Chapter 971: Simple


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    Khan had guessed that noble representatives were on the. He didn''t see them in thending area, but his return and the recent mess made their presence more than reasonable. After her mishap during the tournament''s auction, the Montares family reced Princess Rachel with Prince Andrew to deal with Khan. Still, the deal probably pleased it enough to reinstate her position. Khan could take that as an act of goodwill and trust, and the n indeed worked.


    Nevertheless, that political maneuver didn''t exin why Princess Rachel had appeared inside the room at that exact moment. Khan would eventually have to deal with the noble representatives, but those meetings required preparations and agreements.


    Also, Princess Rachel''s military uniform hinted at informal purposes. She probably wasn''t there on official business, and someone had even told her where Khan was.n/?/vel/b//jn dot c//om


    ''Did she and Monica get this close already?'' Khan wondered, turning to address the Princess. "Rachel, what are you doing here?"


    Princess Rachel couldn''t hear the door closing behind her. Khan was still in his military outfit, and her eyes inevitably darted up and down his exposed torso, making her forget about the outside world. That wasn''t her first time ncing at Khan''s abs, but the absence of the bone armor granted a clearer view of his perfect build, and she lingered in her inspection.


    "I could ask you the same question, Prince Khan," Princess Rachel said, snapping out of her daze and pretending it had never happened. "I thought you''d be with your Fiancée, unavable for a while."


    "Prince Khan?" Khan questioned, crossing his arms before sighing and diverting his gaze. "I thought so, too."


    Khan didn''t like those formalities among friends, but Princess Rachel couldn''t ignore her noble education on the spot. Besides, the two didn''t share many moments after the auction''s mess, so she still felt shy before that newfound intimacy.


    Still, noticing Khan''s strange expression made Princess Rachel forget about her coyness and approach the interactive table. She reached Khan''s side and nced at the empty bottle in his hands before lifting her eyes, only to find a blue light pointed at her.


    "Did Monica ask you to change my mind?" Khan questioned.


    Khan''s gaze was strangely cold, and Princess Rachel shrunk under its light. Yet, she quickly recalled a certain experience inside a closet and steeled her resolve.


    "Don''t look at me like that," Princess Rachel said. Her tone had tried to remain neutral, but the pleading under it didn''t escape Khan''s ears.


    "Sorry," Khan uttered, covering his face with a hand while turning toward the interactive table. He lifted the bottle, and a quiet curse escaped his mouth when he noticed it was empty.


    Princess Rachel had never seen Khan so troubled. He had always been imposing, powerful, and firm in their past interactions, but something clearly troubled him now. However, she didn''t feel disappointed. If anything, Princess Rachel wanted to find ways to support him. "By the way," Princess Rachel announced, cing a hand on Khan''s elbow to lean toward the empty bottle. "Monica only told me about your decision and that you left right away."


    Khan watched as Princess Rachel seized the bottle from his hand and ced it away from him on her side of the desk. Her eyes were lowered, but she felt that Khan was studying her every move. Luckily, the previous coldness was no more.


    "So," Khan eximed. "Why are you here?"


    "I represent one of your main business partners," Princess Rachel imed before timidly meeting Khan''s gaze, "And I was worried."


    Khan sighed but quickly revealed a slight smile and patted Princess Montares'' head. Rachel promptly escaped his grasp, stepping back and ring at him. Her annoyance even intensified when she noticed traces of a smirk on his face.


    "Prince Khan!" Princess Rachel scolded. "I came as a friend to check on your well-being, not to be teased!"


    Khan chuckled, uttering his firstugh since his return to Baoway. Usually, he would tease Princess Rachel more, but the troublesome situation and his previous interaction with Monica prevented that mood.


    "I''m fine," Khan reassured. "Though, since you are here, do you think I''m making a mistake?"


    Princess Rachel''s re disappeared. The question surprised her, but she didn''t hesitate to consider it. However, two forces fought inside her to develop an answer. One was from her noble status perspective, while the other ignored politics to act as Khan''s friend.


    The internal conflict wasn''t easy to resolve. On the one hand, Khan was a liability, and the discovery of the military threatened all the previously established businesses with him. On the other, Khan was an umon leader who had seized leadership through umon methods, so his war deration yed into his character and strong points. Of course, Princess Rachel didn''t ignore the target of Khan''s war deration, but her perspective was broader than Monica''s. She was a proper noble-born and had always experienced a certain distance from the Global Army. Considering Khan''s status, wiping out an opposing army or two was perfectly fine.


    "I don''t even have a fraction of your military and political achievements," Princess Rachel admitted. "If that''s the path you have chosen, I can only trust you will seed."


    Khan nced at the empty wall, a strange feeling invading his gaze. He wouldn''t have changed his mind, but the answer deepened his spiritual solitude. It seemed even nobles couldn''t advise him anymore.


    "But," Princess Rachel continued, "I can understand your anger. It must be disappointing having people creating problems for you after your efforts."


    "It is," Khan confirmed, deep thoughts churning in his brain. His mind was already projected toward the iing war, and more details fell into ce as he studied them.


    "I won''t bring Mister Parket there," Khan revealed. "He''d do fine, but I don''t want him getting used to killing humans."


    Princess Rachel studied Khan''s seemingly emotionless expression before asking something. "Are you?"


    "It makes no difference to me," Khan said, scratching the side of his head. "Still, I probably killed more humans than aliens. I lost count long ago."


    A sense of helpless destion enveloped Khan, thick enough for Princess Rachel to sense it. The urge to hug him invaded her, but the room''s door suddenly opened, distracting her from


    those thoughts.


    Monica appeared at the room''s entrance, and she and Khan exchanged a silent look before she nodded at Princess Rachel. Thetter understood the message and stole a nce at Khan before departing. She only caressed Monica''s arm before leaving through the door.


    Khan waited for the door to close to ask a question, but Monica hurriedly reached him, hugging his neck and sealing his mouth with her lips. A passionate kiss unfolded, but Khan


    couldn''t lose himself in it when the two had yet to talk.


    "Monica," Khan called when he could escape the kiss, but she put a thumb on his lips,


    stopping him from adding anything else.


    "Don''t think," Monica stated, repeating words she had said when their rtionship had yet to


    begin. "Keep it simple."


    Khan warmly smiled and removed all the useless thoughts, focusing on the figure before him.


    Before he knew it, he had ced Monica on the interactive desk, and the two immersed themselves in their passion, hoping to ignore the lingering sadness in the air.