A soft *whoosh* of light filtered through the stained glass on this early morning.
The priest, entering the quiet confessional, was taken aback.
The door was closed, suggesting someone was already waiting inside at this hour.
With a calm smile, the priest quietly spoke to the little lamb beyond the curtain on the opposite side.
“What brings you here?”
“I came to confess my sins and seek relief…”
“Very well. Just remember that confessing does not erase your sins. You must firmly believe in the mercy and grace of Aigis and truly repent while confessing the facts.”
“Understood…”
What a sight to behold—this man came trembling to confess his sins at such an early hour.
Surely he must feel quite guilty, thought the priest, preparing himself mentally.
He wished not to be shaken no matter what was revealed.
Of course, for someone who had been hearing confessions for over a decade, there probably weren’t any new sins to hear.
“I am in love with multiple women at the same time, Priest. This can’t be normal, right?”
“Perfectly normal. Feelings of romance for multiple women are something every man experiences. However, if you were to pour your heart and soul into one woman—”
“Oh.”
“You’re not doing that.”
“Yes…”
Ah, it’s an affair.
The priest felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He had been worried about hearing something serious like murder or arson; an affair was something he was used to hearing daily.
“I actually thought that once everything was settled, I would leave this place. That’s why I accepted the confession of a woman I didn’t love. Until then, I thought I’d profit from her affection. Then, I noticed another woman had feelings for me, and I became engaged to her. At that time, I was just scheming to benefit from her wealth and influence.”
“You made some terrible choices.”
“Yes. Thoughtlessly repeating those actions led me to realize I couldn’t leave here. The women I intended to use suddenly started seeming incredibly lovely. Before I knew it, I was spouting nonsense about loving all my fiancées.”
Oh dear.
This turned out to be quite a love triangle!
The priest felt an urge to click his tongue but closed his mouth, unable to find the right words, his lips twitching.
“It’s alright. You regret your actions, don’t you?”
“No, I can’t say I regret it. If I hadn’t gotten engaged to any of them, I wouldn’t have seen their adorable faces… *Ack!* Just imagining it breaks my heart, Priest.”
“…”
What in the world was I listening to?
The priest sighed quietly, feeling a headache coming on.
“Do your fiancées know about your polygamy?”
“Yes. In the past, a mere glance would turn deadly serious, but thankfully, it seems they have been getting along well lately.”
“That’s good to hear. Your sins aren’t that grave, after all. Under imperial law, polygamy isn’t prohibited, so don’t fear too much. Just be sure to show equal care and affection to each one.”
“Ah, Priest. There aren’t two.”
“Three, then?”
“Not three either.”
“Then how many…?”
“More like, I get one day a week off.”
“Ah…”
Six, huh?
The priest shut his eyes tightly and sighed.
Come on, there’s got to be a limit to how many people you can love at once!
This guy must be the kind of jerk creating societal chaos with ridiculous terms like harem romance.
“Even I assume Aigis will forgive me, right? After all, I’m trying my best to love each and every one of them—”
“Oh for the love! Get out of here! And don’t dare call yourself a believer in Aigis’s church ever again! To be frank, it’s embarrassing!”
“Uh…?”
That day, the priest yelled for the first time in ten years.
*
The wedding, prepared with the efforts of over ten vendors, was finally completed successfully.
With five brides, it started early and lasted nearly the whole day, but it wrapped up without any incidents.
Due to the gathering of tens of thousands of guests, every street in the Monarch Principality was packed for three days straight.
As for what happened during the wedding… well, let’s skip that part.
There’s no need to mention how Ludwig had a face like he was chewing on sh*t while glaring at me, or how Hertlocker couldn’t hold back and grabbed my collar, or how Erica devoured all the cookies in the waiting room, causing a ruckus as if we had been robbed, or how I had to stop Trie from strutting in with a sword on her waist, or how Pelain tripped over the dress because of her swishing tail as she entered, or how Iris’s entrance triggered the wailing of Aigis’s followers, making it feel more like a funeral than a wedding…
In any case, what matters is that the wedding concluded without a major catastrophe.
As the afternoon sun began to set, we boarded the airship, waving goodbye to the guests.
Once we took off and the city of Monarch looked almost tiny below us, it really sank in that the wedding was finally over.
With all those guests and the vast banquet, the half-day had felt like an eternity.
For the honeymoon, we ultimately decided to head to the sea.
Though Emilia had been insisting on going to the desert alone, once they got there, they discovered the sandy winds made their heads fluffy and throats scratchy. With Erica and Trie’s desperate persuasion, we managed to avoid a trip to the desert.
When I glanced back, my wives had already changed into comfortable clothes, laughing and chatting.
Of course, among them was one who seemed quite displeased.
“What’s with the sulking, our Majesty?”
“You’re speaking in a terribly malicious tone. You clearly know why.”
As I sat beside her, Aria huffed and turned away from me.
It seemed she was seriously miffed about not being part of the wedding.
“When you and I have our wedding, we’ll have an even bigger scale!”
“Um… that might break the institution, don’t you think?”
“Even if it does, who cares? It’s the Emperor’s wedding; shutting down the entire institution for a day is understandable.”
“…”
That sounded dangerous.
Given how chaotic this wedding had been with five brides, how could they even think to do bigger?
I was sure it must have been a joke.
I firmly resolved to believe that.
“Look! Look over there!”
“It’s the sea!”
Someone from the window gasped, probably seeing the sea for the first time.
This world exists on a massive supercontinent, meaning shipping and maritime industries weren’t developed at all.
Naturally, coastal cities had been left behind, and the population concentrated around rivers inland.
Until the discovery of a new continent, of course…
“Wow, there’s actually such a wide sandy beach here! I’ve been around here a few times but never noticed it!”
“You wouldn’t have known. I just made it recently.”
“Eh?”
Trie’s head tilted in confusion.
She looked like she didn’t understand what I was saying.
“I, uh, made it?”
“It turns out the western coast near the institution was just a steep cliff. So I knocked it all down and filled it with sand from the desert to create a beach. Looks good, right?”
“Um…”
“Schlus… didn’t you declare you wouldn’t misuse Majin’s power for selfish gain?”
“What’s so bad about that? It’s public support to revitalize the tourism industry in coastal towns. Plus, I built a resort there. It’s not open yet, so we can enjoy it exclusively until tomorrow.”
“…”
The atmosphere suddenly froze.
Then, one by one, laughter began to erupt.
“Heh. This really makes me realize how terrifying a guy I married.”
“I can let it slide this one time, Schlus. To be honest, I was looking forward to swimming in the sea too.”
“Hehehe! When are we landing? I’m dying to know if the seawater is really salty!”
From the looks of it, I hadn’t pulled a prank after all.
Anyway, the sea…
We’d been dating for three years but had never gone near it.
A slightly bittersweet feeling washed over me.
I wished Yulria could have come too.
Clutching my chest, those thoughts crossed my mind.
“Perfect, with six of us! How about we split into teams of three for some volleyball?”
“Volleyball? What’s that, Trie?”
“Heeheehee. It’s a popular ball game these days.”
“I’ll pass. As an Emperor, I can’t afford to be running around like a fool.”
“I was thinking of making the winning team take Schlus for the night. Are you really going to pass, Your Majesty?”
“I’ll take back that statement. How about the teams?”
Even before we had arrived, the atmosphere on the airship flared up with excitement.
With so many people, there wasn’t a moment of quiet.
‘Truly, I don’t regret any of this.’
After much back and forth, I firmed my resolve.
I had zero regrets about the marriage.
I doubt there will be any regrets from here on out.
“Big bro! Come help us decide the teams!”
“What’s the best way to make them even…?”
“Waaah! I’ve been in this dress all day; I need to stretch out! Let’s do this!”
“Hehehe! Me too!”
“Alright, for sure, I’m separating Pelain and Trie…”
“Just make it quick. After all, my team is destined to win.”
Watching everyone laugh and have fun elicited a smile from me.
I subtly interjected, throwing in my two cents.
“Shouldn’t the conditions for winning be changed?”
“Why’s that, bro?”
“Because tonight, I want to spend time with all six of you.”
“………”
The atmosphere grew chilly once more.
Six pairs of eyes were staring at me as if they were ready to murder me.
