A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 60

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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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60.
Cedric objected, but I followed the hooded woman anyway.
We arrived at a high-end perfume shop on the city outskirts.
As we entered the VIP room, a woman wearing a wide-brimmed veiled hat sat on the sofa.
“Thank you for bringing her, Flora.”
“Not at all, sister.”
Cedric kept his sword in hand, and the woman laughed upon noticing it.
“Duke, there is no one here but me. Of course, I possess little magical power and am hardly skilled with a blade. So please, have no concerns.”
“…Every situation contains variables. And as a knight, I must be prepared to counter them.”
“Then must you truly draw steel against a mere woman?”
At her words, Cedric hesitated.
“Cedric, it’s fine. Lower your weapon.”
He wavered at my words but finally sheathed his sword.
“I’m uncertain why you’ve summoned us, but conversing while wearing a hat hardly seems courteous.”
“….”
After a moment of silence, the woman drew back her veil and removed her hat.
‘Good heavens. This is madness.’
Golden hair cascaded over her shoulders like honey, and sapphire eyes that seemed to outshine the precious stones themselves.
The beauty mark near her eye—sweet as poison—belonged to someone I knew.
Rosalian de Monet Cleur.
One of the three greatest beauties of the continent, alongside Aurora.
Yet her smile was radiant and strange—like a predator concealing its hunger beneath a veneer of charm.
“Greetings, Your Highness the Sixth Prince’s Consort, and Duke. It is a tremendous honor to meet you thus.”
She then bowed deeply before me, as a servant might.
Ugh, my chronic affliction of trembling before beautiful women threatened to resurface.
I barely managed to lift my gaze and spoke with measured composure.
“Are you mocking me, Cleur?”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“There’s no need for such elaborate courtesy. Besides, I’m well aware that you are the Baroness de Monet, honored with a title by His Imperial Majesty himself. Such formality between nobles borders on sarcasm.”
“…!”
Her pupils wavered for an instant, but her serene smile quickly returned.
“Merely a title earned by selling smiles, after all.”
“That’s not the information I received about you.”
“Is that so? Yet the one who called my necklace trash hardly seems in a position to lecture me.”
Now that she mentioned it, a pearl necklace identical to the one I had been gifted hung around her neck.
So she really was angry!
“Cleur, there were circumstances behind what I said.”
“Naturally, royalty would never wear jewels alongside a courtesan, so it is only fitting to regard them as trash. I accept this humbly.”
“Rosalian Cleur.”
“What I have to tell you is far from finished. Please, come this way.”
That woman really doesn’t listen to a word. Are all beautiful women like this?
In the end, I set aside my excuses and followed Rosalian into the room.
Tea was placed on the table.
As I simply looked at it without drinking, Rosalian broke into a gentle smile.
“There’s no poison in it, so don’t worry.”
“How am I supposed to believe that?”
Cedric, who had been following behind me, asked sharply, and Rosalian answered with indifference.
“Then don’t drink it.”
“…I’ll drink it.”
As I lifted the teacup, Rosalian’s eyes widened.
“Really?”
“I don’t usually ignore those who take on a challenge.”
Though truthfully, I was terrified…
She stared at me for a moment, then laughed softly.
“You have quite the nerve.”
“Otherwise, how could I have married the Sixth Prince?”
“Fair point.”
Rosalian also lifted her teacup and took a sip.
“Who in the Empire would have thought that the Lord of Blackwood would marry so soon, and so quickly at that?”
“…”
“The reason I called you here in the first place was to tell you about that Sixth Prince.”
“What about him?”
Clink.
The moment I set down my teacup, the air grew tense.
“Currently, the scent of war hangs over this Silverstone Territory. Count Pixis is secretly mobilizing his army.”
Count Pixis.
He was Benjamin’s maternal grandfather and the regent of this Silverstone Territory.
Since Benjamin was too young to govern the territory and the 3rd Empress resided in the Imperial Palace, someone was needed to rule in their stead.
“The moment Emperor Yukal designated Benjamin as Crown Prince, Count Pixis decided to wage war.”
“Against… whom?”
“Obviously Leonard. The Emperor designated Benjamin to protect Leonard, making him a rival faction.”
“…”
“Leonard has vacated the Blackwood Territory along with the Knights’ Order. It seems he plans to launch a surprise attack to conquer it, build up his forces, and then confront Demian.”
“Is Count Pixis’s faction really that formidable?”
“In the old days, he always returned alive from the battlefield and was called the ‘Phoenix.’ Besides, there’s a saying that a cornered rat will bite a cat, is there not?”
“Regardless, Leonard will surely win.”
Cedric, who had been listening in silence, interjected with a tone as matter-of-fact as if stating a universal principle.
“There is no force that can stand against him except Demian. It’s a futile effort.”
“That’s right.”
Rosalian gave a simple affirmation.
“But what they’re overlooking is that Count Pixis will seek aid from foreign powers.”
“You mean he has allies?”
“Yes, specifically Morbain to the east—historically our sworn enemy.”
“Morbain? Isn’t that the island nation of pirates and brigands?”
“Precisely. They’re a lawless rabble with no concept of courtesy or respect. Should Count Pixis seize control of Blackwood, they will undoubtedly demand unreasonable concessions, claiming they secured the victory.”
“So to summarize….”
Currently, Silverstone is preparing for war against Blackwood.
Ordinarily, Blackwood would emerge victorious. But with Morbain, that pirate kingdom, becoming an ally, the outcome has shrouded itself in fog.
Yet Morbain is an untrustworthy nation—even if we secured victory through their aid, the future remains fraught with peril.
“—is what you’re saying?”
“Exactly.”
“…I see.”
This is a disaster.
I maintained a composed exterior, but my mind was in complete turmoil.
After performing a few measured breaths to steady myself, I spoke again.
“Cleur, you must have a reason for sharing this intelligence with me. What do you want?”
“Make a deal with me.”
“What sort of deal?”
“I know a bloodless method to topple Count Pixis from within. Allow me to help. In exchange, spare the Silverstone Family from annihilation. Benjamin Prince and the Princess, the Empress Consort—none of them harbor ambitions for the throne.”
“That’s not a decision I can make alone.”
“But aren’t you destined to become Empress?”
Rosalian’s gaze sharpened slightly.
“Emperor Yukal and the Empress are at odds, fracturing their authority. But Blake operates under joint rule by the Emperor and Empress. If you, who married the Sixth Prince, don’t judge this war, then who will?”
“I….”
I have no intention of becoming Empress.
Yet considering it, I came to this Empire to help Leonard become Emperor. There was a certain necessity to making judgments.
‘But I can’t do this alone without Leonard.’
As I froze in confusion, a cold and resolute voice cut through.
“Your Highness, this proposal merits no consideration. You must refuse.”
“Cedric.”
“You are someone who must one day return to ‘that place’ and live surrounded by love and protection.”
That place—my Sincester.
Naturally, Erdan and Aurora came to mind.
I vividly recalled Erdan holding me close with concern for my wellbeing, and Aurora, her eyes swollen from weeping through the night.
“…Cleur, what happens if I refuse your deal?”
“The war’s outcome is uncertain, but certainly my benefactors—the Prince and Princesses—will all perish.”
“….”
“And there will be casualties among those who fall in battle.”
Historically, those who ascend the throne stained with blood are remembered as tyrants.
At this rate, no matter how many achievements Leonard accumulates, he may become a conqueror but will never be recorded as a benevolent ruler.
‘But whether Leonard becomes a virtuous ruler or a tyrant later, it has nothing to do with me.’
If anything, if he becomes a tyrant, that would be the perfect justification for divorce.
Yet moments later, my palms grew clammy and my lips parched.
What if I considered Erdan and Aurora?
Erdan, with his self-sacrificing nature, would not hesitate to act, and Aurora, though somewhat indolent, possessed sufficient capability as a leading lady to eventually step forward.
After all, weren’t they the Pope and Saint of the Holy Kingdom?
And I…
-This means you are now the Saint of the Holy Kingdom.
Erdan’s affectionate yet stern words, and the Blake chrysanthemum crest on the back of his hand that appeared whenever I used holy power…
“They gave me holy power to work, that’s for certain.”
Being a transmigrator’s life is truly demanding.
Of course, it’s a calamity I brought upon myself.
I exhaled deeply and slapped my cheeks repeatedly—so sharply that Rosalian flinched, her facial muscles twitching.
“Your Highness?”
“Just hear me out on this method. It won’t hurt your ears.”

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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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