Give Up on Seres
I froze for a moment. Then what if I became a god? I hadn't expected Niobe to ask something like that.
"Why are you asking me that?"
I finally calmed my racing heart and asked for the reason. Not that I needed to—it was obvious anyway.
"Then, my lord, are you just going to leave those women as they are?"
Niobe posed the question that everyone who knew me had probably pondered at least once, her tone deadly serious.
"It'll only get worse if I ignore them."
"I know that, but they won't back off just because I say I don't like it. If anything, they'll do something even crazier, don't you think?"
"Like what?"
"Who knows? Kidnap me and cut the tendons in my legs so I can't run away?"
"That's absurd! Who would dare do such a thing?!"
Arios? In the original story, it was Arios who did that to Seres. She courted him relentlessly until Hames showed up and made her panic. Then Viol kept him pinned down in the palace, flipping her switch. In her desperation to win him back, Ares plotted rebellion and took her own life, while Seres, thinking his heir position was threatened by Nemeth, sought refuge in the temple. There, he got suspected as a fake saint. Left to rot by Hames on purpose, he ended up imprisoned until Sibylius rescued him. But Sibylius had been running experiments on Seres herself. Arios got intel on his whereabouts, risked her life to snatch him from Sibylius, and did that to keep him from escaping.
...Putting the events in order, the original Arios was a psycho, but it kinda made sense why she'd snap? With the genders swapped, the events diverged completely, so this female Arios wouldn't go that far—but you never know with people.
"My lord, there's no need to worry!"
Lost in thoughts of the original plot, my grave expression must've looked like fear to Niobe.
"No matter who you choose, we'll protect you so fiercely the rest won't lay a finger on you."
"Really?"
"Of course."
"Even if the enemy is Sibylius?"
"...I'll stake my life on it!"
Even if it was a lie, she couldn't claim they'd protect me unscathed. Naturally. Excluding fictional setups like heavenly gods or the Demon King, Niobe knew Sibylius was the strongest.
I eyed her suspiciously, and she answered reluctantly.
"If we combined forces with Emperor Viol, we could manage somehow, right?"
"That sounds an awful lot like you're telling me to pick Viol."
"No, that's not—"
"You. It seems like you have someone specific you want me to end up with, rather than just anyone."
Pressing her, Niobe finally opened up grudgingly.
"It'd be great if you chose the emperor, but that's just my opinion. I'd never dare force it on you, my lord!"
"Why Viol?"
"She showed up right when you were in danger."
"Be honest."
"I'm sorry. I thought if you married that woman, the next generation of Huferions would rule this empire."
Having spilled the truth, Niobe gauged my reaction.
"Um, my lord. Do you have someone else in mind then?"
"Nope."
"Nope? There are four—no, five if you count that demon Red with her weird attitude toward you. Not one among them catches your eye?"
Yeah, exactly. None of them pull me the most. And even if I had to pick one, I couldn't.
"I'd feel bad."
"Pardon?"
"They've all helped me. Picking one would make me feel guilty toward the other four."
At first, it was the psycho vibes from the original that kept me from choosing. Now, it was guilt for all their help.
"Are you serious?"
Learning my true feelings for the first time, Niobe looked baffled.
"I never imagined you'd agonize that much over it and still not choose."
"Well, not exactly. Truth is, I don't have enough affection for any of them to call it love yet."
I offered the excuse, but
"No. That's not true."
Niobe refuted firmly.
"You say you feel nothing for any of them, but from what I've seen, that's far from the case. My lord, how did you act toward Emperor Viol after she brought you here that day?"
"Same as always? Kept a proper distance, acted curt."
"That's not how it looked to me or the others. You smiled at her advances, responded playfully. Like you didn't mind her at all."
Me? I did that?!
"It wasn't just with Emperor Viol. I observed, and you were favorable toward the others too."
"...Be specific."
"With Arios, you scolded but never crossed the line—treated her like a friend with kindness. Toward that priestess Hames, you were always gentle, looking at her with trusting eyes. You didn't snap harshly at Sibylius either."
"Fine, say the first two. But Sibylius? Not being harsh with her counts as favoritism?"
"I heard everything. She confessed to you on the street, right? Yet you didn't reject her outright—you let her be. That's proof of your goodwill!"
Niobe's emphatic words hit me like a iron club to the head.
Was she right? I considered Arios a friend at least, but did I show the others comparable favor?
"...What about Red?"
"She's tried to kill you multiple times, yet you let her into this palace after one act of help. That says it all. You haven't realized it yourself, my lord, but you already feel goodwill toward her."
"...You really think I've fallen that easily? Just because she saved me once?"
"That's how it looks to me."
I gaped, too stunned to retort. Niobe sighed.
"With all these women obsessed with you—and you harboring goodwill toward every one without choosing—it's a disaster."
"...Yeah."
In a typical harem story, I could play crazy and date them all. But this was a gender-reversed romance fantasy. By original world standards, I was the noble lady. If a noble lady declared she'd date all the men she liked, it'd be scandalous—infamous throughout history. Plus, harems weren't exactly endorsed here. Even women in the "male" roles rarely dated multiple partners. Maybe because they were the ones getting pregnant. And even if I lost my mind and tried, these women wouldn't sit idly by. Short of becoming a god, a harem was impossible.
"...I want to rest."
No solution in sight, I rubbed my temples.
"I get what you're saying, but telling me won't fix it overnight."
"I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."
Irritated, Niobe flinched.
"Forgive me for disturbing your rest. Please, take it easy."
"You rest too."
Only after she apologized and left could I finally lie down.
A short while after Seres fell asleep in his room.
Palace gardens outside.
"Have you lost your mind?"
Viol stood with arms crossed, glaring at the person before her. It was Ares, but they weren't alone.
"You summoned me like a commoner, and I came. But after what happened today, why call us?"
Arios.
"Something felt off, so I followed orders, but I hope it's nothing serious."
Hames.
"...If you weren't Seres's mother, I wouldn't have come just because you called."
Sibylius.
"Why me?"
And Red too. All the ones who'd fretted over Seres with Niobe earlier had assembled.
Ares had suddenly summoned them, and everyone looked displeased. Arios, involved in that ugly midday incident with Ares, came reluctantly; Hames, who'd witnessed it, felt the same. Sibylius, Red, and Viol radiated How dare you summon me? Viol especially.
"That's funny. I remember being the sovereign and you the subject."
Viol fumed, as if a mere subject had no right to summon her lord.
"In this empire, only the emperor can call me out like this—and even then, I could refuse if I wanted. So you get it? The only reason I'm humoring you is because I'm Seres's mother."
Sibylius, who'd clashed with Ares before, eyed her coldly and stressed it was all for Seres.
"I came out of sheer absurdity at your boldness."
Red alone mixed displeasure with curiosity.
Bearing the varied, intimidating gazes, Ares spoke calmly.
"I'll get straight to it. Give up on Seres."