Ch.201Side Story: Declaration – 1

The citizens of the kingdom were going about their ordinary days as usual.

It was far from what could be called a golden age, but they were grateful just to not have to tremble in fear about what new disaster might occur when they opened their eyes the next day.

The past few months had been absolute chaos, making everyone deeply appreciate the current mundane daily life. Enough so that they could consider regular incidents as simply ordinary.

First, the capital suddenly evaporated entirely, killing countless people. Then King Charlotte went missing for two whole weeks. During that time, the nobles, believing Charlotte to be dead, attempted to stage a rebellion.

Then Charlotte unexpectedly reappeared, and the execution grounds, which had been resting for a long time, became thoroughly soaked in blood once again, proving that their skills hadn’t grown rusty at all.

Recently, there had even been ominous news about mountains splitting in half, chasms forming, and the sun falling to the earth. People unanimously and desperately wished to return to normal life.

As if those desperate prayers had been answered, the kingdom maintained silence without any notable incidents for over two months. People believed peace had returned to the kingdom and that these peaceful days would continue.

“As of today, I declare that I am no longer single.”

That is, until Charlotte proclaimed these words throughout the entire kingdom.

“You’ve finally lost your mind. Don’t worry, I know the cure. Just cut out the diseased part. I’ll perform the treatment myself, so stick out your neck.”

Serena stared at Charlotte with completely lifeless eyes, creating a Wind Shear in her right hand and pointing it forward.

“Ah… Please do not forgive this unworthy lamb who failed to protect God. Where else could such a terrible thing happen? It’s my fault. It’s all my fault.”

Christine fell to her knees, clasping her hands in front of her chest and offering prayers of repentance while sobbing profusely.

“Um… Abel? Shouldn’t we stop them?”

Olivia looked back and forth between Serena, who was growling as if about to explode at any moment, and Christine, who had collapsed in her seat wailing, not knowing what to do.

“How truly noisy. To so openly display that you’ve received no proper education—you are truly women who know nothing of manners.”

And Charlotte, who had destroyed the atmosphere among the five of us with a single sentence, was sitting quite proudly on the sofa in the reception room, sipping her tea.

Completely ignoring the hateful gazes directed at her, she swallowed the tea in her mouth and looked at me with a smile that seemed about to take flight.

“When and where should we hold the ceremony, my dear? Even if you wish to destroy the entire capital and hold the ceremony on top of it, I can gladly arrange it, so speak without hesitation.”

“My lord. If you leave such a madwoman by your side, it could damage your honor. If you grant me permission, I will execute this woman myself.”

“My God. Please give me a revelation to pull out the tongue of that heretic and burn her entire body as punishment. If you wish it, I, Christine, will gladly carry out your will.”

Serena and Christine reacted almost convulsively to Charlotte’s words.

Even after I told them my name and that the curse had been lifted, the way the three of them addressed me hadn’t changed. I was still Serena’s lord, Charlotte’s “my dear,” and Christine’s God.

The reason perfectly matched why Olivia called me “Master” even though she could use my name. Apparently, whispering my name was something to be done only when I had become completely theirs.

Their response reinforced my suspicion that if I had given them any kind of opportunity, the three of them would have ended up like Olivia.

“Both of you, quiet.”

I grabbed Serena and Christine’s wrists and pulled them toward me, seating them on either side. As soon as I put my arms around their waists, they became quiet as if by magic. A rosy blush appeared on their cheeks and ears.

Olivia, who had already done everything there was to do with me, showed no reaction, while Charlotte’s eyes twitched momentarily before she quickly regained her composed demeanor.

“Charlotte.”

“Speak, my husband.”

The moment they heard the words “my husband,” Serena and Christine’s bodies gave a small jerk. I tightened my grip around their waists to calm them down.

“Why did you suddenly do this?”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb. You know the kingdom is in complete uproar, right?”

Following Charlotte’s declaration that she was no longer single, not only the nobles but even the citizens of the kingdom were causing all sorts of commotion.

Charlotte, or rather Charlotte de Gargantua, the one and only ruler of the kingdom, had reigned as the supreme authority and pinnacle of the kingdom for over a century.

With her exceptionally beautiful appearance and figure, Charlotte, who wielded absolute power without ever aging or dying, was as renowned for her reign of terror as she was for her name.

In a world where the adventurer profession significantly shortened average lifespans—with even those reaching 60 being respected for living long lives—it was impossible not to be interested in a mage who had lived for nearly 150 years as the kingdom’s sole ruler.

Above all, from the moment she ascended to the throne until now, Charlotte had never publicly taken a man. Sometimes rumors even circulated that she preferred women.

Normally, when a monarch remains single for a long time, marriage is subtly suggested due to succession concerns, but was Charlotte ever a normal monarch? Lifespan and succession were meaningless to her.

As this single life continued for so long, occasionally some nobles who didn’t know their place or were overly bold would subtly propose marriage with themselves or their relatives.

Those who did so not only lost their lives but had their entire families exterminated.

Given Charlotte’s personality, it was clear that any attempt to associate her with a man other than me would have been perceived as a serious insult to her.

After this happened several times, the nobles had long since stopped concerning themselves with the monarch’s marriage and succession issues. The belief that Charlotte would rule forever had taken root.

So when Charlotte, without any warning, suddenly declared that she was no longer single and had a husband with whom she had promised to spend her life, it was natural for the kingdom to be thrown into chaos.

“I care not at all whether those vermin make a fuss. How could the words uttered by such worthless beings affect what is between you and me? And if anyone does more than just talk, I shall personally execute them.”

Watching Charlotte casually threaten to kill anyone who opposed her, I felt dizzy at the thought of how far we still had to go.

This was precisely why no noble dared to publicly demand information about Charlotte’s betrothed, even as they spread all sorts of rumors among themselves.

The nobles who hadn’t known Charlotte’s dangerous nature had tried to rebel during her two-week disappearance and were all swept away. Now, only those nobles who had known the monarch’s temperament and kept their heads down remained.

The surviving nobles knew all too well how to behave under a tyrant, so they didn’t even think of bringing up this matter to Charlotte’s face.

As a reward for their loyalty, their wealth had increased several times over, but they were well aware that this increased wealth came from the gold and treasures confiscated after hanging all the nobles who had plotted rebellion.

“Why did you suddenly say something like that in the first place?”

“Do you truly not understand my heart, my dear?”

Charlotte gave me a look as if she were disappointed, but her lips were still smiling, so I immediately recognized that the emotion was feigned.

She had already changed her form of address from “my husband” back to “my dear.”

“I risked my life for you. And there were trials between us.”

This was an undeniable fact. She had gone so far as to use the Dragon Ring for my sake. Though afterward, Charlotte had shed her human limitations and become even stronger than that ring.

“However, we overcame those trials with the power of love. You protected me, and I protected you.”

This was slightly ambiguous. Still, it was true that I had fought for Serena, Charlotte, and Christine, so I let it pass.

“Finally, you also risked your life for me. Does this not mean that we have already exchanged our hearts with each other?”

This was not true.

“It is the natural course for lovers who have overcome the threat of death with the power of love to end everything with a wedding ceremony.”

I tightened my grip on the waists I was holding before Serena and Christine could explode. My prediction proved accurate, as their bodies, which were about to jerk upward, settled down calmly.

“Although we haven’t completely cleared the path ahead yet…”

Charlotte’s blood-red eyes scanned my surroundings one by one.

Olivia averted her gaze as soon as Charlotte’s eyes fell on her, while Serena and Christine were too busy suppressing their moans with their hands over their mouths, distracted by the sensation of my hands caressing their waists.

“That can be left as a joint project for husband and wife.”

“…”

“Besides, isn’t there one more thing that could be called a joint project for husband and wife?”

After finishing her words, Charlotte smiled suggestively while gently stroking her lower abdomen. Seeing this gesture, Olivia’s face turned bright red.

Probably remembering the provocations she had made while fighting with the three of them. I already knew everything they had done while fighting, as it had all been relayed to me.

“No, how does that connect like that?”

“You can say no if you dislike it, my dear. I am certain that you will never reject my body.”

As she said this, Charlotte slightly lifted the hem of her uniform, partially exposing her toned abdomen.

“No, I don’t have any plans for that ye—”

“‘Yet?'”

Before I could realize my poor word choice and correct it, Charlotte stared at me intently with sparkling eyes.

Even Serena and Christine, who had been breathing heavily with pleasure on either side of me, looked at me with wide eyes.

Only Olivia averted her gaze, letting out an empty laugh.

“…”

With three pairs of different eyes focused on me in this situation, my mind froze. If I slipped up even one more word, I couldn’t guarantee what would happen next.

What should I answer?