Chapter 644

Is this the Princess's bedroom?

Under the maid's guidance, after being led into the Princess's bedroom, Leon couldn't help but glance around, despite how impolite it was.

Unlike some freckled prince's gilded room, where everything screamed extravagance at a single glance, the Princess's bedroom was less a bedroom and more another office.

A massive desk, flanked by bookshelves crammed with all manner of documents, occupied nearly forty percent of the space; beside the desk stood a large drawing board covered in dozens of handwritten notes and reminders.

Inside the metal filing cabinet beside the board, stacks of documents bearing seals and signatures piled high, while at the bottom lay half-a-person-tall stacks of blank paper and numerous unopened ink bottles—two of which had apparently been spilled, staining a large patch of the wool rug black.

This woman is a total workaholic…

Seeing the crumpled nightgown draped over the chair and the thick quilt on the bed, clearly slept in but left unmade and bunched into a messy heap, Leon blinked, feeling a small crack form in his impression of the Princess.

The newspaper image of composed, elegant, beautiful Princess Veronika—behind closed doors… was actually a bit messy. Hmm. Several uncleaned coffee cups sat on the desk, clearly left for days, the remaining coffee hardened inside them.

"This… please don't misunderstand."

Seeing Leon staring at the coffee cups, the maid quickly spoke to explain for the Princess:

"There are too many important items in Her Highness's bedroom, so we're generally not allowed in—because we can't be trusted to tidy up. She handles everything herself."

"But this trip was sudden, and work piled up. When she returned, she was overwhelmed, so things look messy now. Normally, Her Highness is very tidy."

Yes, the trip.

The Princess's sudden "disappearance" over these past days, after being altered by the Demon God's Brain and the Illusion Jar, had become a secret, impromptu visit.

Aside from the Princess herself and Joshua—who had been beaten three times in succession due to the Princess's memory lapse—no one knew what had truly happened.

No unrest, no signs—just silent, seamless alteration of the memories of tens of millions, even hundreds of millions. This was truly terrifying…

"I see…"

After nodding to the maid, Leon sighed at the terrifying power of the Illusion Jar and asked:

"Where is Princess Veronika?"

"Her Highness is changing clothes in the inner room."

The maid replied:

"You arrived a bit late—Her Highness was wearing her nightgown and couldn't receive guests, so…"

"Not because she couldn't receive guests. She just took a short nap, sweated a bit, and wanted to change."

With soft footsteps, the door to the inner room opened. The Princess stepped out in a fitted nightgown, smiling at Leon:

"Besides, given our relationship, you're hardly a guest."

"You're teasing me…"

…

After the maid voluntarily withdrew and closed the bedroom door, Leon noticed a faint glimpse of pale, smooth skin

"Your Highness, I've recovered the memories I lost during that time, so…"

"Call me Veronica."

After correcting Li Ang's form of address, the Princess took his hand and led him to the balcony, sitting beside him on the sofa next to the bed, then smiled sweetly and said:

"So you came to ask about the wedding date?"

"Uh… actually, I came to apologize…"

Unconsciously shifting slightly away from the warm, heat-emitting body beside him, Li Ang took a deep breath and, amid the gentle scent of iris, said with solemn seriousness:

"Princess Veronica, during that period, I had no memory of the past, so I didn't understand the context—but now I remember. I'm sorry. When I proposed to you back then, it wasn't sincere."

After briefly explaining his relationship with the Lyon family, and how, to escape the identity of Duke of Lionheart, he had deliberately proposed to the Princess to force the Lyon family to replace him as Duke, Li Ang said with sincere expression:

"Princess Veronica, you are indeed an exceptional woman, but this whole matter was merely a coincidence. I have no intention of marrying, so I ask you to reconsider our engagement."

"Fine."

After listening carefully to Li Ang's words, the Princess, though gently rejected, showed neither surprise nor anger—only a smile and a nod, then asked in return:

"I'm willing to reconsider. But could you please not leave just yet? Stay here and consider it with me?"

"… "

Oh no… when I said 'consider,' I meant let's just drop it entirely—not that I actually want you to seriously consider it…

Watching the Princess deliberately misinterpret his meaning, Li Ang opened his mouth to speak but found no reason to refuse, so he gave a slight nod. "Good. Since you agree, let's first consider why you're rejecting this marriage."

As if discussing someone else's wedding, Princess Veronica winked at Li Ang and smiled sweetly:

"First, I'm confident in my appearance and figure, so it's certainly not because I'm ugly or unattractive to you, right?"

Hearing Princess Veronica's words, Li Ang involuntarily glanced at her.

The Princess's navy-blue nightgown was cut and designed with dignified propriety—its neckline, a modest shallow V, held no bold elements; it was an extremely conservative, fully covering nightgown, one that could even be worn outside without issue.

But… for certain people, no matter how modest a garment's design, when worn by her, it must yield to her own presence.

Because of the Princess lounging lazily against the sofa back, the gown's originally classical and gentle V-neck was forcibly stretched by her extraordinary curves, and as it descended, the snug cut created an astonishing contrast.

Only after the fabric's smoothness had barely softened the extreme disparity, guiding the curve steadily to her waist, did a full, round moon abruptly rise—unreasonably, irresistibly.

Though that moon quickly sank into the soft sofa, never fully revealed, what peeked through the sofa's concealment—the lush, mature, elegant contours—still sent an involuntary shiver through him.

"You are indeed very beautiful, but this matter is complicated—it's not simply that…"

"Mr. Li Ang."

Gently calling his name, Princess Veronica naturally interrupted his resistance and said with a touch of playful reproach:

"We're not debating. I accepted your request to reconsider—and invited you to join me in seriously contemplating our future relationship. So please don't interrupt me, all right?"

"All right…"

"Then let's continue."

Having reclaimed control of the conversation, Princess Veronica smiled slyly and spoke:

"Since you admit my charm—and even find yourself drawn to me—then is your resistance to marrying me because you find my personality disagreeable?"

"No, but…"

"Good. You don't dislike me."

Once again seizing the lead, Princess Veronica smiled warmly and said:

"If it's not because you look down on me, then is it because of my status? Or the troubles that marrying me might bring? Or perhaps… you think my reason for accepting your proposal is flawed—that I'm not truly interested in you, but only in the value of the Lyon family behind you?"

"… "

All of these… are somewhat true…

Hearing Princess Veronica voice these thoughts outright, Li Ang exhaled in relief and gave a slight nod, acknowledging her assessment.

…

Even ignoring his status as a transmigrator, the gap between him and Princess Veronica was unimaginable—radically different classes and experiences had forged utterly divergent worldviews, making shared interests nearly impossible, let alone becoming intimate partners.

Moreover, their "work natures" were entirely incompatible.

He, as a Cleaner, needn't elaborate—given the Cleaners' mortality rate, anyone marrying him would be perpetually teetering on widowhood. And from the state of her bedroom, she was clearly a workaholic—the kind who treated her home as a second office.

If they truly came together, even if they had common ground, they'd inevitably be apart far more than together. And her status as Princess meant endless complications. Judging by her relationship with Joshua, if he got entangled in royal internal struggles, he'd face countless headaches.

Most importantly, she accepted his proposal solely because of the Lyon family's value and the support the Duke of Lionheart could offer—nothing to do with Li Ang himself. She wanted the Duke of Lionheart, not Li Ang Lyon.

If he were merely an old noble, she'd be an ideal marriage prospect. But he had no desire to seize power through noble status, nor did he wish to upend the lives of Anna and the others. No matter how perfect she seemed now, she was not the right woman for him.

"I understand."

Studying Li Ang's eyes, Princess Veronica vaguely guessed part of his thoughts, paused briefly, then nodded:

"I think I know why you don't want to marry me. I understand your reasoning… but I have one final question."

Looking into Li Ang's eyes, the Princess sat up straight and asked softly:

"Since I'm not the wife you envision, could you tell me—what kind of wife do you truly desire?"

(End of Chapter)