A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 54

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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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54.
“What’s wrong?”
“…No, it’s nothing. In any case, I cannot help but smile at Princess Lilith. If the Prince treats his younger sister poorly without reason, it will create unfavorable public opinion.”
Ha! The male leads in Romance Fantasy novels don’t even bother with such things, yet they’re beloved anyway.
“Fine, fine~ do get along well. As long as you don’t act like a sister-in-law to me, that’s all that matters.”
“Are you sulking right now?”
“Who, me? Ignis, let’s go.”
Ignis whimpered like a child caught between quarreling parents, then hurried after me.
“Wait.”
“Just a moment. Where are you going without me?”
“The library!”
“The Imperial Library, you mean? Why?”
“Who knows when I’ll visit this Imperial Palace again? I intend to read and copy every book I can beforehand. So don’t interfere!”
Half of it was true, and half was simply that I wanted to be alone.
With Ignis perched on my shoulder, glancing nervously back at Leonard Blake, I swiftly rounded a palace column and vanished from sight before he could catch me.
* * *
“Abigail, deliver this necklace to Sara and have her verify that no magic is placed upon it, then leave it in the Powder Room.”
“Understood.”
After sending Abigail off, I headed to the Imperial Library with Dorothy.
Frustratingly, Blake’s library was on an entirely different scale from Sincester’s.
I wondered if I could possibly read every book here in my lifetime.
There were many librarians as well.
“Your Highness.”
The moment we entered, the head librarian Kirke approached and greeted me.
The noblewoman Kirke, with her deep green hair cut short, was smiling, but beneath that smile lay glimmers of caution and scrutiny.
Kirke was affiliated with the 2nd Prince Chris’s Faction, whom I had only observed from a distance thus far.
She would inevitably participate in the succession struggle as well. I could not afford to show any weakness.
“Shall I assign some librarians to assist you?”
“That won’t be necessary, Head Librarian Kirke. However, if you could provide me with a map of the shelves, it would make it easier for me to identify the books I need. And of course, a quiet space where I might read alone.”
I could hardly reveal what books I was reading or that I intended to copy them.
“…Understood.”
Taking only Dorothy with me, I began navigating the library using the shelf map Kirke had provided.
There would certainly be surveillance magic in place, but it wouldn’t reveal the specific titles I borrowed in detail.
The books I borrowed were these:
[Everything About Dragon Wars]
[Does the Punishment Unit Truly Exist Across the Continent?]
[What Kind of Monster Was Ragnarok?]
Leonard Blake clearly had some connection to Ragnarok.
And the Punishment Unit and Demian were also somehow related. That must be why Demian said Leonard Blake had no reason to be alive.
I wanted to ask him directly, but I lacked the courage. It might have made him sad.
“…Sigh.”
Wasn’t this more like a covert investigation?
A vague unease crept over me, but I shook my head firmly.
“It’s a legitimate investigation! An investigation to survive in Blake!”
I pressed the jeweled portion of the brooch pinned to my chest, pretending to dust it off.
The jeweled brooch, crafted from gold and amethyst, was a magical artifact called Memoria that could scan and store text that resembled a miniature camera from my past life.
With Memoria activated and speed-reading magic combined, I could copy five books in an hour.
After spending about two hours in the library that way, my entire body began to ache.
“Shall we head back, Dorothy?”
“Yes.”
As I rose from my chair and prepared to leave, Kirke approached.
“Your Highness, have you finished reading already?”
She was smiling, but her eyes still gleamed with curiosity.
I sighed deeply and shook my head.
“It seems I have no affinity with the books here. I flipped through the pages of the ones that intrigued me, but they were just as tedious as expected.”
At my words, Kirke glanced at the book covers laid on the table.
“The Imperial family tree and the history of Blake—certainly dull reading.”
Fortunately, I had altered the covers with magic. I exhaled in relief and ordered Dorothy to return the books to their proper places.
“So, Librarian, is there something you needed from me?”
“Someone has come looking for Your Highness.”
“…For me?”
The person who had come looking for me was none other than Thetis, the maidservant I had hired previously.
Thetis appeared to have already exchanged greetings with Abigail.
She now wore an outer robe bearing the Blackwood emblem, proof of her position as the Prince’s Consort’s maidservant.
“I sent my belongings to Blackwood before entering the palace. I apologize for arriving late.”
“Not at all. We would have met anyway if I had gone to my bedroom instead of you coming all this way.”
“I am so grateful for the care you have shown my son….”
Thetis was truly a woman of ill fortune.
She was a striking beauty, yet that very beauty had ruined her life.
She had married a young, handsome knight at first sight, but when a nobleman from the Eastern Kingdom passing through their territory caught sight of her, her husband was murdered.
Fortunately, her son was an exceptional swordsman and managed to kill that nobleman and barely protect his mother Thetis, but the matter was brought to trial and the family was utterly destroyed.
Yet she was well-educated and had been a lady of a noble house.
Looking at her, one could see grace and dignity radiating from her very being.
“Your son did nothing wrong, did he? Since he is an exceptional swordsman, have him study the sword under my Guard Knight.”
“…Thank you.”
Thetis then drew closer to me and whispered.
“And I came so quickly because I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Josephine, who took the examination with me, has died. And her son now believes that Your Highness is the culprit.”
At this shocking revelation, I decided I needed to hear the details with Leonard and quickly returned to my bedroom.
However, Leonard Blake was nowhere to be found.
Princess Lilith had arrived unexpectedly and insisted on going for a walk, so he had no choice but to leave, or so he claimed.
In the end, I decided to speak with Leonard Blake later and instead found myself seated across from Thetis in the Reception Room.
“Thetis, would you mind explaining it all again, slowly?”
“Do you remember Josephine?”
Ah, that suspicious woman.
The one who had calmly poured tea even as the Guard Knights drew their swords.
Moreover, Alex had mentioned that before he left, she’d kissed the back of his hand, and he’d felt calluses beneath her gloves.
“I heard her husband holds a minor position in the Ministry of Justice. Of course, with an estate so small, there’s no wealth to be gained from it.”
“That’s correct. However, Josephine was originally a commoner who became a noble by earning merit during the Dragon War—she was a swordswoman mage.”
“Oh… I didn’t know that much.”
Startled, I set my teacup down on the table as though I might drop it.
“Are you saying such a capable woman wanted to become merely the Prince’s Consort’s maidservant?”
“Are you unaware of the mana depletion phenomenon that afflicted the mages after the Dragon War?”
Josephine looked at me with wide eyes.
“I’m sorry—I haven’t memorized all of Blake’s history yet. I’m still learning it diligently.”
“Ah… After the Dragon War, for reasons unknown, several mages experienced a depletion of their mana. Some remains, but it’s negligible.”
“I see…”
“Josephine was one of them.”
What exactly was this Dragon War? I found myself eager to read about it in the books.
“The important matter is that she is dead. Though we don’t know whose hand took her life, the problem is that her son is now convinced the Princess is the culprit.”
“Why would he think that? I don’t even know who her son is.”
“According to what was heard recently at the Dress Shop, the Empress herself summoned the son and, in her sorrow, pointed to the Princess as the culprit.”
He believed that? They say fools are brave, and I couldn’t help but sigh, even as my heart grew heavy with dread.
“So where is this son now? We need to clear up this misunderstanding.”
“No one knows. You must be cautious. That son inherited his mother’s talent—he’s a skilled mage.”
As if the Empress weren’t enough, now I had to be wary of someone else.
Without realizing it, I clenched my fist against the fabric of my dress.
Seeing me like this, Dorothy and Abigail quickly offered their comfort.
“Princess, don’t worry! You have the magical necklace, and you have Lord Lucas, Alex, and Leonard Blake by your side, don’t you? Who would dare harm the Princess?”
“Indeed. Moreover, isn’t the Princess yourself invincible… well, undefeatable?”
“And I’m here too. Why are you suddenly so gloomy?”
When Ignis poked my face with his front paw, I felt a bit better.
That’s right—with so many allies on my side, what could possibly go wrong?
With a slight smile, I patted Thetis on the shoulder instead.
“You’re all right. I have so many reliable people by my side that I have nothing to worry about.”

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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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