I Don’t Want To Be The Protagonist of a Romance Novel – Chapter 49

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“A ball… partner…?”

It was a sudden proposal.

To be precise, it was a proposal that Rudrick hadn’t anticipated at all, and he furrowed his brow as he asked again.

Eileen understood his delayed reaction differently.

It was a sufficient reaction to misunderstand that Rudrick was flustered by her sudden proposal or that he was reluctant.

– …That’s not it. You’ll be attending anyway. If you haven’t found a partner yet, I’ll…

“I’ll be attending too?”

– Hmm…? Wasn’t that obvious?

Eileen spoke as if questioning through the artifact.

This artifact was simply an item that connected communication magic without the constraint of physical distance.

If it were to be compared and applied to Rudrick’s previous life, it was a device that enabled only voice calls, not video calls.

However, if he could have seen her face, Eileen would have had an expression as if asking how he could possibly not know that.

– As the first disciple taken in by the Imperial Court Mage in decades, and since you also hold the status of a noble… I’ve heard that there are quite a few expectations in high society.

“They have expectations for me? What? Do the nobles have nothing better to do?”

– …I don’t know the reason for that either. But I’ve heard that there are quite a few nobles who have expectations for you and… *grit teeth* Andres.

When mentioning Sylphia’s fake identity, Eileen unconsciously gritted her teeth for a moment, but it was the truth anyway.

There might not be much interest in the son of an obscure family that no one had heard of, but the story becomes a bit different when various modifiers are attached to that title.

Disciple of the esteemed Imperial Court Mage Lorenzo Tonali, a prospective great mage praised by the Imperial Court Mage, a marriageable bachelor, and a raw gem discovered by the Second Princess and the Imperial Court Mage, and so on.

Rudrick’s older sister, Serilla, was in a similar case.

Her title of being the eldest daughter of the Weiss Count family had no rarity value, but when the modifier of being the salutatorian at the academy was attached, it garnered the interest of Elena, the Second Princess, who sought to bring her into her faction.

– If I exaggerate a bit, it would be rare to find someone in the central political scene who has absolutely no interest.

“Ugh.”

Rudrick grimaced.

It was a natural reaction.

Few people would be pleased to find out that their social debut was being consumed as gossip among idle nobles in the capital without their knowledge.

– Ahem. Anyway, if neither of us has found a partner…

Eileen said, clearing her throat.

Although she trailed off at the end without properly finishing her sentence, they were in a similar situation anyway.

Not only Rudrick, who hadn’t even been aware of the fact that a festival was being held, but also Eileen, who was still single and not even engaged, was unlikely to have a designated partner.

“…But do I really have to attend that ball? I’m not good at dancing.”

– Ah, I know tha… I mean, it will probably be like that. Everyone’s attention will be focused on you.

Rudrick made a genuinely displeased expression.

Whether voluntarily or involuntarily, he had lived the life of a so-called loner for decades if he combined his previous and current lives.

And now, suddenly, out of nowhere, he had to dance in a place where everyone’s attention was focused on him.

If there was no compulsion to do it, it was human nature to want to avoid such a burdensome task as much as possible.

“…I’ll think about it for now.”

His voice conveyed his reluctance, and he let out a low sigh.

– …Then I’ll hear your answer the next time we meet in the capital.

With those words, the communication ended.

And Rudrick muttered while staring at the lamp inside the tent.

“…I need to find a way to get out of this first.”

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“Even so, is it necessary to make it this grand when Her Majesty is ill?”

In the office of the Second Princess, Elena.

Two surprisingly similar sisters were facing each other.

The atmosphere wasn’t very pleasant.

Although the sisters had inherited the same radiant golden hair and deep red eyes characteristic of the Esgelant imperial family, there were differences in the detailed atmosphere and impression.

If Elena had a softer and more relaxed vibe, her older sister, the Crown Princess of the empire, had a rigid and businesslike aura.

“Well. I’m not quite sure what you’re trying to say, sister.”

“…Second Princess, right now, I’m not asking as your sister but as the Crown Princess of the empire to the Second Princess. Watch your words and actions.”

“Rather, in this situation, there was a need to make it even grander.”

“…What did you say?”

“Since Her Majesty is ill, it’s more like praying for her swift recovery? Well, something like that.”

Elena replied in a glib manner.

She was confident even in front of the Crown Princess, who had been away from the capital for over a month to resolve a conflict near the border.

Even though the Crown Princess could be considered the de facto number one in the imperial power hierarchy now that the Empress was seriously ill and unable to move properly.

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Well, it’s a matter of how you spin it, but for now, that’s what it is.”

The Crown Princess sighed and shook her head at Elena’s attitude.

Since childhood, her younger sister had a tendency to become twisted in strange ways.

It wasn’t that she lacked ability or was incompetent, but rather, she seemed to harbor dissatisfaction and act out because she couldn’t ascend to the throne due to being born later, despite having the capability.

In any case, it was the role of the Crown Princess, who had ascended to her position due to being born earlier, as Elena would put it, to soothe her.

Unless they were going to wage a civil war over the throne, it was the virtue of an empress who would go on to rule this vast empire to tolerate even that.

“…For now, I’ll go along with your opinion, but you report to Her Majesty directly.”

“I’ve already reported it anyway.”

“What…?”

“While you were out at the border, I’ve already handled everything related to this matter and obtained Her Majesty’s approval. It wasn’t something done hastily.”

“…”

Of course, from Elena’s perspective, who had literally fought bloody battles in the past before the regression, it wasn’t a particularly pleasant encounter.

The civil war that had split the empire in half.

Her memories of the past, where she had eternally excluded her sister, who always acted high and mighty despite her mediocre abilities, and wore the blood-stained crown of the empress, vividly resurfaced.

Of course, when she thought about it again, her reason for actually entering the civil war was trivial beyond words.

‘…I wonder what kind of reaction she’ll show this time.’

Elena was unconsciously looking forward to it.

The reaction of maintaining the dignity of an imperial family member, questioning how a Second Princess could marry into a humble family with her status, had been a kind of trigger.

Her sister, who had been interfering with everything and trying to mold her to her liking, had crossed an irreversible river with that incident.

And Elena ended up choosing the extreme option of a civil war.

Even looking back, she had no regrets.

Her sister was in an undeserved position despite being incompetent, and she couldn’t tolerate her attitude of trying to arbitrarily decide even her marriage partner.

If the result of that led to wearing a blood-stained crown, she would gladly welcome it.

Even now, after regressing to the past, she could sufficiently choose the option of another civil war if things went awry.

“…Do as you wish.”

“How unusual. I thought you would nag me for a while.”

“Since you’ve already decided everything on your own and even reported it to Her Majesty, is there any reason for me to intervene?”

However, the Crown Princess’s reaction, openly displaying her discomfort, made Elena smile mischievously and retort.

“That’s right. I’ll handle it well on my own.”

“…Tsk.”

It was a face so irritating that one would want to slap her, but the thought of having to maintain the position and dignity of the Crown Princess held back her thread of reason that was about to snap.

It wasn’t anything new for Elena to go off the rails, and she hadn’t crossed the final line yet.

Clicking her tongue, the Crown Princess left the office with heavy footsteps, and Elena muttered as she watched her back.

“…Still, she’s holding back quite well this time?”

Even when deliberately provoking her, today’s Crown Princess had restrained herself well. Normally, it wouldn’t have been strange for them to raise their voices and argue.

Of course, apart from that…

“Well then, shall I make my move too?”

Elena got up from her seat.

She had just received a report that the regular magical beast hunt training had ended.

Rudrick should be back and resting by now.

She felt bad for suddenly visiting him while he was resting, but she had to let him know.

The highlight of this festival commemorating the Empress’ birthday was, of course, the ball.

As it was an occasion where almost all of the empire’s nobles who had made their way to the capital gathered, naturally, everyone’s attention would be focused on it.

Now, if Elena appeared in such a situation and became Rudrick’s partner?

It would be game over, plain and simple.

She could naturally imprint on everyone’s minds the fact that she had a close relationship with Rudrick.

This was the big picture she had envisioned.

“…I wonder what kind of reaction he’ll have. Huhu.”

Elena laughed softly.

Now she would go to Rudrick and very naturally “inform” him that he had been appointed as her partner, making him think that it had been decided that way.

Based on her long observation, Rudrick had an unexpectedly dense side to him, so if she let him know that it had been decided that way, he would just accept it, thinking, “I guess that’s how it is.”

It might be considered an unfair tactic to the other competitors, but what did it matter?

“Love is meant to be won.”

Elena Esgelant.

If she wanted something, she had to get her hands on it to feel satisfied.

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