A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 51

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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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51.
“What are you doing?”
The moment he leaned into me, he went rigid as a wooden plank, and I found it absolutely amusing.
“What do you mean, what am I doing? I’m embracing you.”
“That’s exactly what I’m asking—why are you embracing me…!”
“My goodness, you’re quite dense, aren’t you? Yes, you’re dense. Anyway, think of it as a gesture of reconciliation.”
“Listen, is this how people in Sincester make peace?”
“Be quiet!”
I patted his back while holding him close, the way one would comfort a child.
He flinched at first, but soon seemed to understand what I was doing.
Then Leonard Blake’s arms slowly wrapped around my back.
Very slowly.
Without lifting my head, I was certain his face had turned crimson.
“Why are you taking so long to decide? Just hold me back.”
“…In Blake, this sort of thing…”
“I think it’s not so much a Blake custom as it is that you’re simply quite inexperienced. You can tell just by looking at Alex.”
“…”
I continued patting his back, and he remained docile in my embrace.
“I’ll admit that I was stubborn too, so I’ll take half the blame for this.”
“…Then we’re making peace.”
“Yes. But what about that gift?”
Suddenly curious, I pulled away from him.
Leonard Blake stared at his now-empty arms before clearing his throat.
“My subordinates are attempting to verify it, but there are several layers of dark attribute magic woven through it, so it’s proving difficult. It seems the intention was for me to simply give up.”
“Have you tried asking Sara? She’s a dark attribute mage.”
“Wouldn’t Sara Renande be in danger?”
“She’s not that fragile. Trust my friend.”
I tapped my chest with my palm, and Leonard Blake exhaled a long sigh.
“Sigh.”
“Why the sigh? Do you dislike it?”
“No, not at all. I simply…”
“Simply?”
“I’m beginning to think my plans are falling apart.”
“Falling apart? What do you mean—yelp!”
Suddenly, my body lurched forward with a gasp.
More precisely, his arms pulled me down into his embrace.
‘Am I… being held right now?’
Since I had initiated the embrace first, it felt unequal to ask him to release me.
But this embrace was so different from before.
Leonard Blake held me deeply, almost painfully tight.
The sound of my heartbeat was so loud it reached my ears.
Was it mine, or his?
I couldn’t tell. My face flushed crimson, and ragged breaths escaped my lips.
“L-Leonard? You’re holding me too tightly…”
“…”
“Leonard.”
When I called his name once more, his arms slowly released from my back. He’d held me so forcefully that my back and forearms still throbbed with a dull ache.
Embarrassment overwhelmed me, making it impossible to meet his gaze. I stood there with my eyes fixed to the floor, unable to speak, merely stammering.
“Charlotte.”
“Yes? Um, yes.”
“Let’s go now. To our room.”
* * *
The moment we returned to the bedroom, Ignis greeted us both.
For reasons unknown, Ignis had taken the form of a ten-year-old child and stood with his arms crossed.
It was as if a child had come to greet parents returning home after a quarrel.
“Ignis, are you very upset?”
“Yes! And I heard that you solved the Empress’s perilous Quest without me!”
“The Empress’s perilous Quest?”
“She means selecting the maidservants.”
“That’s exactly when I should have been there! I am the summoned beast! A guardian deity, am I not!!”
It took considerable effort to calm the raging Ignis, but honestly, I was grateful for his presence.
If Leonard and I had been alone in this bedroom, it would have been truly awkward.
“Well then, Ignis. Shall we sleep now?”
“Ignis, transform into your Red Dragon form.”
“No. Tonight I’ll sleep as a human. For some reason… that lackey’s eyes are asking me to.”
Me?
Ignis pointed at me while speaking. I was startled, but I didn’t bother denying it.
“Y-yes. Then tonight, shall the three of us… sleep in one bed together?”
I subtly sought Leonard’s opinion, but no response came from him.
A silent affirmation, then?
Without further ado, the three of us spent that night with Ignis in human form nestled between us.
* * *
“Hey, why do you look so displeased?”
“If you know, leave me alone.”
Leonard’s response to Ignis was sharp and cutting. His expression certainly didn’t look good.
Was the bed uncomfortable because the three of us slept together yesterday…? Though I found it pleasant enough.
That embrace in the Garden yesterday.
‘Why on earth did he hold me so tightly!?’
I was heaving sighs while mindlessly chopping ham into smaller pieces when—
“Hey, did that ham wrong you somehow?”
At a single word from Ignis, I startled and dropped my knife.
Ignis, who had been munching beside me and eating ham whole, regarded me with a peculiar expression.
“No, I just prefer eating it this way, in chunks. Hehe.”
“Charlotte.”
“Huh, what!?”
“…? Why are you so startled?”
Leonard Blake also looked at me strangely before taking a sip of water.
“It seems the Emperor has learned of the matter between the Empress and you. He asked to see you.”
“Ugh.”
“Well, regardless of that affair, it would be better to pay your respects formally. Even if the Emperor said he didn’t need it, let’s go.”
I nodded while practicing Lamassian breathing to maintain my composure.
“But first, let’s find Sara.”
After finishing my meal quickly, I went to find Sara, and she greeted us both with her hair in a complete mess.
Her half-closed eyes looked as though she had just awakened from sleep.
“Princess, you wake me first thing in the morning only to ask me to analyze the magic attached to this gift?”
“Sara, it’s not morning—it’s ten o’clock in the morning.”
“I see. So it’s not morning but the crack of dawn.”
“Anyway, our Sara certainly knows how to jest. How adorable.”
“….”
Leonard Blake’s expression grew increasingly complex as he observed my warm exchange with Sara.
“Anyway, I’ll leave this gift and Ignis with you.”
“Take that red lump with you.”
“I’m leaving him so you can teach him magic too.”
“Who are you calling a red lump!?”
With Ignis’s indignant shout, Leonard Blake and I left Sara’s room.
The moment we stepped out, Leonard Blake stroked his chin with a bewildered expression.
“Is Sara Renande truly your friend?”
“Of course! She just owes me quite a bit.”
“You’re truly ruthless.”
“That’s hardly something you should be saying.”
I smiled wryly and adjusted my clothes.
I had intended to dress beautifully to meet the Emperor today, but for some reason, Leonard Blake handed me different attire as I reached for a dress.
It was riding clothes.
Incidentally, he had purchased several ready-made outfits in various sizes, and thanks to that, I was able to select one without difficulty.
“The Emperor is at the Riding Ground?”
“To be precise, it’s the Riding Ground of the Harem. The concubines he keeps by his side happen to enjoy horses.”
“He doesn’t work?”
“The Princes divide the duties among themselves, and the Elder Noble Houses handle important matters. About ten years ago, Blake’s centralized system of governance collapsed.”
“Why? Surely a king’s authority doesn’t crumble so easily?”
“There was a dragon war during his reign. We managed to stop it, but in the process of dealing with the aftermath, the noble factions fractured and the system fell apart.”
“Dragon War? You mean the Ragnarok Incident?”
Ragnarok. It seemed to be one of those topics Leonard Blake preferred to avoid.
I spoke cautiously, gauging his reaction, and as expected, he turned away.
“Let’s discuss that later. More importantly, can you ride? I heard you never learned in Sincester.”
“If you thought I’d abide by such outdated male-centered etiquette, you’ve got me all wrong.”
At my scoff, a stifled laugh escaped Leonard Blake.
“I thought as much. A woman who lived through the 21st Century would find it difficult to follow such archaic customs. Especially you—I suspected you wouldn’t conform at all.”
“Exactly. If I’d only had the qualifications to inherit the throne, Sincester would have been turned upside down.”
I wouldn’t have bothered pursuing the crown out of sheer laziness, but I would have at least reformed women’s rights to rival the 21st Century.
Actually, no.
With a monogamous system in place, Sincester would have surpassed South Korea itself.
Leonard Blake, who had been walking ahead, turned back to look at me. A faint smile played across his lips.
“But it must have been difficult to learn while avoiding others’ attention. How did you manage?”
“At night, Sara and I would teleport to a secluded space and I’d learn from my slaves—no, my friends.”
“I believe I just heard a word that shouldn’t have been mentioned.”
“Auditory hallucination.”
I countered cleanly and simply.

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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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