Chapter 524: A Familiar Desperate Situation

“Everything lining up like this—I believe this is what people call fate.”

Ariel spoke with absolute conviction, her cheeks glowing with a radiant flush.

“Looks like the Goddess of Fate is watching over me too!”

“......”

Bullshit.

If the Goddess of Fate were really watching over you, she would never have let you cross paths with me in the first place.

Otherwise, if you found out my real identity, would you try to bash your head in on the spot?

Or is this so-called divine favor actually tailored to your inner thoughts?

Has the protagonist’s Heaven-ordained buff gotten so overpowered it doesn’t care about plot logic anymore? The protagonist dumping the heroine to fall for the yellow-haired villain... even back in my previous life’s modern world, that would’ve been pretty damn explosive!

Muen was desperately controlling the corner of his eye that was about to cramp as he ranted inwardly at high speed.

The thought of just revealing his identity and then watching Ariel slam her head into a wall had only just popped into his mind when he immediately strangled it to death.

—Whether Ariel would actually bash her head in, he didn’t know. But Muen knew very well that if he revealed his identity, before she died she would definitely drag him down with her, then chop him into little pieces to thoroughly destroy the evidence.

Before a person dies, there’s no way they’re going to leave their black history behind in the world.

No, he needed to think of a way to get out of this.

If he kept being dragged down like this, there was no way he’d complete his plan. Then he’d have to face Celicia’s disdainful “you useless trash” stare and her black-stockings long legs kicking him in the ass... Huh? That actually sounds kind of nice?

No, no, no, don’t think like that. It’s not like he’s some pervert.

Muen took a deep breath and forcibly straightened out his expression, then said slowly,

“Miss Ariel, I understand how you feel, but could we talk about this another time? I have something very important to do right now.”

“Something important?”

Ariel blinked. Her gaze swept once over the dead fat pig lying off to the side, and as if understanding something, she suddenly puffed out her chest and patted it.

“If you’ve got something to do, I can help you. Don’t worry, Miss Muse. I’m still the heir of the Bugaard family, you know. I can take care of ordinary problems for you!”

“No, no, no... the thing I’m talking about isn’t dealing with this dead fat pig. I’m—”

“What is it?”

“......”

Muen’s words snagged mid-sentence.

He realized that there was no way he could tell Ariel that he was about to go do some stalker creep... no, a **, then have a private talk with a man and preferably even be alone with him in a room.

Under normal circumstances, that wouldn’t be a problem. But thinking about his current identity, and then about the way Ariel was looking at him right now...

Saying it out loud would absolutely cause a huge problem. His instincts screamed it at him.

But...

Staring at Ariel—who looked at him like a curious child, ready at any moment to rush in like a hero saving a damsel and sweep away all evil—Muen couldn’t think up a decent excuse for a moment.

If that was the case... he could only use that universal solution.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t use magic, so he could only use a simplified version.

Muen sank his breath into his dantian and suddenly pointed behind Ariel.

“Look! Today’s royal pastry chef is pushing a tray of freshly baked Panini cake past! Limited supply!”

“What, Panini cake?!”

At those words, Ariel turned her head almost on reflex.

And in the two or three seconds while she wasn’t looking, Muen, who couldn’t use battle aura or magic, burst out with speed that surpassed his physical limits.

He twisted around and sprinted away in absolute silence!

“Huh? There’s nothing.”

Ariel turned her head back, her gaze landing once more on the same empty, silent corridor.

But when she looked this time, what she saw was still that same quiet, empty hall.

Muen’s back was already vanishing quickly 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 beautiful woman she’d been thinking about slip away like that, Ariel couldn’t help feeling a strong wave of disappointment.

She didn’t understand why that beautiful lady always acted like she was avoiding her like a poisonous snake.

Was she too carnivorous and scared her off?

No, that couldn’t be it. She’d always stuck to the “gentle route,” using a subtle, gradual approach to deepen their feelings.

—After all, if you want to be a wrench in someone’s relationship, being too forceful might accidentally break them. That was the conclusion Ariel reached after reading countless works by emotional “masters.”

But things between her and the beautiful lady hadn’t even started yet, so why did she...

“Eh? Wait. Thinking about it carefully, maybe the beautiful lady doesn’t actually want to avoid me. After all... I don’t think I’ve done anything overly aggressive or off-putting.”

Ariel carefully replayed some of the earlier details in her mind, then suddenly clapped her hands, her expression lighting up in realization.

“And most importantly... if she really hated me, then why would she know that I like Panini cake?”

That’s right!

That was exactly the part she’d just overlooked.

Why would Miss Muse know that?

After all, this wasn’t some broad preference like “liking cake” or “liking sweets.” With something this specific, if she hadn’t heard it straight from Ariel herself, there was only one way to know...

Secretly watching!

Gathering intel!

Always paying attention!

“Could it be that Miss Muse has actually been quietly watching me from somewhere I don’t know?”

Ariel covered her burning cheeks, that bold idea spinning round and round in her mind.

She kept telling herself that maybe it was just her imagination—but the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like this was the only explanation.

What else could explain it? Miss Muse wasn’t exactly some close acquaintance of hers before this.

“No, I have to find her and ask her clearly!”

As the disappointment faded, determination flashed in Ariel’s eyes once more.

Perhaps Miss Muse hadn’t run away because she had business to attend to, but because she was shy!

Shy from suddenly seeing the person she secretly admired! That would explain the way she looked like she’d been scared half to death just now.

Of course, this might just be her own self-conscious imagination. But either way, if she couldn’t learn the truth, how could she be at peace?

After all, Ariel knew very well that in many love stories, unspoken feelings are one of the main reasons the couple misses their chance!

“I absolutely will not let something like that happen!”

Ariel clenched her fist, kicked off the high heels she’d already been uncomfortable in for ages, lifted the hem of her gown, and sprinted in the direction Miss Muse had disappeared.

“Wait for me, Miss Muse! Let me solve your troubles for you!”

......

......

“Huff... huff...”

Inside a dark room, Muen panted heavily, trying to steady his breathing.

It wasn’t actually because running away had drained too much of his stamina. It was the emotional stress and tension that had sent his heart racing, making his breathing unsteady.

“Damn it, Ariel actually chased me. Why? Can she not see how desperately I was trying to shake her off?”

He had thought that if he slipped away that way, all his problems would be solved. Even if Ariel ended up hating “Muse” because of it, that would be totally fine—actually, it would be great.

But what Muen never expected was that even with the word “disgust” practically written on his face, Ariel still chased after him?

What the hell?

Is Ariel’s pursuit of beautiful girls really this ruthless?

If she were really so starved that she’d cling this hard to a beauty she’d only met a few times—just because the girl was perfectly her type—would Liya really have been able to simmer in her pot for an entire decade?

Or... could it actually be that he was so stunningly beautiful right now that he’d reached the level of shaming flowers and eclipsing the moon, enough to completely change someone’s nature?

He didn’t get it. Not at all.

“Damn it, I only have a rough idea of where Prince Albert lives. I didn’t even pay attention to where this is.”

Once his breathing had evened out a little, Muen finally had the energy to look around.

Because he was in the royal palace, he couldn’t use battle aura or magic, and could only rely on his physical strength, there was no way he could shake Ariel.

From what she’d shown so far, Ariel’s overall abilities even seemed slightly above his own, and she also appeared to be extremely skilled at tracking. Muen just couldn’t lose her at all.

On top of that, he had to avoid the patrolling Royal Knights. If they stopped him to ask questions, he really wouldn’t be able to run. With all that combined, not only did he fail to shake off Ariel, the distance between them had actually shrunk.

With no other choice, Muen had been forced to leave the imposing main hall of the palace, slip through the more complex terrain of the palace gardens, and end up in a completely unfamiliar area.

There was another reason he’d come here: he remembered that the Eldest Prince seemed to live somewhere in this direction as well.

But with Ariel hot on his heels, Muen didn’t have the time to worry about that. He’d simply picked a room at random here, used a lockpicking spell to open the door, and slipped inside.

Which had led to his current situation...

Muen looked around and found that this seemed to be a very spacious room, luxuriously decorated. The stone balcony directly opposite the door was veiled with thin gauze curtains, and from there one could look out over half the royal garden.

“This ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) doesn’t feel like some palace maid’s room...”

Muen lowered his head in thought, just about to check out the other areas, when a long, familiar voice suddenly floated in from outside the door...

“Miss Muse... beautiful lady... where are you...”

The voice echoed down the empty corridor, strangely eerie, and for a moment, Muen almost felt like the one outside wasn’t a maiden in love chasing him, but a vengeful ghost demanding his life.

Muen didn’t dare make another move. He hurriedly covered his mouth and held his breath.

Damn it, she actually managed to find her way here. Could it be that the world’s favoritism toward a Heaven-ordained protagonist could really apply to something like this too?

Take that sort of thing and use it for something serious, like saving the world, you bastard!

“Miss... Mu... se...”

The voice sounded like it was getting closer.

“Come... out...”

But with the way it was echoing, Muen couldn’t pin down her exact position.

“Don’t... be... afraid...”

Muen was almost in tears. Hiding somewhere, trying to avoid some crazed girl relentlessly chasing him—why did this feel so damn familiar?

He was sure he’d gone through something like this before.

At this rate, the next step would be...

Just as Muen’s thoughts were running wild, suddenly, the door handle not far from him gave a sharp click and was pushed down hard.

“Ah... you’re... in here, aren’t you.”

Muen’s eyes went wide. In that instant, his heart nearly stopped.