I Was Reincarnated as the Villain Who Confines the Heroine in an Eroge World, But for Some Reason I'm the One Getting Confined by the Heroine Instead - Chapter 40: This Is a Battle Over Grapes

Chapter 40: This Is a Battle Over Grapes

【Side Safira Hartz】

To be honest, I had grown arrogant.

I thought I could win.

No matter what thieves attacked me before, I always turned the tables on them.

I never lost to anyone at the academy either.

So somewhere deep down, I believed it.

I was strong. Even if someone attacked, I could handle it on my own. That’s how arrogant I had become.

At first, it went as usual.

Ten people, twenty people. No matter how many came at me, they were no match.

But that one man was different.

“Is that all?”

Lord Masquerade.

This man’s presence was completely out of place.

My sword never even grazed him.

No matter what angle I attacked from, it didn’t touch him. He read every move and dodged by a hair’s breadth.

It didn’t hit. It didn’t hit. It didn’t hit. It didn’t hit.

And he hadn’t even drawn his sword yet.

He was completely toying with me.

He was not only looking down on me but seemed to be enjoying the close dodges.

“Don’t underestimate a duke’s daughter.”

Even so, I kept fighting.

I swung my sword over and over, taking down the small fry around us while reaching out to land a hit.

“Is that your full strength?”

“Haa… haa… not yet.”

But partway through, I knew.

I couldn’t win.

The difference in skill was clear. We were on completely different levels. My sword would never reach him.

This probably wasn’t a gap that effort could close. No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t matter.

I would lose eventually.

“…Ask.”

If I lost, what would happen to him?

That was my only worry, and just thinking about it made my chest ache.

I probably wouldn’t be killed.

From what Lavanda said, they planned to use me rather than kill me. A duke’s daughter had value as a hostage.

So the chances of them taking my life were low.

But what about Ask?

The enemy had no reason to let him live.

That meant he would be killed. Because I put him to sleep, he would die without even knowing what was happening.

I absolutely hated that future.

“…Oh? What’s wrong?”

Before I realized it, my sword had slipped from my hand.

A hard clank echoed as it hit the ground, and I dropped to my knees.

It was a sign of surrender.

I threw away my pride, my dignity, my position as a duke’s daughter—just the will of one ordinary person.

“I surrender. So please spare his life at least.”

I forced the words out.

I gave up resisting, withdrew from the fight, and simply begged. To protect the person most important to me.

“I surrender.”

After murmuring it again, I glanced at Lavanda.

Her eyes widened slightly in surprise before she silently nodded.

“I won’t fight anymore. I’ll do whatever you say. So please, just Ask…”

I was ready to bow my head to the ground or do anything.

“Please.”

My voice shook, and I was terrified, but I didn’t look away.

I kept staring into Lord Masquerade’s eyes as he silently looked down at me.

“Fuhahahaha—”

Then he started laughing quietly. It was a low, mocking sound.

“…Is this the true form of a duke’s daughter?”

“Shut up.”

“She kneels for the man she loves. Offers her life.”

“…”

“It’s ridiculous.”

“That’s fine.”

As long as he lived, that was enough.

My world revolved around Ask.

His life was everything to me.

“Do whatever you want with me—boil me, burn me, anything!”

“Young lady!”

As I shouted with all my strength, Lavanda took a step toward me as if to run over.

But in that instant,

“Surround her.”

Lord Masquerade’s command rang out. The remaining thieves closed in around me all at once.

“…”

I had no will to resist anymore.

I had dropped my weapon, I was surrounded, and the situation was completely hopeless.

This was the end.

But that was okay. It had to be.

“You’ll… keep your promise, right?”

As long as he stayed alive.

“…Very well. For the sake of the duke’s daughter’s resolve, I will guarantee the life of the man you love. We will allow him to act freely.”

“Good…”

Hearing those words, my shoulders relaxed just a little.

Relief almost made me lose my balance.

“…”

But at the same time, a loneliness hit me—like a hole had opened deep in my chest.

Was this really okay?

Was I satisfied with a life like this?

I shouldn’t think about it, but I did anyway.

I wanted things I couldn’t have.

It was pointless to imagine, but I pictured happiness with him.

Of course I couldn’t be satisfied.

We had only just reunited, and there were so many things I still wanted to do with Ask.

I wanted to eat lots of meals together.

I wanted to go on lots of dates.

Since we were at the academy, I wanted to do more student-like things, like dates after school.

We hadn’t even kissed yet, and our conversations were far from enough.

I wanted to know more about each other. Learn everything, understand completely, connect deeply.

” …!”

The future too.

Just imagining five years, ten years ahead brought all sorts of desires flooding out.

I wanted to marry him someday.

I wanted to build a family with him.

I wanted to have children with him.

Traveling as a family would be nice. Next time, somewhere with a view of the ocean. We’d spend slow days gazing at the sea together.

No one interrupting, no one targeting our lives—just slowly.

Then someday when the children grew up, it would be just the two of us again.

I wanted a wonderful old age. Quiet but peaceful days in the vineyard. People might even call us a loving old couple.

In the end, I wanted him to be there as I took my last breath.

That was my ideal life. My future.

Thinking of all those futures, a smile spilled onto my face.

Ah, it would be nice if that future came true.

“…Ask.”

I couldn’t help calling his name.

It only made me sad, only made me feel empty. But I had to say it.

I wanted to see his face at least one more time.

Thinking that, with my arms bound by rope, I hung my head.

I waited for the thieves to drag me away—that was the moment.

“…You know, grapes take three years from planting to bear fruit. And it takes more than five years to harvest properly.”

A familiar voice shook the air.

It was the voice I loved more than anything.

The voice I wanted to hear most right now, the one that made my heart race just from hearing it.

“Hey, Safira.”

At that voice, I lifted my face.

There, backlit by the moonlight as he walked toward us, was Ask.

The person I loved stared straight into my eyes and asked this question.

“Do you like grapes?”