I was Alraune, a plant monster girl whose very body provided the ingredients for a love potion.
But I didn't want to make one.
If such a medicine were ever produced from my own form, I felt as though I would never be able to recover my dignity as a former Saint...
“Princess Freundliche, do you… actually like Lord Manfred?” I asked.
After all, the two of them had only just met again recently, hadn't they? Why had the conversation suddenly jumped to her wanting a love potion so she could marry him?
“Actually, this was not our first encounter. When Lord Manfred’s parents visited the Imperial Capital as goodwill envoys for the Kingdom of Gardenia, he accompanied them. We have seen each other several times since we were children.”
So they were old acquaintances. Since this city sat so close to the border, Lord Manfred’s family likely played a diplomatic role between the nations.
“I have thought well of him for a long time. His slightly plump appearance is quite charming, and since his territory is close to the Glanz Empire, I had my eye on him as the perfect place to marry into.”
Marrying an Imperial Princess was no small feat. Even from Lord Manfred’s perspective, it shouldn't have been a bad deal.
“However, Lord Manfred has apparently had another woman in his heart for a very long time. No matter what I did, he never looked my way. But I can no longer turn back now. Please, I beg of you, produce a love potion for my sake.”
Could it be his first love? If so, I wanted to help her if I could. My own first love had never come to fruition, so I at least wanted Frie to be happy...
That said, no matter how much she pleaded, I didn't actually know how to make one. If I had known it would come to this, should I have asked the Witch Queen for the recipe? No—my pride wouldn't allow me to ask such a thing of a woman who saw me as nothing more than a source of medicinal ingredients.
“I have no time left. Furthermore, failure is not an option... Therefore, Master Alraune, please lend me your strength!”
I wondered... if I smeared pansy juice on his eyelids, would he fall in love with the first person he saw upon waking? This wasn't Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, so that seemed unlikely. Even if I used my own nectar on his eyelids, surely it wouldn't have such an effect.
Then again, given how I had accidentally granted mysterious properties to that shampoo, perhaps I really could make a love potion if I put my mind to it? But I didn't particularly want to test that theory...
“A love potion... A love potion, huh,” I muttered.
Honestly, couldn't she just confess normally? Then again, Princess Freundliche was clearly hiding something from me. No matter how sheltered she might seem, I couldn't believe an Imperial Princess would go this far solely out of romantic longing.
“Princess, is there perhaps... another reason why you want to marry Lord Manfred?”
“As expected of Master Alraune, you see through me. I had no intention of telling anyone else, but since you are a monster rather than a human, Master, I suppose it is fine.”
I might be a monster now, but I was a human once, you know. Not to mention I'm someone you know—your former master.
“My mother is the Emperor’s First Consort. I had an older brother, a younger brother, and a younger sister from the same mother, but all of them are already deceased.”
I was deeply shocked by her words. Her siblings were people I had once met as well.
“There were also princes born to the Second Consort, the Fourth Consort, and the Imperial Concubines, but all of them have become those who will never return.”
T-That meant...
“Currently, the only prince of His Majesty the Emperor surviving besides myself is the son of the Third Consort... from Lady Hakanaki’s Faction.”
According to my memories from my Saint Iris Era, the Emperor should have had more than ten children. And yet, she was saying that almost all of them had passed away.
“The princes who held Imperial Succession Rights were all assassinated by the Third Consort's Force. The only reason I am alive is because, thanks to my Light Recovery Magic, poison does not work on me—I didn't die during meals. Even when I was stabbed in the chest, I was able to heal myself.”
Princess Freundliche murmured softly that without her power as a Saint, she would already be dead. I had no idea the conflict for the next Emperor within the Empire had become so bloody.
“And perhaps because the Third Consort grew impatient after being cursed by a spirit, she stopped hesitating in her attempts to assassinate me. Had I stayed in the Empire, I likely would not have lived to see the New Year.”
I had assumed the Empire’s invasion was just the result of a princess's whim because she wanted to meet Barometz-san. I was wrong. Princess Freundliche had been desperately weaving schemes just to survive, all while playing the part of a naive, world-ignorant princess.
“Furthermore, in this city, I can use my Light Magic to my heart’s content. Since we are on the front lines against the Demon King’s Army, there must be many injured people. I want to fully exert the power I was rarely allowed to use in the Empire!”
Frie had wanted to improve her Light Magic for a long time. However, there were no users in the Glanz Empire who could rival the Saint of the Kingdom. That was why she had begged to study under me and became my disciple, wasn't it?
“If I were to return to the Empire now, I would certainly be assassinated by the Third Consort’s Faction. There were likely assassins hidden within that expeditionary force aiming for my life, but thanks to Master Alraune, I had a narrow escape.”
If I hadn't put those Imperial Soldiers to sleep, what would have happened? Taking advantage of the battle with Tower City, Princess Freundliche might have been murdered by her own allies. If that had happened, the blame would have been shifted to the people of Tower City, creating an unbridgeable rift between the Kingdom of Gardenia and the Glanz Empire. Instead of a minor skirmish, a full-scale war might have begun.
“I had no idea... that things had... come to this...”
Information from foreign countries was surprisingly hard to get, even from a neighbor. Even though five years had passed since I, Iris, was killed, I hadn't realized the situation had shifted so drastically from what I knew. If even the Empire was in such a state, I wondered what the internal reality of the Kingdom of Gardenia was like now...
“That is why I have wanted to marry into a foreign country for a long time—to survive. Lord Manfred is no stranger, and I know his character well. He is a more than suitable partner.”
Even if she married within the Empire, her children would likely be dragged into the Imperial Succession Conflict. Escaping the country was her best chance to flee the Third Consort's reach.
However, as much as I felt for her—
“I am... sorry. I cannot... make a love potion.”
I felt bad for Frie, but I simply couldn't do it. If I did, I would be no different from Zelma or the Witch Queen.
“I see. I thought that if I had a love potion, I could surpass the woman who has held Lord Manfred’s heart since he was young...”
Come to think of it, Frie had mentioned earlier that Manfred was already in love with someone. I wondered who it was.
“By the way... who is that person?”
“She is no longer of this world. She passed away several years ago, but he seems unable to forget her. Lord Manfred has apparently rejected every engagement request from every noble lady because of her.”
So she was deceased. Could it be...
“The person Lord Manfred loves is Lady Saint Iris. Though it was apparently a one-sided love...”
It really was me!!
Now that I thought about it, he used to show up in the Royal Capital all the time, begging me to let him paint my portrait. I knew he liked me enough to want to capture me in art, but I never imagined he cared that deeply...
“However, that also seems to have been a misunderstanding on my part. After speaking with Lord Manfred earlier, I realized his feelings were closer to worship than romance...”
Yeah... that sounded like him. I always felt like Manfred held some other kind of emotion for me rather than actual love.
“Furthermore, there is one more problem... Lady Iris is gone, but it seems Lord Manfred now has someone else he worships just as much.”
Princess Freundliche stared intently at me. What? Was she trying to say his heart was now directed at me? That was only because I had the same face as Saint Iris! It definitely wasn't love. Because I was a monster!
Ugh, the last thing I wanted was for her to view me as a rival. I had to make the Princess's love come true somehow!
“Umm... I can’t make a love potion, but I can make... something Lord Manfred likes.”
“And what would that be?”
“Wait a moment... I’m making it now... There, it’s done!”
I could produce them much faster than before. I really had grown, perhaps thanks to the Spirit Power I’d absorbed.
“With this, I’m sure... Lord Manfred will be happy.”
“Is this... a candy?”
When it came to Lord Manfred’s favorite things, it was my nectar. So, I had crafted a special Nectar Ball!
My nectar had been sold by the Little Witch, and now we were even exporting it outside the city. But despite that success, I never put these Nectar Balls up for sale. That was exactly why this Nectar Ball was so rare. Since Manfred was obsessed with Saint Nectar, he would definitely be thrilled!
“Could this be the love potion?”
“No. It is my... nectar.”
This was a masterpiece capable of enthralling the nectar-crazed Young Armin or Bear-papa. I was certain that if she gave him this, Lord Manfred would be just as overjoyed as they were.
“It is called a Nectar Ball. It is a special item... of which no other currently exists in this world.”
Because all the others had been eaten. Judging by Armin and Bear-papa, I was sure Lord Manfred would fall for it too.
“Master Alraune, thank you so much!”
With sparkling eyes, Princess Freundliche took the Nectar Ball. I hoped the two of them would get closer with my Nectar Ball as the catalyst. That was why I’d made it, but—
From then on, she moved fast. While I was busy preparing for winter hibernation in the forest, Princess Freundliche made her move.
One day, I was summoned by Lord Manfred and Princess Freundliche. There, Lord Manfred made a startling declaration.
“Ahem... Actually, I have decided to become engaged to Lady Freundliche.”
“Whaaaat?!”
The effect of the Nectar Ball was staggering. Princess Freundliche had used it to capture Manfred’s heart!
“What on earth... happened?!”
“Lady Freundliche presented me with your Nectar Ball, Alraune-dono. As expected of such a precious item, it was exceedingly delicious—a truly supreme masterpiece. It was a flavor unlike anything I have ever tasted in my life...!”
Lord Manfred, you’re drooling a bit. He looked just like Bear-papa. Ah... Princess Freundliche was even wiping his mouth with a handkerchief. I couldn't believe it. These two had actually become close!
“In return for the Nectar Ball, I presented Lady Freundliche with a portrait of Lady Saint Iris that I painted myself. That was the spark.”
Apparently, as fellow fans of Saint Iris, they had hit it off. It seemed Freundliche had skillfully used the topics of Saint Iris and Alraune to bridge the distance between them.
“I am aware of Lady Freundliche’s complicated circumstances. As a fellow devotee of Lady Saint Iris, I shall protect her. Furthermore, since this will serve as a symbol of peace between our nations, His Majesty the King will surely permit the marriage.”
Manfred had accepted the engagement even knowing her life was in danger. Despite his looks, he was surprisingly gallant.
“I’d been thinking it was time for me to settle down, but thanks to that Nectar Ball, I was able to form a wonderful bond with Lady Freundliche. This is all thanks to you, Alraune-dono!”
I never dreamed things would go this well just from a Nectar Ball. In the end, I suppose I was the one who brought them together. Was that Nectar Ball actually a love potion...? No, that couldn't be it.
Later, the Princess called me aside for a private chat.
“It is all thanks to the love potion I received from Master Alraune.”
“It’s not! That was just a Nectar Ball, not a love potion!” I insisted. It was just an item that happened to be super-effective against Manfred specifically!
“Fufu, I understand perfectly well.”
She was definitely teasing me.
“There are still several hurdles, but if Lord Manfred is the partner, I am sure my father will approve. With this, I will not have to return to the Glanz Empire.”
Come to think of it, everything had gone exactly as Princess Freundliche intended. Behind the scenes, she had conquered Manfred in the blink of an eye. If returning home meant death, then marrying a foreign noble was her best path. If she chose Manfred, I would support her all the way.
Be happy, Frie...!
“Master is truly great. You easily achieved what I could not do for years.”
“It wasn't my power... it was because the Princess’s charm... reached Lord Manfred.”
Frie had always been adorable, both as my disciple and as a younger princess. If her love had truly bloomed, I was genuinely happy for her.
“No, that is not it. Because Master has been my admired teacher since before you became an Alraune...”
—Wait.
Did she just say something very strange?
“Isn't that right, Master Iris?”
W-Why was Frie saying my name...?
Unlike when we first reunited, her gaze was now filled with the absolute certainty that I was Iris. Looking back, the fact that she had been calling me “Master Alraune” should have been a red flag. The girl who used to call me “Master Iris” was now calling me “Master” as a monster in the exact same way. Even with the shampoo incident, it was weird to be that familiar with a monster she’d just met.
I had assumed the lighthearted Frie wouldn't see through me, but I’d been caught so easily...
Did I blow my cover? Where on earth did she figure it out?!
“In order to protect oneself from enemies, one must hide their true self and play the fool. It seems that applies to both princesses and monsters alike.”
The way she said that... she was 100% sure.
What should I do? I've been caught!
Come to think of it, I felt like I’d seen someone familiar among the Imperial expeditionary force...
Next time: Who Exactly Is Your Older Brother?!