Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

… Mmm~

Ahhahhhh~~

"This is such a nice meal!"

"Mhm, spicyyyy!"

"Hrmm, well I suppose it's alright. For desert food…"

Vritra and his companions spent the evening enjoying a simple but delightful meal prepared by Benita and Esmeralda while chatting with Lord Arcellion.

The young lord already knew most of Arcellion's story, especially how he met Princess Luciana and Esmeralda, since he had studied Arcellion's profile thoroughly.

With Arcellion's Fate Value being at a decent 350, Vritra had no trouble uncovering the key details he needed, though there were still things Arcellion kept hidden… like his deep resentment toward the nobles and how they treated knights, as well as why he resigned from his role as a hunting knight in Duranzia to become the knight commander of Serathen.

Luciana had many questions on her mind, but every time she tried to ask, Vritra gently placed a hand on her thigh and pat her softly to calm her.

What they were all really curious about, though, was why a knight on the verge of being promoted to Divine General would give up such a position and leave the kingdom so suddenly.

In many ways, Lord Arcellion could be considered Duranzia's greatest traitor.

Vritra folded his arms and closed his eyes to think.

『Arcellion is an interesting character. He used to have strong morals and a clear sense of justice, but fate has been so harsh on him that he's become exactly what he once despised. The nobles are pleased with him, and while the soldiers under his command seem to be enjoying their positions, the same can't be said for the poor pigs in the lower city.』

He leaned back in his chair and smirked.

『For now, I'll wait and see what kind of information Ghislaine brings back to me. After all, I haven't even made contact with the hero or heroine yet, but that's a task for tomorrow.』

An evil chuckle slipped through his lips.

Princess Luciana immediately turned to her husband and tilted her head with concern.

"Are you alright, honey?"

"Of course, I'm just surprised you're on your fifth plate already. Seriously, don't you remember how big you were as a child? You should slow down a bit, Princess Porky."

Even as he was speaking to her, Vritra couldn't stop the small laughs that kept slipping out of his mouth.

By now, Luciana was practically immune to it.

Her cheeks puffed out slightly, and she frowned at Vritra before turning back to her plate of curry.

"That's the last time I'm asking!"

She then angrily stuffed her mouth with more curry, chewing with such frustration that her face started to turn red.

Normally, Luciana would get more worked up about being called fat, whether it was directly or in some clever way. But the young lord had teased her so many times that it had become a regular thing, and she'd grown used to it.

Truthfully, Vritra only used that tactic because it was the easiest way to distract her while he schemed.

『Hm, I wonder where Ghislaine is…』

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Vritra looked up and met eyes with Benita.

The head maid calmly returned his gaze, staring into his red eyes. But she could only hold his look for a moment before turning her eyes away, as if she felt overwhelmed by him.

"Hm?"

Vritra raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

…

"How do you like it, Princess Luciana?"

Arcellion asked with a smile.

"I'm sure this is quite subpar compared to your dining in the Royal Capital. But please manage it nonetheless."

He was supposed to ask this at the start of the meal, but he had been too focused on sharing a carefully filtered, information-rich story about how he knew the princess. More than that, he was trying to avoid unnecessary questions from her. The best strategy seemed to be asking random questions to steer their conversation in another direction.

Arcellion thought his plan was working, unaware that the real reason Luciana hadn't questioned him was that Vritra kept her calm.

"It's quite delicious."

Princess Luciana finally said before coughing softly and drinking her eight cup of water.

"Was it too spicy?" he asked.

"Y-, Yes, just a little… but it's still quite good."

"I can see that. You've eaten seven plates already."

"I-, I suppose so. Mind your business, okay?"

"Yes, Your… Highness?"

In the end, Princess Luciana managed to finish nine servings of the curry, all the while making a fuss about how hot it was, while Vritra had only eaten one plate.

━ ━ ━ ━

After they finished eating…

Benita led everyone out of the dining room while Lord Arcellion packed the plates himself. Even when Esmeralda offered to help clean the dining table, he quickly stopped her and took over the task.

The couple and their servants followed Head Maid Benita down the hallway, and she was happy to show them around the place until they reached the accommodations set up for the young lord.

"This way, God Vritra…"

"Excellent. So, what is your name, maid?"

"Oh?"

Benita looked surprised that the young lord was interested enough to ask her name.

She smiled shyly.

"M-, My name is…"

"BENITA! Her name is Benita, my lord."

Esmeralda quickly jumped in to answer, clearly unhappy with how the young lord was talking to her. If Benita had been a noblewoman, she might have stayed quiet, but since she was just a maid—and not even one who was a virgin—Esmeralda wouldn't let the young lord insult Princess Luciana by flirting with her.

She folded her arms tightly under her breasts, frowning.

『I don't have a problem with Benita, but I don't want her talking to the young lord with that kind of face or trying to get close to him. She's a nice woman, but I wouldn't be wrong to call her a whore too.』

Esmeralda kept her expression serious.

Vritra turned back to Benita, nodding thoughtfully.

"Hmm, Benita… good name."

The mature woman clasped her hands against her fat chest and smiled warmly.

"Thank you, God Vritra."

She lowered her head and continued to lead the way.

Before long, they walked past Sadim, who was still wearing his Serathen plate armor with his sword sheathed at his waist.

『Who… is she?』

Sadim looked at Luciana.

Suddenly, the princess felt a sharp pain in her chest, and Sadim felt it too.

"URRGHH──!! MY CHEST!"

He almost dropped to his knees but managed to hold onto a nearby wall to steady himself.

Vritra quickly turned around and caught Luciana in his arms before she could fall. He noticed she was pale and sweating like someone with a fever, which was really strange.

"First Lieutenant Goldtouch!"

"Your Highness!"

Benita and Esmeralda were even more worried and rushed over to help Sadim and Luciana, respectively.

… cough! COUGH!

Sadim was coughing heavily, gripping his chest tightly, but Benita gently patted him on the back.

"I-Is everything alright?" she asked, unsure of what else to say.

"Do I look alright?!"

Sadim snapped, gritting his teeth in pain. He took a few more steps, and as he moved, the pain began to fade, like a burn slowly healing.

However, Luciana, looked like she was about to collapse from exhaustion.

Blood dripped from her mouth.

"Wh-, What's wrong with her, God Vritra?!"

Esmeralda exclaimed, tears welling in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Vritra and Neron remained calm, exchanging glances and nodding at each other.

"Take her to our chambers."

That was the young lord's only order.

Without wasting a moment, Neron lifted the princess out of Vritra's arms and headed toward their prepared chambers. He knew exactly where to go, so he didn't pay much attention to Benita for now.

Esmeralda hurried alongside Neron.

There was panic written all over her face.

"I-, I really hope nothing happens to her!"

Occasionally she would place a hand on Luciana's forehead to check for warmth.

It felt like touching a corpse… cold and lifeless.

"No… please, no…"

Tears began to spill from Esmeralda's blue eyes.

Sadim gripped his chest through his armor and grunted.

『What's this strange pain I'm feeling in my chest? It feels like there's a burning sun inside me, like I'm about to explode. I haven't felt like this in years, not since I was around Rosemarie. But now, somehow, I'm losing control again. Why is this happening?! No… I can't lose control here.

It won't end well for me or anyone else. I need to get out of here!』

He coughed out more blood.

Benita became even more worried.

"Sir Goldtouch! Please, how can I help?!"

"Stay back!"

Sadim furiously shoved Benita away and took very weak steps forward as his mind crumbled more.

Slowly, the ground started to freeze up.

It was slowly being frozen in golden ice!

Right after, glowing golden veins started to sprout across Sadim's face and arms.

"Arrghhh!"

The pain was unbearable.

Vritra's lips curled into a sly smile as he stared at Sadim with hunger in his eyes. This was the most fascinating thing he had seen since arriving on the Central Continent.

He was so mesmerized by the sight of Sadim that he didn't even notice when Benita hit the ground. Nor did he realize when he started drooling like a starved beast waiting for a feast.

"I was just about to go searching for the hero. Who would've thought fate would deliver him right to me?"

Vritra's grin widened even more.

"That should be impossible… a Fate Value of 2,500…"