I’m Alraune, a plant monster.
One day, quite by chance, I met a prince in the forest.
To my utter shock, that prince turned out to be an acquaintance of mine—of Iris, that is—the First Prince of this kingdom.
Back when I was Saint Iris, I was also a daughter of a Duke in the Kingdom of Gardenia. Consequently, I’d known the princes of Gardenia since we were children; we were childhood friends, in a sense.
That said, since the First Prince was older than me, we didn’t interact all that much. I usually saw him hanging out with my cousin, Vol-nii. As for me, I was closer in age to his younger brother, the Second Prince, so the two of us were often paired together.
But everything changed the day I awakened my powers as a Saint and the Second Prince became the Hero. From that day on, we were betrothed.
There was one person whose life was completely derailed by that arrangement: the First Prince, the Hero’s older brother.
Not only had his younger brother become the Hero, but he was also engaged to Saint Iris—the woman hailed as the greatest Saint of the era. This effectively pushed the First Prince far away from any hope of succeeding to the throne.
Because the First Prince was a kind-hearted soul, he eventually abandoned the struggle for the crown. He likely realized he stood no chance against the combined influence of the Hero and the Duke’s daughter who was to be his wife. Following that, the First Prince vanished from the Royal Castle. I remembered Vol-nii mentioning that he was living a quiet, modest life on a rural estate he’d been granted.
And yet, for some reason, that same First Prince was now living like a primitive native in the heart of the Dryades' Forest. I couldn't help but be stunned. Why was the man who was supposed to be enjoying a slow life in the country now engaged in a desperate survival struggle in the woods?
Seeing me trembling with shock, the First Prince bared his fighting spirit once again.
"You... did you eat Iris? Is that why you look like her?"
"Um, well... It feels like I did, and yet... it also feels like I didn't..."
It was a complicated subject. If I said I hadn't eaten her, I’d be lying. After all, it was an objective fact that this plant-monster body had consumed Iris—the old me. Furthermore, if I hadn't eaten her, there would be no explanation for why I, an Alraune, looked exactly like her.
Still, I couldn't exactly tell him the whole truth. How troubling.
"...From the look of it, you did eat her. How dare you! How dare you do that to Iris!"
The First Prince moved to swing a fist at me, but I blocked him with a vine. It felt strange. When I was human, the First Prince had been taller than me. Now, I was much larger, and far stronger. During my time as the Saint, I never could have bested him in a contest of strength.
"Iris was... she was such a kind girl. No one served this kingdom as selflessly as she did. And yet, to die so young..."
"............Are you... by any chance... crying?"
"I’m not crying! I just finished bathing in the spring, so my face is still wet!"
I never imagined the First Prince would shed tears over my death. We hadn't even been that close. Our relationship had always been defined by our titles—the Duke’s daughter and the First Prince, or the Saint and the First Prince. Our conversations had never really strayed outside those formal bounds.
And yet, he was grieving for me. Even though it had been six years since Iris died.
What was I supposed to do? If he cared for me this much, should I reveal my identity?
No, if I spoke up now, the Flashy Man would find out along with the Little Witch. It was still far too dangerous for a member of the Demon Race like the Flashy Man to know who I really was. Feigning ignorance was the only correct path.
Hardening my heart, I continued my act as a plant monster.
"I... did not... kill... the person... you call... Iris."
I placed a vine gently on his shoulder. I was no longer human, so I spoke to him as a monster would.
"However... if my appearance... resembles someone... then surely... I live on... thanks to her."
"Thanks to... Iris...?"
"All living things... eventually... return to the soil... to become... nutrients... for plants. My birth... was likely... the result... of that."
Of course, that wasn't exactly true. This plant monster’s mouth had definitely gone "chomp" on Iris. (And I certainly wasn't going to mention that his younger brother was the one who actually killed her.)
If I found I could trust the First Prince, I might reveal the truth eventually, but for now, with the Flashy Man watching, it had to remain a secret. Aside from a few trusted allies like Vol-nii, Nina, and Priest Pandia, my identity as Iris was top secret.
"...I see. So it wasn't you who killed her."
"No... I swear... it was not me."
"Then I must apologize for my earlier rudeness."
The First Prince bowed his head. To see a member of the royalty bow to a mere monster was a shock.
"Iris was like a cousin to me; I’d known her since we were tiny. She used to come to the castle to play so often that Wolfgang and I always said she felt like a real younger sister..."
Come to think of it, I’d heard a rumor once. People whispered that if the Second Prince hadn't awakened as the Hero, I might have been betrothed to the First Prince instead. If the gears of fate had turned differently, I might have been his fiancée. Given how kind he was, he probably wouldn't have betrayed and murdered me. My life would have been entirely different. I probably wouldn't be an Alraune right now.
But things didn't happen that way. I was engaged to the Hero, and I was killed by his hand. This man was the brother of my murderer—but he wasn't the murderer himself. I held a grudge against the Hero, but it would be misplaced to take it out on the First Prince.
"If you like... would you... join us... for dinner? I am... actually... quite good... at cooking!"
"...To be honest, I was on the verge of collapsing from hunger. I would be honored."
As night fell over the forest, we gathered around the bonfire. I donned my leaf cook’s hat and began preparations. I had a mountain of questions for him. Why was he living like a native? Why was a Witch chasing him? To get those answers, I needed to get close to him first. He wouldn't spill his secrets to a random forest monster, so the plan was to win him over with a feast.
"Thank you... for waiting!"
I used Plant Generation to create wooden plates and a variety of fresh vegetables. The first course was a starter salad, which the Little Witch helped me plate.
"You can create vegetables out of thin air? That’s incredible."
"Indeed... I am... quite amazing. You may... praise me... more."
"...Just to be sure, you didn't put poison in this so you can eat me slowly later, did you?"
He was still suspicious. Then again, considering he’d been living a survival life in the woods, he’d likely seen some things. It was only natural to doubt a stranger.
As the First Prince hesitated, the Flashy Man tried to swipe the plate.
"Hey, if you're not gonna eat it, I will!"
"Wait, give it back! It’s mine! I’ve had quite enough of eating tree roots... Oh... oh, this texture is divine! This is the best!"
"Look at this guy! He’s crying over a salad!"
He really must have been starved for a proper meal. Looking at him closely, he was painfully thin.
"It’s been so long since I’ve had a salad this good... What’s that now? That smells wonderful."
"Stir-fried... vegetables."
I used the "Gasoline Tree" (Eucalyptus) and the "Psychopath of the Plant Kingdom" (Rockrose) to start the fire. I began cooking right there in front of him.
"You really are something. An Alraune that can actually cook."
"I am... a cultured... monster. I have even... hosted parties... for the townspeople... in the forest."
"...It seems you really aren't a bad monster after all."
"I am glad... you finally... understand."
"Besides, you look like Iris, but you clearly aren't her. That girl was terrible at cooking."
Terrible at cooking? Me?
Well, he wasn't wrong, but hearing it said so bluntly still made me miffed. Fine then. I wasn't the same Iris from back then. I was going to show the First Prince just how much I’d improved!
"Mr. Human... you want to eat... my cooking... don't you?"
"Yes! I’m so hungry I can barely stand. Please, let me eat!"
"In that case... let’s make... a deal."
I brought the steaming plate of stir-fried vegetables toward him, but just as he reached out, I whisked it away with a vine.
"Ah! My dinner!"
"In exchange... for this food... please tell me... about yourself."
I was going to find out why he was living in the woods and why the Witch was after him. I was going to hear every last detail!
Rockrose: Cistaceae family. Distributed across Mediterranean Europe, North Africa, and West Asia. They are known to undergo spontaneous combustion when temperatures rise above a certain point. In the language of flowers, they mean: "I will die tomorrow."