RFNM 13

Chapter 13

I half expected it, but neither Leonard nor I got caught in the barrier of the Princess Palace.

Whether his magic was beyond imagination, or the priests and mages who had set up the barrier around the palace were simply lacking, we arrived at my study in the blink of an eye.

At this rate, I should probably cooperate as the princess to improve the skills of the mages and priests.

I concluded that, for this banquet, I should revoke all the leave requests of those who had worked day and night and lock them up in the Mage Tower and the temple.

Then I turned my gaze toward the rogue who was trying to ruin Singkester.

At some point, he had already withdrawn his magic and was now looking around my study with a perfectly composed face.

How could he look around so shamelessly, as if it were his own home?

Before long, he approached my desk and flicked the pile of documents with his finger.

“There’s a mountain of paperwork… Do you even sleep? Come to think of it, I heard you take care of all the internal affairs of Singkester.”

“Don’t analyze my study!”

I stepped in front of Leonard to block his view. Though, even so, it didn’t really hide much.

Just then, perhaps having heard the commotion, Abigail’s voice came from outside the study.

“Princess?”

Since a voice had suddenly come from a place that had been empty, it was only natural for her to be suspicious.

“Princess, did you perhaps go out and just return? May I come in?”

“Just a moment.”

I had often gone out secretly before. It was to change the original story.

At first, Erdan had been horrified, saying a well-raised princess shouldn’t be wandering around, and tried to restrain me. But after a year, he gave up.

After hearing that it was to protect Singkester, he even cooperated.

So the white owls that had been looking for me earlier probably didn’t think I had been kidnapped.

“…Shall we head back for now?”

Leonard, seeing me flustered, silently mouthed the words.

“Yes. I’ll call you next time.”

If we stayed together here, it would only lead to unnecessary misunderstandings, so I quickly pushed him toward the window.

Leonard looked at me as if I were absurd.

“You’re telling me to leave through the window right now?”

“You came in through the window when you kidnapped me, didn’t you? Figure it out and get going.”

Fortunately, Leonard lightly climbed onto the window frame like a tame cat. After straightening his disheveled clothes, he turned back to look at me.

“Tomorrow morning. I’ll wait for your contact.”

As if making an appointment on his own terms, he soon leapt out the window.

Worried he might have fallen flat on the ground, I hurriedly looked down, but there was no trace of Leonard anywhere.

Only his faint lingering scent remained at the tip of my nose.

“Princess?”

I heard my name being called once again from outside.

“Ah, yes… Come in.”

“You suddenly disappeared, so I was quite alarmed. Where on earth did you go?”

The moment she entered my room, Abigail began scolding me again for wandering around.

As they say, the one who tries to stop the scolding can be more annoying than the one doing it.

Dorothy, who already understood my habit of going out—‘like her own older brother frequented clubs’—only added fuel to the fire.

Unable to endure their bickering any longer, I shouted.

“That’s enough, both of you!”

Because I was hungry.

Being kidnapped and returning was an exhausting and hunger-inducing ordeal.

I hastily stuffed the cookies Dorothy handed me into my mouth and asked,

“Abigail, did my brother or Aurora come looking for me?”

Abigail shot me a look but still handed me some juice, telling me to eat slowly.

“That’s exactly why the white owls were searching for you. If it had only been half a day, they might have assumed it was just one of your usual outings, but since you sent a letter and then disappeared, they couldn’t help but worry.”

“Princess, His Majesty the King and the Saint have arrived.”

Speak of the tiger and it appears—their arrival was announced from outside.

“Tell them to come in.”

I quickly swallowed the cookie in my mouth and led Erdan and Aurora into the study.

“Charlotte, where on earth did you go?”

As soon as he entered, instead of sitting on the sofa, Erdan grabbed my hand and carefully examined me from head to toe.

Perhaps he didn’t notice the cookie crumbs around my mouth, as he kept smoothing my dress and hair.

“Goodness. Your dress is wrinkled, and your hair is a mess. For you to suddenly disappear like this—”

“It has happened many times, Your Majesty.”

“…That’s true.”

At Aurora’s blunt remark, Erdan awkwardly agreed.

Honestly, that friend of mine has no tact at all. One day, I’ll find her fault and report it to the priest.

Grumbling inwardly, I still put on an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry, Brother. From now on, I’ll let you know where I’m going before I go out.”

“I’ve heard that so many times already. I think it’s about time I stop believing it.”

Erdan sat down on the sofa and took a letter out from his chest.

Of course, Aurora was holding the same letter as well.

It was the letter stating that the note Eric had dropped had tracking and barrier magic placed on it, and asking them to come as soon as they had time.

Placing the letter on the table, Erdan’s beautiful green eyes filled with concern.

“I heard a bit from Mage Sara. She said it was quite difficult to remove the magic placed on it. What exactly happened?”

Aurora added, gripping her letter.

“Sara said you seemed deep in thought after reading it. Then you disappeared from the study, so it seems like you figured something out. Am I wrong, Charle?”

I couldn’t answer.

We had gone through many things together while changing the original story, but I still had no concrete information to reveal that I had met another transmigrator.

As I hesitated, Erdan let out a sigh mixed with a faint smile.

“Are you going to talk about that ‘past life’ again? Like with Nox Glastan?”

“That’s…”

In truth, I had once confessed to Erdan and Aurora that I was originally from South Korea and that this was a world inside a novel.

They had found it strange how I handled various crises so smoothly, and I had no choice but to tell them about my past life.

But neither of them believed me. In the end, I had to brush it off as a joke.

“That’s not it. I told you that was a joke, didn’t I? There’s just something I’m not certain about yet, so I’d like you to wait a little longer.”

“Of course we can wait. We know that everything you do is for us and for Singkester.”

At their words, I gave a small smile.

“Thank you for trusting me. I can’t say it right now, but I’ll definitely tell you what happened soon.”

Yes, even if that prince is in the same position as a transmigrator, if he threatens Singkester, I won’t tolerate it. I worked so hard to change this world.

Holding both Erdan’s and Aurora’s hands tightly, I steeled my resolve once more.

Early in the morning, I quietly asked Abigail to send a letter to Leonard, asking to meet.

After practicing Lamas-style breathing to steady my mind and body, I cleansed myself with a solemn heart and entered the powder room.

In romance fantasy, heavy makeup, large jeweled accessories, and extravagant dresses are the standard tools for intimidation.

“Make my makeup bold.”

“Who are you meeting?”

“The 6th Prince of Blake.”

In truth, such things might work against noble ladies, but I doubted they would have any effect on a prince…

Still, I armed myself in my own way.

After the maids’ skilled hands worked their magic, the person reflected in the mirror looked like someone whose face alone could make a shop owner flee if she came demanding a refund.

“Princess, this doesn’t seem like it will leave a good impression on His Highness.”

Dorothy made a troubled face, but I scoffed.

“I’m not going there to impress him. I’m going to fight.”

Then I put on several magic rings—on every finger of my right hand, and on the middle and ring fingers of my left.

Aurora, who had entered my room without notice, distorted her face in a strange expression.

“Charle, those rings almost look like a gauntlet.”

“Really? That’s a relief.”

I wasn’t going to throw a punch, but it was important that I looked like I might.

As I smiled brightly, Aurora suddenly stood up and placed her hands on her hips.

“I had a feeling, so I came. You and that prince—do you actually know each other? You disappeared yesterday to meet him, didn’t you?”