A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 5

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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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05.
Damn this wretched sense of direction.
Leonard Blake had proven himself capable across all manner of situations, both great and small, yet it seemed the heavens had deemed it only fair that he remain utterly, irredeemably hopeless when it came to navigation.
Of course, the Princess, knowing nothing of this, bore no fault.
-No matter how poor my sense of direction is….
Every word spoken with that innocent smile had felt like a dagger to my heart, though had she known the true extent of my affliction, she would never have said such things.
-Not that way, but this, this way instead.
As I followed the attendant, my expression finally twisted, and the hapless servant trembled as he guided me along the correct path.
Leonard Blake sighed and draped his coat over a chair.
William, noticing the roughness of his movements, opened his mouth with equal parts curiosity and concern.
“Have you encountered some trouble, Your Highness? It did take you quite some time.”
“…I ran into the Princess. She was heading to the Altar of Sacred Blood with the Saint.”
“The Altar of Sacred Blood?”
William straightened at this significant revelation.
“So she used the excuse of changing her dress to slip away to the Altar. Just as our investigation suggested, the Princess does appear to have a deep connection to the sacred relics.”
William continued speaking with gravity, but no response came.
When he glanced over, Leonard Blake was sprawled across the sofa at full length.
Seeing the Sixth Prince stretched out without even having changed his clothes, William gradually pieced together what must have transpired.
“…William. Am I truly such a cursed wretch when it comes to directions?”
“….”
“Perhaps my sense of direction is merely somewhat weaker than others, not entirely hopeless?”
So that was it, then.
William pretended not to notice and picked up the letter lying on the table.
“Your Highness, I’ve learned that the 1st Prince has sent a marriage proposal to Charlotte.”
“Are you changing the subject now?”
“This seems the more pressing matter at hand.”
Leonard Blake’s expression darkened at those words, but William was undeniably right.
“So he means to marry the Princess and forge a bond with Sincester.”
“It’s merely a gesture to make a favorable impression. Unless he’s lost his mind, Sincester would never marry into Blake.”
“….”
“Why not employ some charm yourself, Your Highness? After all, they say you’re far superior to the 1st Prince in Blake.”
At William’s words, Leonard Blake, who had been washing his face, slowly lowered his hands.
The eyes that had burned brilliantly beneath the sun were now heavy with exhaustion.
“I’d be better off practicing how to find my way around.”
* * *
In the world, five continents and six oceans existed.
Each continent held one Holy Kingdom, and throughout history, those kingdoms had never permitted foreign invasion.
This was thanks to the three sacred relics bestowed by the divine upon the Royal Palace.
Thus, they had constructed the Altar of Sacred Blood with multiple barriers, where the relics were kept and protected across generations.
Only the Pope, myself as the relic keeper, Aurora the Saint, and two high priests were permitted to enter the Altar.
After parting ways with the Sixth Prince, Aurora and I stepped into the barrier of the Altar of Sacred Blood.
Within the barrier, Erdan’s distinctive holy power permeated the space, making it soft and warm like a greenhouse.
“Your Majesty’s barrier is still remarkably sophisticated.”
“It’s layered ten times over. Even the most skilled priests or mages wouldn’t be able to break through it.”
The Altar was reverent and serene.
Feeling the weight of that solemnity, we walked quietly along the pristine white stone path until we reached the sanctuary.
Upon the sanctuary, carpeted in golden wool, three sacred relics lay arranged in perfect order.
A crown crafted from laurel leaves.
A colossal trumpet carved from ivory.
A mirror made entirely of pure gold.
At first glance they appeared ordinary, yet they were sacred relics bestowed by Elisia, the supreme deity of the Elysium Continent.
Aurora examined each one meticulously, murmuring to herself.
“There’s nothing amiss. With so many foreign visitors entering the palace, I was worried about the risk of intrusion, but it seems we needn’t be concerned.”
“That’s right. If trouble were brewing, the relics would have warned us first.”
Had there been those with malicious intent, one of these three would have sounded the alarm, and Cedric would have led the formidable Holy Knight Order to annihilate them before they ever set foot in the Capital.
Sincester’s inviolable history was forged precisely in this manner.
“That Sixth Prince must have simply lost his way. After all, ours is a kingdom that no one has managed to topple in five thousand years.”
I patted Aurora’s shoulder as she exhaled a sigh of relief.
“Whether in the past, present, or future, our kingdom will remain steadfast.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes, trust me on this.”
Aurora smiled faintly and linked her arm through mine once more.
“I’ll trust the relics instead.”
….
Heavens, how utterly depleted was my credibility in Aurora’s eyes?
Of course, I had betrayed a few people ever so slightly, but that was sworn to be a righteous act meant to alter the original narrative.
I had caused only minor incidents, nothing catastrophic.
As I began to reflect on my past and felt discomfort creeping in, I smiled brightly and spoke.
“Well then! Shall we head back now?
After leaving the Altar with Aurora, I went directly to the Princess Palace Library.
On one corner of the desk, within an expensive box, lay a bracelet adorned with a blue orb.
A magical crystal communication device.
As someone without holy power, I could not use sacred relics that required ‘the use of holy power,’ so I had no choice but to rely on magical items.
Among magical items, there existed something called a ‘mana stone’ that already contained magical energy within it, making it usable even by ordinary people.
In any case, how could a powerless villainess survive without some advantage?
Authors ought to grant secondary characters some special abilities as well.
Only then could they subject the heroines to arduous trials, thereby solidifying their love with the male lead, wouldn’t you say?
Grumbling to myself, I dutifully fastened the bracelet around my wrist, placed my hand upon the crystal sphere, and spoke the incantation along with the name of the White Owls.
“Commander Aaron, I have a matter to discuss. I’ll be waiting in the Study.”
* * *
The White Owls.
They were the shadow knights of the Sincester Royal Family.
Though called knights, they handled work shrouded in darkness—intelligence gathering, communications, infiltration—and it seemed the author had given them the name “Owls” precisely for this reason.
Not long after I sent word, a man slipped silently through the window and into my study.
“Your Highness, you summoned me?”
As I rose from my desk, Aaron quickly dropped to one knee before me.
The brunette knight possessed a sturdy build that seemed incongruous with his work in the shadows.
“Sir Aaron, I’d like you to investigate the Sixth Prince of Blake who attended the ball.”
“You mean Leonard Blake?”
“Yes.”
“What specifically should I investigate?”
“The same as before with Knox Glaston. Gather every detail you can find. Even the color of the pen nib he uses.”
In the original work, Knox Glaston was the villain who nearly brought Sincester to the brink of ruin.
I had the White Owls investigate him so thoroughly that they discovered he despised eggplant, and then I had him eliminated.
Not that I killed him with eggplant, mind you.
“Yes, I shall gather all information within the shortest time possible.”
Aaron nodded immediately and vanished from my study through the window as silently as he had arrived, like wind itself.
“He really is efficient.”
I gazed at the open window for a moment before turning my attention to the scattered documents on my desk and sighing.
They were lists of distinguished guests attending tomorrow’s ball, along with notes on their characteristics.
Particularly for the twenty men I would dance with tomorrow, three full pages were densely covered front and back with information—the fruit of Abigail’s passionate efforts.
“Marriage, huh.”
In truth, I had planned to leave the Kingdom after the ball and embark on a continental journey.
I’d worked like a dog rewriting the original story. Now wasn’t it time I played like a nobleman?
Marriage could elevate me to at least a noblewoman, or if fortune smiled, even a queen or empress.
In a novel, I might become a noblewoman who lifted not a finger, but this was reality.
I’d barely managed to memorize the genealogy of Sincester’s royal line—was I really going to spend a second life memorizing another family’s lineage after marrying in?
Farewell, original story’s protagonist and extras~~
I’m casting off every constraint and shackle of the original work and setting out to find my own happiness.

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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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