Chapter 21
Translator: True Detective
Chapter 21: Premiere and Encounter
“Noel! Noel!”
“Uugh….”
A voice coming from the hallway.
The Princess’s voice filled with surprise.
As if running away from that voice, as if the commotion outside had nothing to do with her, Noel buries her head in the pillow.
But doing so changes nothing.
Where did the knock go, and where did the owner’s permission go? Princess Lydia opens the door at will and enters the room.
If Sophie Ember, who always told Noel to emulate Princess Lydia’s perfect manners, saw this, she would facepalm.
Even if the two had become close recently, to barge into the room at will like this.
Isn't this something young Noah would do?
Especially unlike the Princess who is an early riser, Noel is weak in the mornings to the extent that she lives with “5 more minutes── no, 50 more minutes….” in her mouth whenever the maids wake her up every day.
It was still time to sleep, so Noel felt like crying at whatever fuss this was.
Checking the time wondering if she overslept,
‘It’s only 7 o’clock!’
At the fact that she could still sleep for another hour but had to let sleep go already, Noel was so sad.
She briefly considered acting crazy and dragging the Princess into bed to sleep a bit more together, but….
“What is the matter?”
Suppressing the urge to snap why are you disturbing someone’s sleep, you have no right to do that even if you’re a Royal, she raised her body from the bed.
To such a Noel, Princess Lydia strode over and spoke with an excited look.
“It’s surprising news. They say the Saintess is coming to the Empire.”
“Pardon?”
A Saintess?
Why is the Saintess coming to the Empire all of a sudden?
Noel, who thought she would only see the Saintess’s face once she went to the Academy, had her sleep vanish as if the struggle to sleep more was a lie, and became full of questions.
Irina Rowell.
One of the heroines appearing in the dating sim Spring of Gran Ark Academy.
A classic Saintess character. Although her individual route wasn't implemented, according to developer rumors and setting books, the Saintess route was said to be a story unfolding around the sealed Demon King.
To be connected with the Saintess, one had to be at least a Hero to match.
No matter how great a person in power, they are ultimately a worldly existence.
They didn't suit as a partner for the Saintess, an existence far from the secular world, so it was said that the protagonist gaining the Hero title and connecting with the Saintess was the Saintess’s individual route story.
Since it existed only as settings and not in reality, she couldn't know what story it would be, but the important thing was that the Saintess was the key to the Demon King’s return.
Although reality doesn't necessarily have to be like the game, she couldn't help but feel iffy, and because of that, Noel intended to absolutely prevent the ‘original protagonist’ from entering the Saintess route if she went to the Academy.
In that sense, meeting the Saintess early might be good, but….
‘No, but why am I thinking with the premise of meeting the Saintess? What business would a mere Viscount’s daughter like me have meeting such a state guest?’
Suddenly realizing she was thinking foolishly, she let out a hollow laugh.
The Saintess is coming to the Empire?
Faster than the Academy admission?
Some high-ranking person must be sick, so they must have paid travel expenses and called her.
With the mindset that it was none of her business, Noel just thought about crushing the Saintess route when she went to the Academy since it came up.
“Actually, the Saintess says──.”
She tried to let Princess Lydia’s fuss go in one ear and out the other, but,
“She plans to visit the Grace Viscountcy saying she wants to ask for opinions regarding Fog Disease. To meet Lady Noel!”
“…Pardon?”
What is that. I don’t know, it’s scary.
Noel, feeling her mind going blank suddenly, felt like going back under the blanket and falling into denial of reality.
But she knows through experience that doing so helps nothing at times like this.
She forcibly holds onto her sanity and listens to the Princess’s continuing story.
“Actually, a bound galley proof of 「The Diary Inside My Heart」 came out. I gifted that to the Saintess while asking if she could cure Fog Disease.”
“Why did you do such a thing?”
Noel asked back unknowingly.
To that question, Princess Lydia replied with a nonchalant expression, “Because only then would she know what Fog Disease is and give a reply.”
“But she says instead of a letter, it would be better to come to the Empire directly and talk about Fog Disease.”
Even I didn't expect this, though.
Noel looked suspiciously at the Princess muttering like that.
Did she really not expect it?
Was it a pure action without any intention?
Noel’s reasoned suspicion befalls the Golden Retriever…!
“Anyway, isn't it a good thing? If none other than the Saintess takes interest in Fog Disease, those suffering from sad love like Enya and Lawrence could decrease even a little.”
“N-No, Princess, that is strictly a novel── a fictional story….”
“Pardon? But, actually, isn't it possible that somewhere in the world, there are couples suffering from Fog Disease?”
That is… true.
Since the world is wide, that could be possible.
Still, Noel felt like breaking into a cold sweat wondering if Princess Lydia was properly distinguishing between the novel and reality.
This feeling is the first since Rosalyn suddenly said she would pass down the Miller family’s special breathing technique a while ago.
‘That breathing technique, wasn't it from that event where she taught the protagonist to allocate even sleeping time to training?’
Instinctively thinking something terrible would happen if she learned this, Noel strongly refused.
Amidst a chilly feeling as much as the sense of crisis she felt back then, Noel spoke unknowingly.
“As expected, I should modify the novel a bit….”
Noel thought she should at least insert a phrase like This novel is fiction~, but,
“What?!”
Princess Lydia opposed saying it’s perfect right now, so suddenly modifying it is out of the question.
“Instead of taking time to modify an already perfect novel, how about planning the new work instead?”
A new work, are you crazy? I don’t think that’s it.
Suppressing what she almost shouted reflexively, Noel thought it would be better to change the topic.
“S-So when does the Saintess say she is coming?”
“Ah… she plans to visit in late autumn when the harvest is all over.”
“I see. Hmm, then I guess she won’t be able to attend the premiere of 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 play.”
“Indeed. It is a pity.”
It is not a pity at all.
She just said whatever to change the topic.
Showing such a play to the Saintess—Noel thought just imagining it was a bit wrong.
“Well, even if the opening is impossible, the play of 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 will continue. We just need to watch it all together once more then.”
Unlike Noel’s thoughts, Princess Lydia seemed to want to let the Saintess know the taste of Soap Opera.
“Let’s stop.”
What if the Saintess watches a soap opera, no, a play, and gets tainted strangely?
It could become a diplomatic disaster where the Theocracy expresses strong regret to the Empire.
Noel, who didn't want to become the culprit of such a disaster, resolved that if the Saintess really came to the Viscountcy, she would block the Saintess from watching 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 play as much as crushing the Saintess route.
“Ah, I don’t want to go.”
Of course, before that, surviving the public humiliation play of watching the stage version of the Trashy Romance Novel she wrote together with the Empire’s VIPs came first.
Now that this moment came, Noel felt her mind becoming faint.
Empire, is this okay as is?
She kept having such thoughts.
Thinking that the high-ranking people leading the Empire would dress up and gather to watch a play like a morning drama made her feel dizzy.
And the scenario of that play happens to be the novel she wrote?
She struggled to hold onto her fading sanity.
When she first heard about the theatrical adaptation, she couldn't pay attention to it, but this moment had come eventually.
Stopping her preparation to attend the premiere not late for that fact, Noel grumbled.
“Really?! Then I will go to the premiere instead of Sis──.”
Then, Noah, who appeared as if waiting, said this, but,
“That’s not it, Noah.”
Noel cut her off as if saying no chance.
Honestly… if she could switch, she wanted to switch too.
The problem was she couldn't.
If it were Viscount Julian who is weak to his daughter’s aegyo, maybe, but there is no way Viscountess Natalie would allow it.
This premiere wasn't simply going to watch a play, but also a place for socializing.
Natalie, hoping to find a good son-in-law to marry into the family at this opportunity, was determined to dress Noel up and throw her into the premiere.
So would she allow switching with her younger sister out of the blue?
Of course, reality flowed in a completely different direction from Natalie’s expectations.
The Imperial Capital, Imperium, arrived at by riding the magic train with Princess Lydia.
Even before going to the Ashley Theater, a human curtain was already unfolded around Noel.
A curtain that rejected the approach of men, at that.
What that means is,
“Kyaaah! Author Homer! I am such a fan! 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 is a masterpiece that won’t be in my life again….”
“The Author-nim looked at me! She looked at me and waved her hand!”
“Lady Grace standing side by side with the Princess… how is she so noble.”
Because of the tremendous female fans, the young noble men who wanted to make even a slight impression were all bouncing off as if hitting a barrier.
There was no man who could dig through those girls and approach Noel and Princess Lydia.
Because that wasn't manners, nor was it the atmosphere for it.
“No, we are fans too….”
“I also want to get an autograph….”
“I need to greet the Princess at this opportunity….”
The female camp, eyes turned by fan spirit and extremely enthusiastic, fears nothing.
They don’t even listen to what men say.
Eventually, unlike the Viscountess’s expectation, Noel had zero something with the opposite sex even after going all the way to the capital and attending the socializing event called the premiere.
She only smelled the powder of girls who dressed up to look good to the author they admired.
Noel arrived at the theater forming a flower garden with swarming same-sex fans from the station.
Already exhausted.
Because her soul and mind are male, she cannot avoid being drained just by staying still in an overwhelming female-dominated state.
‘Uugh, I want to go home…. I’d rather go and write── no, that’s not it. Am I crazy?’
Noel, who momentarily lost her mind due to the pressure of female fans, hurriedly regains her reason.
Deciding to endure only until moving to the VIP seats, she deals with the girl fans recalling the appearance of famous stars doing fan service in her past life.
“I read 「The Bridges of Imperium Town」 and was so moved that I wrote lots of reviews and distributed several copies to people around me!”
“Ah, really── thank you so much. Since you like it so much, I feel good writing it too.”
Noel, who almost spat out words considered taboo in the idol fandom unknowingly, hurriedly corrected her remark.
And although there was a limit because there were too many people, she was barely liberated only after dealing with them as sincerely as possible until just before the play started.
“You worked hard.”
Greeting from Princess Lydia, who was watching Noel doing the fan meeting instead of moving to the VIP seats first.
“Don’t just watch, help me….”
Seeing such a Princess Lydia, she couldn't help but feel resentful.
“I thought about doing so, but you looked like you were enjoying it.”
“Mmm….”
That is true.
It was hard, but at the same time, it was a moment she liked because she could personally experience the fans' hot love.
Anyway, now that the fan meeting is over, only moving to the seats before the play starts remains──.
“Oh my, who is that over there?”
Just as they were about to move, ‘Desu-wa’ appeared.