The Trap of the Princess

The royal princess's birthday party was certainly very lavish. Various noble figures attended in droves, especially men, and with just a glance, Mahendra understood that their presence was solely to make connections. Strangely, Mahendra also received an invitation. He could only think of one thing: perhaps this was related to the king.

"Mahendra, this lavish party, how can you be here?"

"I received an invitation."

"I haven't even prepared a gift yet."

"No need. Just me is enough."

Although Mahendra had no intention of attending this event, he wanted to use this opportunity to gather information.

Perhaps someone there knew the whereabouts of the Wandering King.

The spacious and magnificent ballroom was adorned with many sparkling trinkets. Countless crystal butterflies fluttered, and tulips and roses lightened the atmosphere. The grand staircase in the center remained elegant, its silver color not overly bright but of high quality.

A beautiful woman appeared from the top of the stairs, and accompanied by her father, the king, she descended, slightly lifting her purple gown. The large ribbon tying the end of her braid was distinctive, and her slow steps made no sound from her high heels. Instantly, everyone fell silent, gasping in admiration at the beautiful and elegant princess before them.

All eyes were on the main figure of the party, and Mahendra was no exception. He watched her for quite a while, but with a flat expression as if disgusted by her beautiful face. Occasionally, he sighed, and after a few seconds, their eyes met.

People thought they were the ones making eye contact with the princess. However, in reality, the princess's sapphire eyes were only fixed on the monster-like red eyes in the middle of the crowd. It was none other than Mahendra.

"Just one look, and I know which magician my father meant."

As soon as the father and daughter reached the ground floor, everyone greeted them with joyful faces and with full respect for the royal family of Murcia. They took turns giving gifts and birthday wishes to the 5th Princess, Melissa. Meanwhile, Mahendra tried to quietly slip away towards the balcony.

Mahendra stood silently, gazing at the night sky. Besides pondering the whereabouts of the Wandering King, he was also thinking about the ancient spell that turned out to originate from his own world, before it fell into the Sky World.

Soon after, a beautiful woman approached him. She carried two glasses of drinks, intending to give one to Mahendra.

"Good evening, Mr. Mahendra. What are you doing here alone?" she asked.

Mahendra turned around, surprised that it was the royal princess who had come to him. They looked at each other for quite some time, with an awkward yet curious air. Princess Melissa then offered him one of the drinks to break the silence between them.

"This is just juice, you can drink it. And may I accompany you?"

Without hesitation, Mahendra accepted the drink and replied, "Thank you for the drink, but perhaps it would be better if you stayed inside."

Princess Melissa shook her head briefly. "No, I want to talk to you. Just the two of us."

The gift Mahendra could prepare was quite small, and he felt this was not the time to give a gift because it seemed this princess was about to say something important.

"Being alone with a man you don't know will worsen Your Highness's reputation. However, if this matter is urgent, please speak freely."

Their formal conversation didn't change the awkwardness between them. There was a tense feeling within Mahendra, who now seemed to want to escape this situation. 

However, unlike Mahendra, Princess Melissa appeared more aggressive now.

Princess Melissa moved closer to him, causing Mahendra to instinctively step back. It was clear Mahendra was avoiding physical contact, even eye contact. And finally, Princess Melissa maintained her distance from him again.

"I heard you won the tournament. Congratulations, I'm glad to hear that."

"Not a win. Just a draw."

"In that case, has anyone else congratulated you?"

"Princess Melissa, it should be me congratulating you. Please forgive my impoliteness." Mahendra bowed his head as he congratulated the princess. His expression remained flat, but his words were utterly sincere.

"Thank you, and then—"

"Then, if you'll excuse me." Before she could finish speaking, Mahendra intentionally cut her off as if he hadn't heard, then left the crowded ballroom.

Their conversation didn't flow smoothly due to the overwhelming awkwardness. Mahendra, attempting to leave the party, was intercepted by three lavishly dressed individuals just as he exited the ballroom.

"Isn't this the magician heralded as the best? Why are you leaving the room?" asked the blond-haired man. He crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at Mahendra.

"Whether I leave or not is none of your business." Mahendra glared back.

"The one who flirted with the princess turns out to be quite bold. Do you think we don't know you're trying to win the princess's heart?" the brown-haired man chimed in.

"I don't understand what you're talking about. Perhaps there's a misunderstanding."

"How could there be a misunderstanding?! We saw it ourselves on the balcony. And even if you're powerful, what can you do without a background? You're just a poor, ungrateful child. How dare you act so superior and even come to a party you shouldn't be attending."

"I received an invitation. To show respect, I had to attend."

Unbeknownst to them, Princess Melissa emerged from behind the ballroom's door, approaching them as they harassed Mahendra.

"You dare to be disrespectful to my guest? Even if you are the Prince of the Northern Kingdom, I will never allow my guests to be insulted like this." Her firm words and sharp gaze surprised them, especially the blond-haired man.

"You misunderstand, Princess Melissa. We were just chatting. I apologize if you felt disturbed."

Princess Melissa immediately turned away in annoyance, a clear gesture to dismiss them. Meanwhile, Mahendra remained silent until the three of them had truly moved away.

"Thank you for your help, Princess."

"If you truly want to thank me, then you must do something."

Mahendra had a bad feeling about this.

Princess Melissa closed the distance between them, their proximity ambiguous and leaving Mahendra frozen in place. The seemingly cunning woman then whispered something unexpected.

"I want to have a child with you." The sentence didn't sound like a joke, even the breath that tickled his ear made it clear that Princess Melissa was teasing him.

Mahendra stood silent with his eyes closed, then stepped back and said, "A joke like this... I don't think it's appropriate to continue."

Princess Melissa stepped back, then smiled, looking at him expectantly. Mahendra felt extremely awkward and seemed to want to escape again.

"Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment," Mahendra said. He turned around, fully intending to leave.

"Wandering King." However, with just those two words from the princess, Mahendra stopped moving. His steps, which had been taking him away, now turned back to face her.

Princess Melissa smiled again, then walked away, beckoning Mahendra to follow. Without questioning, he followed her.

Dozens of steps away from the ballroom, they turned left and went up a hidden staircase, arriving at a girl's room filled with many feminine colors.

"Mr. Mahendra, this is the first time I've secretly invited someone into my room," Princess Melissa said, pouring water into a small cup.

"Luckily, there's a hidden staircase," Princess Melissa said once more, then offered him the cup of water.

Mahendra had been feeling a bad premonition for quite some time, but he still didn't know what was strange. At least, not before he drank the water from that cup.