Chapter 94 The Captured Angel and a Taste for Cruelty
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The morning light filtered softly through the gaps in the heavy curtains of my private theater’s second-floor VIP room.
I woke slowly, savoring the lingering scent of perfume that filled the air—sweet and intimate. Beside me in the spacious bed, Cecilia and Lizel—my companions from the night before—still breathed the gentle, contented breaths of sleep.
My personal maid, Lilia, who should have been sleeping in the same bed, was already awake and fully dressed. Impeccably, as always.
”Good morning, Master.”
Her loving smile was more radiant than the morning sun itself.
…Damn. If only I’d woken a little earlier, I could’ve caught a glimpse of her changing.
Disappointed, I let Lilia assist me with my morning preparations.
As I dressed, Cecilia and Lizel began to stir. A soft knock came at the door—my other personal maid, Mina.
”Good morning, Master!”
Lilia and Mina efficiently assisted Cecilia and Lizel with their morning routines in turn. I watched the scene discreetly.
I’d harbored quiet concerns about Lilia becoming territorial—the classic “office veteran” syndrome—but with Cecilia and Lizel, she was as she’d always been: reverent, yet warm and familiar.
My worries had been unfounded.
”Master, we’re truly grateful for the extraordinary meal you treated us to last night,” Lilia said. “You even went so far as to share it with Mina and me.”
”Yes! Master, it was so, so delicious!” Mina added.
Lilia and Mina offered their thanks.
The last time they’d stayed at this theater, they’d been served only the simple staff meals. Yesterday was their first taste of authentic Zahara cuisine—the kind served to guests.
I was glad they’d enjoyed it.
There had been quite a bit of commotion last night. But the heavy disturbance above ground hadn’t affected them while they dined below.
Only two people had searched underground—Elenor and Serena. They’d simply gone around checking by sight: was the supposedly kidnapped Liliana, or the Desert Princess sisters, secretly mixed in among the large staff? Or confined somewhere in the building? Just visual confirmation.
To them, it hadn’t seemed like a major incident.
”And yet, for Liliana-sama to be kidnapped…” Cecilia said, her voice trembling with concern. “This truly is terrible.”
”Yes,” Lizel agreed. “I do hope she’s rescued safely, and soon…”
Cecilia and Lizel, now finished dressing, spoke with worried expressions.
Another knock at the door.
”Enter.”
I gave the short command, and the door opened quietly.
It was one of the theater employees. Behind him stood Hawks, the hawk beast-kin operative, looking sleepy.
”Ah, Hawks. This must be about adjusting the performance schedule,” I said. “My apologies—let’s discuss that elsewhere. There was a bit of a disturbance last night, but there’ll be no changes to the schedule.”
I made it sound like business on purpose as I left the room. I wanted to keep them away from any dangerous talk.
Cecilia and Lizel could enjoy an elegant breakfast in the VIP room. I’d hear Hawks’s report from last night in a separate room.
I’d assigned Hawks to guard and monitor the skies above the theater last night. He’d probably witnessed the kidnapping of Princess Liliana from above as she’d been making her way here for our meeting.
And since he hadn’t left his post until this morning—that report was best heard by me alone.
You never knew what might come out of his mouth.
I moved to the underground VIP area—fully soundproofed—and heard Hawks’s report.
”I saw it from above, yeah,” Hawks said, rubbing his eyes. “The princess’s carriage getting jumped in that alleyway. Followed the perps like you said. They used the winding back alleys like pros—headed north first. Holed up in some rundown building for a while… then came out a completely different exit and headed west.”
Interesting. Lucky he’d seen the crime scene and could track them.
I could get information ahead of the princes.
”They were checking real careful to see if anyone was following,” Hawks continued. “Must’ve done the same thing a few times. Eventually they holed up in an old, abandoned church on the outskirts of the Royal Capital—and from there, no movement at all till this morning. So I came back at dawn to report. …Hey, boss. Can I crash now?”
Hawks yawned hugely, his sleepy eyes asking the question for him.
”Yeah. Good work,” I replied. “Take the whole day off. You’ve earned it.”
The kidnappers probably never dreamed that a single hawk from high above had been watching their every move.
We’d pinpointed their hideout completely.
”…Hm. Might as well go take a look.”
I decided to pay the captive princess a visit.
The smartest solution would be to pass this information to Serena, Liliana’s knight-guard, and let her rescue the princess from the kidnappers.
But before that—I should confirm the princess was actually there.
And besides…
That adorable “angel” who’d tried to blow me up1—she might be crying in some grimy church right now, or trembling so badly she’d wet herself2.
If so, I’d get to witness my nemesis’s pathetic state with my own eyes.
That slightly wicked thought3 crossed my mind. I could feel my mouth twisting into a smile.
—
Summary:
The protagonist wakes in his theater’s VIP room with Cecilia and Lizel, noticing his maid Lilia has already dressed. After the women discuss Liliana’s kidnapping, Hawks arrives with a report—he tracked the kidnappers from the air to an abandoned church on the Royal Capital’s outskirts. The protagonist decides to investigate personally before informing Serena, hoping to witness his nemesis’s humiliation.
—
Trivia:
The protagonist owns a theater with a private VIP room and underground areas.
Lilia and Mina are personal maids who previously received only staff meals.
Zahara cuisine is authentic regional cooking served to guests, not staff.
Elenor and Serena conducted the underground search alone, visually checking for hidden people.
Hawks is a hawk beast-kin who can monitor from the sky undetected.
The kidnappers switched exits multiple times before settling in a church.
The protagonist wants to confirm Liliana’s location before involving Serena.
The “angel” who tried to kill the protagonist is his nemesis, not the saintess.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• Cecilia – The eldest daughter of the Vermillion Duchy and a former saint, she is Xenos’s fiancée and one of his romantic interests. Known for her flame-red hair, blue eyes, and pet, Lumiá, she possesses a cold yet playful nature. Though she rejected Prince Liam, she adores Kuuko and teases Lizel. Lilia shows no jealousy toward her. She occasionally uses a ring to adopt a revealing dancer’s disguise.
• Lizel – A petite, graceful Blanchet count’s daughter, wind mage, and academy student with pink twin-tails, purple eyes, and a signature smirk. Known for her protective, anxious tsundere nature, she is Luca Dalton’s fiancée, Grimlock’s classmate, and Cecilia’s friend. Disguised in a dancer’s costume, she walks the “Path of Light” and is one of Xenos’s devoted romantic interests whom Lilia does not resent.
• Lilia – Xenos’s fiercely loyal, trauma-resilient Head Maid is a lovely, pale, busty woman with long dark hair, a chest tattoo, and a nullified crest. Dressed in a black uniform, she maintains refined, icy elegance when disciplining others, especially Elenor. While formal and efficient with guests, she masks deep, jealous anxiety for Xenos, finding her greatest joy in serving him and sleeping by his side.
• Mina – A personal maid for the Grimlock estate, serves Xenos with childlike devotion. With soft brown hair and a playful bunny kigurumi over dancer’s attire, she uses cheerful gyaru speech and remains oblivious to tension. She shares a loving bond with her brother Kai, cares for Lumiá, Kuuko, and the estate kitten, and holds a deep affection for Cecilia, recently announcing Serena’s arrival.
• Liliana – Known as the “Angel of the Asgard Kingdom” for her golden hair and sky-blue eyes, this princess is the younger sister of Prince Liam and Elenor. While maintaining a refined, angelic public facade, she is a manipulative mastermind who wields explosion magic. As Serena’s liege and the true culprit behind recent assassination attempts, she carefully hides her dark nature behind whispered, noble asides.
• Elenor – Princess Elenor, the haughty, analytical “Saint of Light” and sister to Liliana, is a silver-blonde swordswoman and healer with gray-blue eyes. Though a noble princess and Grimlock’s fiancée, she is the protagonist’s submissive, magic-sealed slave. A tsundere torn between royal dignity and affection for Xenos, she balances sharp retorts with intense devotion, often appearing in revealing cosplay.
• Serena – A competent, intellectual knight of the noble Crystalight family, this personal guardian to Princess Liliana is distinguished by long silver hair and an elegant, formal bearing. Deeply devoted to the princess yet easily flustered by unexpected advances, they have just arrived earlier than expected to the VIP room.
• Hawks – A hawk beast-kin operative who monitors the skies above the theater. Sleepy and informal in his report. Tracked Liliana’s kidnappers and discovered their hideout. A hawk beast-kin operative who serves as an intelligence gatherer for Xenos, providing useful information.
• Hawk – Job: Beast-kin operative; Note: Lazy but reliable when serious, monitors theater from above.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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