Ch.1151 year

“Ugh…”

“Are you awake?”

As always, Chloe, who woke up before me, greets me in the morning. She looks perfectly groomed as usual.

It’s amazing how she always wakes up earlier than me despite going to bed late together last night.

I’ve asked her several times before how she manages to do this every time without even an alarm clock, but her answer is always the same. She says she can’t let me see her in an undignified sleeping state.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes, very refreshingly. I was quite tired from all the physical activity last night, so I think I slept very soundly.”

“…”

Chloe says this with a broad smile while stroking her lower abdomen. Looking up at her from my position lying in bed, the gesture seems unexpectedly sensual.

“Hehe… Now Claudia won’t be lonely anymore. No, having just one sibling would be too hard, so we should have at least three more in the future…”

Her eyes, which were clearly looking at me until just a moment ago, are now gazing elsewhere.

She’s spreading her wings of happy imagination, looking at future children who haven’t even been conceived yet, not even a single cell formed.

“Since we named our first after you, we should name the second after me, and then for the third, fourth, and fifth… should we alternate? Hmm, that seems too plain…”

“Chloe, I’m going to wash up.”

Normally, Chloe would never break her attention from me, but right now, she’s so focused on her happy future that she’s completely distracted.

I quietly get up from the bed and leave the room, trying not to disturb her.

*Swoosh*

And outside the door, as always, there’s a group of ladies-in-waiting and maids waiting to attend to me.

They’re holding various items: temporary clothes to wear before changing into formal attire, wet towels for washing my face, dry towels for removing moisture, drinking water, and more.

“…”

Among the group is Jeanne. Today must be either a day off from university or a day without classes.

When our eyes meet, Jeanne smiles silently, but her smile seems very artificial, suggesting she knows what happened last night.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.”

However, Jeanne cannot bring up the subject. Despite everyone knowing about our relationship, her status is still just that of a maid.

In an unofficial setting it might be different, but in an official setting—that is, in front of other attendants—it would be impossible for a mere maid to speak to the king first, as it would directly undermine the king’s authority. Even if there were an urgent matter, she would need to raise her hand first to get permission to speak.

Jeanne can only greet me following the head lady-in-waiting who leads the group of attendants, unable to say anything on her own.

Hmm… Well, she did say she wouldn’t think about such things until she completes her bachelor’s degree, so it should be fine, but I should probably call her separately later just to be sure. All the women around me tend to have things spiral out of control quickly without proper communication.

……….

“Ahaha… I was just feeling a bit disappointed. I made a vow to the Holy One to remain celibate until I graduate from university, and I would never break that.”

After finishing my daily duties, I called Jeanne separately to ask about what happened this morning, and the result was surprisingly anticlimactic.

She was just forcing a smile because it was hard to bear seeing her loved one sleeping with another woman… I thought she might be planning something violent… No, this is actually the normal reaction.

Ugh… It’s a bit late to say this, but all the women I’ve formed relationships with in this life have such peculiar personalities that my sense of normalcy has become slightly warped. It’s ridiculous that I’m surprised by Jeanne giving a normal response. What’s wrong with my head?

“I should be going now.”

“Hm? Already?”

“Yes, tonight is your night with Lady Ines, isn’t it? The longer I spend alone with the Holy One, the worse Lady Ines’s mood will become.”

Jeanne says this, then gently closes her eyes, bows at the waist, and slightly lowers her head. Her attitude suggests she won’t accept any objections.

Hmm… Well, she’s right. There must be plenty of servants waiting outside the door, so the fact that Jeanne and I met alone will quickly reach Ines’s ears.

‘But I never expected Jeanne to say that.’

In the past, she would have tried to use this opportunity to create more points of contact with me, but since I scolded her severely, she no longer does that. She now only thinks and acts with consideration for my, Chloe’s, and Ines’s feelings first. It’s almost as if her desires have been completely castrated, to the point where it’s a bit uncomfortable to see.

Did I scold her too harshly…? No, I think I reprimanded her appropriately by anyone’s standards.

“Well… alright, you may go.”

“Excuse me, Holy One.”

With my permission to leave, Jeanne bows deeply and then opens the door to exit.

While I should clearly view it as positive that her flaws—like distorting external information in her mind or her tendency to achieve what she wants by any means necessary—have been corrected, I feel slightly guilty that the formerly lively Jeanne seems to have completely disappeared.

Chloe and Ines would probably think I’m crazy for saying this, but I wish Jeanne would regain some of her former self.

……….

“My husband, I heard you met with Jeanne alone today. What happened?”

“Hm? Nothing much. I just noticed Jeanne’s expression was strange this morning, so I asked her separately if anything was wrong. We couldn’t speak to each other in front of others, right?”

Ines asked about my meeting alone with Jeanne, as I had expected.

I tried my best to clear up any misunderstandings she might have, but…

“Is that so? Hmm… it would have been fine if you had.”

“What?”

What is she saying right now?

“Sleeping with Jeanne. The current Rotaring royal family is in a precarious state with only three members—you, me, and Lilianne. I… ahem, will work hard to bear many children, but there are limits. To protect the children of you and me, we need as many ‘family members’ as possible.”

“Besides, Jeanne has become very docile lately, which I quite like.”

After saying this, Ines smiles slightly and continues speaking nonchalantly, as if it’s really no big deal.

So what Ines is trying to say is… the more illegitimate children there are, the safer the royal family will be, so she doesn’t mind?

Um… hmm… ummm…

‘What kind of education did she receive?’

In what world does a wife actively encourage her husband to sleep with other women?

Come to think of it, my father in this life also tried to use me as a shield for my older brother. Hmm… It’s hard for me to accept, but this seems to be the norm among nobles in this era.

Illegitimate children can never inherit succession rights unless the entire family is wiped out in extreme circumstances, so they pose no threat to legitimate heirs. That must be why she thinks this way. Even on Earth, there were many cases where illegitimate children were assigned to serve legitimate heirs.

‘Sigh… Well, I guess I’ll just have to accept it—’

*Squeeze*

“—Ines?”

“I heard that Chloe made an effort last night.”

While I was inwardly lamenting the average morality of this era, Ines suddenly appeared right in front of me. I must have been so deep in thought that I didn’t notice her approaching.

Ines’s arms wrap around my back, encompassing about two-thirds of my torso.

“…Let me make an effort too.”

Nestled in my arms, Ines slightly raises her head to look at me as she says this. Her eyes tremble slightly, and her cheeks are very red.

…What’s this? Apart from having slightly different common sense, Ines is just a normal woman after all.

“Up we go.”

“Ah!”

I lift Ines, who was embracing me, and carry her toward the bed. She seems a bit surprised at being picked up, but she doesn’t look displeased.

The sun has just set, and it’s still early, but… well, it should be fine.

A year has passed since then. During that year, many things happened both domestically and internationally. Domestically, the most notable events were the birth of new sons and daughters and the complete establishment of high society.

Chloe gave birth to another daughter, and Ines this time to a son, named Claire and Rother respectively. Claire’s name was derived from Chloe and my names, while Rother was named after the first king of the Rotaring Kingdom.

The hastily created high society has completely established itself over the year and is being used very effectively to control radical students.

Vermont, who is at the center of high society, is thoroughly carrying out my orders by forcibly instilling etiquette and chivalry in provincial nobles lacking refinement. New noble students entering Dijon University are well aware that being excluded from high society would disadvantage them in many ways, so the various disrespectful behaviors from the university’s early days can no longer be found.

Internationally, the aftermath of the holy war has completely disrupted the political systems of the participating countries, making it difficult to pinpoint just one thing to explain, but starting with the neighboring Caroling Kingdom, civil war has finally broken out among the throne claimants.