The man who had protected Princess Luciana from being hit was the last person she expected.
『G-, God Vritra…?』
It was her first ti seeing him since their eting a few weeks ago.
She could hardly believe how much more handso he had beco in that short ti. In fact, "handso" no longer seed enough to describe his looks.
Now, she could only think of him as beautiful.
『H-, He protected …?』
After that, Luciana glanced back and saw Esralda standing there with a smile as soon as their eyes t.
『Wait… how is she here too? Before I left for God Vritra's quarters, she told she needed to prepare a small banquet that Father ordered because of so visitors from the Mage's Association.』
The princess was completely puzzled, wondering when and how Esralda had managed to arrive just in ti.
Prince Vritra glanced back at Princess Luciana.
"Are you alright, princess?"
He asked with a confident, mild smile.
Luciana was taken aback──it was hard to believe this was the sa Asura royal she had seen a few weeks ago.
She couldn't recognize him at all.
Was his face that forgettable? Of course not!
And even now, as she looked at him, every detail of his beautiful face seed to be engraving itself into her thoughts.
"Y-Yes, I am…" she finally managed to mumble.
[The "heroine" Luciana Duranzia has grown a small disgust for the "hero" Lumis Deva. The hero's Fate Value has been reduced by 30!]
[You successfully protected Luciana and made another good impression on Esralda. As a result, Luciana's affection for the host has increased by 100, and Esralda's affection has gone up by 20!]
[Luciana is chard by your appearance. Her affection for you has gone up by another 30 points!]
[Congratulations! You've earned your first valid Affection Point from the heroine. A Starter Pack Gift is now being processed for you in the System's warehouse.]
Prince Vritra grinned and then focused again on the angry Deva in front of him.
"And now, you…"
He kept a firm hold on Prince Lumis's hand.
Despite Prince Lumis's efforts to pull his hand free, he couldn't manage to escape Vritra's grip.
"LET GO OF , YOU ANIMAL!"
Lumis shouted, no longer holding back his frustration.
Seeing this outburst, Vritra felt a strong urge to snap the hero's wrist like a sun-dried twig but resisted, choosing instead to smile deviously.
"I should let go of you so you can try to hit her again?"
Hearing this, Luciana quickly stepped back until she was safely in Esralda's protective arms.
… Gasp!
Prince Lumis was struck with shock when he saw the way both Esralda and Luciana looked at him.
『Why are they… looking at like that…?』
He had never felt this kind of irritation with himself before.
The scene felt strangely familiar.
『It's… it's happening again!』
It was just like when the nobles in the throne room had looked at him while Prince Vritra made a fool of him.
The only difference was that the woman he loved was now looking at him like he was a pariah.
Everything felt the sa: he was the outcast, and Vritra was the winner.
『I… I give up…』
Prince Lumis was exhausted from being toyed with by Vritra.
"Please… let go of my hand."
He spoke weakly, with little power or authority in his voice.
It was clear to Vritra that Lumis had given up.
[The "hero" Lumis Nela Deva feels deeply betrayed by his fated heroine and is now starting to question himself. Because of this, his Fate Value has dropped by 100.]
… Oho?
This was just the cherry on top.
Trying to be as polite as he was supposed to be, Vritra let go of Lumis's hand and watched him walk away, his pride hurt and his heart broken.
"I… I didn't do anything wrong…" Lumis muttered.
He knew that arguing would only give Vritra more chances to twist his words. Although it was too late to take Old Ymnes's advice about avoiding confrontation, walking away seed like the best option now.
Before long, Prince Lumis was out of sight.
Esralda wrapped her arms around Luciana even tighter and gently stroked her hair, showing her care and worry.
"Are you okay, my princess?"
She wasn't sure what she would have done if the princess had been struck, especially since Devas have such terrifying strength.
Luciana, still in shock, rested her head against Esralda's robust bosom.
"I'm… I'm fine. Thankfully, he didn't hit , all thanks to God Vritra."
She glanced to the side, catching another glimpse of Prince Vritra's glorious presence.
[Ding! The "heroine" Luciana is grateful you protected her. Her affection for the host has gone up by 20 points!]
Vritra had plenty of reasons to smile, but he kept his expression composed──there was no smile, but no frown either.
"Princess Luciana, I'll allow you to speak with later today. Perhaps at sunset, when the sun is near the horizon."
Without saying anything more or waiting for a reply, Vritra clasped his hands behind his back and left.
Esralda gave him a small, charming side-eye and smiled, and Vritra responded with a nod as he focused on the path back to his quarters.
━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━
So hours later…
Prince Vritra lay back on his bed with a relaxed posture and a bright smile, taking the ti to review his plans.
He still had a bit of ti before he would have a one-on-one conversation with Princess Luciana.
anwhile, his Starter Pack Gift was still being processed in the System's warehouse.
『It seems my plan worked a bit too perfectly, which is almost a little concerning, hehe.
『First, I had to remove Ymnes from the picture since he could keep Lumis in check, but that was easy thanks to Spymaster Zorin—one of the reasons I didn't want Neron to kill him.
『After the first maid left half-dressed, Zorin must have assud I slept with her, and I used that to my advantage when Es first visited .
The whole point of massaging her shoulders was to get those naughty sounds out of her so Spymaster Zorin could report back to Lumis and Ymnes, not just about sleeping with Es, but also about the Military Kingdom of Serathen and King Felmus's plans to form an alliance with .
『Those two pieces of information were enough to trigger Lumis and temporarily take Ymnes out of the picture. He's a smart man, so of course, he'd seek the help of his political contacts the mont he hears news like that.
… Sigh~ I impress myself.
『The night before, I told Es to clean Lumis's room and to tell him that Luciana spent the night with if he asked. It was a bit challenging to get her to lie for like this, but I just told her I'd explain later… though it seems I won't need to now.
… HAH!
『It's like placing a bet with borrowed money. I took the risk and let the situation explain itself to her. Now she probably thinks I did all this to expose Lumis for the scoundrel he really is.
『I was worried I wouldn't be able to ti Lumis and Luciana running into each other after she left my quarters, but that love-desperate dog of a prince was waiting around just to see if she'd really step out of my quarters… what an idiot.
『Now that everything is in place, and Luciana's feelings for are in the positives, I can comfortably interact with her and charm her. Excellent.』
Prince Vritra stretched his arms and yawned tiredly.
All of a sudden, the pillow he was lying on didn't feel as comfortable.
… Oh?
He thought back to when he saw Luciana resting her head on Esralda's fat bosom. Now, he found himself wanting to sleep on those soft, fat pieces of at as well.
"I should ask her soti; I'm sure she won't refuse."
The dark prince closed his eyes and chuckled inwardly.
━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━
anwhile…
Princess Luciana sat silently on her bed, staring at the wall.
She kept replaying the mont when Prince Lumis nearly slapped her and Prince Vritra stepped in to save her.
… Wow~
It was like sothing out of the new books she often read in the library.
『I still can't believe that's God Vritra.』
The deepness of his voice…
The soft and tidy appearance of his jet-black hair…
The way he carried himself…
Even the way he stepped in to protect her…
All of this made her feel different inside. It didn't feel real; if she could call it scripted, she would.
For the first ti, she felt so cheap.
The idea that one act of heroism, combined with so charming looks, could leave her unable to even take her afternoon rest was unbelievable.
『N-, No… it's not possible. It can't be…』
Princess Luciana's face turned bright red.
… KYAAAA~
『I'm really not that cheap!』
She let out a cute squeal and fell back on her bed in embarrassnt.
━ ━ ━ ━
(T/N): This book is now contracted you can support with Golden Tickets too or any small gifts. Also, reviews will be greatly appreciated 🙂
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