I PICKED UP A CHILD IN A DUMPSTER-Chapter 119: My princess ~

(Wait......)

His expression froze for a fraction of a second, the earlier confidence draining just enough to expose the problem underneath.

(What am I supposed to give her then...? (°ロ°;;;)...)

His eyes flickered back to the shelves, scanning again— faster now, more chaotic, the neat filtering from before slipping just slightly as uncertainty crept in. Magic books, yes. But ranged. Clean. Efficient. Something that matched her... without being useless.

Behind him, Aeloria was still there.

Still holding his wrist.

Still watching.

And somehow, that made it harder to think.

(Not close range... not basic... not trash... not something slow... please... something overpowered or five star! )

His gaze darted from title to title, the stars flashing in and out of focus.

[Wind Cutter — ✧✧]

[Elegant Casting Techniques — ✧✧✧]

[Long-Range Mana Threads — ✧✧✧]

"Hmm."

None of them clicked on him.

Not quite.

His brows furrowed slightly, fingers twitching at his side as that same faint frustration started to build again— quiet, but persistent.

Then—

His movement slowed.

Not fully stopping.

Just... easing.

Because something caught his attention.

Not directly in front of him.

Slightly off.

Around the edge of the next shelf.

Half-hidden.

Like it didn’t want to be found.

His eyes narrowed just a fraction, focus sharpening as that subtle glow— faint, controlled, almost reserved— peeked through the gap between books.

"? (⁠ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ⁠)⁠>⁠⌐⁠■⁠-⁠■ Oh my god."

Without thinking, he shifted a step to the side, Aeloria’s grip pulling slightly with him as their positions adjusted together. The motion was small, but it brought the book fully into view.

Another book, another move... on... damn I’m an emo.

Another shelf. Another scan. And of course, another quiet rejection.

And then—

He saw it.

Not because it stood out loudly, not because it demanded attention like the others— but because something about it felt... wrong. Subtle. Slippery. Like it didn’t quite belong where it was.

His hand paused mid-air before slowly pulling the book free.

The moment it settled in his grip, the system flickered.

[Definitely not a mischievous spellbook that looks powerful... is actually powerful but permanently makes the user irresistibly cute come get me baby and don’t worry, I won’t let the one reading this knows the downside of me — ✧✧✧✧✧]

"...ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ..."

Si Hon’s face went completely flat.

He didn’t blink.

Didn’t react.

Just... stared at it like he was waiting for the universe to admit this was a joke.

(No way.)

His eyes narrowed slightly, scanning the text again— slower this time.

(This book just...)

A pause.

(It changed.)

Not physically. Not obviously.

But the wording— there was something off about it. Too aware. Too tailored. Like it had adjusted itself mid observation, slipping into his thoughts and rearranging its description to match.

Like it knew.

(Yea, fuck the narrator right now, it definitely changed 100%) Si Hon thought to himself... this bitch... yes he thought to himself again obviously. Loner.

Si Hon slowly turned his head.

Behind him, Aeloria stood there, still holding his wrist, her attention drifting elsewhere for a moment as she glanced along the shelves— unaware. Unbothered.

Then his gaze returned to the book.

"Hah."

A quiet breath slipped out of him, somewhere between disbelief and curiosity.

And without overthinking it further—

He took it.

Not quickly. Not impulsively.

Deliberately.

Like someone knowingly picking up something suspicious... just to see what happens.

Seconds passed.

Then more.

He just stood there, staring at it, unmoving— long enough that the world around him started creeping back in.

"Si Hon?"

The voice cut through cleanly.

Seong.

It snapped him out of it instantly.

His head lifted, eyes blinking once as the haze cleared, the strange weight of the moment dissolving just enough for reality to settle back in place.

"Right."

And then—

He turned.

Fully this time.

His gaze landed on Aeloria, steady, unreadable for a brief second before something shifted— something quieter, more intentional.

"Aeloria." He said.

She blinked, caught off guard just enough to respond with a small, confused—

"...?"

And then—

Si Hon moved.

Slowly.

Deliberately.

He adjusted his grip, turning toward her as he gently took her hand— the one that had been holding onto his wrist this entire time— and before she could fully process it.

He lowered himself.

One knee.

Aeloria flinched immediately, instinctively stepping back half a step, her grip tightening for a split second before loosening just enough to react— but not enough to fully pull away.

"Wha—"

"Will you—" Si Hon started.

That was enough.

"No! What the hell—?!" she snapped instantly, yanking her hand back from his as her face flushed in one swift motion. "Why are you propo—"

"ಠ⁠_⁠ಠ... What? No."

He cut her off without hesitation, looking up at her like she had just invented the situation out of nowhere.

"I’m not proposing."

A second.

He lifted the book slightly.

"I’m just giving you this."

Another pause— then, almost as an afterthought, his tone flattening into something absurdly casual, "And since they keep calling you a princess... this is how I’m supposed to act, right?"

(Well, well, well, the narrator learned a new words, definitely a dumbass, we’re at Chapter 119! How come you’re only using the word ’afterthought’) The loner once again thought to himself again.

Silence.

Aeloria froze.

Then—

Color rushed to her face even faster than before, her gaze snapping away like it physically couldn’t stay on him anymore.

"No— what the hell—"

But he was already moving again.

Without giving her time to recover, Si Hon reached forward once more, taking her hand— not forcefully, not insistently, just enough to guide it open before placing the book into her palm.

Carefully.

Deliberately.

Like it actually meant something.

"Please accept this," he said, voice calm, almost formal—

Another second.

"My prince—"

"Stop!"

Aeloria cut him off immediately, her hand snapping shut around the book as if that alone would silence the situation entirely.

Her grip tightened.

Hard.

"I know! I’ll take it!"

Her voice came out sharp— too fast, too defensive, like she was trying to shut down everything at once before it could continue spiraling.

But—

She didn’t give the book back.

Didn’t drop it.

Didn’t step away.

She just stood there, holding it tightly in her chest, her gaze turned somewhere else entirely, her expression caught somewhere between irritation, embarrassment... and something she definitely wasn’t about to name.

Meanwhile—

Si Hon straightened up like nothing had happened.

Like kneeling just now had been completely normal.

Like calling her that hadn’t even registered on his mind.

His hands slipped back to his sides, posture relaxed, eyes already drifting back toward the shelves as if he had simply completed a task and moved on.