Chapter : 667

Princess Hera glared at Ken. Her sharp green eyes searched his face for any sign of a lie. She expected him to sweat. She expected him to stutter. She wanted him to confess his true strength.

Ken Eliot did not sweat. He did not stutter. He chewed his strawberry candy loudly. He drooped his shoulders. He looked relaxed.

"You are stubborn, Princess," Ken stated casually. He swallowed his candy. He dusted his hands off on his pants. "You think I have hidden magic. You think I am a secret powerhouse. You are wrong."

Ken pushed himself off the floor. He stood up slowly. He dragged his cheap shoes on the marble tiles. Scuff. Scuff. Scuff. He stood right in front of the 2nd Princess. He did not back away. He did not look scared.

He took a slow step closer to her.

He leaned his face forward. He moved his face very close to hers. The sudden proximity was unexpected. He invaded her personal space . He looked directly into her green eyes. He offered a goofy, relaxed smile.

"If you really doubt me," Ken whispered lazily. His voice lacked any fear. "You are welcome to examine my physical power yourself. You can use your own hand. Check my mana flow. See for yourself."

Hera froze .

Her perfect posture stiffened. Her eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock. She stared at the boy. His face was only a few inches away from hers. She could see the dark, sleepy depth of his eyes. She could smell the sweet scent of strawberry candy on his breath.

A sudden, intense rush of heat flooded her body.

Hera’s flawless, pale cheeks instantly turned a bright, vibrant shade of crimson. The blush spread rapidly across her face. It reached all the way to the tips of her ears. She lost her cold, aristocratic composure. She felt flustered. No man had ever dared to stand this close to her. No commoner had ever spoken to her with such bold, casual confidence.

"You... you are insolent," Hera stammered softly. Her voice pitched up slightly. She tried to sound angry. She failed.

"I am just offering a scientific test," Ken replied cheerfully. He tilted his head slightly. He did not move away. "You want proof. I am giving you proof. Go ahead. Touch my face. Check the magic."

Hera breathed a little faster. Her heart hammered against her ribs. She felt overwhelmed by the bizarre situation. She wanted to step back. She wanted to slap his face. She wanted to yell at him.

But her intense curiosity won the internal battle. She needed to know the truth. She needed to solve the mystery of the spear catch.

Hera slowly raised her right hand. Her fingers trembled just a tiny bit. She reached out toward his face.

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She gently pressed her soft palm against his cheek.

The touch was light. Her skin felt very warm against his cheek. She did not slap him. She did not push him away. She rested her fingers softly on his face. She closed her green eyes for a split second. She channeled her advanced magical senses. She probed his internal mana pathways. She searched for any hidden reservoirs of power. She searched for the terrifying strength she saw earlier.

Ken stood perfectly still. He let her examine him.

He was actually very surprised. He fully expected her to refuse the offer. He thought she would yell at him for being disrespectful. He did not expect the proud Princess to actually touch his face.

"Wow, she is really going for it," Ken thought casually to himself. He kept his goofy smile intact. "She has very soft hands. This is highly awkward. But my plan is working perfectly. I am a master of magical manipulation."

Ken used his god-like abilities flawlessly. He perfectly dimmed his entire magical presence. He suppressed his infinite, terrifying mana . He pushed the power deep down into his soul. He made his external mana channels look empty. He made himself feel like a weak, untrained commoner. He created the perfect illusion of weakness.

Across the ruined ballroom, the girls watched the interaction. They could not hear the conversation. They only saw the physical actions.

They saw Ken lean his face very close to Princess Hera. They saw Hera blush a bright, explosive red. They saw the elegant Princess reach out and softly touch his cheek.

The reaction among the girls was instantaneous.

Naomi stopped smiling. Her green eyes narrowed into sharp, dangerous slits. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. She gripped her own elbows. A massive, undeniable wave of jealousy twisted in her stomach.

"What is she doing?" Naomi hissed quietly. Her voice was full of protective anger. "Why is she touching his face? She hates him. She called him garbage ten minutes ago. Now she is blushing and holding his cheek? That is unacceptable."

Sayma pushed her glasses up violently. Her dark eyes flashed with intense irritation. She opened her notebook and clicked her pen repeatedly. Click. Click. Click. She felt a strong surge of possessive jealousy. She remembered her fake date with Ken. She remembered how safe he made her feel. She did not like the 2nd Princess invading his personal space.

"This interaction is highly inappropriate," Sayma stated politely but firmly. Her voice sounded very strained. "Princess Hera is violating basic social boundaries. She is manipulating him. I should intervene."

Elma stared at the scene. The blonde swordswoman felt her heart drop. Her face turned bright red with pure, unfiltered jealousy. She gripped the hilts of her silver swords very tightly. Her knuckles turned white.

"She is flirting with him!" Elma panicked internally. She stared at Hera's hand on his cheek. "My Princess is actually flirting with the slacker! This is a total disaster! I bought him pastries! I saved him from the bug monsters! She is stealing my moment!"

Laxmi burst out laughing. The fire user pointed at the three jealous girls. She tossed an orange spark into the air.

"You guys look so mad!" Laxmi cheered happily. She loved the romantic drama. "The fancy Princess is stealing your lazy boy! You better go rescue him before she takes him to her shiny mansion!"

"Shut up, Laxmi," Naomi scolded gently. She glared at the other side of the room. She wanted to march over there and pull Ken away. She hated seeing another girl act so affectionate with him.

Back near the broken pillar, Princess Hera opened her green eyes. She slowly pulled her hand away from Ken's cheek. Her fingers lingered for a fraction of a second before dropping to her side. Her face was still very flushed.

She stared at Ken in total disbelief.

She had searched his entire body with her advanced magic. She had looked for any trace of hidden strength. She found nothing.

His mana pathways were tiny. His magical reserves were empty. His internal energy was pathetic. He possessed less magical power than a basic street vendor. He was , undeniably weak.

"Your power level," Hera whispered softly. Her voice sounded genuinely shocked. "It is low. You have almost zero magical capacity. You are powerless."