Meanwhile.
"...da, ka, ra, aahhh...!"
Lena, who had been waiting in the carriage, muttered in Elandic under her breath, trying desperately not to crush the book she held in her hands.
"Why does everything involving him always end up being interpreted so excessively...?"
She gripped the book so tightly that her veins stood out. The spine of the book read, "The Bride of the Spirits, or the Selfless Saint Leonora (Vol. 2)."
Lena had just finished reading the fifteenth chapter, titled "Love, Can You Hear Me? ~ The Vow of the Gold Coin King ~."
"What's with this tearful, modest, and pure-hearted girl act? Sure, I'm a beautiful girl, but that's not what happened! He just said, 'Don't follow me!'"
She referred to the scene where she, too, had tried to stop Prince Albert from going to the lower town. While collecting the holy maiden bombs that Leo kept unconsciously dropping, she had misspoken, making Albert more stubborn. Eventually, she managed to get him to reconsider staying as a prince. Leo, relieved, had said, "Thank goodness! Please forget about me. You'll find someone better, I promise!" in his usual clumsy manner, which ended up being interpreted as:
"Please, forget about me. There will surely be someone more suitable for you, Prince. I believe it."
This, through the filter of a noblewoman's imagination, had been transformed into a grand scene worthy of a full orchestral background.
This tone persisted throughout the entire story.
Lena, feeling nauseated, was about to turn the page to chapter sixteen.
"No matter what happens, the narrative always seems to bend towards hiding his true identity. It's like a curse... terrifying!"
Because of this curse, the merely fortunate miser was eternally viewed as a pure saint.
At first, Lena had felt some sympathy for Prince Albert, who had been separated from his beloved due to their scheming. But now, she wondered if she had just gifted him with a bittersweet memory of his "eternal first love."
From across the seat, Bruno, arms crossed, spoke to Lena, who was trembling with emotion.
"If it's so dreadful, why don't you just stop reading it?"
"Shut up! This is like a scab that's about to peel off, or a hangnail that's about to tear. Even though I know it's going to hurt, I can't help but pick at it. This is all your fault anyway, Bruno!"
Lena shouted back, her eyes scanning the page with a cold sweat.
Bruno sighed and lifted the curtain from the window.
"He's late."
"He's probably out there creating more saintly legends. I bet a copper coin that 'The Departure from the Academy' will become a painting in six months."
"I agree. Not much of a bet. But Emilio and the others are waiting for him in the backyard of the orphanage. If he's too late, they'll start crying—"
Bruno's grumbling was cut short.
Curious, Lena looked up from her book. Bruno, staring out the window, had a faint smile on his usually stern lips.
"Good for you, Leo," he murmured softly.
"What?" Lena asked, not catching his words. Bruno shook his head slightly.
"Nothing. Just that he's an unreliable friend."
"What does that mean?" Lena frowned.
Just then, a delicate voice called out, "Sorry to keep you waiting."
YOU ARE READING
Muyoku no Seijo wa Okane ni Tokimeku
RomanceI do not own this story. Leo, a young scrooge who loves money more than anything, unexpectedly had his body swapped with a beautiful young girl who had unusual circumstances named Leonora. Leonora was the young daughter of a fallen marquisate family...
