A Blend of Romance and Fantasy Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Damn this terrible sense of direction.

After countless major and minor trials, Leonard had proven himself capable in almost every field. But perhaps in the name of fairness, the gods had cursed him with an utterly hopeless sense of direction.

Of course, the princess—who knew nothing—was not to blame.

“No matter how bad your sense of direction is…”

Her bright, innocent words had felt like daggers. If she had known just how bad it truly was, she wouldn’t have said that so lightly.

“N-not that way—this way, Your Highness!”

As Leonard followed the attendant, his expression gradually twisted in irritation, while the poor servant trembled under the pressure of guiding him.

Back in the room, Leonard let out a sigh and draped his coat over a chair.

William, noticing the roughness in his movements, spoke with a mix of curiosity and concern.

“Did something happen? Come to think of it, you were gone quite a while.”

“…I ran into the princess. She was heading to the Altar of Sacred Blood with the Saintess.”

“The Altar of Sacred Blood?”

At that, William straightened.

“So the excuse about changing dresses was just a cover. Just as we suspected—the princess must be closely tied to the sacred relics.”

William spoke seriously, but Leonard gave no response.

Turning his head, William saw him sprawled across the sofa, still in his travel-worn clothes.

It didn’t take long for him to piece things together.

“…Your Highness. Are you really that bad with directions?”

“….”

“Isn’t it just that you’re slightly worse than average?”

…As expected.

Choosing to pretend he hadn’t heard that, William calmly picked up a letter from the table.

“Your Highness, I’ve learned that the First Prince has sent a marriage proposal to Princess Charlotte.”

“Are you changing the subject?”

“This seems more urgent.”

Leonard frowned slightly—but didn’t deny it.

“He intends to marry the princess and form an alliance with Singcester.”

“More likely, it’s just a gesture to gain favor. No one insane would truly expect Singcester to accept a marriage with Blake.”

“….”

“Why not make use of your looks as well, Your Highness? In Blake, they say you surpass the First Prince in that regard.”

At that, Leonard—who had been rubbing his face—slowly lowered his hand.

The fiery eyes that once burned beneath the desert sun now looked dulled with fatigue.

“I’d rather practice finding my way.”

In Sacred Sacred Breath, the original novel, the world consisted of five continents and six oceans.

Each continent held one Sacred Kingdom, and throughout history, none of them had ever been conquered.

That was thanks to three divine relics bestowed by the gods.

The Altar of Sacred Blood had been built with multiple layers of barriers to house and protect those relics.

Only the Pope, the relic’s custodian (me), the Saintess Aurora, and two high priests were permitted to enter.

After parting with the prince, Aurora and I stepped inside the barrier.

Within, it was filled with Erdan’s divine power—soft and warm, like a greenhouse.

“His Majesty’s barrier is still remarkable.”

“It has ten layers. No matter how skilled a priest or mage is, breaking through would be impossible.”

The altar was solemn and silent.

Feeling the weight of the place, we walked quietly along the white stone path toward the platform.

Resting on the golden fleece-covered altar were three relics:

A laurel-leaf crown.
A great ivory horn.
A mirror forged entirely of gold.

At a glance, they seemed ordinary—but they were sacred artifacts granted by Elysium’s supreme god, Elysia.

Aurora carefully examined each one.

“No abnormalities. With so many foreign guests entering the palace, I was worried about possible intrusion—but everything seems fine.”

“Right. If something were wrong, the relics would have warned us first.”

If anyone harbored ill intent, the relics would sound a warning—and Cedric, leading the Holy Knights, would eliminate the threat before it even reached the capital.

That was how Singcester’s undefeated history had endured.

“That prince must really have just gotten lost. This kingdom hasn’t fallen once in five thousand years.”

I patted Aurora’s shoulder as she sighed in relief.

“Our kingdom has always been strong—and always will be.”

“You think so?”

“Of course. Trust me.”

Aurora smiled faintly and linked her arm with mine.

“I don’t trust you—I trust the relics.”

“….”

Seriously—how low was my credibility with her?

Sure, I may have swindled a few people here and there—but it was all for the noble cause of changing the original story.

It’s not like I caused any major disasters…

…probably.

Feeling slightly uneasy about reflecting on my past, I forced a bright smile.

“Well then! Shall we head back?”

After leaving the altar, I returned straight to my study.

On my desk sat an expensive box containing a bracelet set with a blue orb.

A magical communication device.

Since I lacked divine power, I couldn’t use relics—so I had to rely on magical tools instead.

Among them were mana stones, which allowed even ordinary people to use magic.

Honestly, being a powerless villainess is incredibly unfair.

Authors should really give supporting characters at least some kind of special ability.

That way, they could create tougher trials for the heroine—and deepen the romance with the male lead!

Grumbling, I slipped on the bracelet, placed my hand over the orb, and spoke:

“Sir Aaron, I have a request. I’ll be waiting in the study.”

The White Owls.

That was the name given to the royal family’s shadow knights.

Though called knights, they handled covert work—intelligence gathering, communication, infiltration.

Hence the name: owls.

Not long after, a man slipped silently through the window.

“Princess, you called for me?”

As I stood, Aaron immediately dropped to one knee.

Though he worked in the shadows, the brunet knight had a solid, reliable build.

“Sir Aaron, I want you to investigate the Sixth Prince of Blake attending the banquet.”

“You mean Leonard Blake?”

“That’s right.”

“What should I focus on?”

“The same as before—with Nox Glaston. I want everything. Even the color of the pen he uses.”

Nox Glaston had been a villain in the original story—one who nearly destroyed Singcester.

I’d had the White Owls dig into every detail of his life.

Even the fact that he hated fried eggplant.

…Though that’s not what ultimately killed him.

“Yes. I’ll gather everything as quickly as possible.”

Aaron nodded and vanished through the window as quietly as he’d arrived.

“He really is efficient.”

I stared at the open window for a moment before sighing and turning back to the documents on my desk.

They contained information on tomorrow’s guests—especially the twenty men I’d be dancing with, spread across three full pages.

All thanks to Abigail’s enthusiasm.

“Marriage…”

To be honest, after the banquet, I planned to leave the kingdom and travel across the continent.

I’d worked myself to the bone changing the original story—now it was time to live freely.

If I married, I’d end up as a noble lady at best… and a queen or empress at worst.

In novels, that might sound glamorous.

But this was reality.

Memorizing the royal lineage of Singcester was already hard enough—why would I sign up to memorize another one too?

Goodbye, main and supporting characters of Sacred Sacred Breath.

I’m throwing off the chains of the original story—

and going to find my own happiness.