Episode 42 – Luvia’s state of mind and final mission!?

“I hate you! Die!”

She screamed, climbing on top of me, slapping my cheeks and scratching me with her long claws.

“Your Highness, Your Highness the Princess! What in the world is this ……?”

The man guarding me is stunned as he looks at this spectacle.

“I hate you! I hate you! I hate!!!”
“……”

But I didn’t grab Luvia’s fist and defend myself. I didn’t, but rather I couldn’t.

“Be Dust!!!! Eric!!!!”

Of course, I had no tools like knives or hammers, but Luvia’s slender fists and claws were surprisingly painful.

“I have to stop this quickly, but if I touch …… the body of Her Highness the …… Princess, I will be executed. ……”

So whispered the fearful guard, unable to do anything but just stand there.

“…….”
“Why didn’t you say anything!”
“……”
“I know all about you, the blood of that dirty man, and the ugly nature that hides deep inside you. So …… reveal that nature so that I can kill you!”

It was heartbreaking. Why was such a beautiful and pretty girl spitting venom with a face that was a mixture of sadness and anger? But I don’t have time to think about that now.

I have free hands and feet. If I were the old Eric, I would have done something terrible to Luvia. I am a man, after all. In terms of strength, I have the upper hand. Of course, Luvia knows this.

But the fact that Luvia acted in such a defenseless manner showed that she had been cornered that badly.

So I put my arms around Luvia’s back, who was beating me as hard as I could,

I hugged her gently.

“!”
“Luva..”

Soft. Very soft. Her whole body smelled of a very nice fragrance, and every single part of her body was beautiful.

But Luvia was sad.

“What?!”
“I would never hurt Luvia.”
“Nonsense. ……”
“I don’t know what kind of darkness Luvia has in her. I don’t care if you hit me,…… because it’s true that I said terrible things in the past. But I’m not going to see that sad look on Luvia’s face!”
“! You! I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
“I’m going to help Luvia.”
“Haa! What are you talking about?”
“I told you. I’m here to make things right with Luvia.”
“Shut up …… up. Shut up …… up! Shut up! Shut up!”

Luvia denied everything I said as I hugged her, and I called out her name loudly.

“Luvia!”
“! What?”

Then Luvia’s body started to shake and she stared at me. Clear tears were streaming from her beautiful ruby-colored eyes, and her perfectly shaped face looked so sad.

“Let’s stay like this for a while. Luvia is not calm right now. I won’t hurt you or say anything terrible, you just have to trust Me.”
“I don’t trust anything you say,”
“If I do something bad to Luvia here, you can kill me. Look me in the eye.”
“…”
“I will help Luvia.”
“……”

Luvia kept her mouth shut and did not respond.

“Relax.”
“……”
“You’ve always been so uptight, haven’t you? It’s going to get better now, so …… ease up.”
“…….”
“It’s amazing how …… she gets so …… angry that she can’t control her temper.”

The guard beside me seemed to be talking to himself, but I couldn’t make him out.

A few minutes later, I hear the sound of someone rushing to the door.

“What’s going on!”
“Elze-sama! I-i-it, it’s a big trouble! Oh, maybe it’s not so serious now.”
“What is it? What’s that half-baked answer?”
“Well, that’s the thing….”

Elze-san looked at where the guard was pointing. Then she rolled her eyes and was startled.

“Her Highness Princess Luvia!?”
“Elze?!”

Luvia, who was hugging me in the form of being on top of me, looked at Elze-san and suddenly changed her color. She then looked at me and Elze-san alternately and began to analyze the situation we were in. After a few seconds, she makes a mysterious “Uu” sound, then her cheeks suddenly turn red and she opens her mouth.

“H-hyah! Y-you! You dare to touch my body!”
“Vuah!”

Luvia slaps my cheek with full force and then suddenly stands up.

“What’s the matter, Princess Luvia? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing! Don’t pry!”
“Y-yes…..”

Luvia left this prison quickly. Elze san, with an unconvinced look on her face, reluctantly followed Luvia.

Guards stand there for a few minutes with their mouths in the shape of the letter O. By the way, I left the lock of my jail unlocked.

“…… guard san.”
“Y-Yes!”
“You left the door unlocked. ……”
“I-I’m sorry! I’ll close it right now!”

The guard came to me, frightened, and locked the door. Then he stared at me for a few seconds.

“W_What is it, ……?”
“W-Wait a minute!”

The guard looked as if something had just flashed in his mind, and he opened the thick door leading outside and walked out. Then, a few minutes later, the guard came tapping here again and handed me something. It was a leaf with some kind of hard gel on it.

“This is …….”
“It’s ointment. It’s very hard if it leaves scars, so please use it. It is the most effective one.”
“T-thank you.”
“No. You are royalty. But it was very unexpected.”
“Unexpected?”

I tilted my head while applying ointment to my neck and face.

“I heard that the king who rules the kingdom of Ilas and his son are tyrants, but after hearing the exchange you just had, I’m afraid the princess is …… no! It’s nothing!”
“Fufu. You are a kind man. May I know your name?”
“M-my name is …… Kelz.”
“Keltz san, ……, I understand. I am Eric. Please keep in touch with me!”
“Yes! It’s my pleasure!””

The atmosphere is somewhat smiling.

“Um, ……, if you need anything, please ring the bell. Okay then.”
“Y-yes! Thank you!”

And Keltz-san walked out of this jail and closed the door. Then I heard a familiar voice.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Eric.”
” Blinken-san! You’re awake!”
“I heard your entire exchange earlier.”
“Haha …… that’s embarrassing.”
“No, it’s not. Your Highness Princess Luvia is capable of calming down …… and she’ll give you a chance!
“Yes!”

Then Blinken-san told me about the political situation surrounding this kingdom.

X　X　X

“Mother ……”
“……”

After a row with Eric, Luvia does not immediately return to her room, but stops by the room of her mother, Queen Esther.

However, Queen Esther is bedridden and unaware of her daughter’s presence. Queen Esther, who had been poisoned, was slowly losing her vitality, and the doctor gave her only about a month to live.

[Surely, she will be rewarded for being placed in a situation from which she cannot find a way out.]

” ……”

The words that Sera had said to her the other day passed through my mind.

And,

[I will help Luvia]

No matter how much she tried to deny it, no matter how much she cursed him and his father, Luvia could not get his straight eyes and warmth out of her head.

It was not a man’s nasty gaze, but a gentle gaze.

The feelings she felt when he hugged her were not ugly, but very similar to the feelings she felt when her own mother hugged her.

She is sharp. But no matter how hard she tried to get on her nerves and take a negative view of what had just happened, she couldn’t sense any malice from him. She had purged all men with malicious intent before. But he was different from them.

On the one hand, she couldn’t help but feel that his kindness was raining down on her withered heart and moistening it.

No, it was just a misunderstanding, She tries to tell herself, but the feeling of that man’s face and body are still vivid in her mind.

X　X　X

In the middle of the night, two beautiful women and a commoner maid lie in the same bed, face to face, in a room reserved for noble guests at the far end of the royal palace of Henesys.

“It is still the only way to get Eric and Luvia to make peace,” she said. If I protect Eric with my sword, it should work.”
“Sophia …… are you sure?”
“Princess Sophia, the other party is not human.”
“But I have to do it. I am Eric’s woman. Eric has shown us miracles before. Now it is our turn to show him a miracle.”
“I know, …… we are Eric’s women, …… we can’t accomplish anything unless we are willing to put our lives on the line. Eric risked his life to save me and my kingdom!”
“I too …… will help Eric-sama as …… Eric-sama’s property!”

Sophia nodded her head in satisfaction at their earnest expressions, and then, eventually, she said with a wistful look on her face.

“We will sneak into the area where the giants called Nephilim live and get a piece of the fruit of the tree of life that can be found there. That is the only way to save Her Majesty Queen Esther. If Eric gives Luvia the fruit of the tree of life, Luvia will have no choice but to recognize Eric.”