I Don’t Want To Be The Protagonist of a Romance Novel – Chapter 59

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Rudrick, there’s no need to worry. Everything is going according to plan.”

“Eileen?”

This world was not a world with advanced media like my previous life.

Newspapers were about all there was, and naturally, it was far from the convenience of my previous life where I could simply search the internet and have the desired information easily listed.

It meant that unless one was a noble of high enough status to directly see Eileen, there was no need to worry about someone recognizing her even if she was openly strolling in the middle of the capital.

That applied even more so to me than to Eileen.

However,

Her usually cold and icy expression now had a slight crack in it.

The slightly raised corners of her mouth and her slightly curved eyes indicated that Eileen was smiling.

Therefore, the gazes of the surrounding people were naturally drawn to Eileen.

It wasn’t because they recognized her as the Nord Grand Duchess, but they were simply surprised and watching her purely based on her face.

What I wanted to say could be simply summarized.

In conclusion,

‘…She’s pretty.’

Right now, Eileen was pretty.

She was wearing her usual uniform, but Eileen’s face at the moment was one that anyone would objectively find beautiful.

I had never noticed because her expression was always stiff, but Eileen, who was smiling faintly, was extremely pretty.

From her eyelashes that trembled lightly every time she smiled with her eyes, to everything else, even if someone didn’t have a common aesthetic standard, they would have no choice but to admit it.

As I momentarily opened my mouth and stared blankly, Eileen approached and tilted her head.

“Huh? Is there something on my face?”

“…Ah. No, it’s not that.”

“How disappointing.”

Eileen, who answered as if it were nothing, held out her hand to me with the same faint smile on her face.

“…?”

“Even so, it’s a rare day off thanks to Elena, so wouldn’t it be right to wander around again? Staying cooped up somewhere would make my shoulders ache.”

“Ah…”

“And above all…”

Eileen, who had been lightly scanning the surroundings, smiled with her eyes.

“The weather today is just perfect for wandering outside.”

“If that’s the case.”

I also chuckled and took Eileen’s outstretched hand.

In fact, since I didn’t know what had happened in the past before the regression, I didn’t know why such a pretty person was clinging to me, saying she liked me.

I could only vaguely deduce that I might have had some unknown talent for seducing women.

Still, there was one unanswered question, so…

“Eileen.”

“Hmm?”

I asked Eileen, who was even humming and expressing her good mood with her whole body, unlike her usual image.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

No matter what, my skin wasn’t thick enough to bluntly ask, “Why do you like me?” or “Is my face that handsome?”

Moreover, I had already asked Arwen a similar question before and received a scolding to stop talking nonsense rather than an answer.

Just like how someone who is handsome or pretty naturally knows it, I was aware that I wasn’t ugly.

However, to say that they fell for my looks, I simply wasn’t in the same league as Eileen and the others.

It was my biggest question.

What on earth had happened in the past before the regression that made such pretty women cling to me to the point of regressing, even if this was a world with reversed gender roles?

“…Hmm, that’s a difficult question.”

Eileen, who received my question, raised her eyebrows as if it were unexpected, and then seemed to become lost in thought.

And a variety of expressions followed.

It seemed as if she was reminiscing about something, but then she smiled bitterly, her expression darkened and then brightened again, repeating the process.

…What did it mean?

It was a series of incomprehensible changes in expression for me who was watching from the side, but soon Eileen chuckled and answered.

“Who knows? Even I don’t know why I was drawn to you.”

“Huh?”

“Ah, that was a slip of the tongue. I hope you can forget it.”

It was her usual stiff way of speaking that could be heard often, but today it was a bit softer.

Eileen, who left a meaningless remark, asked me with a smile.

“So, where do you think we should go first today?”

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“Again.”

“Yes. The person whom Your Highness ordered to bring is said to have recently made great achievements in magic and has entered a period of intensive training…”

“Is that so?”

Elena, who interrupted the adjutant’s explanation before it was even finished, muttered while changing into a dress to attend the festival.

“I didn’t know they would use this method.”

“Pardon?”

“I wasn’t talking to you, so you don’t need to pay attention to it.”

Elena, who waved her hand at the questioning adjutant, said leisurely,

“Among the nobles or dignitaries who have sent notice of non-attendance today, are there any notable individuals?”

“…First of all, Her Grace the Nord Grand Duchess has conveyed her intention to attend starting from tomorrow. Other than that, there are no notable absences that Your Highness needs to be aware of.”

“That would be the case. So today is Eileen’s turn.”

Elena, who had changed into a flashy party dress with the help of the maids attending to her, brushed her hair back with an elegant motion.

Since it was the first day, most of the nobles naturally attended.

It was also the largest festival held in recent years, and since it took place over several days, it was customary for most to attend the opening or closing of the festival commemorating the Emperor’s birthday.

Therefore, Eileen’s conduct of being absent for the opening and attending the remaining days of lesser importance was unusual.

For Elena, who was involved in the entire festival, it didn’t matter which day she attended, but in her mind, who had finished preparing to attend the festival, the picture was easily drawn.

“They roughly came up with that excuse… Looking at the list of those who are absent, you can roughly tell. It’s already certain that they’ve taken him out of the Imperial Palace.”

The adjutant bowed his head in silence at Elena’s murmur.

The adjutant couldn’t understand the content of her murmur, but Elena’s brilliant mind could easily deduce the full story of how this incident had unfolded.

There was nothing much to deduce as it was simple and obvious, but it was effective enough that Elena had no way to stop it.

“They used their brains quite well.”

But…

“It’s within the range of what I expected to some extent.”

Elena grinned.

A simple yet effective method.

Elena and Rudrick had only verbally agreed to attend, and it wasn’t like they had made some kind of magically binding contract that could forcefully tie them.

Normally, even if it was a verbal agreement, there wouldn’t be anyone bold enough to lie to Elena, a princess of a nation, but unfortunately, it was Rudrick, so Elena had no way to take action.

It wasn’t a matter of rank, but because she couldn’t harm Rudrick.

However, Elena had already grasped the full picture of the incident and was already prepared to respond to this situation.

“I may not like it, but…”

“…Your Highness, it’s about time for you to head to the venue.”

“I know that even without you telling me. But it’s true that I don’t like it.”

“Pardon…?”

“Ever since I was young, I really hated sharing my things with my older sister or younger siblings. But it seems I have no choice but to do that this time.”

Elena shrugged her shoulders.

She didn’t want to admit it, but even though she knew how the other side would act, she had already been hit.

It was something that couldn’t exist in Elena’s dictionary, but since it had actually happened, she had to know how to acknowledge it.

The thought of everyone else except her taking turns over four days to enjoy a cozy date with Rudrick, who had already been taken out of the Imperial Palace, made her feel like her blood was boiling in reverse…

As she walked towards the venue, Elena ordered her adjutant,

“Adjutant, there is one thing I’d like to command you.”

“Please speak as much as you wish.”

“Could you go to Admiral Reppert and convey my message? Tell Rudrick that I have something to discuss with him regarding his sister.”

“Understood.”

At Elena’s order, the adjutant saluted and ran to the venue in a hurry.

Although Eileen was absent on the first day, Lassiel, who was in charge of the Imperial Navy, was naturally present at the event.

Of course, she had no intention of making any vulgar threats.

What Elena wanted was genuine love, not a hypocritical and fabricated love.

Above all, she couldn’t tolerate the very fact of harming Rudrick in any way.

However, if there was one thing that set Elena apart from other formidable candidates, it was her status as a princess of the vast Esgelant Empire.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

Her steps towards the venue were light. And Elena smiled with a satisfied expression.

Just like in the old fairy tale, where it was the warmly shining sun, not the fiercely blowing wind, that took off the traveler’s coat…

All she had to do was give Rudrick a gift so large that he couldn’t refuse.

Elena had the power to do that and was in a position to do so.

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