Chapter 210

Chapter 210

From Cosmic Rascal to Professor.

Episode 210: Bigamy (15)

Zelnya returned from her family’s house looking somewhat distraught and insisted on coming straight to my place.

“Why?”

“Because I want to spend some private time with just you.”

This immediately provoked Rustila.

“I made plans with him first.”

“Then why don’t we all spend time together?”

“What…?”

An unusual tension hung in the air between them.

I wondered why they were suddenly acting this way, but the answer became clear as soon as we arrived at the Reinhardt family home.

The moment the dock closed, Zelnya clung to me desperately. She pressed against me as if seeking shelter, trembling as she spoke.

“I… I don’t… what should I do now…?”

Her breathing was erratic, as though she’d witnessed something otherworldly.

Could it be? Had she seen the Adelwein family’s first treasure vault?

I had expected them to wait until after the marriage was finalized before showing her that…

Actually, this was good news. It meant Jerome was feeling pressured because of me.

Rustila and I listened as Zelnya recounted her experience. While I was familiar with what she described, Rustila appeared quite shocked.

“You managed to get away without being caught?”

“Barely… My heart… I can’t… can’t breathe…”

Zelnya, still gasping, spoke between sobs – showing a vulnerability she’d never display in public. I gently led her to the bed and helped her lie down.

“It’s alright, you’re safe now.”

I sat her on my lap and comforted her like a child, offering her some cocoa to drink. Rustila watched with sympathy as Zelnya continued to catch her breath.

“Aidel, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Go ahead.”

“… I’m willing to accept Zelnya as your wife.”

Startled, I had one question.

“Have you grown to dislike me?”

“No! That’s not it at all!”

After a moment’s hesitation, she continued.

“I think… it might not be so bad if the three of us became one family…”

“You can’t be serious…”

Rustila nodded shyly.

“Even if it means a bigamous marriage, I’m okay with it.”

This surprised me differently. What could have caused such a dramatic change in Rustila, who had previously despised Zelnya? To suddenly accept bigamy…

“I’m not sure if I should mention this, but… about your eldest brother…”

“You mean Brian? I’m aware of him. His true nature is quite different from his outward appearance.”

“…Zelnya was the first to notice and warned me about him. She suspects he’s plotting to take the head position. We should keep watch in case he tries anything against you.”

Now, it made sense why Rustila had stayed by my side all week, seemingly without purpose.

It was just like Zelnya to have figured out Brian’s true character first.

“And I realized something else…”

Rustila continued.

“No matter how skilled I am in combat, if you encounter something related to the Outer Gods or if you’re severely injured, I’m powerless to help. That’s why you need Zelnya…”

She had a point. A healing-type Constellation would be essential in such situations.

The pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place.

“Thank you, Zelnya.”

I placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. To my relief, her breathing was steadily returning to normal.

Once she had calmed sufficiently, Zelnya spoke carefully.

“I think I could be okay with it too.”

“You as well?”

Zelnya gestured toward Rustila with a slight smile.

“… Don’t misunderstand. This isn’t for your sake – it’s for Aidel. I’m only agreeing to this reluctantly because he needs you.”

“It’s the same for me!”

Though tension still sparked between them, it was noticeably less intense than before. I could sense that they were both considering my feelings above their own.

This realization filled me with joy.

“Thank you too, Rustila.”

“Aidel…”

I drew Rustila into an embrace and kissed her as well, now confident enough to do so without hesitation.

“Thank you both for making such a difficult decision. I love you both, and I promise to ensure neither of you will ever want for anything in life.”

The subtle way they melted into my embrace told me everything I needed to know. We were all in agreement.

I held a simple engagement ceremony with Rustila, which was quite different from the elaborate affair with Zelnya.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t do more.”

“It’s perfectly fine. People say engagements should be simple and weddings grand, don’t they?”

Getting approval from the Kersil family had been surprisingly straightforward. They had always supported my marriage to Rustila, especially after she received her Omega-grade evaluation as an inspector. Their previous concerns about her future seemed to have completely vanished. It was nice to reunite with her parents and their household androids after so long.

“Miss, Young Master, congratulations on your engagement.”

Veronica, their fifth-generation android, reminded me of Sonia.

Had I last seen her during my Academia days? While it was pleasant to see her again, I faced an unexpected problem. After my experiences with Sonia and Erica, I couldn’t help but think of graphics cards when I saw her. Even her name ended in that telling “ka” sound.

No, this wasn’t right. I shouldn’t be thinking about graphics cards on such a special day.

Pushing aside these thoughts, I focused on the ceremony.

“Aren’t you concerned that she’ll only receive half of her husband’s love? My poor daughter!”

“Dear, Rustila has already said she’s fine with it! Don’t spoil this wonderful day!”

The lively, informal atmosphere was actually quite refreshing, especially compared to the overwhelmingly formal nature of my previous engagement ceremony.

The ritual followed the same traditional steps as with Zelnya: the groom walks down the red carpet to meet his bride, lifts her veil, receives the Holy Spirit Church’s blessing, and places the engagement ring on her finger.

“The groom may now present the token of love to the bride.”

I presented Rustila with a ring featuring a deep blue diamond that matched her eyes perfectly. We each placed our rings on our right hand’s ring finger. Thankfully, in this era of accepted bigamy, the significance of wearing rings on either hand had become essentially interchangeable.

As Rustila admired the ring on her finger, her smile bloomed like cherry blossoms in spring.

“Mom, Dad! I’m finally getting married!”

“Sniff, sniff!”

“Rustila! My precious daughter!”

“Don’t worry! I’m marrying someone wonderful – he’s handsome, smart, and kind! You’ll have plenty of grandchildren to spoil!”

I felt my face flush with embarrassment at her words.

“Next, the groom and bride will each give a vow kiss on the other’s left and right cheek…”

The priest began reciting the procedure but then faltered in surprise.

“…kiss?”

He trailed off in confusion because before he could even finish explaining the ceremonial cheek kisses, Rustila had already sealed my lips with hers.

I couldn’t even ask why the priest suddenly stopped speaking.

Because, well, my mouth was completely occupied.

“You crazy fools! Follow the procedure! Follow the procedure!”

Zelnya, who was attending as a guest, jumped up from her seat in protest.

“What do you mean by deep kiss…! Hey, take it easy, you two…! Oh? Aaah——!!”

The moment the engagement ceremony concluded, chaos erupted throughout the federation.

From major galactic media outlets to small newspapers in remote regions, everyone scrambled to feature the story on their front pages.

Headlines blazed across screens and papers:

Complete History of Reinhardt Family Heir’s Romance: Five Fiancées and Counting

Aidel von Reinhardt Engaged to Mistress, Openly Embraces Bigamy… His Response: “They’re Both Mine”

Reinhardt Infidelity Scandal: Is Adelwein to Blame?

Viral: Reinhardt-Kersil Passionate Kiss (19+)

The media’s talent for sensationalism was on full display.

Scanning through comments revealed a mix of reactions: jealousy, demands for higher taxes, sympathy for the women involved in bigamy, and questions about the Adelwein family’s consent. Public opinion was reaching a boiling point.

Though I rarely follow the news, today, I anxiously awaited one particular article. Finally, it appeared:

Adelwein Council Denounces Unplanned Event, Demands Reinhardt Family Accountability

I quickly read through it, smiling. Within mere hours, Adelwein had expressed their displeasure and issued threats – essentially declaring war.

The media gradually began spinning the narrative against me:

New Theory Emerges: Reinhardt Heir Exploits Bigamy Laws to Maintain Family Leadership Position

This was classic Adelwein public manipulation. The concerning part was what typically followed: malicious comments escalating to law enforcement involvement, sometimes ending in stress-induced suicides. They were likely planning to secretly eliminate either me or Rustila while testing public reaction – a common underworld tactic.

There was no turning back now.

“I’ll submit everything up to this point.”

I declared at the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office, where my wives and I had just filed our complaint with extensive evidence. The hungover prosecutor looked overwhelmed.

“Is all this verified?”

“Every bit.”

“Good grief…”

He sighed, alcohol still heavy on his breath.

“With this volume, you could have submitted electronically. Basic review alone will take considerable time.”

“Indeed, we could have.”

I couldn’t reveal the real reason for submitting in person: avoiding Adelwein’s spies within law enforcement. Their influence ran deep, making remote submission too risky. Even in-person submission carried risks – without Ire’s insider information, we’d have been anxious throughout.

One reassuring factor was that the Southern District fell under the Herseth family jurisdiction. The Herseths, famous for their prosecutors and inspectors, were known to thoroughly investigate even top-tier families, government bodies, and their own industry. While sometimes criticized for overzealousness – like in the recent Whiritia case – their motto remained: “Better ten innocent suspects than one criminal walking free.”

With our solid evidence submitted, Adelwein was cornered. They couldn’t have imagined their own family head would betray them. Now, we simply had to watch their downfall.

Zelnya sighed beside me.

“Did I make the right choice?”

“Absolutely.”

I assured her, offering a comforting pat. Having burned her bridges, she had nowhere else to go. As promised, I would give her both shelter and a new surname.

“One more thing…”

I handed over another external drive.

“Please investigate our family too.”

“…What?”

The inspector’s expression turned incredulous.