Chapter 207

Chapter 207

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 207: Bigamy (12)

I had a dream about Cartesia overwhelming me – soft tentacles binding my arms and randomly licking my lips. I felt paralyzed, unable to move.

“Hey, wake up!”

A sharp voice cut through my dream. It was Ceti. These days, my little sister has taken on the role of my morning alarm.

I rubbed my eyes and sat up. Despite sleeping heavily, my head throbbed – probably from oversleeping. Still, it was a vast improvement from how I felt before collapsing.

As my thoughts cleared, I noticed my arms felt unusually heavy. Ah, right – I’d fallen asleep with Rustila and Zelnya using my arms as pillows. My left wrist rested against something cushion-soft, while my right felt a pudding-like squishiness. It was like holding flowers in both hands.

“What the hell did you do at home yesterday, you crazy guy!”

Ceti shouted.

“I slept.”

I replied calmly.

“Slept? With all four of them?”

“Yes, together.”

Her golden eyes darted wildly in all directions like a joystick as if experiencing a magnitude 9.0 earthquake. Did she think her brother had accomplished some grand feat overnight?

“We just slept together. Literally just slept.”

“Don’t give me that crap.”

“Then don’t believe it.”

Ceti trembled.

Wait a minute – four? Slept with four?

There was me, Rustila, Zelnya, and…

“……”

Now that I was paying attention, it wasn’t just my arms that felt heavy. There was a subtle weight on my lower body, too. Sure enough, Sonia was sleeping soundly, nestled against my leg.

Why was she here, too?

“Sonia. Sonia?”

“Mm, Master. Are you awake?”

“Why are you lying here?”

“Oh dear.”

Sonia quickly stood up. Uncharacteristically, she was drooling. She wiped her mouth and cleared her throat, composing herself.

“I was monitoring your condition all night, and I ended up displaying such an unseemly appearance… I apologize.”

“No, thank you for looking after me.”

When I first possessed this body, I would have been cursed and beaten for any mistake. Seeing this change in the exclusive android’s demeanor touched something in me.

Moved by emotion, I patted her head. Sonia’s eyes widened in surprise.

“…Young Master?”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Sonia adjusted her headband. She rolled her eyes and gently covered her mouth. A subtle silence lingered for several seconds

“…Please prepare yourself. I’ll quickly make something light to eat.”

“Alright, thank you.”

Sonia practically fled from the room.

“Hmm.”

For some reason, my mouth felt strange and dry.

How should I describe it? Like I’d slept with an eraser in my mouth? Or perhaps like I’d licked a battery? The sensation was difficult to put into words, but that peculiar taste lingered on my tongue.

Maybe it’s just hunger.

Dismissing these thoughts, I began to move carefully.

As I gently withdrew my arms from supporting the two women, Rustila and Zelnya started to stir. Rustila sat up at a perfect right angle, like a soldier, while Zelnya…

“Ugh, ugh.”

She continued to groan.

Zelnya gasped as if struggling for air, her hand flailing aimlessly. She seemed caught in a nightmare. I quickly grabbed her hand.

Her breathing immediately stabilized.

“Ha, ha, ah…”

“Are you alright?”

Purple eyes slowly opened. Zelnya exhaled in relief before speaking.

“It was… it was just a dream.”

“What kind of dream was it?”

“From the south, the Outer Gods swarmed in and killed everyone. Your family was destroyed, and that Whiritia girl was burned by an Incarnate with a matchstick-like head… Ha, it’s absurd. Just a silly dream.”

The great invasion of the Darwin Legion Outer Gods – a scenario that happened after Zelnya died in the original story.

Could she have developed prophetic abilities after escaping death?

That wasn’t the important issue right now, though.

I had shared a bed with two women who couldn’t stand each other.

Just imagining their reactions upon seeing each other was enough to make me anxious.

“Ah…”

“Sigh.”

Upon noticing each other, both women sighed and grimaced as if they’d encountered their least favorite person.

We hadn’t been drinking, so there was no excuse for a drunken mistake. Last night, both of them had consciously chosen to lie down in the same bed as me.

A subtle battle of nerves was inevitable.

“Aidel, did you sleep well?”

“Say good morning.”

They simultaneously leaned their cheeks toward me.

No matter who I kissed first, it would surely cause drama.

But I had an idea.

“Thanks to you both, I slept peacefully.”

I cupped both their cheeks with my hands, gave them a gentle rub, and then pulled them both into a shoulder hug.

This seemed to satisfy them, as they both kissed my cheeks simultaneously. Having one mouth but two cheeks proved quite convenient in situations like this. (It also made me realize I shouldn’t add any more wives.)

“I kissed him first.”

“No, I did.”

“Thieving cat.”

“None of your business.”

Ah, so they’re still at it.

Though tired from the morning’s events, I felt happy.

“Crazy guy. Hey, stop fooling around and come out.”

Ceti grumbled as she left.

“Ah, good morning…”

As I was folding the blanket and preparing to leave, I had a brief mental hiccup seeing Ire emerge from my entrance exam study room, but I played it cool.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

I decided not to mention that Ire had slept in my bed.

It would only make things awkward.

Upon hearing that Aidel had regained consciousness, Jerome and Brian found themselves in a state of immediate distress.

“They’re saying he’s made a complete recovery.”

“That’s certainly a relief.”

“……”

“……Ha.”

Neither man had wished death upon Aidel – he was, after all, a crucial link between their two prominent families.

Yet the thought of him walking around in perfect health was somehow unbearable.

“What’s your next move?”

“Given that your daughter and my brother are both family heads, we’ll need to establish some form of dialogue moving forward.”

“Are you suggesting we provoke marital discord?”

“No, I’m proposing a discussion. After all, a family can’t have two heads, can it?”

“What outcome do you envision?”

“I’ll defer to the couple’s judgment.”

Jerome inwardly scoffed at Brian’s craftiness.

Brian changed the subject.

“Something troubles me. Until just two days ago, my brother was critically ill, dependent on a respirator for survival. Now, he’s suddenly walking around perfectly healthy. Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”

In martial arts literature, there’s a phenomenon called ‘Hui Guang Fan Zhao’ – like a dying candle’s final brilliant flare, it describes a terminally ill person experiencing a brief surge of vitality before the end.

Could Aidel be experiencing such a temporary revival?

“I fear he might relapse.”

“I share your concern.”

“What’s more worrying is that our father authorized his discharge. He should have remained hospitalized for observation, at least for a few days.”

“Perhaps there were no concerning symptoms.”

“Still, the discharge seems premature. I wonder if they’re rushing to arrange a wedding.”

“Hmm.”

A wedding, indeed.

For Jerome, the worst possible outcome would be Zelnya marrying into the Reinhardt family.

However, he considered this highly unlikely.

For two decades, Jerome had known his daughter Zelnya as an ambitious child with an insatiable hunger for power. She never accepted second place, a trait deliberately cultivated in her upbringing.

During her years of constantly placing second to Aidel, her frustration manifested daily.

For someone of her character to enter, a marriage of convenience seemed improbable.

More likely, she would use this situation to exact her revenge on Aidel.

True, even the formidable Zelnya had shown considerable affection for Aidel… but a stern fatherly discussion could readily address that. Jerome understood his daughter’s ambitions better than anyone.

“There’s nothing to fear. This will create a favorable alliance with good in-laws. More importantly, shouldn’t you check on your brother now? I’d be quite distressed if my future son-in-law suddenly passed away.”

“I was just about to return to the college.”

“Good. Make haste.”

Brian offered a slight bow before departing.

Once alone, Jerome released a heavy sigh.

It was a classic case of different dreams shared by bedfellows.

Both men envisioned Aidel becoming the Adelwein family’s son-in-law. This would undoubtedly strengthen the ties between their prominent families.

However, the nature of that connection would ultimately depend on future power dynamics.

“Brian…”

He is clever, indeed.

To think he could use Aidel to influence the Adelwein family…

But he had overlooked one crucial detail:

When it came to political maneuvering, his daughter Zelnya far exceeded Brian’s capabilities.

In the end, the Adelweins always emerged victorious.

“From today on, I’ll be your attending physician.”

“But you haven’t even attended the graduation ceremony yet. How can you…?”

“I have Deneb. That makes me far more competent than some mediocre licensed doctor, wouldn’t you say?”

I wondered where this self-confidence of hers came from.

Zelnya insisted on following me to my laboratory. Despite my attempts to placate her, explaining that I couldn’t let her fight with Rustila, all I got in return was a sharp pain.

“Ouch!”

“Oh my, where does it hurt?”

“My shoulder…”

“Let me examine you. Oh dear, you have bite marks? This is a condition that develops from neglecting your wife for too long.”

“H-how do I cure it…?”

“Give her love.”

Reluctantly, I embraced Zelnya and kissed her. The height difference made for an awkward angle, but Zelnya eagerly deepened the kiss, her tongue intertwining with mine as she gently caressed the spot she had bitten.

“Those two…”

Rustila’s gaze was piercing.

In the end, I could only appease the situation by giving Rustila an equally passionate kiss. Afterward, Zelnya remained in my laboratory for a while.

“I’m too busy to visit often anyway. Rustila, you’re responsible for reporting anything that happens. Understood?”

“What?”

“Must I repeat myself? If Aidel appears to be overexerting himself, report it immediately. I’ll examine him.”

Rustila’s cheeks puffed up slightly.

I was surprised, too. It was quite unexpected coming from Zelnya, who was typically possessive and proud. This was the first time she had asked anything resembling a favor from Rustila.

“…This is unusual for you?”

“Ire mentioned it, didn’t she? If Aidel dies like this, everything will have been for nothing.”

“You…”

Rustila nodded absently.

I understood now. They were both restraining themselves from fighting, believing my body hadn’t fully recovered yet. It was their way of showing consideration, and I felt grateful. Their genuine concern touched me, and I was relieved to see some of the tension between them dissipating. The incident must have shocked them deeply, likely leaving some lingering resentment.

“And Aidel, isn’t it time we addressed our family head situation?”

“Oh? That’s right.”

Both Zelnya and I were family heads. To set a wedding date, one of us would need to relinquish our family business. Plus, there was still the matter of polygamy to consider.

Brian was probably out there right now, eyes wide open, trying to catch me…

“Brother.”

Speak of the devil.