Karma

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠woke up from a deep sleep to a clear morning sky and sunlight flaunting its presence through the window.

Even though I'd only gone through that brutal ordeal for a single day, I felt as if I'd slept soundly for a whole week. When I looked around, I saw Asilie, who had unfolded a cot and was sleeping in the same ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠room.

I thought she might still be asleep, but the way her long ears twitched made it clear she'd probably woken up at the sound of me moving.

"Ugh... Eldi, are you awake?"

"Yeah. I thought you'd wake me when you were done talking, but you let me sleep."

"No matter how much you've recovered, you can't wake a patient just to have a chat. It wasn't anything important."

"...Really?"

"I don’t lie. Let’s wash up and get ready. Esmue and Ragnis were probably disappointed they couldn’t talk to you yesterday."

Unlike yesterday when she'd been strangely sharp, the gentle, amiable tone was reassuring, but on the other hand, I had no idea what kind of conversation had taken place while I was asleep, which made me uneasy.

Asilie, ignoring my unease, rang the bell in the room and asked the servant who entered to inform the two that I had woken up. Then she began the very arduous process of trying to wake up herself. Since I couldn't run away from this situation anyway, I also started lightly washing my face and brushing my teeth with the water another servant had prepared.

Asilie was usually hard to wake in the morning and would dawdle for ages before finally getting up, but now she snapped awake in an instant and started washing up, maybe because she'd been worried about me and that had kept her from sleeping well. Since it was clear that tidying her hair and such would take a bit more time, I changed into clean clothes and decided to wait outside for Asilie to finish getting ready.

The corridor I saw as soon as I stepped out was plain and unadorned, but the banner that was clearly the family crest helped me guess that this was a noble's mansion. There were so few windows that I almost felt like I was inside a military barracks rather than a mansion.

Intrigued by this unfamiliar style, I walked over to where a window was and poked my head out to take a look. The city outside oddly reminded me of Ogwen.

With mountains on one side and plains on the other, the cityscape clearly prioritized sturdiness over the ornate architecture of the capital, which seemed to indicate that this was a frontier fortress city like Ogwen or a city situated in a border region.

Hmm, so Her Highness the Princess had come to a city like this. There must have been quite a commotion.

While I was enjoying the unique cityscape where the parade ground and the city streets were nearly indistinguishable, Asilie came out after finishing her preparations and linked her arm with mine, asking,

"What are you looking at?"

"I was just trying to gauge the massive chaos the lord of this provincial city that reminds me of Ogwen must have gone through yesterday."

"Fufu. A lord running around with his servants in the pouring rain isn't a sight you see every day."

It had been a truly torrential downpour. Offering my silent condolences to the unknown lord, I moved as Asilie led me, and we arrived at the mansion's dining hall.

It was, I suppose, plain for a noble's mansion. But it didn't look cheap; it had a thrifty feel to it, which I rather liked. As I admired the interior decor and took a seat, Asilie sat opposite me, tied her still-loose hair into its usual twin tails, and began to speak.

"The conversation I had with the two of them yesterday was simple. The goal was to establish the overarching premise that no one should let their emotions get in the way and hinder you, Eldi, and to get everyone to agree to it. And I'm included in that, of course."

But what came out of her mouth was something very different from what I'd expected right from the start.

"Actually, before we got to that talk, we had a little time to feel out each other's true intentions... But well, what was there to be different? Honestly, I was most worried about Esmue, but contrary to my worries, she was sharp. I guess you'd expect that from someone touted as the next emperor. At least I could tell that her feelings for you aren't just a passing fancy."

It was strange. I was sure I'd heard Asilie tell me she loved me yesterday, and I'd answered that I loved her too. So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠why did this conversation sound like they'd been sizing each other up regarding other women?

"Uh, honestly, I didn't expect to be hearing this kind of talk right now."

I had the uneasy feeling that if I just let it go, the conversation would keep going while I was still clueless about what was happening, so I decided to cut her off and speak up.

"Huh? Why?"

"It sounds like you were talking under the assumption that we'd keep this relationship going."

"That's right."

Asilie's response, with a blank look as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, actually left me at a loss for how to react.

To that me, Asilie shrugged her shoulders and casually dropped a bombshell.

"You can at least support two or three wives, can't you?"

"Big Sis, wait..."

What had I just heard? Two or three wives? Leaving aside that one of them was a country's imperial princess and the other a margrave, something about her entire sense of norms felt way off.

"Aren't you bringing up polygamy a bit too abruptly?"

"Those girls are already taking that into account. The main issue was who would be first."

"What?"

Was I the odd one out? No, my parents were monogamous, and so were the villagers. Was it because they were nobles? Nobles did keep concubines, so they might accept it. But that was a matter for Esmue and Ragnis. I didn't think it was something Asilie would accept that easily.

"Are elves polygamous?"

"Monogamous."

"Then why are you so casually accepting it? Even I find it hard to accept."

"Because I love you?"

She'd caught me off guard and I was a little embarrassed, but I still had to say what I needed to. No matter how much I racked my brain, there was a part I just couldn't easily accept.

"That... it's really nice to hear, but shouldn't that actually make it harder to accept? I love you, big sis, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with sharing these feelings with another man."

"To explain that matter, we four must share a meal and speak together."

Turning my head, I saw Esmue and Ragnis had already entered the dining room. Esmue gave me a faint smile, and Ragnis, with a sulky expression as she looked at Asilie, seemed oddly without her usual distance.

"How could you start talking without us, Asilie."

"Hmm? I was just telling him about what we talked about yesterday."

Perhaps because of the nature of the conversation we were about to have, they came in without bringing a single servant, and naturally seated themselves with Asilie between the two.

"Seeing you look so healthy after yesterday's ordeal puts my mind at ease. It was worth the trouble for me, and for Ragnis as well."

"I know it was unavoidable, but my heart really sank. I'll have to get you a useful magic tool or something."

"The main cause of your injury seemed to be magic, so a magic tool enchanted with protective magic would be good."

And then, as casually as could be, the three of them started chatting about me as if they were just having a leisurely conversation.

Watching three beautiful women sit and talk was a very pleasant sight... but because they were doing it in a situation that, by my common sense, shouldn't be possible, I had no idea what was going on.

In the end, I just sat there in confusion, unable to do anything but stare at the three of them, and Ragnis noticed me and slowly started to explain.

"Um, Eldmia? So, this is like a temporary alliance."

"Alliance...?"

"A temporary alliance to keep you from dying until you achieve your goal."

I was so shocked it felt like someone had hit me in the back of the head with a hammer, and I was speechless. But regardless, Esmue smoothly picked up where Ragnis left off and explained.

"It is as Ragnis said. Your objective is... not a light one, is it? I understand how important it is in your life, so I cannot stop you. But at the same time, I cannot simply stand by while the one I love faces the threat of death."

In the midst of all that, fighting among ourselves to monopolize your heart would be nothing but a waste of time.

Even though you told Asilie you loved her yesterday, Esmue argued that since you hadn't been able to reject her confession and Ragnis's, that also proved you had feelings for them, and they'd thus put themselves on equal footing.

Therefore, they needed to achieve the goal that was making them hesitate—and that posed the greatest immediate threat: revenge. Once that was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠done, they could have a more specific and serious conversation in a more relaxed situation.

That was the conclusion the three women had reached while I was asleep yesterday.

"Thus, you need only focus on achieving your goal as you have been doing. This love battle will begin after that."

"We reached that agreement," Esmue said, concluding her announcement, and then she rang the bell on the table to have the prepared food brought in.

"If seeing Eldi with another woman didn't bother me, would I have felt jealous yesterday? It was just... I decided that what they said was reasonable enough and that their care for you was genuine, so I had no choice but to agree."

As she gave me a belated answer to my earlier question, Asilie smiled like usual, and Esmue and Ragnis did the same.

That, at least, seemed to be an understanding only they shared that I couldn't grasp.

I was grateful for their consideration and love, but I couldn't help thinking, just as Asilie had said in the morning, that this was no small matter. Still, in the end, I couldn't find any more words to say, and I just had to swallow down the food the servants brought.