A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 45

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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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45.
I hesitated for a moment before responding.
I was just about to finish picking out all the strawberries, and besides, the whole thing was so childish that I’d nearly lost my words.
But if I simply took it lying down, I wouldn’t be Charlotte Sincester, would I?
I set down my fork and opened my mouth with a slight smile.
“Don’t worry, Your Majesty. I’m not as sensitive as the Empress, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
“S-sensitive? Did you just say sensitive again?”
The Empress seemed absolutely furious at hearing the word “sensitive” for the second time.
“Princess, I am not sensitive!”
“Really? But the way you keep bringing up past matters suggests otherwise, doesn’t it? Well then, let me rephrase it as ‘delicate’ instead.”
“Princess!”
The Empress snapped her fan shut with a sharp crack, and Lady Lates frowned, but I didn’t stop.
“And Lady Lates, I do hope you’ll stop dwelling on the past and find a replacement for Leonard. Otherwise, you’ll look like an obsessive woman.”
“O-obsessive? Your word choice is truly rude, isn’t it?”
“Why are you getting so worked up? You yourself used the rude word ‘replacement,’ so I simply returned the favor with equally rude language.”
At my words, Lady Lates’s lips trembled.
“Your Highness, I clearly said it was a slip of the tongue, yet you’re being so cruel and arrogant! With such an attitude, you’ll surely never receive the Sixth Prince’s love!”
“…You may well be right about that. However.”
I smiled before the poor little lamb trembling with rage and spoke.
“The one sitting in this seat is not you, but me—the Princess of Sincester.”
“…!!”
After that, the sound of a chair scraping harshly echoed as Lady Lates shot to her feet.
Her face had turned crimson, unable to contain her fury.
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Had I gone too far?
‘No. At a first meeting, you need to completely break their spirit. Isn’t the best defense a preemptive strike?’
And a good attack should be sharp and decisive.
I should probably leave soon.
As I glanced around to gauge the right moment to exit, Lady Lates, who was heading out, suddenly stopped in her tracks.
It seemed she’d collided with Dorothy, who was bringing my drink. My heart skipped for a moment, and doubt crept in.
Was it an accident? Or did she deliberately bump into her?
As I frowned at the strange situation,
Crack—!!
A sound that made my ears ring out echoed through the Tea Party Hall.
It happened in an instant.
Dorothy fell to the floor, Abigail let out a shocked scream, and I froze in place.
What in the world was—
happening?
Dorothy’s cheek, where she lay sprawled on the ground, was swollen and bright red from the force of the blow.
Without thinking, I shot up from my seat and shouted.
“What on earth are you doing!?”
My voice rang out sharply through the Tea Party Hall.
Unlike my contorted expression, Lady Lates remained composed.
“A mere handmaiden ruined my dress, so I gave her a little punishment. What concern is it of yours?”
“A mere handmaiden? She’s my handmaiden! My handmaiden who’s betrothed to Leonard! She’s also the daughter of an Earl in Sincester!”
Even at my shout, Lady Lates brazenly crossed her arms.
“You said women in Sincester can’t even receive titles, didn’t you? Then she’s nothing more than an Earl’s daughter, nothing less and nothing more. But I am the eldest daughter of the Marquis Kedilac Family. I can receive a title.”
In a situation where I was too flabbergasted to speak, Lady Lates continued her mockery.
“And I was helping the Princess. The Princess should punish that handmaiden for ruining my dress, but since I slapped her cheek, she doesn’t have to. I was preserving our friendship.”
How could she spout such nonsense with such sincerity?
Rather than continue talking with this madwoman, I quickly helped Dorothy up.
“Dorothy, are you alright?”
“I’m fine, Your Highness. More than that, it wasn’t my fault… but I’m still sorry.”
“Don’t apologize!!”
“How touching.”
At her mocking tone, I finally lost it.
The reason I hadn’t earned a reputation as a mad princess in Sincester was because Sincester’s society was at least sensible.
Moreover, it was likely that no one would dare subject me, a princess, to such treatment.
But everyone said that Charlotte, while beautiful, had a rather unique personality.
And I knew that in Sincester, those words carried no positive connotation whatsoever.
“Is that so? How touching indeed.”
I shot to my feet and glared at Lady Lates.
I could hear Abigail calling my name several times from behind, but this time I couldn’t heed her words.
I walked forward with long strides, staring directly into Lady Lates’ green eyes.
“I heard the Marquis Kedilac Family is the sword that protects the Blueheart Family.”
“That’s right.”
“And you can inherit the title.”
“Yes, as the eldest daughter. Wait, what are you trying to do right now…?”
Yes, now you’re finally understanding what I’m about to do?
But it’s already too late. Lates Cedilac had just made the mistake of touching someone she shouldn’t have.
And then Aurora’s voice echoed through my mind…
-Charlotte, a slap is too weak. A punch would be better.
-Are you really a Saint?
-Even a Saint has to act when necessary. It’s better than stabbing with a sword, isn’t it?
“You might prefer clenching your fist? In Sincester, a slap doesn’t end things.”
With a sharp cry, Lates crumpled under my fist, her cheek taking the full force of the blow.
“Yelp!?”
* * *
The Tea Party Hall descended into chaos in an instant.
Lady Lates lay sprawled on the floor, weeping, while her handmaidens rushed to help her up and offer comfort.
The Empress and noblewomen stood speechless, shock written across their faces.
Even the Guard Knights hesitated, uncertain how to respond to me.
Among them, the young lady could no longer contain her indignation and shrieked in fury.
“How could you do this?! My father has never struck me!”
“….”
“And for a Princess to resort to punching in front of everyone—how utterly graceless and violent!”
“So fists are unacceptable, but an open palm is fine? Should I have slapped you instead?”
“What did you just say?!”
I pushed through the bewildered crowd and approached Lady Lates, meeting her gaze directly.
“I was actually helping you.”
“W-what are you talking about?”
“You struck a handmaiden I cherish, so I would have sought revenge against your family one way or another. But by settling it with a single punch, I’m being merciful and efficient, wouldn’t you say?”
“Princess!”
In that instant, the Empress rose abruptly from her seat.
“I will not tolerate such insolence any longer!”
“You find me insolent, Your Majesty?”
I stood and turned to face the Empress.
“As the superior here, you invited this lady yet failed to restrain her rudeness. Isn’t the most discourteous person in this room you yourself?”
“This is infuriating! Regardless of being the Princess of Sincester, I won’t—”
“Mother.”
At that moment, someone interrupted the Empress mid-sentence.
Good heavens.
‘Demian…?!’
My shock was brief before I found myself captivated, staring at him.
Was he truly a villain? He was worlds apart from that trivial, ridiculous antagonist Knox Glaston.
He seemed to exist somewhere between Leonard and Cedric.
Like a blazing flame, yet bearing the essence of a profound, tranquil abyss.
His deep navy hair and eyes, bathed in sunlight, held no warmth whatsoever.
What emanated from him was…only calculation. And overwhelming pressure.
“It seems I’ve arrived at a fortuitous moment.”
He wore a cloak, having apparently come directly from the Blueheart Territory.
Though the chaotic scene might have startled anyone, his expression remained characteristically glacial as he spoke.
“Your voices carried quite loudly as I approached. However, I would suggest everyone compose themselves—if your reputations matter to you.”
Demian’s words possessed a force that made them impossible to defy.
Yet that authority would only extend to those accustomed to him.
I was startled only briefly, and with my anger still unabated, I responded sharply.
“No, I wish to settle this after receiving an apology.”
“…Hmm? You want both a punch and an apology?”
“Yes, I want Miss Cedilac to apologize to my handmaiden. If she does, then I will apologize to Miss Cedilac as well.”
“This is absolutely infuriating!!”
The weeping Miss Cedilac shrieked. Demian seemed to share her sentiment.
“Let’s end this here. For the Princess to apologize to a Marquis’s daughter over a mere handmaiden? Isn’t she here to become Empress someday? She must maintain her dignity.”
“Dignity? Isn’t protecting one’s own people what an Empress should do?!”

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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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