A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 20

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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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20.
The Duke is currently practicing swordplay at the Training Ground.
When I visited the Guest Palace where he was temporarily staying, I received nothing but a stiff response from his Aide—a man as rigid as they come.
I wondered who would practice swordplay during a royal banquet, but it seemed this happened often in novels.
Was it scholarly consensus that male leads in Romance Fantasy novels simply didn’t enjoy banquets?
Fleeing the banquet to the Terrace, they’d encounter the heroine. Or slip into the Lounge and meet her there. Or stroll through the Garden and find her waiting. In any case.
Reflecting on the clichés of Romance Fantasy, I arrived at the Training Ground and discovered a cluster of young ladies huddled at the far end.
I briefly considered whether to address them, but since this was the only path forward, I had no choice but to clear my throat.
“Good afternoon, ladies.”
“Oh my! Your Highness the Princess!”
They all straightened up in a flurry upon seeing my face, smoothing down their dresses.
Their cheeks were entirely flushed with embarrassment.
But I harbored not the slightest blame toward them. They were women of genuine conviction, seizing love through their own efforts.
How could I condemn them?
“Why be so shy about it? The training of knights is something most sacred—it’s no different from appreciating an exhibition.”
“Pardon? An exhibition?”
I gestured toward the Holy Knights diligently training in the Training Ground and smiled.
“The knights themselves surely think the same way and take great pride in it. Why not go ask them directly?”
“B-but this would be most unbecoming behavior.”
Shouldn’t they have refrained from it in the first place if they knew that? I suppressed my urge to argue and tilted my head curiously.
“Unbecoming? The dynamic movement of rippling muscles beneath the sun is nothing short of performance art—far more enriching than some vapid tea time, wouldn’t you say?”
“I must agree entirely with Your Highness’s reasoning.”
As expected. Lady Ariadne, ever confident, smiled and affirmed my words.
“After all, there’s nothing to lose… or rather, simply asking a knight wouldn’t be impertinent, would it? Surely there’s no rudeness in going to see?”
“Y-yes, that’s right! My brother is a Holy Knight too, and he said he trains his body because he wants to look good to the ladies!”
“My goodness, Count Delius, you say!? How remarkable. With such a charming face, and yet…!”
Once one person agreed, the floodgates opened and the green light began to shine through gradually.
I watched as the young ladies bloomed with desire, their faces radiant, and laughed brightly.
“Shall we go then?”
We emerged into the Training Ground with giggles and laughter.
Our dresses were covered in dust and dirt, but that hardly mattered. A little hardship is necessary when pursuing knowledge, after all.
Then Hans, who I remembered as having a rather prickly disposition, approached and asked with formal politeness tinged with irritation.
“If I may inquire, what brings you here? Sword training is for men only. Women are not permitted in the Training Ground.”
“I wished to observe your training. You are sacred beings protecting our Kingdom—surely there is no reason ladies should be excluded?”
“Nevertheless, this is a restricted area for women.”
“Come to think of it, I believe I am a Princess.”
….
“Is it not possible?”
When I asked again, Hans cleared his throat.
He was clearly struggling with my benevolent smile.
Then suddenly, a series of sharp intakes of breath echoed from behind me like dominoes falling.
It was unmistakably Cedric. I didn’t even need to look.
“Your Highness, what brings you here?”
As expected, the Kingdom’s most handsome man appeared at my side.
I approached him and lowered my voice.
“Cedric, I came because there’s something urgent I need to discuss with you. It concerns Blake.”
“…You came all this way with so many young ladies just to discuss that?”
“I noticed they were admiring the knights’ impressive forms earlier. What do you say to allowing them to stay nearby during the banquet period, for the sake of their reputation?”
Cedric seemed to consider for a moment before nodding.
“I’ll give the knights rest periods. Conversations among acquaintances should be acceptable. However, during training, the sword aura could injure the young ladies, so they must leave then.”
“Understood.”
Cedric was unexpectedly generous.
I’d thought he would dismiss the villainous Charlotte from the original story, but here he was being accommodating.
‘Of course, if he had, I would never have let it slide.’
This is precisely why I and the regretful male lead Cedric could never become entangled, Aurora.
After informing Ariadne that Cedric had consented, I returned.
“So, shall we talk for a moment?”
“Please wait a moment. I’m not currently dressed appropriately to escort Your Highness.”
What was this about?
Only after scanning him from head to toe did I feel a slight embarrassment.
I’d rushed here without thinking, and he was shirtless.
His hair dripped with sweat, and his entire body’s muscles rippled with exertion. His slightly flushed skin was utterly different from his usual fastidious Holy Knight appearance.
It was rather sensual.
“Ah, yes. Of course, I’ll wait.”
Reflecting on my own thoughtlessness, I spun around—and that’s when I saw it.
In the distance, a crowd of people approached with murmurs, growing clearer as they drew nearer.
It was Leonard and his Royal Guard.
I wasn’t sure why they were here, but what caught my eye first was an enormous sword.
A greatsword so long and thick that you’d wonder if it could even be wielded—rare in Sincester—was strapped across his back.
As they drew closer, what became visible was something far more masculine.
Undone buttons revealing firm abdominal muscles, and veins bulging along his rolled-up forearms.
His shirt clung to his body, and with each movement, the defined contours of his solid muscles were laid bare.
At this bestial vitality, I heard Dorothy beside me gasp sharply.
Leonard stopped at a slight distance from me and spoke with a smile.
“Why are you here? Judging by the dress, it’s not sword training…. Admiring handsome men?”
“No, that’s not it!”
“But you called yourself a handsome man hunter.”
His teasing voice flew toward me before turning to the side.
“And here stands the Kingdom’s most handsome man.”
Leonard nodded first.
“Duke Cedric, it’s good to see you.”
“…Yes, it’s an honor to meet you as well.”
Soon after, silence fell between the two men. Only the sound of wind rustling through the Training Ground could be heard.
Watching them, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was witnessing a territorial dispute between males.
After all, one was the Empire’s Sixth Prince and the other was a Duke—but wasn’t he also the male lead of this romance fantasy novel?
For reference, Cedric, who was the arrogant male lead type, was someone who wouldn’t bow even if the Emperor himself stood before him if he didn’t want to.
‘But at that point, wouldn’t the author have made a mistake with the setting? A Duke not yielding to a Prince….’
In any case, I was watching with keen interest when I felt a chilling presence beside me.
Abigail, who had drawn close without my noticing, glared at me sharply and whispered.
“Perhaps you should attend to your duties now.”
“Oh, right.”
I laughed awkwardly and approached the space between the two men. Then I spoke to Leonard first.
“Your Highness, I apologize, but I need to speak with the Duke. Would it be alright if I took him with me?”
He looked reluctant, but I ignored him and turned to Cedric instead.
“Duke, I’ll be waiting in the Knights’ Quarters while you change into fresh clothes.”
Cedric also seemed displeased, but I ignored him as well and headed toward the Reception Room.
Perhaps because only knights used this space, the Reception Room was remarkably austere and barren.
A few minutes later, Cedric appeared, having changed into fresh clothes.
Upon seeing me, he wore an expression uncharacteristic of him—one of awkwardness.
It seemed he was thinking that the tea the Adjutant had brought—merely hot water with a tea bag—was hardly appropriate for a Princess to drink.
“I apologize for receiving Your Highness in such a place. Why didn’t you simply send a servant to summon me to the Study?”
“No, I wanted to visit the Training Ground myself after such a long time. Since it’s a forbidden area for women, I had to use some excuse to go there, didn’t I? I used to use Brother as an excuse, but now he doesn’t visit either since he has the King’s Private Training Grounds.”
In any case, the medieval era really does place men far above women, doesn’t it? This damned gender-obsessed world setting.
I was shaking my head and lifting my teacup when Cedric asked me a question.
“What brings you to seek me out?”
“Duke. I heard you’re going to follow me to Blake. Is that true?”
At my words, Cedric nodded without hesitation.
“That’s correct. Is there a problem with that?”
“Of course there is! You have no reason to follow me. No matter what Brother commands—”
“It’s because I wish to go, so it doesn’t matter.”
He remained as stiff as ever with me….
Or so I thought, until I heard what came next.
“I cannot simply stand by and watch Your Highness follow a man you don’t even love.”

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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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