### Chapter 280 – Room 204, Mission Room – ‘Hotel Cinema’ (4)
—
– Yu Songee
—
A beautiful melody and glamorous dances filled the venue of the Duke’s party.
I walked slowly while observing the surroundings. As I shifted my gaze to the spot where Elena had discovered the crown prince, I spotted a boy with a face full of complaints chatting with his close aides. I approached stealthily, pondering.
Why did Elena fail?
The comrades outside often referred to discrete ‘scenes.’ What if she had acted differently during the party? They discussed considerations for the prince uncovering the rigged fox hunt, among other examples.
But I wanted to delve into a more fundamental discussion. Are you all listening?
*
“Everyone, are you listening?”
“Songee just openly addressed us.”
“Well, she’s probably sharing opinions in anticipation of her own failure.”
“It’d be a disaster if Songee fails! Who else would lure the prince instead of Ahri?”
“Oh my, Eunsol. Don’t you see what’s right in front of you?”
“…”
“Wasn’t Kain supposed to possess Princess Evelyn—”
“Shut up already!”
*
The fundamental issue is the ‘attitude’ of the female protagonist. Elena, upon entering the movie, never once thought of herself as the ‘lead.’ The disappointment she felt towards the prince lingered until the very end of the film.
Such an attitude is like a time bomb waiting to blow; it’s only a matter of when. So, I believe everyone must remember this. They should immerse themselves deeper in the film. At least while they’re inside, they ought to reflect on what it means to be the protagonist.
Just then, the crown prince turned his gaze toward me. Now is the right moment to approach.
“You are—”
“Your Highness, please be mindful of etiquette.”
“… Lady Crosibel, right?”
He wore a demeanor lacking confidence, his face brimming with insecurity and subtle inferiority.
I can see now why Elena didn’t like you. Honestly, even without Elena, it’s hard to imagine why anyone would. But this boy is the ‘male lead.’
So, I placed a hand on my heart and vowed.
I will be entirely on your side. Until this world crumbles, until the movie reaches its conclusion – Yu Songee, no, Songi Crosibel stands with Joshua Persson.
“Your Highness, I heard you recently received a gift of a Thoroughbred horse from the north.”
“Uh? Uh? How did Lady Crosibel know about that—”
“Your Highness, are you forgetting who gifted you the Motian?”
“Oh! Right! Apologies. Please tell Count Crosibel that I received the gift well.”
In the film, various mechanisms were in place to bring the male and female leads closer together. One such mechanism was the crown prince’s prized horse, Motian. The gift-giver was none other than my father in the narrative.
I naturally sat directly across from the prince, blocking his line of sight. The lavish setting of the party held by Duke Berlen—a sight that might be a once-in-a-lifetime view for some, was merely an unpleasant scene for him.
The topic of conversation was easy to find. Since my father had given him the horse, it was only fitting that his daughter would possess the right to discuss it. As I brought up the subject of horses, the prince immediately focused on me.
“Motian keeps trying to throw me off! Something must be wrong with what he ate!”
“Should I apologize?”
“Ugh! That’s not what I meant. It’s a horse of precious lineage! I just need to take a bit more care in training him.”
After just a brief exchange, I sensed it. This boy cannot endure anyone being ‘above’ him. He only feels at ease conversing with someone beneath him. In that context, it’s understandable that Elena’s height might sometimes make the prince uncomfortable.
Another fact— the crown prince already likes me. Honestly, I’m not as pretty as Elena—wait, why am I even having this thought!
*
“I’m not as pretty as Elena—wait, why am I even having this thought!”
“…”
“Forget the line about Elena!”
“I’ve already forgotten.”
“Forgotten? What line just passed through?”
*
Cough! It’s natural for the prince to like me instantly. This isn’t reality; it’s a ‘romantic’ movie!
The heir of a conglomerate loves an ordinary girl.
The emperor falls for a plain maid.
A noble or a tower master falls head-over-heels for a commoner on the street.
It’s all nonsense, but within a romance movie, such developments are perfectly natural.
So, there’s no need for a breathtaking beauty like Elena to seduce the prince. Even my brother Kain possessing Princess Evelyn is enough to win over the prince.
Now, let’s focus on the conversation.
Our talk transitioned naturally from the horse Motian to the exotic parrot raised by the prince. It’s only natural for the heir of a prestigious family to have lavish hobbies. The prince casually brought up his ‘private zoo.’
“Lady Crosibel.”
“You may call me by my name.”
“Lady Songee? That’s an unusual name.”
“Indeed, it was given to me by my mother.”
That mother is not present here.
The prince ended by warmly inviting me to the ‘fox hunt,’ and I naturally accepted with a big smile, just as the space began to shake.
That event— the one Elena failed at. How should I respond? After discussing with my comrades right before entering the film, I formed my own conclusion.
*
— Bang!
“Oh! Sir Pendleton, you truly are spot on!”
“Haha! George, it’s nothing special. When a fox just stops in front of a tree asking to be hit, failing to do so would be foolish. Just like the time two years ago when I was deployed to the northern front—”
— Bang!
“…”
“… The prince doesn’t seem accustomed to shooting yet.”
The early stages of the hunting event mirrored Elena’s experience.
That oblivious Pendleton was busy taking down all the visible foxes with pinpoint accuracy, while initially, the prince seemed delighted to have me by his side. However, he soon began wearing a gloomy expression.
What a tiresome person.
… Time to stop that line of thinking. I had resolved to stand by this boy until the very end.
“Your Highness, wouldn’t you prefer to head that way?”
“There shouldn’t be many foxes over there, right?”
The prince appeared a bit taken aback as he glanced in the direction I was pointing but ultimately began to move as I requested.
“I… apologize. I don’t particularly enjoy hunting.”
“… Neither do I.”
“Oh my! You feel the same way? Don’t you think this kind of hunting is too barbaric? To kill foxes without meaning, all for a fleeting pleasure… it’s hard to comprehend. What makes that Pendleton so joyful?”
“W-Well, Sir Pendleton is a bit violent in nature. He’s said to have acted like a mercenary on the battlefield. Truthfully, I don’t really favor unnecessary killing either. Is there any reason to kill foxes mindlessly for one’s amusement?”
With a slight crouch, I extended my hand. A fox nearby hesitated, then began to approach me.
A mysterious atmosphere enveloped the approaching fox. I could feel the prince’s aides and guards momentarily speechless as they gazed at me. The prince was also wide-eyed.
“How did you do that…?”
“Well, let’s say…”
*
“Well, let’s say…”
“No, seriously, how did you do that? Did you use Affinity?”
“Brother, Songee took the bracelet, so she doesn’t have a Blessing.”
“True.”
“The Blessing wouldn’t matter against a fox; it only works on ‘chaotic beings.’ It’s a simple trick, so why can’t they see it?”
Ahri’s exasperation drew the attention of those around us. They were genuinely clueless about that ‘trick,’ which left Ahri astounded.
“Didn’t you notice the glimmering bracelet? And the fox flinching as it moved? Songee likely made it see only the narrow path leading to herself.”
Kain thought something different was absurd.
“That prince, I remember vividly how he was laughing while cramming fox corpses into a treasure chest alongside Elena. What’s up with him declaring he doesn’t like unnecessary killing?”
*
While the world blazed around me, the one living route approached me with shivering anticipation, fearful of falling into the inferno. Of course, the spectators surrounding the spectacle marveled at the mystique of it all.
Then, out of nowhere, an unexpected variable emerged.
— Bang!
Just as the fox settled on the ground, someone pulled the trigger and shot the fox!
“Ahhh!”
In that moment, I genuinely screamed in shock and fell to the ground, marking the highlight of the day.
“Who the hell fired?!”
“Your Highness, please be careful with the words—”
“Shut it! If you say another word, I’ll pluck your eyes out! Whoever just shot that gun, step forward now! Rupert!”
“Your Highness, what would you like to say?”
“I just pulled the trigger in the direction where Songee was! This is practically an assassination attempt, isn’t it?!”
“Perhaps they were aiming for the fox on the ground…?”
“What if they missed? They could’ve hit me!”
“I’ll find out immediately.”
The crown prince’s furious energy swept across the hunting ground, turning heads. After all, this film’s backdrop was of a class-based nation. Ultimately, a determined crown prince could easily overpower mere nobles.
Swiftly, a host of noble youths were apprehended, darting about as they frantically deflected blame. Not me, it was him; no, it was that guy!
Amid the chaotic scene at the hunting ground, as I stood in shock…
The crown prince approached me.
“D-Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to penalize whoever caused this incident! Y-You weren’t hurt, right?”
This development isn’t too bad. I could hardly suppress the smile creeping onto my face.
“Not at all.”
For the first time, the boy in front of me became the ‘male lead.’
“W-Well, Lady Songee.”
“Speak freely.”
“I-In truth, today’s fox hunt was a total disaster. That’s a real pity… How about next week, you come by to see my private zoo?”
This flow was something that had never occurred during Elena’s time.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.