The Protagonists Of The Novel Escaped – Chapter 22

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: TushChen
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Elizaveta, who had repeatedly expressed her firm opposition, finally accepted the marriage proposal because she didn’t want to cause concern for her family.

However-

She had no intention of actually getting married.

It was just a temporary act to ease her family’s worries.

She had looked at the list of suitors presented by her father, but they needed to suit her taste better.

Her standards had become too high since her former fiancé was Maximilian.

As if to show that, Elizaveta sighed deeply every time she glanced at the list of suitors.

“No matter how many photos I look at, none of them catch my eye at all! They just look like ugly octopuses! None of them are better than Maximilian in any way!”

“……”

The prestige of Maximilian, the male protagonist appearing in the romance fantasy ‘The Lady of the White Blessing,’ was indeed outstanding.

Appearance.

He was a peerless nobleman who could melt numerous noble and young ladies’ hearts.

Ability.

It’s tiring to even talk about it.

He is the hero who subjugated the Demon King, humanity’s long-time enemy.

Lineage.

He is the eldest son of the most prestigious family representing the empire.

Although it is now in decline, it boasted an excellent reputation befitting a family of national founders.

Reputation.

No one doesn’t know Maximilian’s name, regardless of race or nationality.

Even babies who have just started babbling and toddling must have heard of the Hero’s Party’s fame.

How could the perfect man who satisfied every aspect end up with a “personality” that went crazy?

Even though he fulfilled all the elements, he was destined to become a shining but rotten fruit just because of his damn personality.

The more I think about it, the more pissed off I get.

“Should I just ask them to make Edanant my fiancé? My sister also recommended Edanant. He resembles Maximilian in many ways too! Hmm, it might be a good idea.”

The beautiful villainous princess called the most beautiful in the empire, started saying nonsense.

Making the younger brother a substitute for the older brother.

It reminded me of the levirate marriage, where a man takes his deceased brother’s wife.

I sighed deeply as I looked at Elizaveta’s brazen appearance.

“I’m joking. Edanant is my sister’s lover, right? No matter how greedy I am, I’m not rotten enough to steal my sister’s lover. I’m not like that Beatrice who stole someone else’s fiancé.”

“……”

Public opinion had already defined me as the lover of the Second Princess.

The hero who defended the capital.

Isn’t he good enough to be the Second Princess’s companion?

Numerous gossipmongers and newspaper reporters had joined forces, nearly making the scandal official.

If I denied the scandal now, I would be criticized by numerous crowds.

If Ludmilla, the party involved, denied the scandal, public opinion might turn around, but that didn’t happen.

Instead, Ludmilla consistently remained silent and showed a nuance that affirmed the scandal.

“It’s a bit early, but… can I call you brother-in-law?”

“Of course not.”

Elizaveta poked my side with a mischievous smile like a little devil.

I answered with my eyes tightly closed at her playful joke.

“Did you hear? Starting tomorrow, I’ll be having matchmaking meetings with the suitors. They say that when you meet face-to-face and have a conversation, you develop a favorable impression… Father wants me to decide quickly.”

“You mean you’ll be having consecutive matchmaking meetings? It will surely be a grueling march.”

“That’s right. It’s so annoying. If I had known this would happen, I would have continued playing dumb. I dug my own grave.”

“Try to think as positively as possible. I will help with anything I can.”

Elizaveta was the role of the villainous princess who was thoroughly sacrificed for the dramatic love line between the female and male protagonists.

That’s why I always felt sorry for the princess.

I vowed to protect her.

So that she could escape the miserable fate of the villainous princess.

Even if the promised death flag threatened her life.

“Really? You’ll help me even if I make unreasonable demands?!”

“……”

“I’ve got your word, so don’t go back on it later!”

“Sigh, I got it.”

I said it clearly, but I was misunderstood like a moron.

I was already starting to regret it.

Can I really serve the villainous princess well like this? I doubted myself.

However, despite such concerns, Elizaveta hummed a tune and led me. She smiled cheerfully as if she had found a friend of the same age who got along well.

‘Well, it’s still better than seeing her depressed.’

I showed a bitter smile as I briefly recalled Elizaveta’s appearance, suffering from the pain of a broken heart.

Indeed, a beauty looks pretty when she smiles.

Moreover, isn’t Elizaveta a peerless beauty called the most beautiful in the empire?

I hope she always smiles like this in the future.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by the urge to protect that precious smile.

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The Pug Kingdom was just a tiny country located on the outskirts of the north.

Population of 50,000.

It had a smaller population than a decent city-state.

It’s called a kingdom, but it’s actually less than a city-state.

Not only did it lack fertile plains, but it also wasn’t abundant in underground resources, so it had been evaluated as a useless wasteland.

Thanks to that dishonor, no force had invaded the kingdom. It was because there was little benefit from invading the kingdom.

However-

Many things began to change after the Sword Saint, a member of the Hero’s Party, was produced.

The third-rate country built on a wasteland had somehow gained fame as the homeland of the Sword Saint Madbei.

The Pug Kingdom fully utilized the Sword Saint’s fame to attract attention. It was to secure funds for the third-rate country on the outskirts to survive.

“If the urgent news is true… the Pug Kingdom won’t last even a day.”

No matter how much they thought about it, there was no room for possibility.

That was the conclusion reached by the leadership of the Valtarian Empire.

“But it’s not clearly confirmed information, is it? As soon as the Racial War ended, numerous countries united and launched a massive cleanup operation, so how could the filthy cults revive again?!”

The Valtarian Empire, the Gael Holy Kingdom, and many other countries never forgave the cult forces that had cooperated with the Demon King’s army under the pretext of the ascension of evil.

They were found and killed to the end.

They were all massacred, even at the cost of innocent sacrifices.

They are the forces that sold humanity to the demons.

Naturally, the cultists who betrayed humanity deserved to die.

The nobles gathered in the conference room shuddered as they recalled the existence of the monster who had ravaged the battlefield while wielding the blessing of a forgotten god.

Feelings of disgust and fear were felt from their appearance.

“Sir Bertrand’s opinion also makes sense.”

“It’s too early to jump to conclusions now. We need to find out the details about the heretics first.”

Although the notoriety and danger of the heretics were mentioned several times, no one spoke of military support.

The distance is too far.

Whether the troops will arrive in time is questionable, even if they are sent.

Those were just excuses.

In fact, it was because the Pug Kingdom was a third-rate country with no importance.

Just because it was being attacked by heretics, the current reality was not naive enough to dispatch troops to the outskirts of the north.

It was even more so for the Valtarian Empire, which had lost many troops in the Racial War that had escalated into an all-out war.

However, there was at least a minimum level of compassion, so they planned to provide troops and support the exile of the royal family and nobles who were facing a desperate crisis.

“Your Majesty, what if I go to the battlefield? If you give me just half a day, I will annihilate all the groups that worship the cult and return.”

Ludmilla, who had been quietly listening to the opinions of the nobles, finally opened her mouth.

Half a day.

Just half a day is enough.

She advised the Emperor sitting on the throne as if making a bold promise.

It was a genuinely arrogant declaration, but the story changes if the speaker is the Red Dragon of the empire.

The nobles in the conference room swallowed their saliva and nodded their heads. It was a reaction that showed confidence in the Red Dragon’s valor.

“Are you saying you will personally take action?”

“Please entrust the defense of the capital to the Seven Generals of Valtaria and their knights for a while. And as much as I hate to admit it… the White Dragon of the Holy Kingdom is also in the capital, isn’t she?”

The Seven Generals of Valtaria.

It referred to the seven knights representing the empire.

A force is needed to replace the momentary void.

Therefore, Ludmilla advised summoning the knights of unrivaled power she had deployed throughout the empire.

Until now, they had dealt with it complacently, but the Valtarian Empire, which had experienced the bombing in the capital, ordered more strict security than ever.

As if entering wartime, they deployed numerous troops around the capital and prepared for any situation.

“I have already issued the summons. They should be on their way by now.”

“And… please entrust an important role to Young Master Edanant. He will surely be of great help.”

Ludmilla hesitated for a moment before mentioning Edanant.

That he can be trusted.

Didn’t he defend the capital from the cruel villains?

Even if another catastrophe were to occur in the capital, Edanant would undoubtedly respond with resourcefulness.

If an important role was entrusted to him, it seemed she could leave her position without a moment’s hesitation.

“…You’re already taking care of your husband.”

“She must be laying the groundwork to designate him as the son-in-law.”

Is there anyone in the palace who doesn’t know Edanant?

Of course not.

If there were, they would definitely be a spy.

Even if you just read the newspapers lying on the streets, you would have heard the name of the top candidate for son-in-law.

The nobles marveled at Ludmilla’s astute judgment, trying to subtly parachute Edanant into a high position.

To think she would recommend him so blatantly.

As an old bachelorette who had fallen for Edanant, she began to reveal her true colors as soon as she fell in love.

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