455 – A younger brother who is cautious – 3
Persuading Sera was more difficult than persuading Zenobia. When persuading Zenobia, her opponent obediently cooperated, but now she said to the child who had harbored her affections since her childhood, ‘You will have to settle for the second time.’ Because it’s like giving a notice. It was a matter of my conscience rather than the other person’s attitude.
But there is nothing we can do. If Serra was also the daughter of the Count family, the order would have been determined based on who became Erich and her friend first, but unfortunately, if Serra, a male writer, became first, wouldn’t Zenobia be automatically eliminated? That’s something you can’t do to Zenobia.
“If you become the first, Zenobia will oppose or interfere until the end. Then this situation will continue, and maybe a third party will emerge.”
– That’s… Right.
What was even more heartbreaking was that Sarah, who listened to my persuasion, nodded her head with a bitter expression on her face.
She wouldn’t have felt so guilty if she had complained about why I was second and why she had to give up Erich to a thief cat.
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“But don’t worry too much. Erich isn’t the type of person to discriminate in order.”
Looking at Sarah like that, she offered comfort that did not seem like comfort at all. From the perspective of the second person, no matter what he heard, it would not be comforting, but I felt like I had to say something like this as a human duty.
And she’s not really lying. Erich has a destructive sense and intelligence – no, his intelligence is somewhat dangerous, but he is not a bad person. She will treat Sarah as one of her legitimate wives, not as a concubine, and she will not attach meaning to the first or second.
Instead, Erich’s title will be passed on to the children of his first wife, Zenobia, but since Serra is also expected to inherit the title of Baron Zeigel, it is not a big problem.
– Well. If Erich takes after her brother, then yes.
She was startled by the heavy stone ball flying toward her solar plexus.
Rather than saying something out of malice, say something like, ‘I’m the younger brother of someone who treats six fairly, so I don’t think there will be any problem with two.’ It may have been a remark with the same meaning, but after hearing those words, I was able to realize how a third party was looking at me.
The twisted older brother who took six wives himself and tried to make his younger brother have several wives as well.
‘This guy is crazy.’
My mind is dizzy. I feel like a villain who has come out to destroy the concept of monogamy.
– …Honestly, I don’t want to be second. She wanted to be Erich’s only wife, and if she couldn’t be the only one, she wanted to be the first.
However, when she heard Sarah’s gloomy voice, she was quickly able to control her emotions. I am a villain. Now I am no different from the victim but the second perpetrator.
Of course, the first one is Erichgo. That guy is such an asshole.
– But if your brother, who has only given you subtle support up until now, steps forward like this… It means that even the second time is a difficult situation, right?
“It’s not because you’re not good enough, it’s because Erich is so bad”
– No. It’s because I’m not good enough. It’s my fault that I couldn’t make any progress after living with Erich for a year.
She couldn’t come up with a suitable answer to Sarah’s faint smile.
I’ve definitely had that thought. She thinks that if Sarah had been more proactive, Erich might have reacted differently.
– What can I say since I missed the opportunity? And like her brother said, Erich won’t discriminate.
However, people watching from a distance also thought the same thing, so the person involved must have been appalled. Even though he didn’t express it on the outside, he must have felt a sense of self-destruction and anxiety inside.
‘It took too long.’
I looked at Sarah, who was still smiling bitterly as she tried to suppress her sigh. If this is the third or fourth month, she may shake her head and say that she can never give in. Because her heart hasn’t broken yet and the spark hasn’t gone out yet.
But it’s already been a year. It’s such an old-fashioned saying, but just as the saying goes that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, it was a huge mental burden for Sarah, who was far from healthy, to have suffered mentally for a year.
I guess that’s why they show depression and self-destruction when I persuade them, but they don’t object. It is truly a pity.
‘How can it not seem like someone else’s business?’
This time, I felt ashamed. The sight of one’s unrequited love putting up a strong iron wall, getting hurt and compromising is a very familiar sight to me.
Damn. There’s no need to be like this to be brothers.
After seeking the consent of the two prospective priests, a meeting of the wives was urgently held. Even though it is a wives’ meeting, Mar is still the only official wife, but it is a wives’ meeting anyway.
“That’s what happened, what should I do?”
“…….”
“…….”
After the detailed explanation of the situation was over, the meeting attendees exchanged glances with each other and remained silent. He probably seems confused about what to say.
Except for Eri and Fine, who are still in the administration, the other wives know well that Erich’s intellect is on the same level as the conscience of the unicorn, Atlantis, and the emperor, and that Sera’s insides are becoming hellfire. Well, it’s even weirder if you don’t know because you have real-time intuition like me.
That’s why it’s difficult. Even though Sarah and Zenobia signed the declaration of joint struggle, there is no guarantee that the result of the joint struggle will unconditionally lead to victory. Even if the two join forces, I’m not sure they can overcome Erich’s strong iron wall.
“It’s a good thing that the two of us joined forces. In a situation where it’s not enough to just focus on the goal, there’s no need to waste our energy on meaningless things.”
After silence, Mar opened his mouth.
Mar is currently the only hostess of the Crasius family. Since Erich’s marriage is related to the prosperity of the Crasius family, it is natural that the hostess, Mar, speaks first.
“But that’s it. In fact, the two of them have never been able to keep each other in check. Even if they join forces, nothing much will change.”
“That’s right.”
It was such a valid statement that she had no choice but to nod. At the club fair last year, the confrontation between Sera and Zenobia was fierce, but the number of times the two actually met face to face and put pressure on each other was extremely small. If you two gather in the same place, you will fight or not, but there is no reason for you to meet.
Thanks to this, even if the two join forces, dramatic changes cannot be expected. From the beginning, Sera and Zenobia’s capabilities were focused on Erich rather than keeping the other party in check.
The situation is so bleak that even the slightest change is necessary.
“So we need to fundamentally change the way we do things.”
“How?”
“Yes.”
Nodding her head resolutely, Mar closed her mouth for a moment, then spoke cautiously.
“We didn’t approach slowly for no reason, but directly, just like we honestly confessed to Karl.”
Those words reminded me of the stormy confession relay incident. It was a spectacular relay, starting with Trixie’s confession inspired by Mar, and ending with Rize, Rin, Eri, and Fine.
‘It will definitely be effective.’
I was convinced. At the time, I didn’t consider my lovers as members of the opposite s*x, but didn’t I look at them from a different perspective only after hearing their confession? Confession requires a lot of courage and risk, but it is extremely effective in revealing one’s feelings.
If you do not know the feelings of Sera and Zenobia even after receiving their confession, you are not human. It’s not that he doesn’t have sense, but he’s an inorganic entity that doesn’t know the emotion called love.
“Do you all think the same?”
I slowly turned my gaze to the other lovers and asked. Of course, Marr’s plan is effective, but it is a bit difficult to adopt unconditionally because it feels like ‘we can win if we drop nuclear weapons by surprise.’ Does anyone have the courage to confess?
Besides, I confessed at first, ‘Let’s just remain good friends.’ If the same answer comes back, there is no more hope.
“It’s been a year with no results, so shock therapy is not necessary. Even if you are rejected once, the fact that you showed your feelings to the other person is important.”
“That’s right. At least your perception changes from a normal friend to someone who likes you. Then, even if you reject him now, your thoughts may change later.”
And Trixie and Lynn, who received my gaze, supported Marr’s opinion.
Okay, unanimous.
“Well, I… I think so…”
However, Rize did not notice that I was being considerate, and expressed her opinion in a hushed voice.
Hearing that pitiful voice, I silently stroked Rize’s head. From Rize’s point of view, since she is discussing the marriage of her master, she cannot help but feel strange no matter what she says.
Nevertheless, I only called him to this meeting because I couldn’t leave him alone while all the other lovers were in attendance, and I think he felt a sense of obligation as an attendee.
‘This is all because of Erich.’
It’s really because of Erich.
***
After finishing training as usual today, I sat in the corner of the training room and caught my breath.
Although it is winter and the weather is cold and snowy, we cannot neglect our training just because of that. Being affected by the weather is something that only applies to soldiers, not knights. A true knight and warrior is one who can fight in any situation.
‘I guess I’ll have to find another sparring partner soon.’
I put the empty water bottle down on the floor and sighed. He was born as a member of the Crasius family and was already nineteen years old, and during those years he had countless sparring matches with the knights of the family.
Of course, as knights, they cannot seriously attack the master of the family, so he must have been reluctant, but even if he was not sincere, he continued to spar with the same opponents for several years. The situation is such that it is no longer possible to have a match where you can feel something different.
That’s why I desperately need another sparring partner. At least after entering the academy, I had classmates and seniors, but that was still a problem after attending the academy for two years.
‘I miss Ryutis.’
He thought of a redhead who would be in his country by now.
Ryutis was a boring sparring partner, but he was still a good sparring partner. He didn’t have his crazy guy around when he was nearby, but now that he isn’t there, I feel sad and think about him. He’s a strange guy anyway.
‘Should I go to another territory?’
I even had that thought. If the knights of the Crasius family are not enough, should he stick with knights of other families? Zenobia’s older sister is an imperial white, so if you ask her well, she will somehow do it.
“Master.”
“Huh?”
Just as the desire to whine to my sister was starting to wiggle, a knight came out.
“Lady Sera of Baron Trimara has arrived.”
“Sera?”
“Yes.”
With those words, I stood up. In the past, I visited Sarah, but these days, Sarah comes to visit me more often.
As a friend, I am very happy. My friend, who used to stay in bed every day, goes to the academy and comes to my house to play.
‘What’s going on?’
But I am a little puzzled. She contacted the communication office yesterday too, but there was no mention of her coming in person.
‘…I guess I just came here to have fun.’
After a short period of thought, I came to that conclusion. Her friend is coming to see her friend, but for some reason. Come if you want to see it.
I wonder if we can’t even do that much between me and Sarah.