Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy – Chapter 134

Amelia had a habit of wearing outfits and accessories that were as inconspicuous as possible.

Given her striking blue hair and porcelain-like white skin, luxurious attire suited her incredibly well, yet…

Whenever she adorned herself with just a bit more flair, the attention of others would immediately shift, making her uncomfortable. Thus, it had become her daily routine to dress minimally.

However, today, Amelia had put on a somewhat fancier appearance.

“Wow, you look beautiful, sister!”

“Thanks, Evelyn.”

When her younger sister complimented her on the rare sight of her being so decked out, Amelia gently patted her sister’s head in response.

‘Is Rupert feeling shy too? Asking for his little sister to come along…’

At first, she wished to see him alone, feeling a pang of disappointment, but upon further reflection, it seemed only fitting that the heir of the Somerset family, who had been making waves in recent discussions, and the heir of House Bluewell, always in the spotlight, met together. Rumors were bound to swirl around such a rendezvous.

‘I’m okay with it, though.’

Of course, now that her feelings for Rupert had solidified, she could accept any rumors about them, regardless of gender.

Still, considering her family’s position, she thought it best to meet with him alongside her siblings.

“Sister! All my friends are so envious that we’re going to see an animation today!”

“Evelyn, I know you’re excited, but remember to thank Rupert properly when we meet him.”

“Of course, don’t worry! Dad told me to be nice since he’s going to be my brother-in-law!”

“Father said that?”

Amelia jumped in surprise at her sister’s choice of words, glancing around to see if anyone had overheard.

Thankfully, it seemed no one had, but she resolved to grill her father about what he had put into Evelyn’s head.

‘Really, how far ahead of himself is he getting?’

Of course, she thought it was merely a future possibility, so it wasn’t a lie. She felt it would be easy to rein in her sister’s enthusiasm.

“Miss, we’ve arrived at our destination.”

“Thank you.”

As the carriage reached its destination, the family’s coachman gently opened the carriage door.

“So, this is the Animation Theater.”

Even foolish children in the imperial capital knew that land here was prohibitively expensive.

Yet, a new building was being constructed here, with word spreading that similar structures were being built simultaneously throughout the cities of the empire, not just in the capital.

<Somerset Animation Theater Pub>

The sign of the building bearing the name Somerset, which had now become a symbol of success and prophecy, became visible.

Upon standing in front of the building, Amelia felt her heart race.

‘I’ll have Evelyn sit with Rupert’s sister, and then I can naturally…’

Though her siblings were with them, she thought that this could still qualify as a date between the two of them, and she could almost hear a drumming sound in her chest as if it echoed right beside her ears.

“Um, Amelia?”

“Professor Jenia? What brings you here?”

However, at the sudden voice calling her, she halted her sweet daydream and turned around.

There stood Jenia, a red-haired girl now more of a lady than a girl, looking at her with a flustered expression.

“I received an invitation from Rupert today…”

“You did too, Jenia?”

“Of course, Amelia, did you?”

Amelia felt as if she had been struck on the head with a hammer upon hearing Jenia’s words.

‘So I wasn’t the only one invited…’

She recalled how she had been so excited, unable to sleep for a week, thinking she had been exclusively invited and now wanted to kick her blankets off in frustration.

But,

‘It wasn’t just me who was invited!’

Jenia, standing across from a sulking Amelia, was just as lost in thought.

‘Didn’t Jenia say she has read “The Kingdom of Ice” hundreds of times among my works?’

It was not as if she sought Jenia out. It had been Rupert who had specifically reached out to invite her while she was busy practicing magic in the lab.

‘In any case… for Rupert, I must just be one among many acquaintances.’

Her momentary embarrassment at having thought herself special faded away.

In fact, considering that there had been nothing romantic between her and Rupert so far, mistaking this for a date was rather odd.

As she regained her composure, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before in Jenia’s expression.

‘Amelia-san, you’ve dressed up differently from usual.’

Jenia now saw the astonishingly distinct transformation of Amelia compared to how they had previously met at the academy.

Moreover, when Amelia had discovered her earlier, her markedly disappointed expression resonated with Jenia, leading her to a near certainty.

‘She’s my rival.’

From that moment, she had recognized Amelia as her romantic rival.

*

“All right, everyone rise! If you are uncomfortable, then it will only make me, the invited, a nuisance here.”

“Thank you for your grace, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The animation theater demonstration held in the imperial capital saw an influx of notable figures more suited to high-profile imperial banquets.

From the ladies of Bluewell to Yustaf’s disciple Jenia herself, and even club members like Edric and Adrian had shown up.

Additionally, there was also Marquis Demian, a member of one of the seven noble families of the empire, who had supported Rupert during the last Agora.

Then, the final trio who appeared topped the glamor.

“Behold the Iron-Blooded Alchemist Harun!”

“Next to him is the empire’s greatest wizard, Yustaf!”

Though they had arrived together, Harun wore a bright smile, while Yustaf looked somewhat uncomfortable, grimacing.

“Yustaf, if that card were that easy to obtain, it wouldn’t be a fantasy card, would it?”

“You were lucky to get it too, you know!”

“That card is something that recognizes its master, as I mentioned before, isn’t it?”

“That’s nonsensical! What kind of spirit are you claiming a card to be?”

Unable to hold back, the two had started a card game before arriving, and they were still bickering even after their entrance.

Of course, they spoke softly to avoid drawing attention, so it only appeared to onlookers as a serious discussion between two heroes.

“Why don’t you two stop fighting and just watch the animation?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

As Crown Prince Alex intervened to mediate their spat, they finally relented.

This trio of heroes were the ones invited to the demonstration.

Having shared hardships during the Abyss Cult incident, these three had continued to meet up after that and built camaraderie.

The people of the empire referred to them as the Three Heroes, with Crown Prince Alex undeniably being the most popular among them.

“There’s the Iron-Blooded Prince…”

Among the attendees, some had already met the Crown Prince before, while others who hadn’t enthralled themselves were lost in a trance, staring rudely.

“Ha ha ha, Rupert! Thanks to that arm you gave me, even in a foreign land, they can tell it’s me!”

The Prince boldly displayed his newly minted Golem’s Arm without restraint.

“Thank you for coming.”

“I came to see Aida and also to catch a glimpse of you.”

“Did the uncle arrive!”

To greet the Prince, Rupert stepped forward and was happily welcomed by Aida, who had been sticking close to him, recognizing Alex.

“Ha ha, Aida, what kind of speech is that?”

“Aida is learning social etiquette and manners these days!”

Bubbling with excitement, Aida showed off what she had learned to Alex, but every single one was so awkwardly distorted that Alex found it impossible not to laugh.

“Lord Rupert, thank you for the invitation.”

“The honor is mine, Your Highness the Princess.”

As Alex embraced Aida, beaming with joy, a woman stepped down from the carriage behind him, which stirred the crowd once more.

The empire’s flower and the emperor’s only daughter.

The appearance of Princess Ioleen was unveiled.

*

Before the demonstration began, a small banquet included an animation introduction for the invited guests.

The Third Prince Edric was sipping champagne at one of the tables, alternating glances between Rupert, introducing the new animation on stage, and the front table.

“Adrian, I’m not usually perceptive, but…”

“That much is true.”

“Still, isn’t the tension at that table palpable?”

Edric’s words led Adrian to nod in agreement.

It wasn’t just Edric’s exceptional senses; even Adrian, with his ordinary senses, felt a dangerous aura emanating from the front table.

“I’ve felt this for a while. Professor Rupert seems like a genius.”

“Where’s this sudden remark coming from? It’s true he’s a genius, but…”

“Isn’t it said that geniuses usually lack something here or there?”

“There’s a saying like that.”

Among the geniuses who made their marks in the continent’s history, it’s rare to find one who is absolutely perfect in every regard.

Some have personality flaws, while others may have physical deficiencies.

Most were lacking in some other domain.

“In my view, it seems like the professor bartered his insight for that divine talent he was blessed with.”

“That too could be seen as a talent.”

“What do you mean? You can’t see the murderous glint in those three women’s eyes?”

Thus, Edric thought of it as a talent.

Honestly, wasn’t the gathering meant to witness the competition between those women deliberately?

Edric’s gaze trailed back to the front table.

Amelia, Jenia, and his sister Ioleen were all seated together.

‘It’s so obvious that Amelia likes Professor Rupert.’

Whenever Rupert appeared in the clubroom or during the liberal arts lecture, she was always gazing at his face rather than the blackboard.

She claimed to hide it, but it was so blatant that everyone who knew could see her unrequited love.

‘I didn’t see anything like that with Jenia though; I wonder what connection she has with him?’

It could probably be inferred from their encounter during the last battle, but Edric couldn’t quite grasp the details.

And the most surprising of all was his sister, Ioleen.

‘My sister getting married… Master, please be safe.’

Edric silently prayed for Rupert’s well-being.