### Chapter: 401
In the halls of the Icarus building, leading the Era of Great Exploration, a woman strutted confidently.
With her fiery red hair and strikingly healthy complexion, she had an audacious smile plastered on her lips, decked out with accessories adorning her body.
Her name was Karandis Poseus, the ninth princess of Poseus.
‘Looks like she changed up her accessories again.’
Karandis chuckled as she surveyed the array of decorations lining the hallway. After all, these embellishments were far from Kraush’s style.
Kraush wasn’t one to indulge in fanciful decorations—in fact, he preferred a neat and tidy environment that didn’t scream “noble.”
But his surroundings didn’t quite allow for that kind of neatness.
People from all over the world flooded him with gifts, eager to curry favor.
Kraush couldn’t refuse them all outright, so he merely accepted those that weren’t bribes and passed on the rest.
Of course, this meant that Lirina, the head maid of Icarus, had taken it upon herself to organize all the gifts in a way that suited the building’s atmosphere.
The issue was that the deluge of gifts showed no sign of stopping, so Lirina had to keep rearranging the decor constantly.
‘That’s quite a talent,’ she thought, half-amused.
Occasionally, Karandis would catch Lirina glancing at Kraush, but she couldn’t deny that Lirina’s skills were something even she envied.
With such expertise, it made sense that she was in charge of the best maid service in all of Icarus.
Because of that, as she walked through the hallway, Karandis felt a fluttering excitement fill her.
Karandis was bold and had a seize-the-day attitude.
Especially when it came to formidable people; this tendency of hers intensified the more impressive the person was.
Her first approach to Kraush had been motivated by his reputation, and the more fame he accumulated, the more her instincts urged her toward him.
But that didn’t matter now. She simply liked Kraush for who he was.
Thinking back to the day in Rahern Academy when he genuinely acknowledged and treated her well, Karandis realized she had completely fallen for him.
Even now, her heart raced at the mere thought of that day.
Just seeing Kraush’s face made her cheeks flush in embarrassment.
She never imagined she could feel so girlish and emotional.
‘Get a grip!’
Karandis reminded herself that she wasn’t Kraush’s official wife yet.
While the time they had spent together meant that both Kraush and his other wives could accept her, she had made a personal promise to confess to Kraush only after rising to the rank of the Ten Great Lords.
She was here today not for personal reasons, but to help out with Kraush’s duties instead.
With that determination, Karandis burst into the room, a fierce look on her face.
“Kraush-nim! Long time no see!”
She kicked the door open with confidence, only to blink in surprise.
For there sat Kraush, surrounded by his wives.
Thankfully, Sigrid wasn’t among them.
But Kraush was perched on a couch in what looked like an interrogation scene, with Astria holding onto his left arm, Haring on the right, and Bianca nestled on his knee.
From the outside, he might have appeared to be a tyrant with three beautiful women on his arms, but the expressions on their faces painted a different picture—a husband being tormented by his wives.
“…Karandis, it’s been a while.”
Kraush greeted her, a bittersweet smile on his lips, and she couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him.
“Did I interrupt a nice moment?”
Could it even be considered a ‘nice moment’ with the looks they had on?
“Karandis, you should hear this too.”
Astria jostled Kraush’s arm, whining melodramatically.
“Wait, I turned my back for just one second, and now you’re trying to woo another girl?”
“Another girl?”
Karandis’s eyes sharpened at that remark.
In this particular juncture, despite the four wives, Kraush’s charms had drawn more attention than ever.
Whenever he stepped out for a party, noble ladies melted into his orbit, eager to catch his interest.
After all, wasn’t it the case that having one more wife didn’t matter now that he had four?
Of course, given his character, he’d firmly rejected any overtures, but dealing with attention from ladies was unavoidable.
To Karandis, it seemed he rather attracted them like bees to honey.
What could she do? He was irresistibly charming.
Yet, it did surprise her to hear that another woman had made her appearance.
“…Who is it?”
No way was she ready to accept another competitor in the ring.
Women could be incredibly jealous creatures.
The wives formed during their time at Rahern Academy were fine with her; they understood how hard she’d fought for Kraush.
But if someone new wanted to jump in, she would show them exactly what jealousy was all about.
“Astria, it’s not like that.”
“Kraush, that’s what all cheaters say!”
Meanwhile, Haring chimed in.
With those two at it, Kraush had no choice but to be stuck in the middle.
“Seriously, isn’t that woman stepping out of line? Pretending to be a guy and suddenly popping in as a girlfriend? That’s so wrong!”
“Oh, you mean Aria?”
As Astria erupted once more in frustration, Karandis pieced it all together.
And her expression shifted from tension to relief.
All those present were well aware of Kraush’s accident with reincarnation.
The day they had saved the world and settled down enough for Kraush to spill his stories to them.
With that knowledge in mind, any mystery regarding Kraush was unraveled.
Thinking they might change their behavior after learning of Kraush’s past, he wondered, but the truth was they all saw his rebirth as a blessing.
He had persevered through hell, never abusing the knowledge he had from his previous life.
“Honestly, I’m just relieved to know that there is a foundation to your return.”
At least it was some small comfort that, through trials and tribulations, they had all taken on their shared battles.
The problem arose, however, when it came to discussing Aria as a part of his past.
Kraush’s bond with her extended beyond a single lifetime.
So naturally, the three wives grew a tad jealous.
“I wish the person I love didn’t have any exes in this world,” Haring grumbled menacingly.
Kraush felt unjustly accused.
He hadn’t dated Aria or anything like that in this life, so what was the point of this jealousy?
He had never lived through one particular reincarnation himself!
But that wasn’t the scariest part.
While Astria and Haring were throwing tantrums, the real issue lay silently with Bianca, who had been quietly sitting on his lap.
“…Bianca, do you think so too?”
Kraush called out to her, expecting a helping hand, but she gazed at him, then cheekily leaned against his chest.
“Do you like Aria?”
It was a blunt question, but Bianca’s eyes were locked onto him.
“Nope.”
Kraush answered firmly, assuring her.
“Well then, it’s alright. I trust you,” Bianca declared as she turned her back on Astria and Haring, embracing Kraush.
“Wha—? You!”
Astria’s face dropped, rendered speechless by the betrayal.
“…I’m okay with that too.”
Then Haring also joined the betrayal dance.
In a flash, Astria found herself alone, the embodiment of jealousy, glancing at Kraush with wide eyes.
Once their gazes met, she fumbled with her words before eventually belting out,
“Ki-kiss! Then I’ll let it slide!”
What kind of nonsense was that?
Was she just throwing out demands in her anger?
“Not happening.”
Before he could finish, Bianca raised her hand and covered Kraush’s mouth.
“Mine.”
“What do you mean yours?!”
“I claimed him first!”
Before they knew it, Aria had been forgotten as Bianca and Astria squabbled over Kraush.
In the meantime, Haring tugged on Kraush’s collar, whispering in his ear,
“Hey Kraush, they’re too busy fighting, so let’s sneak in a kiss first.”
“Haring!”
“Haring-nim.”
The cat was already stepping onto the stove without hesitation.
It had turned into a full-blown catfight in what was supposed to be a calm conversation, and Karandis couldn’t help but watch, slightly amused before she piped up.
“If the four of you are heading to the bedroom, can I come back later?”
Now, that was a harmonious relationship.
＊ ＊ ＊
After that, Kraush soothed the three girls some more before shipping them off.
By now, he was accustomed to these types of relations.
In the grand scheme of things, all three liked him, and he understood their feelings perfectly well.
“Seems like all three of you still adore Kraush-nim,” Karandis remarked, sipping some tea made by Alicia, Kraush’s maid.
Kraush, looking a bit sheepish, replied, “Well, we’ve been through a lot together.”
He genuinely loved them all.
Realizing this, Karandis smiled at him brightly.
“Still, I hear it won’t be easy for you moving forward.”
“…How far is this news actually spreading?”
Karandis was undoubtedly referring to the ‘baby’ talk circulating among the wives.
Her mentioning it sent Kraush into a minor panic.
“How do you all have this figured out already? Women always have their gossip channels.”
Honestly, he feared the kinds of rumors piling up there would be wild.
“By the way, Ebelasque is also involved in the gossip sessions.”
When Karandis dropped that bomb, Kraush’s pet “corpse rat” in his pocket twitched ominously.
Without hesitation, he reached in and squeezed the little rat until it went limp.
That little guy had certainly gotten all of Kraush’s wives hooked on various bizarre tidbits and steamy romances.
Kraush promised himself he would have a proper ‘talk’ with the critter next time.
“How’s your training coming along?”
After a long absence, he was curious about Karandis’s situation, and she grinned widely, chest puffed out in confidence.
“Wait until you see me in person! You might be surprised; I might be a hidden talent!”
Her boldness hadn’t faded a bit.
Kraush smiled back, ready to voice his admiration.
“Not even a hidden talent. I always saw potential in you.”
Kraush knew well the effort she had put into her training.
That’s why he held her abilities in such high regard.
“…Oh, you saying that makes me a bit bashful.”
Karandis blushed slightly, entertained by Kraush’s genuine compliments.
It was precisely this kind of thoughtfulness that made her favor Kraush.
“Well, regardless, I’m getting close to being able to protect Kraush-nim. Soon, I’ll be back as one of the Ten Great Lords, so prepare my place!”
Kraush fell silent for a moment after hearing that.
Then, a suspicious grin spread across his face as he replied,
“Karandis, you may not even need to protect me.”
He slid into a casual explanation about Crimson Garden and Aria.
At that, a look of disbelief washed over her before sheer delight lit up her features.
In that instant, she felt a happiness that felt like it was hers alone.
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