"Miss Hyacine, hello. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Unaware of Herta's thoughts or the schemes she was plotting, Lumina placed a hand over her chest, mirroring Hyacine's gesture. A smile as warm as a March spring breeze bloomed on her face, captivating Hyacine's gaze.
Hyacine couldn't help but marvel at the woman's beauty, and all her wariness instantly melted away.
Under the spell of Lumina's smile, the guards, who had been dutifully on alert, also lowered their defenses, just like Hyacine.
How could a girl so beautiful and warm possibly be a villain?
Do villains heal hearts with a single smile that feels like a spring breeze?
Someone capable of such a feat couldn't possibly have anything to do with the word "evil."
She must be a good person!
This thought echoed in everyone's mind.
Only Herta, standing beside Lumina, rolled her eyes fiercely at the display.
She just did...that...to me in broad daylight, out in the open. How could anyone think she's a "good person"?
Although... I have to admit, I thought it was a "good" thing...
"Miss Hyacine, what a coincidence to meet you here." Lumina noticed Herta's reaction but ignored it. Her primary target wasn't Herta right now.
She needed to get close to Hyacine and become her best friend.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Hyacine asked, her curiosity piqued, a playful smile on her face. As a lively and adorable young woman, she was intrigued by Lumina's words.
"Let me introduce myself." Gazing at the pink cupcake—so cute and sweet—Lumina's hands trembled, even after what had just happened with Herta. She desperately wanted to pull Hyacine into her arms and gently ruffle her pink hair.
Suppressing the urge to become a head-patting maniac on their first meeting, Lumina kept her inner desires hidden, her expression betraying nothing.
Her face, so flawlessly beautiful it could make the world bow at her feet, was adorned with a smile warm enough to melt any glacier.
Her lips parted slightly as she introduced herself in a soft voice: "Hello, lovely lady."
"My name is Lumina. Like you, I'm a physician."
"But I don't have the widespread fame of Miss Hyacine. I'm just a humble, ordinary little physician."
Lumina delivered her signature, personalized introduction. This time, facing a fellow physician, she praised Hyacine to the heavens.
Herta: ...
Hearing Lumina's words, Herta's lips twitched.
If anything, their reputations are the complete opposite.
Lumina was truly famous throughout the cosmos. Anyone who spent even a little time online knew of her.
As for Hyacine...
She was the one who actually fit Lumina's description of a "humble, ordinary little physician."
After a quick glance at Hyacine, Herta looked away, choosing not to expose Lumina's lie.
She can flirt all she wants. I'll just watch.
Besides, Lumina won't do anything too outrageous to them.
Hmm... Really?
Herta's mind replayed the events that had just transpired.
If...
If no one had arrived just now... would I be... would I be collapsed on the ground, pale as a sheet, my skin covered in wood splinters and dirt?
If... if...
An image flashed through Herta's mind—a scene she found utterly filthy and humiliating. A scene where her dignity was trampled and toyed with at will.
But... but why?
Why did this scene, so utterly degrading and destructive to her pride, fail to ignite any anger within her?
It was one thing to feel no anger.
But this... this feeling of anticipation... what the hell was that?
Why would she feel that while imagining herself in such a state?
Is it because of Lumina?
Or is it something else?
Herta pressed her lips together tightly as the same feeling bloomed within her.
It was as if the scene playing out in her mind wasn't a bad thing at all...
"..."
What if... what if the person in that state was Lumina?
As the thought took hold, Herta couldn't help but replace the figure in her mind—the one collapsed on the ground, pale as a sheet, skin covered in wood splinters and dirt—with Lumina's face, with Lumina's body...
"Ah... ah..."
In an instant, a surge of anticipation, ten thousand times stronger than before, flooded Herta's heart.
The desire to...
Under the overwhelming force of this anticipation, Herta's amethyst eyes were momentarily consumed by an inky, unknown vapor.
But just as quickly, the dark vapor vanished completely...
No.
It hadn't vanished.
It had simply become so immense that it had condensed into a single, unified point—a state of ultimate convergence.
This state of ultimate convergence, if subjected to even the slightest provocation, would erupt in an instant.
When that happened... Madam Herta's wrath would consume everything!
Meanwhile, Lumina was still happily chatting with the fragrant, soft pink cake.
Herta's dark thoughts had flashed through her mind in a mere instant, unnoticed by anyone...
"Eh, I'm not as amazing as you say," Hyacine said, feeling a little embarrassed by Lumina's praise.
Although Hyacine dreamed of her name being remembered by everyone, she knew it was unrealistic.
Becoming a household name... how could something like that ever be possible?
Hyacine understood Lumina was just complimenting her, so she simply scratched the back of her head and mumbled the words awkwardly. There was no false modesty involved.
She felt she hadn't yet earned the right to be humble in others' eyes.
Not wanting to dwell on the topic, Hyacine felt a slight sense of dread, fearing she might hear more praise from Lumina.
Strange as it was, whenever Hyacine heard Lumina's praise, an utterly bizarre and incomprehensible thought would instantly surface in her mind...
It made Hyacine extremely uncomfortable, leaving her restless and fidgety.
It felt... as if Lady Aglaea had praised her, saying, "Hyacine, you are even more Romantic than I..."
Hyacine didn't know why this feeling arose within her, but she knew she couldn't let the conversation continue down this path.
Hehe. Lumina chuckled inwardly as she took in Hyacine's various expressions.
The fragrant, soft pink cake looks so cute when she's flustered and fidgety~
Lumina thought silently.
She saw nothing wrong with her earlier praise for Hyacine.
After all, no one in Amphoreus knew who she was.
On Amphoreus's home turf, how could she possibly compare to a local like Hyacine?
While Hyacine's fame wasn't as widespread as Lumina had claimed, it wasn't insignificant either.
She was, at the very least, someone whose name people knew.
And Lumina?
As an outsider in Amphoreus, Lumina was completely unknown.
So, Lumina hadn't been lying.
At least on the soil of Amphoreus, the reputation of Hyacine, the famous doctor, was indeed far more useful than that of Lumina, the obscure "quack."
"Lumie, can I call you that?" Hyacine asked expectantly, realizing Lumina held no ill will and was surprisingly easy to talk to.
"Of course you can, Hyie~"
How could Lumina possibly refuse such an intimate nickname from Hyacine?
"Mm-hmm." Hyacine smiled brightly.
Her gaze then fell on Herta, who stood beside Lumina with her head lowered, half her face hidden by her hair. After a moment's hesitation, Hyacine asked, "Lumie, is she your best friend?"
The two stood so close they were nearly touching.
From Hyacine's experience, pairs who maintained such proximity were either lovers or the best of friends.
Since Lumina and Herta were both women, it was obvious.
They must be best friends.
How could someone as sweet and innocent as a pink cupcake possibly grasp anything deeper? So, from her perspective, she could only see them as a pair of close best friends.
Not that she was wrong, of course. They were indeed a pair of very close best friends.
"Her?" Lumina's gaze fell on Herta, unfazed by the way she kept her head lowered, her hair obscuring half her face. After a brief glance, she introduced her to Hyacine.
"Her name is Herta. Like me, she's just an ordinary, unknown person."
"The only difference is that I'm a humble physician, and she's a researcher."
"Researcher?" The unfamiliar term brought a flicker of confusion to Hyacine's adorable face.
"What does that mean?"
If you're confused, just ask. Don't stand there looking dazed. And definitely don't pretend you understand—that just makes you look foolish. People can tell.
That was what Teacher Anaxa had taught her.
So, faced with the unfamiliar term "researcher," Hyacine asked her question like an eager, well-behaved student.
"Hmm... it's a bit complicated to explain. Just think of her as a scholar," Lumina said, keeping her explanation brief.
"Okay, I understand."
Hyacine nodded, not pressing for more details.
Her gaze returned to Herta, and she asked with eager anticipation, "Miss Herta, can I call you Hertie?"
"I mean, if you don't like it, I can just call you Miss Herta, or Madam Herta," she quickly added.
From her brief observation, Hyacine could tell that Herta wasn't as easygoing as Lumina. So, the moment the question left her lips, she hastily patched things up, creating an escape route for herself.
If Herta had been alone, Hyacine might not have dared to ask at all.
After all, she looked...
...a little intimidating.
But with Lumina present, Hyacine felt an inexplicable warmth that gave her the courage to pose the question to Herta.
"..."
Hyacine looked at Herta expectantly, but after a long moment, she received no reply.
Herta remained with her head lowered, her hair obscuring half her face, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.
"Little Herta," Lumina said, seeing Hyacine's disappointment. She nudged Herta's arm with her elbow, pulling her back from her own world into reality.
"Huh? Who? Are you talking to me?"
Pulled back to reality by Lumina's nudge, Herta lifted her head. Her hair parted to reveal a flawless face.
She first glanced at Lumina, then her gaze fell upon Hyacine.
"Hahaha... Um, yes... I was the one who asked." Herta's indifferent stare made Hyacine instantly regret her question. Why had she ever asked it?
"Be nicer! Look, you're scaring the poor girl," Lumina chided, raising her elbow to jab Herta again.
"..."
You traitor... forgetting your friends the moment you see a pretty girl...
Struck again by Lumina's elbow, Herta clenched her jaw and fists, fighting the urge to tackle Lumina to the ground and teach her a harsh lesson.
Taking a deep breath to compose herself, Herta recalled Hyacine's question and replied casually, "Call me whatever you want. Hertie, Herta, Miss, Madam... it's all up to you."
"Just use whichever one feels most natural."
Herta's tone and expression remained indifferent, but they were noticeably softer than before.
"Then... then I'll call you Hertie," Hyacine said. Though she still found Herta a bit intimidating, she could sense that Herta held no ill will.
That must just be her personality, she thought. After all, Lumie said she's a scholar. And scholars... well, it's normal for them to be a little eccentric, right?
Hyacine couldn't help but think of Teacher Anaxa, and she instantly felt a sense of understanding toward Herta's disposition.
"Lumie, Hertie... your names sound so perfect together," Hyacine murmured, repeating the nicknames.
Though she was merely remarking on how well the names matched, with no other intention, her words carried a different weight for Lumina and Herta.
After all...
Just before Hyacine had arrived, the two of them had almost...
"Anyway, let's not dwell on that," Hyacine said, changing the subject. "Lumie, Hertie, are you heading to Okhema?"
"Yes," Lumina replied with a bright smile, nodding. "We were just resting here and about to set off when we ran into you."
"Then let's travel together," Hyacine suggested.
Lumina and Herta had no objection.
And so, they joined Hyacine, her guards, and her companions on the road to Okhema.