Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

Now that Vritra had finally stopped pretending no one was at the door, he gave Ghislaine the signal to proceed. She adjusted the patch over her right eye, walked to the door, and pushed it open for the waiting princess.

While Princess Luciana had been knocking, her face showed a sad expression, knowing that the young lord was ignoring her. But the moment Ghislaine opened the door, all that sadness disappeared.

Luciana held up a tray and bowed her head slightly.

"I-, I made some treats for God Vritra, hoping he might want to spend some time with me. In other words, I would… like to have a word with him."

Her voice was soft, and paired with the prettiness of her blue eyes, she looked so innocent.

Ghislaine was about to respond politely, but she stopped herself when she noticed Prince Vritra shaking his head from the corner of her eye.

"Tell the princess I have no interest in speaking to her."

Ghislaine hesitated, unsure if she had heard him correctly, but those were indeed his words.

『Hm? I really don't understand the young lord…』

Ghislaine turned back to Princess Luciana with an uneasy expression on her face. She clearly felt uncomfortable about dismissing the princess so unfairly.

"You went through the trouble of bringing food for God Vritra so early in the morning. I'm sure you have other commitments. On behalf of God Vritra, I thank you."

Her words, though polite, sounded off to Princess Luciana.

It almost felt like she was being brushed off by Ghislaine.

The princess tilted her head, smiling through her unease.

"So… may I see God Vritra? As the princess of this nation, he is also a commitment I should dedicate myself to."

Her grip on the steel tray tightened as she tried to push her doubts aside, fully aware of where this was heading.

Seeing her like this made it difficult for Ghislaine to deliver the message clearly, but she preferred dealing with Luciana's disappointment over facing the wrath of God Vritra.

"The young lord says he no longer has any interest in speaking with you. You may take your leave."

With that, Ghislaine gently took the tray from the princess, who stood frozen in shock.

『Why would the young lord ask to speak with her and then act like she's a pest the moment she responds? She even made him these pastries. Hmph! Honestly, the young lord should learn to treat a woman better.』

The white-haired secretary closed the doors right in front of Luciana's face.

Still relaxing and enjoying his tea, he saw Ghislaine walk in with the tray of pastries and a frustrated look on her face. He could tell she was itching to lecture him about how he treated the princess, but she clearly didn't have the authority to do so.

『Hmph, such a child…』

The only person who could even come close to giving him a talk like that was his capable butler, Neron.

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[Ding! Luciana is upset with how you've treated her. Her affection for you has decreased by 30 points.]

The dark prince smiled.

『If Esmeralda did the other thing I asked her to do, it would be like killing four birds with one stone.』

He took a light sip of his tea.

…

Princess Luciana walked down the breezy courtyard paths with a sad expression.

She gently rubbed her left arm with her right hand, unsure of what to do with her hands after the embarrassment she had just faced.

The way she was treated like a pest made her feel small.

She just needed something to take her mind off things.

Anything…

『Hmm, did I do something wrong with the young lord? Esmeralda would never lie to me, so it's clear he actually wanted to see me, but then suddenly lost interest. I dressed properly and spoke politely to his servant, yet he still doesn't want to see me.

『Father says God Vritra is a ruthless demon who sees women as nothing but objects, but I don't think that's true. Esmeralda might have been right about him… he's really not as terrible as I thought.

『I honestly believed my beauty might charm him in some way, but it seems he doesn't even want to look at me. Am I repulsive to him? He spoke kindly to me in the throne room, or was that just an act? I can't really tell.

『It's not that I feel anything for him… I'm just very curious about how he thinks.』

She sighed again, and by now, she had lost track of how many times she had sighed with regret.

"Princess Luciana…"

The princess heard her name called by a familiar voice and looked up to see it was Prince Lumis.

As soon as she saw him up close, she panicked and took a few steps back.

"Y-, You shouldn't be here!"

She glanced around to make sure no one saw them together.

Luciana was so cautious because her father had specifically warned her not to speak with Prince Lumis. If a guard or maid saw her, she would surely be reported to King Felmus.

However, Prince Lumis saw things differently.

『So… Esmeralda wasn't lying when she said it.』

He had been waiting here for a long time, so he watched as the princess came from a certain part of the palace. That direction happened to be where Prince Vritra's quarters were.

『She really spent the night with Prince Vritra! That's why she's so afraid of getting caught by me!』

Anger showed on Prince Lumis's bitter face, and he couldn't help but clench his fists.

Princess Luciana was so focused on not getting caught with Prince Lumis that she didn't notice his growing anger.

"I-, I can't stay here. Please, don't talk to me here… we shouldn't be seen together!"

She quickly composed herself.

When she asked for something to take her mind off the embarrassment of being dismissed by the Bloodgarden Family's young lord, she definitely didn't expect this.

『I need to leave!』

She adjusted her hair and fixed her tiara, then started walking in a different direction.

Before she could get very far, Prince Lumis grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"So you're not even going to talk to me?! You're going to treat me like a pest? If that's what you want, then congratulations, you've succeeded!"

He tightened his grip on her slender wrist.

Despite her efforts to avoid trouble for both of them, Prince Lumis was still being an obstacle, at least in Luciana's view.

"Prince Lumis, let go of my hand!" she demanded.

"NO!" The Deva Prince fired back.

This outburst even left Princess Luciana stunned.

She knew Prince Vritra could make him lose his temper quickly, but she didn't realize it was this severe.

"Don't you dare… raise your voice at me again."

Princess Luciana spoke through gritted teeth, clinging to the unexplained love she felt for him. If she didn't have that, she might have said something harsher.

However, the prince was too angry to see that she was trying to help him.

"Oh, so now you're the one who's angry, after betraying me?! What's next? Are you going to slap me? Come on, you've done it before, do it again!"

The prince was seething with rage.

His pale, handsome face was bright red, and steam seemed to be coming out of his nostrils as he exhaled furiously.

...

Meanwhile, Prince Vritra watched the exchange from the comfort of his quarters, sipping his tea and enjoying the pastries that Princess Luciana had made for him.

『As I anticipated, everything is moving according to my plan. I believe that Prince Lumis's bad temper, combined with what Spymaster Zorin and Esme said earlier, will be enough to push him into disciplining that lower lifeform, Luciana.』

The dark prince didn't even crack a smile.

Dealing with the favored sons and daughters of fate was hardly difficult at all.

They were simply chess pieces, waiting to be moved around at his will.

『Honestly… it's quite boring.』

Vritra threw another pastry into his mouth and chuckled.

…

"Prince Lumis, didn't you hear me? I said, let go of me!"

"That Vritra isn't a good person. Don't be fooled by his smooth talk. He just wants you for your body. He's an absolute monster!"

"What are you talking about? Who are you to judge who's good or bad? I can assure you that God Vritra doesn't want me for my body. He hardly even looks at me. And Esmeralda even told me he's a modest and polite man; she wouldn't lie to me!"

"HUH──?!"

Prince Lumis couldn't believe she was saying all this. Where did she come up with such nonsense? He grew more furious as he saw the woman he loved spending the night with his enemy and now defending them.

It was just unbelievable!

"I love you, and you're doing this to me?! The Esmeralda you say is like a mother to you might be just as you described. Not only has she slept with that jerk, Vritra, but now you've slept with him too! Are you really that much of a slut?!"

────PAHHH!

Princess Luciana gave him a dirty slap.

"Say what you want about me… but don't you ever speak ill of Esmeralda. She deserves nothing but respect!"

She was barely able to hold back her tears.

The Deva Prince felt his face turn from the force of the slap and could already feel the sting on his cheek. It was the second time she had slapped him, and, just like the first, it was because he loved her too much.

『Wh-, What…? She's the one who said her heart still belongs to me, but then she goes and sleeps with Vritra. And now she has the nerve to slap me? Zorin was right about her…』

Prince Lumis's eyes burned with anger, and he quickly raised his hand to deliver a harsh slap of his own.

Princess Luciana was stunned that he would even think of raising his hand at her.

She shut her eyes tightly and flinched in fear.

But just as it was about to happen, she heard a deep, strong voice.

"Oh my…"

It didn't sound familiar, but at the same time it did.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Prince Vritra gripping Prince Lumis's raised hand.

"Was the righteous young lord of the Blueworld family really going to hit our dear Luciana?"

The dark prince smiled.