"This is an emergency," Princess Anastasia said with a solemn expression on her face. "Sir Lux is going to get married soon, but we still haven't made any progress with our relationship with him. What should we do?"
"…Why are you asking me?" Henrietta asked.
"Isn't it obvious? Didn't your fiance break up with you because he fell in love with someone else?" Princess Anastasia replied.
"And?" Henrietta blinked in confusion.
"That means you're free and can now pursue Sir Lux too!"
"Hah?"
Henrietta, who had come to visit Lux's Guild Headquarters in order to relax, was suddenly invited over by the Dwarven Princess, who had also come over for a visit.
Since Anastasia was now part of Heaven's Gate, she often talked with Iris to ask for advice on how to get closer to the handsome Half-Elf of her dreams.
During one of their talks, Iris mentioned that she was feeling sad because Henrietta's fiance had one-sidedly broken their marriage agreement in order to pursue the person he loved.
While it was no secret that they didn't love each other and were just engaged because their families thought that the marriage alliance would strengthen both sides, she still felt bad that Henrietta, who had steeled herself to go through with the marriage, was suddenly left alone.
Of course, Iris wanted one of her best friends to also be happy in life, so she believed that this was a blessing in disguise.
Even so, Henrietta seemed to be feeling down after her engagement was canceled. It had been a week since then.
Iris had mentioned that Henrietta might have feelings for Lux but was forced to hide them inside her heart because of her current situation.
After listening to Lux's First Fiance, Princess Anastasia thought that she had finally found an ally.
This was also why she didn't hesitate to invite Henrietta to have some tea with her in the guest room that was provided for her in the Fynn Royal Palace.
"Don't worry, the two of us are not alone," Princess Anastasia held Henrietta's hand. "We still have one more ally that we can count on!"
"… Like I said, why are you dragging me into thi—" Henrietta's words were cut short after they heard a knock on the door.
Millie, who was Princess Anastasia's Protector, walked toward the door and opened it.
"This is what I like about you Anastasia. You don't waste time."
"Big Sister, thank you for coming!"
Henrietta's face became solemn as her gaze landed on the Succubus Queen, whom the Dwarven Princess referred to as a Big Sister.
Although she knew that Queen Rhiannon wouldn't harm her now due to her relationship with Lux, the things that happened in the past were still fresh in her mind.
Actually, after seeing the Succubus Queen, Henrietta suddenly remembered the time when she almost did it with the Half-Elf.
If not for the fact that Lux stopped her from lowering her hips to seal the deal, things might have ended differently for the two of them.
"I can understand that you are wary of me, Henrietta, and I apologize for what has happened in the past," Queen Rhiannon slightly bowed her head to the young lady, whom she had made use of to test how much Lux and Cai loved one another while they were still in the Abyss.
"I have already moved on from it," Henrietta replied. "You don't have to worry about it anymore, Your Majesty."
Queen Rhiannon smiled and nodded her head in understanding.
"Now that we have gathered, why don't we all talk about how to make the two of you become Lux's lovers as well?" Queen Rhiannon pressed her hands together with an amused look on her face.
"Yes!" Princess Anastasia looked at the Succubus Queen with sparkling eyes.
"Um, I still need to do something, so I'll see you girls later." Henrietta had a very bad feeling about this, so she wanted to leave as soon as possible.
When she was only a few meters away from the door, she heard a deep sigh coming from behind her.
"Henrietta, are you sure that you want to leave?" Queen Rhiannon asked. "Do you want to hide your true feelings and carry them to the grave? Didn't you already die once? Did you not have any regrets after you got killed in the Void Battlefield?"
Henrietta, whose hand was about to touch the door handle, momentarily froze.
Just like everyone, she had also participated in the battle in the Void Battlefield.
Actually, after Cethus died, Henrietta and a few members of her Guild died not long after.
They were doing their best to protect their Guild Headquarters from being overrun by riding on Gyrocopters, but the enemy forces simply outnumbered them.
Just as she was about to breathe her last, she felt an ache in her heart because, at the very last moment, she was unable to see the face of the person she liked.
If someone asked Henrietta if she died with regrets, she would answer yes.
She definitely regretted many things, and among them was not being able to say her true feelings.
However, she didn't want to get in the way of Iris' love and supported her from behind.
She focused her attention on managing the affairs of their Guild, Serenity, in order to suppress the feelings, which she believed to only be puppy love.
"Henrietta, life is a gift," Princess Anastasia said. "You've been given a second chance at life. Do you want to die without even trying? Do you want to die without even giving closure to your feelings?
"I don't want to live that kind of life, so I believe that we should be true to our feelings. Even if we get rejected, we can hold our heads high knowing that we did everything in our power to make it happen.
"If it doesn't really work out then we can cry together! After that, we can look for someone else to love. Won't you at least give your feelings a chance?"
Princess Anastasia's gaze was firm, as she looked at Henrietta's back.
The purple-haired beauty's hand was now touching the door handle, but she didn't make any move to pull or push it open.
She just stood there, digesting everything that the Dwarven Princess had told her.
Queen Rhiannon didn't say anything because she believed that Princess Anastasia had already said what she wanted to say.
If Henrietta still didn't change her mind, then there was nothing she could do about it.
When the Succubus Queen and the Dwarven Princess thought that Henrietta would go ahead and leave the room, she suddenly asked them a question, making the two of them sigh in their hearts.
"Is it really okay?" Henrietta asked without turning her head to look at the two people behind her. "Can I really do what I want?"
"Of course, it's okay," Princess Anastasia replied. "You only live once—errr, twice! Don't worry, we are in this together!"
"As someone who had managed to give birth to Lux's first child, I am confident that I can give the two of you some good advice," Queen Rhiannon stated. "So why don't we all sit down and talk about it?"
Henrietta remained standing for a few more seconds before she turned around to return to the couch.
She still didn't know if staying was the right thing to do, but she also felt that if she missed this chance, she would regret it later.
Little did the four ladies know that just outside their door, Lux was holding a tray of freshly baked cookies from the kitchen.
Because of his heightened senses, it didn't even take him any effort to hear what the three ladies were talking about inside the room.
When he realized that they were talking about him, he thought that leaving them alone was a good idea.
But Princess Anastasia's passionate speech rooted him in place.
If Henrietta had opened the door at that time, she would have seen Lux in front of her, holding a tray of cookies in his hands.
But that scenario didn't happen.
Lux didn't leave immediately. Only after hearing what Henrietta had to say did he walk away from the guest room.
He knew that things would just become awkward if he went in there while the three ladies were talking about him.
The Half-Elf already knew Princess Anastasia's feelings about him, but this was the first time that he knew of Henrietta's thoughts about him.
'I guess I'll go talk to Iris for a bit,' Lux thought as he used his powers to locate his lover inside the Palace.
When Lux finally disappeared from the hallway, a faint smile appeared on the Succubus Queen's lips.
As one of the strongest Demigods in existence and as someone who had given birth to his child, Queen Rhiannon knew that Lux had been standing just outside of the door and had heard everything that had been said inside the room.
'Although he may not marry these two this year or the year after, I'm sure that their feelings have reached him,' Queen Rhiannon thought as she looked at Princess Anastasia, who was busy giving Henrietta some encouragement while holding the young lady's hands.
And just like the Succubus Queen had predicted, Lux did indeed marry Princess Anastasia and Henrietta a year after he wed Iris and the others, giving the two people who loved him very much, a happy ending as well.
