Marriage Talk
I blinked, looking back and forth between Zinor and Reika.
Reika had gone past merely bowing her head — she had buried her face toward the floor entirely, her ears flushed scarlet as her whole body trembled. Zinor, by contrast, wore an expression of perfect seriousness, as though nothing about the situation were unusual at all.
"That is precisely my request."
"You mean for me to marry Miss Reika?"
"Indeed. I believe it is hardly a poor arrangement for you either."
No… this suddenly?
Without any warning whatsoever?
Why?
As I sat there looking thoroughly unable to make sense of any of it, Zinor posed another question in that same remarkably calm tone.
"Do you dislike the idea?"
"No, it isn't that I dislike it, exactly…"
I glanced sideways at Reika.
Had she… already heard all of this?
Had she listened to her adoptive father Zinor and simply prepared herself to marry me without protest?
With her head bowed like that, reading her expression was no easy task.
"Speak freely, without reservation. You may say exactly what you think."
At Zinor's words, I sank into thought for a moment before carefully opening my mouth.
"Since you have told me to speak freely, I shall. First of all — while I am still unmarried, I already have someone I intend to marry."
"You already have four prospective partners, then?"
"…Not quite. Just one person."
"Then what is the problem? Could you not simply take Reika as a second wife?"
"…"
Well, of course… I was already aware that in this world, a man could take as many as four wives.
But from the perspective of someone who had spent his entire life in a world where monogamy was simply the natural order of things — someone who had built up every related assumption around that fact — there was definitely a part of this that a single word of agreement could not neatly resolve.
If someone asked whether I disliked the idea of having multiple wives… honestly, I did not dislike it that much.
But how my wives themselves would feel about it was an entirely separate matter.
"…Ah. If the matter of inheriting the family name sits poorly with you, that need not be done. If it holds no advantage from your position, I will not force the issue."
Listening to Zinor, it seemed he had assumed I was wrestling with concerns about lineage.
He appeared to have judged that the woman I intended to marry came from a house of far greater standing than the Nighthart family.
I still was not fully used to discussing marriage in terms of practical advantage rather than mutual feeling… but regardless.
"…Miss Reika."
"Ah — y-yes…!!"
"What do you think of this, Miss Reika?"
"I-I-I… I…"
Reika poured sweat for a moment, then finally let out a long breath. The way she trembled made her look like a drowned rat, and I felt a little sorry for her.
"Well, th-that is… for me, I… Lord Swen is a good person, so…"
"…"
I glanced carefully at Zinor.
His eyes were closed.
From what I could tell, he did not seem to be applying any silent pressure on her… but regardless of Zinor's actual intent, Reika herself seemed to be crumpling under the weight of his presence of her own accord.
"Lord Zinor. Would you be able to step out for a moment?"
"Myself? For what reason?"
"This is a conversation about marriage, after all. I would like to speak with Miss Reika alone, seriously."
"…"
Zinor nodded, rose from his seat without a word, closed the door behind him, and left the room.
Once Zinor was gone, I addressed Reika, who still had her head buried low.
"Miss Reika."
"Ah… um…"
"You can speak a little more comfortably now."
At my somewhat gentler tone, Reika finally lifted her head. I could see her pink eyes trembling faintly in a face flushed deep red.
"Has this already been fully discussed with you, Miss Reika?"
"Ah, w-well, 'fully discussed' is… that is…"
"I mean, did he ask for your consent regarding marriage to me?"
"…Pardon…?"
Reika tilted her head and asked back.
"Well… it was Father's word, so…?"
"…"
In this world, was it simply natural for a daughter to obey her parents?
Well — even in the history of the world I came from, the freedom to choose one's own marriage had not existed for all that long.
"Um…"
Just then, Reika spoke to me in a hesitant, faltering voice.
"Do you… perhaps dislike me…?"
She said this while lifting her head to look up at me with those wide, earnest eyes.
…I had never particularly been conscious of it before… but the sight of her struck me as remarkably cute.
She certainly possessed a charm entirely different from Irene's.
"Pardon? No, I — I don't dislike you."
"Whew… I'm glad."
With those words from Reika, silence settled over us once more. Feeling as though I might be crushed by it, I carefully opened my mouth to say something — anything.
"Well… Miss Reika. I have something I'm curious about, and you can just answer comfortably."
"Pardon? Ah… yes…!"
"Would you truly not mind becoming a second wife?"
"Pardon? Well… of course not…?"
Huh.
I was beginning to feel that I would never easily adapt to this world's ideas about gender and marriage.
Did the women here simply accept it as a matter of course?
"Ah, um… I also have a… question."
"Yes. Go ahead."
"Is your first wife… by any chance… the red-haired lady knight…?"
"…"
Come to think of it — Reika had seen Irene before.
Irene as my first wife…?
The moment I thought that, my mind went completely blank, and I gave no answer at all.
But then—
"I see…"
I had clearly said nothing to her, and yet Reika nodded as though she understood perfectly.
"…I didn't say anything, though?"
"But, Lord Swen… your face."
"My face?"
"It turned red… you looked embarrassed. So… that means she is your first wife, doesn't it?"
Me?
My face turned red?
I wanted to deny it somehow… but my lips simply would not move. I knew better than anyone else that my face was burning hot.
So she would become my first wife.
Thinking that, I was swept up in an emotion I could not put into words… a feeling as though I were floating through the air.
I realized it all over again.
That I liked Irene quite a lot.
"Or is there perhaps another woman as well…?"
"No, no… Miss Reika. Please be a little more careful with your wording. Saying 'another woman' makes me sound like some kind of philanderer, doesn't it?"
"Pardon? A philanderer…?"
Reika tilted her head again, looking as though she could not understand.
"Sharing your love evenly among your wives isn't a strange thing, is it…?"
"…"
Fine.
On this particular point, there was no need to stubbornly cling to my own way of thinking.
When in Rome, and all that.
"Anyway — are you all right with this, Miss Reika?"
"Yes. Even as a second wife, I don't mi—"
"No. That isn't what I mean."
I stripped the playfulness from my voice and asked in the most serious tone I could manage.
"Marrying me."
"Lord Swen…?"
"Yes. Setting aside every reason like 'because Lord Zinor told me to.' As a man and a woman."
"Uh… th-that is…"
Reika, flustered, could not answer immediately and fretted over it for a long while. I nodded and spoke.
"You don't need to tell me right now. Please think about it seriously. How you feel about me. I'll give you my answer then."
"Pardon? B-but."
"Why?"
"Well, th-that is…"
Reika could not manage a proper reply, looking thoroughly at a loss.
In truth, what worried me most was precisely this personality of hers. She was always like this — unable to properly voice her own opinions… so I could not help wondering whether this marriage, too, had simply been carried along by whatever Zinor directed.
Her becoming my second wife? From my position, there was naturally nothing bad about it. She was destined to become an exceptionally gifted mage, and forging a connection with someone like her would only benefit the Lunarien forces — never harm them.
And it was not as though she lacked charm as a woman, either. Irene's… truly oppressive chest, the kind no other woman could possibly surpass, filled my eyes every single day, so Reika's figure did not particularly register — but she was quite well-endowed herself, and her face was remarkably cute and pretty.
Even so.
That did not mean I wanted her opinion to be steamrolled like this. All the more so when the decision was about choosing a life partner to walk beside.
It might be a way of thinking that did not fit this world… but marrying someone who did not want to marry me would wound me as well.
"Um… w-well… I-I'm sorry. That is… I can't get my words in order… so… augh."
"It's all right. There's nothing you need to apologize for."
"…Aren't you… frustrated…?"
"No. Not even a little. Being unable to speak easily means you're someone whose words carry weight."
"…"
Hearing me, Reika lowered her head deeply once more.
"You can take your time thinking about it… so please think carefully and tell me. Whether you truly want to marry me or not."
She listened, then slowly nodded.
For now, wrapping things up like this was best.
"Well then."
I rose from my seat as I spoke.
"Shall we begin today's training?"
"Ah? Ah… y-yes…!"
Reika stood and trotted after me. The sight of her reminded me of a hamster, and I found her thoroughly endearing.
That evening.
"Lady Irene."
"What is it?"
I asked her as she sat at ease in comfortable clothes, sipping tea and resting.
"Hypothetically. If you were married, Lady Irene."
"Pffft!"
Irene sprayed the tea she had been sipping and immediately began coughing.
"Are you all right?"
After covering her mouth with the handkerchief I handed her—
"…S-sorry. Showing you such an unsightly sight…"
"No, I'm the one who should apologize. I didn't expect you to be that startled."
"A-anyway… if I were?"
"How would you feel if your husband, already married, brought home a second wife?"
"A second wife?"
"Yes."
Irene sank into thought for a moment, then looked at me and answered as though it were nothing at all.
"Well… she'd be coming into our home for the first time and might struggle to adjust to all sorts of things, so I'd help her, I suppose."
"So you'd be fine with a second wife arriving?"
"Hm? Yes. It's just the family growing larger, isn't it?"
At Irene's words, I was freshly reminded once again that I had come to another world.
"I see…"
"B-but… w-why are you suddenly asking about marriage and such…?"
Irene put the question to me with her face flushed red.
"I was simply curious what you thought, Lady Irene."
"I… see?"
"Though that isn't the only reason, of course."
"…Huh? Th-then…?"
I smiled at her slightly startled expression.
"That's a secret."
"…"
Hearing me, she lowered her head, then let out a short sigh.
"…At any rate… you are a truly inscrutable man. In all my life, I have never met anyone as hard to read as you, Swen."
"Do you dislike that?"
"Well, not particularly."
She said this with a smile directed at me.
Anyway.
If Irene had no particular objection to my taking multiple wives… then depending on Reika's answer, I would need to think carefully about what to do next.
With that thought, I spent a leisurely evening with her.
After conquering Lacline Castle, the Asius Army marched its soldiers into the territory of the Charam forces, which it had left untouched for a time.
The occupation force led by Ernandof at the vanguard conquered Charam's lands without difficulty. Charam himself, their sovereign, vanished into the dew of the executioner's block and faded from history.
Holding four castles including Lacline, the Asius Army was no longer a minor power. At this scale, calling them a mid-tier nation would not have been wrong.
And some time later, word arrived that the Serpina Army had seized Hisphil Castle — formerly belonging to the Brans forces — northwest of Lacline Castle.
Yes.
At last, the borders of the Serpina Army and the Asius Army had come into contact.
And not long after those borders touched—
"An envoy from the Serpina Army?"
"Yes, that is correct."
Hearing the messenger's report, Yuuri nodded and sank into thought.
What is this? I can't think of a single diplomatic matter we might have with the Serpina Army.
"Zinor. What do you think?"
"Nothing comes to mind with any certainty. You will have to meet them, will you not?"
It was concerning, but as Zinor said, an audience would make everything clear. Yuuri steeled herself as best she could, then spoke to the messenger in a gentle tone.
"All right. Show them into the audience chamber."