Chapter 3: ③ Politics Move at Night, It Seems, But the Palace’s Heartbeat Was “Love”

(Wait, hold on—the Ten Sages are eunuchs, right!? They’re still men, right!? Even if they’re, you know, snipped, structurally speaking they’re still male!!)

(Wait, who exactly was I about to be “trained” by!? Someone please explain!?)

An indescribable chill crept toward his future. In that atmosphere, the black cat Kokuyou casually interjected.

“Master is ‘a man who can strengthen his wives,’ nya. The effect only works if the partner is female, nya.”

(…Th-thank goodness. So physically impossible partners are ruled out, right!?)

“Right. So obviously the first time should be with Celine-sama!!”

Relief washed over him as he started to let out a breath—but in that instant—

The room’s atmosphere stopped cold.

—Sound vanished. No one moved. No one spoke. Every gaze converged on Yuuri and the cat. As if recognizing “a bomb just dropped.”

The black cat Kokuyou swished her tail with breezy indifference. But one of the Ten Sages dropped the scroll in his hands, and the dry sound echoed unnervingly loud.

(…Huh? Huh? Why did the air just freeze!?)

“My, so you would choose me. How delightful. But not Celine—it’s Celia… you see.”

(No, now’s not the time to nitpick the name, right? …Wait, why is this woman so calm…?)

“Wait, why only Mother!! That’s not fair!”

—That voice trembled ever so slightly.

At the suddenly raised voice, the room’s attention shifted to Lieselotte. The girl herself pretended not to notice, staring straight ahead—but her faintly flushed cheeks and tightly pressed lips couldn’t hide her emotional turmoil.

(…Ah, that “not fair” just now might’ve been the real deal…)

“Oh my, is Liese interested too… in the One-Night Hero?”

“N-no, I’m not! Mother, I have no interest in that sort of—no interest—none at all!! If you get too carried away… I-I’ll tear it off!!”

“Why me!? (My future’s in danger again…!!)”

“That’s not it… What Kokuyou-sama said about ‘strengthening wives’—what does that mean!!”

“Strengthening wives… that’s a Harem Kingdom game mechanic, right? Huh? What’s going on?”

To the confused Yuuri, Kokuyou raised her tail proudly and declared:

“What are you saying, nya? Master’s gift is the Grace of Benevolence, nya. You can raise the growth limit of any woman you share skin with—in other words, ‘the power to raise wives,’ nya!”

The black cat before him had just casually dropped something outrageous. The Ten Sages, too shocked to respond, widened their eyes and gaped.

(All the sages are silently staring with their mouths hanging open… This is bad, someone left their soul behind!?)

Far from holding back laughter, the air itself felt frozen. No one moved. No one even cleared their throat. Only the black cat Kokuyou lazily swayed her tail.

Meanwhile—Celine simply turned her gaze to Yuuri and smiled. Her eyes narrowed somewhat playfully. She showed no embarrassment or confusion, merely accepting and assessing the situation.

(Huh… what? That look. Is it like, “Fufu, I knew all along”? No, it’s more…)

Pale, elegant fingertips touched her cheek softly. That alone made her grace and presence slowly raise the room’s temperature.

“…I hadn’t expected quite that much, but—yes, I see…”

The light dwelling in her eyes shifted color slightly. Quietly, yet unmistakably—the gaze of someone who had made a decision.

(“I see”… that tone is totally someone plotting something… This woman’s mind is racing behind that smile. Definitely racing.)

Her voice remained gentle. Her expression unchanged. Yet the quality of the air itself began to shift.

Something deep in her rational mind awoke and slowly began sharpening its fangs. This wasn’t maternal instinct or feminine allure. Something deeper, more primal—a bestial, instinctive scent.

(D-did her eyes just glint!? Wait, am I the prey here!?)

A bead of cold sweat ran down Yuuri’s spine.

(An awakening beast mode!? My skill didn’t affect me—it activated on Celia instead!?)

As for Lieselotte—she was completely frozen like a stopped doll.

“Wh-wh-whaaaaat!? What are you saying!? ‘Strengthen wives’ and ‘raise’ and ‘share skin’ and…!”

Her face flushed to her ears, eyes spinning as she backed away. Her rationality looked ready to short-circuit any second.

(Liese… her rationality gauge is flashing red…! Someone, use cooling magic!)

Ignoring her raised voice, Celine spoke in an utterly composed tone—

“My husband. If that power is genuine… it becomes a critical factor that could determine this nation’s future. First, we must carefully verify under what conditions it activates, and whether it truly can ‘exceed growth limits.'”

“Wh-wh-wh-what are you saying, Motherrrrr!?”

Lieselotte’s scream rang out with enough force to emit steam from her head.

(Whoa… total overheat…!)

Then, a low voice sliced through the air like a blade.

“…Indeed. Deciding the recipient of his favor is originally the duty of us eunuchs who oversee the harem. That decision must be made by us.”

The speaker was the elderly sage with silver hair bound behind him. Without moving a muscle in his face, he continued quietly.

“However exceptional the circumstances of becoming a harem consort, allowing Her Majesty the Queen Consort to ‘directly designate’ would set a somewhat problematic precedent, wouldn’t you say?”

“…Is that so? Isn’t this an extremely dangerous power? The ability to strengthen whoever he shares a night with.”

Celine’s voice carried a warning beneath its calm surface.

“If a harem consort with hostile intent toward my husband were to appear and he shared skin with her—the physically ‘strengthened’ consort could even… assassinate him.”

The room’s atmosphere sharpened like invisible icicles.

“…!?”

A chill ran down Yuuri’s spine.

(…That was chilling. That voice wasn’t joking…)

Despite wearing a smile, Celine’s eyes weren’t smiling at all.

(If Celia’s speaking this coldly… that means to the Ten Sages, my life is worth about as much as “necessary expenses”…)

“Your concern about potential assassination is quite valid.”

The elderly sage returned her gaze without retreating an inch.

(…Seriously? Am I being treated like “strengthening material for harem consorts” in this country…)

“That is precisely why the selection of harem consorts and management of ‘favors’ should be strictly handled by us.”

“…That means—”

Behind them, someone drew a small breath.