Chapter 337: The Right Answer
Lyan, for his part, could only sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to figure out how to defuse the situation. "Well, this is going to be the biggest pinch of my current life probably."
His words seemed to hang in the air, and for a moment, he wondered if the tension in the room would escalate. However, just as his mind began running through various escape routes or clever responses, something unexpected happened.
Alina, who had been sitting with her arms crossed, suddenly chuckled. "Biggest pinch of your life, huh?" Her tone was teasing, but not without affection. "You do have a talent for getting yourself into situations like this."
Belle smiled, shaking her head. "It’s not like we’re mad, Lyan. We just want to know..." She hesitated before continuing, "Are we all equally important to you?"
Lyan blinked in surprise. The question, simple yet direct, cut through the noise of the playful banter and teasing. He felt a wave of relief wash over him as he realized that, despite the way they had been pushing him for an answer, what they truly wanted was reassurance. They weren’t looking for conflict or some kind of hierarchy; they just wanted to know that they were all loved.
The weight of that realization hit Lyan, and he smiled warmly at each of them. "Of course you are," he said softly. "I love all of you equally."
There was a collective sigh of relief, the tension that had been building slowly dissipating. Lyan knew that he couldn’t leave things there, though. They deserved more than just vague reassurances. He had already thought about this decision carefully in the days leading up to this moment, knowing that the issue of wives and concubines would come up eventually.
"I’ve done some research," Lyan began, his voice taking on a more serious tone. "In this world, a noble can have up to three wives and multiple concubines. Now, I don’t expect all of you to be okay with that... but I want all of you to be a part of my life. My decision is to have three of you as my wives, but the rest will still be my concubines."
He paused for a moment, watching their reactions carefully. No one looked angry or upset, but there was a mix of curiosity and uncertainty in their expressions.
"But before you think that being a concubine is somehow ’lesser,’ I need you to understand," Lyan continued, his eyes soft and sincere. "All of you are equally important to me. There won’t be any favoritism. The reason for choosing three wives is purely for the sake of appearances—nobility and politics have their own rules. But as for my heart... it belongs to all of you."
The room went quiet as they processed his words. Wilhelmina, who had been listening intently, finally spoke up. "You do realize, Lyan, that you’ll face a lot of scorn for this decision, right? Other nobles, the kingdom—they won’t see it the way you do. They’ll gossip. They’ll judge you."