I was Cinderella, the plant monster girl.
After the prince I’d met at the forest ball searched for a flower with the same nectar, I ended up being hauled off to the Demon King’s Castle. It seemed I hadn't been discovered by a glass slipper, but by the flavor of my nectar. I was a regular botanical Cinderella.
The prince—that is, the Flame Dragon Lord—declared with absolute certainty that I was the Alraune from that day. My nectar had left a trail right to me. Just as a glass slipper fits only one foot, if there was an Alraune producing nectar with the exact same flavor, it was no wonder I was the prime suspect.
In a fairy tale, the prince and Cinderella would be united for a happy ending. The cinder-covered princess would officially become his bride. But this was no fairy tale. As the one who’d killed his subordinate, the Eyepatch Minotaur, I was about to be sentenced to death by fire by the Flame Dragon Lord for a second time.
Forget marriage—this was the end of the line for me. That was why I couldn't just come clean and say, "Yes, it’s me, I’m your Cinderella." Like the heroines in the villainess stories I’d enjoyed in my previous life, I was heading straight for a bad end. If I wanted to survive, I had to prove I was an entirely different, unrelated Alraune by any means necessary!
"I... don't... know... what... you're... talking about... at all."
"Oh? So you intend to play dumb."
"That Alraune... might she... have been... my... sister?"
Lord Glüh’s expression twitched in response. It might be working!
"I... have been... in that... forest... since I was... born. Could the... Alraune... you met... have been... in a different forest?"
I was a plant monster. Since I had roots, I couldn't exactly go for a stroll. There was a considerable distance between the Dryades' Forest and the woods where I’d met the Flame Dragon Lord. Since an Alraune cannot move, it was more natural to assume it was a different sister Alraune.
"You—how do you know that I am the Flame Dragon?"
"............Eh?"
"I am in human form. I do not recall saying a single word about being a dragon."
Come to think of it, since he was in human form, there weren't any obvious signs that he was the Flame Dragon. It was actually quite unnatural to conclude he was a dragon just from his red hair and those horns.
"The fact that you know I am the Flame Dragon means that, after all, this is not our first meeting, but our second."
I’d totally screwed up!! Out of habit from always calling him that in my head, I’d blurted out "Flame Dragon Lord"!!
As if to drive the final nail in my coffin, Uncle Teddy joined the conversation.
"Of course, neither I nor the Botanical Garden Manager have spoken of Glüh-sama's true identity. We made sure not to reveal even his name."
Now that he mentioned it, they had stubbornly referred to him as "my liege" or "the master." The reason I’d never heard specific details about the Flame Dragon Lord in the botanical garden was because information was being strictly controlled.
Wait, did this mean I’d been suspected from the very start? I might have walked right into a trap.
"Alraune," Lord Glüh said, standing up from the couch. "It is a mystery how you moved from that forest, or for that matter, how you escaped my flames, but I am glad to meet you again."
Well, I wasn't glad! It felt like I’d just been found guilty in a witch trial.
"You truly smell wonderful. It is the scent I have been longing for these past few months."
The Flame Dragon Lord spoke reminiscently while stroking my petals.
"Just like back then, nectar is spilling from your eyes. Your appearance is to my liking, but I suspect your taste will be even more of a favorite."
Flame Dragon Lord... Mercy, please show mercy to a lowly plant girl. And while you're at it, please stop conjuring flames in your left hand while pinching me with your right. He looked like he was making sure I wouldn't escape this time, but he could rest easy—even if I wanted to run, I couldn't. Because I was a plant...
"You need not be so frightened. It will be over soon."
Did that mean he was going to burn me so fast I wouldn't even feel the pain? But I didn't want to be burned at all!
The Flame Dragon Lord patted my trembling head. Then, he scooped up the nectar flowing down my cheek with his finger.
"I could never forget it—the taste of that nectar. It is indeed delicious."
As he tasted the nectar, he let out a satisfied murmur.
"You, who ate the Minotaur, surely felt the joy of eating just as I do now. Is that not so?"
Eating Mino-san was just something I’d had to do for nutrition. Besides, I liked Bear-papa way more than Mino-san anyway. Beyond that, I only viewed eating as a means of survival.
"No... I... like... bear meat... the best..."
"Ho-ho..."
Whoops. For a split second, the Flame Dragon Lord’s expression turned very strange. Had I just offended him? I hoped the "correct" answer wasn't that I loved Mino-san more than Bear-papa.
"Now then, shall we resume from where we left off?"
Did that mean... it was time for my execution? I could have tried to fight him right then and there. However, this was the Demon King's Castle. It was the enemy's headquarters, and since I had no legs, I wouldn't be able to get away afterward. If I resisted, it was game over. Then again, if I stayed silent, I was destined to be charcoal.
While I was frantically searching for a way out of this crisis, a saving knock came at the door. Uncle Teddy went to answer it and returned almost immediately.
"Glüh-sama, it seems the Prime Minister beckons."
"My elder sister? No doubt she has come to dump a mountain of work on me."
The Flame Dragon Lord left my side and walked toward the door.
"We shall continue when I return."
With that, he exited the room along with Uncle Teddy. I was left all alone.
──Wh-what should I do? When he comes back, he’s probably going to burn me. I wanted to escape, but moving myself along with this heavy flowerpot was an impossible task.
──Right. I should give up on running. It wasn't realistic. That left fighting... but I’d much prefer it if he just changed his mind about me being that specific Alraune.
He hadn't realized that I’d switched bodies and been reborn. As far as the Flame Dragon Lord knew, that Alraune had definitely burned... wait, that was it! Last time, I’d managed to escape his fire by essentially playing dead.
I just had to do the same thing again. There was no way he’d ever suspect an Alraune could transfer its consciousness and reincarnate. If I wasn't the Alraune who killed his subordinate, but a "child" Alraune born from that one's seed, then surely he wouldn't burn me.
In that case, I had to do that. Since I’d already done it once before, there was no point in being shy about it now. It was time to steel my resolve.
I was going to undergo a second pollination.
Cinderella’s identity has been exposed.
Next time: I pollinate in the Demon King's Castle.