Stealing Heroines’ Affections Is My Job as the Villain

The man who had protected Princess Luciana from being hit was the last person she expected.

『G-, God Vritra…?』

It was her first time seeing him since their meeting a few weeks ago.

She could hardly believe how much more handsome he had become in that short time. In fact, "handsome" no longer seemed enough to describe his looks.

Now, she could only think of him as beautiful.

『H-, He protected me…?』

After that, Luciana glanced back and saw Esmeralda standing there with a smile as soon as their eyes met.

『Wait… how is she here too? Before I left for God Vritra's quarters, she told me she needed to prepare a small banquet that Father ordered because of some visitors from the Mage's Association.』

The princess was completely puzzled, wondering when and how Esmeralda had managed to arrive just in time.

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 same 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 seemed 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 Esmeralda. As a result, Luciana's affection for the host has increased by 100, and Esmeralda's affection has gone up by 20!]

[Luciana is charmed 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 ME, 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 Esmeralda's protective arms.

… Gasp!

Prince Lumis was struck with shock when he saw the way both Esmeralda and Luciana looked at him.

『Why are they… looking at me 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 same: 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 seemed like the best option now.

Before long, Prince Lumis was out of sight.

Esmeralda 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 Esmeralda's robust bosom.

"I'm… I'm fine. Thankfully, he didn't hit me, 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 me 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.

Esmeralda 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.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

Some hours later…

Prince Vritra lay back on his bed with a relaxed posture and a bright smile, taking the time to review his plans.

He still had a bit of time before he would have a one-on-one conversation with Princess Luciana.

Meanwhile, 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 assumed I slept with her, and I used that to my advantage when Esme first visited me.

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 me sleeping with Esme, but also about the Military Kingdom of Serathen and King Felmus's plans to form an alliance with me.

『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 moment he hears news like that.

… Sigh~ I impress myself.

『The night before, I told Esme to clean Lumis's room and to tell him that Luciana spent the night with me if he asked. It was a bit challenging to get her to lie for me 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 time 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 me 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 Esmeralda's fat bosom. Now, he found himself wanting to sleep on those soft, fat pieces of meat as well.

"I should ask her sometime; I'm sure she won't refuse."

The dark prince closed his eyes and chuckled inwardly.

━ ◦ ❖ ◦ ━

Meanwhile…

Princess Luciana sat silently on her bed, staring at the wall.

She kept replaying the moment when Prince Lumis nearly slapped her and Prince Vritra stepped in to save her.

… Wow~

It was like something 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 time, she felt so cheap.

The idea that one act of heroism, combined with some 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 embarrassment.

━ ━ ━ ━

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