A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 14
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
14.
The problem with female leads is that they’re far too perceptive. I cried out, evading Aurora’s piercing gaze.
“Don’t slander me like that. Anyone listening would think this is a secret rendezvous. I’m simply going to interrogate him because he seems suspicious.”
“Then I’ll come with you.”
“That’s not possible.”
The moment I refused outright, Aurora’s eyes narrowed into sharp triangles.
“As the Saint who protects this nation, I have a responsibility to eliminate dangerous individuals. You have a weakness for handsome men, so you’re a liability.”
“But Aurora, there’s something else I need you to do.”
“What is it?”
Half of it was genuine, and half was simply my desire to shake her off.
“Go to the Altar of Sacred Blood and check if the sacred relic is still in a peaceful state. If the Sixth Prince were truly a threat to us, the relic should have changed. Yet until now, there’s been nothing unusual about its condition.”
“That’s….”
“You understand the sacred relic better than I do. I’ll speak with the Sixth Prince, so you check on the relic for me.”
Aurora hesitated for a long moment before finally nodding.
“Fine. But you need to keep your wits about you during the conversation.”
* * *
After preparing myself, I made my way to the Greenhouse Garden where he was waiting.
Worried that he might be late again, I had taken the initiative to seek him out this time, and as a result, I found Leonard sitting on the Terrace right on schedule.
He wore a silk shirt beneath an ash-grey suit.
Unlike his casual attire for an informal gathering, my own outfit was positively ostentatious.
Leonard rose to pull out my chair, then made a remark with a foolish expression.
“…It seems Blake finds Sincester’s fashion sense rather difficult to comprehend.”
I had suspected he’d abandoned his false gentility by now, but to criticize with such meticulous care was unexpected.
Unable to let it slide, I offered him an equally meticulous comment in return.
“I’ve heard Blake isn’t a fashion-backward nation. Perhaps your own understanding of fashion is simply exceptional?”
“If you’re going to pick a fight from this early in the morning, try some jasmine tea. It should help calm your nerves.”
“I’m perfectly calm already.”
Yes, no matter how much he is the Sixth Prince of the Great Empire, I am the Princess of the one and only Holy Kingdom on this continent.
The beloved younger sister of the Pope himself, and the cherished friend of the Saint.
Far more noble than some sixth prince squabbling over succession to the throne.
Do you know who I am?
It was a rather arrogant statement, but arrogance ceases to be arrogance when one doesn’t realize their own arrogance.
I sat down roughly in the chair he’d pulled out and spoke as curtly as possible.
“You asked me yesterday to help you. I’ve come to give you my answer. It’s no.”
At my words, Leonard’s eyes narrowed.
“Even if Sincester were to perish in the future?”
“That’s exactly why I’m refusing. I have no evidence, so how could I possibly trust you? I’ve already concluded this story. Quite brilliantly, at that.”
Yes, that was a perfectly flawless line.
I believed my words were impeccable and elegantly lifted my teacup.
“However, as someone who has transmigrated into a royal within the same Romance Fantasy Novel, I do feel the need to cooperate. You said you wanted to become Emperor? Depending on how you treat me, I might be willing to help….”
“I didn’t transmigrate into a Romance Fantasy Novel—I transmigrated into a Fantasy Novel.”
“A Fantasy Novel?”
Did I mishear him? I resisted the urge to stick my fingers in my ears and asked again.
“You’re talking about a Romance Fantasy story, right? Surely you’re not lying because you’re embarrassed that a man reads Romance Fantasy novels.”
“Just Fantasy. That’s what I’m saying. Not contemporary fantasy either—pure, traditional, fantasy.”
The way he enunciated each syllable with deliberate precision made it abundantly clear that the genre he was describing was not the one I knew.
I was bewildered.
“B-but I transmigrated into a Romance Fantasy Novel. I read one about a male lead who was raised as a slave and had his character ruined, who fell for the female lead and committed despicable acts but never recognized his wrongs, and when the female lead finally couldn’t endure it anymore and attempted suicide and fled, the male lead became a broken man and regretted everything, and then somehow they eventually found love—that kind of regret story. It had a perfect five-star rating!”
I rattled off the entire plot of 【The Saint Conceals Her Holy Power from the World】 without pausing for breath, gasping as I spoke. That’s how entertaining and impressive it had been.
But Leonard merely frowned slightly and offered no particular response.
“You don’t need to explain it like that—I understand the gist of it anyway, so don’t worry.”
Soon he began toying with the Family ring on his pinky finger.
Perhaps it was an unconscious gesture. His gaze remained fixed on me regardless.
The dark ring, carved from obsidian, looked heavy at first glance.
“The novel I transmigrated into is 【The Song of Sky, Fire, and Moon】. And that damned novel still hasn’t ended.”
“【The Song of Sky, Fire, and Moon】? Weren’t you transmigrated into 【The Saint Conceals Her Holy Power from the World】 as well? Besides, if it’s a different novel, the worldbuilding can’t possibly be the same, can it?”
“I’ll explain it slowly from now on, so listen carefully.”
I nodded and listened to the lengthy explanation that followed.
To summarize, it went like this.
1. The author of 【The Song of Sky, Fire, and Moon】 and the author of 【The Saint Conceals Her Holy Power from the World】 are married to each other, and they initially created the worldbuilding for 【The Saint Conceals Her Holy Power from the World】 together.
2. After 【The Saint Conceals Her Holy Power from the World】 was completed, they didn’t want to waste the intricate worldbuilding, so they decided to repurpose it as the worldbuilding for a fantasy novel called 【The Song of Sky, Fire, and Moon】.
3. 【The Song of Sky, Fire, and Moon】 is about the succession war for the throne of the Blake Empire, and several supporting characters from 【The Saint Conceals Her Holy Power from the World】 reappear and influence events.
“That’s absurd…”
After hearing the entire story, my head began to throb.
“So you’re saying the Romance Fantasy Novel I read and the Fantasy Novel you read are connected series? And the two authors are married?”
“So I’ve heard.”
“And because of the villain from that world, Sincester will be destroyed?”
“As far as I know.”
What was with that brazen, nonchalant attitude?
In the end, I had no choice but to lunge across the table and grab the collar of this damned Fantasy Novel transmigrator.
“You bastard! What have you been doing all this time without killing the villain?”
I… I had wrapped everything up for my perfect retirement. I thought it was all finally over.
But what he just said means my tragedy isn’t finished yet. This is completely unreasonable!
“Do you have any idea how much I suffered over nine years eliminating all those villains? You can’t even imagine! So what exactly have you been doing!”
I was so exasperated and heartbroken that tears began to stream down my face. He seemed somewhat taken aback by my reaction.
Moreover, the atmosphere among my knights and handmaidens began to turn ominous.
I had kept only a small number of people present for this confidential conversation, but precisely because of that, they were the ones most intimate with me.
“Princess.”
Leonard took my hand.
“Charlotte!”
My name was called again, just as it had been before.
In Sincester, being addressed by one’s given name alone without a family name was a sign of intimacy and affection—and suddenly, I came to my senses.
I was flustered, but I quickly composed myself and snatched my hand away from his.
“Don’t you dare call my name without permission.”
“Understood. Please, calm yourself.”
There were far too many eyes watching for me to indulge my anger further.
With a rigid expression, I waved my hand dismissively at Lucas, my guardian knight, as he approached with concern, and turned to leave.
Leonard then rose and retrieved something from his outer robe.
“Use this.”
It was a brown checkered handkerchief—utterly devoid of any sense of refinement.
Staring at the handkerchief that evoked the image of an engineering student… or rather, a magical engineering student, I snatched it and blew my nose with a sharp sound.
It could hardly be called an act of retaliation.
“Fine. Regardless of whether I believe you or not, I need to understand what this novel called 【Habuldal】 is actually about—explain it to me in detail.”
“….”
At my words, he began touching the ring again.
It was less a careful caress and more a scraping motion.
Though it was made of obsidian, so it would never be scratched.
“It’s a lengthy fantasy novel—over 500 chapters—that remained incomplete even before my possession.”
The contents were as follows.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————