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But when you thought about it, it made sense.

In a place like Gladius City, Cedric had to be mindful of his spending—both the other marquises and the public were watching him closely. Despite being a high marquis, he couldn\'t be reckless with his fortune, no matter how much he may have deserved it.

On the other hand, Arcellion had no one to answer to.

He could spend the monetary donations he received from the nobles of the higher city however he pleased.

This gave him far more control over the budget and resources of the city than anyone should have… especially in a place like the Red Desert, where life was already a struggle.

The mansion had a massive lobby with the dining and living rooms at the center, surrounded by personal-use rooms. The windows were kept closed to prevent sand and foul smells from entering, leaving the house in darkness.

Because of this, the oil lamps hanging from the ceiling were always lit, even during the day.

In the Red Desert, combustive material was easy to come by since the sand could be ignited with [Red Magic]. These lamps were filled with Red Desert sand and powered by [Red Magic] crystals.

Expensive paintings adorned the walls, and the dining table was draped in a white cloth.

It was almost easy to forget they were in a tower city in the middle of a harsh desert.

The contrast between this place and the lower city was like night and day… paradise versus hell.

With each sight, Princess Luciana\'s frown deepened and her mood grew darker.

The young lord watched her silently.

He observed as she felt increasingly powerless.

Esmeralda wanted to cheer her up at times, but Vritra always stopped her, for reasons only he understood.

━ ━ ━ ━

Soon…

Five maids entered the grand lobby, bowing their heads to greet Lord Arcellion and his guests.

"Welcome back, my lord."

They wore calm expressions, though most of their eyes lingered on Vritra with more than just respect.

Clearly, they were charmed by his appearance.

Few women wouldn\'t be, given how handsome he was.

Most of the maids appeared older than Vritra and had short black hair and noticeably large chests, leading both Vritra and Butler Neron to assume that Arcellion had a type.

The two men exchanged approving nods.

『Hmm, it\'s pretty clear he prefers women with large chests, especially when they\'re dressed in maid outfits. Not a bad choice at all.』

They were thinking the exact same thing.

The only one not pleased by the scene was Luciana, who wrapped her arms around Vritra\'s hand and began dragging him past the maids, away from the group.

"Let\'s go a bit forward, honey!"

She didn\'t have a destination in mind, but she didn\'t like how the maids looked at her husband as if he were public property.

The princess still wasn\'t used to having such an attractive man as a husband—there were simply too many women who would want him, and she wasn\'t prepared to deal with that just yet.

When the others saw this, they all giggled.

"Tee-hee! The princess is so protective and immature, it\'s almost adorable."

"Exactly, doesn\'t she realize none of us could ever compare to her beauty or presence?"

"Well, given the fine young man she\'s probably married to, it makes sense that she\'d be on guard, even if he were around the ugliest woman."

"Hmm, true enough…"

They were all convinced the princess felt jealous or maybe even insecure, especially with the way she emphasized the word "honey" when she said it. It was surely her polite way of letting them know that this was her man, and they should back off.

Of course, they already knew that.

These maids weren\'t foolish enough to challenge the princess of a powerful nation over her own fiancé.

Imagine if they knew he was actually God Vritra? Surely, some of their excitement would die out.

Only Lord Arcellion seemed confused.

『What\'s even going on…?』

The man raised an eyebrow.

Everyone else had a clear idea of what was happening and giggled—except for Butler Neron, who shook his head. He wasn\'t sure whether to be disappointed in the young lord for eyeing the maids in a not-so-neutral way, or pleased that the princess was at least showing some fight to protect her man.

『I may share the same thoughts as the young lord, but that doesn\'t excuse his clear interest in fat-chested women dressed as maids.』

He glanced briefly at Esmeralda.

The curvaceous maid noticed the look and stifled her giggles before giving Neron a neutral expression.

"Is there a problem, Sir Neron?"

"Ahem… no, not at all, Esmeralda," he replied.

The butler looked forward and shook his head.

He now wondered how the young lord could possibly handle everything this woman was so generously endowed with.

… AHEM!

Lord Arcellion cleared his throat loudly to catch everyone\'s attention, then gestured to his maids.

"This is Head Maid Benita. I assume you both would like to assist her in preparing something for your superiors and me to eat, so she\'ll lead you to the kitchen while I take the royal couple to the dining room."

The head maid he introduced was a dark-haired woman with short, tousled hair that framed her pretty face. She had freckles and a few wrinkles but was actually younger than Esmeralda. Despite being four years older, Esmeralda appeared more youthful, likely because Benita had to work much harder in a place like Kaalen Tower.

Still, Benita was a beautiful woman with an attractive figure, though she was a bit more slender than Esmeralda.

Head Maid Benita bowed her head politely.

"It\'s a pleasure to meet you both."

It was refreshing to see capable servants now and then.

Though she couldn\'t tell just yet how skilled they were, the fact that the princess brought a butler and maid all the way from the Royal Capital of Duranzia spoke volumes.

The servants introduced themselves.

"I am Neron, the young lord\'s number one servant.

The old man said as he adjusted his jacket with pride.

He never used terms like "main" or "personal" when referring to himself; "number one" was the only title he used, because in his eyes, it was the truth.

There was simply no one else who could handle all the chaos that Vritra loved to stir up. And naturally, Neron took pride in being the one who could.

Who wouldn\'t?

Next, Esmeralda lowered her head and greeted them.

"I\'m Esmeralda, the personal maid of Princess Luciana, and sort of like a mother to her as well. Pleasure to meet you."

Benita smiled softly at her.

"I know, Esmeralda Kirkwood. Pleasant to meet you."

This revelation surprised Esmeralda, but she managed to keep her reaction in check.

『I\'m familiar with Lord Arcellion… but I\'m not sure if I\'ve met Benita before. Have I?』

She had unknowingly raised an eyebrow.

… Hm?

When she noticed Benita had been watching her, clearly lost in thought and silently questioning herself, she quickly adjusted her expression and glanced away, trying to seem casual.

Benita covered her mouth and giggled quietly.

━ ━ ━ ━

As this happened…

Sadim stood just outside the wooden gates of Lord Arcellion\'s mansion, which was heavily guarded by Serathen knights.

"Oh, hey guys…"

He waved at the pair of knights standing on either side of the large gates.

Like every other day, they stood at attention, their minds focused on the possibility that the Red Rogue might show up in the higher levels of Kaalen Tower and cause trouble again.

They wanted to avoid getting yelled at by their superiors, so this time, the knights not only secured Lord Arcellion\'s mansion but also every wealthy merchant and noble\'s home in the higher city. They were more alert than ever, ensuring that even a mosquito couldn\'t slip past the gates unnoticed.

Everyone in Arcellion\'s army, especially Arcellion himself, knew that this was the perfect day for the Red Rogue to attack, as he would be aware of the powerful young lord and the visiting princess from another nation.

It was a trap the Red Rogue couldn\'t afford to miss.

"Oh, hey Sadim, what\'s up?!"

Despite the high alert, the knights greeted Sadim warmly.

After all, he wasn\'t the Red Rogue, right?

Sadim was one of their best soldiers, even recognized by the Divine General Ravenblade. Lord Arcellion trusted him a lot, too. In fact, Sadim was one of the few soldiers allowed to enter Arcellion\'s mansion.

Many knights wished they had that privilege.

That wished they were him.

"Hey, I\'m just heading into the mansion. I heard Lord Arcellion has some very important guests, so I thought I could help out, you know?"

Sadim repeatedly pointed forward as he spoke.

The knights laughed, smiling at him.

"Haha, classic Sadim."

"Always eager to help the commander. Go on in, my friend, I\'m sure he could use your help."

"Save some kitchen leftovers for me too, alright?"

"Yeah, me too!"

Sadim gave them a thumbs up as he strode confidently into the mansion with his usual swagger.