The Sweet Taste of Victory's Nectar
The female protagonist of the romance fantasy novel Stop Loving Me! and the undisputed greatest beauty in the world.
I had seen her in the novel's illustrations before, but they hadn't quite done her justice. Seeing her in the flesh made it crystal clear.
She really was the greatest beauty in the world.
Dazzling golden hair that looked straight out of a shampoo commercial, a face sculpted by the gods, and a mesmerizing, seductive gaze that could drive any man wild...
Yes, with looks like that, it was no wonder the male leads lost their minds and became obsessively devoted to her.
She possessed a devastating, kingdom-toppling beauty. If I hadn't known she was Meriel Erents, I probably would have tried to flirt with her a dozen times already.
But now that I knew her identity, associating with her was nothing short of suicide.
Why? Because I would literally die.
And I don't mean that metaphorically.
She herself harbored no ill will, but the moment the obsessive men targeting her found out I had even breathed in her direction, they would stop at nothing to tear me limb from limb.
Ugh. Just thinking about it sent a shiver down my spine.
Feeling my alcohol buzz vanish in an instant, I spoke to Meriel, who was standing right in front of me.
"I... I see. So you are Lady Meriel... Erents."
"Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Kyle..."
Meriel looked up at me with wide, sparkling eyes.
Wow. Is this what it feels like to stare at a poison apple?
You know eating it will kill you, yet the urge to take a bite wells up anyway.
"Um... Lord Kyle?"
"...Yes?"
"Since... since fate has brought us together like this... would you mind teaching me how to dance? This... this is my very first social gathering."
"...Ah, you're a debutante. Hahaha."
Meriel glanced at the dancing couples and subtly extended her hand, inviting me to join them.
Hahaha, well, since it's come to this, I might as well show off my moves— NO, YOU IDIOT!
You crazy bastard, if you take that hand, you're dead!
Red alert! Red alert! Defcon 1!
My brain cells screamed in panic at Meriel's advances.
Damn... Even though I knew the danger, I almost fell for it.
Whew... Calm down, Kyle. Yes, count the prime numbers.
Prime numbers are solitary numbers; they give me strength.
1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 15, 17...
Regaining my composure by counting primes, I quickly looked for an escape route.
"L-Lord Kyle? Are you alright? Your face is quite red."
She reached out, naturally trying to place her hand on my cheek.
My survival instincts screamed.
If you let her touch you, something terrible will happen.
I acted instantly.
Slap!
"I... I'm not feeling very well, so if you'll excuse me..."
"What? Wait... Lord Kyle... Lord Kyle?!"
I practically slammed my champagne glass onto a nearby table and bolted toward the restroom.
Meriel watched my retreating figure, utterly bewildered.
"Lord Kyle... his stomach must really be hurting..."
Believing that I was suffering from a genuine stomachache, Meriel soon wandered off into the banquet hall to find another partner.
And the gaze watching her from above began to follow her once more.
"Phew... I thought I was a goner."
I finally managed to calm my racing heart and stepped out of the restroom. Elina was waiting for me just outside.
"Are you alright, Young Master?"
"Yeah... I'm fine. Just a sudden stomachache."
Elina gave me a look of absolute disbelief.
Then, she turned her gaze toward the banquet hall. In the distance, a lavender dress was faintly visible.
"Did something happen between you and that young lady in the past?"
"Why? Does it look that way?"
"Yes. It is the first time I have ever seen you run away from such a beautiful lady, Young Master."
Elina was well-acquainted with my past history of flirting.
To her, the sight of me fleeing from a woman that gorgeous must have seemed like an impossibility.
Sigh... It's not like I can tell her I have memories of the original novel.
"Even I know better than to eat a poison apple."
"A poison apple?"
"Something like that."
Leaving Elina with that cryptic answer, I headed back into the banquet hall.
This time, I switched my drink to a glass of red wine and retreated even further into the corners of the room.
"Young Master, this corner is far too secluded. No one will be able to see you here."
"I know."
The whole point of a social gathering was to network and make your presence known.
No matter how embarrassing my nickname was, hiding in a corner like this defeated the purpose of attending.
Elina was subtly pointing that out.
But it didn't matter.
The reason I had come today wasn't to show my face. It was to witness "it."
According to my memories, a massive bomb that would shake the entire empire was scheduled to drop at tonight's imperial banquet.
And I had bet my entire fortune on that bomb.
Right now, I felt exactly like a day trader who had gone all-in on a short position.
If it succeeded, I would hit the ultimate jackpot. If it failed, I'd be taking a one-way trip to the Han River.
Some might think this was easy money since I possessed knowledge of the original novel.
And indeed, I had already made a killing using my business acumen and future knowledge.
But... nothing was ever one hundred percent guaranteed.
There had been times when my memory played tricks on me, and other times when the knowledge was accurate but my execution was flawed, resulting in losses.
In other words... there was still a non-zero chance that nothing would happen tonight, and I would be utterly ruined.
Of course, I wasn't an idiot. I had verified the details countless times, even going so far as to secretly purchase a magic tool that read memories to double-check.
Tonight was undoubtedly the night the original romance fantasy event would trigger.
I had attended this banquet specifically to witness it with my own two eyes.
🎵 Da-da-da-dum~ 🎶
The banquet hall was packed with nobles, and the atmosphere was reaching its peak.
The idle chatter of aristocrats, the elegant dancing, the beautiful music.
I watched it all with sweaty palms, anxiety gnawing at my insides, when suddenly...
The lights in the banquet hall went out.
A spotlight focused on the second-floor balcony, and the grand doors swung open.
"Announcing the entry of His Imperial Highness, the Sun of the Empire, Prince Lucas von Alpeit, and the Flower of Ludmilly, Lady Matilda Lee Ludmilly!"
Accompanied by the guard's booming voice, the Crown Prince and Lady Matilda, the daughter of the Northern Grand Duke, stepped onto the balcony.
I knew them from the novel's descriptions, but this was my first time seeing them in person.
First, the Crown Prince. He was a handsome, golden-haired young man, looking exactly like the classic male lead from a romance fantasy novel.
Lady Matilda, however, was a bit different.
Wearing a modest, high-necked dress, with hair and eyes as cold as freshly fallen snow, she exuded an imposing aura that made her look less like a grand duke's daughter and more like a reigning Northern Grand Duchess.
And, of course, she was drop-dead gorgeous.
The two were officially betrothed, which was why they made their grand entrance together at this official event.
Stepping forward, the Crown Prince raised his voice to address the crowd.
"Noble lords and ladies of the empire, I express my deepest gratitude to all of you for gracing this occasion with your presence today."
The Prince's voice was clear and resonant, carrying the dignity befitting the heir of an empire.
Yes... so far, everything was identical to my memories of the original novel.
Even in the book, the Prince had acted perfectly imperial during his entrance and opening remarks.
My throat felt dry, so I took a gulp of my wine.
Please...
Please let it go exactly like the novel... Please...
The Prince continued.
"Our empire has entered an era of unprecedented peace. The days of proving oaths through blood and steel are behind us. What we need now is not the empty shell of honor, but true 'love' and 'connection' to fill our hearts."
At his words, the young noblewomen in the crowd swooned with ecstatic expressions.
And who could blame them? When a man with the face of a Hollywood star spoke of love, any girl would fall for it.
But I, too, was staring at the Prince with an ecstatic expression.
Why? Because those were the exact lines from the original novel.
Is it here?!
Is it finally happening?!
It's happening, right?!
"In this era of peace..."
The Prince hesitated mid-sentence.
He paused, casting a brief glance at his fiancée, Matilda.
Wait, Your Highness?
Don't tell me... you're having second thoughts?
Don't stop! You can do it! You're a romance fantasy prince!
Be strong! Walk your path! Go your own way! Hurry up!!
I cheered for the Prince from the absolute bottom of my heart.
Taking a brief breath, the Prince finally continued.
"In this era of peace... I have judged that binding ourselves through a political betrothal born of mutual suspicion is outdated and will bring nothing but misery to both parties. Therefore..."
As the Prince's speech took a bizarre turn, a murmur rippled through the banquet hall.
Sensing the shift, the expressions of several high-ranking nobles began to stiffen.
Well, everyone's except mine.
The Prince looked directly at Lady Matilda beside him and declared:
"For the sake of this new era... I hereby annul my engagement to Lady Matilda Lee Ludmilly today."
Yes!!!!!
That's my romance fantasy prince! Damn it, I knew I could count on you!
I wanted to bust out into a victory dance right then and there, but I had to restrain myself.
The moment the Prince finished speaking, the entire banquet hall froze solid.
Lady Matilda, who had been standing as still as an ice sculpture, widened her eyes in shock and stared at the Prince.
"Your... Your Highness? What on earth do you mean by..."
"..."
But the Prince only met her gaze with cold indifference.
As if his mind were already made up, he looked away from Matilda and scanned the crowd.
His gaze locked onto Meriel in her lavender dress, and Meriel's eyes widened as she met his stare.
"...Huh? Why... is he looking at me...?"
Meriel was utterly flustered by the Prince's intense, burning gaze, and the banquet hall erupted into a chaotic frenzy of whispers.
Whisper, whisper.
"Did I just hear that correctly?"
"He publicly announced the annulment of his engagement?"
The atmosphere was as if a meteor had just struck the empire.
Actually, even a real meteor strike probably wouldn't have caused this much of a stir.
While everyone else was panicking, utterly lost on how to react, I downed the rest of my red wine in a single, glorious gulp.
Gulp, gulp.
"Ah... now that is some good liquor."
The wine had grown lukewarm from the heat of my hand.
But was it because it was the sweet nectar of victory?
That wine tasted sweeter than any vintage I had ever had in my life.
"Let's go, Elina."
"...Yes, right behind you, Young Master. Where shall we head?"
Though she had seemed briefly taken aback, Elina had been my secretary for five years.
Quickly grasping the situation, she asked the obvious question.
"Where else? To the Lorend Merchant Guild."
The moment I had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Time to make some serious money!