CH 327

It seems that my and Margarete’s plan worked well. Since then, Margarete has been going to Ludwig’s room for days, and now it seems that they are talking together in there.

At first, she patiently persuaded Ludwig to let her in as he did not allow anyone to enter the room, and she waited in front of the room herself until finally, Ludwig began to accept Margarete.

I don’t want to hear about whatever happened between the two of them, and I don’t want to hear what kind of rendezvous is going on in the room. So I don’t know the details, but Margarete seems to be going to Ludwig’s room every day now, so I’m sure it’s going well.

Rather, if Ludwig abandons Margarete after all this, I might just kill Ludwig. Margarete is a very good girl. I kind of heated it to ignition, but she still thought fondly of Ludwig since a long time ago. It is unforgivable to betray or abandon Margarete like that.

Well, Ludwig is no fool. He wouldn’t be so foolish as to throw away his cute childhood friend who has done so much for him. It seems that Ludwig is gradually recovering, so it can be said that I was able to properly complete the order from the King.

After that, I told my wives about Eleonore. But no one was surprised. Why is it so…….? Let’s recall those days for a moment.

“Fuhn…”

“Umm…” I said, “that ‘fuhn’… was that all of it?”

It was after returning from the royal castle, I reported to everyone that today, my engagement with Ludwig was officially dissolved and that I would marry Eleonore instead. But hardly anyone reacts. It was a very weak response.

“I knew that you disliked Prince Ludwig, Miss Flora…” Katharina said.

“There was no way the royal family would have left you alone, Floto,” Claudia said. “They were definitely going to try to tie you here somehow.”

“But since you weren’t keen on marrying His Highness, the Crown Prince…” Louisa said.

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“Instead, you’re marrying Princess Eleonore…… I could have predicted that,” Alexandra finished.

“I was wondering when you were going to do that,” Mikoto finished.

Eh~… what is this? Did that mean they all knew I was going to marry Eleonore one day? Did they think I was actively trying to do that?

Let me tell you, I never intended to do that. No, honestly…

I thought Eleonore was cute, but that’s the feeling of seeing a small child and thinking it’s cute. I’m not a lolicon or a pedophile. That’s why I never looked at her with a sexual gaze, and I wasn’t planning on marrying her.

I was thinking of ending my relationship with Ludwig, but then Eleonore was put forward instead. I never thought of it. Or rather, I hadn’t thought it was allowed?

“If this happens, who is the Queen in the relationship?” Mikoto asked.

“I know I’m low on the hierarchy,” Alexandra said.

“Right. I know we’re not officially married, but I’ll be a mistress at best,” Claudia said.

“Eh~… if all of you are saying that what does it mean for me, a commoner?” Louisa asked.

Everyone says something strange. But I certainly have to think about that too… Such a silly phrase like everyone being number one doesn’t work. In a society where social status is so clear, rank and order are important. Such foolish niceties as “everyone is number one” and “you’re all my only one.” don’t work.

“I think it will change greatly depending on whether Mikoto is the first wife or Princess Eleonore is the first wife,” Katharina said.

“I agree……” I said, nodding.

Considering the statuses of their families, Princesses Mikoto and Eleonore would be number one and number two. There is no other choice. My problem is that House Caan’s fate will be determined by who is chosen to be the first wife.

For me, a noble of the Kingdom of Ploiss, if I think about it normally, it would be a big deal to have a princess from my country as my wife. It would be logical to make her the first wife. However, in terms of the order of the countries, or the power relationship at the current stage, the Yamato Empire is more powerful than the Kingdom of Ploiss. Therefore, if I marry both of the princesses who are in almost the same position, it is only natural that the one from the stronger family should be the first wife.

There is a reason to choose which one to be the first wife, and no matter which one you set, the other will not stand for it, and there will always be a conflict. And this is where House Caan’s fate diverges.

If I take a princess from the kingdom I serve as my wife but give priority to a princess from another country and choose Mikoto as the first wife and Eleonore as the second wife, House Caan may turn the whole Kingdom of Ploiss against it. At least from the point of view of the royal family and those close to them, it would be an offense.

However, they cannot openly oppose it. After all, as mentioned earlier, the Demon Country, the Yamato Empire, is a superpower that surpasses the Kingdom of Ploiss. Even though the Yamato Empire alone is a great power that surpasses the Kingdom of Ploiss, there is even the Kamaal Alliance over here. It’s not a good idea to deal with them head-on, and it’s hard to complain about it.

And that’s why it’s going to be a deep-rooted problem. It would be nice if everyone agreed after arguing first, but the biggest problem remains that I don’t think it’s going to be so amiable on the surface, but I can’t say it out loud.

Then, since I am a noble of the Kingdom of Ploiss, should I choose Eleonore as my first wife and Mikoto as my second wife? That would be the problem. No matter how you look at it, it will ruin the face of the Yamato Empire. They’d get annoyed as to why I’m marrying the princess of a great power, the Yamato Empire, but not making her my first wife… I’m not sure they’ll ever get over it.

If things go wrong, Mikoto could end up being sent back to her country as they go to war with the Kingdom of Ploiss. That’s all there is to the princess being neglected. She is humiliated by the foreign royal family and is mocked when they remain silent. Normally, it would be like a declaration of war.

Normal citizens may be so ignorant that they probably don’t realize it, but normally if the head of state is made fun of, it’s no different than a declaration of war. It’s a situation like withdrawing diplomats and forcibly deporting people from the offending country who are staying in their territory.

Moreover, in this era of this world, there is a possibility that even this kind of thing could develop into a war. It’s not like today’s world where it’s like professional wrestling, you show a hard-line attitude.

Considering their statuses, Mikoto and Eleonore would be number one and number two, followed by Alexandra, Katharina, and Claudia. 1 And unfortunately, it is difficult to officially make Louisa an official wife.

If my status was lower, it wouldn’t have been a problem, but it’s unacceptable now while I’m still a viscount, and I’m likely to be promoted to a higher rank to match Eleonore. If I become a count or above, marrying a commoner would be outrageous. Aside from taking Louisa in as a mistress, formal marriage is not allowed to begin with.

“Ah~… just thinking about it makes my stomach hurt…” I said.

As far as I’m concerned, it would be fine if I could just have fun with my cute wives… but the people around me wouldn’t allow that.

Of course, it’s not all bad. Because of my current status, I have been able to live my life as I please. Rather, from my position and status, it would be more than enough. The King has also given me a lot of attention and given me preferential treatment. I know that much.

However, at the same time, it is also a responsibility and a shackle. I carry the lives of all the people on my shoulders. It should not happen, that even the people of the territory suffer because of me doing whatever I want. Besides, as long as I belong to an organization, it is my duty to follow the rules of the organization.

The rules of nobility are outdated in various ways, and there are many things that are strange if you think about them logically. Even so, it doesn’t mean that I can break the rules arbitrarily, and if I want to do so, I have to follow that procedure properly.

If it is not acceptable for high-ranking nobles to marry commoners, then instead of forcing marriages with commoners, it is necessary to change the rules themselves and convince the majority. If I’m free to do as I please, the rules are meaningless, and I’ll just become a tyrant.

“You know, Floto…” Claudia said. “You always say that, but you’ve never actually had a stomach ache, have you?”

“Huh…?” I went, tilting my head at her.

That’s not true? When I had to give a speech in public, or when I’m in a bad place, especially before I go to a meeting where I’m going to be blamed, my stomach hurts, right?

“I’m sure there’s a degree where you’re a little nervous… but I don’t think you’ve ever had a serious stomach ache, have you…?” Alexandra said, looking at me like I was a bit of a jerk.

… If you’re shy and timid like me, but you’re taking the brunt of this and that, I think you’re going to have a stomachache, right? It could be a stomach ulcer.

“You’re a strong person, aren’t you?” Claudia said. “There’s no way you’d suffer something like that, right?”

What is this girl saying!? No one has a more sensitive heart than me!

While arguing such things, in the end, it became tiresome to think about the important thing of the wives’ order, and before I knew it, I was procrastinating.

Now then… it’s been about a month since I’ve been staying in the royal capital. Since I stopped going to school halfway through, I was able to complete the secret passage in Charlottenburg ahead of schedule. I was also officially appointed as a diplomat, and I have sent a message to the Yamato liaison in Caanburg.

I was wondering what would happen with Margarete and Ludwig, but it looks like it will turn out better than I expected, and there was an unexpected happening that Eleonore became my fiancée, instead, but I think it’s generally going well.

That’s why I want to go to the Caan Knights Nation soon. The period is 2 months. After 2 months, I will return to the royal capital and take the school exams. Until then, the Caan Knights Nation has a lot of things to do… so let’s not think about it too much.

“Master Floto, we have received an official reply from the Empire,” Kanbee said, handing me the said document.

“Thank you,” I said.

This was for Ploiss officially requesting diplomatic negotiations with the Yamato Empire.

“I see… Then let’s proceed with preparations on this schedule.”

“Yes!” Kanbee says, bowing.

The reply stated that a formal diplomatic mission would be dispatched within 4 months. 4 months from now, we will be in the middle of the next long vacation. In that case, I can stay in the Caan Knights Nation for 2 months, take the academy exam in the royal capital for 1 month, and negotiate with the Yamato Empire while returning to the Caan Knighthood for a long vacation.

I have a lot of plans ahead of me. It’s hard when your schedule is so tight that you can’t wiggle. Let’s move forward as much as possible.

“Come on, come on! Eleonore! Over here!” Louisa said.

“Kyaa-kyaa!” Eleonore squealed.

“Um~…… this is the office, isn’t it?”

I warn the people who are playing and making noise while people are working hard. But they can’t hear me.

“Floto, finish your work quickly and have some fun,” Claudia said.

“Indeed. Which is more important, your future wife or your job?” Mikoto asked.

No… even if you say that work is important too… Which is more important, work or my wives? even if I was told that I have to work in order to protect my wives’ livelihood, it’s not a question of which is more important.

“Please rest well, Miss Flora. In the meantime, I will take care of Princess Eleanore,” Katharina said.

“No…… isn’t that just you wanting to play with her, Katharina?”

Your face is completely relaxed… All my wives are sweet to Eleonore. Even though she suddenly came to visit today, everyone is playing with her. And it’s too easygoing… If the King or someone in the royal castle saw such a scene, wouldn’t they faint from shock?

“Princess Eleonore is just so cute~,” Louisa squealed.

How should I put it…? Luisa is also bold. She usually says she’s a commoner, just a commoner, but she has this leeway when dealing with royalty and princesses… she definitely doesn’t care about her status, does she? Is that just the usual public appearances, what you’re supposed to say? Otherwise, this calm demeanor would not be possible.

No, is that okay? It’s very nice that all the wives get along well. It’s better for everyone to be harmonious like this than the muddy mess at the royal palace’s inner sanctum where the wives are fighting with each other. But…

“Now then, Princess Eleonore, let’s play with me next,” Alexandra said.

“No way, Swirly-Swirly!” Eleonore protested. “Swirly-Swirly always says nonsense things!”

“Swirly-Swirly… pupu!” I snickered.

Apparently, Alexandra is strict with Eleonore, saying that she needs to have the sense of a noblewoman, and the aura of one. That’s why she’s a little lofty. Even so, to call Alexandra “Swirly-Swirly”… Children are so honest.

“Hold it, Flora! What are you laughing at!?” Alexandra yelled.

“Hii!”

Even I’m the one caught in the middle of this. But it’s so peaceful…a wonderful day. I want this kind of everyday life to last forever.