YM778.TV Chapter 42: Parallels and Drugs
"Uh, I heard that..."
Luciana still felt uncomfortable. She pressed her thighs together, her hand resting just above her private area. She didn\'t know how to feel or what else to say.
{This is why the idea scared me. The delicate beauty of a woman will never catch God Vritra\'s eye... but what else can I do? I\'m powerless to change my nation\'s situation without an alliance with the Bloodgarden household. For the sake of Duranzia and my father, nothing else matters.}
She looked even more sad and closed her eyes in shame.
Prince Vritra still had one of her hands pinned to the bed, the goblet of aphrodisiac-laced wine in his other hand. He could see how embarrassed the princess looked, which only made him smile more. Why did he enjoy seeing an innocent woman so ashamed? He didn\'t know, but it was always satisfying to watch reserved women break out of their shells.
{I see what\'s going on here...}
... Sigh~
{I keep forgetting we\'re in the medieval era. There\'s a historical and political concept for this, called dynastic marriage... or maybe it\'s marriage diplomacy.
{In many monarchies throughout history, royal marriages were used to build alliances, secure peace, and strengthen ties between nations.
{When a prince and a princess from different countries had a child, that child symbolized the unity of both families, making the alliance more stable and long-lasting.}
In this world, women had very few choices.
They were expected to follow orders from those in power.
In this case, King Felmus intended to use his daughter as a political tool for his own success. No... she was already seen as a tool when he arranged her marriage, and this was just him reinforcing that idea.
{Sigh~ In the end, I guess I\'m just a tool too... If I don\'t form this alliance with Duranzia to allow the Bloodgarden Family to use their power in the Central Continent, Demon King Rohan will either kill me or lock me up for another 400 years.
{That already happened to Vritra when he devoured the sun of Shritnar Kingdom and tried to destroy the entire Hell Continent. The reason was never revealed, but I have a feeling he was rebelling against Rohan. I haven\'t known my so-called father for long, but I doubt I\'ll have a good relationship with him in the future. The same probably applies to Luciana and her father too.
... Hrmm
{As much as Felmus is the heroine\'s father and praised as a benevolent ruler, that doesn\'t mean he\'s a good person. It\'s common for some heroines to have terrible fathers. The system hasn\'t told me much about Felmus or his role in the story, but I don\'t think he\'ll be a reliable ally going forward.
{Sure, it would be smart to kill him now and be done with it, but I can\'t. It\'s not because I\'m afraid of Luciana losing her affection for me. The real issue is that I can\'t kill the ruler of a civilization I\'ve made a pact with. Doing so would destroy my soul, and the backlash would affect anyone who shares my bloodline.
{In other words, I\'d be killing myself and the entire Bloodgarden household. That\'s another one of the laws set by Saint Melcius\'s [Conditional Magic]. Tch, I hate that guy.}
[Ding! You\'ve acquired a dark reflection! Would you like to use this against the heroine?]
Vritra\'s eyebrows went up.
This was a strange and unexpected notification.
{Dark reflection? What\'s that supposed to be?}
The system\'s robotic female voice answered.
[In this scenario, you, the villain, and the heroine discover that you have a lot in common. You both have similar life experiences, traumas, or perspectives, which helps you connect on a much deeper level than she does with the hero.]
[This shared understanding creates an emotional bond between you that the hero can\'t match. As a result, her feelings for you become more genuine and seem more destined.]
[You get 200 Fate Value points for each dark reflection you identify and use.]
God Vritra grinned and looked down at Luciana, keeping a firm grip on her hand.
"You know, in a way, you and I are a lot alike..."
When Luciana heard this, she slowly opened her teary eyes, which were filled with shame.
"I... I don\'t understand what God Vritra means."
She looked so innocent as she spoke.
Vritra shook his head and sighed.
"You see, like you, I have a lot to prove to my father. If I don\'t make every ruthless decision possible, I\'ll not only fail my people but also risk my freedom or, worse... my life."
Luciana\'s eyes widened in shock. She hadn\'t expected even a godly being like Vritra to understand the meaning of risk.
But she couldn\'t deny that he was right.
They were indeed... alike.
She struggled to speak but took deep breaths and managed to express her thoughts.
"I\'m the only child of my father... and we believe it\'s because I\'m a God Vessel. Any woman who gives birth to one must sacrifice her womb, and the man, his fertility. Father tries his best to show that he isn\'t disgusted by my existence, but I\'m sure he is... somehow. I\'m not a male, and my existence has ensured he\'ll never be fertile enough to impregnate any woman again."
This was something she had only ever shared with Esmeralda... no one else.
It was something even the system hadn\'t recorded.
There was no recovery for the hero!
[Congratulations! The "heroine" Luciana Duranzia has shared an unknown secret with you!]
[+200 Fate Value]
[You\'ve also received a mysterious reward!]
Prince Vritra was excited, but he kept his composure.
Leaning in closer to get a better look at Luciana\'s face, he said, "I think I understand now."
Luciana\'s expression shifted from sadness to mild curiosity.
"Understand what, God Vritra?"
"You and I, we were always meant to be together."
"R-, Really?"
Luciana looked genuinely surprised, but it was the kind of surprise where she was hoping what she heard was true.
She really wanted it to be.
"Yes."
Vritra confirmed his answer.
"Like you, I have a father who\'s disappointed in me because of all the things I\'ve done in the past that tarnished the reputation of the Bloodgarden Family. The difference is, you\'re hated for something you have no control over, while I\'ve earned the hatred I receive."
It was hard for Vritra to say this with a straight face. He had an overwhelming urge to laugh, but each time he came close, he\'d picture Butler Neron\'s stone-faced expression in his head, and his laughter would fade away.
It was like Neron was his personal "fun-sponge".
"No..."
Luciana placed her free hand on Vritra\'s cheek, gently caressing it as she smiled warmly.
"I never truly hated you, my lord. And now, I can say with confidence... I love you."
[The heroine has re-established her love for you. Her affection for the host has gone up by 100 points!]
[+10 Fate Value!]
Prince Vritra released his grip on her other arm, and Luciana saw it as his way of showing a softer side. She sighed in relief, thinking she might finally be free.
{I\'ll never do something so reckless again... just think if God Vritra ended up disliking me for doing something so disgraceful. Instead, I\'ll use the bit of confidence he\'s given me and tell Father that I won\'t go through with this. I trust that God Vritra won\'t abandon our nation.}
Just as the thought passed through her mind, Vritra spoke up, reminding her that she wasn\'t in the clear yet.
"I let go of your arm, but that doesn\'t mean you can leave without facing punishment for trying to drug your husband. It almost felt like you didn\'t respect me in that moment. Maybe I should give you a reason to show more respect..."
Luciana didn\'t flinch at his words.
Instead, she closed her eyes and stood still, looking obedient.
"I\'ll accept any punishment God Vritra gives me."
Smiling at her quick submission, Vritra grabbed her chin and gently caressed it.
Ahhnn~
This made Luciana\'s soft and shapely body twist and shift on the bed as she made small shameless noises.
Vritra\'s lower body was seated partially on top of hers, so that held her in place.
{I-, Is this the punishment? It feels... so good~}
Luciana didn\'t quite understand what kind of punishment this was until she felt it.
Her mouth opened, and a moan escaped her.
"Ohnnn~!"
Vritra quickly poured the aphrodisiac-wine into her mouth.
"Hmmph----!!"
Her eyes shot open, and she tried to resist, but every drop went in without a spill.
"Wha-, gurgle! cough! cough! gaaaah! ---are you d-, gasp--doing?!"
When she attempted to cough it out, Vritra placed his hand over her mouth, forcing her to swallow it all.
"G-, God Vritra... I feel..."
The aphrodisiac-wine flushed down her throat and settled eagerly in her stomach.
"I feel so..."
Luciana\'s eyes turned pink and literal red hearts could be seen floating in them.