The Villainess and the Luinongs (3)
The situation wrapped up with absurd speed.
It was because Elizabetta—no, the goddess who had possessed the imperial princess—declared her surrender.
She collapsed to the ground, her face drained of color as if she had seen a ghost. The sight of her trembling in pure terror was so pitiful it almost stirred sympathy.
Then the goddess raised both hands high and announced her capitulation.
…….
Watching her act like an idiot while wearing Elizabetta’s body filled me with discomfort. The moment I frowned, the goddess let out a scream. No—more precisely, she wasn’t looking at me. She was staring at the presence behind me in absolute horror.
She behaved as if she had encountered a ferocious wild horse, refusing even to speak of it. She broke into a cold sweat, desperately pretending not to see anything, and even lowered her head.
“Ahem…! I was just a little startled, that’s all.”
“Doesn’t look like ‘a little’ to me.”
The goddess took a deep breath to calm herself. After trembling so pathetically moments ago, she cleared her throat and tried to project an air of dignity. As the goddess who had created paradise and the Luinongs, she seemed determined to salvage her pride.
She brushed the dust off her clothes, straightened her garments, and stood tall once more.
“It was just a simple prank and you fell for it…! Humans really are fools, aren’t they? You got completely fooled!”
“As expected from the goddess who created the Luinongs.”
The goddess spun around in circles, putting on an exaggerated show of bravado. It was a desperate attempt to gloss over the humiliating sight she had shown a human. I figured I should play along. There was nothing to gain from provoking a creator god, after all. Besides, I still had favors to ask of her.
“I know. You said you wanted to take the lovely children of paradise out into the world.”
With her sharp insight, the goddess had seen right through my intentions. She chuckled and continued.
Truly a goddess indeed. Even though everything she had shown so far was downright pathetic.
Apparently convinced that she had gained the upper hand by reading my thoughts, she crossed her arms and lifted her chin arrogantly. After displaying such haughtiness, she thrust her face toward me.
“Fine. Do as you please.”
“…That’s a surprisingly straightforward answer.”
The Luinongs had lived in a closed environment for a very long time. If they went out into the outside world, they would undoubtedly face tremendous confusion. Adapting wouldn’t be easy. They might even burst into tears, begging to return to paradise.
Despite that, the goddess accepted the proposal without hesitation. Her decisive attitude—agreeing so directly and without a moment’s pause—actually left me feeling bewildered.
When I expressed my confusion with my eyes, the goddess simply shrugged.
“My lovely children need to start becoming independent soon. I can’t keep them tucked under my skirt forever, can I?”
“I-I’m surprised. I didn’t expect you to have such bold thoughts…”
“How rude, human. I am a goddess who has always worried about the future of my lovely children.”
…….
She had loved the fairies she created so much that she personally made paradise for them. Perhaps that was why the Luinongs had become a race completely lacking any sense of independence. Watching them repeat the same limited experiences in a confined space suddenly filled me with fear.
Even after eons, the Luinongs never changed. It was strange even from the perspective of their overly protective creator. They would become independent. They would want to be independent someday… She had thought that vaguely for hundreds of years.
And then, at last, an oddball named Lue Luinong was born—one who possessed a desire to explore the outside world.
“While observing Lue, who grew wonderfully through experiencing all the joys and sorrows of life, I realized something. My blind overprotection had actually been hindering my children’s growth.”
“So in the end, the problem was an incompetent creator.”
“…Did you really have to ruin the touching moment like that?”
“It’s the truth.”
There’s a limit to stupidity. She had created a perfect paradise yet wished for her children to become independent. If not for the irregular being called Lue Luinong, the Luinongs would have lived forever as creatures devoid of any independent spirit. It was a tragic result brought about by irresponsible overprotection.
“Broyan. My name is Broyan. I was so flustered earlier that I forgot to introduce myself.”
“Edanant von Hohenberg.”
We exchanged brief introductions. When I revealed my name, Broyan burst into quiet laughter.
“This feels like a parent entrusting her children to a teacher. I never imagined I’d experience something like this.”
“The analogy is a bit strange, but… it’s not entirely wrong.”
The Valtaria Imperial Family and the Hohenberg Marquisate had promised the overly protective parent that they would watch over the Luinongs as they began their journey toward independence. At that, Broyan nodded firmly.
Since she had entrusted them to us, we would have to do our best. Of course, looking after fifty mischievous little rascals wouldn’t be easy. Maybe I should establish a Hohenberg Kindergarten… Hmm. It didn’t sound half bad.
“May I ask why you want to take the children? Of course, I assume it’s to make use of their mystical powers.”
“My territory is short on manpower.”
Through Lue’s assistance with paperwork at the Hohenberg family for the past month, I had learned that the Luinongs possessed outstanding intellectual abilities. Their mental age was only about twelve years old, yet they all carried genius-level talent and potential.
It was because they were creations made by a goddess who poured her divine power into them out of excessive protectiveness. Unlike humans, who showed extreme individual variation, every single Luinong was exceptional.
“So you have a special plan to raise the Luinongs as proper members of society, then?”
“Of course. I’m a very thorough person.”
“Hmm… As expected of the man the beautiful princess has started taking an interest in.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
I asked, genuinely confused. Broyan gave a sly, mischievous grin and placed a hand over her chest.
“Didn’t you know? The beautiful princess’s mind is completely filled with thoughts of you.”
“Another lame joke…”
“It may sound like a joke, but it’s true. The princess’s heart is in quite a complicated state. It must be the guilt of falling in love with her fiancé’s younger brother. Hmm, this is really interesting. I’d love to watch from up close… Aaaack!!”
……?
Broyan, who had been mercilessly exposing Elizabetta’s complicated inner feelings, suddenly screamed. It was because her right hand had abruptly begun yanking on her own hair.
The two egos sharing one body were clashing. Stop talking and give the body back. The fierce grip pulling at the hair seemed to express her furious emotions. The villainess’s ego had finally emerged. Her intense determination to stop the exposure—even if it meant harming herself—was clear.
Broyan, who had been shrieking in pain, eventually surrendered to the aggressive Elizabetta. It was her second surrender of the day.
Broyan shouted at the top of her lungs. At the same time, the beautiful princess’s body lost balance and staggered. I reached out and caught her.
The body that had been moving so energetically just moments ago went completely limp, like a puppet with its strings cut. Then her eyes opened.
Instead of Broyan’s violet pupils, the original emerald eyes shone clearly. Elizabetta had returned.
I quietly stared at Elizabetta’s face, which looked as dazed as if she had just woken from a deep sleep. She looked back at me.
“…Eep!”
Focus returned to her emerald eyes. In that instant, her snow-white face flushed bright red all at once. Elizabetta’s plump lips moved open and closed repeatedly. She clearly wanted to say something, but her mouth wouldn’t cooperate.
“E-Edanant…! You’re too close!”
“…My apologies.”
“Honestly, all men are such perverts.”
…….
Elizabetta jumped back like a startled bowstring, escaping my arms. She cupped her burning cheeks with both hands and let out a shaky breath.
“I had an unpleasant nightmare where I was toyed with by that foul-tempered woman. Some insignificant little spirit dared to drag out the noble princess’s inner thoughts and make fun of them. So I pulled her hair as hard as I could!”
…….
Was it a coincidence? Or was there some connection?
The princess of the Valtaria Empire and the goddess who created the Luinongs were surprisingly similar. Especially in their pushy personalities and the way they quickly put others in awkward positions.
“It must have been quite an ordeal.”
“You have no idea. I never want to experience that again.”
I offered my hand to the princess, who was still sitting on the ground. After a brief hesitation, Elizabetta took it.
“I plan to gather the Luinongs at dawn and persuade them… If Your Highness would help, I believe things will go much more smoothly.”
“Alright. If it’s what you want, Edanant, I’ll help.”
The Luinongs, who were sleeping soundly, wouldn’t wake until morning. The softly glowing crystals, like gentle nightlights, told us that it was still deep in the night.
I couldn’t sleep. It was because I had broken into a cold sweat dealing with that wild goddess. So what should I do to pass the time until morning?
I sat down on a pile of rubble and gazed at the darkened scenery of paradise. Elizabetta came over and sat on the pile of stones beside me, watching the view together.
Because we were sitting so close, the princess’s faintly flushed cheeks stood out even more. Elizabetta slowly reached out the hand she had been resting on the ground. It was as if she were subtly expressing her desire for me to gently hold it, like lovers would.
The Empire’s Red Dragon and the Holy Kingdom’s White Dragon were in charge of defending the Hohenberg Marquisate while they waited for news of Edanant.
When will he return? Is he carrying out his mission safely?
Heavy sighs filled with anxious hearts escaped them.
Ludmilla and Javelin had, as if by unspoken truce, refrained from their usual psychological warfare as much as possible. It was because Edanant—the prize of their rivalry—was absent.
‘Hehe, I can’t miss this chance while Edan is gone for so long.’
Click.
The door opened quietly. Then Javelin slipped inside like a stealthy cat. The place she had secretly infiltrated was, astonishingly, Edanant’s bedroom.
If the cardinals of the Holy Kingdom had seen this scene, they would have loudly denounced the saintess’s shameless behavior as truly lamentable.
“Most men hide their dirty books under the bed… Edan must be the same, right?”
She pulled out a long duster she had brought from the hallway. Then she slid it under the bed and swept it back and forth. There was no feeling of anything being caught. The space beneath the bed was spotlessly clean—not a single speck of dust, let alone any erotic magazines.
When her interest and anticipation were dashed, Javelin immediately looked disappointed. She pouted her plump lips and began to grumble.
“Ugh, a vigorous young man should have mountains of dirty magazines stacked up… But because he’s as ascetic as a monk, he doesn’t even react when a pitiful beautiful girl loves him with all her heart.”
He really is a hopeless man. To make me this frustrated. In that case… I have no choice but to properly draw out Edan’s sexual desires.
‘Good thing I prepared in advance.’
Javelin untied a bundle and began pulling things out one by one. They were adult novels. She had secretly obtained them by sending a special request.
Naughty Junior and After-School Lessons
Secret Tutoring with the Girl Next Door Who’s Also My Little Sister
Erotic Penalty Games with My Childhood Friend Who’s Younger Than Me
Every single one featured a younger female heroine. From the contents of the books, one could clearly see the saintess’s true intentions.
Javelin hid the adult novels under the bed like a spy concealing classified documents. Then, as if nothing had happened, she hummed a tune and left the bedroom.
“Hmm, as expected, no one’s here yet. It’s not cleaning time.”
How much time had passed after that?
Someone other than the saintess who had infiltrated earlier sneaked into Edanant’s bedroom. The intruder was Ludmilla.
Whether she had the same goal as Javelin or not, the moment she closed the door, she began searching under the bed. Soon after, Ludmilla discovered the adult novels that brought a wave of disgust just from looking at their covers.
It must have been that thieving cat of a saintess. Until yesterday, the space under the bed had been perfectly clean.
“To leave trash like this… How pathetic for a saintess of the Holy Kingdom.”
She threw the adult novels in her hands into the trash can. Then she replaced them with works secretly obtained by an imperial knight.
Passionate Affair with a Sweaty Older Senior
Sister’s Secret Bride Training
Boldly Seductive Older Woman
Her intention was exactly the same as Javelin’s. Except that every heroine in these novels was an older woman.
She placed them under the bed. Having completed her mission, Ludmilla quickly left the scene.
About ten minutes later.
The maids entered the bedroom carrying brooms and buckets to clean. Crash—
The maids dropped their cleaning tools in shock. They were stunned by the sight of adult novels filling the space under the bed and the trash can.
With pale faces, the maids averted their eyes and decided to understand their young master’s secret tastes.