I was carried back to the Flame Dragon Lord’s room.
As the maid set me down on the floor, I was startled to find that the Flame Dragon Lord had already returned. It was still only evening; I wondered what had happened to his work.
Once the maid finished her task and exited the room, the Flame Dragon Lord gave a simple command. "Give me an apple."
As I handed it over, he explained, "I decided to cut my work short today." He then added, "You may take the rest of the day off as well."
Well, if he was giving me permission, perhaps I should switch into off-duty mode for a bit.
"Flame Dragon Lord... hold me, please."
"……What did you say?"
He stared down at me, looking utterly bewildered. Being scrutinized so intently felt a little embarrassing.
"Why the sudden request?" he asked.
"I want... the light."
"……I see. For a moment, I wondered what kind of maid would start barking orders at her master."
Awa-wa-wa-wa!
He was right! That was incredibly rude of me! Since he’d told me I could rest, I’d let my guard down, and the words had just slipped out.
"Well, fine. You truly are an amusing Alraune. You are the only one who would ever command me to pick them up."
"I am... terribly sorry."
The Flame Dragon Lord picked up my planter and carried me over to the window. The view outside, which I hadn't seen in a while, was a brilliant, vivid crimson, fully saturated by the colors of the setting sun.
I cast my gaze downward and spotted the botanical garden where Barometz-san and I used to live. Looking at it from this height, it was actually quite close.
Searching for anything else of interest, my eyes landed on Manager Hydra-san and the One-horned Minotaur. They appeared to be in the middle of transporting more greenery. He’d mentioned that the garden had been built specifically to find me, but it seemed he intended to keep expanding it regardless.
However, as I watched them, I felt a strange sense of recognition regarding the plant they were carrying.
Wait just a second!
That plant... could it be that?
I couldn't be certain from this distance, but if my intuition was correct, eating that plant might actually give me a way to escape from the Demon King's Castle.
If that was the case, I had to get to the botanical garden immediately!
But as much as I wanted to go, I couldn't move an inch on my own. After all, I was a plant. At a time like this, I almost regretted not taking the Four Heavenly Kings Dryades up on her offer.
"Flame Dragon Lord... I want to go... to the botanical garden."
"No. You are my maid; I will not have you running off on a whim."
H-How cruel!
It seemed my favorability with the Flame Dragon Lord wasn't high enough yet. I thought I’d been doing a pretty good job lately, too.
If it had come to this, I would have to fall back on my original plan: the seduction strategy. Men were notoriously weak to such things. Even my fiancé, the Hero-sama, had fallen for that Shitty Junior’s charms, so there was no doubt it would work!
"Flame Dragon Lord... what do you... think of this?"
"…………What on earth are you doing, wiggling around like that? I suppose a dancing plant is a rare sight, at least."
My seduction... didn't work?
No, perhaps the problem started even earlier than that. I didn't actually know how to seduce someone! Having lived as a Saint of Noble Birth since childhood, such things had been entirely absent from my life.
But even if I didn't know the technique, I should have been able to use my body. I felt like I’d read that in a manga in my previous life.
With my mind made up, I prepared to show off my form—no, wait, Alraune. Think. That Shitty Junior Apprentice Saint had likely lured the Hero-sama away using those pointlessly large breasts of hers. He’d been led astray by a massive chest. As his former fiancé, it still made me sad.
But compared to that Shitty Junior, what did I have now?
I was flat. There was no swell, no allure, nothing.
Being a young girl was a major handicap! My only hope was to gamble on the possibility that the Flame Dragon Lord was a lolicon.
"Flame Dragon Lord... what is... your type of woman?"
Our eyes met. We stared at each other for a long, heavy silence. Eventually, the Flame Dragon Lord closed his eyes and cradled his forehead in his hand.
"…………I am not good with children."
I was disqualified!
I wasn't just a child; I was a young girl. Apparently, I was his "least favorite" type. The seduction operation was a total failure!
"I never know what to do with them," he continued. "I cannot fathom what they are thinking when they say such things, and they look as if they might break if I so much as touch them."
Come to think of it, the Flame Dragon Lord didn't have any children. If he was only uncomfortable because he lacked experience handling them, maybe there was still a chance…...
"I do not know what has you looking so grim, but you can rest easy. You will grow into a beautiful Alraune in time."
"Is that... so?"
"Your mother was quite lovely. If you take after her, you will be a splendid Alraune indeed."
Did you hear that?!
The Flame Dragon Lord called me lovely! He even used the word "beautiful"!
Uhehe. Since becoming an Alraune, I had almost never been praised. Lately, all I heard were things like "scary," "freak," "monster," or "she’s going to eat me." Because of that, I seemed to have lost all my resistance to flattery.
Doesn't this mean everything will be fine once I reach adulthood? Exactly! Once I became an Adult Alraune, my chest would fill out, too. Then, with a beauty acknowledged by the Flame Dragon Lord himself, my seduction would be unstoppable!
Since he praised me this much, he’s bound to fall head over heels for me eventually!
I needed to grow up as fast as possible. If I’d known it would come to this, I would have spent more time photosynthesizing to store up nutrients. Even though I was the one who chose to become a young girl, it felt frustrating.
I wanted to grow up!
"Did you want to go to the botanical garden so badly that you would cry……?"
The Flame Dragon Lord stepped closer to the window. He reached out and used his finger to scoop up a drop of nectar that was trickling down my cheek.
"Your nectar is always so sweet."
He gave my head a light, affectionate pat, then turned to gaze out the window, lost in thought.
"If you absolutely must go, I will set a condition."
"A condition...?"
"A simple one. If you can earn some merit, I shall take you to the botanical garden as a reward."
He said "merit," but there was only so much an immobile plant like me could do. What did he expect of me?
"Flame Dragon Lord... is there... anything you... desire from me?"
"What I desire from an Alraune…… It would have to be food, wouldn't it?"
That made sense. After all, I had been scouted specifically because he liked the taste of my nectar.
"Providing nectar is part of your standard duties as a maid. Therefore, if you can delight me with some rare delicacy other than your nectar, I shall consider that your merit."
"I... understand!"
The seduction had failed, but that just meant I had to take the alternative route: winning him over through his stomach.
Leave the cooking to me! I used to prepare meals for the Little Witch, so I had a fair bit of confidence in my abilities. It seemed the time had finally come for my experiences in the forest to pay off.
My heart burned with renewed motivation. It was time to unveil Alraune-style Vegetable Cooking to the world.
As a capable Maid Alraune who could handle the kitchen as well as the cleaning, I was going to give it my all!
The Flame Dragon Lord seems to have a bit of a soft spot for Alraune. It's probably the nectar's fault.
Next time: 3-Day Cooking with the cook Scylla-san.