WICE 43

Chapter 43

• Clatter, clatter.

The horse leapt forward energetically, pulling the carriage along. The carriage was heading toward the Red Forest, and inside, Roni sat with a vacant expression.

Strictly speaking, though, they were actually going to Molden, a city near the forest.

Roni, with no magical ability, had no reason whatsoever to step foot on such a dangerous land. It seemed this world was determined to drag her into the plot of the comic one way or another.

To explain Roni’s current situation, it all began with a retainer from the royal family who came to the castle.

Some time after Gale had been sent, a knight arrived at the castle officially, displaying the crest of the Ron family. He paid his respects to Leo and delivered a message from the royal family. Leo, upon receiving the message, looked at the knight in surprise.

“Is this true?”

“Yes. The Seventh Prince has requested that Lady Roni Shalrig and accompany him.”

The message stated that Prince Ron Cansio, the Seventh Prince, had chosen Roni Shalrig as the painter to capture the scenes of the upcoming hunting festival.

Leo had vaguely realized from a previous gift that Roni had some connection to the royal family, but he was surprised to learn it was the young Prince Ron Cansio.

The prince was known to be extremely cautious and unapproachable, with almost no close companions.

Since the Ron family had multiple princes and princesses, there were many secrets surrounding those without succession rights. Nobles knew even less about them.

Among them, Prince Ron Cansio was a mysterious figure shrouded in rumor. So for the Seventh Prince to officially request Roni’s presence as a painter was quite significant.

Especially considering there were countless official royal painters, asking a mere young lady to paint for such a prestigious event was unusual.

Leo smiled warmly, impressed by Roni’s unexpected connections. Entrusting the event to someone with no prior experience did not match the stature of the Seventh Prince. Yet the recommendation showed how much he trusted and valued Roni.

As a child, she had rarely shown her feelings, making it difficult to form friendships. It was touching to see her now being cared for by those around her.

Leo called Roni into his office. Unaware of the reason, Roni entered, gave proper respects to the royal knight, and sat beside Leo.

“The royal family wants to take you to the hunting festival,” he said.

“What? I don’t have any magical talent… You want to take me to such a dangerous place?”

“It’s not a combat assignment. You’ll observe between them and paint for the emperor. It will be a good experience for you as well.”

“But…”

“The royal knights will escort you, so there’s nothing to worry about. I just worry you might get fatigued from the long journey.”

Leo looked at Roni kindly. Roni, finding the situation absurd, double-checked the message.

‘Cansio, what are you doing?’

Roni had no intention of going to such a terrifying place—a place that might lead straight to the afterlife before returning to Earth. The thought of seeing monsters she’d only seen in comics made her head spin. It wasn’t a place for a graceful death.

Roni recalled illusion magic, nervously touching her neck.

“This is scary…” she muttered.

She looked at the knight with pitiful eyes. The knight, slightly awkward, straightened up and replied:

“Prince Cansio said he is showing great mercy to Lady Roni. Being entrusted with painting for the festival is considered an honor for the family.”

“That may be true, but…”

“All other official painters will accompany you, so it will be a valuable experience. He insisted you go together.”

There was sense in his words. A trip for such a major event at the emperor’s request was indeed special.

For Roni, whose only previous recognition was a contest prize, being tasked with this responsibility clearly reflected Prince Cansio’s influence.

However, she had no desire to witness those terrifying monsters and bloodshed in real life. As she hesitated, Irene grabbed her hand.

“It’s the royal family’s order; there’s no choice. But I feel relieved knowing you’ll go with Gale.”

“Mother…”

Irene wiped her tearful eyes with a handkerchief. Though she spoke calmly, the thought of sending her delicate daughter to such a place made her heart sink.

Having been lovingly cared for by her mother for five years, Roni felt emotional seeing tears in her mother’s eyes. She forced a bright smile, pushing aside her own fears.

“Don’t worry, Mother. If I get hurt, it’ll tarnish the royal family’s dignity, so they’ll protect me. Besides, I get to see Gale, so I’m happy.”

With that, she comforted her mother and climbed into the carriage.

Back in the present, Roni shot an annoyed glance at an overly excited Cansio. If a maid weren’t beside him, she might have smacked his cheerful head.

She knew he wanted to do something nice for her, so she said nothing. She just didn’t want to plant a death flag on her life, which would only last a year before returning. Especially since she had a weak constitution for bloody places.

“Cansio, you seem excited.”

Roni, conscious of their surroundings, called him politely. Cansio smiled mischievously at her.

‘I want to mess up that tied-up hair of yours.’

Roni scolded him in her imagination but dared not act on it; she couldn’t hit a royal.

“I’m excited because I’ll be traveling with you,” he said.

‘You care more about your trip than my career, don’t you?!’

Cansio treated the hunting festival like a trip. Though young, he had been thoroughly trained by the royal family and had some confidence in magic.

But Roni was different. If she got distracted, her fragile body could be torn apart by monsters. She remembered a previous illusion magic incident where her neck was ripped and swallowed nervously.

Ah, no. Scary. Really scary.

“Haah…”

She sighed. Even if she wanted to run, what choice did she have? The comic had already decided to pull her in, so whether it was Cansio or another excuse, she would end up in the Red Forest.

It wasn’t pleasant, but being under the royal family’s protection was the safest option. Roni looked at Cansio and said:

“You have to protect me properly. I may seem tough, but I’m a weakling who’d be done for with one blow from a monster.”

“Don’t worry. If anything happens to you, the commander of the knights will resign immediately.”

“Ha… I can’t get hurt then.”

Roni wanted to scold him for abusing his power, but meeting as a princess and prince, she stayed silent.

Seeing the lives of the knights outside the carriage in her hands, she sighed, thinking she had to avoid trouble and hide properly.

“Master, why is the food so salty?”

“I seasoned it myself, so it must be a bit salty.”

Cansio, with a rough voice like a farmer finishing work and having a drink, criticized the food, calling her master. Roni, exasperated, quickly adjusted the seasoning and snatched the food back.

How many roleplays had this been? On the way to the Red Forest, she switched between being a tavern keeper, princess, thug, and villain, following Cansio’s antics. There was no flow, just constant switching.

The maids who first saw them were shocked but seemed to ignore it, seeing that the prince was indulgent with her rudeness.

There seemed no sign of reaching Molden. On the third day of travel, they stopped in nearby villages to rest as night fell.

Teleportation would have been nice in this magical world, but magic here was limited and varied by individual, so they avoided using it for trivial matters.

Roni managed the first day, but by the second day, travel fatigue set in. The carriage was uncomfortable, nerves were frayed, and she treated the prince as usual. Cansio seemed to like that.

“You seasoned it yourself? No wonder it’s salty.”

“Then stop eating it!”

She smiled and shoved bread into his mouth. Cansio glanced at her but chewed anyway.

Was this how it felt to take care of a child? He seemed thoughtful during serious talks but acted wildly otherwise.

At that moment, Jack, Prince Cansio’s knight who had visited Shalrigan Castle, spoke:

“Prince Cansio, we’ll soon arrive in Molden.”

‘Fi-finally!’

Roni’s face brightened at the news.

Jack explained some arrival procedures. Roni watched him with curiosity. She wondered how he wasn’t exhausted always being so alert, standing perfectly straight.

Cansio asked, “Has Freddy arrived?”

“Yes. He’s already unpacked at the hotel and gone to the Red Forest,” Jack replied.

“Why go ahead when I suggested going together?”

“He wanted to meet someone, so he left immediately upon arrival.”

Wait, Freddy?

Roni’s eyes widened at the familiar name.