a little too free-spirited.

"My name is Karax, the guardian of the Black Tower. May the blessings and prosperity of Obelia be with you."

The guardian of the Black Tower. Upon hearing his introduction, I could hear the attendants behind me gasping in surprise.

Felix and I were the only ones who were agitated by his introduction.

"The guardian of the Black Tower... you mean?"

"That is what the public called it."

Karax finished his greeting by quietly looking at my face after introducing himself as the guardian of the Black Tower.

"I see. I heard you had just returned and were on your way to greet His Majesty. May the blessings of Obelia be with you."

A smile flashed in his eyes for a brief moment as I was greeted calmly without even trying to be surprised. Of course, the weird ambiance of the man I met shook me for a moment, but...

According to what Daddy said before, isn't he a fraud? But what was the reason for his disappearance and unexpected reappearance three years later?

"Hmm."

With doubts in my mind, I attempted to pass the man who I regarded to be a fake Black Tower magician. He did, however, take a step closer to me.

"You do not have permission to come any closer than this."

Felix had intervened and stopped him. The man halted in place and looked at me with interest in his eyes.

"You seem to lack knowledge of proper etiquette in the Imperial Palace."

I spoke coldly in response to the rude gaze he gave me.

"Ah, I apologize for my rude behavior."

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Who Made Me a Princess - Recruitment:

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[3 Positions Open]

Korean Translator (っ◔◡◔)っ you 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗞𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿𝘀, so don't worry :). We will 𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗧𝗟, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗟 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗽𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗧𝗟, you have to change the meaning into your own understanding. Please Dm @kanna#2133 or send a message to [email protected] if you are interested in applying as one.

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