Escaping the Mystery Hotel-Chapter 280: Room 204, Mission Room - 'Hotel Cinema' (4)
- Yu Songee
A place filled with beautiful music and dazzling dances—the duke’s ball.
I walked slowly, scanning my surroundings.
When I shifted my gaze to the spot where Elena had first found the crown prince, I saw the boy with a somewhat disgruntled expression conversing with his attendants.
As I approached quietly, I thought to myself.
Why did Elena fail?
My comrades outside mainly discussed individual scenes.
What if she had acted differently at the party?
Should we have considered the possibility that the crown prince might realize the hunt was rigged?
These were the types of discussions they had.
But I wanted to talk about something more fundamental.
Everyone, you’re listening, right?
***
「Everyone, you’re listening, right?」
“Songee is just straight-up talking to us now.”
“Well, she’s probably sharing her thoughts in case she fails.”
“But if Songee fails, isn’t that a huge problem? The only one left to seduce the prince would be Ahri!”
“Oh my, Eunsol. Can’t you see the perfect candidate right in front of you?”
“…”
“Kain, if you just possess Lady Evelyn’s body—“
“S-stop talking!”
***
The more fundamental issue in this movie is the attitude of the protagonist.
Elena, the moment she entered the movie, never once thought like a heroine.
The disappointment she felt toward the crown prince at first glance persisted until the film’s very end.
That kind of attitude is a ticking time bomb, bound to cause disaster sooner or later.
That’s why I think we all need to keep this in mind.
We need to immerse ourselves deeper into the film.
At least while we’re inside, we need to think about what it means to be the protagonist.
At that moment, the crown prince turned his gaze toward me.
Now was the time to approach.
“You are—“
“Your Highness, please mind your etiquette.”
“…You’re Lady Crossbell, aren’t you?”
An insecure posture, a timid expression, and a subtle sense of inferiority.
I can see why Elena didn’t like you.
Honestly, even if it wasn’t Elena, I doubt many would.
But you are the male lead of this movie.
Thinking this, I placed my hand over my heart and made a silent vow.
I will stand by your side—completely.
Until this world crumbles, until the movie reaches its conclusion—Yu Songee—no, Songee Crossbell will be on Joshua Veruson’s side.
“I heard that you recently received a thoroughbred horse from the northern provinces as a gift, Your Highness.”
“Huh? H-how do you know that—“
“Have you forgotten who gifted you Motian, Your Highness?”
“Oh, right! My apologies. Please send my thanks to Count Crossbell.”
The movie was full of plot devices to bring the heroine and the male lead closer together.
One of those devices was the crown prince’s beloved horse, Motian.
And the one who gifted it?
None other than my in-movie father.
I naturally took a seat in front of him, blocking his view of the opulent party hosted by the Duke of Berlen.
To some, this might be a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle, but to him, it was nothing but an unpleasant sight.
Finding a topic wasn’t hard. Since my father had gifted him the horse, I had every right to talk about it.
As soon as I brought up Motian, the prince’s attention shifted entirely to me.
“Motian keeps trying to throw me off! He must have eaten something bad!”
“Should I apologize for that?”
“Wha—N-no, that’s not what I meant. He’s a noble-blooded horse. I just need to put in more effort to tame him properly.”
A brief conversation.
And through it, I realized something repeatedly.
This boy couldn’t stand the idea of someone being above him.
He was only comfortable talking to those beneath him.
In that sense, the fact that Elena was taller than him might have also been a source of discomfort for him.
Another fact—I could already tell.
The crown prince liked me.
Honestly, I’m not as pretty as Elena… wait—
Why am I even thinking about this?!
***
「I’m not as pretty as Elena—wait, why am I even thinking about this?!」
“…”
“Let’s all just forget that last sentence.”
“I’ve already erased it from my memory.”
“What sentence? Did something happen?”
***
Ahem! Of course, it’s only natural for the prince to fall for me instantly.
This isn’t reality. It’s a romance film!
The heir of a conglomerate falls in love with an ordinary girl.
The emperor of an empire falls for a humble maid.
A northern duke or the master of a magic tower falls in love at first sight with a commoner.
In reality, these things are ridiculous.
But in a romance film, it’s perfectly normal.
So there was no need for someone as stunning as Elena to seduce him.
Even Kain-oppa, if he possessed Lady Evelyn’s body, could probably seduce the prince just fine.
Now, let’s focus on the conversation.
Starting with his beloved horse, Motian, the discussion naturally shifted to the other animals the crown prince kept—hawks, parrots, and even his personal zoo.
Of course, for a noble, extravagant hobbies were perfectly normal.
“Lady Crossbell.”
“I told you, you may call me by name, Your Highness.”
“Lady Songee? Your name is rather unique.”
“Yes, my mother gave it to me.”
Not that mother, of course.
In the end, the prince flashed a broad smile, saying he would invite me to the fox hunt.
Naturally, I returned his smile and accepted.
At the same time, the world around me began to shift.
Now we’re at the problematic event where Elena had failed.
How should I handle it?
After discussing it with my comrades just before entering the film, I had already reached my own conclusion.
***
- BANG!
“Oh! Lord Pendleton, truly a perfect shot!”
“Haha! George, it’s nothing. The fox practically begged to be hit after stopping in front of the tree. Missing a shot like that would be foolish. This reminds me of two years ago when I was deployed to the northern front—”
- BANG!
“…”
“…It seems Your Highness is still unfamiliar with shooting.”
The beginning of the hunting event was the same as in Elena’s run.
That oblivious Pendleton was busy showcasing his perfect aim, shooting down every fox in sight.
At first, the prince seemed pleased that I was by his side—but soon, his expression darkened.
What an exhausting person.
…No. I have to stop thinking like that.
I promised to stand by this boy’s side until the very end.
“Your Highness, why don’t we go that way?”
“There aren’t many foxes over there.”
Seeing where I was pointing, the prince hesitated slightly but eventually complied.
“…I apologize. To be honest, I don’t particularly enjoy hunting.”
“…I don’t really like it either.”
“Oh, my! I’m so glad we share the same thoughts. Don’t you think this kind of hunting is barbaric? Killing so many foxes just for sport—it’s hard to understand. I don’t know what Lord Pendleton finds so amusing.”
“P-Pendleton does have a bit of a violent streak. I-I heard he acted like a mercenary on the battlefield. Personally, I don’t like unnecessary killing. Why should we take lives so meaninglessly, just for our own entertainment?”
I knelt slightly, extending my hand.
A nearby fox, after circling a few times, cautiously approached me.
A fox willingly came to me, creating a mysterious atmosphere.
The prince’s attendants and guards were all speechless, staring at me in awe.
The crown prince, too, gaped in astonishment.
“How… How did you do that?”
“Who knows?”
***
「Who knows?」
“Wait, no, seriously, how did she do that? Did she use Affinity?”
“Hyung, Songee took the bracelet, so she doesn’t have her Blessing.”
“Oh, right.”
“Even if she did take the Blessing, it wouldn’t work on foxes. The Blessing only affects ‘Chaotic Beings’. This is such an obvious trick—why isn’t anyone catching on?”
At Ahri’s exasperated remark, everyone’s gaze naturally shifted to her.
She seemed completely baffled by the fact that no one else had noticed the trick she was talking about.
“Didn’t you see the bracelet glow? Or how the fox flinched as it moved? Songee must have made sure the only visible path was the one leading to her.”
Kain, on the other hand, found something else even more ridiculous.
“That damn prince—wasn’t he the same guy who was laughing his ass off while stuffing a trophy box full of fox corpses when he was with Elena? And now he says, ‘I don’t like unnecessary killing’? Is this guy even human?”
***
In the illusion of a burning world, the fox—having nowhere else to turn—trembled in fear as it climbed onto me, terrified that it might fall into the sea of flames.
Naturally, everyone around us saw the whole scene as something incredibly mystical.
But right then, an
unexpected
variable appeared.
- BANG!
Just as the fox landed on the ground for a brief moment, someone pulled the trigger, shooting it dead!
“Kyaaaaah!”
For that instant, it wasn’t just acting—I was genuinely shocked, dropping to the ground with a scream.
And that scream became the perfect finishing touch for today’s performance.
“You bastard! WHO THE HELL DID THAT?!”
“Your Highness, please be mindful of your words—“
“Shut your mouth! If you utter one more word, I swear I’ll gouge your eyes out! Who’s the insane fuck that just shot in this direction?! Rupert!”
“Your Highness, I am here.”
“Someone pulled the trigger toward Songee’s direction! Isn’t this basically an assassination attempt?!”
“Perhaps they were aiming at the fox on the ground…?”
“What if they missed? What if I had gotten hit instead?!”
“I will find out immediately.”
Face flushed red with rage, the crown prince’s fury swept through the entire hunting ground like a storm.
At the end of the day, this movie’s setting was still a feudal society, wasn’t it? If a crown prince set his mind to it, there was no way a mere noble could resist.
Within seconds, a number of suspicious noble heirs were dragged forward, scrambling to push the blame onto someone else.
As the hunting ground descended into chaos, I stood there, dazedly watching the scene unfold…
And then—
The crown prince approached me.
“D-don’t worry. I’ll make sure the one responsible for today’s accident
pays
! Y-you’re not hurt, right?”
This… wasn’t a bad flow of events.
I could barely hold back a smile.
“O-of course not.”
For the first time—this timid boy truly felt like the male lead.
“Um… Lady Songee…”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“T-today’s hunt was completely ruined. And well… I just feel bad about that… So I was wondering… Next week, would you like to visit my private zoo?”
This was a completely new development.
One that hadn’t happened with Elena.
***
https://ko-fi.com/genesisforsaken
.
!
Chapter 280: Room 204, Mission Room - 'Hotel Cinema' (4)
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