Reincarnated as the Hated Villainous Prince, I Thought I Could Live Freely in This Life, but Unconsciously Acted Like a Saint ~Trying to Create an Evil Kingdom, but for Some Reason I'm Highly Respected by Everyone~ - Chapter 38

I am Muller Carfes.

A woman serving as the new secretary to President Cornelius.

Today, I arrived in the Vefeld Kingdom to participate in the Summit of the Three Great Nations.

It’s a crucial conference that could influence the future of the Virginia Empire, so I was determined to be on my best behavior—however…

At the conference venue, terrorists made their appearance.

Moreover, they are the Empire’s infamous “Holy Empire Party”…

Naturally, their primary target was President Cornelius. Being nearby, I was also supposed to be caught in the attack aimed at the president.

When the muzzle of a magic gun was pointed at me, I braced myself for death.

But then…

―――Danger! Run!

Suddenly, that voice resounded, and someone protected me.

Esmeralda Dia Vefeld, the fifth prince of the Vefeld Kingdom.

―――I couldn’t help but fall for him.

That robust physique, that somewhat mischievous expression. Yet his heart is incredibly kind, protecting me even at the cost of himself.

The icing on the cake was his statement, “I’ve been interested in you from the moment I saw you.”

After all that, there was no way a girl wouldn’t fall for him.

I felt his gaze stray to my chest occasionally, but even that didn’t bother me at all.

Rather, I wanted his hands to touch me, and even thought of more beyond that…

However, this is a dangerous area.

It’s not the time to be lost in such thoughts.

I evacuated from the venue following Queen Clophe’s orders, as told by Esmeralda-sama.

Though we managed to reach a safe location… I began to wonder if this was really okay.

Because he is still fighting for us.

Even though it’s supposedly the Virginia Empire’s problem, he is sacrificing himself for us.

How could I leave that be?

“…I understand that feeling very very very very much.”

After I shared my thoughts, Queen Clophe showed empathy and granted me permission to watch over him from a distance.

So now, I’m watching his battle from afar—but…

This is bad.

Way too bad.

Esmeralda-sama is engaging in a battle that’s more than equal with Zarex Gorton—an adversary the Virginia Empire couldn’t handle at all.

With just one swing of Esmeralda-sama’s sword, shockwaves ripple through the air.

When Esmeralda-sama gathers his spirit, earthquakes occur.

Honestly, the scene unfolding before me was more intense than a battle between tanks.

He’s called “incompetent” and “lazy” in public, but none of that is true. Isn’t he rather a truly cool and kind, real man…?

That’s what I’ve come to think.

I wanted to be closer to him.

I wanted to go nearer to him.

Driven by such emotions, I may have acted too rashly, perhaps.

Wanting to see him closer, I inadvertently moved closer to the battlefield.

―That decision turned out to be a mistake.

ZUDOOOOOOOOOON!

Zarex’s sword strike sent a shockwave towards me.

And the bracket holding the chandelier above me was destroyed.

“Ah…”

In a few seconds, the chandelier would crush me.

Yet―I couldn’t move.

Completely frozen, unable to take the next action.

It’s embarrassing.

Maybe I’ve been too swept up in having my first crush in my life.

This is the end of my life…

That’s what I thought when I closed my eyes tightly—then.

Softly.

Once again wrapped in a gentle grip, I involuntarily opened my eyes.

There.

Esmeralda-sama was holding me again.

Of course, we landed away from the chandelier, so neither Esmeralda-sama nor I were injured.

“Hey, are you alright…!?”

Esmeralda-sama asked in a panic.

Could he be concerned about me?

“Yes, I’m… somehow alright…”

My heart was so thrilled that I could hardly say I was alright in that regard.

Seeing my response, Esmeralda-sama seemed relieved.

“I’m glad… I absolutely didn’t want you to die.”

“Eh…”

“Didn’t I say? I’ve been interested in you for a while now.”

“…”

This is bad. Bad bad bad bad.

So cool.

Way too cool.

I didn’t mind that his gaze was on my chest again; in fact, I was pleased. I wanted his strong hands to touch my breasts.

But, of course, this isn’t the moment for such things.

That thought painfully squeezed my heart.

“―I love you, Esmeralda-sama.”

“Huh? …Oh, that’s good to hear.”

My head was a mess, leading me to confess suddenly, but this was a first for me.

I’ve never liked a man before, but he was different.

“Anyway, it’s dangerous here. If you stay here, I can protect you, so could you wait here for a while?”

“Yes, of course! Master…!”

Before I knew it, I became his loyal servant.