Chapter 493: Chapter 488: 「Ya Got It Tough, Boss」

I awoke to the faint rustling of clothes. The warmth that should have been beside me was already gone, leaving only a lingering trace. As if sensing that I was reaching out for her warmth, a gentle hand slid into mine. Feeling reassured, I squeezed her warm hand, and then I started hearing a soft swishing sound, like something fluffy cutting through the air.

「…Good morning.」

「Good morning, my Lord.」

When I opened my eyes, I saw Kugi, wearing my T-shirt, smiling at me from the bedside. The soft swishing sound seemed to be coming from her three tails. The fox-like animal ears on top of her head were twitching playfully, and her golden eyes sparkled with lively energy. It looks like Kugi is in top form today too.

「Hehe…」

As I continued to absentmindedly squeeze her hand in my half-asleep state, Kugi started to giggle at me. Maybe she was thinking something like, ‘Even though you teased me so much last night, you’re acting all sweet now that it’s morning…’ Well, it’s not like I enjoy teasing her that much. Kugi is just really good at tempting me… If anything, I might be the one being toyed with, sometimes I feel like I’m in the palm of her hand.

「Guess I should get up…」

「Yes, my Lord. Let’s take a bath. I’ll wash your back for you.」

「I’m looking forward to it, you really know how to wake up someone.」

I’m really looking forward to it. The only problem is that after the bath I’ll have to endure something really troublesome.

☆★☆

「Even though you have Lady Christina as your fiancée, you’re sharing a bed with another woman…?」

「…」

After enjoying a pleasant morning bath with Kugi, the two of us headed to the lounge area to relax. But it was there that I ran into the source of my apprehension.

As soon as we met, I felt two sharp gazes piercing my face. One came from a beautiful woman with wavy brown hair, wearing an elegant knight’s uniform, complete with a sword at her waist. The other came from a tall blonde maid with a slightly harsh expression, wearing a maid outfit that was a little different in design from Mei’s.

「I can’t exactly share a bed with Chris… Besides, Chris fully understands our lifestyle and is still willing to build a relationship with me.」

「That may be so, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about being neglected.」

My fiancée-to-be pouted as she said this, giving me a sidelong glare while poking my chest and stomach repeatedly with her index fingers. Stop please, it hurts more than it looks. And why do you only use your index fingers? Are you trying to press some secret pressure points?

「I’m not neglecting you. That’s precisely why I’m not hiding anything and interacting with you as normal.」

「Mmm… So, in other words, this is a test to see if I can endure your lifestyle, Hiro-sama?」

「I think ‘test’ is a bit of an overstatement.」

I exasperatedly shrugged my shoulders, and my fiancée-to-be, Chris—Christina Dareinwald, the next Countess Dareinwald—finally decided to stop her relentless poking.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

To be honest, the crew had divided opinions on whether we should restrain ourselves or continue our life as usual while Chris and the others were on board. Mimi, Mei, Tina, and Kugi insisted that we should keep things as they normally are, while Elma and Wiska argued that we should show some restraint. What about Dr. Shouko and Neve? Those two just watched the whole thing unfold with amused grins on their faces.

The girls who wanted to keep things as usual outnumbered the rest, and I also felt that we should continue as normal. So, last night, in accordance with our usual schedule and the order decided by the girls themselves, I spent the night with Kugi.

Now, why didn’t we hold back even though Chris and the others were with us? Well, let’s assume that in the future, Chris and I successfully become engaged, and then eventually get married. Even if that happens, I don’t have any plans to quit my job as a mercenary. At least not at this point. Why? Because I still have something I need to find.

Yes, I’m talking about cola. That black, sweet, refreshing, and tangy carbonated drink. If I marry Chris, we will probably build a grand mansion with a garden somewhere on one of the residential planets owned by Earl Dareinwald and live a leisurely married life there. But will there be cola there? No, there won’t. Without cola, without that nectar, the peaceful life with a house and garden that I dream of wouldn’t be complete. Without cola—oops, my thoughts wandered off there.

「That said, your understanding isn’t entirely off the mark. Even after marriage, I don’t intend to change my lifestyle. If that happens, there will naturally be a lot of time when Chris and I are apart. And I’ll still keep my relationship with the other girls. If you can’t endure that, then you might want to reconsider our marriage. That’s just the plain truth.」

There’s no point in putting on an act just for now. Sure, there’s some validity to the argument that, since Chris is with us, we should show some restraint, or at least consider her feelings during this short period. But…

「Of course, I understand that. But since I can’t be with you at night, you could at least pay more attention to me during daytime, right?」

「Well… yeah, I suppose.」

Chris gave me a dazzling smile in response to my reply.

☆★☆

「So that’s why Chris-chan has been sticking so close to you all morning.」

As we started having breakfast in the dining hall with Chris and the others, Mimi arrived a bit late and sat down across from me and Chris, who was sitting beside me. She nodded with an understanding look on her face.

「I’m learning how Hiro-sama usually lives.」

Chris replied, puffing out her chest proudly next to me.

I had to refrain from commenting on the difference in chest armor between the two of them, but the words ‘battleship’ and ‘destroyer’ came to mind. It used to be more like the difference between a battleship and a corvette, so I suppose that means she’s been growing steadily. She might already be on par with Elma, or even—

「Ouch!」

「Oh ho ho. I just felt some unpleasant waves, so my hand moved on its own.」

Elma, who sat down next to me on the opposite side of Chris, glared at me after smacking me on the head. Her breakfast today was as hearty as ever. What’s with this ‘unpleasant waves’ anyway? When did Elma develop some kind of telepathic ability?

By the way, Kugi didn’t come straight to the dining hall with us; she went to fetch Dr. Shouko, who was still holed up in her lab. That person gets so absorbed in her research that she’ll go on working for hours without eating, so someone has to check on her and make sure she eats.

「Ya got it tough, Boss.」

「Oh, you don’t need to mind us too much…」

「No, I won’t disregard you two, I’ll treat everyone equally.」

Tina seemed fine, but Wiska looked a bit uncomfortable around Chris, probably due to Chris being a noble. So she and Tina had moved to a slightly distant table. While Wiska’s reserved and gentle nature is one of her virtues, It can become a problem when she restrains herself that much… Though I’m not saying she should be as bold as Tina.

「If ya keep starin’ at me so intently, ya’re gonna make me blush.」

「Yeah, that’s right. You’re always cute, Tina.」

「Hehe, thanks!」

Tina blushed slightly and gave a shy smile. Yup, she’s cute. Seeing our interaction, Chris started watching Tina intently as if wanting to commit to memory Tina’s actions to later reproduce them. But honestly, I doubt Chris could imitate Tina’s charm, that only works when it’s natural.

☆★☆

「So, on a more serious note. How much does Earl Dareinwald know about the situation?」

After finishing our meal and exercising in the training room, I moved to the lounge and asked Chris this question. However, Chris quickly averted her gaze. Hey, this is no joke, don’t mess around with me like that.

「Haha, just kidding. My grandfather is fully aware of the circumstances, and of course, he supports the idea of me getting engaged to you, Hiro-sama. It’s just…」

「Just?」

「Not all of our vassals are entirely convinced.」

Chris said, her shoulders slumping.

「I see…?」

Even as I said that I tilted my head in confusion. The vassals of the Dareinwald House were probably retainers of lower rank, like viscounts or below. Would such vassals have the power to interfere in the marriage matters of their lord’s family? It seems they have, given that Chris brought it up as a concern.

「What’s the problem? Well, I suppose my status or position is a big issue for being the consort of the next Countess.」

「It’s not so much about your status, Hiro, the issue is that some of those vassals want to use this opportunity to position someone from their own family as Chris’s husband. That way they can improve their standing within the Dareinwald faction.」

「Um, well, not everyone has bad intentions, you know? Of course, there’s a certain amount of calculation involved, but many of them genuinely believe that they are doing it for Dareinwald House’s sake, they think that in this time of crisis for the House, it’s their duty as vassals to support us.」

Chris replied with a slightly awkward smile, waving her hands to placate Elma, who was giving her an unconvinced glare.

Still, I imagine Chris finds it rather annoying. After all, she wants to marry me.

「However, there’s some validity to what the vassals are saying. As a noble in name only, I don’t have any real backing, I wouldn’t exactly be a strong ally in helping the Dareinwald House out of a tight spot… But is the Dareinwald House really in such dire straits?」

「In a way, yes. If I were to die without leaving an heir, it could potentially lead to the end of our House. Of course, there are several vassal families with Dareinwald blood if you trace back far enough, so in that event, one of them would likely be chosen to continue the Dareinwald House.」

「Doesn’t that mean that, in the worst-case scenario, someone might try to assassinate you to take over the Dareinwald House, Chris?」

Upon hearing my question, I felt a sharp intent emanating from Edeltrud and Marion. This must be the anger they’re directing at me. My psionic abilities have been steadily improving, so I’ve become sensitive enough to pick up on things like this.

「I don’t think there are any families thinking that far ahead, but the possibility isn’t zero.」

「I see. Well, let’s set that issue aside for now. Are there any problems besides the potential end of the Dareinwald bloodline?」

「There are countless smaller issues, but the main concern the vassals have is that bringing you, Hiro-sama, into the Dareinwald House doesn’t offer us any direct benefit.」

「That’s a valid concern.」

「However, since it has been decided that you will also be engaged to Serena-san and Elma-san, this gives you a strong connection with the imperial capital, and Marquis Holz House which is a prestigious military family with a larger territory than our Dareinwald House. If we can establish future trade, personnel exchanges, and technology exchanges with their territory and the imperial capital, it would provide significant benefits.」

「So, thanks to my engagement with Elma and Serena, the vassals’ concerns have essentially been eliminated?」

「Exactly. All that’s left is to return to the territory and convince everyone.」

After saying this, Chris smiled brightly.

I see. In other words, everything has been solved already so we don’t need to be too much on guard. Yeah, there’s definitely going to be some trouble. No way things are going to be so easy.