A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 18

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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18.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Those were the first words I heard the moment we stepped outside.
“I offered to accompany you, and you dare speak to me with such insolence?”
And your face is still far too flushed, isn’t it?
—I wanted to point it out bluntly, but if I said that, I might die of embarrassment, so I decided to hold my tongue.
I forcibly dragged him along as we walked through the Garden.
I noticed several gentlemen and ladies watching us from around the hall, but I had already decided I’d chosen this man, so I resolved to end the Banquet quickly.
I deliberately linked my arm with Leonard’s and waved at Prince Hans, who had proposed to me earlier.
At that moment, Leonard beside me came to an abrupt halt.
“Still, how can you say ‘I love you’ so easily? Love is a precious emotion. You shouldn’t throw it around carelessly. Since we’re on the subject, the ‘contract marriage’ trope in your genre is far too common. What will children think when they see it? What true marriage really is?”
“Don’t spout moralistic nonsense at me. What are you, some kind of scholar?”
I lightly tapped the mouth of this man who kept prattling on about the themes of Romance Fantasy novels.
“…Did you just hit my mouth?”
“Yes. Be quiet for a moment. What we need to discuss now isn’t something so trivial. It’s about what comes next. And the contract marriage trope exists in the Panso genre too, you know?”
For example, ‘I became the live-in son-in-law of a southern viscount,’ or something like that.
At my words, Leonard seemed to have nothing more to say and closed his mouth. He walked in silence for a moment before suddenly asking.
“Why did you suddenly change your mind? Wasn’t your dream to find a good man at this Banquet and marry him?”
“My goal was to have multiple husbands, true. But thinking about it, while everyone else is working hard to save Sincester from crisis, it doesn’t make sense for me to be spending money recklessly.”
“Multiple husbands was your goal?”
I nodded dejectedly, and a moment later, an incredulous laugh escaped from beside me.
“The more I think about it, the stranger you truly are. In your past life, people must have called you ‘four-dimensional’ quite often, didn’t they?”
“I’ve heard ‘handsome man hunter’ a few times.”
“…Hahahaha!!”
At my words, he burst into hearty laughter.
Though I’d heard him chuckle before, this was the first time he’d laughed so openly and genuinely, so I was somewhat taken aback.
Not only I but the attendants and knights following behind us seemed startled as well, their eyes widening in surprise.
Soon his laughter gradually subsided, and I found myself gazing into two brilliant crimson eyes.
As I’d felt before, those flames seemed detached, as if they understood something profound.
There might be times when they burned intensely, but it seemed there weren’t many situations—or people—capable of making them do so.
It was at that moment when I suddenly felt the urge to make those eyes spark with fire.
“Charlotte.”
My name was called, and I startled, quickly nodding my head.
“What is it?”
“Since we’ve agreed to cooperate, I think I should tell you without reservation. You asked me before how the protagonist of this world died, didn’t you?”
“You did.”
Then he extended his hand for a handshake, along with shocking words.
“I killed him. To become Emperor. So I’m counting on you.”
“…!”
W-what a shock.
Leonard extended an empty hand toward me, frozen stiff as ice.
“Won’t you take it?”
“Why… are you trying to become emperor? I wouldn’t expect someone possessed to harbor such grand ambitions.”
After a brief silence, Leonard shrugged his shoulders.
“What else would there be? Just as you wish to enjoy absolute authority, I seek wealth and glory. Being a prince has proven quite agreeable.”
…A lie.
There’s clearly some tremendous story behind this.
I narrowed my eyes, studying him. Leonard didn’t avoid my gaze at all.
“…Well, fine. We only need to cooperate anyway.”
Yes, it’s always better to cut ties quickly with people harboring deep secrets.
I lightly placed my hand over his and shook it.
“But shouldn’t we be holding hands or linking arms rather than shaking? This feels too much like friends.”
“Ah… well, yes, I suppose so.”
Leonard’s words faltered slightly.
For someone who’d just casually uttered such ominous statements, his flustered reaction here was more amusing than anything—I almost wanted to ask if he was acting.
I added four more traits to Leonard’s mental profile: directionally challenged, endearing, easily flustered, and tone-deaf.
That’s already four entries. I need to be careful. This cannot become a deep connection.
“Come closer. Have you forgotten how you grabbed my waist so readily during teleportation?”
“The circumstances are quite different now. Besides, we’re in public—I must maintain propriety.”
“You’re like a proper gentleman. Or were you a moral instructor in your past life?”
As we bickered, a sudden thought made me pause.
“Come to think of it, I know almost nothing about Blake. Could you tell me something? I’ll be leaving soon.”
The sudden realization that I needed to learn about that nation made my spirits sink.
“Don’t worry too much. Our empire isn’t a place that strictly observes etiquette anyway. There’s only one thing you need to know.”
“What’s that?”
“How to survive on your own.”
“That’s… rather ominous.”
At my deflated tone, Leonard’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
“Still, I won’t let you die. You can trust me on that.”
“Hearing that from the person who kidnapped me doesn’t inspire confidence at all.”
“I wonder when I’ll finally earn your trust.”
As we continued our pleasant conversation, we’d somehow reached the end of the Garden.
In the awkward moment before parting, he bowed to me.
“Still, you’ll need information, so I’ll send a summoned creature this evening.”
A summoned creature…?
* * *
“Today was truly exhausting.”
The conversation with the noblewoman this afternoon was one thing, but the exchange with Erdan this morning had been nothing but tension.
On top of that, the weight of having deceived everyone pressed heavily on my heart.
Though I buried myself in bed, sleep still wouldn’t come.
I had been tossing and turning for some time when I heard a tapping sound at the window.
I turned my gaze and found a small, adorable red lizard perched there.
“Huh?”
Startled, I approached the window and opened it.
Wait—this wasn’t a lizard at all. It had wings and claws attached to its body…
“This is a dragon, isn’t it?”
Bewildered, I carefully lifted the creature, no larger than my palm, between my thumb and middle finger.
The dragon thrashed about on its short, stubby legs, flailing helplessly in the air.
“Human! Let me go! I’m a dragon, a Red Dragon no less! Though I’m stuck in this pathetic form because of some unfair contract with that Sixth Prince—!”
“Are you Leonard’s summoned creature?”
The moment I spoke the name “Leonard,” the red dragon trembled violently.
“Leonard, that wretched bastard! He deceived me! A vile, despicable human!”
The red dragon immediately spewed fire from its mouth. Though all I felt was a pleasant warmth.
It seemed to think its flames were terrifying, but to me, such a small creature could only appear endearing.
Suppressing my escaping laughter, I leaned in close and whispered.
“You’re so incredibly frightening that I simply must know why that vile, despicable human’s summoned creature has come here.”
“Hmph! You’ll only learn if you let me go, won’t you?”
The red dragon dangled in the air, letting out a scornful snort.
I gently set the dragon back down on the window frame. It suddenly tucked its short, plump legs into its belly.
‘I’ve never heard of a dragon having a pouch like a kangaroo…’
In any case, the red dragon pulled something from its belly and thrust it toward me.
“Here!”
“What is this?”
Several papers, smaller than my palm, were rolled up tightly together. It appeared to be about three sheets.
“Fool. It’s an item, isn’t it? A summary booklet.”
“What?”
“Touch it.”
Hesitantly, I tapped the bundle of papers with my index finger. Suddenly, a screen materialized above the paper.
It was written in Korean.
Write a representative Korean food menu. (Hint: Initial consonants─D, J, JJ, G)
Was this… a riddle?
I froze in place, astonished by his absurd sense of humor.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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