"Boyfriend? This guy?"
"Princess Qia, is that true?"
"Isn't he younger than you? Is that really okay?"
"How come no one has heard anything about it?"
Qia showed an embarrassed expression as she replied.
"He only confessed his love recently. At first, I was in doubt. After all, he's a little younger than me. Still, I had to admit that he has been putting a lot of effort into it. In the end, he succeeded in moving my heart. So what if he's three years younger than me? Does love care for such trivial things?"
Rean almost cried. What confession? How come he wasn't present when he confessed? As far as Rean could remember, he never sleepwalked recently.
'What are you trying to do? Is it really okay for a princess of the Empire to say something like that?'
Qia smiled as she replied.
'Why the pretense? We both know that this is what you wanted. Don't worry. This healing ability of yours has truly caught this princess' attention. Congratulations, you have succeeded. I won't let any other girl claim you from now on.'
The thing he wanted? He had never intended for that at all. Sure, he did act a little overboard when he talked to her just a moment ago. Still, would a princess as smart as this one really fall in love with him with just that?
'What are you talking about? I did indeed want something from you, but that had nothing to do with a romantic relationship.'
Obviously, Rean was right. Qia wouldn't deny that she had a good impression of Rean. However, it was definitely worlds apart from reaching the level of love. It's just that Rean's healing abilities had way too many uses. If he succeeded in eliminating scars that the other alchemists can't, that would be a huge thing for Qia.
'Too bad, now that I've announced it, you can't escape anymore. You are this princess' property!'
Qia hugged Rean's arm even tighter. The 'oh-so-soft' feeling that he hadn't felt ever since he healed Tiria once again appeared once more. That obviously made his mind wander a little.
'Nonono, you're just nineteen. I'm a 45-year-old geezer already.'
Or so he wanted to say. However, at the moment, he looked like a typical 15 to 16-year-old teenager. Obviously, he couldn't say something like that. Let alone whether Qia would believe that. If she did, that would expose his identity as a reincarnator.
'Princess, do you have a screw loose? Think about the repercussions. First of all, I'm just someone who came from a small corner of the Empire. You are the granddaughter of the fifth prince. We are simply worlds apart.'
Qia shook her head.
'Don't worry, my grandfather has many descendants. I'm only one more of them. Of course, compared to most direct bloodline descendants, I'm quite high in the chain. Still, I don't think my father or grandfather would oppose our marriage.'
Rean couldn't help but say.
'How could that be? Your Sasamil Family is full of political marriages. Would they let you go just like that? Don't forget how different our backgrounds are.'
Eventually, Qia narrowed her eyes.
'Are you really worried about something like that, or are you thinking that this princess is not good enough for you?'
Rean felt like crying. However, he couldn't make her hate him either.
'Of course not! Even with the scars, princess Qia is still beautiful! The clothes you are using are obviously helping out in hiding them. However, they accentuate the nice curvatures of your body. Both your straight black hair and eyes are dazzling. Not to mention that the skin that doesn't have the scars is very smooth, showing how well you treat yourself even in this situation. Last but not least, the softness I feel in my arms is almost making me go crazy! I can guarantee it, you are not only good enough for me. You are way too good!'
Qia was only teasing Rean with that question. But she didn't expect that he would say so much. Every word made her feel more and more flustered. But it was when he reached the topic of her boobs that she finally realized how pressed against him she was.
Still, she noticed that Rean was just trying to find a way to escape, so she gritted her teeth and didn't let go.
'Hm-hmph! At least you know how to talk.'
Qia continued.
'Don't worry, there is no problem with your background. Once I say that you are the direct disciple of the man who invented the communication system, even my grandfather will be delighted to hear about our relationship.'
Rean still shook his head.
'That won't do. It's too risky. The one who invented that was my master, not me. What if it impacts my Dalamu Sect?'
Qia smiled playfully after hearing that.
'And what if I say that you dumped me after everything we had gone through? Which one do you think would affect your Dalamu Sect the most?'
Rean was taken aback.
'Y-You!'
Suddenly, Qia became teary-eyed.
"Rean, even though we had gone so far, I still feel that you are somewhat distant from me. Could it be that you don't love me anymore? Were you just using me and... my body?"
The uproar, which was already quite big, became even louder!
"What?! Did he actually do that?!"
"Holy crap! Who could have thought that these two have gone this far!"
"Not only that, but he has the guts to dump her after that too!"
"The Imperial Family will definitely skin him alive when they find out."
The female cultivators were even harsher than the men.
"Vile scum!"
"Princess, there is no need to pay attention to this kind of person."
"Don't worry, princess. One's virginity is important, but happiness is far greater. Leave this idiot and tell the Imperial Guards. They will take care of him for you."
Rean almost vomited blood!
'Who the hell dumped you? The guy over there, where did you hear the term 'do someone' to start with?'
Rean's plans to help Roan were getting even more out of hand as time passed. Qia totally had him under her palms. At first, there weren't many people around, but the commotion caught the attention of those passing by. If he didn't do something soon, he would really be making an enemy of the Imperial Family for sure.
"Ahem... My... Love... That obviously not the case. It's just that I was afraid that I couldn't be at your standard. However, how could I let you suffer like this? Don't worry, I'll find a way for us to be together."
And with that, Rean grabbed Qia's waist and... kissed her!
Qia was genuinely taken by surprise this time! She didn't expect something like that at all! She only wanted to make sure that Rean wouldn't find a way to escape the situation. After that, they could discuss the things she really wanted for him. That was still her first kiss!
Rean couldn't care less, though.
'Hmph! Two can play this game, you know? Since you went this far, don't blame me for going even further.'
Obviously, that display of affection calmed the enraged crowd. It worked better than Rean expected. However, Qia quickly came back to herself and immediately got away from his embrace.
"Y-You!"
Rean playfully smiled as he said.
"Is there a problem, my love? Why would you suddenly step back like that? We have done so much together, so you definitely wouldn't mind such a simple kiss, right?"
Qia was taken aback and immediately noticed everyone's puzzled expressions.
"O-Of course not! How could I?"
Rean did his best to hold his laugher as he continued his play.
"Oh, I see. It is because I did such a thing in front of everyone that you felt embarrassed, right? Sorry, that was the only way I could think to prove to you that I have never really thought about giving up on you."
Rean then turned to the spectators before saying.
"Qia Sasamil is this Rean's woman! I like the fact that she wouldn't allow any woman to take me. And in exchange, I won't let any man take her. That's correct! What's the point in hiding it now? The truth is that she might even be pregnant at the moment."
Qia almost passed out! Pregnant your head!
'What are you trying to do? Are you really thinking about going forward with this?'
Rean snorted in response.
'You were the one who started it. You knew that I wanted something from you, so you did all of that so that you would be the one in control. However, two can play this game. You said it yourself, your grandfather, the fifth prince, would be more than happy with our relationship.'
Qia felt helpless as she mentally cursed herself. She indeed did say that. Still, she didn't expect it to come back at her in this manner.
'Hm-hmph! It's very easy for me to expose your lie. I'm still a virgin, after all.'
Rean shook his head, though.
'You underestimate my healing abilities. It's a trivial matter for me to recover someone's hymen. I can only say that we were afraid of being exposed, so I used my Light Element to give your hymen back to you. If they ask me to test it out, I can simply do the same thing with any other woman who has just lost her virginity. Easy peasy.'
Qia just wanted to kill this guy already. Usually, no one would believe Rean. However, because of what she said about Rean using her body, she ended trapping herself.
