Seirei Gensouki ~Konna Sekai de Deaeta Kimi ni~ - Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Chapter 163 : The Current Situation of The Sister

Currently, Roana Fontaine couldn’t move her body at all . Sitting in front of her on her official duty chair was the First Princess of the Bertram Kingdom, Christina Bertram .

She was an existence that Roana couldn’t go against, even being her childhood friend was due to her status as a Duke’s daughter . There was a large gap between her position and Christina’s, who was the first in line to the throne . Most of all, she had grace and ambition that the gentle Flora lacked .

Also, the people around her were the high ranking nobles of the kingdom, like Duke Euguno and Marquis Rodan, resulting in a tense atmosphere within the room .

「Shall I start with where Hero-sama stands in regards to having a political marriage with several women?」

Christina started questioning Roana in a casual tone .

The subject of all her questions was Hiroaki . Questions like what kind of life he led in the Royal Castle, why he didn’t accompany Flora and others . Basically, questions to uncover Hiroaki’s true nature .

Facing so many questions, Roana felt like she sat on a bunch of nails . Her replies were all incredibly stiff .

「… He’s extremely willing . 」

「And what kind of willingness is it?」

「For example… He participated in the tea parties with marriage candidates from the noble’s daughters every day . Whenever he found a woman that sparked his interest, he’d approach her assertively . 」
 

「In short, he isn’t unwilling to marry for political reasons . So it’s his own wish to have a few wives?」

The last question was asked in an extremely cold tone, easily intimidating Roana .

「Ye-Yeah . He showed strong disapproval to the ranking system of concubines . He wouldn’t turn away any women that approached him, but he’d only make a decision after meeting them several times . 」

「… Just to make sure, did you warn Hero-sama about the problems that will arise from having several political marriages at once and the number limit of official concubines?」

The Hero’s flippant attitude towards his concubines baffled Christina .

A myriad of nobles hid behind the concubines bound to them by marriage . Commonly, when there were several concubines, their rank was determined by their social position . The higher one’s position was, the greater the benefits they and their group would receive .

 

If there was no hierarchy between the concubines, it would create heaps of trouble . Naturally, there wouldn’t be any problems if the relationships between them were good .

But that was impossible without setting aside the interests of their original houses . Even more so when the number of concubines kept growing . That was why ranking the concubines was so important .

Hiroaki didn’t want to rank his concubines but whether it was because he didn’t like it or because he disregarded it, Christina didn’t know .

「Of course I’ve told him about that . But his values seem to be different from ours, or maybe he just hates being restricted by customs . He seems to think marriage is unnecessary . I… I don’t even know how to reprimand him . 」

Roana replied, feeling cold sweat forming on her forehead .
 

「… Well, it isn’t like your status isn’t high enough . 」

Polygamy marriages, either polygynous or polyandrous, were systems created to be the most reasonable ones for political unions . Because reasonability would most definitely be lost when the number of marriages exceeded the norm .

{ED: Polygamy is the practice of having more than one spouse (works for either gender) .

Polygyny is the practice of having more than one wife . ‘gyn’ is Greek for woman or female .

Polyandry is the practice of having more than one husband . ‘andro’ is Greek for man or male . }

Nevertheless, throughout history, it wasn’t a rare case for royals or nobles to have mistresses or several hundred concubines . For someone to accept unofficial mistresses left and right like Hiroaki was doing was the most undesirable outcome for a Hero . At the very least one couldn’t pretend to ignore such a problem .

Christina believed the reason she was so disgusted by this situation was that she was a woman . If it was her, she wouldn’t want to be treated like this .

(Where does his self-confidence come from? Or maybe he doesn’t understand the reality of the situation? If that’s the case… Oh, whatever . )

With a heavy sigh, Christina gave up on trying to understand Hiroaki’s motives .

「Then… you naturally won Hero-sama’s favor, right?」

「Ye-Yeah . With all due respect… 」

Roana timidly answered, shyly nodding her head .

「Allow me to ask you this, then . Even if you’re the daughter of a Duke, once you become his concubine, your status wouldn’t matter aside from formal occasions . Nevertheless, you still wish to marry that man . Does it really not matter to you?」

「… Yes, I don’t mind . 」

The First Princess stared at Roana, firing one question after another .

But Roana’s resolve never faltered .

「… I see . In that case, it is my wish that you support Hero-sama from now on as the daughter of the Fontaine house . You shall be his support, staying by his side as his most trusted aide and as the one who can understand him the most . 」

「… Y-YES!」

Roana’s reply was firm, in contrast to Christina’s nonchalant attitude .

「My apologies for taking up so much of your time . Please return to Hero-sama’s side . 」

「Yes!」

Seeing her dismissive motion, Roana bowed respectfully toward the princess before heading for the door . Before she could leave, she was called again .

「… Roana . 」

「Y-Yeah!」

Roana’s body jerked and she stood there silently, waiting .

「If possible, let’s meet again later . At that time, let’s have a relaxing chat, just like old times . 」

Christina said so with a plain, unadorned face that made her words seem even more honest .

After standing there in silence for a moment, Roana exhibited a surprised expression .

「… Y-Yes! With pleasure!」

◇　◇　◇

After Roana exited the room, Duke Euguno broke the silence .

「… Excuse me, Christina-sama . With all due respect, may I ask something?」

「What could it be, I wonder?」

The princess’s reply was calm, giving courage to the Duke to ask further .

He took the opportunity to dive right into the heart of the problem .

「What is your intention in canceling the engagement between Flora-sama and Hero-sama? Moreover, Flora-sama is still considered missing . Isn’t it a bit too fast, with the internal and external situations?」

He did not expect his princess’ reason to be so simple .

「This might be just my arrogance, but I want to know more about what kind of a person our Hero is . 」

「… And that’s by canceling their engagement?」

Duke Euguno still couldn’t understand the reason behind her actions .

「Yes . I couldn’t make a clear judgment since this is the first time I’ve met him . However, you understood the final result, right?」

「… But… Is it really necessary to take such a drastic measure like canceling their engagement?」

When Christina said something completely unbefitting her age, the Duke was rendered speechless . However, he was quick to regain his stance .

But the princess explained her thoughts to him in a very logical way .

「The Hero is still in his growth period . Though his power is certainly indispensable for Restoration, I believe that to be another reason for us to wait for his growth . Not to mention, I believe it’s too early for him to be betrothed .

Fortunately, we do not need to announce the engagement plan to the public since he has already made it clear where he stands . Therefore, I believe we need to revise the engagement plan, pick a woman from our side to be his legal wife . Why? Because I’m also included in the list of candidates for legal wives . 」

(Of course, it would be a different story if the person himself wanted to keep his engagement to Flora, but he agreed to cancel it with almost no protest . )

Christina calmly pondered about the Hero’s willingness to part with Flora .

Squinting his eyes, Duke Euguno calmly continued his inquiries .

「… Does that mean Christina-sama is also considering marrying Hero-sama?」

「Naturally . Rather, as the First Princess, I would be an appropriate candidate compared to  Flora . 」

Christina affirmed her position as the country’s First Princess as the basis for her marriage eligibility . Her true thoughts were very different than what she presented to the Duke .

(Yes, even if Flora returned, I alone am enough to be sacrificed for this foolishness . )

Her stance was enough to convince the Duke to back off .

「… It’s exactly as you say . My apologies, I jumped to conclusions too quickly . 」

「I don’t mind . Different opinions are valuable for a broader view on the subject, after all . From now on, if you have another point of view, do not hesitate to inform me . 」

「With pleasure . 」

She smiled at the Duke pleasantly, and he nodded at her respectfully .

His thoughts took a more serious tone .

(… As expected, she’s not as easy to deal with as Princess Flora . )

◇　◇　◇

Meanwhile, in a certain city located to the southwest of the Kingdom of Paladia .

Rio and Flora were staying at an inn . The quality was above average, but still unsuitable for royalty like Flora . But to find that kind of establishment in a provincial city of a small kingdom like Paladia was like scaling the heavens .

Fortunately, Flora did not seem to mind such things . When Rio came in with her, walking behind him, she looked at everything inside the inn, genuinely curious .

Rio made a beeline toward the innkeeper sitting behind the counter .

「Do you have any available rooms for two?」

「Yes, we have available rooms . Would you like one with double beds?」

To the female innkeeper, Rio and Flora seemed like a match made in heaven, to the point that she was slightly stunned when they arrived . However, she couldn’t simply assume they were in a relationship .

She maintained her business smile and queried them professionally .

It was the best approach . If they were together, they’d correct her but if not, then she wouldn’t offend them .

「Double… Beds?」

Flora couldn’t help but flush when she thought of sharing a room with Rio .

「No . Give us two rooms, please . They have to be one beside the other, with one right in the corner . 」

Unaware of where Flora’s thoughts headed, Rio instructed the innkeeper in how he wanted the rooms to be located .

「Ah, y-yes . We have two rooms available . But we have another room that might interest you, sir . Though it’s slightly more expensive, it’s on the top floor . It’s divided into two bedrooms, one living room, and a dining area . It’s the pride of our inn . 」

She advertised her best room while carefully gauging the couple’s reactions .

Contrary to Rio’s unperturbed expression, Flora looked very relieved .

(She might be a noblewoman traveling under a disguise or the daughter of a wealthy merchant . Or maybe… they’re secretly ELOPING!!)

The female innkeeper let her imagination run wild, taking care not to say a word about it . After all, whatever the case, they were now her customers .

After considering the offer for a few moments, Rio decided to check it out before accepting it .

「… May we take a look at the room first?」

「Naturally . This way, please . 」

The innkeeper flashed her brightest business smile and proceeded to guide them towards the room .

Once they arrived, Rio took a cursory look at the room and gave the woman his honest opinion .

「… I see . It’s definitely as nice as you said it was . 」

「Of course . And since the main door comes with a lock, it is safer than renting two rooms . 」

The grin on the innkeeper’s face threatened to split her cheeks apart .

Meanwhile, after wandering around the room, Rio evaluated the pros and cons .

(Princess Flora’s privacy can be guaranteed with this room, not to mention it’ll be easier to prevent any crime . )

「What do you think about this room, Laura-sama?」

「Y-Yeah! I’ll leave the decision to you . 」

He turned back to Flora to ask her opinion, but she simply nodded . Her decision made things much easier .

Rio returned to the innkeeper’s side .

「We’ll rent this room for a night, then . 」

◇　◇　◇

On that night, Flora enjoyed the rare experience of lodging at an inn . Rio headed to the kitchen to make their dinner, returning only an hour later . Meanwhile, she walked around the room restlessly, stopping after a while to sit down and enjoy the tea brewed by Rio .

A knock on the door came not long after that .

「Ah, yes!」

「It’s Haruto . I brought dinner, can you help me open the door, Laura-sama?」

As she expected, Rio stood on the other side of the door .

「Yes, please wait a minute!」

Flora smiled happily as she clumsily opened the door to her temporary room .

In front of her was Rio, holding a tray with both hands .

He had an amused smile on his face . Little did she know that, to him, she looked like a puppy eagerly waiting for its master’s return .

「Thank you for waiting . 」

「Welcome back . Wah, such a nice smell!」

The fragrance from the food drifted across the room, stimulating her appetite and making her smile from ear to ear .

「I’m glad it’s to your satisfaction . Shall we enter?」

「Yes!」

After opening the door, Flora did not move . If they stood at the door, with him holding the food, how were they supposed to eat? With a not so subtle nudge, Rio guided Flora inside the room .

He carefully lined the dishes on the table with practiced movements . The menu consisted of light foods, such as soft-cooked risotto garnished with sautéed chicken and mushrooms, a vegetable salad and a bowl of rich soup .

Flora’s breath caught in admiration .

「It looks delicious…」

「Please eat before it gets cold . 」

Pulling the chair, Rio urged her to sit down and start eating .

Flora sat and thanked him timidly .

With Rio now sitting in front of her, they began eating .

「Haruto-sama, today’s dinner is really delicious!」

「It’s my honor that my cooking is up to your palate . 」

While Rio kindly accepted her praises, his mind was elsewhere, thinking about how long it would take to arrive in Rodania .

(I still have another half a month until my promise with Aisia . It’s more than enough time even if we were to take the land route . I’ll check on Sensei’s situation after we arrive in Rodania before going back to the Spirit Folks Village . After that, I need to go greet Satsuki-san and Liselotte-san too . )

He thought about his plans on what to do after arriving in Rodania .