NOVEL NEXT Chapter 2
I was terrified of tomorrow morning.
Breaking News Warrior Maximilian announces annulment with the Valtarian Imperial Family.
Breaking News Saintess Party mysteriously missing. Suspected elopement for reverse harem.
If the tabloids that blindly pursue exclusives catch the scandal of the Saintess Party, they would surely unleash a barrage of attention. After all, the Saintess Party, who defeated the Demon King, boasted peak fame.
Damn it.
How did it come to this?
I scratched the back of my head and let out a sigh.
‘Did the second part really start right after the epilogue ended? The author definitely announced that they would continue with Part 2. And I fell into this romance fantasy world the moment I saw that notice.’
Usually, there’s a gap of several months, or even years, between Part 1 and Part 2.
But
Not all works are like that.
The development of the story is solely at the author’s discretion.
So, it’s not strange at all if Part 2 starts immediately after Part 1 ends. If I were just a reader, I would have accepted it without a second thought, but unfortunately, I was possessed by an extra in this piece. My fate was determined by the story’s progression, so it was only natural that I felt pissed.
“You seem deep in thought.”
“Your Highness the Princess.”
A woman with flowing blonde hair approached, her smile gentle.
I bowed my head in respect.
“I was… briefly worried about the aftermath of the events.”
“I was worried about that too.”
To what extent would the vacuum left by the Saintess Party continue? It was an utterly unpredictable situation.
The pride and hope of humanity.
The strongest extermination team who had achieved countless heroic tales.
The brilliant fame built until now would surely transform into a backlash.
Anticipating the swirling chaos, Ludmilla must have personally visited the Hohenberc County to seek my assistance.
“Have you received any contact from the Holy Kingdom?”
“They’ve remained silent. But soon they’ll send an envoy. The Second Saintess has gone missing on imperial territory.”
There was an edge to Ludmilla’s voice.
It was only natural.
To her, Beatrice was the cat that stole her sister’s fiancé. Perhaps, deep down, she secretly hoped Beatrice would vanish forever.
“I’m glad you readily agreed to the request.”
“It was a natural decision. The dignity of the Empire and the honor of the family are at stake.”
Due to the annulment involving the youngest daughter, the Emperor’s anger would be at Max levels.
They would think I could be crushed no matter how much they drank.
And if I responded tepidly to Ludmilla’s request, I would receive a mysterious parcel from the Valtarian Imperial Family.
A decision to survive, perhaps.
For now, unconditional obedience was the only path to safety.
Thus, I looked at Ludmilla with a dumbfounded expression.
“I told you, I have no intention of taking my anger out on you.”
“Oh. I apologize.”
“I merely find the scoundrels who caused my precious younger sister’s heartache detestable, like bitter enemies. I want to send them to the gallows immediately. I have no bad feelings towards anyone else.”
“…”
The guy among those ‘scoundrels’ is actually our brother.
Well…
If I erase him from the family register, he wouldn’t be my brother anymore.
“I’ll be returning now. I’ll send a letter to the county upon reaching the imperial city.”
“Understood.”
With an elegant stride, Ludmilla turned her back.
A letter, huh?
It was probably meant to call me to the capital.
From now on, we had a common goal to work towards.
By accepting Ludmilla’s proposal, I was temporarily escaping the crisis. However, ultimately, my family’s fate would be determined by the Emperor’s intentions, so I couldn’t relax completely.
*
The urgent fire was extinguished.
With a sigh of relief, I clenched my left hand.
The Valtarian Red Dragon.
Imagining the heavy grace and elegance of the princess, I let out a heavy sigh.
“What am I supposed to do now that the world’s strongest is suddenly showing up…? This is a truly merciless development.”
Ludmilla Dreg Valtaria was a character promised to lose, mentioned indirectly at the moment when Princess Elizaveta, who was supposed to be engaged to Maximilian, confronted Beatrice.
– Do you think my sister will just sit still?!
– The Valtarian Red Dragon will roast you and your friends.
– No matter how saintly she is… she won’t be able to beat our sister, the protector of the Empire!
On the surface, it sounded like childish bragging, but Ludmilla, who inherited the blessing from the Red Dragon, was part of the continent’s seven heroes, the Seven Heroes of the Warring States.
Even Maximilian, boasting the strongest physical strength among the male protagonists in the story, couldn’t determine his chances of winning against this monster. Thus, Elizaveta had threatened this scoundrel with the might of Ludmilla.
“But she’s twenty-seven this year…? Why is she still single?”
Twenty-seven.
Hopelessly unmarried.
A completely old maid.
She was even teetering on the edge of being called an aunt.
As I recalled Ludmilla’s beauty and her heavy dignity, I found it puzzling that she had become an old maid. Surely, there must be some story behind it. How could the Emperor’s daughter be unmarried at over twenty-seven?
“If I call her ‘aunt’ to her face, will I be killed?”
The odds are high.
I’d either be killed or die a tragically painful death.
Old maid… Aunt…
That was an absolute taboo to be spoken in front of the twenty-seven-year-old princess. Even with ten lives, it wouldn’t be enough.
“Edan!”
“Father.”
As I was reminiscing about my meeting with Ludmilla while cracking dumb jokes,
My father, who had emptied the castle, returned.
His face was filled with bewilderment.
It seemed he had heard about the princess’s visit.
“I heard from the head butler! Princess Ludmilla has come…!”
“Yes, she just left.”
Upon hearing my response, my father’s face turned as pale as a blank sheet of paper. He seemed to have swallowed air as if he had just faced death itself.
The Valtarian Red Dragon.
The presence of the protector of the Empire was enough to threaten even the governor of the East.
“Did the princess not bring up the governor’s absence? If so, I will chase after her immediately to apologize.”
“She reacted nonchalantly. She had business with me.”
“With you…?”
“I was requested to assist in tracking down the missing Saintess Party.”
Where do I even begin explaining?
It was tricky.
Clearly, the explanation would take a long time.
Looking at my father, whose expression seemed completely lost, I took a moment to untangle my complicated thoughts like a string
.*
The next day.
Was it luck, or was it the efforts of the intel agencies to conceal the truth?
The newspaper delivered early in the morning was filled with such unworthy news that the subscription fee felt wasted.
– Elf Forest: “The prosperity of our race relies solely on plunder.”
– The World Unification series… delayed due to poor popularity.
– The Noble Pie’s deer, destroying crops and causing billions in damages.
Nothing happened.
Today was quiet, just like any other day.
The sky was clear, and the sun was warm.
A gentle climate suited the Eastern region as it repeated.
“I guess I’ll just enjoy a peaceful nap today. Eventually, the news of the Saintess Party’s disappearance will spread, leading to many scandals.”
I decided to push today’s worry onto my future self.
Remembering the family motto of the Hohenberc family, I tried to ignore any lingering concerns.
“D-Do, young master! Young master!”
“What is it?”
As a fervent knock sounded three times, the door to my office opened.
Sir Elliot the knight.
His young and robust face displayed clear signs of panic.
I wasn’t surprised by Elliot’s flustered appearance. He was renowned for his love of embellishing stories, often exaggerating. So I assumed this was another one of his tall tales.
“A strange girl suddenly came asking to see you, using some weird speech.”
“Me?”
If I were a noble with a scandalous lifestyle, I might have recalled the tumultuous life and suspected a hidden bastard upon hearing the report.
But I was an intellectual with a respectable private life.
Except, I’m…
Then perhaps it was my father?
Unlike the affectionate uncle he had become, I heard from my mother that he used to be quite the womanizer. So I immediately became suspicious of my father. It wouldn’t be odd for a hidden bastard to suddenly appear.
“Are you perhaps Edan?”
“…”
I followed Elliot to the entrance.
It was as he reported.
A girl with light green hair was shining with twinkling eyes.
Had she traveled a long distance?
I spotted the large travel bag held tightly in the girl’s small hands.
She looked like a runaway girl chased away by an unhappy family situation. The sight of her leaning against the travel bag began to stir activity among the servants of the Hohenberc family.
“Edan…? Yes, my name is Edanant von Hohenberc.”
“Ahem! I’ve arrived as instructed by Max! As expected, I’m smart!”
After much ado, she finally arrived.
Joy and excitement were evident on the girl’s face.
“I am Rue! Rue Luinong!”
“…Oh my gosh, a mascot.”
A fairy protecting the journey.
The assistant character of Warrior Maximilian.
With her unique speech and cute appearance, she was undoubtedly a character that topped popularity polls alongside the female protagonist.
She was the symbol of the Saintess Party, a true mood maker.
However, why was she here?
‘Max sent her’ must mean my brother had sent her.
A myriad of feelings crossed my mind suddenly.
“Who is that girl?”
“I don’t know, but she might be Edan’s hidden daughter.”
“Since you’ve been single all this time… I thought for sure that must be it.”
With the audacious behavior of the girl, the misunderstandings among the servants began to deepen.