How To Live As A Writer In A Fantasy World

>I felt a strange feeling as it was the place where I almost had a serious accident with Cecily.
The difference from back then was that Marie was sitting next to me, and on the other side was Rina.

As I was looking around and thinking about that, an employee opened the door.
They had prepared drinks even though we hadn’t ordered yet.

“As I said before, don’t come unless I call you.
Do you understand?”

“Yes, I understand.”

It seemed like she had made a reservation in advance.
Rina probably expected me not to refuse.
Of course, even if I did, the chances are that she wouldn’t care much.
After all, she was a princess, and a small cafe like this couldn’t possibly raise any objections to her.

I looked at the coffee with smoke rising from it and then at Rina’s face.
Rina reached out her hand and opened her mouth as if to say that it was okay to drink.

“You can drink it.
Don’t misunderstand because it’s not strange or anything.”

“Thank you.”

“Why didn’t you give me any?”

Marie, who was sitting next to me, grumbled.
In fact, there was nothing in front of Marie.
Maybe Rina had only planned to call Isaac, and Marie’s was not reserved in advance.

“Oh, so you did that? But I’m glad anyway.
I was able to stop you from doing something stupid.”

“Marie, I’m not as noble as you think.
At that time, it was really inevitable.”

“Even if it was an unavoidable situation, you shouldn’t have done that.
At that time…”

I felt Marie’s emotions gradually intensifying, perhaps triggered by trauma.
As I saw the signs of her voice getting louder, I wordlessly took her hand.

When I held her hand, Marie’s body shook and she looked at me.
After facing me, her anger seemed to subside, and she quietly said while exhaling a long breath through her nose.

Yeah.
That’s not important right now.
I understand.”

“Thank you for understanding.
And…Isaac.”

“Yes, Miss Rina.”

I answered in my usual blunt tone when Rina called my name.
She faced me with a stiff expression due to tension and then eventually let out a deep sigh.
Although her distraught appearance was pitiful, I didn’t feel any remorse because they were the ones who were truly at fault.

Then Rina faced me and firmly set her expression.
Seeing that, I blanked out waiting for something big to happen.

“…I’ll tell you this first.
My brother is assuming that your father, Lord Hawk, is the author of Xenon’s Biography.
But I’m different.
Lord Hawk simply tells you his own experience, and I think that you are the real author, right?”

“Yes.”

“As I thought…I see.”

Since I didn’t have any intention to deny it, I could answer calmly.
Rina nodded in response to my answer and then spoke again.

“Then…is it also because of us that you took a break from Xenon’s Biography?”

“… …”

“I won’t make an excuse that it wasn’t intentional.
I know very well that my mere existence can be a great pressure on others.
In that situation, it must have been a huge pressure for you too.”

I didn’t say anything.
I decided to keep my mouth shut until Rina got to the point.

“So, the thing is…”

She hesitated for a moment, then lost her confidence and brought up the topic in a hesitant voice.

“Did you… decide to take a break because of us?”

“… …”

“I just wanted to ask if we caused you any emotional pain.”

Unfortunately, her question sounded pitiful, and I thought about it carefully.
As I mentioned before, the reason for the break was for studying and recharging.

But if Rina and Leort hadn’t put pressure on me, I wouldn’t have even had such thoughts.
It’s undeniable that the root cause lies with the two of them.

I looked at Rina’s uneasy expression, feeling anxious, and quietly spoke up.

“I can’t say no.”

“… …”

Rina couldn’t control her emotions with my vague answer and bit her lip.
It seemed that she had begun to lose control of her own emotions.

I thought it was unexpected to see Rina biting her lip, and I felt a knot in my stomach.
It seemed like I needed to express my true feelings now.

“The reason I decided to take a break is for my academy life and to recharge, in other words, to establish my settings.
But the fundamental reason is that I felt pressure from those around me.
If you hadn’t confronted me, I wouldn’t have taken a break.”

“… …”

“Let me make it clear, I have no intention of reversing my decision to take a break.
Once I make a decision, I’m not the type to retract it.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Rina looked even more puzzled.
Even though I can’t see it now, I wonder if her hands, which she hid under the table, are trembling with anxiety.

“Okay, I understand.”

After thinking for a while, Rina looked at me with a determined expression.
Marie, who was sitting next to me, didn’t seem to care.

And…

“I’m sorry.”

Rina slowly lowered her head and apologized to me.
Her golden hair, which seemed to be spun out of gold, gradually fell down and gently rested on the table.

I widened my eyes at her apology, and slowly raised my chin.
I expected it, but the princess, who was the daughter of the emperor, bowed her head and apologized to me.

Just like when Cecily sent me a letter, I felt a strange emotion creeping up inside me again.

“If the author was mentally distressed because of us, we apologize once again.”

“… …”

“I won’t ask you to reverse your decision.
However, as you know, if you look at the current situation, protests are taking place all over the place, and they are spreading to the point where suppression is difficult.
So please… could you help me resolve this situation?”

I realized one thing after listening to Rina’s request even as she bowed her head.

‘…It’s so scary to be famous.’

Indeed, the level of influence I have on the world is far above the level of just great.

‘I can’t even take a break.’

It means that I will not be able to take a break in the future.

Translators note:

I think the author is doing a great job making readers dislike the heroines then redeeming them.
It adds depth to a character and makes them more likeable.