Heroines, Villainesses, and the Hero's Yandere Harem? I want them all!
Chapter 35: The Girl who loves to eat

Chapter 35: The Girl who loves to eat

"My Lady, the situation is becoming dire already. The plants are turning toxic, the livestock are dying—we must move on to the next Nightmare," said the lead knight, standing firmly before her.

"Sighs," a dramatic sigh.

Nora, lounged on a throne-like chair. A crystal goblet of grape wine was held delicately in one hand while her legs were crossed with casual grace. Her sky-blue hair, soft and flowing, was pinned up loosely with a clip adorned by a single blue flower. Amber eyes, shimmering with curiosity and mischief, were fixed on the man standing before her.

"You know I can’t do that... not without Natasha and Diana. They’re friends of my brother, and we used to be close when they would visit." She sighed wistfully, then—

Chomp.

Without warning, she resumed stuffing her cheeks with food after what must have been a brief, two-minute pause.

A table stood before her and the knight who spoke, a table filled with variations of delicacy. They were numerous, so much that it would have overwhelmed just anyone.

But that was the thing, she was not just anyone, she was a hopeless helpless glutton who took eating as more of a hobby than an actual necessity for all humans.

"Haah," a sigh.

The knight, Lancelot, blinked in restrained frustration. "But, my Lady, they remain adamant despite my words. I’ve already tried reasoning with them, but they’re insistent on staying behind."

Nora hummed thoughtfully, her mouth still half-full. "That’s because they want to help as many people as they can. Isn’t that noble?" she said between bites, and then immediately dove back into her plate.

"...My Lady, we truly need to talk about your... diet," the knight said gently, as if afraid he might offend her.

Nora froze mid-bite, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. "W-what?! Are you saying I eat too much?! This is only the... sixth—no, wait—seventh time I’ve eaten today! That’s hardly enough!"

Her cheeks puffed out indignantly, still full of food.

Lancelot cleared his throat, averting his gaze awkwardly. "Forgive my oversight. But regardless, our rations are dwindling fast. As much as I understand your desire to remain and aid your friends, over sixty percent of our food reserves have already been used up treating the injured. We need to relocate to safer grounds before hunger becomes a more serious threat... especially given your, ah... needs."

"HEY! YOU SAID IT AGAIN!" Nora yelled, throwing a grape at him—but that didn’t stop her from continuing to eat at an alarming pace.

"My Lady, please," Lancelot pressed, his tone softening. "We are here to protect you. I, especially, was given a direct order to ensure no harm comes to you. You know my Lord will not take it lightly if anything happens."

At that, Nora finally paused. Her expression fell quiet, and her golden eyes watched him in silence. The air shifted slightly, the mood sobering.

"...Fine," she said at last, placing her plate aside with a sigh. "But we’re not leaving without the healer."

Lancelot gave a curt nod and signaled to a waiting knight standing by the door. The man stepped forward promptly.

"She goes by the name Elanor," the second knight began. "I searched for her information using the data stored in the Kingdom’s registry, directly accessed via a relic from the MagicTech Laboratory—given to me by Sir Gilden himself."

"What...?" Nora asked, noting the sudden seriousness in Lancelot’s expression.

"She doesn’t exist," he said grimly, and Nora tilted her head, puzzled.

"Perhaps she’s not from a noble house?"

"From her mannerisms and ability, she is everything but a commoner,"

"Then maybe some noble houses aren’t in the registry,"

"It’s not possible. All noble houses to be legally recognized as one, must be registered,"

"Sighs,"

"The relic I used contains records of all registered nobles—legally documented across every ranking, from ducal houses to baronets. If she were noble, her name would have shown up," Lancelot explained.

"Then maybe Elanor isn’t her real name?" Nora suggested, sipping her wine with a thoughtful squint.

"Possibly," Lancelot agreed. "But even beyond the records, I’ve lived in this kingdom my entire life. I’ve accompanied my Lord to countless noble gatherings. I’ve made it my mission to remain familiar with all the known noble-borns. And I can confidently say—I’ve never seen her before."

Nora gave a soft exhale, spinning the goblet slowly in her fingers. "I get what you’re saying, but it’s not exactly possible for you to be aware of every noble in the kingdom. Maybe you know most of the upper ranks like us, but what about the lesser noble branches? Don’t overthink it. Maybe she’s from a minor house and just doesn’t like to flaunt it. Or perhaps she’s hiding her name so others don’t treat her differently."

Lancelot nodded slowly, clearly trying to rein in his suspicions. "...You’re right. I suppose I may be overthinking it."

"Good." She leaned back and picked up another bite of cake.

"However," Lancelot continued, his brow furrowing again, "I did speak with her—tried to convince her to come with us. I promised protection throughout the nightmares. But..."

"But what?" Nora asked, mid-chew.

"She refused. Quite vehemently. I dug a little deeper and found that she’s been privately tending to a young man, someone she seems very invested in."

Nora raised an eyebrow. "A young man? Hah. Then just tell her she can bring him along too. Maybe he’s important to her. All I know is we’re not going anywhere without her. If she hadn’t intervened when we were securing this Nightmare, more than half of you would’ve been wiped out."

She gestured with a casual flick of her hand. "So go bring her—or get Natasha. She also has healing magic, though she’s not nearly as effective. Either way, stop standing there. You’ve got your orders."

The knights bowed and turned to leave. As they exited, Nora leaned back, letting her head fall lazily against the soft velvet lining of the chair. She twirled a lock of her sky-blue hair with a sigh.

"What are you doing now, brother?" she murmured under her breath, eyes fixed on the flickering chandelier above.

....

....

Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation!