There’s no clause in the Empire’s law that prohibits polygamy.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it allows polygamy.
It’s more that society’s perception of it is so bleak that there was no need to establish a specific law against it.
A great emperor who once held a mighty throne had several wives and was subjected to daily nagging from his ministers.
So when I first heard that Schlus declared a harem, my heart sank.
I could already see the arrows of criticism descending upon Schlus.
“Well, I never believed the rumors about him being an eunuch. I’ve known that for a long time.”
“Me too, me too. I figured it would turn out this way. Being a Majin, he must have way more stamina than a human, right?”
“What’s he saying…?”
“Hm. Someone like Lord Schlus Hainkel could definitely establish a harem.”
As rumors spread, I cocked my head at the voices chattering around me.
There were almost no sounds criticizing Schlus.
If I heard any, it was more like envy than condemnation; it was hard to believe the rumors of him being an eunuch were actually true and that realization somehow made sense now.
“How many in his harem, I wonder? Three?”
“Hey, come on. Do you really think Lord Schlus Hainkel is that terrible? Of course, it’s two.”
“Is that so?”
If all truths were revealed, I felt like the criticism toward Schlus might intensify a bit.
However, one thing was certain: the public opinion was still favorable toward Schlus.
So, if there was a time to strike first, it was now.
I came out in front of the lecture room, waiting for Schlus’s class to end.
Soon, Schlus awkwardly walked out, and I suppressed my laughter as I quickly ran up and embraced his arm tightly.
“Hrmm. Schlus, looks like class is over?”
“······?!”
Schlus flinched in surprise, trembling a bit.
He must have been flustered.
This declaration of living in multiple households was probably a decision made after high-level calculations.
Maybe Emilia had some pressure on him too.
Schlus’s wife held an incredibly important political position.
There wouldn’t be a noble family without greed over it.
So if word got out that he accepted a commoner from the kingdom as his main wife, the nobles’ backlash would surely be fierce.
Though they wouldn’t show it on the surface, they might secretly plot to attack Emilia.
Thus, it was clear that Emilia and Schlus Hainkel decided to take the first move.
They had likely planned to showcase Emilia beforehand to imprint her in everyone’s minds as his main wife.
That meant Schlus Hainkel had firmly decided on marriage without a shred of doubt, sending nobles a kind of warning.
“T-this is Iris. There are eyes watching…”
“Why? Is that a problem? I heard everyone acknowledged it quite cleanly. Was it just a baseless rumor?”
“Acknowledged what…?”
“That you’re a womanizer who reaches out to a Saintess even while having a lover.”
“······.”
So, I couldn’t afford to adopt an arrogant stance and aim for the main wife’s position.
Instead, I took on the role of a concubine, preventing a commotion while revealing that I was Schlus’s wife before anyone else.
That was the significance of this first strike.
“Wait, is it really fine for a Saintess to be like this?”
“The title of Saintess was given to me by the Papal Palace. So now that the Papal Palace has been temporarily disbanded, I’m neither a Saintess nor anything at all.”
“Oh…”
“Now, I’m free to meet men and marry. Of course, if Schlus wishes, I could even get pregnant…”
“W-wait a second. Shouldn’t we lower our voices? Or go somewhere more secluded?”
“Why? Is there a special reason to hide our relationship? I think there isn’t anymore.”
“It’s just embarrassing…”
“Ah.”
I realized only after forcibly maintaining eye contact while Schlus tried to look away.
His face was bright red.
It was an expression I could hardly imagine on him.
This guy, he knows what embarrassment feels like.
Seeing this unfamiliar side of Schlus left me feeling strangely amused.
But as I looked at Schlus, awkwardly unsure of where to put his fingers with my arm around him, it somehow felt a bit thrilling.
I wanted to tease him more.
“Hah, haha. It’s refreshing. To see Schlus so flustered he doesn’t know what to do.”
“Why? Do you like it?”
“I love it so much. I want to see it every day.”
“That’s a disgusting taste.”
“Say what you want. I don’t care.”
Schlus hurriedly started stepping toward the park, but I refused to let go of his arm.
The harder he tried to shake me off, the tighter I hugged him.
With the area of my body touching his arm growing, Schlus’s movements became even more awkward, and it was just too amusing.
The courage I’d first gathered was gradually fading away, and I began feeling shy from the gazes pouring in around us.
Yet every time I saw Schlus walking with a bright red face, I felt a bit better.
‘I thought he was completely immune to embarrassing situations.’
I heard from Trie that Schlus even invited a dancer he met in the desert to his room.
Of course, that was part of the operation to recruit key figures, but in others’ eyes, it must have been an incredibly awkward situation.
Why was he so flustered now when he had confidently declared things then?
‘Is it because things aren’t going as he intended…?’
Schlus gets flustered if things don’t go as he thought they would.
If it’s a situation he expects, he can easily suppress his embarrassment, but if there’s confusion involved, it might lead to a flushed face like now.
But that felt strange too.
Shouldn’t he have anticipated this would happen when declaring a harem?
Then, could it be…?
“Schlus, was it a mistake?”
“Eh? What’s that?”
“The harem declaration.”
“······.”
Schlus’s mouth clamped shut.
So it was true.
High-level calculations, my foot.
Schlus’s bombshell statement hadn’t gone as he planned at all.
But he couldn’t awkwardly take it back, so he must have tried to act casual and brush over it.
Imagining Schlus trying hard to maintain a solemn expression while suppressing his embarrassment during class made me burst into laughter.
“Pfft. Hahaha.”
“Why are you laughing…?”
“Because Schlus is so cute.”
“Me?”
“Of course. How can you not be cute?”
“······.”
I stopped Schlus and gazed at him.
I gently swept his tousled hair back and caressed his hot cheeks.
I felt a bit relieved.
It seemed Schlus hadn’t changed at all.
Watching him made me feel like he was a little puppy, fragile and worrisome, always drawing my attention.
Schlus probably wouldn’t change forever.
No matter how many pretty masks he wore, his essence wouldn’t change even after an eternity.
Schlus was that strong of a person.
Whether he had power or not, Schlus was always a steadfast individual.
Yet no matter how strong he was, he couldn’t overcome every adversity alone.
“Sometimes, Schlus, it’s okay to lean on me.”
“There are too many eyes watching…”
“That’s fine now. I think there’s no one left who doesn’t know I’m your lover. Don’t worry, just lean on me.”
“Why do you think I want to lean on you suddenly?”
“Because you look unstable right now.”
“······.”
Schlus always held many worries.
I didn’t know what secret he was hiding this time or when he would tell us, but I was sure his worries weren’t something trivial.
I couldn’t fathom how heavy the parting from a girl he loved enough to choose the curse of immortality weighed on Schlus.
I couldn’t do much.
All I could do was embrace Schlus and assure him that I was here, wishing only for his well-being from beginning to end.
I released Schlus’s arm and spread my arms wide.
That would make it easier for him to lean in.
“Please lean on me. Melt all your worries away in my embrace.”
“Then… can I share what’s on my mind…?”
“Of course.”
*Hug.*
The pupils of Schlus’s empty eyes flickered slightly.
Then he took a step closer and hugged me tight.
His strong arms wrapped around my waist, bringing a pleasurable pressure that pressed me down.
I sensed him relaxing slightly, fearing his ribs might break, and it was just so endearing.
“Can I say anything?”
“Of course.”
“You won’t get mad?”
“Why would I get mad at Schlus?”
“Then… lately, there’s an issue that’s been bothering me…”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know how to handle the marriage issue…”
“······.”
At that moment, I couldn’t suppress the sudden disappearance of my smile.
However, Schlus, whose face was buried in my chest, didn’t notice and kept rambling on.
“Every time Emilia and Trie run into each other, the atmosphere is so tense it drives me crazy. Even though Emilia doesn’t say it directly, she’s been subtly pressuring me to get rid of Trie lately. Seeing that makes me think I should have multiple houses and lead separate lives, but then I’d be running back and forth all day, and I’d be worried, really. Can’t they just get along? Honestly, I’ve had this longing for us to all… you know, do that together at least once.”
Is this man really trying to die?
Seriously contemplating such a thing?
I trembled my lips and forced a smile.
