A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 57

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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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57.
“Your Highness, we shall now board the wedding carriage and make a circuit around the Capital. The carriage is prepared over there.”
“Do you see Hippolyte in front of the carriage?”
“Your Highness?”
I gasped.
The voices of several maidservants calling out to me snapped my wandering mind back to reality.
‘Where am I right now…?’
Somehow, I had stepped outside the wedding venue.
Magical petals fluttered down above my head as crowds of people smiled and applauded.
“Your… Highness?”
That’s right. I am now ‘Your Highness’.
Something heavy weighed upon the fourth finger of my left hand. When I turned my head, I saw a wedding ring engraved with the Blackwood Family crest.
It seemed to have been slipped on somehow after the kiss, but I couldn’t remember it at all.
“Ah, yes. What were you saying just now?”
“Can you see the wedding carriage?”
I laughed, trying to calm my trembling heart.
“I can see it.”
“However, Your Highness, Hippolyte seems to be in poor spirits.”
“It appears he is not in a condition to pull the carriage. Would it not be better to let him rest?”
Following the maidservants’ advice, I observed the seven horses harnessed to the carriage. Hippolyte stood at the very front.
‘Certainly, Hippolyte being a black horse is not suited to pull a wedding carriage, but I still wanted to show that he is the beloved steed of the Sixth Prince’s Consort.’
There was nothing to be done.
“If Hippolyte is unwell, it cannot be helped. Have the reins released.”
The moment my words ended, the stable hands approached Hippolyte to unfasten the reins.
However, unfamiliar with them, Hippolyte let out a harsh neigh—hiii-hiii!—and reared.
One stable hand tumbled backward with a yelp. Several others turned pale with fright.
“I shall calm him.”
I hurried toward Hippolyte.
“Come now, Hippolyte. Settle down. I’m here. I’m sorry for making you pull the carriage.”
I soothed him by stroking his mane and cheek.
Then, I caught a glimpse of a familiar face in the crowd.
‘Cedric?’
Had he come for my wedding?
He seemed to be searching for something. With a dark expression, his eyes darted rapidly across the surroundings.
Since I needed to board the carriage, I could not greet him immediately.
I resolved to meet him properly another time and was about to hand the now-calmed Hippolyte’s reins to the stable hand.
Suddenly, an ominous chill crept down the back of my neck.
My premonitions were, regrettably, always accurate. And invariably, they foretold something dreadful.
I looked around.
Everything appeared ordinary.
The nobles were engaged in conversation about today’s wedding, while the knights wore expressions of mild boredom.
Colorful dresses and the sharp click of heeled shoes. From the lush white roses blooming abundantly came an intoxicating fragrance that overwhelmed the senses.
Yet amidst it all… I felt an intense, palpable hostility.
Perhaps an innate sensation only those of the Holy Kingdom could perceive.
The sweet emotions I’d felt until now evaporated like a lie, and my body flooded with tension.
“….”
“Your Highness? What is the matter?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Now, please board the carriage. The Sixth Prince has already taken his seat.”
“….”
As I glanced around with a rigid expression, I saw Leonard rising from where he sat in the carriage.
“Charlotte?”
At that same moment, someone burst through my field of vision, emerging from among the nobles.
“Die—!!”
What did he just say?
Before I could even comprehend his words, his form seemed to slow into slow motion before my eyes.
He wielded a short but thick blade—a weapon that could kill instantly if it found a vital point.
‘Is he trying to stab me with that?’
Why? For what reason? Who is he?
“Cle—”
I instinctively tried to activate a defensive spell, but I had no Tear of Deliño around my neck.
Of course, dressed in a wedding gown, I had no items whatsoever.
The dress had so much lace that I couldn’t move nimbly enough to evade.
It was coming.
I was really going to be stabbed!
It was the moment the blade’s tip was about to pierce directly over my heart.
“Close your eyes! Charlotte!!”
A roar shattered the sky. It was Leonard.
Clang!!
With the deafening sound of metal colliding, fragments of the blade scattered like shrapnel through the air.
Ugh!!
With a sharp scream, the assassin’s body was cleaved in half, and hot, viscous liquid erupted into the air.
It happened at a speed my eyes couldn’t even follow.
Was such a thing… even possible?
I had never seen such flawless swordsmanship, not even from my Brother.
Leonard had been far from me. Without even touching him, he had created a slash with his blade that split the man in two.
“Gack— Ugh….”
The assassin writhed on the ground, his limbs trembling—a sight so pitiful it was painful merely to witness.
Delicate ladies who witnessed that horrific spectacle screamed, while several gentlemen grimaced and retreated backward.
I stared blankly at the scene before turning my gaze back to Leonard.
Blood-soaked white uniform clinging to every inch of his frame—grotesque, yet utterly mesmerizing. The nape of my neck tingled with exhilaration.
Leonard then barked at the knights rushing toward us, his voice feral with excitement.
“Stitch this man’s severed body back together. I need to know who did this.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Charlotte.”
Leonard stripped off his blood-drenched tunic and hurled it to a subordinate, then began striding toward me with purpose.
“Are you hurt? Perhaps it’s best we avoid the carriage.”
“…Teleport.”
A small, quiet voice cut through the chaos of the scene.
A massive teleportation circle materialized beside me.
A hand shoved me into the passage.
The last thing I saw was Leonard’s desperate expression.
“Charlotte!!”
* * *
Alex stood far away, wedged among the imperial family.
His heart lurched violently—he could no longer bear standing beside Leonard and Charlotte.
Yet the incident unfolded in an instant.
A teleportation circle suddenly materialized in thin air, and Charlotte was abducted.
Stunned, Alex quickly snapped to attention and seized Demian by the collar.
“Demian!!”
The handmaidens shrieked in alarm and the Empress shot to her feet, but Alex didn’t stop.
“You can use magic! Why didn’t you save the Sixth Prince’s Consort?”
“…If anyone hears this, they’ll think I deliberately let the Sixth Prince’s Consort be taken.”
Demian grabbed Alex’s hand and shoved him back. Alex staggered, his expression darkening.
“Then you didn’t!? You know perfectly well your designated magic can hold for three seconds!”
“Me? Is the ice mage truly that remarkable?”
“You’re—”
A dark mage.
He was about to say.
“Alex. Stop.”
Leonard’s voice came from afar, low and measured as he adjusted his disheveled clothes.
His tone was glacial.
“This is not the time to quarrel. We must find whoever abducted Charlotte. William.”
“Yes.”
The Sixth Prince’s capable aide appeared, presenting Leonard with a fresh tunic, cloak, and sword, bowing respectfully.
“Contact the King of Sincester and the Saint. They’ll find her faster than we can. And this culprit…”
Leonard glanced toward Emperor Yukal.
His face bore no trace of concern—only annoyance. That singular emotion dominated his expression.
“Handle it yourself.”
“Yes.”
The moment permission was granted, Leonard kicked the assassin writhing in the pool of blood.
“Keep him alive. Take him to the River Styx.”
“…Yes.”
The River Styx—that place was a torture chamber.
The instant those words left Leonard’s lips, Alex knew he was sufficiently enraged.
Yet torturing the perpetrator to extract a confession was a hasty, one-dimensional decision.
Alex quickly moved to stop Leonard.
“Brother, aren’t you concerned? If you torture that man, your sister-in-law’s life could be in danger as well. Perhaps we should assess the situation first—”
“…Cedric Myers followed after her.”
“Pardon?”
At the unexpected words, Alex’s footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Yet Leonard continued walking, and Alex could not discern what expression he wore.
Nor could he read any emotion from him. The air surrounding him was neither gentle nor sharp.
“Cedric Myers threw himself in at the last moment and went with her.”
“…”
“Perhaps, being a Holy Knight of the Holy Kingdom, he sensed the malice more keenly than I and could prepare accordingly. He seemed to have remained by her side all along.”
The sword scraped against its sheath.
Leonard gripped his blade firmly.
“He will protect her. Charlotte.”

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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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