The Flame Dragon Lord saw through me.
Cinderella was out!
At this rate, I was headed straight for the stake.
I racked my brain for a way to avoid being burned, and that was when I hit upon the idea of becoming a Young Girl Alraune and pretending to be someone else entirely.
And so, I decided to pollinate.
I would become a young girl and start my life over.
Surely the Flame Dragon Lord and Uncle Teddy wouldn't think of burning an innocent Alraune child.
I never imagined I’d end up pollinating inside the Demon King's Castle, but desperate times called for desperate measures. I would do whatever it took to survive!
I had to get it over with before the Flame Dragon Lord and Uncle Teddy returned to the room. If they caught me secretly pollinating all by myself, they would definitely be suspicious.
I immediately sprouted an Alraune's male flower from my vine.
Gently, I plucked the male flower and brought it to my upper mouth.
To take the pollen from the stamens into my body, I used my tongue to gather the anthers where the pollen was packed.
This was the second time I had taken a male flower into my mouth.
The first time had been terrifying, but I didn't feel nearly as much fear this time around.
Perhaps because I had experienced it once before, I was able to move much more smoothly.
I sucked up the pollen and swallowed it down.
The moment the pollen from the stamen touched the stigma of the pistil, the pollination was complete. It had been quite a while since my last self-pollination.
This marked the second time I had pollinated since the Flame Dragon Lord burned me. I felt as though I were forced to pollinate every single time I crossed paths with him.
With the pollination finished, the pollen from the stamen extended a pollen tube toward the ovules inside the ovary—which was to say, my belly.
And then, I experienced that sensation for the second time.
I felt it deep within my body the moment the pollen reached the ovules.
A new life had been born inside me.
As proof, my belly was already beginning to swell.
The feeling was almost nostalgic.
The ovary was transforming into fruit, and the ovules were becoming seeds.
While gently rubbing my stomach, I activated my Super Recovery Magic.
Just like before, I poured Light Recovery Magic into the seeds within me.
I funneled all the energy from my current body into the Alraune Seed that would become my new self.
My belly expanded rapidly, like a balloon.
In the blink of an eye, the ovary enveloped me, reaching all the way up to my human face.
My vision failed, and my five senses vanished.
As my consciousness began to fade, I felt my body and spirit being concentrated into a single, tiny seed.
Since this was my second time, there was no mistaking the sensation.
I had succeeded.
I had become a seed.
────I lost track of how much time passed.
When I came to, my body had already begun to germinate.
I could feel myself growing at a rapid pace.
Soon, I would bloom as an Alraune.
My petals slowly unfurled, and my bud opened.
Dazzling light flooded my vision, and I realized there were silhouettes standing right in front of me.
I couldn't tell who they were until I heard a voice.
"What is the meaning of this?"
As my eyes adjusted to the light, the Flame Dragon Lord's face came into focus.
After glancing at me, he shifted his gaze to the remains of the Alraune growing beside me.
"Has it withered...?"
I had used the ability of the Tahina—the suicide palm—to make my previous Alraune body wither the moment I birthed the seed.
Therefore, the Alraune the Flame Dragon Lord knew was no longer of this world.
Uncle Teddy was also standing by the flowerpot. He seemed to be examining my old, withered husk.
"Glüh-sama, it appears this Alraune has truly reached the end of its life."
"I can see that."
The Flame Dragon Lord maintained a calm expression, but he seemed a little flustered.
It seemed he hadn't expected the Alraune he intended to dispose of to simply self-destruct.
"You there, Alraune. Do you recognize me?"
And so it began—the Flame Dragon Lord's interrogation.
I had to be extremely careful not to let him realize I was the same individual.
I would play the part of a young girl who knew absolutely nothing!
If I imitated the Child Alraunes, I should be able to pull it off.
I had to commit to the role.
I was going to be the most innocent little girl ever!
"Are... you... Papa?"
I called out to him, putting on a dazed, vacant act.
The Flame Dragon Lord froze in his tracks, looking for all the world like he had been struck by lightning and short-circuited.
"What... did you say...?"
I didn't know how many years it had been since I’d called anyone "Papa," and the embarrassment was real.
On top of that, calling a complete stranger who wasn't even the same species "Papa" was a first for me, including my previous life.
"...Do you know who you are?"
"Alraune... Papa."
"I am not your father... Good grief, what have we here?"
I looked over at Uncle Teddy and saw him desperately stifling a laugh. It looked like my "innocent child" strategy was a big hit with him.
"Alraune, you are a different individual from the one that withered there, correct?"
"Mama... all gone?"
"She withered quite suddenly, for some strange reason. I suppose I should assume birthing a child took its toll, but we'll leave it at that for now."
The Flame Dragon Lord's sharp gaze swept over my entire body.
In my young girl persona, I tried to shrink back as if I were frightened of him. I was just a baby, after all, so he needed to treat me gently.
Shifting his gaze away, the Flame Dragon Lord began to consult with Uncle Teddy about what to do next.
It seemed he had bought the idea that I was the child of the Alraune who had been his subordinate's enemy.
Based on the conversation, he didn't seem to have any intention of burning me anymore.
Thank goodness! It looked like I was safe!
"So, Glüh-sama, how shall we proceed?"
"Let's see... You, little Alraune. Can you produce nectar?"
Nectar again!
Was it really that important to him?
Regardless, since I was the same individual, the nectar would taste exactly the same.
Hopefully, that wouldn't trigger a "Cinderella Judgment."
Even if the nectar tasted like my "mother's," I didn't think the Flame Dragon Lord was the kind of person who would burn a Small Alraune.
"Nectar... you mean... this?"
"Yes. I'll take a bit."
In a childlike manner, I let some nectar drool from my mouth.
The Flame Dragon Lord scooped it up with his finger and licked it.
"The same flavor... Hmph, this will do nicely."
Wait, he was smirking.
He actually looked... happy?
"We shall keep this Alraune here. It will make a fine dessert for my breakfast."
Wait, keep me here?
And did I just hear him say I was going to be his breakfast dessert...?
"If the Alraune left a child behind, so be it. Since we have the opportunity, raising it from a young age will ensure it becomes accustomed to the Demon King's Castle."
Uncle Teddy nodded in agreement with the Flame Dragon Lord's proposal.
"I believe it would also be wise to discipline it, so that it never thinks to rebel against you, Glüh-sama."
"I only hope it grows attached to me. Its appearance is quite beautiful, so I would prefer to avoid a situation where I must turn it to ash."
They were already planning my upbringing, but it felt more like a series of veiled threats.
I had a feeling that "Rebellion = Being Burned" was the fate awaiting me.
"I was looking for a way to pass the time by raising a plant. Perhaps I shall raise it to my own liking."
Wait a minute.
I felt like I had heard a story just like this back in my high school girl era.
The trope of raising a girl from childhood to mold her into the perfect woman of your dreams...
I wasn't being viewed as a woman, but rather as a houseplant that produced nectar—though I decided not to sweat the details for now.
After all, this was exactly like The Tale of Genji.
The young Wakamurasaki was taken in by Hikaru Genji and raised to become his ideal lady.
Wakamurasaki grew to adore Genji, eventually becoming known as Murasaki no Ue and rising to the rank of his primary wife.
I was only pretending to be an innocent little girl.
If they realized the "mother" Alraune and I were one and the same, my life would be in peril.
But if things continued like this, I was going to be cultivated into the Flame Dragon Lord's favorite flower.
This was bad.
At this rate, the Flame Dragon Lord was going to subject me to the Hikaru Genji Plan!
Tahina: Arecaceae family. It uses all its nutrients to bloom beautiful flowers and disperse its seeds. Afterward, the entire trunk withers, crumbles, and disappears. They are distributed on Madagascar, and it is said that only about thirty Tahina remain in the wild worldwide.
Next time: The Flame Dragon Lord's Young Alraune Hikaru Genji Plan.