‘My list of marriage partners has grown… again.’
How did it end up like this?
I suddenly found myself wondering.
At first, when I had just possessed this body, I wouldn’t have even hoped for more than Charlotte and Julia.
Ah, after realizing Yuri was a woman, that made three.
Ah, after going back in time and saving young Sylvia, that made four.
Ah, after learning that Irene had endured painful days waiting for me ever since she met me in the past, that made five.
‘Hmm… So this is how it kept increasing…’
Thinking back carefully, I quickly accepted the reality.
It had only increased because it was meant to.
I had deviated far from my original plans, but every change was necessary.
I had so many fiancées who had grown up according to my preferences—how could I choose just one and abandon the others?
I had reincarnated into a world where polygamy was legal, after all.
If I were only going to choose one, then taking in both Charlotte and Julia from the start had been a mistake.
Since it was legally allowed and I had more than enough ability to take responsibility, there was no reason not to have multiple wives.
None at all.
Unless I was some broken man with shattered self-esteem, muttering nonsense about not being able to love them all equally—there was no reason at all.
“Did you enjoy your time?”
Then, emerging silently from behind a pillar, Sylvia revealed herself.
She immediately moved to my side.
At a glance, her expression seemed indifferent, but I could sense a trace of dissatisfaction in her face.
“I am to wed Her Majesty. For now, keep it confidential. They’ll probably make an official announcement soon.”
“Hmm. Not surprising. I more or less expected this ever since I met Your Majesty as a child in the past.”
“…You noticed back then?”
“Yes. From that day on, Master’s gaze toward Her Majesty changed. It would be strange if I hadn’t noticed.”
“…”
My gaze had changed from that moment?
That was news to me.
I thought I had only started seriously considering marriage with my imperial sister much later.
But perhaps, from the moment I met her as a child, I had unconsciously already marked her as a fiancée.
“So, was it enjoyable? Experiencing the body of Her Majesty, who was a minor until just yesterday?”
“Why does your voice sound so sharp?”
“It’s just your imagination. I’m genuinely curious.”
“…”
Sylvia shot me a cold glare.
Her voice was much icier than usual.
She seemed to be in a foul mood.
But since she had no justifiable reason to be angry, she was likely suppressing her emotions with great effort.
“Are you jealous?”
“Hah. Of course not. I serve you, Master, and am loyal to the Empire. How could I dare to harbor jealousy over your relationship with Her Majesty?”
“Be honest. Doesn’t it bother you that a newcomer has displaced an old one?”
“…Not at all.”
“Your voice sounds quite curt, though.”
“…”
This girl… She used to be much better at hiding her emotions.
But the more time passed, the more her feelings were showing on her face.
Thinking back to her childhood, when she was nothing more than an emotionless human weapon, this was certainly an improvement.
So I decided not to make a big deal out of it.
“You said you would match the others’ pace, right?”
“…I will correct myself. I will match the progress of the other wives.”
Sylvia had never gone beyond kissing before, for the sake of the children.
She had assumed I would only take child brides.
But now that my adult imperial sister had stepped in, she was clearly feeling pressured.
“So, at the very least… I demand that you engage in acts of equal intimacy with me as you did with Her Majesty just now.”
“You see? Doesn’t it feel better to be confident?”
“…”
I pulled Sylvia into an embrace, holding her close.
Maybe it was because she wasn’t used to me making the first move—
Normally, she acted like a feral dog in heat, but suddenly she was playing the demure lady, her face blushing furiously.
She was impossible to figure out.
“D-Do I not need to change into my younger form…?”
“What the hell are you talking about? If you transformed now, I’d have no excuse even if I were thrown in jail.”
“I was under the impression that Master had a phobia of physical contact with adult women…”
“…That kind of phobia doesn’t exist.”
“Then what has all this been until now?”
“It was just that your… violent chest and hips made it feel like I was constantly under threat whenever you got too close. Now that I’ve gotten used to it, it doesn’t feel as overwhelming.”
“W-Wait!? V-Violent!? What do you mean by that!?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ sympathizes with you and supports your argument.]
Her body was the kind of thing you’d only see in game illustrations—completely unrealistic.
A chest that seemed ready to burst, a waist so narrow it seemed fragile, and voluptuous hips.
When I first saw Sylvia after possessing this body, the sheer shock was beyond words.
I was certain that anyone else in my place would have reacted the same way.
Every time I saw those absurdly large and intrusive fat deposits, my body involuntarily recoiled, filled with an inexplicable sense of fear.
But by now, I had adjusted.
Perhaps because I had personally witnessed her as a frail, flat-chested child, I no longer felt that same intimidation.
Now, even as I held Sylvia tightly enough for her chest to press against me, I didn’t feel nearly as threatened as before.
…Probably.
“So the reason you’ve been oddly cold to me all this time… was that?”
“Most likely.”
“I had assumed Master had a particular taste that prevented him from being attracted to adult women.”
“Hey.”
This girl…
If I let her keep talking, she was bound to spew more nonsense.
So I decided to shut her up.
As I brushed her hair behind her ear, she quickly closed her eyes, lifted her chin, and met my lips for a kiss.
As I pulled my head back slightly, Sylvia stood on tiptoe, closing the distance again.
Lips brushed against lips.
The sound of swallowed breaths broke the silence.
Tongues intertwined, blending together until it was impossible to tell whose was whose.
And just then—
Sylvia suddenly began unbuttoning my shirt, one button at a time.
“Sylvia. Wait a moment.”
“Why are you resisting? Ah… is this that kind of play? I understand now.”
“Understand what? Hey. Stop for a second.”
“You said you’d match the others’ pace. Then, just like with Her Majesty, I should—”
“I have only kissed her.”
“…What?”
Slrrp.
Sylvia, who had been unfastening my buttons, her own shirt already halfway open, suddenly lost all strength in her hands.
Her face turned beet red in an instant.
…It seemed she had assumed I had just come from an entirely different kind of engagement with Her Majesty.
***
“W-What!? You’re marrying Her Majesty? …Really?”
“You’re marrying Empress Vanessa? For real? Wow…!”
Julia’s face showed clear shock at the unexpected news, while Charlotte’s face lit up with excitement.
If some random stranger had become Aslan’s wife, it might have been uncomfortable—
But Her Majesty adored them dearly!
‘And besides… she really seemed to love Aslan too…’
She had never said it outright.
But the way she gazed at Aslan, those deep, longing eyes… they were so similar to Julia’s own.
A mix of yearning, possessiveness, and affection—
Yet restrained, as if afraid to reveal too much.
Julia had always worried that Her Majesty would hesitate and suppress her feelings until she eventually gave up, just like she had.
But it seemed she had finally gathered the courage.
Charlotte was genuinely happy things had worked out.
‘Why does this list keep growing…?’
On the other hand, Julia was filled with an overwhelming sense of unease.
She tried desperately to keep her expression neutral.
Wasn’t it enough with me, Charlotte, Yuri, and Knight Sylvia?
Irene had already been making her move, and now even Her Majesty?
A sinking dread made her bite her lip.
It felt as if Aslan was drifting further and further away.
‘But… wasn’t this exactly what I wished for before…?’
She realized something.
This anxiety she was feeling now—
Once upon a time, she would have considered it a luxury.
Back then, she had believed Aslan would obviously choose Charlotte as his wife.
Julia had thought herself too bothersome, too difficult, too cold and cynical for him.
So, all she had wanted was for Aslan not to be the kind of man who would limit himself to just one wife.
She had wanted him to take multiple wives.
And yet now, after she had secured her place, she selfishly wanted him to stop adding more?
That was absurd.
It frustrated her a little.
She still feared that Aslan might start paying her less attention.
But the dark, suffocating anxiety that had been bubbling up in her chest…
It faded away, just like that.
“Hmmm… There aren’t any more, right?”
“There aren’t. I can say that with certainty.”
“Well, then that’s fine. I mean, Aslan does have that nasty habit of rescuing distressed girls, taming them, making them fall for him, and then taking them as wives… But at least he’s not some mindless womanizer who chases after just anyone. So I can be at ease… right?”
“…That was a compliment, wasn’t it?”
Just as Julia flashed a satisfied smile—
‘Wait…!’
A realization hit her like a bolt of lightning, and she screamed internally.
If they were going to marry Aslan, they still had at least four more years before they were old enough.
Five years for Charlotte.
Which meant…
In the meantime, Aslan—who was already an adult—
Would be spending that time with Empress Vanessa, Sylvia, and Irene, doing all sorts of things that only adults could do…!
‘I want to grow up quickly…!’
The thought sent a wave of frustration through Julia.
She cursed her slow-growing age for the first time in her life.
