I! Cleaner!

"..."

*Did we somehow get the wrong script in this play?*

When Leon prepared to come and break off the engagement, he had mentally prepared himself in advance, imagining that the Princess might flatly refuse, impose harsh conditions, or even resort to threats and bribes.

But what he hadn't expected was that the Princess would choose to "reason" with him and even launch a confident and assertive pursuit...

Could this count as pursuit?

...

"I admit, if I had to make a choice right now, we... do seem quite suitable..."

As he was being cornered into the sofa by the ever-approaching Princess, Leon, who shrank back like a timid housewife, summoned the strength of his steely resolve to pull back his hand and continued to resist arduously,

"But I don't necessarily have to make a choice, at least not right now... Your Highness, you really are wonderful, but right now I still..."

"Since you're not in a hurry to make a decision, why are you rushing to reject me?"

Facing Leon's "last-ditch resistance," the Princess didn't rush to press harder but instead adhered to the military tactic of "surround on three sides, leave one open," offering a way out,

"I'm not forcing you to immediately accept this marriage. I just don't want you to cut it off too hastily.

Leon, if you're in no rush to decide, why not maintain the current state, give us more time to get to know each other, and not reject fate's gift so readily."

"You still believe in fate?"

"I didn't before."

The Princess smiled,

"But since fate brought you to me, I'm willing to trust her this once."

"..."

*Please stop, please stop, I'm really about to surrender...*

Faced with the Princess's relentless combination of soft words, hard tactics, and awkward flirting, Leon, who found himself retreating step by step, finally couldn't resist her wave after wave of advances and had to raise his hands in surrender,

"Then... let's leave it at that for now?"

"Let's leave it at that for now."

Having successfully repelled Leon, who came to break off the engagement and recaptured all lost ground, the Princess pulled up the shallow V-neckline of her nightgown, then sat up straight and cheerfully redirected the discussion,

"Also, regarding the matter of you helping me regain my identity, I haven't had the chance to thank you yet. For this, what kind of thank-you gift would you like?"

"No need for a thank-you gift..."

Hearing the Princess's words, Leon, who had just breathed a small sigh of relief, immediately became vigilant again, quickly waving his hand,

"I'm a cleaner for the Purification Bureau. According to the agreements between the Bureau and the royal families, it's my duty to ensure the safety of royal members, so..."

"The cleaner's thank-you gift can be waived, but the Prince's thank-you gift is still due."

"..."

Apparently taking great pleasure in Leon's reaction, the Princess, leaning against the sofa's backrest, chuckled and then reached her fair and delicate fingers into the neckline of her nightgown.

"Um... I should really not bother you."

"Why are you running away?"

Amusedly holding onto Leon, who was trying to leave, the Princess Veronica lightly placed a somewhat old pendant into his palm, speaking reminiscently,

"This is a pendant my mother gave me... Rest assured, it's not something with immense sentimental value, nor something that, by accepting it, you must marry me—it's just a small token of goodwill."

Gently holding Leon's hand, ensuring he grasped the pendant still warm with body heat, Princess Veronica said earnestly,

"When my mother gave it to me, she hoped it would bless me with safety and success. Now I'm giving it to you, hoping it will keep you safe as well."

"Thank you..."

After feeling the pendant, which wasn't an Anomalous Object and had no special effect, but still felt quite warm, and looking at the Princess, who had been cunning before but now seemed especially sincere, Leon hesitated a bit, then spoke somewhat hesitantly,

"Actually, if it's just the Ryan Family's inheritance, the support from the Department of Road Administration and the military, and a seat in the Upper House that you want, you might not necessarily have to marry me..."

"Leon, I'm definitely going to get married."

Not waiting for him to finish, the Princess interrupted, gazing at him with a serious face,

"This country cannot be entrusted to Joshua—he doesn't have the talent for it. So, I want to and must become the next Queen!

A stable family and an heir to carry on the royal bloodline are indispensable criteria to becoming Queen. Since I must marry and start a family with someone, why can't that person be you?"

"..."

...

Measuring the progress of luring him, seeing it was essentially complete, the Princess, who had previously feigned retreat, immediately showed her true colors and launched a fierce final assault!

"To be honest with you, before and after you succeeded as the Duke of Lionheart, I conducted very thorough investigations into you."

Once again taking Leon's hand, the Princess Veronica admitted her scrutiny of him, her face giving off a reminiscent glow,

"Though, at the time, I only intended to seize back some control over the military following the fall of the Ryan Family, with no other intentions toward you.

However, after you publicly proposed to me at the succession ritual, I quickly realized you were my ideal candidate for Prince!"

Looking at Leon, who was a bit surprised, the Princess spoke warmly of her assessment of him,

"Leon, you truly are wonderful—not only hardworking, reliable, emotionally stable, and family-oriented, but you also take on responsibilities, never leaving your sick sister behind and even risking your life to save her by joining the high-mortality Purification Bureau.

After joining, you worked diligently, courageously, fearless in the face of danger, advocating for victims during the sewage incident, with almost no desire for power, remaining indifferent to the title of Duke..."

*Oh, goodness...*

Hearing the Princess's assessment of himself, Leon blushed and modestly said,

"I'm really not that great..."

"And you're particularly humble."

"..."

"I admit that when I agreed to your proposal at the time, it might have been more for the seat of the Ryan Family, but after careful consideration, I am now very sure that you are the best Prince I could find—with you gone, I would definitely regret it in the future!"

Seizing Leon for a bout of genuine praise and expressing her determination to have him, the Princess momentarily dimmed her eyes inwardly, her mood turning somewhat downcast as she said,

"Unlike me, who can only choose you, you have other options besides troublesome women like me. It might be unfair to tie you to me prematurely.

But... but I truly don't want to miss out on this opportunity!"

Gazing into Leon's eyes, the Princess shifted from her previous decisiveness, her bright eyes glistening with tears, speaking softly,

"This is the only time I'll have the chance to choose my husband with my heart. I admit, I did use some tricks just now, but I really had no other choice.

When I first heard you came this time to break off the engagement, I panicked completely, my mind in a whirl, so I instinctively used the most familiar means to try to keep you...

I... Leon, please don't be angry with me, okay? If you reject me, then I... I..."