Chapter 253: Three Worldviews

Words : 1219 Updated : Sep 27th, 2025

Chapter 253: Three Worldviews Colors swirled, stars collapsed, and a supernova exploded right behind her eyes as one Princess travelled all the way back to what they usually assume was the start of the universe. She never expected to experience such a thing. And while the Imperial tutors had long droned on about just how that would look like, her mind had only made sense of it now. A vague concept turned into a visceral, first-hand experience as her thoughts spiralled. Shock. Awe. Pure disbelief. And it was all because she saw something. Something that only adults—like the old, old adults—did. Like their parents, who would likely faint after being referred to as practically ancient. So, what in the entire Hypercluster was her big brother doing?! But more importantly, how could she get caught just like that?! "!!!" "!!!" Luca’s head whipped around after hearing a thud, only to have to look way down where a bewildered child looked like she had fallen on her butt. "Xavier...Isn’t this—" Luca cut himself off after realizing how others might just hear them. For right before them was someone who shouldn’t be back here. It was Imperial Princess Nina, and right now, she was looking like her soul had left her body, too. "May I?" Asked Xavier, who wordlessly picked up the fallen child. But he really wasn’t asking Nina, but was instead asking Luca for permission to bring her into the Dungeon Space. Luca nodded. Xavier’s conclusion was that the child was already inside the pocket dimension with so many other eyewitnesses. And anyone would assume she was talking about the same thing if it were mentioned elsewhere. But in reality, the child could care less about the space as her focus was on things that actually baffled her. Just like what was about to challenge her remaining wits. Nina experienced another shock. Her brother, whom she rarely saw and wasn’t one to like being touched, was carrying her! With his own two arms! When Nina was younger, she had complained to her mother about the likely probability that her big brother disliked her. For he once swatted her hand that was about to reach for him. But then Nina learned why, and it instead became the story of how she started idolizing him. At a very young age, the Imperial Crown Prince had to start training his instincts while away from home. It was a long-time tradition. And even her father was subjected to the same training, albeit not as rigorous. It was just that Xavier started far earlier, and only primarily because of the current circumstances. And so, Xavier’s initial reaction to sudden movements, especially those coming dangerously close to his personal space, would typically be met with cautionary blows. But more than the instinctive reaction, it was because the Prince started being exposed to the corrupted zones really early in life, and he always walked with precaution in case he missed a spot. What if he was a carrier and passed it on? And especially, what if he ended up passing it onto the child? This was basically what happened to the port goods that were initially cleared of contamination, only for a dormant carrier to end up spreading it. So, they barely touched like this. Just like many soldiers who had the same reaction and would even now be wary of taking up space in case they somehow spread it. It has become a lonely existence. For even after centuries of having to deal with this corruption, they still haven’t gotten to research more of it. Not because they haven’t tried but what do you do when it corrodes the testing equipment way faster than it could conduct tests. So, it was only relatively recently that they learned that contaminated humans don’t really pass it around like a communicable disease unless they were literally carrying around traces of it. That was why being carried around like this almost shocked the little Princess to tears. And this somehow felt almost as shocking as the scene that she had witnessed earlier. Almost. And the Princess turned detective almost got majorly sidetracked by this. Nina had to resist, and she felt like she had succeeded until the golden-eyed lounge server handed the little child cookies. "!!!" Now, she knew in her heart that she was a strong girl. One that worked tirelessly to survive the absurd standards of the Imperial Tutors. However, Nina could not always be strong and must admit to forces that were far stronger than her resolve. Like cookies. She had to admit defeat, and her eyes and grubby hands felt the itch to grab one. The two adults could only watch as the child experienced cognitive dissonance, only to make up her mind about eating a cookie. Hook, line, and sinker. After a while of Nina demolishing a few cookies and visibly calming down from that unexpected high, he finally called out, "Nina?" And Nina, who was in the process of munching on her fourth cookie, suddenly gaped at the big brother she had forgotten about! Oh no! "!!!" "B—big Brother...?" She stuttered as her legs trembled. She was brave; her mom said so, but never in front of the presence of the intimidating brother she hadn’t seen in over a year. "You seem to have had one adventure after another, huh?" Xavier asked, curious about why she’d use an Imperial treasure to get that close. Nina, on the other hand, knew that she had been caught. Very red-handed, too! She was in stealth mode. Not the same one where she would hide behind large vases and curtains, but one where she actually glided on air while concealing her presence. The little Princess actually prepared this just to try and meet up with her brother. After all, she really wanted to thank him in person. But was he mad now? Nina resisted the urge to look because what if her big brother was disappointed with her? She knew she’d be devastated. Then she heard another voice. "Xavier, I think you’ve scared your sister," Luca said as he watched the little girl, who reminded him of how he had also initially reacted to the Prince. But that shocked the Princess even more, and Luca started panicking too. Xavier, on the other hand, felt like he was watching a little chipmunk comfort a little bunny. Yet he wasn’t sure if that was as comical as the fact that they’d scared each other while trying to do so. But Luca felt like he was supposed to be the adult and tried again. "Uhm, hello, Your Highness." He offered a small smile. "We met at the lounge earlier. It’s nice to see you again." Luca waved shyly, and Nina would have wanted to respond, but she was stuck on how this guy just called the Imperial Crown Prince, "Xavier". And more importantly, how he knew that she was his sister! The little bunny was frozen. And Luca had to inform his husband that the Princess seemed to be broken. "Xavier, I think something is wrong with the Princess...she seems broken. Is she sick?" He asked worriedly as the child was still frozen in place. "No, but she might soon be." Said the Crown Prince, who was actually pretty sure about that.

Chapter 253: Three Worldviews

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