Reincarnated as an Energy with a System

Chapter 1942: Princess Elowen

Ning looked briefly toward Captain Maelis behind the princess before accepting her request.

"Of course. Should we go somewhere else, or will my room suffice?"

"We can talk inside," the princess said.

"Then come on in."

The princess entered first, with her guard following immediately behind her before closing the door.

Captain Maelis moved toward the wall rather than sitting, maintaining enough distance to give the appearance of privacy while remaining close enough to intervene if anything happened.

Ning took one of the chairs near the small table while Princess Elowen sat across from him on the couch inside the room.

She looked around the place, not immediately saying anything.

"Is this visit regarding the attack on me last night?" Ning asked. "If so, you can rest assured that nothing happened to me, Princess."

"Hmm? Oh. It’s... related to the attack," the princess answered. "I wanted to ask you about something else."

"Please, ask away," Ning said, curiosity taking over him. "What is it that you want to know?"

"What is your power?" she asked suddenly.

Ning paused for a second, not having expected the question at all. He was about to say that was none of her business, but then if she really was curious, she could have found out already. After all, he had been using it for months now, and the news and reports should have been all around.

"I can turn into a bat," Ning answered. "And I have a tougher than normal body."

"No, you don’t," the princess said.

Ning blinked. "Excuse me?"

"That’s not your power, is it?" she asked. "Your power has something to do with dampening physical force that lands on your body. Which is why I’m so curious how you can turn into a bat."

For several seconds, Ning couldn’t say anything. But then, his eyes narrowed as he realized that she was talking about the Kinetic Dampening skill he had acquired from the serum.

"May I ask why you think that is the case?" Ning asked.

"I stole your power last night," the woman said without a hint of shame in her voice. "I wanted to be like you, strong and powerful. And yet, I got none of it. I couldn’t even turn into a bat. After testing myself, I finally figured out what your power is."

Ning’s eyes widened slightly. "You... stole my power?"

"Yes," the princess said. "That’s my ability. I can steal someone else’s ability. And yours wasn’t what you claimed."

Ning leaned forward, while at the same time, the captain got ready to interfere if he were to do anything. He looked toward the captain, but then turned back toward the princess.

"I’m hoping you have an answer as to why you did this."

"Sort of," the princess said with a smile. "Before that, can I ask you something? You’ve interacted with my brother more than a few times now, haven’t you? What do you think about him?"

Ning got a mental whiplash from the change in topic. "Prince Tarian?"

"Yes."

Ning considered the question for a moment, although there was not much to consider.

"I don’t really have an opinion about him. I only just met him yesterday."

The princess nodded a little. "He will become King after my father, you know."

Ning waited.

"Okay?"

The princess’s expression tightened slightly at his lack of reaction.

"I am fifteen years older than him and most certainly wiser than him, and yet... he will be the ruler of this country once our father abdicates the throne or passes away."

Ning looked at her more carefully now. For the briefest of moments, he believed this was an attempt at blackmail. She was going to use the knowledge that his powers weren’t what he claimed them to be and use it to take him down.

"I was my parents’ only child for fifteen years," she continued. "For all of that time, everyone treated me as though the throne would eventually be mine, because there was no other heir."

Ning began to understand where the conversation was going.

"Then your brother was born."

"Yes."

"And suddenly you couldn’t inherit it?"

The princess nodded.

Ning could perhaps understand how a teenager must have felt back then. She was old enough to have an ego about her claim to the throne and had even considered it already hers. And yet, her brother’s birth had changed that.

"Does the throne only go to men?" he asked.

"Yes."

The answer came without hesitation.

Veronoth’s succession laws allowed only male descendants of the royal bloodline to inherit the crown when one existed, which meant that Elowen had spent the first fifteen years of her life being prepared to rule, only for everything to change the moment her younger brother was born.

The teachers who had educated her to become Queen began preparing Tarian instead.

The nobles who had competed for her attention redirected themselves toward the newborn prince.

The responsibilities she had once been told would belong to her slowly disappeared until her position became little more than that of the King’s eldest daughter.

"I hate him for it," Elowen said.

Ning studied her face.

Tarian had been an infant when the change happened, and none of it had been his decision, but resentment did not always require logic.

Elowen had lost the future she had been promised, while her brother had received it simply by being born male.

Ning leaned slightly against the chair.

"Why are you telling me this?"

The princess looked directly at him.

"So you understand why, when I was presented with the opportunity to join him, I did not hesitate."

Ning’s eyes narrowed.

"Joined who?"

Elowen remained silent for a moment.

Then she said the name.

"Tritus."

Ning froze at her confession.

Captain Maelis remained against the wall.

Her hands were nowhere near her weapons, and her expression had not changed upon hearing the confession, which told Ning immediately that the guard already knew.

They were both under Tritus.

For the briefest moment, Ning considered crossing the room and restraining both of them before either could react.

Elowen spoke before he moved.

"The palace knows I am here. So I would reconsider what you’re about to do."