A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 41

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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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41.
The banquet continued for some time.
After the martial demonstration concluded, the members of the Diplomatic Delegation paid their respects to the Emperor one by one, each enjoying wine and delicacies at their leisure.
I found myself overwhelmed as numerous nobles approached me with conversation.
Just as the lively banquet reached its crescendo,
Boom—!!
A massive drum positioned at the center of the Banquet Hall suddenly thundered.
In that instant, the very air seemed to freeze.
The moment the attendant who struck the drum returned to his place, the Emperor rose abruptly from his seat.
“I have an announcement for everyone present!”
“What is the matter, Your Majesty?”
A nobleman, thoroughly intoxicated, asked without hesitation.
Yet the Emperor, as though he had been waiting for such impertinence, smiled and made his proclamation.
“I wish to appoint the Fourth Prince Benjamin, son of the 3rd Empress, as Crown Prince.”
“!?”
“Of course, the formal succession struggle remains. However, as Emperor, I wished to make my position clear beforehand.”
After that, the atmosphere of the Banquet Hall solidified like stone. Only the sound of wine glasses falling echoed as if for eternity.
The first to regain his composure was none other than Benjamin himself, the one designated as Crown Prince.
“I-Impossible, Your Majesty!! I harbor no ambitions for the throne!”
The 3rd Empress also rose from her seat, her face drained of all color.
“Yes, that is so! Benjamin—or rather, the Fourth Prince—is still so young!”
Yet the Emperor remained sharp and resolute.
“Enough. Not another word.”
“Your Majesty!?”
“Your Majesty!”
“I am weary. I shall retire to my Bedroom now.”
Without further comment, he departed the Banquet Hall.
After that, no one possessed the appetite to enjoy this shattered atmosphere.
I surveyed the Banquet Hall, frozen at one hundred eighty degrees, when Leonard’s voice pulled me back to awareness.
“Charlotte, shall we return as well?”
The Palace Corridor of the Blake Imperial Palace carried a peculiar chill.
Even with many attendants following behind, I felt no warmth. Not even with Leonard at my side.
He appeared lost in deep contemplation. His expression was stern and rigid, making it difficult to address him.
“Um, Leonard?”
“Ah, my apologies. I was merely pondering something for a moment. What is it?”
His face relaxed slightly as he returned to the present. Yet his eyes remained cold.
“The Emperor said he wishes to make the Fourth Prince the Crown Prince. That means from now on, the Fourth Prince’s life could be in danger, doesn’t it? But you said he was ‘a discarded piece.’ That means….”
Perhaps someone had been made a target in his stead.
I could not bring myself to voice this tragedy aloud, but Leonard was different.
“Yes. Just as you suspected, the Emperor is using Benjamin’s life as collateral to protect me.”
“….”
“But when I become Emperor, I’ll kill them all anyway. It’s actually a favor if someone else does it for me.”
Startled by the horrifying words, I stopped in my tracks, and Leonard Blake, who halted alongside me, regarded me with an emotionless question.
“Surely you didn’t think I would leave all the dangerous elements alive?”
His voice in response was cold and dry. Unlike moments before, there was no trace of gentleness in his tone.
“That’s… not what I meant.”
Truthfully, I had anticipated it.
But I never expected him to voice such cruelty so directly, so matter-of-factly.
That was when it happened.
“Stop right there, Sixth Prince.”
The 3rd Empress’s voice pierced through from behind. It was sharp, indifferent to whoever might be nearby.
“….”
Remarkably, Leonard Blake pretended not to hear and attempted to move forward.
“Do my words amuse you? I told you to stop!!”
Her voice, cutting like frost, echoed through the Palace Corridor once more. The situation was no longer one that could be ignored.
“…Your Highness, one must not raise one’s voice so loudly within the Imperial Palace.”
Finally, Leonard Blake turned slowly to face the 3rd Empress.
“How could I not cry out? My son is about to become a sacrificial pawn!”
“A sacrificial pawn, you say.”
“I know exactly what you’re doing—manipulating the Emperor into putting my son forward first, then building your power in the shadows. And the moment my son dies, you’ll fight Demian for the throne.”
“…That is slander.”
Leonard Blake answered calmly.
“-Your Highness.”
“Slander?!”
The 3rd Empress, her voice raised in fury, suddenly seized Leonard Blake by the collar.
The Handmaidens gasped in alarm, but the 3rd Empress seemed oblivious to their presence.
“Then why was my young son appointed Crown Prince over you and Demian, both of whom command such formidable power!”
“How could I possibly know the Emperor’s intentions?”
“You… despicable wretch!”
What could I possibly do to earn a reputation as a peacemaker?
Standing firmly as a mere observer, I bit my lip.
From a distance, the 3rd Empress’s wrists appeared fragile, and her frame was as delicate as a bird’s.
The complete opposite of Leonard Blake.
Yet despite this, the Empress began striking and pushing him, wailing.
“You monster!! If my son dies because of the likes of you, I won’t stand idle! I’ll plaster your filthy past on every gate in the city! I’ll make the entire world mock your depravity!”
“Your Highness, please calm yourself!”
“Your Highness! This will end in disaster!”
The Handmaidens tried desperately to restrain her, but to no avail. Yet even more futile was Leonard Blake himself.
No matter how much she struck and pushed him, Leonard Blake remained unmoved. Like a fortress of steel.
Rather, it was the 3rd Empress whose body swayed and staggered.
In that instant, Leonard Blake and my eyes met. Though neither of us spoke, I saw a glimmer of salvation in his gaze.
Whether he was pleading to be saved or asking me to save the 3rd Empress, I couldn’t quite tell.
“Empress Consort.”
Just as I took a step forward to calm the Empress Consort, it happened.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know what filthy depths you crawled out of? You vile creature, barely worthy of drawing breath!!”
Her merciless mockery echoed through the Palace Corridor, and in that same moment, every person around us froze. Not even a whisper of breath could be heard.
-He was never of imperial blood to begin with, Your Highness.
Cedric’s words suddenly reverberated through my mind, followed by the memory of that tea time with Leonard Blake.
-A birth that warranted extermination of his entire line….
Had he truly committed such sins? Or was he destined to?
‘…This won’t do. If he’s become my person, I must stand by him!’
I seized the 3rd Empress’s arm firmly and spoke with cold reproach.
“Your words are far too harsh, Empress Consort.”
The earrings I wore today were magical artifacts.
Activating a spell to enhance my grip strength without anyone noticing, I wrenched the Empress Consort’s arm away from Leonard Blake.
“Do not speak to him so carelessly.”
“…Are you defending him because he’s your betrothed?”
“I would have defended him regardless. I am a citizen of the Holy Kingdom, taught by Elisia to love all people with compassion.”
The Empress Consort faltered, but soon sneered.
“How bold for an empty shell devoid of any magical power. Though I suppose with the young Pope favoring you, you see nothing wrong with yourself?”
“No. I simply have a nature where I see nothing but rudeness in discourteous people.”
At my words, the Empress Consort’s expression turned bewildered.
After a moment of silence, she burst into laughter like a madwoman.
“Indeed! Birds of a feather flock together—perhaps the Princess’s own mother was of lowborn origins as well. That would explain why she’s nothing but an empty shell without magical power, wouldn’t it?”
“Empress Consort, your words are too—”
“Enough.”
At that moment, a sharp command echoed through the entire Corridor, and one of the Empress Consort’s arms bent at a harsh angle.
It was Leonard Blake. Without need for words, he simply shoved the Empress Consort away.
The impact caused the 3rd Empress to lose her footing and nearly collide with the wall.
“That is all.”
His gaze was as cold as frost, and the air around him grew frigid. Even the Imperial Palace Knights instinctively reached for their swords in alarm.
“You may insult me as you wish, but not the Princess.”
“….”
“And if you know of my origins, then surely you are aware of what I have done, and how terrible and magnificent those deeds truly were.”
At Leonard Blake’s warning, the Empress Consort bit her lip hard.
“Should you display such shameful conduct again, the Imperial Palace Knights will come swarming. It would be wise for you to leave and instead devise ways to protect your son.”
“…Silence!!”
With one final scream, the Empress Consort turned and walked away down the Corridor.
But not long after, accompanied by the sound of weeping, the Empress Consort slowly collapsed.
Witnessing her pitiful form leaning against a pillar in tears, I felt the true nature of this Imperial Palace settle into my very bones.
“…Regardless, I intend to kill that woman as well.”
A frigid voice echoed through my ears once more. I lifted my gaze to see the one who had spoken.
Leonard continued, his eyes settling into a calm, composed stillness.
“It matters little if you think me cruel. This is simply who I am.”
“…No.”
I shook my head slowly.
“I don’t think that at all. I just…. I’m not sure if I should even say this.”
Looking at Leonard now, I felt nothing—no emotion whatsoever.
A man whose very birth had just been mocked, a man who had declared his intention to kill someone. Yet he resembled a statue carved from stone, utterly devoid of feeling.
What kind of life had he lived? I could not even imagine it, nor did I dare to try.
For some reason, I wanted to caress his cheek. I pressed my rising hand firmly back down.
“I simply…felt that you must have endured so much suffering.”

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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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