Ch.300Chapter 300 – Confession

Karen was quite taken aback by the question about what he liked about her. But Pathos’s eyes were the very embodiment of sincerity.

Lovers often playfully tell each other what they like about one another. But the two of them weren’t yet in that kind of relationship.

That’s why Karen tried to brush it off casually, but what came out of Pathos’s mouth drew all her attention.

“I don’t know if Your Highness is aware, but I’m going to tell you a secret I’ve only shared with Sister Regina and Cheonhyeryeong.”

“A secret…?”

Karen focused on the word “secret” from Pathos’s lips, and the fact that only his two lovers knew about it.

The thought kept circling in her mind: why would he reveal to her a secret he had only wanted a select few to know?

And then she became curious about what this secret could possibly be.

Could it be that he has another person he likes? Or perhaps some physical condition?

Maybe even a secret about his birth?

Literally thousands of random thoughts flashed through Karen’s mind.

“The truth is, I’m not from this world.”

“…What?”

And the fact that he revealed to Karen was beyond anything she had imagined.

“What do you mean by that? Not from this world? Are you saying there are other worlds besides this one?”

Karen began to focus on the fact that Pathos came from another world.

Another world? Does that mean there are other worlds besides the one I’m living in?

“That’s right. This is a world with magic, spirits, dragons, and monsters, but the world I came from considered all these things as mere fantasies.”

“How fascinating.”

Everything coming from Pathos’s mouth was nothing short of amazing to Karen.

Carriages that move great distances without speaking, steel birds that fly through the sky faster than sound.

Massive iron warships weighing tens of thousands of tons. A vast communication network that allows real-time contact anywhere.

And finally, a nightmarish weapon capable of completely erasing all life in that world.

“In the country where I lived, neighboring nations threatened us with such weapons daily, so we eventually stopped paying much attention to it.”

“What an interesting world. Things unimaginable in this world happen there.”

“Conversely, people from that world would find this world fascinating.”

As Karen listened to Pathos’s secret, she felt somehow closer to him.

Perhaps the Pathos she had met before wasn’t the same person as this one who came from another world?

“Ah, would it be alright if I speak more comfortably?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“Good. Thank you for being considerate. Maintaining this speech pattern is quite troublesome.”

With that, Karen took a bite of the main dish, as she was getting hungry.

“Shall we talk while eating? Both you and I must be hungry.”

“That sounds good.”

And so the two began their earnest conversation while dining.

“The fact that you told me your secret means you trust me that much, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Good. Then I’ll tell you my secret too. Do you know the concept of ‘regression’?”

“Regression?”

Pathos was quite surprised by the word “regression” that came from Karen’s lips.

Naturally, in the world where Pathos lived, the concept of “regression” was something commonly encountered through creative works.

“Doesn’t it mean turning back time? More precisely, turning back time for everything except my memories. That way, things that should have happened become things that never happened.”

“Wow, you’re smart! I’ve tried explaining this to people in different timelines, but no one understood.”

“In the world I lived in, this is something most people are familiar with.”

“Well, the world you lived in must be very different from this one. Anyway, that makes things easier. The number of times I’ve performed regression is about 250 times.”

Pathos was shocked to hear this. In creative works, people who regress that many times usually fall into one of two categories.

Either they have incredibly strong mental fortitude that doesn’t break despite experiencing regression, or they go insane from the repeated cycles.

Pathos thought Karen must be the former.

“During those 250 regressions, the world was destroyed by the same entity every time.”

“Could that entity be the Demon God?”

“That’s right. Without a single exception, all were destroyed by the Demon God.”

Karen’s face was tinged with bitterness as she spoke of past cycles. Perhaps because of this, she didn’t even notice the steak sauce on the corner of her mouth.

“Here, you have some sauce.”

“Ah… thank you. Anyway, what’s important is that during all those cycles, I experienced the timeline where you played a significant role.”

“Is that so?”

Since he had no separate memory of this and Epitrina didn’t mention it either, it seemed that the “him” from different cycles was a different person from the current “him.”

“Yes. One thing I remember is receiving news that you had fallen and died fighting against demons, outnumbered.”

“Hmm.”

Died fighting demons. So that’s why I had a bad relationship with the demon cult?

“But you in this cycle were truly special. After going through numerous trials, you ultimately annihilated the Demon God. Even now, reports are coming in that people from the demon cult across various countries are coming to their senses and returning to normal.”

“That’s fortunate.”

“In timelines where you didn’t awaken the ability to fix everything, humanity perished. But with your appearance, we all received salvation.”

Karen smiled bitterly once more.

“The ability to remember everything isn’t as good as it sounds. But because of this ability, I was designated as the one to regress, and had to experience unwanted time loops hundreds of times.”

Karen took a swig of wine. She seemed to have a parched throat.

“But after you appeared, the Demon God vanished, and the power of regression within me also disappeared completely. It means I no longer have to experience those terrible times again.”

Karen smiled at Pathos.

“Thanks to you, both this world and I were saved. When I realized that, I couldn’t help but feel grateful and develop an interest in you.”

“All I did was struggle desperately to survive.”

“I know. But as that interest developed, it turned into romantic feelings.”

At the sight of Karen’s broad smile, Pathos felt a subtle emotion rising from within his chest.

“I’ll be honest. I like you. Because of the debt I owe you, I can’t help but like you. Does my position as the Imperial Princess burden you? If so, I can boldly relinquish that position.”

Pathos was shocked by Karen’s words.

When she said she would give up her position as Imperial Princess for him, her eyes held deep conviction.

In other words, she wasn’t making empty promises; everything she had said so far was the truth.

“Thank you, Pathos. I really wanted to say this. So, would you give me a chance? I may be lacking, but I can work hard as a wife.”

At her words, Pathos could no longer hide the truth from Karen.

“Actually…”

Pathos began to slowly explain why he had shown such an attitude toward Princess Karen.

He explained that being involved with Karen would entangle him in central politics, ultimately interfering with his desire to live a carefree life.

And that he had to act in ways that would make Karen dislike him. When he finished explaining, Karen was laughing.

“Hahaha! That’s the only reason you acted that way? You have a surprisingly cute side.”

“It was a very important issue for me.”

“I know. I think I understand. Actually, I was thinking of stepping down from the position of Imperial Princess and returning to being just a normal member of the imperial family.”

Pathos expressed doubt at Karen’s words.

“Can you give up that position so easily?”

“Of course. The position of ‘Imperial Princess’ is ultimately given to someone among the Emperor’s direct descendants who wishes to succeed the throne. If I renounce my right of succession, I would no longer be an Imperial Princess but would be treated as a member of the imperial family, ‘a descendant of the Emperor.’ In exchange, I would be completely removed from central politics.”

Karen’s expression was one of relief.

“So, what will you do? I like you. Even if you dislike me, I’ll follow you to the end. Wherever you go, I’ll follow without fail, so you can’t escape.”

At this point, Pathos finally realized.

That he had no reason whatsoever to reject Karen.

“Um, I heard this is usually said by men, so I’ll say it first.”

Pathos knelt on one knee and extended his hand to Karen.

“Karen. Would you seriously date me?”

“Pathos. I accept your proposal with the utmost sincerity.”