Revolutionary Princess Eve

Chapter 13

"..."

"..."

They were the same purple eyes that Eve remembered. The striking color was just as mesmerizing as before, looking as if they could drag your soul down into them. Mikael, though locked up and stripped of dignity, was just as attractive and beautiful as when he was King of the Homunculi.

Eve took a deep a breath.

Talk about looks that could kill. Like Helen of Troy, he set the stage for a rebellion just by seducing Rosie his appearance.

Mikael seemed to tremble slightly, his eyes locked on Eve. His look of indifference faltered slightly, showing confusion. It was to be expected—he would have never set eyes on a well-adorned, regal lady in a dress before.

Eve wanted to create a good first impression by greeting Mikael politely and with kindness, but Baronet Ercah ruined the moment.

"How dare you! You are going to simply stand and stare? Greet the princess with proper courtesy!"

"A princess...? Of imperial blood?"

That did it. His purple eyes became cold and steely as he looked up at Eve. If Mikael's hands were free, he looked like he might have tried to attack and strangle her.

Eve gulped—she hadn't been expecting such a hateful look. Baronet Ercah stepped forward to protect Eve, thundering at Mikael.

"You ungrateful monster! Lower your eyes this instant! Forgive me, Your Highness. I should have taught him thing or two before you arrived. Look here, hand me a whip this very—"

"Sir Ercah. It's alright," Eve said, holding up a hand.

Baronet Ercah backed down and Eve placed her hand on the cage bars, undoing the magical lock that sealed the doorway.

Clang.

The door was open. Eve, steeling herself with a small breath, stepped inside the cage without hesitation. Mikael's eyes widened while Baronet Ercah panicked behind her.

"Y-your Highness! You can't go inside! Please come back—this is dangerous!"

Eve wasn't listening.

"Everyone leave. I will talk to him alone."

"But your Highness...!"

"Leave now," she commanded in her most authoritative tone. She even mixed a small bit of magic into her words to minimize any protest. The baronet took the platform back with Sedella.

Eve was now alone in the cage with Mikael.

"..."

"..."

As their gazes met once more, a heavy silence fell between them. All that moment, a powerful gust of wind blew through the cavern, making the rusty chain squeak and the cage sway. Eve and Mikael did not react. In this practically subterranean cave, the warm, humid wind brought only the smell of sulfur and rust. There was not a singe ray of light to be seen. It was in tis bleak environment that Eve and Mikael had the first meeting of their second lives.

Eve thought bitterly,

How the tables have turned. Now you're the one that's locked up, and I've come to visit you. It's clear just how miserable you were during this period of your life. I wonder if t would have given you some satisfaction to see me locked up now too.

Her feelings toward him were confusing. In her previous life, Mikael had perpetrated a coup d'état. He was the enemy of the imperial family, having commanded that all members of royalty be killed, and that Eve locked up for a month. Despite all that, it was not hatred or resentment that Eve was feeling, but rather pity for seeing what he had gone through earlier in hid life.