Chapter 144:Unknown Princess 5
"You were kidding me."
Her voice came out sharper than she expected, not because she wanted to challenge him, but because what he had just said did not fit into any logic she knew.
Even did not match the reality she had lived in for so long, a reality where trust meant death and promises meant betrayal, and as she looked at him, her eyes narrowing slightly.
She continued, her tone now filled with disbelief that she could not hide.
"You do not know how many people are after me, how many beings want me dead," she said, each word carrying the weight of experience, not exaggeration but truth shaped by countless encounters where survival was never guaranteed,
"And you…you are like me, just a child in their eyes, so what exactly are you going to do?"
Ank did not react immediately.
He did not rush to answer.
He simply looked at her.
And then he spoke.
"First, I am not a child," Ank said calmly, his voice steady, not raised, not aggressive, but firm enough to make it clear that he was not joking, that he was not someone who would allow his words to be taken for granted so easily.
"Second," he continued, his gaze unwavering, "when I say you are my responsibility, it means you are my responsibility."
There was no hesitation in his tone.
No doubt.
"No more words," he added, his voice feel less like a statement and more like something already decided.
She blinked.
For a moment, she did not know how to respond, because the way he spoke did not match his appearance, did not match what she expected from someone she had just met, and yet before she could process it fully, she pushed forward again, unwilling to accept something so easily.
"Hey, what are you even saying?" she said, her voice rising slightly, her frustration mixing with confusion.
"If you protect me, then the entire Central Continent will come after you, they already want me dead, they will hunt you as well, so what are you going to do then?"
She knew what she was saying.
She knew the reality of it.
She had lived it.
And yet, even as she spoke, something inside her felt strange, something unfamiliar.
Because for the first time in her life, standing in front of someone who spoke so confidently, she felt something she had never felt before.
Safety.
A fragile feeling.
A dangerous feeling.
Because it was something she had never allowed herself to believe in.
Even the gods had not been able to protect her.
Even those who claimed to be powerful had failed.
And yet.
Standing here.
In front of him.
She felt like no one could touch her.
And she did not understand why.
She did not understand why she was speaking so openly, why she was revealing things she had never shared with anyone before.
Why was she talking to a stranger she had known for less than an hour as if she had known him for far longer.
And that confused her more than anything else.
Then Ank spoke.
And his words were simple.
But they were enough to send a shiver through her entire body.
"I would just erase the entire Central Continent."
There was no hesitation.
No exaggeration.
No attempt to make it sound impressive.
He said it as if it was nothing.
As if it was the most natural solution.
And for a brief moment, something changed in the air around him, something subtle yet undeniable, something that did not need to be seen to be felt.
Because it pressed down quietly, like an unseen weight that reminded everything around him of what he truly was.
His Emperor persona leaked.
Not fully.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to reveal a glimpse of something far beyond what she had assumed, something that made his earlier words feel less like arrogance and more like a simple statement of fact.
He was over possessive.
Not in a way that needed to be declared repeatedly.
But in a way that was absolute.
Anything he declared as his.
Remained his.
And nothing.
No one.
Was allowed to take it away.
"Big words," she said after a moment, her voice quieter now, not as confident as before, because even though she wanted to dismiss him, something inside her refused to ignore what she had just felt.
"You cannot do that for a stranger," she continued, her expression tightening slightly, "you do not even know my name."
Ank looked at her.
And then he spoke.
"First, let me introduce myself," he said, his tone calm once again.
"My name is Ank."
He simply states his name .
"And what is your name?" he asked.
She hesitated.
Not because she wanted to hide it.
But because saying so would attract trouble.
Lots of troubles.
But in the end she gathered courage.
"My name is Ember Will Starlight," she said slowly.
"Second Princess of the Starlight Kingdom."
Ank nodded slightly.
"So you are a princess," he said.
"Yes," she replied.
"Now you understand," she continued, her voice returning to seriousness, "you will not be able to protect me, so just step back now."
"Stop."
Ank's voice cut through her words before she could continue, not loud, but sharp enough to make her fall silent immediately.
His gaze locked onto hers with an intensity that did not allow her to look away.
"Do you know why I am saying you are my responsibility?" he asked.
She blinked.
"No," she answered honestly, confusion clear on her face.
"You believe it or not," Ank said ,each word carrying weight, "you are my fiancée."
"F…fiancée "
The word slipped from her lips in a low tone, almost a whisper, as if she could not fully process what she had just heard, as if the meaning itself refused to settle inside her mind.
"Yes," Ank replied.
"You are my fiancée," he repeated, his voice calm but firm, leaving no space for doubt.
"And I would kill or destroy anything that tries to take what is mine."
His eyes remained on hers.
Unwavering.
Steady.
"And that includes you."
There was no anger in his words.
No threat.
Just certainty.
A certainty that made it impossible to question whether he meant it or not.
"So now," he continued, his tone softening slightly, though the weight of his words did not lessen, "you rest."
"No one can harm you."
"And if they try "
His voice paused for a brief moment.
"They will see the consequences."
And in that instant, something vast spread out, unseen yet undeniable.
His Emperor aura extended beyond the room, beyond the village, covering the entire planet like an invisible domain.
Every being present on the planet can feel this pressure for one second.
And it was enough to make them shiver in their entire body.
It also dissolved as fast as it came.
The pressure was like that something that simply existed and made everything else acknowledge it.
Ank one mistake awakens lots of hidden monsters that hide in this planet for millions of years to come once again on the surface.
But this was Ank future problem.
She also felt the pressure.
But she was not in fear.
But as something overwhelming.
She did not resist it.
She only nodded slowly.
Her neck moved slightly.
She did not know that her mind was believing in all Ank words.
"Okay," she said softly.
And her body finally relaxed after holding tension for so long, her eyes slowly closed, her consciousness fading once again, not from weakness, but from exhaustion.
And she fell asleep.
For the first time.
Without fear.