I told Narmi a story—
About the survival and struggle of a man who’s wallowing in a muddy mess. Of course, I was talking about myself.
“So, are you saying Theo is a descendant of Solomon? His grandson?”
Narmi furrowed her brow as if she couldn’t believe it. It was hard to tell whether her reaction was positive or negative.
“But did Solomon have a son? Wasn’t he single? I thought he never even took a queen. How could he have a grandson...?”
Ah, so that’s where she’s confused.
Mirna took it upon herself to explain.
“Solomon did have a son. Our father often mentioned him. Isaiah Gospel—that man was the son of the Demon King.”
“Really!?”
“Why are you acting like this is news to you? Father definitely told you about Isaiah.”
“Did he? It was boring so I must’ve forgotten. Anyway, so Theo is really an Angmar royalty? Not from a branch family but a direct descendant? He’s a prince!?”
Narmi suddenly threw up her hands.
“This is my first time meeting a prince! I’ve read about them a lot in stories! Oh my, a real prince looks like this! It’s not quite what I imagined...”
Narmi came up to me and touched my face, examining it from every angle. Was it common for young noblewomen to fantasize about princes?
Come to think of it, Elga once talked about her girlish dreams of marrying a prince on a white horse.
Then Narmi suddenly exclaimed.
“It’s different from what I imagined! I thought princes wore uniforms with medals hanging everywhere, hosting grand balls to choose their crown princesses!”
Mirna was the one to correct her.
“Narmi, reality isn’t like the fairy tales or romance novels you’ve read.”
“But think about it, Unnie! If the Angmar family hadn’t fallen, we might’ve been dressed to the nines, attending a ball hosted by Prince Theo!”
“And then, by chance, we’d lock eyes, dance together, and fall in love? But with our constitution, we would face many trials...”
“See, you get it, Unnie!”
The sisters quickly began chattering away about stories only they knew. I felt a little relieved that despite everything, the situation seemed to be smoothing out.
It was Mirna who brought their lively chatter to an end.
“But there’s no ‘what if’ in reality. It’s all just imagination. We have to face the future here and now.”
“About the harem?”
“... Yes, about the harem, and also about Sir Theo’s future plans.”
Tak-. Narmi clapped her hands together.
“So I’m going to become family with Lady Lioness? That’s hilarious. What if we all end up having kids? What happens to them? Are we all raising them together?”
Both Mirna and I fell silent at her question. Neither of us had considered this.
Until now, I had been focused solely on forming the harem, not on what would happen afterward.
“Narmi, it’s too early to worry about that.” fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
“No, the idea of a big family sitting around a table, eating together. Just imagine it—everyone sitting in one place, chattering away.”
At her words, I imagined everyone sitting at a table and eating. If we became a family, that would happen a lot.
Elga talking loudly, and Mirna scolding her for it.
Narmi would laugh at their antics, while Aira would elegantly carve her meat, paying no mind to the noise.
And Stella, sitting beside me, would wipe the sauce off my mouth with a handkerchief.
Narmi continued.
“If the weather’s nice, we could all stroll through the garden or enjoy tea together. Before bed, we’d have pajama parties. In the summer, we’d go to the beach, and in the winter, we’d visit hot springs. And then....”
There was an unusual hint of melancholy in Narmi’s voice. Perhaps she was reminiscing about the old days of the Draco family.
“A harem means having a big family, right? I think that’s nice. I’m tired of sleeping alone in a quiet place every night.”
Eventually, tears began to roll down Narmi’s cheeks.
Seeing her so sad, I got up and walked over to Narmi, who was sitting in the chair, and cradled her close.
Almost as if she had been waiting for this moment, Narmi leaned into my arms. I basked in the tender feeling—she’s just like a small little bird.
“Besides, I’m confident I can make Theo look only at me. No matter the situation, it’s up to me, isn’t it?”
Narmi looked up and smiled mischievously.
It seemed I had been the one who got played all along.
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