The woman's smile widened slightly, a delicate curve that seemed almost inviting. More like, seducing for Mikhailis.

"You've been brought here… by me."

Mikhailis glanced around the room once again, taking in the intricacies of the wood-carved walls, the veins of metal that seemed to glow with a soft, natural light. He blinked, trying to process everything at once.

"Well, this is new."

Wait.

Mikhailis' eyes for a while stopped and widened.

This.

Now that I think about it.

Isn't this a real another world!?!?

The woman stepped forward gracefully, her long silver hair swaying with each step.

"I imagine this is quite sudden for you," she said, her voice is very smooth and regal that he believe it could captivate anyone who heard her.

"Please, sit. I believe you have many questions for this situation,"

With a wave of her hand, a nearby chair slid out from a large wooden table, as if guided by invisible strings. The table itself was set with a variety of drinks—clear water, something that looked like wine, and a strange, glowing liquid that Mikhailis couldn't identify.

Mikhailis, still slightly disoriented, moved toward the chair.

"Uh, thanks."

He plopped into the seat, feeling the soft cushioning mold perfectly to his frame. As much as he wanted to keep his cool, the entire situation was so bizarre that he couldn't help but feel like he'd just stepped into one of the fantasy anime worlds he used to binge-watch.

But this is kind of...

Exciting!

He glanced up at the woman who remained standing, observing him with a serene expression.

She gestured to the drinks, her slender fingers gliding through the air. "Please, feel free to drink. It's custom here to offer refreshment to visitors."

She poured herself a small cup of the glowing liquid and sat opposite him, her piercing golden eyes locked on his.

"I'd like to know your name. Do you mind?"

Mikhailis hesitated for a split second. He could have told her he was Prince Mikhailis Volkov of Ruslania, second in line to the throne, but what good would that do here?

His title felt utterly meaningless in a place like this, in front of a woman who looked more ethereal than any queen he'd ever seen. And perhaps, it won't be a wise choice as well.

In situation like this, playing a fool is always the best.

Well that's his usual persona anyway.

"My name's Mikhailis," he said instead, with a casual wave of his hand. "I'm an entomologist."

The woman raised a perfectly arched eyebrow that made Mikhailis thought wow, even a raise of an eyebrow could be that captivating.

Now that I think about it again, I actually never flirt with an actual woman other than 2 dimensional characters from my dating sim games.

"An... entomologist?" The word seemed foreign to her, almost as if she was tasting it for the first time.

"Yeah,"

Mikhailis grinned, leaning back in his chair and picking up one of the cups in front of him.

"It means I study insects."

"Insects?" Her confusion was palpable.

Mikhailis nodded enthusiastically.

"Bugs, you know? Tiny creatures with lots of legs, some can fly, some crawl. It's… kind of my thing. I've been fascinated by them for years. The way they work, their societies, how they adapt—it's like a whole different world within our world."

The queen tilted her head slightly, her silver hair cascading over her shoulder perfectly as if she's boasting how smooth as silk it is.

"Interesting," she said softly, though the glimmer in her eyes suggested she still wasn't entirely sure what to make of his explanation.

"I must admit, I have never heard of such a profession."

Mikhailis chuckled. "I guess bugs aren't that popular around here, huh?"

"No," she admitted, her lips curling slightly in amusement.

"But your passion is evident. It is rare to meet someone so… dedicated to something so specific." She set her cup down gently, her gaze never leaving Mikhailis's eyes, but neither does Mikhailis.

"Mikhailis, I summoned you here for a reason. Our kingdom, Silvarion Thalor, is in need of help. There is a certain danger looming on the horizon, and I as a queen need to prevent this danger from being a weakness of the kingdom,"

Mikhailis leaned forward as he suddenly intrigued.

"Danger, huh? What kind of danger are we talking about? Is it a demon king?"

In light novels and web novels of sorts, people would often got summoned either to kill the demon king, accidentally killed by a god and given some power, transmigrated or something, suddenly rewind his life and getting an overpowering system shit stories, right?

This makes him very interested in her reply. If she does asked for him to defeat the demon king, he would prostate and apologize to everyone he cursed for writing such a delusional piece of fantasy, before refusing blatantly to this beauty before him.

But if it's not about the demon king, then... then what should I do, I wonder?

She shook her head as she let out a slight smile.

"No, not quite. Though that would make you immediately retreat, wouldn't it?" She sighed, her tone growing more serious.

Yeah, damn right.

"The truth is, I am of a royal bloodline that traces back to the ancient dark elves. As you may have noticed," she gestured lightly toward her ears, which were indeed slightly pointed, "I possess their heritage, though I am not fully one of them. My kingdom, while powerful, is still human. But the bloodline that I carry is both a blessing and a curse."

Mikhailis nodded, trying his best to follow along.

"So, what's the curse part?"

"The curse," she said softly.

"Is that my bloodline could bring ruin to someone who doesn't have the right values to wield them. There are people who would easily swayed by the power, and want to use it to bring chaos The dark elven magic is quite powerful, after all. Especially as it's also enhanced by the royal bloodline. This artifact,"

She gestured to a small, intricately carved stone on the table.

"Was passed down through my family. It allows us to summon someone from another world, someone who shares the dark elf lineage but is not bound by the politics of this realm. Someone who can be my spouse without the baggage of our history."

Mikhailis looked at her and blinked a few times.

Now this, is what readers and otaku like me called as 'a twist'.

a spouse?

His eyes wandered, as usual, taking in her striking features. Her brown skin is smooth and radiant that he seem to be more beautiful than a model, her long brown ears, contrasted beautifully with her silver hair. And then there was her figure—well, it was impossible to ignore.

She's the perfect spouse he would ever wanted.

He shifted in his seat as he felt the words spill out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"So, you're saying you want me to marry you, right? Is that what you mean?"

Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed her hand, his eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Let's do it! Right here, right now. No need to wait till tomorrow, we're both here, so why not do it now?"

The queen blinked, clearly taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm. She gently pulled her hand back, her cheeks tinged with a slight blush.

"I haven't… finished explaining the situation," she said with a faint smile.

"And please… let us maintain some distance."

Ah... Damn, I got too excited.

Mikhailis raised his hands in mock surrender, leaning back in his chair once more.

"Ah, my bad. Got a little carried away there, Your Majesty. But in my defense, you did kind of drop the whole 'marry a stranger from another world' bombshell pretty casually, after all,"

She chuckled softly, though he could sense there is a tension in her voice.

"I do appreciate your… enthusiasm. However, it is not simply about marriage. The truth is, I could not marry someone from this world without risking my power. Marrying one of my own nobles would create a shift in influence that could destabilize the entire kingdom. While I possess the bloodline, I am still human, and this is a human kingdom."

Mikhailis nodded thoughtfully, tapping his chin.

"Ah, I understand it now. It's all about power, isn't it? If you marry some noble from here, they'll gain some influence over the throne, but if you marry someone like me, an outsider with no ties, and you keep the power firmly in your hands. Smart move. Plus, if I screw something up, you can just blame it on the 'weird guy from another world,' right?"

As expected, this is a male-dominated world, after all.

Mikhailis wandered his eyes to the aides around the queen.

There are guards, but those who are wearing attires that screams of 'Important Figures' has only 1 man, while the rest are women, so he thought perhaps, in this world, it's not male-dominated.

But as I expected, I guess. When a reigning queen talks about bloodline, it must be about the throne and the influence around it.

That's what Mikhailis immediately ended up in his conclusion when he heard her request.

Elowen smiled again, though this time it seemed more genuine.

"In essence, yes. You understand quite well, Mikhailis."

He flashed her a grin.

"What can I say? I'm quick on the uptake."

The queen then stood, he could see her expression growing more serious.

"However, there are certain... limitations. The artifact that brought you here can only be used three times. Once to bring someone here, once to send them back, and once more to bring them back here if they so choose."

Mikhailis raised an eyebrow.

As expected, summoning someone from another world is not that easy, after all...

"So, you're saying I could leave and come back, like a round trip, but only a single time?"

She nodded.

"Indeed. But after that, the artifact's power would be spent."

He leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

He's thinking.

The otaku, perverted, insect-loving prince is now thinking perhaps harder than he ever in his life to ponder this encounter.

Now this is something that I've never encountered all over my life.

That's... a lot to consider. I mean, it's not every day a guy gets yanked out of his world and asked to be someone's prince consort. It's a perfect offer, after all,

His gaze softened slightly as he looked at her, noticing the faint weariness in her eyes.

"So... do I really have a choice to say no? It seems that you don't really have the leeway to summon another person either, I believe,"

At that moment, his gaze sharpened as he noticed the slight movement from the queen's aides.

Right on the money, I guess?

The queen lowered her gaze.

"I apologize that it had to be this way. The situation we face is quite difficult, and I had no other options. I would not have summoned you if there was any other way."

Mikhailis waved his hand dismissively.

"Nah, don't sweat it, Queen Elowen. I mean, I could say that in this deal, I'm the one winning. In fact..." He leaned forward again, his grin widening.

"I'd say any guy in his right mind would be crazy not to want to marry you."

Wow.

Mikhailis really want to praise himself for that rizz he just gave her.

As a prince virgin, that's a line that he only ever give to his AI, Rodion.

The queen's cheeks flushed again, a deeper red this time, but before she could respond, Mikhailis reached out once more, taking her hands in his.

"Seriously, I'm in. Let's do this. You need a prince consort, and I'm your guy. Let's do it right now, my queen. I can be whenever-"

Just as he was about to say more, a woman knight, dressed in sleek silver armor, stepped forward from the shadows of the room. She placed a firm but gentle hand on Mikhailis's shoulder and guided him back into his seat.

"Please refrain from crowding Her Majesty," she said, her voice calm but firm.

Mikhailis, unphased, shrugged and chuckled. "Fine, fine. Can't blame a guy for being enthusiastic after a proposal, though."

The queen, still smiling, took a deep breath and composed herself. "Mikhailis, I ask you this seriously—do you truly wish to be my prince consort? I need to know before we proceed any further."