Chapter :142: Unknown Princess 3
Now Ank touched her forehead, and the moment his fingers made contact with her skin, a faint ripple of energy passed through her body, covering her entire body.
And in the next moment her eyes opened abruptly, wide and filled with alertness as if she had been pulled out from the edge of death itself.
Before she could even process where she was, her voice burst out instinctively, sharp and filled with tension.
"Help me!"
Her gaze moved rapidly across the surroundings, taking in every detail of the unfamiliar place, the walls, the light, the silence, and the figure standing in front of her.
And confusion immediately turned into caution, because nothing about this situation felt safe to her, nothing felt familiar, and her instincts refused to let her guard down.
Without wasting even a second, she summoned her swords, her movements were quick like she faced this situation like before.
The blades appeared in her hands and in the same instant she swung them toward Ank without hesitation.
Because for her, survival had never been about questioning first, it had always been about acting before the danger could reach her.
But Ank stopped her swords.
Not with force.
Not with much struggle.
But with a simple motion that made it clear how vast the difference between them was, his hand holding the blades effortlessly, his expression unchanged, calm and almost indifferent, as if what had just happened was expected.
"Relax, miss," Ank said, his voice steady, carrying neither anger nor urgency, "you are safe."
Safe.
The word echoed in her mind, but instead of calming her, it only made things worse, because she had heard those words too many times before, from too many people, in too many situations that all ended the same way.
"Safe… Am I safe?" she repeated, her voice lowering slightly, but not because she believed him, but because she was trying to understand whether this was another lie or just another moment before everything went wrong again.
She had lost the meaning of that word long ago.
Too many people had said it.
Too many had failed.
And none of them had survived beyond two days.
So she did not believe him.
Not even a little.
"Where am I?" she asked again, her tone sharper now, her eyes locked onto him with suspicion.
"And who are you?" she added quickly, her grip on the swords tightening slightly even though he was still holding them in place.
"What happened here? The last thing I remember is being in the forest, surrounded by monsters, and I was about to die,"
She continued, her words coming out faster now as panic slowly began to take over, the memories still fresh in her mind, the fear still lingering in her body.
Ank watched her quietly.
He could see it.
The panic.
The distrust.
The exhaustion hidden behind her alertness.
And although he was not someone who was good at comforting others, although he had never been the type to speak gently or ease someone's fear with words, he still tried.
"Relax," he said again, his voice slightly firmer this time, as if repeating it would somehow make her believe it.
"I told you, you are safe."
"You are kidding," she replied immediately, her expression hardening, refusing to accept what he was saying.
"I am not safe," she added, her voice almost breaking but still holding onto resistance.
"I said again, you are safe," Ank repeated, his tone unchanged, not raising his voice, not forcing his words, but simply stating them as if they were absolute.
"I.. "
"Enough."
Ank interrupted her, not harshly, but firmly enough to stop her from continuing, because he could see that this conversation was not going anywhere, not in her current state, not when her mind was still trapped between fear and disbelief.
"First, change your clothes, wash your face, and take a bath," he said, his voice calm but leaving no room for argument.
"I will wait here."
"After that, we will continue this conversation."
She froze for a moment, her thoughts interrupted by his words, because this was not the response she had expected, not the reaction she was prepared for, and for a brief second she did not know what to say.
Then slowly, without arguing further, she lowered her weapons.
Not because she trusted him.
But because something about his presence made resistance feel pointless.
And without another word, she turned and walked away to follow his instructions.
Ank watched her leave, his expression finally shifting slightly as he exhaled quietly, and then he moved to sit on a chair nearby, his posture relaxed but his mind far from calm.
Because now comes the real problem.
How was he going to explain everything?
How was he going to tell her about her condition?
About her connection to him?
About the fact that she had become his fiancée without even knowing it?
And more importantly.
How was he going to deal with something he himself could not undo?
"Mother, what have you done?" Ank muttered under his breath, his tone filled with frustration because even for him, this situation was beyond complicated.
And just as he was lost in his thoughts.
A familiar presence appeared.
The AI.
She appeared in front of him casually and without any hesitation she moved and lay down on the bed, her posture relaxed, her expression carrying that same playful mockery that never seemed to fade.
"So Ank," she said, her voice light, almost teasing, "what will you do now?"
Her eyes glanced toward the direction where the girl had gone, and then back at him, her lips curling into a small smile.
"She does not like you," she continued, her tone filled with amusement, "she does not even want to talk to you."
"So what will you do?" she added, letting out a soft laugh, "heehehe."
Ank's jaw tightened slightly.
He wanted to hit her.
He wanted to shut her up.
But he could not do anything.
And that only made it worse.
"Mother… Why did you do this to me?"
Ank muttered again, his voice low but filled with genuine frustration, "the previous system was more helpful than this."
"Destruction I know you are enjoying this," he added, his tone carrying a hint of bitterness.
But Ank was mistaken. He did not know that far beyond this planet.
Far beyond that no one has now the courage to go.
Creation.
Protection.
And Destruction was fighting .
Against Death itself.
For him.
A battle so vast that it could shake the balance of existence itself, a battle where every moment mattered, where every decision could lead to destruction or survival.
And while Ank sat here struggling with something as simple as a conversation, those who stood above everything were risking everything for him.
And he did not know.
Not yet.
Because for now.
His battle was here.
In this room.
With a girl who did not trust him.
And a fate he could not escape.