The Protagonists of Romance Fantasy Novels Have Escaped

25 – Those who Embrace the Stench (2)

Until Elizabeth’s matchmaking concluded, the imperial palace remained eerily quiet.

Well, that’s to be expected.

Ludmila, anticipating her departure.

The seven commanders of the Valtaria, summoned from across the empire.

Knights positioned at the imperial palace and gates, awaiting commands.

And even Javelin, rushing to the bathroom at the limit of bladder capacity.

The imperial palace of Valtaria, fortified with overwhelming forces, resembled an impregnable fortress. If one were to metaphorize, it was like a beehive teeming with enraged soldier wasps.

However, hasty judgments were out of the question.

For there always existed twists and turns.

“Why do you look so serious?”

“Oh, nothing at all.”

Elizabeth asked, tilting her head with a smile.

Had her expression inadvertently revealed something?

He brushed off his face, suppressing the emotions he had gathered by running his fingers through his hair.

“Suddenly, my intuition started sending warnings… I don’t know what it is.”

It was like losing an item and being unsure where it was placed.

A sense of urgency lingered.

It felt as if sharp anxiety was piercing through his mind.

What on earth could it be?

There shouldn’t be a reason to feel endangered in a fortress almost as impenetrable as a fortress of steel.

Could it be a mouse sneaking into the heavily guarded palace? He briefly considered such a thought, but as it was just a simple suspicion, he didn’t move in a panic.

“We will now withdraw, Princess Elizabeth.”

Young men with faces stained with earth approached.

Fiancés who had lost the opportunity to express their feelings to Princess Elizabeth.

It was a pitiful situation.

They had forever missed the chance for a lightning-fast rise to success.

If they had become the consort of the youngest daughter, who the emperor favored the most, they would have smoothly walked the path of success. Becoming a high-ranking official with a formidable military force or exercising uncontested power as a prime minister.

However, the antagonist of the imperial drama was by no means an easy opponent. That’s why none of the suitors managed to captivate the princess’s heart and were eliminated from the competition.

“Cheer up; good things will come in the future.”

“I never expected to receive such encouragement. It’s okay; it’s because I lacked something.”

Lu witnessed an unfamiliar scene as she engaged in conversation with a young man.

The young man was a cousin of a prestigious family who had proposed to Elizabeth.

Are they in a courtship relationship?

No,

It couldn’t be possible…

The young man, who was once the fiancé of the princess, was not a main character in the story. He was merely an extra, not even mentioned by name in the narrative. Naturally, there was no chance they had crossed paths at the saintess party.

“We just met in the corridor!”

“Is that so?”

It seemed the cousin, who had collided with her in the corridor while carrying a bundle of snacks, was the same person as the princess’s former fiancé.

Observing his humble acceptance of Lu’s abrupt apology, he appeared to be an innocent young man.

However, for some reason,

There was an uneasy feeling in his eyes filled with goodwill.

“What’s the matter?”

Perhaps sensing my suspicious reaction,

Lu, who was holding hands with Elizabeth, asked.

“I felt uncomfortable seeing young men who look like parasites.”

“Jealousy, perhaps, Edan.”

Despite saying so dismissively, she asked Elizabeth for the list of the suitors, wanting to find out the cause of the unease.

Shuffle. Shuffle.

She quickly flipped through the documents.

The list contained names, family backgrounds, and brief details.

As she scanned the recorded information, she sought to unravel the peculiar unease.

“Dagilek Branon. Second son of the Branon Marquisate. Discovered with black eyes. Exceptional talent, graduated with honors from the theology department at Ellisity Academy. Award-winning pianist in a piano concourse.”

The young man who had emitted discomfort was an exceedingly outstanding talent.

The word “perfect” suited him.

Among the numerous suitors, this man, Dagilek Branon, stood out as an A-grade candidate.

His outstanding performance in the renowned theology department at Ellisity Academy vehemently denied any connection with magic. Given that the Valtaria royal family would have thoroughly investigated and selected suitors, it was even more likely.

“If he graduated from the theology department, he must have been baptized by the priests of the Holy Kingdom. Then, he shouldn’t be a worshipper of the earth goddess… Well, there are exceptions.”

A worshipper of the forgotten deity in the Holy Kingdom, receiving baptism from the earth goddess’s priestess, was impossible.

Accepted the sanctity of socializing.

Therefore, the sanctity of the earth mother could not be invaded.

Attempting to force a baptism would lead to a ‘sacred clash,’ causing an overload. Hence, the socialites had been exploring ways to disguise the baptism of the earth mother.

“Lue!”

“Yes. What’s up?”

As she scanned the list, considering various possibilities,

Lue was sipping cocoa with Elizabeth.

Quite content.

She asked Lue, whose lips were covered in whipped cream,

“When you collided with that elegantly dressed lady, was there anything suspicious?”

“Um…”

She asked urgently.

Swish-.

Then, Lue’s hair moved vigorously. Very quickly.

It seemed as if she was recalling the moment with a desperate effort, rolling her inadequate head.

“She tripped, and I helped her up. Then, I handed her the dropped cookie package.”

“And?”

“Nothing else happened.”

“….”

Tension eased at Lue’s response, stating there were no peculiarities.

The fairy’s answer reinforced the young and pure innocence of Dugilek Branon, completely unrelated to demons and social worshipers.

Perhaps it was groundless suspicion.

Seemed I doubted an innocent person for no reason.

She sighed as she closed the documents. It was the disappointment of not even capturing a trace of doubt.

“It smelled like Edanchu. Probably doesn’t wash well.”

“What?”

And then,

Lue, who had a sudden realization, raised her head and said,

“There was a foul smell of soil! Plus, there was a rusty iron smell too! I don’t understand why he didn’t even wear perfume when meeting the beautiful princess. He’s the dumbest fool I’ve ever seen, dumber than the friends in Luyinong.”

“…Stench.”

The stench emanated from Dagilek Branon?

No,

It was an absurd statement.

If there had been a stench, there was no way Elizabeth, who sat across the table, could have missed it.

I, too, briefly encountered Dagilek, but only a faint scent of perfume wafted through the air.

It was solely the keen nose of the fairy Luienong that detected the ‘stench’ that no one else could perceive. What could it possibly signify?

Stench.

It is the evidence of corruption and the symbol of decay.

It was also akin to divine punishment for the worshippers of forgotten gods.

Lue’s testimony about the noxious odor emanating from Dagilek narrowed the eyes in suspicion.

* * *

Those aspiring to become the Emperor’s son-in-law, their ambitions shattered, vented their grievances to Elizabeth, who had turned into a thorny thicket.

Entering the palace with the status of a son-in-law, they withdrew in the face of Elizabeth’s notorious sharp temper.

What’s so great about being jilted by a hero…!

Damn it.

In the end, all this fuss was for nothing.

How to convey the humiliating news of being disgraced in front of the Platinum Princess to their families? The disappointed suitors left, each expressing their displeasure and dispersing.

“……”

Dagilek, who was a suitor of the Branon family, was no different.

Exiting the castle gate, Dagilek boarded the carriage awaiting him from the Branon family.

“I was half expecting the worst, but it seems you came out unscathed. I speculated on a pessimistic outcome, you see.”

The red-haired woman who welcomed Dagilek from the carriage spoke up.

Surprisingly, although her appearance was that of a refined lady, her voice was incredibly harsh. Undoubtedly, it was a voice closer to that of an elderly man.

“Hu, hahaha!! Indeed, she is a princess with noble blood! It felt like receiving a goddess!”

Dagilek, a handsome youth, had a face that crumpled like rotten flesh. The leather covering his face had become as muddy as flowing mud.

There’s no way to hide malignancy as effectively as with any mask of the world.

As if proving that fact, whenever the monster disguised as Dagilek Branon leaped, the once beautiful face crumbled miserably.

“If she is such a pure-blood, she would be an excellent vessel for embodying our god. I’m sure even the gods would be pleased! I confirmed it upon seeing the platinum-like beautiful princess!”

Elizabeth von Valtaria, who sat across the table, was more than just the sought-after Holy Grail searched ardently throughout the continent.

A vessel for the arrival of the gods.

The noble pureblood that would ultimately complete the rise of evil.

Injecting extreme pain and fear into the flesh would make it even more perfect. Elizabeth had disguised herself as the princess’s suitor to visually assess her suitability.

“Well, it seems the hardships were worth it.”

How much effort had been put into infiltrating the fortress, practically a wolf’s den?

He had killed Dagilek Branon, the chosen suitor, covered himself in his skin, and then manipulated Dagilek’s soul to possess his body. He demonstrated a meticulous plan, blocking any detection of his presence, even going as far as unleashing numerous protective charms to temporarily seal his power. Thanks to the mobilization of countless cult worshipers, the deception plan had succeeded.

“But four hours is probably the limit. It won’t be easy anymore. If I had delayed even a little, I would have been captured by the Empire’s Red Dragon or the White Dragon of the Prosperous Kingdom, unable to use any power.”

Even with the support of numerous cult worshipers, infiltrating the impregnable fortress was a task that even seasoned members risked their lives for.

It was an extremely precarious deception plan.

But the significance was immense.

Hadn’t Princess Elizabeth confirmed the authenticity of the Holy Grail?

Since being rejected by the hero Maximilian, Elizabeth had completely cut off all external contact. Therefore, there was no choice but to somehow infiltrate the palace and embark on an adventure to contact the Platinum Princess.

And then—

“Did you plant ‘it’ with the princess’s confidant?”

“Of course.”

A group formed by cult worshipers who had escaped from the oppression of the Demon King’s army,

『The Leaders』

The merciless criminals aimed to produce the sacrifice needed to summon a god.

The sinister malice that sought to bring a tragic end to the antagonist Elizabeth began to gradually reveal itself like a toxic fog, smelling of decay.