The Villainess With A Heroine Harem

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Back in Cynthia's world, while Noelle was directing everyone to efficiently explore the area around them for the necessary resources, Emilia was nowhere to be seen. Of course, since the crimson-haired beauty had already told them not to follow her while leaving for the hut, they just assumed that she must have something important to do.historical

Cynthia herself wasn't too surprised that her villainess wanted to speak to her, but the urgency with which she was dragged to the 'hut' still made her a little confused. 'If she only wants to know more about this world, there is no need to be like this, right?'

When the wooden door slammed shut behind her, the raven-haired girl couldn't help but gulp. 'T-This can't be good…'

Not knowing what her partner wanted, Cynthia didn't dare to speak. She waited, and waited, and waited… but Emilia remained silent, looking away as if to avoid her eyes.

A few minutes later, the raven-haired girl finally couldn't take it anymore. "If you have something to say, just say it! Being so meek is not like you."

For an immortal, she clearly wasn't very patient.

Cynthia knew that she hadn't been very 'good' to the crimson-haired girl for a while, and they'd only barely talked after the girl became the empress of Blue Dawn, if their brief conversations could even be considered 'talking', that is.

She was well aware of how vengeful her villainess could be, and while she dreaded whatever 'punishment' awaited her, it was better to get it over with quickly than to continue dreading it all the time.

Much to Cynthia's surprise, however, Emilia didn't respond to her 'provocation' as energetically as she expected, and instead just shivered, her face still turned away.

The raven-haired girl frowned. 'What's up with her?'

Realizing that her partner's grip wasn't particularly strong, she quickly shook her off before grabbing the crimson-haired beauty by the shoulders and shaking her vigorously. "Why aren't you saying anything?!"

Emilia didn't resist her, but Cynthia still stepped back in shock when she saw the tears welling up in the usually mischievous and lively beauty's eyes.

The soft sniffle rang like a deafening gong in her head, and Cynthia quickly found her thoughts turning numb.

Was Emilia… crying?

The raven-haired girl refused to believe that her partner would cry because of her, so there must have been another reason. She obviously hadn't shaken her that hard.

But what could it be? Was it because of parting with so many of those mortals that she liked?

She knew Emilia was attached to them, but they really didn't have enough energy to carry them all here. Plus, didn't she manage to bring most of her favorites?

Spoiled as her villainess could sometimes act, Cynthia knew that Emilia was actually quite understanding and considerate when it came down to it, and she wouldn't blame her for things that couldn't have been avoided.

Then… what else could it be? It really couldn't be… her fault, could it?

Just as Cynthia was about to open her mouth, however, Emilia took the initiative to apologize first.

"Cynthia… I-I…" She paused, as if steeling her resolve, and then took a deep breath before continuing. "I'm…"

"... Sorry, for being so selfish." She sniffled.

The raven-haired girl was so stupefied by the unexpected apology that she couldn't even respond for almost a full minute, and it only seemed to have made Emilia's mood worse.

"I know… that I shouldn't have 'wasted' so much of our energy, a-and… I understand that I've not been a very good… partner."

Cynthia's felt a strange sensation in her chest, as if something that shouldn't be there hurt for some reason, and there was even a slight tingling sensation behind her eyes, making her so confused that she even tuned out some of her partner's words. 'What's going on? Did I make a mistake in my reconstruction formula? But no, that can't be…'

Emilia smiled bitterly when she saw her partner's absentminded expression. "At least listen to me… will you?"

The raven-haired girl immediately straightened up as she realized her mistake, and coughed awkwardly. "I-I'm listening! Listening!"

"Mhm…"

Emilia's gaze on her was strange, gentle, and forgiving, yet apologetic at the same time, and Cynthia couldn't help but fidget nervously.

Had she been courageous enough to look directly, maybe she would have discovered the hint of grievances in Emilia's eyes, but unfortunately, Cynthia was too absorbed in her own thoughts.

Her partner's next words completely shattered her illusions, however, and the raven-haired girl finally realized what was going on.

"I will definitely do much better next time, so… please, won't you treat me like before?"

'Oh, fuck…!' Cynthia couldn't help but curse at herself. 'I should have realized it sooner!'

In the beginning, she really had stopped talking to Emilia much as a way of making her villainess realize that allowing mortals to get so close to her heart was definitely the wrong move. She believed that Emilia would definitely miss her more, and compromise.

But when the crimson-haired beauty didn't bother her too much, and even seemed to have failed to realize the increased distance between them, Cynthia felt… bored. No longer interested in what happened with the world, she decided she might as well nap more.

Obviously, her reliable little villainess didn't need her help, and she would know when the missions were completed, anyway.

It was only now that it became clear what actually happened. Her move had obviously backfired, and actually made Emilia question her own position in Cynthia's heart. And… she didn't dare risk a clear rejection from her savior, so she never questioned it.

Even now, the crimson-haired beauty only begged and pleaded for another chance, never once grilling her on just 'why' it was that Cynthia started avoiding her.

'I-If she knew that I only did it on a whim, and then got lazy…' The raven-haired girl gulped.

As considerate and kind as her partner could be, she could definitely be just as scary. Cynthia dreaded the punishment that awaited her if Emilia realized what really happened, and in her hesitation, she completely missed the timing to confess the truth.

Emilia reached out to hold the raven-haired girl's hands piously. "Let me be shameless just this once, okay? I'll take your silence as a yes."

Cynthia grinned wryly, making her partner sigh in relief and contentment, but only she knew… that she was cursing herself for being such a coward.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Emilia might behave audaciously from time to time, but it was only an attempt to get closer to Cynthia. In her heart, the raven-haired girl's position was definitely that of a beloved savior. After she'd apologized and been forgiven, she ruthlessly crushed any and all grievances she felt in her heart for being ignored for so long.

Cynthia had agreed to treat her the same way as before, so how could she feel wronged?

Shaking her head to clear any lingering thoughts, Emilia smiled. "Let's forget that ever happened, then. How about we head to the next world?"

The raven-haired girl hummed, trying her best to ignore the growing guilt in her heart. 'Obviously, she must have wanted to know more about this world, and let all those mortals know how to live here better… but she's… too insecure.'

As the one who pushed the crimson-haired beauty that far, Cynthia didn't feel that she had any right to be self-righteous enough to bestow that knowledge on her partner now.

Since Emilia hadn't lowered herself to beg for it regardless, it must mean that she had some confidence in those mortals. Her partner didn't need her pity.

What she needed to do now was not to make Emilia more grateful by doing those meaningless things, but… to treat her right in the future.

Cynthia took a deep breath to calm herself, and then faced Emilia with a smile. "About that, actually… there was something I needed to talk to you about first."

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━