Chapter 527: A Familiar Desperate Situation
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 527: A Familiar Desperate Situation
"Everything is such a coincidence. I believe this is what they call fate."
Ariel spoke with absolute certainty, her cheeks flushed with a radiant, healthy glow.
"It seems even the Goddess of Fate is smiling upon me!"
"..."
Smile my ass!
If the Goddess of Fate were actually looking out for you, she wouldn't have let you meet me in the first place.
Besides, if you ever found out my true identity, wouldn't you just want to go ram your head against a wall and die?
Or is this so-called 'Goddess’s favor' really just a manifestation of your own delusions?
Is the Protagonist Aura really so powerful that it completely ignores narrative logic? A protagonist abandoning the heroines to fall for a blonde villain... even in the modern society of my past life, that would be considered absolutely wild!
Muen fought to keep his eye from twitching as he ranted frantically in his head.
The thought of simply revealing his identity right then and there just to watch Ariel die of embarrassment flickered through his mind, but he snuffed it out instantly.
He didn't know if Ariel would actually kill herself, but he knew for damn sure that if he revealed who he was, she’d drag him down to hell with her. She’d probably mince him into a thousand pieces just to make sure every trace of the evidence was destroyed.
No one would ever allow their ultimate "dark history" to continue existing in this world.
No, I have to find a way to get away.
If he let her drag this out any longer, his plan would definitely fail. When he got back, he’d have to face Celicia’s "you’re a piece of trash" look of disdain and get kicked by her long, black-stockinged legs... Wait. That actually sounded kind of nice?
No, no, no! Stop thinking like that! I’m not some kind of pervert.
Muen took a deep breath, forced his facial expression into something neutral, and said slowly, "Miss Ariel, I understand how you feel, but can we catch up later? I have something very important to do right now."
"Something important?"
Ariel blinked. She glanced at the "fat pig" of a man nearby out of the corner of her eye and seemed to reach a conclusion. Suddenly, she puffed out her chest and patted it confidently.
"I can help you with whatever it is! Don't worry, Miss Muse. I might not look like much, but I am the heir to the Bugard family. I can settle any minor trouble for you!"
"No, no, no... the 'thing' I’m talking about isn't about dealing with this fat pig. I’m..."
"You’re what?"
"..."
Muen’s words caught in his throat.
He realized he couldn't exactly tell Ariel that he was currently playing the role of a stalker—no, an infiltrator—and that he needed to have a private conversation with a man, preferably alone in a room.
Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't be a problem. But considering his current identity and the way Ariel was looking at him right now...
His intuition told him that saying it out loud would lead to a massive disaster.
But...
Looking at Ariel, who was staring at him like a curious puppy, looking ready to play the hero and sweep away any evil at a moment's notice, Muen found himself unable to come up with a good excuse on the fly.
In that case... he had to use the universal solution.
Unfortunately, he couldn't use mana, so he had to settle for the simplified version.
Muen took a deep breath and suddenly pointed behind Ariel.
"Look! A royal pastry chef is passing by with a fresh batch of Panini cakes! Limited supply!"
"What? Panini cakes!"
Hearing those words, Ariel turned around almost instinctively.
In those two or three seconds while her back was turned, Muen—who couldn't use fighting spirit or mana—suddenly exploded with a burst of speed that transcended his physical limits.
He spun around and bolted in a silent sprint!
"Huh? There’s nothing there."
Ariel turned back toward the silent, empty corridor.
But when she turned around, the hallway remained silent and empty.
Muen’s silhouette had already vanished around the corner.
"Eh? Miss Muse, where are you going?"
"..."
"She ran? Why? It’s not like I’m going to eat her."
Watching the beauty of her dreams slip away, Ariel couldn't help but feel a surge of intense disappointment.
She didn't understand why that beauty always treated her like a plague to be avoided.
Was she being too "predatory"? Had she scared her off?
That shouldn't be right. She had always adhered to the "gentle conquest" route, using subtle influence to sublimate their feelings over time.
After all, if you want to be a "wrench" and bend someone, being too forceful might accidentally break them. This was the conclusion Ariel had reached after reading countless works by relationship masters.
But things hadn't even started between her and the beauty yet, so why...
"Wait... hold on. If I think about it carefully, maybe she wasn't trying to avoid me. After all... I don't think I did anything particularly aggressive or annoying."
Ariel carefully recalled the details from a moment ago. Suddenly, she clapped her hands in realization.
"And most importantly... if she really hated me, how did she know I like Panini cakes?"
Exactly!
That was the detail she had overlooked.
How did Miss Muse know that?
It wasn't just a general preference like "liking cake" or "having a sweet tooth." Such a specific preference was something no one would know unless she told them herself, or if they...
Observed her in secret!
Gathered intelligence!
Paid attention to her every move!
"Could it be that Miss Muse has actually been silently watching me from the shadows without me knowing?"
Ariel covered her reddening cheeks, her mind racing with this bold idea.
She kept telling herself it might just be her imagination, but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the only possibility.
How else could she explain it? They weren't exactly old acquaintances!
"No, I have to find her and ask her clearly!"
Her disappointment vanished, replaced by a look of firm determination.
Perhaps Miss Muse’s hurried departure wasn't because she had business to attend to, but because she was shy!
She was shy because she had suddenly run into the person she admired! That would explain why she looked so startled just now.
Of course, this might just be her own overactive ego talking, but regardless, she wouldn't be able to rest until she knew the answer.
Ariel knew well that in many romance stories, "unspoken feelings" were one of the primary reasons two people missed their chance at love!
"I will absolutely not let that happen!"
Ariel pumped her fist. She kicked off the high heels she had never been comfortable in, hiked up the skirt of her formal dress, and sprinted toward the direction where Miss Muse had disappeared!
"Wait for me, Miss Muse! Let me solve your troubles for you!"
*
"Hah... hah..."
Inside a dark room, Muen panted heavily, trying to regulate his breathing.
It wasn't that the run had exhausted him physically, but rather the thrill of the chase. His heart was pounding so hard that his breath had become ragged.
"Damn it, Ariel actually chased after me? Why? Can't she see I was desperately trying to get away from her?"
He thought that escaping that way would settle everything. Even if Ariel ended up hating the "Muse" identity, it wouldn't matter—in fact, it would be a good thing.
But Muen never expected that even with "disgust" practically written all over his face, Ariel would still give chase.
What was the deal?
Was Ariel’s pursuit of beautiful girls always this ferocious?
If she was really so thirsty that she’d relentlessly stalk a woman she’d only met a few times just because she was her type, how did Liya manage to stay in her "pot" for ten whole years without the water ever boiling over?
Or was it possible that his current beauty was so world-shaking that it could actually change a person's fundamental nature?
He didn't get it. He didn't get it at all.
"Damn it, I only have a general idea of where Prince Albert lives. I didn't even pay attention to where I was going. Where am I?"
Once his breathing leveled out, Muen finally had the chance to survey his surroundings.
Because he was in the palace, he couldn't use fighting spirit or mana. Relying solely on his physical strength, he found it impossible to shake Ariel.
Ariel’s physical stats seemed to be slightly higher than his, and she appeared to be extremely skilled at tracking. He couldn't lose her.
Furthermore, Muen had to avoid the patrolling Royal Knights. If he were stopped and questioned, he’d really be trapped. Due to all these factors, not only had he failed to evade Ariel, but the distance between them was actually closing.
In desperation, Muen had left the majestic main halls of the palace, crossed through the complex terrain of the royal gardens, and arrived in an unfamiliar area.
There was another reason he came here: he remembered that the First Prince lived somewhere in this direction.
But with Ariel hot on his heels, Muen didn't have time to worry about the details. He picked a room at random, used his Lockpicking skill to open the door, and ducked inside.
And that led to his current predicament...
Muen looked around and found that the room was quite spacious and opulently decorated. A stone balcony draped with light gauze stood opposite the door, offering a view of half the royal gardens.
"This doesn't look like a servant's room..."
Muen lowered his head in thought, intending to check the other areas of the room. But then, a long, familiar voice drifted in from the hallway...
"Miss Muse... Beautiful... Where are you...?"
The voice echoed through the empty corridor, sounding exceptionally eerie and terrifying. For a moment, Muen felt like the person outside wasn't a girl chasing love, but a vengeful spirit coming for his soul.
Muen froze. He quickly covered his mouth and held his breath.
Damn it, she actually found this place? Does the 'favor of the world' that belongs to a Child of Destiny really work for stuff like this too?
Use that kind of power for something serious like saving the world, you bastard!
"Miss... Muse..."
The voice seemed to be getting closer.
"Come... out..."
Because of the echoes, Muen couldn't pinpoint her exact location.
"Don't... be... afraid..."
Muen felt like crying. This act of hiding in a room to escape a beautiful girl who was madly chasing him... why did it feel so familiar?
He felt like he had experienced this somewhere before.
According to how these things usually went, the next step would be...
Just as Muen’s mind was wandering, the handle of the door not far away suddenly clicked and turned downward.
"Ah... you're... in here, aren't you?"
Muen’s eyes widened. In an instant, his heart stopped.