A pleasant breeze blew on a midday under the blue sky.
A shadow from the parasol cast over Emilia’s face.
Sitting in a chair with her legs crossed in the small grass-covered backyard, Emilia let out a *sigh*.
“Why… why do more people keep showing up…?”
There were four more people gathered around the table.
Iris, Trie, Erica, and even Pelaine.
When they started this regular meeting, there were only three people, and now it had suddenly grown to five.
“I had no idea there was such a meeting!”
“Nice to meet you all…”
Looking at Erica and Pelaine, who seemed uncomfortable in their seats, Emilia couldn’t help but let out another *sigh*.
Just a little relaxation, and this is how it ends up.
Surely, Schlus knew that among the women around him, there wasn’t a single one who didn’t have feelings for him.
It was obvious that if Schlus put his mind to it, charming anyone wouldn’t really be that difficult.
‘Seriously, can you please be a bit more discreet…?’
The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became, grinding her teeth in annoyance.
How could someone be so reckless about flirting with women while leaving his fiancée at home…?
Of course, there was no way to turn back what had already happened.
She could only struggle to prevent any further increases in the number of people.
That was the sole purpose of this gathering.
“So, what do we talk about here…?”
“There’s nothing particularly set. Just building camaraderie. And if any important issues arise, we discuss those.”
She had no intention of building camaraderie.
She just wanted to be friendly enough to avoid awkwardness; anything beyond that was not something she desired.
Emilia thought this as she sipped her tea.
“Since we have some newcomers today, let’s just chat freely.”
There were countless issues that needed addressing right now.
From whether they should claim Schlus on a weekly or hourly basis to the order of entrance at the wedding, the topics were all serious enough to turn the mood grim.
So today, she decided to set all those aside and break this awkward atmosphere first.
“Shall we start with self-introductions?”
“Huh? Isn’t everyone familiar with each other?”
“I’m curious! I’m wondering how each of you came to like Schlus and how you ended up engaged.”
“Ahh…”
She wasn’t curious at all.
The reasons for liking him were probably because he was handsome, kind, capable, but also a bit dense, so everyone who approached him would easily fall for him.
And as for the process of getting engaged, she had been discreetly spying on Schlus with informants, so she already knew everything.
But there was exactly one person who had no idea how Emilia got engaged.
That was Pelaine, sitting right in front of her, pricking up her big ears and eyeing Emilia’s cookie with interest before cautiously nibbling on it with wide eyes.
“Could we start with you, Pelaine?”
“Uh, sure! From today on, I’m no longer the Empire’s Greatest Sword, Pelaine Armstrong! Hehe…”
“…”
The moment Pelaine sprang up to introduce herself, everyone’s mouths dropped open.
“You, you’re no longer the Empire’s Greatest Sword? What does that mean?”
“I broke my oath. They said the Empire’s Greatest Sword can’t have a family, so I had to choose whether to give up my marriage or my title, so I quit!”
“…”
Was the title of Empire’s Greatest Sword something you could just quit so easily?
Iris couldn’t help but *chuckle*, covering her mouth. It definitely didn’t seem like just someone else’s story.
“As for me, um… when did it start? I think I was infatuated with Schlus even before we met. The knight order was really struggling financially and considered disbanding, but each time we thought we were done, we’d get more support and investment than we expected. So when we first met in the Southern Colony, I was surprised at how much cooler he was than I imagined. And when he hugged me in the bathhouse, that’s when I realized my feelings—”
“Whoa, wait! In the bathhouse? Did I hear that right?”
“Huh? Is there a problem?”
“Ah, while naked?”
“Yes.”
“So have you… um… done it already?”
“Are you talking about relations? Yes! A few times, I think… um…”
“You can stop there.”
Watching Pelaine innocently count on her fingers, Emilia felt dizzy and slumped back against her chair.
So they had already done that even before getting engaged.
Iris seemed just as shocked by the news.
As a devout religious person, she must have strict views on premarital purity.
But Trie didn’t seem surprised at all, which made Emilia a bit curious.
“You don’t seem surprised, Trie. Do you know something?”
“Me? I know. I was watching from the side.”
“…Huh?”
Emilia’s expression stiffened at Trie’s joking demeanor.
Watching from the side? What did that even mean?
Of course, Emilia had once secretly broken a barrier and peeked through the door at Iris and Schlus’s rendezvous, but ‘watching from the side’ didn’t seem to mean that kind of thing.
It sounded like she actually stood right next to them, and Emilia’s eyes began to widen with shock.
“Y-you mean you were right there…? What do you mean by that…?”
No matter how shameless Schlus was, to have a hobby of enjoying such activities in front of others was hard to believe.
She’d rather hope it was a lie, and Emilia cautiously asked again.
“Well, we did it together. Trie and I. In the carriage.”
“Ah…”
Reality far surpassed Emilia’s wild imagination.
After a moment of processing the words she just heard, Emilia let out a *gasp*.
“That, what do you call that? I feel like there was a term for it. Something… um… a throuple?”
“Are you talking about a threesome?”
“Yeah, that one… a threes—uh, throuple…”
After saying it herself, Emilia’s head dropped in embarrassment.
A threesome?
A 2-to-1 situation?
Oh my. Did Schlus like that kind of thing?
Had he been holding back all this time while dealing with her?
Thoughts flooded her mind, making her head spin.
“Owaaa… I’m really crazy…”
“But you know! I was shy at first, but it was better than I expected.”
“Huh? No way.”
There’s no way that could be okay.
She would have to watch her beloved person kissing and touching another woman right in front of her? And it was ‘okay’?
A thought crossed her mind that maybe Trie had a peculiar kink for being excited about her partner being taken by someone else.
“Listen! We took turns, so it surprisingly regulated the pace. Having private time alone is great, but I often collapse a few times from fatigue. But when there are two of us, that never happens.”
“…”
That did seem plausible enough to make it tempting.
If Trie, with her superhuman stamina, couldn’t handle Schlus and was collapsing, it was an understatement to say Emilia would have it much worse.
Whenever Emilia would faint once or twice, Schlus would finish things up, and honestly, she did feel a bit guilty for not being able to satisfy him each time.
‘So there can be duo sessions…’
Surely, to take on a Majin’s power, one person would be woefully insufficient.
Emilia caressed her lips with her finger and thought long and hard.
Of course, seeing another woman cooing and cuddling with Schlus would be extremely unpleasant, but maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to let him have what he wanted just once.
Perhaps it could become a foursome, or even a fivesome.
“Uh, I don’t understand any of this conversation.”
“…”
All eyes turned sharply towards the oblivious voice that had piped up from the corner.
Erica, who had brought a dish to her in front of her, was munching away at a cookie, her innocent gaze conveying complete confusion.
Emilia couldn’t help but let out a *sigh* at such a naïve soul.
For a moment, she felt a pang of sympathy for one of Schlus’s future wives.
Had Erica not been touched even a little bit after being engaged?
Or perhaps, she seemed to be engaged solely for the sake of an alliance, making her feel rather pitiful.
“Erica… How about tomorrow, we arrange a seating plan such that you can have a moment with your brother?”
“Huh? Move my seat? Why?”
*Haa…*
What on earth should she do with this pure being?
Should she shatter Erica’s common sense with crude talk, or let her wake up to it herself?
“Um! Can I help with that?”
“Help?”
At that moment, Pelaine leaned over, squishing her massive chest against the table as she pulled a plate toward her, munching on cookies while saying.
“I’ll teach you step by step! And I’ll join in too… Hehe.”
“Ah, no! How could one have their first time as a threesome?!”
“Huh? What’s wrong with having your first time like that?”
At Emilia’s desperate shout, Pelaine tilted her head in confusion.
Trie, blinking her eyes, also looked at Emilia with a strangely intense gaze.
From the way both of them were looking at her, Emilia realized something and gasped.
“S-so, is it possible that your first times with Trie and Pelaine were…?”
Nodding.
As both of them shook their heads up and down, Emilia felt a sharp headache coming on.
The more she thought about it, the more Schlus felt extremely despicable.
How could he take away a lady’s first experience so violently?
He truly wasn’t one to be concerned about tenderness, not even a sliver could be found in him.
‘I was… actually treated quite gently…’
At the same time, Emilia realized that she was being treated quite specially by Schlus.
She thought it was natural to finish dinner in a cozy atmosphere together, crawl under the covers, and be loved until morning.
Even though she was vexed and resentful, there were moments when Schlus seemed truly charming.
Just thinking about him made Emilia lower her head, and she couldn’t help but *snicker*.
“Speaking of which, where is Schlus right now?”
“He’s at the theater with His Majesty the Emperor.”
“Oh! Don’t tell me His Majesty is also…?!”
“Nah. No way.”
At Erica’s flustered reaction, Emilia chuckled calmly, shaking her head.
“They’re probably just meeting to discuss matters about religion or policy.”
“If that’s the case, isn’t the usual meeting held in the Imperial Palace? I’ve heard this is the first time Schlus has met with His Majesty outside.”
“…?”
At Iris’s casual remarks as she sipped her tea, Emilia felt like she had just been hit hard on the back of her head.
That was right.
Aaria, known for not leaving the Imperial Palace, was going out to see a play?
This was news to her.
And if it was alongside Schlus, her intentions were painfully obvious.
“A date…”
Emilia’s face quickly turned to one of despair.
It seemed another member would be added to the harem in real-time.
