Worries of the Heart, The Fate of Those Closest

Some hours ago…

Esmeralda wore a dark blue maid dress with a high collar, decorated with white ruffles around the shoulders and chest.

The dress was snug, highlighting her stunning curves.

A brown corset with gold laces crisscrossed at her waist, brought more attention to her sexy, flat stomach. She had a white apron tied around her waist, which, despite its traditional maid design, was short enough to show off her shapely legs.

The only thing missing from her otherwise perfect outfit was the black diamond necklace that Prince Vritra had given her.

『Hrmm, I'm sure it would've gone well with this dress…』

She really wanted to wear it because it reminded her of the dark prince's charm, and more importantly, his kindness.

But she knew Princess Luciana would ask about it.

Still, it didn't stop her from looking stunning.

『Sigh~ perhaps I'm trying too hard for God Vritra. He's not going to stay in the Central Continent forever. I might just be a temporary distraction for him. I doubt he'd be allowed to take a human to the Hell Continent. And even if there's a slim chance I could go with him, I'm not sure I'd be able to fit in… that's if there's even a slim chance at all.』

She usually didn't dress up this much, though she always looked good in whatever she wore. But this time, she put in extra effort, hoping to get some compliments from Prince Vritra when she visited his chambers.

『Even so, I don't think I need to worry about that right now. I should just focus on the other thing God Vritra told me to do.』

… Tee-hee!

Just the thought of him asking her for a favor made her giggle to herself, almost as if she were a young girl again.

『Alright, focus!』

When Esmeralda reached the large, ornate doors of Princess Luciana's room, she already had her usual composed expression on.

It was the same look that made junior maids stop their gossip and get back to work and the same look that every male guard in the castle found irresistibly attractive.

… knock! KNOCK!

After knocking twice, Esmeralda entered Princess Luciana's chambers with her typical confident stride.

… Hm?

The first thing Esmeralda noticed was Princess Luciana sitting on the bed in her nightwear, looking stressed. Her hair was a tangled mess, resembling a hairball coughed up by a sick cat, and she groaned wearily.

Esmeralda chuckled inwardly as she walked over to the princess.

"My princess, I can't believe you haven't taken your bath yet. It's early in the morning, and as the responsible woman I know you to be, you should be up and about!"

While Luciana's unkept appearance might have been concerning, it reminded Esmeralda of when the princess was a reserved young lady who didn't know much about taking care of herself.

Luciana didn't give an excuse; she knew it was unlike her not to have cleaned up and started her day.

She lowered her head even more.

"I-, I'm sorry, Esmeralda…"

She spoke in a dull voice.

Just from her tone, Esmeralda could tell she had been crying and immediately softened her approach.

"Sigh~ alright, what's wrong?"

The woman sat down beside Luciana and placed an arm over her shoulder, signaling she was ready to listen.

At first, Luciana was hesitant to open up, but then she realized she was talking to Esmeralda, not her father… she could speak freely.

"O-, Okay. I'll talk, but ju──"

"Just don't tell His Majesty? Tch, what do you take me for?"

"Alright then…"

Luciana explained how she'd been told to speak with Prince Vritra the day before, but she was too scared she would fail to convince him to spare them and form an alliance with their nation.

She also admitted that she felt terrible for neglecting Prince Lumis lately, which had left her feeling uneasy and barely able to eat or sleep.

The more Luciana talked, the more Esmeralda could see how much the young woman was struggling to cope during such a stressful time.

In a way, she felt guilty for not noticing sooner that Luciana was dealing with all this.

『I've been too occupied with serving God Vritra, I suppose.』

With a small sigh, Esmeralda gently held Luciana's head and pulled it close to her chest, letting the tired young woman rest.

"You look tired."

"No kidding..."

"Are you really going to get smart with me, young lady?"

"Sigh~ I'm sorry. I just can't stop worrying about what will happen if I speak with God Vritra, and he isn't interested in talking to me. Even though it's not my fault that everything happened the way it did, I'm sure Father will still blame me. After all, I'm not the precious son he wanted."

"Tsk, tsk, you're always overthinking things."

"Hm?"

Still lying against Esmeralda's robust chest, Luciana looked up at her with big, pretty blue eyes, curious about what the head maid had said.

"Hrmm, just listen, my princess…"

Esmeralda placed a hand on the princess's head, gently stroking her hair.

Then, she softly patted her and said, "Go ahead and rest your head on my chest."

"Alright…" Luciana did as she was told.

Esmeralda saw this and smiled.

"You're overthinking things again, and as usual, I'm the one who has to guide you. No matter how you feel about Prince Lumis, that isn't your main priority.

"Remember, before he arrived, he didn't even know who you were. He came here because of his own priorities, so you should focus on yours too.

"There will be a time to talk things out with him, and if things go well, who knows what might happen. But for now, concentrate on the duty your father gave you and show him you're capable of convincing God Vritra, alright?"

Esmeralda's words were just what Princess Luciana needed to ease her tired mind.

For this head maid, it was second nature to choose the right words and the best perspective to help Luciana understand things.

It wasn't just that she was a skilled advisor; it was because she took on the role of a mother for Luciana with genuine care.

"Can I really do it though?" Luciana asked herself.

The head maid smiled. "If that were the case, God Vritra wouldn't have sent me here to ask how your morning was."

Luciana perked up in surprise. "W-, Wait… WHAT?!"

"Mhm!" Esmeralda nodded gently. "He wants to see you."

Without wasting another second, Luciana jumped out of bed and began scrambling to find something to wear.

"I-, I shouldn't waste any more time! If God Vritra wants to see me, I must be ready immediately!"

She started loosening the crisscrossed ropes of her white nightwear, preparing to rush to the bathroom.

Then, the princess stopped and glanced back at Esmeralda.

… Hm?

Her eyes narrowed as she took in Esmeralda's appearance.

An oddly tight and provocative dress…

A light layer of makeup on her face…

… Hrmmm

Luciana frowned slightly and rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

"Is there… a problem?" Esmeralda asked.

Trying not to delve too deeply, Luciana's frown faded into her usual, angelic smile as she shook her head.

"Oh, nothing… it's just, you look a bit different today."

… Oh?

Understanding what she meant but not wanting to address it directly, Esmeralda adjusted her hair slightly and looked away.

"Ma-, Maybe I do…"

She tugged her skirt down a little.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

Presently…

After finishing his brief training session with Ghislaine, Prince Vritra returned to his sofa to enjoy some tea. He acted as if there was no one at the door, or worse, as if he wasn't expecting anyone.

knock! KNOCK!

Princess Luciana knocked again, but Vritra just smiled and ignored it, holding his saucer in one hand and his especially fancy teacup in the other.

"Uh… Young Master, the…"

Ghislaine hesitated to speak.

"There's someone at the door…"

Still, Vritra didn't respond or acknowledge her words.

Noticing this, Ghislaine decided to stay silent.

In the quiet, Vritra continued to savor his hot tea.

[Ding! Your target, Esmeralda Kirkwood, has experienced a great growth!]

[Her Fate Value has increased by 20!]

[Esmeralda's Fate Value: 150]

The moment Vritra saw this, his eyes went wide.

『WHAT?!』

It almost felt like his eyes were deceiving him.

『My theory… it was actually right. I can increase Esmeralda's Fate Value by putting her in the right situations! It made no sense that someone close to the heroine wouldn't see a growth in Fate Value. All she needed was the right guidance.

『So that means… Esmeralda could also become a heroine, right? Yes, that must be it. After all, heroes and heroines are basically individuals with high Fate Value, so if hers reaches the benchmark, she'll also gain that status.

『Hrmm, I wonder what will happen if a woman who already has high affection for me becomes a heroine.』

A thirsty grin appeared on his face.

『Interesting…』