A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 58

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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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58.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
Plummeting from the sky, I tumbled forward in my wedding dress like a ball rolling down an endless slope.
Over and over I fell.
I lost count of how many times I rolled.
When I finally came to rest on flat ground, I was sprawled face-down with grass and twigs clinging to my hair and dress.
“Where… am I?”
And what was that person doing?
Well, this is truly a disaster.
“Right, I can’t afford to panic now.”
Even before meeting Leonard Blake, I’d been kidnapped ten times.
I couldn’t let something like this break my spirit.
I took a deep breath and pushed myself up.
“Ignis? Come out here.”
But Ignis didn’t appear.
“That’s right!”
Deliño’s tears were gone.
As I froze in shock, a horse’s neigh sounded from beside me—a soft whinnying sound.
“Hippolyte? You came with me?”
Now that I thought about it, I had been holding the reins back then.
Neigh!
Though the horse couldn’t understand human speech, Hippolyte flicked his tail the moment I finished speaking.
“I suppose I should be grateful. With Hippolyte nearby, most monsters won’t dare approach.”
I walked over to Hippolyte and grasped the reins.
Looking around carefully, I realized I was on a mountain—some unknown mountain.
“I’ve lost all my magical artifacts, and I don’t have any useful weapons. What do I do now?”
“I am here.”
“Kyaa—?!”
I nearly jumped out of my skin! Standing where the voice came from was someone I absolutely hadn’t expected.
It was Cedric.
“C-Cedric? How did you end up here with me?”
Cedric unfastened his cloak and draped it over my shoulders as he spoke.
“When I arrived at the Imperial Palace on the day of the wedding, I sensed an intense hostile presence. Suspecting danger, I remained close to the Princess’s side. The assassination attempt extended even to magic—the moment a teleportation circle was drawn, I leaped in.”
Now I remembered—someone had grabbed my wrist.
It wasn’t Leonard Blake. It was Cedric.
‘Leonard Blake…’
His face flashed before my eyes—the one reaching toward me just before the teleportation.
His expression, twisted with urgency, remained vivid in my memory.
Just minutes ago, I could never have imagined this situation unfolding.
Lost in the intensity of the kiss….
“Gasp!”
As the indecent scene replayed in my mind, I quickly shook my head.
“Cedric! Thank you so much for coming with me! Getting back down the mountain will be a piece of cake!”
Though my reaction seemed to perplex him, Cedric gave a slight shake of his head.
“Unfortunately, I myself am uncertain of our location. However, I will do my utmost to ensure the Princess returns safely to the Capital.”
“Thank you.”
Ah, the male lead is truly dependable!
I broke into a relieved smile and handed Hippolyte’s reins to Cedric as he suggested.
However, Hippolyte let out a loud neigh and reared up, backing away from Cedric.
“Right. Hippolyte is a half-beast. She’ll hate Holy Knights who slay monsters. I’ll hold the reins.”
“But—”
“Or should we just ride together? If I sit with you, Hippolyte will behave.”
Cedric still offered no response of consent.
I wondered why, but the reason became apparent quickly enough.
“Ah, I’m still wearing the wedding dress.”
And it was drenched in blood.
After a moment’s consideration, I decided to remove the wedding dress.
“Cedric, would you mind turning around for a moment? I need to take off the wedding dress.”
“Pardon?”
“Fortunately, there are undergarments beneath the wedding dress. I’ll wear those until we reach the base of the mountain. In exchange, I’ll continue borrowing your cloak.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Cedric’s bewilderment was evident.
As always, his expression remained composed, but the tremor in his pupils was unmistakably visible.
“Are you perhaps surprised?”
“…I did not anticipate you would cry or show fear in such circumstances, but I confess I did not expect such composure.”
“Well, we don’t know each other very well. After we met at the Slave Market, you went straight to Elisium Military Academy.”
“That was…not of my own choosing. Had it been possible, I would have remained at your side as your knight to express my gratitude.”
Would that truly have been the case?
I could not imagine Cedric serving as my knight at my side.
Not because he was inadequate. Rather, I feared I would have been far too bothersome to him.
‘He probably would have fled, exhausted by my presence.’
“I appreciate you saying that. However, the Late Duke, the Duke’s father, has already done so much for me. He took the lead in resolving the Glaston Incident. There is no need for further gratitude toward me.”
It was as I spoke, peeling away the wedding dress layer by layer.
From where he stood with his back turned, a quiet voice suddenly emerged.
“Do you dislike me? It seems as though you are constantly pushing me away.”
At that question, I could only pause and think deeply.
Truthfully, I did not dislike him, but I could not say I liked him either.
Cedric Myers was always so formal and proper whenever we met.
Though that was the result of the #holy knight male lead #cold male lead keyword combination, it was far too rigid…so I could not call it favorable.
I draped his cloak over my shoulders as I spoke.
“Does it really matter so much what I think of Cedric? Honestly, I used to believe he didn’t even spare me a glance.”
“I told you it was a misunderstanding.”
“You’re right. But since I thought that way, it means I neither dislike nor like Cedric now. I’m simply the Princess. Cedric is the Duke of Myers.”
Had I been too blunt?
Feeling oddly apologetic, I fiddled with the brooch of Cedric’s cloak.
Yet when his voice came moments later, it didn’t sound dejected or angry.
“Then that’s fortunate. We’re starting from zero, after all.”
His firm tone carried an undercurrent of relief, which struck me as somewhat bewildering.
“Ah, is… is that so?”
“The cloak suits you beautifully. Now then, step on my leg and mount Hippolyte.”
After finishing his words, Cedric knelt on one knee before Hippolyte like a groom.
Such a devoted gesture made me hesitate to climb up.
“Hurry now. The night grows deeper.”
But at his urging, I finally stepped on Cedric’s thigh and mounted Hippolyte.
Immediately after, Cedric pushed off the ground and mounted behind me.
Neigh!
Hippolyte let out a long, piercing cry.
* * *
Hippolyte was originally a half-beast, half-horse born in the mountains.
Therefore, she traversed steep slopes with ease, and we decided to descend the mountain toward the sound of flowing water.
After some time had passed, Cedric’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
While mounted, he placed his hand on the sword at his waist.
“Princess, there appears to be a rift in this forest. I sense the presence of monsters.”
“What did you say?”
Startled, I brought Hippolyte to a halt.
“I thought rifts only existed in Blackwood. Does that mean we’re in Blackwood Territory?”
“However, I understand the interior of Blackwood is entirely blackened and rotten. This place is not like that, so Demian must have orchestrated this.”
Cedric leaped down from Hippolyte and drew his sword from its sheath.
“Fear not. I shall ensure not a single scratch mars your skin, Princess.”
“Ah, thank you.”
Truly, he’s the male lead of a romance fantasy novel. His words make my heart flutter.
But the thought that followed was that male leads of regret novels are not like this.
‘Generally, male leads of regret novels are shameless—it’s practically a universal rule.’
It’s clear I still haven’t found his true love.
I resolved once more to send Cedric to Sincester quickly, so he could find that genuine love that would make him lose his composure.
That was when it happened.
As the saying goes, it wasn’t long before a monster burst forth.
“Eek—!?”
“Are you frightened!?”
Cedric asked urgently, but I shook my head.
“I apologize to the monsters, but they look far too grotesque and filthy.”
“…I’ll dispose of them quickly.”
Cedric, renowned as a prodigy with the holy blade, was famous for his pristine dismemberment of monsters.
He channeled the Myers Family’s sacred power into his bladeless sword and wielded it like lightning, reducing the monsters to fine pieces before they could even scream.
He slaughtered the monsters so effortlessly that I found it honestly tedious. Almost regrettably so.
“Sigh.”
Cedric exhaled shortly after felling a goblin.
“Cedric, are you tired?”
“No. I was merely thinking it’s bothersome how many keep appearing. I suspect this forest is under some sort of disorienting magic.”
“Well, we’re not some directionally-challenged Sixth Prince, after all.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. So what do we do now…?”
Looking up at the sky, the moon was already rising. It was the hour when monsters would become far more active.
I sat on a rock, pondering, then suddenly sprang to my feet.
“Let’s rest for now and think tomorrow. It’s more dangerous at night, so I’ll prepare a shelter and cast a protective sacred barrier. The Sincester Royal Family’s sacred power should be stronger here than the Myers Family’s.”
At my words, Cedric’s eyes widened.
“You can use protective sacred power?”
“I manifested my sacred power, so I couldn’t just sit idle. I’ve been learning from the Priest whenever I had time.”
The Sincester line had always possessed the strongest protective sacred power.
I was capable of defending myself against most monsters.
“Shall we search for a suitable place to rest now?”

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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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