Chapter 286

The opportunity to ask Agnes about what had happened came sooner than expected.

As Prince Antonio, who had spent the whole barbecue being fed by Agnes, was the first to leave the table, she was left alone, quietly poking at her food. Since she wasn’t attracting anyone’s attention, it wasn’t difficult for me to approach her for a conversation.

As I’d mentioned before, aside from Seraphin and me, Agnes had no friends. And right now, Seraphin was busy caught in a tug-of-war between Serista and Silenna over the hero, so it was only natural that Agnes would be left on her own.

Fortunately, Ethan didn’t stop me from going to talk to Agnes. After all, as long as I wasn’t talking to the hero or another man, Ethan didn’t tend to restrict me much.

“Lady Agnes.”

“…Lilith.”

“What happened earlier? It seemed like things were a bit complicated between you and Prince Antonio.”

“…Nothing much.”

“Did Prince Antonio get hurt because of something related to you?”

Flinch.

Even though she didn’t say anything, her reaction was as good as an answer. I had half-expected this when she volunteered to take care of Antonio, but this confirmed my suspicions.

Agnes, who usually showed no interest in others, had offered to take care of Antonio—someone she had previously found bothersome. I had already deduced what had likely happened.

If Prince Antonio hadn’t returned with a wounded arm, the one injured would have been Agnes. The logic was simple.

“Judging by your reaction, I think I have a rough idea.”

“What exactly do you think you know?”

“Just why Prince Antonio got hurt, that’s all.”

“……”

“So, are you really not going to tell me what happened at the lake?”

Agnes’s expression turned conflicted, as if she realized she’d already been found out. It didn’t take long for her to start speaking.

“…Don’t tell anyone else.”

“Of course not.”

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

To cut to the point, even Agnes didn’t know why a three-headed Hydra appeared at the lake.

She explained that she had been on guard, expecting a monster to approach the lake like usual, but the Hydra had suddenly emerged without warning.

It was likely a hidden monster from the Luminor Academy’s Witch’s Forest event, or perhaps a creature that spawned under certain conditions during battle events.

Or, like how both the Roaring Crescent Bear and the Moonlight Wolves appeared together, it might have been triggered by the number of people and the average level of the group. The reasons were complex and uncertain.

But since the Witch’s Forest event was nearly over, it wasn’t really important anymore. What truly mattered was something else entirely.

‘The relationship between Prince Antonio and Agnes is what’s really important here.’

Just a few hours ago, Agnes had openly expressed her dislike for being in the same group as Antonio. So, why had she suddenly volunteered to take care of him? Through our conversation, I managed to piece together what had happened between them.

“…It was my mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?”

“I should have created more distance before casting my spells. If I had targeted the heads from a distance, I could have destroyed them one by one, and no one would’ve gotten hurt. But I panicked and cast an attack spell the moment the Hydra appeared.”

Agnes had expected that destroying one of the heads would incapacitate the Hydra or at least make it hesitate. However, even after two of its heads were destroyed, the Hydra continued its assault.

Moreover, she hadn’t anticipated that all three heads would target her simultaneously.

Fortunately, Sir Colt managed to cut off one head, and Agnes’s magic destroyed another before it could reach her, but there wasn’t enough time to cast another spell to stop the third head.

That was when Prince Antonio stepped in, sacrificing his right arm to buy Agnes the time she needed to cast her second spell.

“To be honest, it was a bit disappointing. I didn’t expect him to struggle so much with a single Hydra head.”

“……”

“…But in the end, thanks to him, I wasn’t hurt. So, I have to take responsibility.”

It was clear that Agnes didn’t intend to downplay the fact that Prince Antonio had saved her by sacrificing his arm. Thanks to his quick action, she was able to cast her second spell and finish off the Hydra. Although Antonio’s arm had been injured, the fact that he escaped with only a broken arm was a relief.

Since the battle, Agnes had been feeling guilty about Antonio’s injury. Her way of repaying him was to take care of him, which is how the current situation of her attending to Antonio’s needs had come about.

“…It’s not like I can repay him with money. My family’s budget wouldn’t cover it, and it would be inappropriate to put a price on a royal’s wellbeing.”

“……”

“So, this is the only way I can repay him. After all, it was my fault he got hurt. I have at least that much of a conscience.” Sёarch* The NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Hmm.

At first, I thought their relationship had taken a positive turn, but it seemed it wasn’t exactly what I had imagined.

Instead of some romantic development like ‘I’ve started to see you differently since you saved me,’ it was more of an ‘I owe you, so I have to repay the debt.’

‘…Well, Agnes was always the hardest character to win over in the original game.’

She wasn’t the type of heroine you could make fall in love just by saving her life once or twice. To win Agnes over, you’d either have to save her life five or six times, or solve a problem so significant that it would change her entire life.

For now, though, I needed to help reduce the burden Agnes was feeling toward Prince Antonio.

“Anyway, Prince Antonio’s injury isn’t really your fault. I’m sure he doesn’t think he got hurt because of you.”

“But if I had made a better decision, this might not have happened.”

“Reacting immediately to the appearance of a three-headed Hydra was impressive enough. And if you hadn’t acted when you did, the sacrifice might have been far greater than just Prince Antonio’s arm.”

“…That’s true. Thanks, Lilith.”

Agnes’s troubled expression softened, my words having somewhat reassured her.

‘Now, how should I guide the relationship between Agnes and Prince Antonio….’

Honestly, I wasn’t trying to push Agnes and Antonio together out of any personal desire to see them become a couple. If my only other close friend, Agnes, found happiness, it didn’t necessarily have to be with Prince Antonio.

But considering the current situation, Antonio seemed like the person most likely to bring Agnes happiness in the future.

After all, in my past life, I’d seen Agnes’s “spinster ending” more times than I could count.

While characters like Natalina, Seraphin, and Luke had options even if they didn’t end up with the hero, Agnes and Serista were the types who would remain alone if they didn’t connect with the hero.

Especially in Agnes’s case, her difficult personality meant that no one else would approach her. And her strict family made matters worse.

There simply weren’t many men of high enough status who would willingly pursue someone with Agnes’s difficult personality.

And if a commoner tried, Agnes herself, or more likely her family, would reject them outright.

This left Agnes destined to grow old alone, without a suitable partner, unless something changed drastically. Even the hopeful routes where she fell for the hero were no longer an option given the current situation.

In this sense, Prince Antonio was the perfect match. His family wasn’t one her family would reject, and he was one of the few nobles (or royals) who could put up with her challenging personality.

‘It would be a shame for Agnes to spend her life alone in the mage tower.’

At the very least, I should give her a chance to meet someone who could appreciate her—someone who could match her level and genuinely care for her.

Considering how Antonio had thrown himself in harm’s way to protect her, it was clear his intentions were genuine. He wasn’t trying to get close to her with ulterior motives.

Antonio had already fallen for Agnes. If I could just create a little more opportunity for them to connect, their relationship would likely improve.

“So, you’ll be taking care of Prince Antonio for the next three days, right?”

“…Yes, for now.”

“In that case, wouldn’t you need my help? For example, with things like how a female servant should care for a male employer?”

“Huh?”

“Surely you haven’t forgotten? I’m a debt maid of the Blackwood family and used to be Ethan’s personal maid.”

“…That’s not really something to brag about, is it?”

…Well, that’s true.

“Anyway, wouldn’t it be better to get advice from someone with experience? Since you’re going to be taking care of Prince Antonio, it’d be wise to learn from me. At the very least, you don’t want to accidentally offend him while you’re attending to him.”

“…That’s true. What should I be careful about?”

Smirk.

This is my chance.

My chance to be the Cupid of Agnes and Prince Antonio!