Dinner Among the Harem
“That… I’m fine now! Radien…!”
“Yeah? If you’re fine, I could lean on you a bit more…”
“Ugh… Stop teasing me already!”
After some time, Elesia finally calmed down. Watching the two of them flirt was unbearable. Estelia must have found it just as cringeworthy, because she turned to Radien.
“What are we going to do? Are you going to report this to the academy?”
“No. We won’t.”
Radien’s answer was firm. Estelia nodded as if she had expected nothing less.
“Right. It’s strange. How did they even find this place? It’s completely remote. Looking around, there isn’t even a village nearby.”
“There must be a spy inside the academy. And one in a fairly high position, at that.”
I glanced sideways. Eileen was fidgeting, clearly dying to speak now that she knew the truth. In movies, characters like her usually die pretty fast. Anyway, we decided not to report this to the academy.
“Then I’ll send the subjugation completion signal.”
“Understood.”
Estelia pressed the button. Not long after, a gate appeared before us. Stepping through, we found ourselves back at the academy where we had started.
“Good work. Where’s the core?”
“Here it is.”
“Subjugation confirmed. The core is yours to handle. Anyone injured?”
“None.”
“Good. That’s all for today, so get some proper rest.”
The core could only be obtained after defeating the boss. Once the supervisor verified it, we were dismissed. Naturally, we headed straight for the ultra-high-class restaurant Radien had reserved in advance.
“Everyone, wash up and meet back here.”
“Luca. Want to bathe together?”
“Sounds good!”
“…Together?!”
Radien and Elesia left. When I asked Luca, she agreed without hesitation. Eileen stared at me in utter disbelief. Of course, as a modern person, bathing with a woman was insane… but I was a northern barbarian now. Modern sensibilities meant nothing to me. Uga uga.
“Come on, let’s go.”
I ignored Eileen and headed for my dorm. Women weren’t allowed inside, but with my height, I simply tucked her under my coat. No one noticed. Luca’s slender frame helped, too.
“Whoa… This place is amazing! I’m second place too, but the difference is this huge?!”
“Is it? I’ve never seen the second-place room, so I wouldn’t know.”
The room had a bath, of course. We filled it with warm water and washed together. Afterward, since uniforms were uncomfortable, we changed into casual clothes. Luca hadn’t brought any, so I cut my pants for her to wear.
“These keep slipping down! And they’re way too see-through!”
“Then why’d you wear white in the first place? Come here. I’ll fix it for you.”
The clothes she had worn earlier were stained with blood and unwearable. I called for the maid, Hana.
“K-Kahan, sir! What are you thinking, bringing a lady in here?!”
“Ah, she’s my little sister. It’s fine.”
Even as I said it, we looked nothing alike. And we had just bathed together—Luca was still completely naked, at that.
“Ugh… Understood. Shall I prepare clothes?”
“Oh, please do. What should we wear? Black?”
“Let’s go with black!”
Hana watched the two of us in matching couple outfits and wondered how to process the situation. But as a mere maid, there was little she could do. She simply prayed inwardly that Kahan wouldn’t cause any real trouble.
***
When we stepped out in our matching all-black attire, the others were already waiting.
“Oh, you’re all here.”
“Nice to see you~”
“…I told you to stop copying me.”
Radien Draken was dressed to the nines, no doubt because he was meeting Elesia. Estelia wore a beautiful dress as well. Eileen, who had been in our party, was also in a dress.
“I-I’m fine in my uniform…”
“Not happening. Hiding national power like that? No way.”
“Hmm. The empire really is decadent.”
“N-Nooo…”
Elesia, clearly Eileen’s handiwork, was hiding behind her. Mmm… what a lovely sight. Radien’s face was flushed and he couldn’t even look properly. What a waste. I should take it all in quickly—
Glare.
I felt Estelia’s sharp gaze from the side.
“Haha…”
“Hmph! Let’s go.”
Cling! Estelia came right up beside me and linked her arm through my left one.
“Aaah, that’s cheating!”
Whoosh! Luca saw this and immediately rushed over to cling to my right arm. Mmm. Yes, yes. This was what a harem was all about. On my left, a busty, stunning ducal daughter. On my right, a slender, pale-skinned beauty. Honestly, even my parents treated Luca more like a girlfriend than a daughter. Right before I left for the academy, they had said, “Three sons would be nice.”
“Such a terrible siscon and brocon… Ugh…”
“Says the one watching a reverse harem.”
“Kyaaah!”
Leaving Eileen to throw her fit alone, we headed for the restaurant. Inside, as expected, were nobles dressed to the teeth. The prices on the menu were absurdly high.
“…Lady Ortes?”
“Gasp… Two of them?”
“Who’s that pink-haired lady? She’s so beautiful… I should speak to her later—eek!”
The man who had been muttering at the end shrank back under Radien’s icy glare. Few could withstand the aura of a high-level Expert.
“…”
Estelia’s face turned red, but she didn’t let go of my arm. In noble society, you had to make it clear: this man is mine, this woman is mine. Otherwise, when someone approached, you’d have no right to complain. You might even hear things like, “Oh my, you two didn’t seem that close, so I contacted him… What should we do? He’s already completely fallen for me…”
Why was this possible? Ah… this was romance fantasy. And among them, Estelia, with her exceptional plausibility, was right beside me.
“Who’s that beside Lord Kahan? She’s incredibly pale and beautiful…”
“Hmm… Of all people, it had to be Kahan… I can’t even compete.”
Since we were near the academy, most of them recognized my face. As we passed, a man nearby spoke up. Why speak only when passing? It was his way of saying, “I’m interested in you, so how about me? I’m right here.”
Of course, Luca had no idea.
“Hehe… Kahan really is something. Right?”
She took the words at face value and asked me. What Luca meant was, “As expected of our Kahan. Those guys don’t even compare.” The man who heard her eventually hung his head in shame. Tsk tsk. Daring to challenge an alpha male like me.
Receiving envious stares from all around, we made our way to the reserved room.
“Elesia. Are you all right?”
“Yeees…”
By the way, this woman is mine. Radien Draken had to make that clear too. Just then, Radien slipped off his outer coat and draped it over Elesia, who was wearing a rather revealing dress courtesy of Eileen. Elesia quickly put it on, unknowingly announcing that she belonged to Radien. Mmm. Yes, yes. It was a reverse harem, but pure love routes were fine too.
“W-Why isn’t anyone talking about me…?”
“Don’t be disappointed. Or come to me instead. I’ll accept you anytime.”
“Is this the northern barbarian mindset…?!”
When I whispered to the disappointed Eileen, she recoiled in horror. I was slightly hurt. For the record, my father had been forced into monogamy after being devoured by my mother. But I was nothing like my weak father!
Pinch.
“Kahan… Could you tone it down a little…?”
“Oh? Pinching me again. Come here!”
“Kyaaah!”
Even though we were in a private room, Estelia ended up eating on my lap until the main course arrived. I thought Luca would throw a fit, but she didn’t care right now. She could ask for my lap after the meal. Her real concern was something else entirely.
Droooool…
Saliva dripped from Luca’s eyes and mouth.
“Mmmmmm… Hngh… Sho good!”
Nom nom nom.
Mmm… It really was delicious. No lie—this flavor could even beat modern MSG. I wondered what secret technique they used.
“N-Now put me down…”
“Mmm. I’ll allow it.”
The feel of Estelia’s thighs. Mmm, truly excellent. Soft yet firm…
“What are you thinking about?! H-Here, eat quickly!”
“Oh, thanks.”
“Th-Thanks…? Well, I suppose that’s what you meant. Here.”
Maybe Estelia really was the best choice for the main wife? Luca didn’t pay me any attention at all, too busy devouring her food. As I ate the meat Estelia had cut for me, Radien spoke up.
“Are we keeping the practical exam team like this from now on?”
“Well… If I get more women, I’ll drop out.”
“Hmm… I see.”
Radien nodded in understanding. The reason he accepted it so readily was because polygamy was the norm in this world. Harems and reverse harems were both perfectly acceptable here.
“Elesia is off-limits. No matter who you are.”
“Heeeng… I’m not interested. Estelia, you think so too, right? Huh?”
Poke poke. I poked Estelia’s cheeks while she was chewing meat. With food in her mouth, she couldn’t answer and simply nodded slightly. Mmm, nice… This was healing. Eileen, who had been listening closely to the conversation, was also completely absorbed in the food. Being a commoner, she probably didn’t get many chances to eat like this. She wore an almost reverent expression, as if trying to memorize every flavor.
After eating until she was full, she suddenly spoke up.
“Elesia… I’ll stay with you… Hah…”
“I-I’d like that! Eileen! I like you too…!”
“Gasp…!”
Perhaps because they were both women, Elesia’s affection was quite bold. Thanks to Eileen’s “comfort” in the dungeon, the two had grown much closer despite only meeting a few days ago. They were so close that Elesia had hidden behind Eileen instead of Radien or Estelia when entering the restaurant. Radien looked humiliated, but Eileen shot him a smug grin in return. Whoa… This really was romance fantasy. This world was fun, after all.