Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 40: The Flower Of The Grand Ducal Betrothal - Unveiling Ceremony (2)

Why?

Why of all times, today?

On today of all days, when the veil was finally removed,

Why would the Spy disappear just before the Unveiling Ceremony?

Could it be...

That he has been caught by Elden?

No,

That’s impossible.

It has to be.

Even Gelwood said so,

He hired the best money could afford.

Such a skilled person wouldn’t be caught by someone like Elden.

Or...perhaps his female escort Knight was the one who had discovered him?

...Surely not.

Although she was known as [The Purple Knight] due to her exceptional martial skills, this doesn’t necessarily mean she excelled at detection.

After all, they had hired the best spy in business...

Yes,

It can’t be.

It must be just some minor problem.

Perhaps something urgent had happened and he had to step away for a moment.

Something so urgent that made it impossible to report.

Of course, it must be something like that.

“...My Lady?”

It has to be.

It must.

For someone as slippery as Elden, one must not give him even a single inch, otherwise he will take a mile.

“My Lady!”

“Huh?”

Lumia regained her composure with Marien’s shout and found herself already standing behind the podium.

Lost in thought, Lumia didn’t even remember how she arrived here.

Because of a curse, she had lived her whole life hidden away from the world.

Because of a curse, she went through hell in the Academy.

Now, the moment she had always dreamed of, was within her reach. She would reveal herself to the world as Lumia Winterfell, yet...Her mind was cluttered with thoughts of Elden Raphelion once again.

“What is it?”

“You need to focus, My Lady! This is the moment you dreamed of all your life.”

“Ah...Right, right...”

It should have been a glorious moment.

Today she would finally throw off that stifling mask and stand proudly before the world.

At the same time, she would confront the Villainous Quartet that had tortured her. She would declare that their time for repentance had come.

But then, why was her heart shuddering with anxiety, instead of beating with joy?

Why was she feeling irritated instead of excited?

Why was she feeling suffocated, instead of being free?

“Sigh...”

Lumia sighed.

Anxiety, irritation, and suffocation.

Although she couldn’t simply shake off these feelings with a mere sigh, Lumia cleared her mind as best as she could and gazed at the podium.

The platform was so high that she had to crank up her neck to see the top.

Her freedom awaited at the summit.

“Introducing the Third Northern Duchess...Lumia Winterfell-!!”

The thunderous voice of the announcer boomed from the top.

Lifting the helms of her white dress, Lumia took the first step.

Step by step,

She cautiously ascended the podium.

Since Lumia preferred flat shoes over high heels, she struggled with the first steps, but the rigorous training she had undergone helped make this journey easier.

Today, she wouldn’t fail.

Lumia would stand tall before the Quartet and smile brightly.

With such resolve, she climbed the stairs and stood on the Podium.

Then, she saw,

The gigantic crowd looking up at her.

She saw,

The Villainous Quartet looking up at her.

“Kyaa-! It’s the D-Duchess!”

“Oh My Gosh-! Even that mask can’t conceal her beauty!”

“She must be so dreamy~!!”

“D-Duchess! Please look over here-!!”

As Lumia stood as the center of attention, a vibrant and hearty cheer erupted all around her.

People shouted, whistled, and waved their hands joyfully.

Her father looked at her with eyes filled with emotion.

Lumia took it in stride,

It was a perfect moment.

A joyful moment.

The moment she had been dreaming for all her life.

But the only problem was,

......

All that joy disappeared the moment she looked at Elden.

It was as if his face had triggered an illusion that they were the only people left in the world.

His eyes had always been fierce and predatory, but somehow, they now seemed as innocent and as gentle as those of a puppy.

Those naive eyes were looking up at her.

At that moment,

......

Why was she feeling afraid?

Why did those innocent eyes seem to contain a dark intent?

Had he truly discovered her spy?

Could it be he was planning on using that against her?

Lumia couldn’t help but be anxious.

How did she climb here? Where had her feelings and resentments, after enduring that hell gone to?

About her will and resolve? Her plans? Both for today and of the future?

The moment she stepped down from this platform, Lumia was sure he would find a way to ruin everything.

Of course, she had no intention of going down so easily, but the feeling of being entangled with him...Was enough to fuel her fears.

It was unfair.

It was utterly unfair how the victim was the one feeling such anxiety towards the perpetrator.

She had dreamed of seeing that evil man kneeling as he wept, begging for forgiveness.

Lumia just wanted to be free of this anxiety and unfairness.

If only she had heeded Gelwood’s advice about ceasing Elden’s surveillance......

If only she hadn’t been stubborn about those useless reports....

“NOW-! The Third Northern Duchess-!! Lumia Winterfell shall remove her mask and reveal herself to the world-!!!”

The events continued to unfold regardless of her internal turmoil.

But despite all of it, her gaze still remained fixated solely on Elden.

She stared at his face as her hands touched the mask.

The reactions of the other three were easy to guess, but Elden’s reaction remained unpredictable.

Deron, Blund, and Kyle should have felt something off during the first and second evaluations.

The tests were simply too bizarre.

Thus, the moment they saw her face, they would recall the past, regardless of her hair color.

But,

What would Elden do?

Lumia watched their expressions as she slowly removed her mask.

“Finally~!”

“Please show us your peerless beauty-!”

Lowering the mask, Lumia’s smooth forehead was exposed, and a burst of joy erupted in the plaza.

When her blue, gem-like eyes were unveiled, the crowd roared.

As her perky nose appeared, ecstasy bloomed.

And when her plump red lips were shown...A thunderous cheer resounded.

“Wowwww-!!”

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freёnovelkiss.com.

“Kyaaa-!!”

But none of their voices reached Lumia’s ears.

1 Second.

His face was calm.

2 Seconds.

His eyebrow perked.

3 Seconds.

His eyes widened.

4 Seconds.

His mouth gaped open.

5 Seconds.

Then, his face became frozen in terror.

......

At last.

Now Lumia could disregard the hypothesis that Elden already knew her identity from his reaction.

But of course,

Lumia completely misunderstood Elden’s reaction.

**

Hah?! F*ck! What is this shit! Isn’t she a little too beautiful?!

It was crazy,

Pure madness.

How could something like that even be human?

Did a goddess descend?

No,

The official illustration on the cover was some crappy AI-Generated image, wasn’t it....?

And yet, despite the strange angle he was seeing her from, one that would typically make even a pretty face have a double chin, she still looked utterly divine.

Even from a distance, one could clearly see her features.

For some absurd reason, the current Lumia was far prettier than the Erenscia from Elden’s memories ever was.

Could it be that Ariel was right? Perhaps white really is her color...

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say a goddess must have personally sculpted her face.

A beauty so profound that even the most advanced AI couldn’t replicate it.

Luckily, I wasn’t the only one reacting like that, every single person gathered here seemed to be the same.

The rumors alleging her ‘ugliness’ were completely destroyed in an instant, for Lumia’s beauty was dazzling enough to blind people.

Ah, I think I could even see an honest-to-goodness halo on top of her head...

She was simply that beautiful.

Apparently, our little Heroine was not just photogenic...

Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but I was confident that Lumia’s beauty was something absolute.

If the original novel hadn’t been a female-centered Romance-Fantasy made only for its female readers...Then I don’t doubt many of the ‘male’ leads would have fallen for her at first sight.

And then,

“Wowww-!!”

“Kyaaaaa-!!”

Clap, clap, clap, clap!

The resounding cheers and applause from people of all ages indicated no further explanation was needed concerning her beauty.

I turned my head back.

Among the cheering crowd, only Ariel showed a different response.

??????????????????

Her face was filled with question marks,

She had met with the white-haired ‘Erenscia’ just a few days ago.

Her expression was so comical that I almost burst out laughing, but I had to hold it in lest I cause some misunderstanding with Lumia.

Then, I turned around and looked at the Regretful Trio.

As expected,

“...!”

“...?!”

“...!!!?”

The idiots kept looking at each other with pale faces,

They must have been bewildered since neither of the first or second evaluations were ordinary.

From their expressions, it seemed that the heroine’s plan to hint at something had worked perfectly.

A moment later,

Click-Clack.

Click-Clack.

Click-Clack.

Lumia began her descent from the platform.

As she neared the ground, their reactions only deepened.

For the Regretful Trio, this must feel like death slowly approaching.

“Ahh! I wish I could see the Duchess up close-!”

“Duchess~! Please come here too-!!”

Thus, Lumia stepped off the platform.

From left to right stood Deron, Blund, Kyle, and then, me.

So, Deron was the first one to receive her greeting.

As Lumia stretched her hand, Deron kissed it.

Then Lumia said something to him, but her words became muffled by the crowd’s yells.

Given that Deron’s face became paler than a ghost, Lumia’s words didn’t seem like an ordinary greeting.

Then, as she also greeted Blund and stood before Kyle,

It seemed like she would repeat her actions, but the moment she had removed her mask, Kyle’s body trembled, and as she approached him and opened her mouth, he fainted.

That was the start of the commotion.

“Kyaa~! The Duchess’ beauty was so overwhelming that Lord Kyle fainted!”

“Heh~ And who could handle such divine beauty-!!”

To the crowd, it seemed that Kyle had fainted from witnessing Lumia’s beauty.

As Blund quickly moved in to assist Kyle, Lumia approached me.

Wow...She’s even more beautiful up close...Fuck! This is insane... What a fucking beautiful woman.

A storm of curses raged in my mind as I faced such a divine presence.

From Elden’s memories, Erenscia had always been a plain woman, who dressed more like a commoner. But the current Lumia...was a completely different person.

When she extended her hand, I quickly kissed her porcelain-like backhand and looked at her.

Then,

“Will you reject me now?”

Her words were spoken with the confidence of toppling entire Kingdoms with just her face.

......

.........

............

Whew-.

I almost said ‘No’......