The Ugly Orc Strikes Back ~ Reincarnated as the Cruel Crown Prince of a Twisted Doujin Eroge with No Happy Endings, But as an Inexperienced Guy, Cruel Play is a Hopeless Challenge, So I'll Give My Best to Break the Flags and Strive for Survival ~ - Chapter 14: Always by Your Side ①

Chapter 14: Always by Your Side ①

■ Ilse Hildebrandt’s Perspective

— I have been expected to live as an assassin since I was young.

The Hildebrandt family, who have served as the shadow of the Waldberg Empire since its founding, everything changed when the current Emperor, Otto von Waldberg, ascended the throne.

Our family, which had been valued by the imperial family until then, was suddenly cast aside.

The reason was simple. The Hildebrandt family, who had sworn sincere loyalty to the former Emperor, who was called a wise ruler, was not favored by the current Emperor.

The Hildebrandt family, which lost its position as the shadow of the empire, did not possess the means to survive in this empire.

Even though we had a territory, it was meager in order to remain inconspicuous as the shadow, and our income was meager as well.

Even if we wanted to start a business, the Hildebrandt family, who had no abilities other than espionage and assassination, lacked such know-how.

In the end, we had to sell off the ancestral belongings and scrape by with that money.

Still, someday we may be needed by the empire again.

With such hope in mind, my grandfather and father taught me and my two sisters all the techniques of assassination.

Perhaps I had some inherent talent as well.

I absorbed the teachings like a sponge, and by the time I reached the age of fifteen, I surpassed my father… no, I grew into an assassin even greater than my grandfather in his prime.

However, no matter how much time passes, I am never called upon by Emperor Otto.

My grandfather passed away in regret, and under my father’s guidance, I continued my training. Two years had passed by then.

Finally, everything that could be sold was exhausted, and our territory and mansion were seized due to debt. The esteemed Hildebrandt family was on the brink of destruction… It was at such a time.

Emperor Otto made an offer of support to the Hildebrandt family, along with its conditions.

That condition was… one of the three sisters, including me, would serve His Highness Ludwig, the Emperor’s first son and Crown Prince, becoming his comforter.

I can never forget the hideous face of Emperor Otto’s subordinate who came to deliver that message. After all, they were insulting me… insulting the Hildebrandt family, using the salvation of our family as bait.

However, there were no other options left for us, who were already on the verge of collapse.

I didn’t want my two sisters to suffer such a cruel fate, so I volunteered to serve His Highness Ludwig myself.

Of course, I had heard rumors about His Highness Ludwig myself.

They said he had an ugly appearance like an orc, and his character was cruel, ruthless, despicable—a true monster.

But… even so, I had no choice but to accept.

After bidding farewell to my family in this lifetime, I arrived at the imperial palace.

I suppose the news of me becoming His Highness’s comforter had already spread.

Not only the head butler and head maid, but everyone in the imperial palace looked at me with eyes that treated me like filth.

I was escorted to the front of His Highness Ludwig’s room, took a deep breath, and prepared myself.

—Knock, knock.

“Excuse me… As of today, I will be serving Your Highness Ludwig. My name is ‘Ilse’.” 

As I opened the door and respectfully bowed, what greeted my eyes was… indeed, the rumored figure of His Highness Ludwig, obese and ugly like an orc.

Ah… so from today onwards, I will be defiled by this person.

My faint hope of him being different from the rumors was shattered, and despair spread before me.

However… something seemed off.

His Highness Ludwig, to a mere maid and nothing more than a comforter like myself, used honorifics when speaking to me and even asked if we had met before or today’s date.

Caught off guard by this unexpected behavior, I responded to his questions.

“Ah, um… Well, for now, I don’t have any particular tasks, so… Thank you for your hard work.”

Upon hearing that, he released me without doing anything.

“Um, excuse me! I am here… to take care of Your Highness Ludwig! So, please give me any orders you may have!”

I couldn’t understand the situation anymore and found myself desperately volunteering. I didn’t want to do such a thing… I didn’t want to become a comforter.

But if I didn’t accept His Highness Ludwig… if he didn’t take a liking to me, then the Hildebrandt family… my family…

Even so…

“N-no, you didn’t do anything wrong! On the contrary, it’s just… It’s just that having a beautiful woman like Ilse-san serving an ugly guy like me is already enough to be grateful for.”

W-what does this mean, really?

Even though he didn’t dislike me, as evident from his praising words, he didn’t make any advances…

In the end, my first day as his comforter ended without anything happening. I’m not sure if this is truly okay, but since His Highness Ludwig said so, I have no choice but to comply.

And… I find myself relieved about it. Relieved that my first time wasn’t taken away for me, genuinely relieved.

However, it’s just a temporary delay. At this rate, I will eventually be driven out of here, and the support to my family will come to an end. It’s evident.

I will go to His Highness Ludwig’s room once again. With that determination, I visited his room at night.

Then, I heard groaning from inside the room, and I hastily opened the door.

“Your Highness Ludwig!?”

He held his head, writhing in pain. I quickly rushed to his side, and he lost consciousness.

“Someone! Please, someone come!”

I stepped out into the corridor and desperately shouted. I informed one of the maids who showed up about the situation, and they immediately called a doctor.

After the examination, it was concluded that there was nothing particularly abnormal, which gave me temporary relief. However, a similar situation might happen again. Until His Highness Ludwig wakes up, I decided to watch over him in his room.

And then…

“!? Your Highness Ludwig!”

As he finally regained consciousness, I felt a sense of relief in my chest. 

Despite my continued confusion about him using honorific language towards me, I began to think that, apart from his appearance, his true nature was different from the rumors.

“Well then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Believing that he wouldn’t be able to rest peacefully with me around, I bowed respectfully and left the room.

This was the event that took place on the day I first met His Highness Ludwig.