Chương 414: Chapter : 414

It was a beautiful, picture-perfect moment. Any other man in the Belmontia Empire would have fallen to his knees. Any other man would have kissed her hand and sworn absolute, eternal loyalty to her. But Ken Eliot was not any other man. Ken felt the intense, romantic pressure building. He felt the serious, emotional weight of her words. He realized this conversation was getting way too serious. It was getting way too complicated. Emotional declarations required emotional responses.

A romantic relationship with a future Empress meant massive responsibilities. It meant attending fancy balls. It meant dealing with public scrutiny. It meant absolutely zero free time. Ken deployed his ultimate, foolproof defense mechanism. Ken abruptly pulled his hand out from under her hand. He sat straight up on the driftwood. He threw his hands high into the air. He let out a massive, highly exaggerated groan of pure misery.

"Oh my goodness!" Ken complained loudly, completely shattering the quiet, romantic mood in a single second. He grabbed his own stomach with both hands.

"All this serious talking is making me incredibly hungry! My brain is burning too many calories!" Princess Iris blinked her violet eyes. She looked at him in total shock. The beautiful, sincere atmosphere vanished instantly.

"I am officially starving," Ken yelled goofily. He looked around the empty, dark beach as if searching for a food cart.

"I need dessert right now. I crave ice cream. I desperately crave a massive, gigantic bowl of strawberry ice cream. Three scoops! No, four scoops! With extra syrup on top!" Ken slouched his shoulders completely forward. He gave Iris his absolute best, most pathetic puppy-dog eyes.

"Princess," Ken whined playfully, acting like a complaining toddler.

"Can we please stop talking about knights and shadows? Can we please go find an ice cream shop? If I do not get a three-scoop strawberry ice cream cone in the next ten minutes, I am going to faint directly onto this sand. And I really dislike sand." Iris stared at the messy, complaining boy. She looked at his pouting face. She looked at his untucked shirt. She realized exactly what he was doing. She realized he was completely deflecting her heartfelt confession.

He was using his goofy, ridiculous attitude to escape the intense emotional pressure. For a brief second, Iris felt a tiny sting of disappointment. But then, a bright, warm smile spread across her face. She let out a soft, melodic laugh. She shook her head gently. She realized this was exactly why she liked him so much. He never changed. He never played the political game. He always stayed true to his lazy, snack-loving self.

"You are completely impossible, Ken," Iris laughed quietly. She stood up from the driftwood. She brushed a little bit of sand off her blue dress. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"I am entirely possible," Ken argued happily. He stood up too. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"I am just very motivated by dairy products. It is a very normal human trait."

"Alright," Iris smiled warmly. She bumped her shoulder playfully against his arm.

"Let us go find an ice cream shop. I think I can manage a three-scoop bowl for my best shadow-strategist."

"Please do not call me that," Ken groaned lazily as they started walking back up the dark beach.

"It sounds like a job title. Just call me Ken. And make sure they put sprinkles on it." Iris chuckled softly. They walked side by side under the starry night sky. The romantic tension was completely gone. The comfortable, easy friendship returned instantly. Ken dragged his cheap shoes in the sand. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He smiled a lazy, goofy smile in the dark. He felt entirely safe. He had successfully dodged a massive emotional commitment. He had protected his simple, lazy life.

And he was about to get a free bowl of strawberry ice cream. To Ken Eliot, it was the absolute perfect end to the day.

The morning sun shined brightly over the coastal town. The sky was a clear, perfect blue. The salty ocean breeze blew across the wooden pier. White seagulls flew in circles above the water. They made loud, happy noises. The local dockworkers moved quickly. They pulled massive, thick ropes across the wooden planks. The salty ocean water splashed loudly against the pier. The 13th Unit worked right beside them. They needed to set up a massive, highly complex underwater magical perimeter.

They wanted to trap the dangerous sea monster. Zinia stood near the very edge of the water. She focused her mind. She crossed her strong arms. She stomps her boot on the wooden planks. Deep underwater, large stone blocks rose from the ocean floor. She shaped the rocks with her earth magic. She made them into solid, unbreakable anchors. It was an incredibly difficult task. Sweat rolled down her face. She breathed very fast. She worked perfectly with the local dockworkers. Laxmi stood nearby.

Laxmi held a bright orange flame in her hand.

"Do you need some light?" Laxmi asked cheerfully.

"I can dry those ropes for you!" Naomi walked over. She did not look strict. She placed a gentle hand on Laxmi's arm. Naomi smiled a warm, friendly smile. She treated her teammate with great kindness.

"Let us not burn the ropes today, Laxmi. The dockworkers need them in one piece." Naomi pointed toward a large pile of metal chains.

"Help me untangle those instead." Laxmi agreed happily. She extinguished her fire. They worked together smoothly. Sayma sat on a wooden crate. She pushed her thick glasses up the bridge of her nose. She wrote numbers in her neat notebook. She calculated the exact water pressure needed to hold the magical perimeter. She wanted the trap to be absolutely flawless. Princess Iris watched the ocean. She looked calm and determined. She wore her dark blue uniform. Her violet eyes scanned the crashing waves.

Risa kneeled next to a local sailor. The sailor had a scraped knee. Risa used her sweet, gentle magic. She healed the cut instantly. She smiled and handed the sailor a small bandage. The sailor thanked her profusely. Luna slept soundly on a pile of fishing nets. She snored very quietly. She ignored the loud noises of the docks completely. Ira stood perfectly still. She watched the waves. Her pale face showed zero emotion. She looked exactly like a marble statue. Zinia finished shaping the last underwater anchor.

She let out a long breath. She wiped her forehead with her sleeve. Her arms ached badly. She had used a massive amount of magic. She needed a short break. Princess Iris turned to Zinia.

"You did an excellent job today, Zinia. Go take a rest. We will handle the rest of the setup." Zinia nodded respectfully. She walked away from the noisy docks. She headed into the quiet resort town. The town was full of colorful shops. Tourists walked down the clean sidewalks. People laughed and ate fresh food. Zinia spotted a small, sunny coastal cafe. The cafe had outdoor seating. It had small metal tables and comfortable chairs. She looked at the patio. She unexpectedly bumped into a familiar face.

Ken Eliot sat at a corner table inside the quiet cafe.