I! Cleaner!-Chapter 490 - 425: The Three Goats Confer and Are Summoned

Am I... already changing this Kingdom?

Upon hearing Leon’s response, Princess Veronica also froze slightly, then subconsciously tightened her fist.

Yes, although the stagnant water hasn’t been completely broken yet, just like Leon said before, I’ve always been doing the right thing!

Even Leon is willing to take great risks to share his thoughts with me, which stems from his recognition of my efforts, so all these things I’ve been doing over the years haven’t been in vain. Perhaps... I’ve truly let some people see the light.

"Thank you..."

Filled with a profound sense of affirmation from Leon’s response, the princess took a deep breath, relying on the remaining shreds of her rationality, barely restraining herself from agreeing on the spot.

"I will leave first. As for your proposal... I will definitely consider it carefully."

Leaving behind these words, feeling her heart burning, she quickly walked out of the private room and left the restaurant, hurriedly stepping into the slightly chilly night breeze of the royal capital.

Leon, who couldn’t stop her in time, stood up, intent on following her out, but was politely and unavoidably stopped by the waiter standing by the door.

"Excuse me, sir."

With a sympathetic glance at the abandoned Leon, the well-dressed waiter steeled himself, smiling courteously:

"The dishes you ordered are already being prepared. Is there anything else you need?"

"..."

What do I need... I need you to call back the one who’s supposed to pay the bill!

Looking at the waiter in front of him, who was examining him with a wary look as if afraid he might skip out on the bill, Leon’s lips opened and closed slightly, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to call the princess back to pay.

"Well, um..."

However, after thinking about the prices on the menu, the recent financially strained leader of the rebellious faction awkwardly coughed before tentatively suggesting:

"Are there any dishes that haven’t been made yet? After all, my... lady companion had to go home due to an emergency, and I can’t finish so much food by myself. Can a few of them be canceled?"

"I’m sorry, but all the dishes have already been prepared. However, I can hurry them up for you."

"Alright then..."

...

What was I here for again?

As Leon sat in front of a table full of sumptuous dishes, painfully consuming the most expensive meal of his life, the princess, riding in the carriage, suddenly remembered her original plan amidst the growling reminders from her stomach.

Wait a minute?

Today, I only wanted to invite Leon for a meal to slightly foster our relationship, to prevent him from constantly thinking about canceling the engagement. How did it turn from ordering dishes and chatting for a bit to a sudden change in conversation, discussing an armed coup to suppress the nobility and seize the throne?

Moreover, I don’t think we even got to eat...

Pressing her growling stomach, recalling the bizarre development just now, the princess couldn’t help but blink helplessly.

Really... every time I’m alone with Leon, something is bound to go wrong.

We went to watch a play and got attacked by anomalies, turning the play into acting. Later, when I visited to strengthen our relationship, I over-teased him, ending up being thrown on his couch for a night.

And today is the most absurd. I only wanted a simple meal invitation, and to ask him to appear at the upcoming parliamentary meeting to help advance my proposal. But I was nearly convinced to directly instigate an armed usurpation...

No matter what purpose I have, after encountering Leon, things peculiarly deviate from the original plan, taking me down a new path I never anticipated, leading to an outcome completely unrelated to the initial intention.

A strange man... hmm... but that doesn’t seem so bad.

Thinking this, for some reason, Princess Veronica suddenly raised her hand, gently touching her left cheek.

Just a few minutes ago, a startlingly warm palm, not allowing any refusal, was holding it, asking me to answer his question directly.

Who would have thought that the little man who couldn’t withstand my light teasing actually had such a domineering side...

Imitating Leon’s action, attempting several times to hold her cheek, but failing to recapture that peculiar yet not unlikable feeling, the princess had to let her hand drop, leaning against the carriage’s wall, trying her best to clear her chaotic thoughts, starting to ponder Leon’s proposal.

If I refuse Leon, after the parliament ends the day after tomorrow, it won’t take long before Father, as King, demands the annulment of my engagement with Leon, planning to marry me off far away.

Then, not only will I lose Le... lose the efforts of many years, but I’ll also lose the chance to completely change the Kingdom, watching countless "Leons" and "Annas" continue to struggle in painful lives.

But if I choose to agree to Leon’s proposal, it would mean severing the last bit of father-daughter relationship, and knowing Father’s stubborn character, he’d likely never speak another word to me until his death.

Moreover, Father has been King for nearly twenty years, and his esteem is considerable. To ensure the Kingdom’s stability, I must put him under house arrest. Given the Old Nobility’s inevitable backlash following reform implementation, this period might last over ten years, maybe even longer.

Father has been ill for six years and his health has always been poor. If put under house arrest and dealt with anger, he might not survive until the situation stabilizes, the day the house arrest ends...

What should I choose?

Returning to the palace by carriage, full of indecision, the princess walked into her bedroom, stood before the shelves beside the table, and zoned out.

Atop the shelves was a line of somewhat old-fashioned, yet evidently often wiped photo frames. The largest picture was of a young, healthy couple with a girl full of laughter in her eyes.

Though the photo was a bit old and quite faded in the light, careful examination would still make the girl’s features discernible, along with her heartfelt laughter.

The girl in the photo wore a flower crown of wildflowers and sat on a swing made from planks and vines, swinging high into the sky, her carefree eyes so clear, devoid of any later guile or pretension.

Behind the girl was a young man with deeply grooved tear ducts beside his nose, but his smile was gentle. He was posed to push, arms extended, energetically pushing the girl’s swing into the high air.

Not far from this father-daughter duo, a young woman, caught half-body in the frame, was sitting on a chair beside the swing, her eyes full of warmth as she watched her husband and daughter play.

"Father... Mother..."

Gently touching the old photo, the princess slightly clenched her fist, moving her gaze down a level.

A metal doll with a half-broken cheek smiled quietly, almost mournfully, leaning on the shelf. Its two emerald glass eyes gazed at her timidly, carrying a trace of inexplicable grievance.

"..."

Six years ago in Cornwall City... the ruined factory at the street’s end... the beautiful syrup spilling onto the ground... the survivors hiding in the warehouse... the little girl hugging the doll and looking at me timidly... the aerial fuel bombs... the ignited syrup... the turbulent orange-yellow sea of flames...

Upon seeing the metal doll, with eyes the same color as the girl’s, six years’ worth of nightmares surged uncontrollably into the princess’s heart once more.

Gently stroking the burn marks on the doll’s arm, thinking of Leon’s expression while recounting his past, the princess involuntarily bit her lip again.

"Knock, knock knock."

As the intense internal struggle waged within the princess, a knock sounded on the door.

"Your Highness."

Upon receiving the princess’s permission, two ladies-in-waiting opened the door and entered, respectfully stating:

"His Majesty knows you have returned and would like you to come over and discuss the situation after this afternoon’s meeting with the Prime Minister."