A Transmigrated Princess's Guide To A Fluffy Royal Life!
Chapter 28: Brothers Persuasion Wars (III)

Chapter 28: Brothers Persuasion Wars (III)

Just as Evelisse began to wonder if the door had finally stopped creaking for the night, it creaked one last time.

She looked up.

Marcus stood there, arms folded, one eyebrow raised like he knew something the others didn’t—which, to be fair, he probably did.

"Brother Marcus?"

He stepped in quietly and closed the door behind him with a soft thud. "I figured I’d be the last. Besides big bro. But he already made his silent power move, didn’t he?"

Evelisse blinked. "You knew?"

Marcus smirked. "He handed you a threat-level chart, didn’t he?"

"...It was very detailed. I don’t think it was anything threat worthy though."

"Sounds like him," Marcus said dryly, then glanced at the edge of her table. "Let me guess. Jared tried singing. Callum sparkled. Leo bragged. Felix painted. Lance tried to bribe you with snacks?"

Evelisse nodded slowly.

"And Lucien didn’t even try to win. He just handed you facts."

"...Yes."

"I figured." He stepped closer, a little smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "He didn’t pick my options either."

"What?"

"Brother Lucien," Marcus said, settling on the edge of a velvet stool. "He didn’t choose my first choice as the most reliable. I watched him pick Felix for calmness, Leo for energy, and even Lance for raw grit. But not mine."

Evelisse frowned. "But why?"

"Because he knows I’m watching everything and well I wasn’t really serious about my choice. And people like that... we get left out sometimes. We’re too aware to make a solid choice." He shrugged. "And I’m fine with that."

He leaned forward slightly, voice soft. "That’s why I didn’t bring you a speech or a scroll. I know you’ve already been thinking harder than you should at your age. I just want to remind you of what matters."

She tilted her head as he pulled something from his coat—a small, worn notebook.

She stared at it at first, wondering if Marcus and Lucien sometimes share the same brain cells.

It looked fairly similar, even their approach.

"I don’t have a pitch," Marcus said. "I have this."

She opened the notebook.

Inside were tiny sketches that had several vines lining the spine and edges for added florist loving effect. Not perfect, not planned. Just real. A rock Lucien sat on to think. A hidden pond where Jared composed. A tree where Lance fell asleep during practice. The corner of the music wing where she liked to hum when no one was looking.

It looked like he had been having several visions that had suggested he could see them in various locations and had to draw them even though he wasn’t as good at it like Felix or Callum.

"I don’t know the perfect location," Marcus said. "But I know this—pick the place where these moments could happen again."

Evelisse stared at the pages, lips parting slightly. "You... remembered all of this?"

"I remember more than I show," he said. "And you already know the right answer. You just needed to be reminded why."

He stood and gently ruffled her hair.

[♡ Affection Points Increased: +10]

[Total points accumulated so far: 820♡]

"Besides," he added with a half-smile, "I want to see Lucien’s face when you pick something none of them expect."

She giggled.

"Goodnight, Evelisse."

"Goodnight, Brother Marcus."

And just like that, he left—no scroll, no fanfare.

Only honesty.

Only Marcus.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

The room had fallen silent at last.

Scrolls lay across her bed like fan letters from seven very different kingdoms. The scrolls from her brothers still lay stacked on the table, like proud little trophies of persuasion attempts. But her mind wasn’t settled yet.

Dessert crumbs dotted her tray. Her tea had long gone cold. And Fluffy was upside-down, legs in the air, dramatically pretending to faint from information overload.

"I have heard too much," he muttered. "My tiny ears are bruised from persuasion."

’Have you looked in the mirror? You have extremely large ears.’ Evelisse countered with a smile.

Fluffy spun once above her head, then dipped dramatically toward the bed. "Okay, Plan Fuzzy Backup. I pulled this from my secret system archive. Don’t ask how. Don’t ask when. Just read."

He dropped a worn, leather-bound book in front of her with a dusty *plop.*

Cough! Cough!

Evelisse blew in front of her face, covering her nose until the dust settled.

"Sorry about that, princess."

She blinked. "You have archives?"

"I am a system," Fluffy said proudly, tail flicking. "We have archives, footnotes, glossary pages. Sometimes even doodles. Anyway, I found this in the ’Forgotten But Gorgeous’ file."

Evelisse giggled and pulled the book closer. Its edges were frayed, and the gold embossing had long faded, but the inside still held a soft scent of lavender and time. The handwriting was feminine and looping, written in lilac ink.

"The Sea That Sings to the Moon," the first line read.

She turned another page.

Azure Bay.

She froze.

The words that followed read like a lullaby: "A quiet crescent shore hidden behind cliffs of ivory and rose quartz. Waters blue as dreams. Dolphins that leap through pink mist. Caves that echo the sunset’s last light. And a ruin—an old moonflower castle, untouched by war, kissed only by tides and stardust."

Evelisse’s breath caught. Her fingers gently brushed the sketch inked into the corner—soft cliffs, delicate waves, and a single silhouette of someone standing with a dog at their side.

’That looks like... me.’

Fluffy peeked over her shoulder and sighed. "I know, right? I read that and thought: this is where fantasy protagonists go to heal."

"It’s not on the kingdom’s main map," Evelisse whispered.

"Nope. But it’s still within our borders. Just old. Forgotten. Protected by tricky terrain and locals who enjoy silence."

She turned the page again. A small annotation had been scribbled in the margins:

"Best place to breathe."

Evelisse pressed her hand lightly to the paper.

A beach. Gentle. Quiet. Warm.

It didn’t scream magic—it hummed it.

And oddly enough, it matched.

Felix’s wish for warmth and artistry. Lance’s request for adventure. Leo’s craving for fun. Jared’s dreaminess. Callum’s fascination with natural wonders. Even Lucien’s concern for privacy and safety.

And Marcus... well, it held every type of moment he’d drawn.

"I think... this is it," Evelisse whispered.