NOVEL NEXT chapter 4
4. Protecting the Princess from the Blond Guy is Another Blond Guy
Valentina had a completely sleepless night.
This time, it wasn’t due to excitement, but rather the confusion and panic about the future.
The dreams and warmth she had felt about the future just moments ago had dissipated, leaving her with nothing but unease.
She couldn’t sleep, no matter how much she tossed and turned.
She feared that if she fell asleep, her dragon traits would reemerge, and she would be seen as a dark dragon and hunted down.
With her identity already sensitive, she would surely be exterminated as a monster.
“It’s all that guy’s fault! Why do I have to be treated like this…”
Removing her nightgown, the beautiful silver-haired princess looked at her own pale back in the mirror, trying to see if there were any traces left where her dragon wings and tail had once grown.
Although no abnormalities were found, it was simply the graceful body of a human girl. Yet, the girl herself felt dejected, her eyes cast down, and she couldn’t help but mutter softly about a certain detestable evil god that made her uneasy.
She truly regretted why she had to go out in the middle of the night to catch a thief; she could have just slept soundly.
And now, here she was, having attracted the attention of a bizarre existence, cursed by the other party with the curse of an evil dragon.
She had once dreamed of one day achieving the great feat of slaying a dragon, becoming the first female dragon slayer in the kingdom’s history.
Alas, it seemed she was indeed on the fast track to becoming a dragon slayer—she just had to commit suicide.
So why was she subjected to such unfair treatment?
The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she felt.
“…No, I must pull myself together! How can I let that evil god control my life!”
However, Valentina’s despondency did not last long; she soon rallied herself.
With both hands, she slapped her cheeks vigorously, and looking at her reflection in the mirror, which seemed a bit more spirited, Valentina couldn’t help but cheer herself on:
“It’s nothing to worry about, Valentina. It’s just the curse of an evil god. You can definitely overcome it! Aren’t you trying to protect this country that allows Clyde to live in peace? You can’t give up so easily!”
Perhaps one could indeed feel fear and unease when alone.
But whenever Valentina thought of her gentle childhood friend, her unease would ease.
She loved seeing Clyde smile the most.
That was why she wanted to become stronger, to be able to protect Clyde’s smile.
This feeling was enough to help her overcome her anxiety and fear.
Even if she couldn’t sleep, she could calm down and think about her future strategies.
And her ultimate conclusion was—first and foremost, she needed to go to the largest library in the royal capital to investigate what this evil god really was.
Finding its weakness would be the best outcome.
Thus, at eight o’clock the next morning, after a hasty breakfast, Valentina rushed to the Royal Library the moment it opened, hoping to find records about the evil god in ancient texts.
All fear stems from the unknown! Once she knew, nothing would be terrifying anymore!
With this optimistic thought in mind, Valentina nearly flipped through every book in the library that seemed to contain records of the evil god.
“…Ugh, why is there no detailed account in any of the books?”
However, as time passed, the optimism on Valentina’s face gradually faded.
Her sunny smile turned into a growing frown.
She had perused dozens of related books, but the records about the evil god were all just a light remark: ‘Once, an evil god was defeated by a goddess.’
There was no more detailed content; it was as if it were completely unimportant, casually brushed aside by various historians.
It seemed no one cared about its existence; even books dedicated to studying ancient cultures suggested that the ‘evil god’ might not exist at all.
But the problem was, she had truly encountered it! What else could turn humans into evil dragons if not an evil god?
Alas, her heart felt so weary…
Valentina, filled with disappointment, let out a soft sigh and gently closed the book, intending to return it to the shelf before picking another one to browse.
So absorbed was she in her thoughts about the dark god that she failed to notice someone had approached her.
— Thankfully, this was a library and not a battlefield; otherwise, she would have surely been taken down by now.
Someone near her gazed at the beautiful yet defenseless figure, thinking to themselves.
“…Did you come to the library to gather information before setting off? Is it really okay not to say goodbye? Tina.”
It was a cultured male voice that made Valentina, who was about to take a book, pause her actions and turn around in surprise to look at the man who had spoken to her.
He was a blonde man who immediately gave off an impression of being “gentlemanly.”
In his late twenties, dressed in a clean and tidy scholar’s uniform, he had a handsome face that was the type to be popular among young women.
And indeed, he was. His name was Alan, a renowned scholar in the kingdom and Valentina’s private tutor, one of the few allies who stood by her side, earning her deep respect.
“Mr. Alan? What are you doing here?! Ah… well, it’s you, so it’s not strange for you to be here. I’ll be meeting Clyde later, so please don’t worry.”
After a brief moment of fluster, Valentina quickly adopted a humble student demeanor, gently pinching the hem of her skirt as she bowed her head in respect to the blonde man before her.
Seeing her like this, Alan couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
It seemed this naive princess truly favored gentle men; despite having only known each other for a month, she had so easily placed her trust in him.
It wouldn’t be difficult to completely win her heart and mind.
“Hehe, that’s true. After all, Tina, you are my most proud student, and there’s really no need for extra worry.”
Alan smiled as he praised his understanding student, as if he genuinely admired her.
However, contrary to the gentle facade he was putting on, Alan was, in fact, a complete scoundrel.
From the very beginning, he had approached Valentina with ulterior motives.
He had deduced from intelligence reports that Valentina liked gentle men, so he had fabricated an identity as a scholar to gain her trust.
For someone like him, who had deceived many women and was a seasoned rogue, he knew exactly how to win over different types of women.
For this princess, all it took was to treat her gently and stand by her side.
“Yes, thank you for your compliment, I’m honored, Mr. Alan!”
Unaware that this man would become one of her many nightmares in the future, Valentina was blissfully deceived, happily accepting Alan’s false praise and flattery.
Even though Alan was secretly thinking how naive and easy this princess was to manipulate.
But Valentina, who had a less-than-ideal family relationship, found it easy to trust someone who displayed such gentleness.
In the dilapidated temple, Noah, who was watching everything through a magic circle like a voyeur, couldn’t help but let out a sigh like a concerned father.
“Alas, just like in the original story, the second man Valentina trusts is this jerk. Wake up, Princess! None of the men around you are worth a damn, including me!”
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