I’m Sick of the Kind Protagonist, so I Might as Well Just Die - Chapter 26

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

#26
When I opened my eyes, I found myself back in that luxurious chamber. Soft quilts enveloped my entire body, and the crystal chandelier on the ceiling caught the morning sunlight, scattering it into a prismatic shimmer. Beyond the window, birdsong drifted through the peaceful dawn.
‘Good. This is the second time, so I need to move without mistakes.’
The moment the thought crossed my mind, I sprang from the bed.
‘Let me think this through simply… whether it’s tragedy or comedy, the cylinder fills only with genuine emotion, right? I can’t become too absorbed in this world and merge with my original body, and if I reveal what I desire too openly, the curse activates. And really—is this difficulty level even acceptable?’
Muttering inwardly, I immediately reached for my memories and flung open the wardrobe.
‘There’s no way I would have hidden such an important person in a place I could reach by simply slipping on shoes. So I need the most comfortable shoes and clothes possible… What on earth is this?’
The moment I glimpsed the interior of what could hardly be called a wardrobe—more accurately, a dressing room—I froze in place. It was nothing but dresses and shoes. Every single garment dripped with lace, ribbons, embroidery, and jewels, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
‘If only I had more time…’
Stealing an attendant’s clothes would have been ideal, but experience told me I didn’t have that luxury. After deliberation, I selected the simplest outfit tucked in the corner along with a pair of boots. They resembled riding clothes and boots.
The slick fabric and the pristine leather of the boots seemed utterly impractical for movement. Still, they were infinitely better than the dresses and shoes laden with dangles and frills.
‘This will do. I need to hurry. If I find the Crown Prince, Bilateia and Leonas should be there. They’re the ones assigned as the protagonists of the Worlds.’
With two clever people around, surely a path would reveal itself. With that thought, I was about to search for the secret passage behind the full-length mirror.
‘Huh?’
My feet stopped. But I hadn’t stopped them. Against my will, my body suddenly stiffened and began moving toward the door of its own accord.
‘What is this? I shouldn’t go out now! Arrows will rain down any moment!’
My heart pounded violently. But this wasn’t my heartbeat either. Only then did I become certain that this was Estella’s doing, and I tried with all my might to stop her.
‘Hey! Don’t move on your own like that!’
Even as I screamed internally, Estella walked steadily down the corridor without uttering a single word in response. Rowan had been exhausting with her constant chatter, but Estella, being an aloof noblewoman, didn’t even seem to consider conversing with me.
Rhythmic, composed footsteps echoed through the corridor. I could plainly foresee what was about to unfold, yet she neither hurried nor hesitated—and that infuriated me. The moment my thoughts formed, Estella gracefully turned her head to gaze at the portraits hanging on the walls.
‘What. Why. Are you telling me to look at these old men? Why?’
Estella’s gaze swept across the endless portraits of the Keldrian Family Estate lining the long corridor. With each face she took in, her emotions faintly transmitted to me.
It wasn’t the sadness or anger I’d anticipated. It was something heavier and more complex—a burden-like emotion.
‘Fine. It’s your body, so do as you please.’
The moment I completely surrendered control, Estella’s spine straightened with each step down the stairs. The way she lifted her chin and squared her shoulders made her look like a knight marching to war.
‘Wait… that’s strange now that I think about it. The time gap between when I greeted those men in the garden and the attack was far too narrow. Which means…’
The yellow-eyed man’s knights were already embedded throughout this mansion. When I glanced around with fresh awareness, the silence was indeed unnaturally oppressive. The moment I sensed this ominous quiet, I spoke to Estella again.
‘Hey. Are you going to your father right now? To tell him to run? To warn him that the Emperor’s knights have already quietly seized the mansion?’
Again, Estella didn’t respond and headed straight for the garden. The men gathered before the marble fountain bowed their heads in greeting as Estella approached them. They were the gardeners I’d exchanged greetings with while peering out the window during the first cycle.
“Good morning!”
“You’re up early today, Miss.”
“We’ve just finished tending the rose arch over there, so it should be lovely for a stroll.”
Three young men grinned cheerfully and pointed to a distant spot. In that instant, Estella clicked her tongue sharply at me. The sound carried unmistakable contempt.
‘What? Did you just click your tongue at me?’
Before I could even demand what that harsh ‘tsk!’ meant, she issued a command to the men.
“I need to meet your master.”
“Yes…?”
“Isn’t the Grand Duke at the mansion?”
“This mansion is the very history and pride of our family. I have no intention of watching such a place be trampled by base creatures.”
“Miss, what are you saying—”
“I’m not speaking to the likes of you.”
Estella pointed at the young man’s neck. Beneath the loosely opened collar of his shirt, a small stone was bound to a leather cord like a pendant. Her index finger aimed with precision at the thumb-nail-sized emerald stone.
“I’m requesting an audience with your master through that Echostone hanging around your neck.”
A long, heavy silence fell. Estella stood rigid and unwavering, her gaze fixed upon the men.
“Did your master station such imbeciles at the front lines—ones who can barely comprehend unless told ‘take me to the Emperor at once’?”
As the rebuke masquerading as a question poured forth, the men’s faces flushed crimson and they drew sharp breaths. Estella continued with a tone of magnanimous condescension.
“You seem curious how you were discovered. Among the servants of this estate, there are none so discourteous as to initiate conversation without the princess’s permission.”
“….”
“Moreover, we would never employ such tactless creatures who cluster together and whisper without decorum.”
“….”
“I can only pity your master. When attacking another house, he should deploy less vulgar individuals than these, or he risks exposure.”
Estella tilted her head lightly as if in sympathy, speaking directly toward the pendant with deliberate murmurs.
“How much longer must I speak? The longer my words continue, the more my reverence for your master diminishes ever so slightly. A pity, truly.”
It was arrogance so pronounced that even I, listening from within, grew weary of it. The fact that she wielded a manner of speech far more insufferable than Bilateia’s as naturally as breathing was, if anything, a talent. I clicked my tongue and quietly observed something writhing in the deepest recesses of Estella’s heart, whispering softly.
‘You’re scheming something, aren’t you? If you don’t tell me, I’ll expose this.’
It was precisely when I was attempting to unearth the true intentions of my pitch-black vessel. Finally, arrows began to rain down like a deluge.
Amid the torrential shower of arrows aimed at the men facing Estella and at her, one arrow deliberately flew toward her cheek. It whistled through the air and grazed her skin with a shallow cut. Searing pain accompanied the warm blood that trickled down her jaw and along her neck.
The men who had been sneering at her moments before now retreated step by step, as if bored by the princess who stood firm despite the blood streaming down her cheek.
“So there is one who seeks me in the pride of the Keldrian Family.”
The moment the men began their retreat, a tall man trampled through the meticulously maintained garden and approached directly.
“I pay my respects to the Empire’s new sun.”
Screams, shouts, and hurried footsteps filled the air, and the stench of blood flowing from the mansion behind her was sickeningly metallic, yet Estella maintained her composure and offered a proper bow.
“Had I known you were so near, I might have simply raised my voice to request an audience, without needing to mingle words with these rabble.”
Behind the man, the knights stirred restlessly. He raised a hand lightly to calm them, then tilted his head ever so slightly to observe Estella. And he maintained his silence until no screams could be heard from the mansion any longer.
‘For some reason, the Emperor looks somewhat younger than when I first saw him.’
I questioned whether something seemed amiss, but Estella responded only with silence. In the terrible stillness, the scent of death grew so thick it stung my nostrils—the reek of slaughter.
Despite the acrid stench of blood so overwhelming that even I felt nausea rising, Estella remained motionless, her gaze locked with his.
“Your Majesty. We have captured the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of the Keldrian Family!”
Even as the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess were dragged forth and forced to their knees, Estella remained unmoved, her eyes fixed upon the man. The moment he glanced at the bound couple and seemed about to speak—
“I know, Your Majesty.”
Estella broke the silence first, opening her mouth. The Emperor’s eyebrows rose.
“Know what.”
“Where what Your Majesty seeks is located.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————