“Alright. Looks like everyone is gathered. Then let’s start the 20th meeting of the tea club.”
“······?”
What on earth is happening here?
Amidst the dry clapping sounds from all around, I was so confused that I found myself clapping along.
Emilia, clearing her throat, pulled a chair next to me and sat down quietly.
Next to her were Iris, Trie, Pelaine, Erica, and a rather uncomfortable-looking Aria, all gathered around.
I was taken aback by the unexpectedly solemn atmosphere when I simply came here for tea and chit-chat.
“Tea club? What’s that?”
“It’s the name of this gathering. We started calling it that while having tea and chatting.”
“So what do you discuss in this meeting?”
“The main topic is gossip about my brother, and the rest covers important issues. Since my brother is here today, we can’t gossip and should move straight to the agenda.”
“Umm······.”
That remark was ambiguous, making me wonder if they were joking or serious.
But honestly, it wouldn’t be strange if they gathered together to gossip about me.
“Today’s agenda was proposed by Her Majesty Aria. Your Majesty, could you explain in detail?”
“Umpf······.”
Aria pressed her temples as if she had a headache, standing up by pushing her chair.
Seeing Aria looking so awkward in this situation made me suppress laughter.
“I’ve been thinking that since the wedding is nearing, we need to establish some order in our lives. So I formally propose that we designate the use of Schlus by days of the week. Coincidentally, isn’t that bastard’s wife among the six, including myself? I propose to show special mercy to the scoundrel who deserves to drop into hell by giving him one day off during the week and monopolizing Schlus for the other six days.”
“Huh? Why are you deciding this without me-”
“Be quiet. You have no right to speak.”
“······?”
Am I some sort of item, being run like a schedule?
It was absurd that while discussing me, I had no voice in the matter.
But thinking about it, I was the root cause of this discussion, so I found myself quieting down at Emilia’s glare.
It’s barely been a week since I confessed about my embodiment, I guess.
Just remembering Emilia crying and pounding my chest, asking why I suffered alone for so long and why I didn’t rely on her, made me hesitate to argue back.
“That guy shows up when it suits him, disrupts our business, and then leaves at his convenience, which is utterly shameless. It’s better to force everyone to spend time one by one each day.”
“That’s true; I was starting to get jealous because it seems like Schlus has been favoring only a couple of us.”
At Iris’s mumbled comment, Emilia and Pelaine suddenly flinched and jolted in their chairs.
Do I favor someone?
That came as a complete surprise to me.
“I’m also in favor of the day system. Every time Schlus comes over, he always interrupts my busy research time. It might actually be nice to have one day a week entirely free to spend with Schlus. What do you think, Iris?”
“Well······. I have no objections either way, but I’m leaning toward the day system.”
“I’m in favor of the day system too!”
Erica, Iris, and even Trie put in their votes, but I found it bizarre.
So, does this mean I have to live without freedom for six days a week?
‘That should be how it is······ right······?’
The more I pondered it, the more I felt I didn’t deserve freedom.
Did I think back then when I carelessly threw around proposals for engagements that I would end up staying here, giving up on returning to my original world?
I certainly didn’t know.
I didn’t know, so I made six wives······.
“Umm, I’m good with it as is. When I wake up in the morning, Schlus is fondling my tail, and then I take a nap and wake up with him playing with my ears. If we do a day system, I’ll only be able to monopolize him for one day a week······.”
“······.”
With vicious gazes directed at me from all sides, I clasped my hands together and looked down.
Upon reflection, there wasn’t absolutely nothing to call favoritism.
When I see sleeping Pelaine, I do stroke her tail and ears, rubbing my cheeks against her.
Most of the time, Pelaine is in an unconscious state, but it’s true that I spend the most time with her.
“That’s why we need the day system even more. To monopolize Schlus for exactly 24-hour slots and prevent any complaints from arising.”
“Uh, can I defend myself?”
“No.”
“Come on, just listen. Has anyone among you touched Pelaine’s tail?”
“······.”
I pushed through Iris’s firm rejection, continued my defense.
In response to my question, only Emilia and Trie tentatively raised their hands while everyone else just shook their heads, looking around.
Oh my. They still don’t know the feel of Pelaine’s tail?
“Pelaine, could you show us your tail?”
“Eh? Here?”
“Yeah. Please.”
“Ugh. Alright······.”
“Alright, everyone get a feel!”
“What’s so special about Pelaine’s tail······.”
With a look of embarrassment, Pelaine presented her large tail on the desk.
Unexpectedly, Iris’s eyes widened as she reached out hesitantly.
Initially, Aria and Erica seemed to only touch the tip of the fur but soon were stroking the entire tail.
“Wow, it’s so fluffy······.”
“See? Doesn’t it feel good? With this right in front of you, how can you not touch it?”
“Certainly, this is an irresistible temptation. Even after touching it, I want to keep touching it······.”
“Ha! Then I’ll take that into consideration regarding Pelaine’s favoritism!”
Erica, who had completely rested her head on the desk and was rubbing her face against the tail, shouted.
There it is. My guilt has been slightly alleviated.
“True. We can overlook Pelaine’s case, but Emilia’s favoritism cannot be forgiven. Schlus always eats and sleeps at Emilia’s house unless there’s something special.”
“Emilia wakes up every morning to see her master’s face!”
“That’s a bit envious······.”
“Ugh······.”
The glares were sharp.
This whole situation felt as uncomfortable as sitting on a thorny cushion.
I wanted to escape at any moment, but I had to hold back, fearing lingering resentment if I did.
“Commoner. What’s your stance on the day system proposed by me?”
“I think it might be better to maintain the current status. The idea of using you on strict terms like a schedule feels a bit grim······.”
“There you have it. Two opposition votes are from the favored ones.”
“······.”
The first issue seemed to be nearing its conclusion.
Pelaine and Emilia were the only ones voting against while everyone else voted in favor, making it 4 to 2.
Personally, I felt like it might feel too barren as Emilia said, and I opposed the day system, but my opinion would be dismissed here, so it didn’t hold any weight.
However, if they weren’t satisfied with eating and sleeping in the house Emilia and I shared, they could all just move here!
That was not a joke; it was a serious matter worth discussing.
“Then the day system has passed with 4 votes in favor, 2 against. Next, let’s decide which day each of us will occupy Schlus-”
“Aria. Wait a moment. I have something to say.”
“I take away your speaking rights. Just keep quiet.”
“Why does everyone want to silence me so badly? I want to say something too.”
“Hmph. Go ahead.”
“Isn’t the reason we’re discussing the day system because time is limited and I only have one body? Then, why don’t we all just live together? Of course, the house should ideally be something much larger.”
“What······?”
That was the revival of the ‘living together’ proposal that had been discarded before.
Back then, they were all still feeling awkward around each other, so I thought they should naturally live separately, but now the situation had changed.
Especially seeing Emilia, who used to be cautious around others, living with Pelaine and becoming much gentler made me conclude it could work.
As long as we don’t have things that would make us blush around each other, living under one roof wouldn’t be a bad idea.
“Then? It really seems like a solution to live together!”
“Exactly! All of us can just decide to move in like I did!”
“Stop making it sound like a huge decision. Pelaine, you’re just crashing here because you have nowhere else to go······.”
“Ah, anyway!”
“But still, a problem remains. Ultimately, the night activities should be set by a day, right?”
“Can’t we just do that together?”
“W-What a crude suggestion······!”
Aria turned red in the face, having tried to maintain her calm.
If it had been in the past, I would have received a beating for saying something like that.
But now, I had supporters.
“Sniff! I think it’s fine!”
“I don’t mind either!”
“W-What?! Commoner! What do you think?”
“I don’t really have any strong objections······.”
“Oh.”
Aria’s face began to flush with embarrassment.
It seemed this was completely an unexpected development for her.
“Ah, even so, isn’t it better to keep our lives separate?”
“I’m not sure about shared night activities yet, but I’m in favor of living together. I want to be close to everyone.”
“Iris too?! Then I’ll join the support!”
“Uh······.”
With support pouring in from all around, Aria’s face gradually turned sour.
That made sense.
While for others, just moving in would be simple, Aria couldn’t just leave the Imperial Palace as someone bound to become Empress.
Before long, tears filled Aria’s eyes as she whimpered.
“I’m the Emperor of this country······ yet none of my will is being fulfilled…”
“Sorry. So, is the shared living arrangement passed with a 5 to 1 vote? Then let’s exclude Aria-”
“Wait. Let’s proceed with the construction of the shared living space as a national project.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since it will be the place I’ll be living in, isn’t it obvious? It must be constructed with a strong barrier and thorough security precautions.”
“Uh······.”
It seems Aria also plans to move in.
Things were gradually escalating.
