I Don’t Want To Be The Protagonist of a Romance Novel – Chapter 41

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Rudrick, even so, sleeping here is…” Eileen said hesitantly.

“……”

It was a difficult situation.

She couldn’t bring herself to grab and shake him awake, so no matter how desperately she called out to Rudrick in a small voice, he showed no signs of waking up, having fallen asleep with his head on the table at some point.

The expression “really difficult” could most accurately describe the current situation.

Perhaps the strong wine had rapidly intoxicated him after drinking two or three glasses without much thought, as his speech diminished, his eyes became hazy, and the process of falling asleep took less than five minutes.

The bigger problem was that he was sleeping so soundly that no one could wake him up even if they tried to carry him.

“Is this young man drunk?” the restaurant owner asked, approaching them while clearing the dishes.

“…As you can see.”

“He’s really fast asleep, to the point where no one could wake him up even if they tried to carry him.”

Now it was a quiet time with fewer customers.

The restaurant owner shook his shoulder.

However, Rudrick showed no signs of waking up at all.

“Your boyfriend can’t hold his liquor well.”

“…It’s the first time we’ve drunk together in the first place.”

“There are plenty of empty rooms, so why don’t you rest before leaving? He probably won’t be able to walk properly even if you wake him up.”

“……”

Eileen fell silent.

In her mind, she clearly knew that it was the best choice.

However, when it came to actually doing it, even though Eileen wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to Rudrick while he was drunk and unconscious…

It was also true that there was a part of her that felt guilty.

It was the result of various factors working together.

One reason was that Rudrick, unaware of his own alcohol tolerance and capacity, had hastily drunk the strong wine as if it were a side dish, simply because it was given as a service and it would be a waste not to drink it.

Another reason was that Eileen, who had no way of knowing Rudrick’s alcohol capacity, had left it alone without stopping him.

‘…I should have stopped him.’

Eileen regretted it belatedly, but it was already too late.

Rudrick had fallen into a deep sleep after getting drunk, and if she carried him back to the Imperial Palace in this state, she would be lucky if she didn’t unnecessarily cause a misunderstanding or get into trouble with Sylphia or Arwen, who were lurking there.

Weighing the guilt of her conscience against the consequences of her actions, Eileen finally bowed her head as if there was no other choice and said, “Two rooms, please.”

“What about this kid? his meal is ready, but he can’t eat it?”

“…Owner.”

“I know, I’m just joking. Don’t do anything that will get you caught by the military police.”

The owner chuckled and handed over two keys after receiving a silver coin from Eileen.

Although she had chosen the option of spending the night here until Rudrick’s intoxication wore off, she still faced a difficult obstacle.

The biggest challenge was carrying Rudrick in this state to the room.

Eileen was known as the strongest swordswoman in the North.

Naturally, carrying a man was not a problem at all, but the inevitable physical contact during the process was the issue.

Some might say, what’s the problem with carrying a drunk person to bed as long as you’re not touching them while they’re asleep?

However, it wasn’t that simple, as Eileen’s thoughts were also complicated, having drunk and gotten slightly intoxicated herself.

“…Hmm.”

She tentatively reached out her hand.

Even though it wasn’t direct skin-to-skin contact and she had merely placed her hand on his clothes, a tingling sensation surged through her as if an electric current had passed.

Eileen, who had hastily withdrawn her outstretched hand as if she had been electrocuted, had a flushed face.

Her body, which had shown honest and straightforward reactions just by holding hands or having her name called, was similarly out of control.

“…What should I do?”

Eileen muttered, belatedly realizing that moving Rudrick wasn’t such an easy task.

Even though it wasn’t direct skin contact and she had only placed her hand on his clothes, she still had this reaction.

She felt pathetic, but what could she do?

She had never had any decent contact with the opposite sex in her life, and now, the person in question was none other than Rudrick, whom she had feelings for.

It wasn’t a situation that Eileen, who was extremely shy in the first place, could handle.

However, turning a blind eye to the situation at hand wouldn’t make anything better or change.

‘…I really don’t want to, but no, it’s not that I don’t want to, but I have no confidence.’

Taking a deep breath and steeling her resolve.

She lifted Rudrick’s head from the table, helped him up, and draped his arm over her shoulder as if supporting him.

It happened in the blink of an eye, as the saying goes, “Pull out the ox’s horn in one go.”

The way to the room, dragging the still-sleeping Rudrick as if supporting him, felt endlessly long.

Whoosh!

The sound of a whistle coming from the kitchen made her already flushed face feel even hotter, and her embarrassment doubled.

However, she couldn’t just leave Rudrick sprawled on the table to sleep.

With that thought in mind, Eileen took another step.

And finally, in front of the room.

She had intentionally rented two rooms.

It wasn’t that she lacked money, but she wanted to avoid any situation that could lead to misunderstandings when Rudrick woke up.

Click.

As soon as she inserted the old key into the keyhole and turned it, it unlocked immediately.

The interior of the locked room wasn’t much different from Eileen’s memory.

It was just as she remembered, having occasionally stayed here when taking a night out from the academy.

And only after carefully laying Rudrick on the bed, taking care not to let him fall over, did Eileen let out a sigh of relief.

“…I did it.”

She felt a sense of accomplishment as if she had completed a very difficult task.

Rudrick was innocently lying on the bed, fast asleep, and although she found it a bit annoying that he was unaware of her efforts…

‘It can’t be helped.’

Even if Rudrick didn’t appreciate it, she had expended too much mental energy in the process.

Thanks to that, she felt like she had taken a bath with the sweat she had shed.

It was only natural to feel a sticky sensation on her body.

With the thought of washing up, Eileen was about to unbutton her clothes and return to her room.

Bang!

The door opened.

And through the roughly opened door, Arwen and Sylphia poked their heads in almost simultaneously.

And the scene unfolded in the room.

“…?”

“…!”

Although no words were exchanged, the sight was enough to make Arwen and Sylphia’s eyes widen.

In fact, it was a situation that could be misunderstood if seen by others.

Rudrick, who had fallen asleep in a state of unconsciousness due to alcohol, and Eileen, who was unbuttoning her clothes to wash off the sweat, about to return to her own room.

It was a truly exquisite situation to arrive at, even if it was a coincidence, but it was undeniably a situation that could be misunderstood from Arwen and Sylphia’s perspective.

“…Th-th-this.”

Sylphia couldn’t finish her words and was about to explode with anger, pointing her finger.

“First, let’s cut off her arms and legs, and then listen to her explanation,” Arwen said, not hiding her cold and restrained fury.

With the way things had turned out, it was Eileen who was more flustered.

“…You two, what are you talking about, barging in all of a sudden?”

“Shut up.”

Dozens of magic circles overlapped on Arwen’s hands.

In an instant, an enormous amount of mana was swirling around, enough to completely burn down the entire building and still have some left over.

Of course, Eileen, who didn’t understand their sudden reaction, spoke with a dumbfounded expression.

To them, it was no different from being caught red-handed at the scene and showing a brazen reaction.

Realizing the situation belatedly, Eileen frowned and said, “I think you’re having some ridiculous misunderstanding right now—”

“Misunderstanding?”

Sylphia’s eyes flickered with intense emotion.

Her pupils, which had somehow transformed into the shape of a dragon’s vertical slits, stared at Eileen like a predator eyeing its prey.

“I wish it was a misunderstanding. I hope it’s not the scenario I’m imagining. Right? Your Grace the Nord Grand Duchess.”

“After getting Rudrick drunk, you laid your hands on him and shamelessly called it a misunderstanding?”

The mana gathered in Arwen’s hands was on the verge of exploding along with her chilling rebuke.

There was only one reason why it hadn’t exploded yet.

Simply because she wasn’t confident in controlling her power to avoid involving Rudrick.

Although she thought that even tearing Eileen to death right now wouldn’t be satisfying enough.

“…What’s all this noise about?”

Rudrick, who had been sleeping soundly on the bed until just now, sat up with a groggy face and spoke.

He hadn’t woken up even when he was being dragged and supported, but now the surroundings were too noisy for him to remain asleep.

With a headache that felt like his head would split open due to the lingering effects of alcohol, he forced his eyes open and saw an unfamiliar scene.

And the situation where Eileen, with her clothes half-unbuttoned, was confronting Arwen and Sylphia.

Moreover, Arwen’s hands were gathering an enormous amount of mana that was enough to startle Rudrick awake, and the atmosphere just a moment ago, where they were growling at each other, was nothing short of a life-or-death confrontation.

And the conclusion Rudrick reached upon witnessing this tense atmosphere was simple.

“Fighting again…?”

Not only did he have a headache from the hangover, but the scene he saw upon waking up was Eileen, Arwen, and Sylphia about to fight, raising their voices and pointing fingers at each other.

Rudrick’s voice dropped low with the annoyance that had suddenly welled up.

And then.

As if they had agreed upon it, the three of them simultaneously shut their mouths at the sight of Rudrick’s unusual demeanor.

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