The Sequel to the Romance Fantasy Was a Zombie Apocalypse – Chapter 2

“…”

An awkward silence hangs over the VIP seating.

If this were a typical party, nobles would soon gather around her, eager to greet her.

“Ahem.”

Most remain seated, making false coughs or awkwardly turning their gazes away.

Perhaps it’s out of consideration for her feelings attending her ex-fiancé’s wedding, or maybe they’re just trying to avoid getting caught in any backlash.

“Oh my. Lady Esmela. How have you been?”

As she follows the guide to her designated spot, a few brave (or oblivious) young ladies approach her to offer greetings, but…

Stab.

With a piercing glare over her black fan, Esmela shoots them a look.

“Excuse me. I’ll take my leave.”

They all hurriedly return to their seats.

Look, Master. Who would be reckless enough to insult the daughter of the Prime Minister and a noble lady to her face?

As I grumble inside about the Master, I follow behind Esmela.

“You may sit here.”

The attendant bows politely and returns to the entrance of the VIP section.

Even as Esmela arranges her dress and takes a seat, she does not lower the fan that obscures her face.

In my past life, I was Park Tae-han.

My hobby was obsessing over things, especially in the romance fantasy genre—be it comics, games, or anime.

People around me used to laugh at guys like me, but who cares? I enjoyed it.

Anyway, while enjoying my lonely life of being misunderstood, I unexpectedly died at the age of 28.

…I thought I was dead, but when I opened my eyes, there was a pair of raggedly dressed men and women, likely commoners, looking down at me with lovely eyes.

Yes, I had reincarnated as Lanit, a newborn baby born to a poor couple in this world.

And not just any reincarnation.

I had actually been reborn into the world of my favorite game, [Romance in Arkeisia~Four Jewels~]!

I was elated when I realized this at the age of five.

Ah, what is [Romance in Arkeisia~Four Jewels~], often shortened to [Roina]?

It’s a romance fantasy dating simulation game developed by an indie game company in Korea.

The typical otome game where a commoner female protagonist enrolls in the Royal Arkeisia Academy and pursues four male leads, but there’s a unique twist: it prominently featured four villainous noble ladies.

Following the current trend in romance fantasy, each route where the main character pursues one of the four male leads includes a different villainous noble lady who opposes the heroine—that was the main selling point.

In any case, as I began my second life in this world, I was thrilled at the prospect of meeting the game characters in reality, but…

It didn’t take long before the excitement shattered as I comprehended reality.

Most of the central characters were nobles, elite students at the Royal Academy. I was just a poor commoner from a small island village.

Given my status, it would be hard for me to even hear news about them, let alone meet them.

But giving up wasn’t in my nature.

Determined to see their faces at least once, I began training as soon as I reached an age where I could move on my own.

Having nothing in terms of traits or cheat skills, the only thing I could rely on was the knowledge I gained and the various physical exercises I learned while growing in my past life.

Thus, ignoring my parents’ objections, I dedicated myself to relentless training.

On my twelfth birthday, believing I had developed my body sufficiently, I headed to a nearby Hunter Guild branch to become a hunter hunting monsters.

Being a hunter was one of the few professions a commoner could choose that allowed for upward mobility based on talent and achievements.

I could have become a soldier, but… I had no desire to join the military in this new world.

In any case, I started my harsh life as a child accepting various quests, solving chores, and hunting monsters while also training in my spare time.

By around the age of fifteen, I had successfully risen from B rank to E~S rank due to my contributions and often participated in large-scale monster subjugations.

And finally, during a quest to subdue a group of wyverns…

“You, you’re quite useful. How about joining House Herta?”

I caught the eye of the former villainous lady Esmela Herta participating in the subjugation and was scouted as the butler of House Herta.

Well, my life as a butler since then has gone as Duke Tereed narrated it.

Anyway, if you were to ask me what my goal in this life is…

1. To die of natural causes.

2. To enjoy my obsession while watching the main characters live happily ever after post-[Roina] ending in this new world.

Those are my two goals.

Particularly, the second one is important. If they aren’t happy, I will do whatever it takes to ensure their happiness. That has been my mantra through tough times.

But right now, I can’t even bring a smile to the face of a villainous noble lady sitting right in front of me.

“…”

“…”

An uncomfortable silence stretched between Esmela and me after she was seated.

“Lady.”

After hesitating for a while, I finally muster the courage to speak to her.

“What is it?”

Esmela replies coldly.

“You should just go back now…”

“If you say one more word,”

Esmela turns her head towards me, glaring with a fearsome look.

“Even you should brace yourself, Lanit.”

“Lady.”

“Are you telling me to lock myself in a corner and cry? Running away is more shameful to me.”

Esmela cuts me off, turning her head straight again.

I know this is her way of expressing confidence to stand tall, but…

‘But this poor lady’s words mean that if she were alone in a room right now, she’d be sad enough to cry.’

Out of the four male leads, the main route is with Prince Robertze of Arkeisia.

And the villainous noble lady who appears in his pursuit route is none other than Esmela Herta.

In the prince’s route, the story unfolds with the noble’s love transcending social class, and a villainous lady who does everything possible to disrupt that love, adhering to the classic romance fantasy plot.

After hearing the engagement news between the prince and the main character Yuria, I realized this timeline leads to the main route’s true ending, where the heroine becomes the queen.

“I, Prince Robertze of Arkeisia, hereby declare. Esmela Herta, I shall break off our engagement!”

And of course, the villainous lady Esmela is publicly humiliated by losing a duel for honor against the heroine, leading to her engagement being annulled by the prince.

She relentlessly tried to thwart the heroine’s choice of her fiancé and failed, which ultimately led to her downfall and the exposure of her wrongdoing.

That is the inescapable fate of a villainous noble lady.

However, as Lanit, a fellow inhabitant of the same [Roina] universe and the butler of House Herta, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Esmela Herta should not merely fade away as a character who is punished and exits the narrative.

Thus, it became my deepest desire for the villainous lady who would be left alone after this punitive ending to have a new life.

That’s why becoming Esmela’s butler was a stroke of fortune for me, compelling me to hone myself even further as a butler.

I took care of all kinds of tasks, learned the manners befitting a duke’s servant, and I did not shy away from mastering swordsmanship, magic, and any skills that could aid in combat.

Every effort was for Esmela Herta, a punished villainous lady, my favorite, and not just a character but a living, breathing person.

I wanted to help her move towards a new happiness.

But as a mere butler, I had no means to comfort the duke’s noble lady grieving at her former fiancé’s wedding.

Despite thinking I had tried my best, reality seemed too tall a wall to overcome with mere loyalty.

‘If you were going to reincarnate me, couldn’t you have at least let me be born as the eldest son of a noble family in a decent background?’

Had that been the case, I might have had more choices beyond being a hunter or butler.

Imagining a somewhat divine being who reincarnated me, I accidentally found myself resenting that imaginary god.

As those thoughts were consuming me,

Woooon-

A loud trumpet resounds across the plaza.

Esmela bites her lip.

It’s the signal for the wedding to begin.

Woooon-

The long trumpet call that lasts at least three minutes finally fades.

The crowd, which had been bustling, quiets down as everyone awaits the next part.

Bang.

Suddenly, a massive black screen appears in the sky over the plaza.

They must be planning to use video magic to broadcast the wedding to the people in the square.

As the screen brightens, it reveals the wedding venue.

The video perspective looks down from a height onto two thrones adorned with splendid decorations and patterns, where a clergyman is prepared to officiate.

The red carpet, embroidered with golden threads, extends out for the prince and his bride.

‘The king and queen are seated on the thrones.’

Though their faces aren’t visible from above, it’s easy to guess their identities by their outfits and crowns.

The enormous screen captures the couple seated on the thrones before…

‘…!’

The perspective shifts to focus on the couple walking toward the throne.

As the prince and princess approach, the angle descends, allowing us to finally view them face-on.

Prince Robertze of Arkeisia, dressed in a flamboyant white tuxedo.

Shining silver hair contrasting with his silver eyes.

Confidence gleams in his eyes, signaling royal nobility, the pride of a genius, and the excitement of a man in love.

Towering over 180 cm, he strides alongside the bride without losing his awe-inspiring presence.

He perfectly embodies the handsome prince archetype found in every romance fantasy.

And…

Beside him, a pure white bride walking with her arm linked with his.

Yuria, the heroine of [Romance in Arkeisia~Four Jewels~].

The white veil adorning her head highlights her lustrous black hair, bundled in a low bun.

The elegant floral white decorations resting horizontally on the décolletage of the dress blend beautifully with the line from her neck to her shoulders, radiating noble beauty.

My gaze follows the white wedding dress to the bride’s unveiled face that’s hidden beneath a thin veil.

‘As I always say, I can’t agree with the cliché that labels the heroine with ordinary looks in a shojo manga.’

With emerald-green eyes, softly framed by gently curved lashes.

Her nose, subtly pronounced yet definitely noticeable, adds to her charm.

Pink lips reminiscent of flower petals.

I struggle to find the right words to express her beauty as I can only sigh.

The couple radiates every ounce of beauty the world has to offer, parading down the aisle toward the thrones.

Finally, the prince and princess arrive before the throne.

As a fan of [Roina], this must be an unbelievably emotional moment.

The couple, who pledged their love in the true ending.

And now, four years later, they are finally about to unite in an everlasting bond, blessed by the world.

This touching moment is one I alone can witness; none of the [Roina] players know about it.

I’m so happy. How could I not be happy?

But I also feel a pang of bitterness.

Esmela’s expression shifts to one of barely suppressed tears.

As a fan of [Roina], I am happy about their marriage, but as a fan of [Villainous Noble Lady Esmela], I mourn her unrequited love.

These conflicting emotions entangle within me, creating turmoil in my heart.

I couldn’t bear to watch any longer, and as I averted my gaze from the screen, I inadvertently caught a glimpse of Esmela’s face.

To my shock, a solitary tear rolled down her cheek.

“…!”

I averted my eyes from Esmela as well.

In the end, I could only look away from both the wedding and Esmela, forced to stare into the distance.

As I forcibly examined the bustling crowd in the plaza with a heavy heart…

‘Something feels off?’

The crowd’s movements were unsettling.

Suddenly, people began to thrash about near the southern entrance of the plaza.

Rather than settling down, the chaos only grew, washing into the square like ripples on the water.

As the waves drew closer to the VIP seating area…

-Aaaaah!

-Uaaah!

Faint yet unmistakable screams reached my ears.

People, in a frenzy, were madly fleeing the plaza.

Resisting the tide and trying to discern what they were running from,

‘…A corpse?’

From a glance, the figures chasing them appeared human, but they were far from it.

As disbelief paralyzed my thoughts, unexpectedly,

Pop.

A brand-new interface appeared in the air before my eyes.

[Romance in Arkeisia]

[Love and Dead]

[Prologue. The wedding blessed by the dead]