*Churururuk······*
The golden liquid filled the glass, and bubbles began to rise.
Waiting for the bubbles to settle, once again, *churururuk*.
Inside the glass, small bubbles like gems bubbled up and burst at the surface.
Just as Aria lifted the glass with a satisfied smile, a heavy voice could be heard from the side.
“I might just start a champagne brewery.”
“Hmm. You want me to find an expert?”
Schlus had his nose buried in the glass.
It seemed like it was his first time tasting.
Even if it wasn’t his first time, this champagne was a luxury that wasn’t produced every year, so he likely hadn’t tasted anything like it before.
Aria couldn’t take her eyes off Schlus’ face as he inspected the champagne’s color, continually smelling it, and let out a laugh.
“No, not right now. Later.”
“When is ‘later’?”
“After you’re dead. When everyone else is dead. I’m thinking of it as something to do when I’m left all alone.”
“Hmm······.”
After everyone is dead, huh.
Watching Schlus casually mention a world after the extinction of humanity made Aria feel a bit melancholic.
He truly seemed to be contemplating living forever.
In a world where all loved ones, friends, and even his own children were gone, he was preparing to live alone.
Whatever he had seen from the rift between dimensions, Schlus was diligently getting ready for a world he could live in by himself.
Alone for tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of years, unable to die······.
Just imagining it made her heart ache.
How could anyone endure such a life?
And all for just one woman.
“Oh. Looks like it’s about to begin.”
“Ah, I see······.”
Suddenly, the surroundings darkened, and as the curtain opened, Aria realized she had been staring blankly at Schlus and turned to look at the stage in front of her.
The play was about to start.
Feeling disoriented, Aria awkwardly wiggled in her seat.
Lately, since Schlus had seemed so busy, she had jokingly suggested he take some time off to watch a play, and he immediately accepted.
Having no interest in plays herself, Aria could only sit in awkward silence until the actors had finished their greetings.
‘What’s going on in that head of yours, Schlus······.’
Staring intently at Schlus’s face in the darkness, Aria fell into contemplation.
There’s no way a busy guy like Schlus just came to watch a play.
Perhaps he completely misunderstood her intent, making Aria flinch in surprise.
Could he have thought they were going to discuss issues like religion or politics?
But it seemed unlikely, as he appeared unusually focused, leaving her a bit confused.
If he had simply wanted to spend time looking at her face and watching the play together, there was a possibility, and Aria held onto a thin thread of hope.
“Oh. That was fun. I thought plays wouldn’t be my thing, but it was more enjoyable than I expected.”
“Ah, huh? Eh?”
At that moment, the lights flicked on and Schlus started to clap, leaving Aria baffled.
Before she knew it, the actors had returned to the stage and were holding hands to bow.
They couldn’t have finished so soon after just ten minutes, could they?
What on earth was going on? Aria felt confused when suddenly she noticed all the glasses on the table were empty.
Turning her head sharply, she saw a servant collecting the empty bottles.
With a throbbing headache, Aria had to accept the conclusion.
She had been so focused on Schlus’s face that, quite literally, she lost track of time······.
As much as she hated to admit it, unless the entire theater had conspired to deceive her, there could be no other explanation.
“Ah, I see. It was fun.”
“Stop lying. You didn’t watch the play at all.”
“What······?”
“Or are your eyes on your cheeks?”
“······.”
Just as Aria was about to stand, her whole body felt weak and she froze.
Could it be that Schlus had noticed she had just been staring at him all along during the play?
Considering the cognitive abilities of a Majin, it was exceedingly reasonable, yet Aria became aware that just an hour ago, she hadn’t realized such a blatant thing.
Her cheeks began to redden gradually.
“Ah, ugh······. I’ve already seen the play once, that’s all.”
“Is that so? Then what’s the name of the female lead?”
“······.”
Aria’s lips pressed together tightly.
Unable to look Schlus in the eye, she turned her head and suddenly tried to stand up.
“G-great! Let’s go now!”
“Let’s stay a little longer.”
“Ugh······.”
Having her wrist caught by Schlus, she was flung back down.
She could easily have escaped if she had tried to stand, but Aria pretended reluctantly and slumped back down in her seat.
“This is the first time I’ve sat in such VIP seats at a theater.”
“Hmm. You’ll have many more opportunities in the future. As long as you just manage to get in anywhere, I will have a seat reserved for you.”
“It’s also the first time I’m alone like this in an empty theater with someone.”
“You still have many ‘firsts’ left, huh?”
“True.”
“······.”
It felt like a dream.
To think she could share two firsts with Schlus.
Thinking that there wouldn’t be many more firsts left for him to experience if only a little time passed made Aria feel instantly gloomy.
In fact, it was already too late.
She was already long overdue.
Realizing that she had been overtaken by those worthless women had only dawned on her recently.
Yet just gnashing her teeth in frustration wouldn’t change anything.
The longer she hesitated, the further behind she fell.
The possibilities grew slimmer.
The later it was, the more she had to hurry.
Throwing away her pride and everything else······.
Aria concluded it was time and bit her lip hard.
Sliding her finger across Schlus’s hand, it wrapped around gently.
“Schlus.”
“It’s been a while since I was called by name instead of ‘you’.”
“Is ‘you’ more comfortable for you······?”
“That’s not it. Hearing my name from your voice feels nice.”
“Today, I wanted to talk about something important, so I asked for this time.”
It was a lie.
Having come up with this important talk on a whim, she clearly wasn’t prepared for it.
But just now, she recalled the important thing.
No, to be precise, she found the courage to speak the words of her important story.
“Schlus. You must know that I have feelings for you.”
“I do.”
If he had replied that he didn’t know, she might have run away.
After all, she had been so open with her feelings; if he pretended he didn’t remember, her heart would have truly broken.
The path was still open.
It was just infinitely narrow.
Aria took a deep breath again and squeezed Schlus’s hand tightly.
“I’ve thought about it a lot······.”
Would he even realize how many sleepless nights she had spent worrying over him?
He wouldn’t know how many tears she had shed regretting her past.
If only she could stand beside him, as his only companion, his sole partner.
What if she could become the unique consort of Schlus, the Emperor of the continent, who now stood as an absolute being?
She imagined this every single day.
But Aria knew she didn’t even have the right to feel such regrets.
By the time she realized her feelings, or perhaps even long before that, Schlus had likely already been involved with other women.
Even if she were to return to the past, there was a hint of relief in knowing that she could not draw the future she desired.
“Everyone is saying together that if you plot a rebellion, there will be no way to stop it. They suggested marriage with you as a solution. The royal family must unite with you to mix the blood of a Majin into the imperial lineage······.”
There was no better option than marrying Schlus.
It would not only restore the authority of the royal family but also create a legitimate heir without complications, which was the Empress’s weakness.
However, there was one obstacle standing in the way.
That was needing to bow to all of Schlus’s many women.
To become the Emperor of the nation, she would have to accept being neither the first wife nor the legitimate wife.
From the beginning, he wouldn’t seem to accept anything less.
Aria let go of Schlus’s hand, which she had been squeezing tightly.
“It’s all an excuse. There’s no way such trivial excuses could diminish my spirit. So listen closely to what I’m about to say; this is purely from the depths of my heart.”
Slowly rising, Aria made *tak-tak* sounds with her heels as she stepped forward.
Then finally facing Schlus, she clasped her hands together and began to speak.
She had to say it.
This was her last chance.
There wouldn’t be another.
As she chanted this in her mind, Aria opened her eyes wide.
Staring into Schlus’s lifeless, dead eyes, she spoke with a trembling voice.
“I······ no, I love you······. I will give you all of me, so can you give me just a little of yours······?”
Her hands, which were tightly holding each other, trembled.
She couldn’t say she wanted all of him.
Such brazen words couldn’t be uttered to a man who was already owned by another.
For a moment, the silence felt eternal.
Her body trembled as if it would collapse.
Tears gathered at the corners of her tightly shut eyes, and in that moment, Aria sensed her impending failure.
“I’m a little late. I’ve been waiting for you. For a long time.”
“······!”
The trembling in her hands ceased.
She was held tightly by Schlus’s hand.
With a large, warm, slightly rough yet gentle touch, Aria felt an inexplicable sense of calm wash over her as she steadied her breath.
When she finally managed to raise her stiff neck, she saw Schlus right in front of her.
“If it’s just part, is one-sixth okay?”
“Of course······ it’s not a problem······!”
One-sixth.
For now, that would be enough.
The rest could be slowly claimed from now on.
Aria was unconsciously launching herself at Schlus.
As her face pressed against his broad chest, she felt a pleasant, slightly suffocating pressure wrapping around her entire body.
Due to her waist being pulled in, they were lifted slightly until their bellies touched.
Like a little doll being cradled, Schlus’s large arms gently enveloped her.
The delightful tightness, and—
“It’s warm······.”
She felt the warmth coursing through her body and the heartbeat resonating within his chest.
This tender embrace was something she had never experienced before.
Though it might not be Schlus’s first time, it was certainly hers.
This was the first time she had ever felt this happy.
And there was something else she was feeling for the first time.
“Uh?”
“······.”
Something hard touched Aria’s lower abdomen.
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