Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 42

The Rebirth of a Dedicated Reader – Episode 42 (42/439)

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The second day wasn’t particularly different.

If anything, Lucia and Kim Yu-hyun remained at Count Klausen’s estate.

The party was still extravagant, and the nobles gathered there exchanged stories laced with hidden daggers and veiled threats.

“···.”

Meanwhile, Sion sat slumped in his seat, utterly exhausted.

Until recently, he’d been cornered by several noble young ladies and forced to dance incessantly.

‘Damn it… You might only do this once, but I’m on my twelfth… Someone, please save me.’

Dancing with twelve people non-stop, even to gentle music, was an ordeal.

And with fast-paced, lively songs thrown into the mix, Sion’s already depleted stamina had reached its absolute limit.

If anyone else approached him for a dance, he’d probably dive headfirst into the nearest body of water.

Or he’d shout, “Goodbye, everyone! I’m throwing it all away and leaving to find my happiness!” and make a dramatic escape.

“Sion Klausen.”

It felt like something snapped within him.

Sion forcibly swallowed the curse that had risen to his tongue and spoke without turning around.

“I’m not accepting any more dance requests.

I’m resting and can’t move, so if you have something to say, leave a message on my voicemail…”

But then, he realized the voice was strangely familiar.

And the subtle dignity in it made Sion think, ‘Surely not?’ He turned around.

“···.”

Yep, it was exactly who he thought it was.

Damn it.

“Y-Your Highness.”

Sion quickly stood, unable to hide his embarrassment.

He wondered why the noisy surroundings had suddenly gone quiet.

He should have noticed the change and checked his surroundings, but he’d made a mistake.

He never expected the princess, who had been sitting next to Edgar IV and simply observing the party, to suddenly leave her seat and approach him like this.

“You look quite exhausted.

Were the noble ladies of Hispania rougher than the soldiers of the Nudia Kingdom?”

What was this?

A new form of sarcasm?

Sion stared at the princess in silence for a moment to assess the situation. Vanessa cleared her throat lightly and continued.

“May I ask if I can sit next to you?”

“Ah, a-ah.

Please, have a seat.

Your Highness.”

“You’re unusually flustered.”

“I didn’t expect Your Highness to leave your seat and come down here.”

It wasn’t just empty words; it was the truth.

Even in the novel, the princess kept her eyes on Kim Yu-hyun but remained seated throughout the party, never leaving her spot.

Unlike Prince Erader, who enjoyed the party relatively freely.

‘She must have been careful not to create rumors that she was in a power struggle with Prince Erader, but now…’

Sion decided to observe the situation a little longer.

As soon as the princess appeared, the noble young ladies who had been waiting their turn, watching her, folded their hands in disappointment and retreated.

As he sat quietly, waiting for the princess to speak, Vanessa hesitated, glancing around, before cautiously opening her mouth.

“Because of the apology.”

“Pardon?”

“Our second meeting wasn’t very pleasant.

I… I came because of the apology.”

“Are you talking about an apology?”

It seemed she wanted to apologize for her sharp reaction yesterday.

Even though she was a princess, the other party was a scion of the Klausen March, a great noble family of the kingdom.

She had shown a blatant display of wariness, so she wanted to address that issue clearly, Sion thought.

“Y-yes.

That’s… the apology… the apology…”

Vanessa resented her lips, which kept failing to form the words.

In her head, she was being urged to just say ‘I’m sorry,’ but her lips retorted that she had no idea how embarrassing it was to say those words.

‘S-surely, this man helped the King.

Not only that, but he’s a definite war hero who won the war against Nudia…

It wouldn’t be good for the royal family to create an uncomfortable relationship.

So!’

*I apologize, I’m sorry.*

She just had to say those words, but Vanessa’s true feelings were that she wanted to slap the mouth that wouldn’t open.

Then, when Sion asked with a slightly worried expression, ‘Your Highness?’ the princess’s heart suddenly dropped, and she opened her mouth hastily, afraid that he might have heard her thoughts.

“Apologize!”

“…Pardon?”

Sion was completely dumbfounded.

No, until just now, she had been making a face as if she didn’t know what to say, so he thought she had come to *offer* an apology.

But was she saying that she had come to *receive* an apology, now?

‘What is this?’

He waited for a moment, wondering if the princess had misspoke.

He looked at Vanessa with eyes that said, ‘This is a mistake, or a joke, right?’ and the princess opened her eyes wide and said in a slightly louder voice than before.

“A-apologize, I say!

For what happened years ago!”

“…Oh.

Yes.

I’m sorry.

I don’t know what I’m apologizing for, but I’m sorry.”

The princess was taken aback by Sion’s easy apology; this wasn’t how it was supposed to go!

Vanessa couldn’t help but exclaim.

She had clearly come to apologize, but she was demanding an apology, and Sion had even given it, and she had accepted it.

‘T-this idiot… This, this isn’t right!’

If Sion hadn’t apologized, she could have just glossed over it, but because he apologized right away, she had become an even stranger princess.

In fact, Lichten March had already apologized for what had happened years ago, and Edgar IV had dismissed it as just a youthful indiscretion.

But demanding an apology now was the same as advertising herself as a narrow-minded woman.

“Sion… This…”

“It will never happen again.

Your Highness doesn’t have to worry about anything.”

It seemed it was already too late.

Vanessa let out a small sigh and lowered her head.

Watching her, Sion thought, ‘…What is it, really?’ and stared at the princess with a highly suspicious look.

‘This won’t do.

First, let’s change the subject.’

If things continued like this, Sion Klausen would get up and run away before she did.

She was secretly burning inside because he had gone back to the estate yesterday when she had barely managed to talk to him.

“Sion.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“In that… that war.

That’s…”

“Ah! You were here.

Sion Klausen!

Did you finally escape from the noble young ladies?”

Vanessa’s eyes narrowed sharply at the cheerful male voice.

There were only two men at this party who dared to interrupt the princess’s conversation.

King Edgar IV, and the other one…

“Prince Erader, you’ve arrived.”

“Yes, yes.

Are you enjoying the party?

War hero?”

“As I said yesterday, I am not a hero.”

“Ah, that’s right.

You said you just fought alongside the real heroes.

That was a wonderful thing to say.

So much so that my heart fluttered without me realizing it.”

Prince Erader smiled cheerfully and sat down next to Sion without hesitation.

Watching the man, Sion clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘He’s a really good person when he’s just a prince.’

He was moderately flexible, knew how to compromise, and had a decent political sense.

From the perspective of a prince, he passed the test.

But the moment he ascended to the throne, his strengths would disappear, and only his weaknesses would be magnified.

A man who couldn’t embrace all his subjects, a man who was easily swayed and suspicious.

‘Unfortunately, he’s the type who would lose more than he gains if he becomes king, so it’s a bit of a shame.’

Unaware of what Sion was thinking, Erader continued to speak.

“But escaping from the young ladies only to be caught by your sister.

Vanessa, why don’t you forgive Sion a little?

Is it still about what happened years ago?”

“Don’t mind him, Brother.”

“Isn’t that something Father told you to stop doing?”

“I don’t want to hear nagging.”

This felt like being caught between a real brother and sister and becoming a mashed meat patty.

He was wondering if it wouldn’t be better for his well-being to leave the seat.

“Ah, Sion.

I heard that when the Nudians tried to attack the Klausen March, you stepped in and made them give up the attack on their own.”

“That’s right.”

“I’m curious.

How on earth did you make them retreat on their own?

They couldn’t even think of pushing in after opening the gates and lowering the drawbridge.”

The question was asked by Prince Erader, but the listeners included dozens of nobles gathered around, and even Vanessa, who was sitting next to him with a dissatisfied expression.

After hesitating for a moment, Sion decided to tell the truth.

“I caused some confusion.

I confused the soldiers’ minds with a short song.”

“Song?

Did you just say song?”

“It wasn’t anything special.

I just expressed a welcome greeting in song, like ‘Come on in.'”

He sang a song in the middle of the battlefield, of all places.

He knew that he had played the lute, but he had gone one step further and thoroughly mocked the enemy by singing a song.

‘What *is* this man?’

That was probably what Vanessa and the nobles gathered around were thinking.

Meanwhile, Erader exclaimed in admiration and suddenly put his arm around Sion’s shoulder and opened his mouth.

“Well, is a short song possible here too?”

“…Pardon?”

“Didn’t you make the enemies retreat with your song and lute playing on the battlefield?

I want to hear your performance and song that the enemies heard too.”

“Y-Your Highness.

That’s…”

“Brother, that’s enough.

That’s quite rude.”

Sion made a gesture of embarrassment, and Vanessa also tried to stop Erader, but he pondered hard and snapped his fingers!

“Yes, a song that contains the ambition of a manly man, the solemn mindset of a war hero would be good.

How about it?

Can you sing me a song?”

“No, Your Highness…”

Damn it, if you say it so openly, all the noble bastards around will be expecting it.

None other than the prince had stepped up and raised expectations, and the moment he said he couldn’t do it, the value of the noble Sion Klausen, which he had worked so hard to raise, would plummet.

Yesterday was yesterday, and today he had to leave another strong impact.

‘Ah, damn it…

The prince is really not helping.

I knew I should have replaced him.’

It was the moment when another name was written in the ledger of death.

Of course, Erader, completely unaware of Sion’s true feelings, even received the lute in the meantime and handed it to Sion.

“Come on, will you let us hear the beautiful song of the war hero?”

“…”

Damn it.

This is driving me crazy.

Back then, he just had to confuse the enemies, so he just spewed out any song, but now it was different.

He couldn’t just spew out any song in this place where everyone from the rural noble riffraff to the scions of the great noble families were gathered, damn it.

‘No, you damn dog bastard!

Why a song all of a sudden!

Give me time to prepare, or give me a heads up in advance!

Doing this is just, just trying to screw me over, isn’t it?

That’s why you’re being pushed back by Vanessa, you damn prince.’

Sion took the lute because the prince was constantly nagging him to sing a song.

But his mind was completely blank.

He would rather talk, but a song was really not his thing.

He even wanted a song with the ambition of a manly man or balls, the solemnity of a war hero or a disabled person, and there wasn’t a single song that came to mind.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!’

Each second felt like several hours.

‘That damn brother of mine, really!’

Vanessa was also in a state of great anger.

Not only had he suddenly interrupted when she was about to have a little more conversation with Sion, but he was also making Sion’s position very difficult by making a request that had not been agreed upon at all.

She might just be showing her favor in her own way, but it was a situation that was very embarrassing for the person involved, and depending on the case, it could turn into a very humiliating situation.

‘This won’t do, I have to step in and stop it.’

It was the moment when Vanessa was about to open her mouth.

Ding, Diring―.

Diring―.

Diring.

‘Huh?’

Sion Klausen suddenly started plucking the strings of the lute.

He should have been flustered enough because of Erader’s mistake; he shouldn’t have been prepared at all, but he was playing as if he already had this song in his heart.

And from his mouth came a low, deep voice, a magical sound that completely stole the minds of the listening opposite sex.

The dark wandering

The desperate love

The chilling sadness

With the knife in my heart

I cut…

Immediately after that, Sion’s voice and the hand that was playing the lute stopped for a moment.

At the same time, no one gathered around dared to even breathe properly.

And at that very moment, Sion smiled inwardly and moved on to the climax of the song.

A man’s tears

Don’t call it weak

Even if you foolishly laugh

I will not die

Blow, wind

So that my tears cannot be seen

What this world wanted was a strong me

I am a man···!

At the same time as he plucked the strings of the lute in a dazzling manner, the short song came to an end.

Sion put the lute down in front of him with an indifferent expression and looked at Erader as if to ask how his song was.

“Uh, uh…”

Perhaps it was because the result that Sion had produced was too polished for what he had imagined.

Erader had even forgotten to applaud and was just showing a foolish reaction, saying uh, uh.

In the end, Sion decided to hear the answer to explode his awesomeness from someone else.

“…How was it, Your Highness?”

“Ah, uh… It was wonderful.

It was wonderful.

Really…

It was short, but very intense.”

*Like, like you.*

Vanessa’s last words did not come out of her mouth in the end.

“Haha!

Thank… ahem.

Thank you.”

As if he knew this would happen, Sion smiled.

And inwardly, he sent a thank you that would not be conveyed, saying, ‘Thank you!

Thank you for now!’

Following the speech that resonated with the hearts of the nobles on the first day of the party, he even revealed the ambition of a man on the second day.

He had gained all of the ‘new image’ of Sion Klausen that he could gain.

‘Sion Klausen…

The more I see him…

He’s a coveted man.

Now I know why the King told me to improve my relationship with this man.’

…It seemed that Sion had gained something more that he had not expected at all.

[Author’s Note]

I am a Man/Lee Hyuk-joon/Kim Ji-hyun/

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It reminds me of the army buddy who went to military prison 6 years ago after singing that song.

He sang ‘I am a Man’ at the karaoke and got 15 days of full attendance…

More than that, readers, you’ve been infected with 4 consecutive chapters!