A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 79

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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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79.
When I opened my eyes, the early dawn had not yet broken into daylight.
The moment I became aware of what had transpired last night, my face burned with heat—though the sensation quickly faded.
Watching Leonard Blake sleep peacefully beside me, I felt a different emotion wash over me entirely.
“…Sleep well.”
This was the first time I had awakened before him to witness his sleeping form.
He lay there like a child, quiet and serene, buried beneath a golden blanket with innocent features and closed eyes.
No one could ever guess that this man had killed as many people as there were stars in the night sky.
“I never knew he carried such a past.”
Of course, I had roughly anticipated what he must have endured in Thanatos.
The book I had read in the Royal Library last time—one about the Punishment Units across the world.
Though it contained nothing specific about Blake’s Punishment Unit, it detailed extensively how such units were treated globally.
With each word I read, imagining Leonard Blake living through a similar existence, my heart ached unbearably.
But that was not all.
He had been discarded twice, and the one person he had acknowledged as both his savior and lord—a friend worthy of such recognition—had died because of him.
“So that’s why he said he killed James.”
Yet his self-condemnation ran far too deep.
I slowly reached out and gently arranged his disheveled bangs.
How much had he suffered all this time? And all of it, alone.
It seemed as though the final sigh he had exhaled still lingered quietly in the room.
I had Erdan and Aurora beside me. But from everything I had witnessed, he seemed to have had no one at all.
No matter how great the adversity, it becomes bearable when someone stands beside you. Yet he had to endure his loneliness as well.
‘…I want to protect him.’
A desire to no longer let Leonard Blake carry his wounds alone in this desolate world.
A wish to become someone who could understand his pain.
And a desperate resolve to ensure that no one could ever harm him again.
Such feelings filled my heart completely.
But he and I were destined to part someday.
I would go to Sincester, and he would become the Emperor of Blake.
I imagined a different future for a moment—myself wearing the Empress’s crown, seated in the Banquet Hall.
“It’s absolutely impossible.”
I couldn’t even imagine it.
I shook my head slowly and looked at Leonard Blake once more.
“But while I’m still here… I won’t deny my feelings. Loving someone is a freedom, after all.”
As the words left my lips, the space fell silent, as if holding its breath.
Wind whispered softly beyond the window, causing the curtain’s edge to tremble faintly.
Like someone taking a step forward after a moment of hesitation.
The sun seemed to be rising gradually beyond the horizon.
I watched the dawn seeping through the curtains, then returned to bed and lay beside him.
At least I need not deny the warmth I held in this moment.
* * *
“I see. The Princess mentioned she would be in the Bedroom with the Sixth Prince and requested no one enter until morning.”
Thetis observed the young Duke before her.
He was extraordinarily beautiful.
His blue eyes and black hair gleamed with the freshness of morning dew, while his prominent nose and delicate lips bore the refined composure of a Holy Knight.
He was capable as well.
Upon arriving in this Empire, he had immediately attached himself to the kidnapped Sixth Prince’s Wife and guarded her faithfully.
Moreover, his swordsmanship on the Elysium Continent was something even she, as a baroness of Blake, was aware of.
Yet he differed from what she had heard about someone who maintained such rigid emotional restraint.
‘He must harbor feelings for His Highness.’
Thetis sighed inwardly and lowered her head.
“Yes, and if I may be so bold as to offer counsel, if you truly care for His Highness, it would be best for you to return to Sincester. Should you remain here, rumors will inevitably circulate about His Highness.”
“….”
“Is not wishing for the happiness of one’s beloved another form of love? His Highness is destined to become the Empress of Blake.”
Silence filled the room for a time. Then Cedric spoke.
“I will not return. I have duties commanded by the King.”
“You mean protecting His Highness? But His Highness will no longer be-”
“One need not be near to protect. So tell me, madam—where might I take my place in this Royal Palace?”
Cedric’s gaze was resolute. His steadfast blue eyes yielded not an inch.
That transparent, unwavering gaze clearly perceived a different future than Thetis’s own, and she found herself at a loss for words.
“Well… if you were to enlist not as His Highness’s personal guard but as a regular member of the Holy Knight Order, you would have to enter at the lowest rank. Could you accept such treatment, Duke?”
“It matters not.”
Cedric answered without hesitation and adjusted his posture.
“I am confident in my ability to wait.”
* * *
When I opened my eyes in the morning, Leonard Blake, who should have been beside me, had vanished from the Bed.
How strange it felt to wake alone after spending the night together.
‘If only we had risen from the Bed together….’
A cold wind swept through my heart, but only briefly—until I realized I wore nothing beneath the blankets, and I gasped sharply.
“I’m insane.”
Yes, this was actually fortunate! Had we woken like that in the same Bed, it would have been absolute panic.
Terrified that Ignis might suddenly materialize from thin air, I quickly wrapped myself in the blankets.
After pulling the bell cord, I spent considerable time deliberating what I would say to Abigail when she arrived.
Soon enough, Abigail opened the Bedroom door and entered.
“You are awake?”
“Yes. Mm.”
“His Highness said an urgent matter arose and had to step out briefly. He left word expressing his sincere apologies for not being able to share breakfast with you.”
“….”
“If you feel disappointed… please, for my sake, forgive His Highness. It truly seemed like an urgent matter.”
“No! Absolutely not!”
I couldn’t help but cry out. At that, Abigail seemed momentarily startled before speaking in a voice entirely different from her usual tone—soft and gentle.
“Then that is fortunate. Come now, shall we prepare for your bath? I’ve drawn warm water for you.”
“….”
That knowing smile, as if she understood everything, pricked my chest with an almost cruel precision.
I bit my lip and, yielding to Abigail’s silent urging, rose from the bed.
Fortunately, neither Abigail nor the handmaidens breathed a word about what had transpired last night.
Yet a peculiar tea appeared on the breakfast table. I knew exactly what it was.
‘A contraceptive tea, wasn’t it….’
I didn’t need to ask who had arranged for it.
‘Right. Since he won’t be by my side in the future anyway, it’s better to eliminate any risks beforehand.’
I stared at that tea until my vision blurred, then lifted the cup.
A future where nothing remains between us. This tea seemed to symbolize exactly that, and I couldn’t help but feel the same emptiness I’d experienced that morning, waking alone in bed.
“….”
It was as I finished the tea, my emotions in turmoil.
Abigail presented a letter with an awkward expression.
“A correspondence has arrived from the Empress’s Court.”
The Empress.
That word only darkened my mood further.
“…Give it here.”
Abigail quietly handed me the letter, and I unfolded it as though touching something filthy.
-You are aware, I presume, of the rumors circulating throughout the Empire regarding the Sixth Prince’s Wife and Cedric Myers? As the mistress of the Imperial Palace, I must speak with you on this matter. Prepare yourself and come to the Empress’s Court at once.
So it was about Cedric after all.
“Sigh….”
I never imagined such a situation would arise from coming here with Cedric. Erdan must have felt the same way, so he likely told Cedric to follow me.
Of course, I held my head high without shame. My intentions toward Cedric were truly pure.
But….
-Could it really be that way for Cedric Myers as well?
As Thetis’s words echoed in my mind, I crumpled the letter in my grip.
‘It can’t be.’
It shouldn’t be. For now, I am the Sixth Prince’s Wife.
“Abigail, I can already predict how this situation will unfold. So, as always, prepare me.”

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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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