I Don’t Want To Be The Protagonist of a Romance Novel – Chapter 55

—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
—————————————————————–

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

 
“This is all because you picked a fight.”

“Did I pick a fight? You’re mistaken. Wasn’t I the one who was picked on?”

“…Anyway, Rudrick doesn’t like it when we fight.”

The four of them were kicked out into the corridor by Rudrick’s firm order to leave.

Fortunately, since it was around the time to go to sleep, there was no one wandering the corridors of the palace.

Thanks to that, they could talk loudly without worrying about attracting the attention of others, but the four of them who had been kicked out into the corridor stood there blankly, looking for words to say to each other.

At least they had succeeded in achieving their goal, and not only had they informed Rudrick of this fact, but they had also decided on the order in which they would take turns being with Rudrick.

Now that all the reasons for the four of them to gather had disappeared, Lassiel was the first to open her mouth.

“Then shall we go our separate ways now? I think we’ve done everything we needed to do.”

“That would be best.”

Eileen agreed.

Anyway, unlike the other three who were usually stationed in the capital, she had hastily flown in from the Nord Duchy using the teleportation magic circle. And without giving any indication to her subordinates at that.

By now, there must have been a commotion in the duchy she had to return to and perform her duties as the Grand Duchess.

As the atmosphere naturally shifted towards disbanding, Arwen was the first to transform back into a cat.

Transforming into the appearance of a cat with distinctive silver fur and violet eyes that naturally attracted the attention of others.

Arwen casually wagged her tail and gently pushed the closed door with her front paw to open it, then looked back and said,

“Then I’ll excuse myself first.”

Creak, thud.

And with a very natural and elegant movement, she went through the opened gap between the doors and closed the door again.

“…I’m envious.”

Lassiel blurted out a grumble that couldn’t hide her feelings, fully conveying her envy.

And although they didn’t voice it out loud like her, Eileen and Sylphia were also thinking the same thing.

Eileen and Lassiel, who had lived with a wall between them and magic, didn’t have the ability to use high-level transformation magic like Arwen, who was not an ordinary vampire but the True Ancestor, the progenitor of all vampires.

For Sylphia, who could use magic as naturally as breathing as a dragon, transformation magic wasn’t an issue, but she didn’t have the same justification as Arwen.

“…I should have just said from the beginning that I had regressed too.”

“Rudrick is probably starting to catch on by now.”

“That’s right. Rudrick is not a fool, so he must have caught on to some extent. But it’s too late to reveal it now. I should have just disclosed it from the beginning too.”

In response to Eileen’s question, Sylphia grumbled.

Judging from the series of events that had occurred, it was clear that Rudrick had caught on to some extent about the rough details.

However, Sylphia, who had legally entered the Imperial Palace, didn’t need to avoid being noticed by others like Arwen.

In other words, she lacked the justification to stay in Rudrick’s room pretending to be a pet.

If she said she would do that now, she would be fortunate not to be treated as a pervert.

It was a bitter night.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

The atmosphere in the room today was a little different from usual.

Normally, by now, Arwen, who had adapted to some extent to this lifestyle, would naturally maintain a certain distance from Rudrick and maintain an ambiguous relationship while being distant.

But unlike usual, there was an overtly awkward atmosphere flowing.

“……”

“……”

Both Rudrick and Arwen remained silent, but their actions were slightly different.

Arwen was carefully observing Rudrick’s reactions, while Rudrick was sitting with his back against the bed, deeply contemplating something.

Unable to muster the courage to break this silence, Arwen observed him for a long time, holding her breath.

“You know, Arwen.”

Rudrick was the first to break that heavy silence.

“…Did you call for me?”

“I’ve become curious about something.”

“That’s unusual. Didn’t you say you were going to sleep? What have you been worrying about since earlier?”

“It’s not grand enough to be called a worry….”

Rudrick tapped the spot next to him on the bed where the blanket was spread out, gesturing for Arwen to sit there.

As soon as Arwen jumped onto the bed and settled beside him, Rudrick unconsciously stroked her head and opened his mouth.

“Why are you all acting like this?”

“…I don’t understand what you mean.”

“No, I just can’t understand it, so to speak.”

Rudrick unconsciously shrugged his shoulders. And after a moment of hesitation, a fastball came flying straight at her.

“It’s not just you who regressed, right? The other four are the same way.”

“……”

Arwen flinched.

It was a fact that Rudrick had known from the beginning due to the unidentified system message that had initially come to his mind.

If it weren’t for that, he would have been confused by the unexplained kindness and goodwill towards him for a while, but unless he was completely oblivious, he would have intuitively noticed it by now.

There was also the precedent of Arwen.

Perhaps because he already knew that fact, or because it was something that had been discussed once when they had all gathered.

After hesitating, Arwen quietly nodded her head in affirmation.

“I knew it.”

Rudrick muttered.

It was nothing more than a reconfirmation to verify what he already knew.

There was no need to unnecessarily raise doubts.

Adding a bit of appropriate acting was essential in this case.

“…It’s the same for all five of us. The other four, including myself.”

“But even so, there’s one thing I still don’t understand.”

“What don’t you understand?”

“Why do you all like me so much?”

This question, at least, was sincere coming from Rudrick.

He couldn’t even guess why they were all clinging to him so desperately that they had even regressed.

What on earth had happened in the past before the regression?

It wasn’t like a story from a comic or novel where they draw a handsome man and insist he’s ordinary.

Even in Rudrick’s view, his face was somewhat far from ordinary.

Some might find it annoying, but if he looked at it objectively and conservatively, he couldn’t really argue against that fact.

It was just that his face wasn’t ordinary, but it was far from being so handsome that it would make one’s eyes spin.

‘Why on earth?’

It was an unresolved question that Rudrick had been harboring all along.

“If I looked like Leonardo DiCaprio in his heyday, I would understand. But no matter how much I think about it, my face isn’t quite at that level, you know?”

“Haah….”

As soon as Rudrick finished speaking, Arwen let out a sigh.

Putting aside the fact that he was making another reference that only he understood the meaning of, in Arwen’s view, Rudrick was completely missing the point.

Arwen’s mouth felt bitter again.

The past that Arwen had built with Rudrick before the regression was now a memory that only she remembered.

It was just a faded past buried in the sands of time.

Realizing that fact anew, a corner of her heart ached.

Although the Rudrick in front of her eyes was alive and well, at the same time, he knew nothing about the memories they had built together.

At first, she had felt grateful just for the fact that she had regressed to the past, and had cried out the name of the cursed god.

“…You still don’t know. What happened in the past. So it’s not strange for you to feel burdened by it.”

“Of course I don’t know. You’re the one who regressed, not me. Even the great mage Rudrick of the future doesn’t know what happened before the regression.”

“Then let’s gradually find out.”

With Arwen’s murmur, her head, which had been enjoying the stroking of his hand, had at some point turned to stare intently at Rudrick.

Her mysterious eyes were boring into Rudrick.

At the same time…

Arwen, who hadn’t drunk a single drop of blood during the four days Rudrick was away, was feeling hungry.

The hunger she had momentarily forgotten while dealing with various incidents after his return had resurfaced now that the situation had calmed down, demanding blood from Arwen.

If it were any other vampire, it wouldn’t be strange for them to pounce on a nearby human the moment they felt the urge to drink blood.

That was the reason why vampires and humans couldn’t coexist peacefully.

But Arwen wasn’t an ordinary vampire.

She was the True Ancestor, the progenitor and a superior race among vampires.

Arwen, who normally wouldn’t even think of attempting something she considered embarrassing, immediately put her thought into action.

“Huh?”

At the same time Rudrick made a puzzled expression at the unusual atmosphere, Arwen dispelled her magic and returned to her human form.

Her silver hair, neatly tied and flowing forward, sparkled under the light of the magic stone lamp, and Arwen, with a faint blush on her face, spoke.

“…Come to think of it, I haven’t drunk anything for four days.”

The words she uttered as if embarrassed were actually thanks to her last thread of rationality that could recognize the emotion of embarrassment.

“…That feels a bit strange. Can’t I just make a cut on my finger? Or my arm.”

“…You’ll get used to it as you experience it, won’t you?”

Sucking blood from the neck was an unpleasant yet subtle sensation that was difficult to describe.

Rudrick frowned, but a sweet breath soon tickled his ear. And at the same time a strict scene and atmosphere that could be misunderstood by anyone was created…

Arwen, who had practically embraced him and buried her face in his neck, slowly sank her fangs into his neck.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇