Chapter 265: When Push Comes to Shove
The diplomatic chaos surrounding securing alliances with various nations had finally settled down. For the first time in what felt like ages, I had a chance to spend time alone with Silhouette, just the two of us.
We had planned to do this weekly, but it had constantly been delayed. Both of us prioritized state matters, and we also had to make time for the children.
In the end, I had been neglecting Silhouette, my own wife, something I deeply regretted. But for now, at least, we had this moment, alone in the royal bedchamber, with no one else.
「Silhouette is the first wife, after all.」
「What do you mean by that?」
She asked, her soft voice curious as I embraced her slender shoulders from behind.
She really was adorable.
I ran my hand through her shining strawberry-blond hair. It felt as though I were touching a priceless gemstone, but no treasure in this world was more precious to me than her.
Silhouette, with her fairy-like voice and ethereal presence, looked nothing like a woman who had given birth.
Being a half-elf, it was natural for her to possess such beauty, but she seemed so youthful and fragile that holding her almost felt sinful. Of course, there was nothing sinful about it—she was my lawful wife.
I chuckled to myself, mentally poking fun at my own thoughts.
「What’s funny about being with this queen?」
「Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about how I might be making you feel lonely, not being able to spend much time alone with you lately.」
「While this queen is handling affairs of state, I’m always thinking of you, Takeru-sama, so I don’t feel that lonely. If I can be of use to you, that alone makes me happy.」
What a lovely thing to say. Not just her appearance, but her heart was beautiful too.
「How about this? Once things calm down, why don’t we take a trip together? Just the two of us.」
「A trip… If we could take the children along for a picnic, that would be lovely too.」
She’s always so considerate, even at times like this.
Even though she had become the queen of a great nation, she remained humble.
「Silhouette, you don’t need to hold back. It’s alright to ask for something just for yourself now and then. I’d be happy if you did.」
「You don’t need to worry about this queen so much.」
「Of course I do! You’re my first wife, the most important woman in my life!」
Pulling her close, I voiced the feelings I had been holding inside. It felt a bit embarrassing, but I knew I needed to say it. I owed it to her to show my appreciation.
「Just being with you, Takeru-sama, is fun for me. But I am grateful for your kindness. I’ll look forward to our trip, then.」
「Yeah. You’re the one who’s holding the country together as its queen, and that’s why I’m able to fight. Whatever you want, I’ll grant it. Just tell me, and I’ll make it happen.」
「In that case… May I ask for just one thing?」
「Of course, anything.」
Silhouette blushed, her fingers fidgeting with the sheets, and hesitated before speaking.
「It feels a little embarrassing to say as a woman, but… Eleonora-sama has just given birth to a boy, and… I’d like another child too.」
「…I see. That should’ve been my suggestion in the first place.」
It was rare for Silhouette to be the one to bring it up.
Now that I thought about it, she had been the last of my wives to give birth to our first child, even after Eleonora, who had joined the harem later.
Perhaps this time, she wanted to be the first. That must be why she had initiated the conversation.
「No, it’s because this queen want it too…..」
「I want that too, Silhouette. I’m really glad you’re being so honest with me.」
「Yes!」
It had been quite a while since we last shared such intimacy. And so, as a husband, I honored my bond with Silhouette that night.
※※※
Since giving birth to our first child, something about Silhouette had… shifted, in the best possible way. It was as though we had found a new rhythm together. Before, I used to be hesitant, worried about her fragile, slender half-elf frame. But now, our intimacy flowed naturally, like a true husband and wife.
Maybe it was that we’d gotten used to each other, or perhaps her body had finally matured fully. As I gazed at her peaceful, satisfied face sleeping in my arms, I couldn’t help but think about the future.
I’d love to bring Silhouette and the others to Abyss Continent one day, but that was a plan for the distant future. For now, the looming threat of the Great Demon God took precedence.
We were doing everything we could to prepare, but there were no guarantees. If the worst came to pass, I’d make sure to get Silhouette and our family to safety, no matter what.
I’d already started making the necessary arrangements. Some might say I was a failure as a ruler for putting my family’s safety before the kingdom or the world, but to me, Silhouette and our children were my top priority.
I had lost those dear to me once before; I wasn’t going to let it happen again. As I watched Silhouette’s quiet breathing beside me, I noticed something rustling beneath the bed.
「Not again…」
Someone had snuck into our bedchamber. And by ‘someone’ I mean it could only be Caroline. Who else?
This had become a familiar routine. I sighed and pulled back the covers, only to find…
「Celestina… what are you doing?」
The beautiful, raven-haired Celestina, with her graceful form, emerged from beneath the sheets and draped herself over me. Her body exuded a sweet floral scent, reminiscent of cyclamen, bringing back memories of long ago.
Celestina, once an advance mage titled ‘Fascination’ , had become the queen of Aragon after we forged our bond.
「Well, I am your wife too, aren’t I?」
「That’s true, but… did you really come all the way from the Kingdom of Aragon just for this?」
「I heard you’ll need mages for the upcoming battle. As an advance mage myself, I thought I could be of service.」
「I appreciate that. But why are you in my bed…?」
「I arrived today and was invited here by Princess Caroline.」
「Of course, Caroline’s involved.」
I raised my voice slightly in frustration, but quickly clamped a hand over my mouth. Silhouette was still sound asleep next to me.
Sure enough, Caroline emerged from under the sheets as well, slipping her delicate fingers over my back as she explained.
Caroline was the next ruler of the Duchy of Transylvania.
「I came all the way from Transylvania and, as luck would have it, I ran into Celestina-sama at the border. Since it was Silhouette-sama’s turn tonight, we thought we’d sneak in together and wait for ours.」
「How does that even make sense?」
I muttered. Caroline had a habit of making light of serious situations, and now she had roped Celestina into her schemes.
Having such an enormous bed might’ve been a mistake. It made it all too easy for people to sneak in unnoticed. Not to mention, the security around the palace was clearly too lax.
「Who gave you permission to sneak in here?」
「Sharon-sama desu.」
Caroline said matter-of-factly.
At the doorway, I noticed it was slightly ajar, and peeking through, I could just make out Sharon’s dog-like ears. Sharon was the lord of the castle so she’s basically in charge, but with the two royals outranking her, she must have felt like she couldn’t deny them access.
Before I could dwell on it, Celestina pressed her ample chest against me from the front and spoke.
「Takeru-sama, you officially accepted me as your eleventh wife, didn’t you?」
「Yeah, that’s right…」
「Everyone’s been talking about how Eleonora-sama just gave birth. It seems like I’m the only one without a child yet…」
「Oh, right… It’s not like I forgot, but, well…」
Celestina had been incredibly busy with Aragon’s rebellion against Castilia and the aftermath. There simply hadn’t been enough time for us to be together, so, of course, she hadn’t conceived yet.
「Now that things have calmed down in Aragon, people are starting to say it’s time for an heir. But only if you think so, Takeru-sama. So, may we make an heir?」
She said, her tone demure, but her request was clear.
I couldn’t exactly refuse. And before I could respond, Caroline, still clinging to my back, spoke up.
「I don’t mind being last in line.」
Yeah, of course you’d prefer that. It was just the way she was.
「Alright, but you two will have to wait your turn.」
I said, gently freeing myself from their grip and getting out of bed.
I walked over to the doorway, where Sharon had been hiding. Her hand was caught before she could slip away.
「Ahaha, master.」
「What master?」
Sharon still had a habit of calling me ‘Master’ from her slave days, though she was now my wife.
「Sharon, you don’t have to do everything just because they’re queens. You’re my wife too; you can stand your ground.」
「But… I’m nothing compared to them.」
「Come here.」
「Everyone, keep it quiet.」
Celestina, ever graceful, asked softly,
「What will you do?」
「Sharon goes first. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the two of you after that.」
「But, Master, I don’t mind going last.」
「It’s fine.」
At this point, I had resigned myself to the situation. If anything, Celestina and Caroline could learn a thing or two by watching how I treated Sharon with the respect she deserved.
Besides, having another child with Sharon wouldn’t be a bad thing. Our first had been twins, but I had heard that it wasn’t unusual for a beastkin to have multiple children at once.
The more children, the better, right? Heck, I wouldn’t mind if we ended up with five more all at once.
「Just remember, everyone. Silhouette’s asleep, so keep it down.」
Three whispered ‘yes’ echoed in the room.
After finishing with Sharon, I made sure to give Celestina and Caroline their due attention as well, twice for each of them.
There was something about trying to remain quiet so as not to wake Silhouette that made the whole thing… strangely thrilling.
I was beginning to understand Caroline’s tastes a little too well, which was a little scary.
And to think, I managed to get through four women in one night, without the help of any strange concoctions from Oracle or the others. This had to be a new personal record.
Looks like I’ve leveled up quite a bit… though, this probably isn’t the type of level grinding I should be focusing on.