My Childhood Friend Told Me to Go Marry the Most Beautiful Woman in the Kingdom, So I Seriously Started Improving Myself—and Somehow Ended Up Making Women Fall Hard - Chapter 86 & 87

Chapter 86: The Women Who Fell Into the Swamp (10)

Side: Fururu

Big Brother Hort was amazing.

He had been promoted five whole ranks at once and became a High Knight.
Even so, when he was injured, I was the one taking care of him.

When he got hurt, many women gathered around him.
Commander Adelheid.
Maid Gina.
Adventurer Nagi.
Sister Natasha.

But the one who ended up caring for him—was Fururu.

“What is the meaning of this!?”

That day, Lady Adelheid suddenly shouted, and I jumped in surprise.

“Lady Adelheid, my apologies, but Sir Hort is wounded and has lost consciousness. Could you please lower your voice?”
“Gina! Why are you the one with Hort on your lap?!”
“Sister Natasha is using healing magic. Miss Nagi and Miss Fururu are fighting to protect Sir Hort. However, my combat ability is limited. Therefore, this is the only way I can assist—by letting him rest on my lap.”

For just a moment, I thought Gina was unfair.
I wanted to let him rest on my lap too.

But Gina’s instructions were precise, and thanks to that, the demon subjugation ended safely.

♢

After big brother received his reward, Gina called the five of us together, saying there was something we needed to discuss.

“Allow me to properly introduce myself once more. I assist Sir Hort in his duties. My name is Gina. I will be serving as the liaison and coordinating communication among everyone here.”

She gave a graceful bow, her movements perfectly refined, then calmly looked around at all of us seated there.

“Miss Nagi, may I ask you to introduce yourself next?”
“Yes. I am Nagi of the Sumeragi clan of the oni-folk. I am currently working as an adventurer in the royal capital. Sir Hort saved my life and helped me with spirit summoning.”
“Woof!”

A cute little puppy barked.

“This is Inazuma. He is the child of Hort and me.”
“Wha—?!”

The Knight Commander looked completely stunned at Nagi’s introduction.

“I wish to marry Sir Hort! That is all.”

I was stunned by Nagi’s words.
Her gaze was so direct and unwavering.
And the look on the Knight Commander’s face was so intense it was almost frightening.

“Thank you very much. Next, Miss Natasha.”
“Yes. I am a sister serving at the orphanage in the slums. My name is Natasha. Lord Hort rescued the orphanage from crisis, helped reform the slum district, and even arranged work for me at the temporary ward. I owe him a debt of gratitude I can never fully repay.”

She had such a gentle, soft atmosphere around her.
But her eyes seemed to be gazing somewhere far away.
For some reason, that part felt just a little unsettling.

“I worship Lord Hort. If he desires it, I am willing to do anything for him.”
“Miss Natasha. That is sufficient. Thank you.”

Just as she began saying something that sounded a little dangerous, Gina smoothly cut the conversation short.

“Miss Fururu, may we hear from you next?”
“Yes! I am Fururu, daughter of Captain Brigitte Bram of the Third Knight Order. I am a dwarf. I used to assist with the kingdom’s blacksmithing work. But now, I am in charge of mass-producing the bras Big Brother created, and I specialize in clothing. I am his assistant.”

For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t afford to lose.
So instead of stumbling over my words like usual, I made sure to speak clearly.

“Thank you, Miss Fururu. Lady Adelheid, would you please conclude?”
“Hmph. I am Adelheid von Graetz, Commander of the Kingdom’s Second Knight Order. My relationship with Hort is that of superior and subordinate.”

She gave the shortest introduction of all and immediately sat down.
Her attitude seemed slightly irritated, which honestly made me nervous.
But the other three did not seem to mind much.

“I believe you already understand this, but the five women gathered here are those whom I recognize as having feelings for Sir Hort.”
“W-Wait a moment! What do you mean by ‘feelings’?!”
“Lady Adelheid, I understand this is embarrassing, but could you please refrain from interrupting?”
“Wha—!?”
“I mean exactly what I said. Women who are in love with Sir Hort.”
“…Tch!”

He really was amazing.
Every woman gathered here was incredibly beautiful.
He once said he wanted to choose the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.
Everyone here was truly stunning… there was no way I could win against them!

“Sir Hort has become a High Knight and entered the path of rapid promotion. That is why I arranged this meeting. I wish for him to rise even further and become one of the Crown Knights.”

At Miss Gina’s words, everyone looked confused.
The question on their faces was clear—why go this far?

“He was born into a baron’s family. In our kingdom, to establish a polygamous household—a harem—he must hold a noble rank of marquis or higher. For a baron to rise to that level, he must either earn tremendous military merit and elevate his title… or become a Crown Knight.”

A harem? Polygamy?
Did that mean Fururu could marry him too?

“There is also the option of being adopted into a marquis household and inheriting their title as a shortcut. However, at present, there is no marquis willing to pass on their house. Therefore, realistically speaking, I believe the most certain path is for him to become a Crown Knight. Which brings me to my question for all of you. Do you intend to become Sir Hort’s wife?”

The moment Gina said that, Nagi jumped to her feet.

“I do! If it means I can support Hort, Nagi won’t hesitate!”
“Yes… if Lord Hort would have me, I too wish to serve at his side.”

Natasha agreed without delay.

I—I do too!

Just as I tried to speak, Lady Adelheid suddenly stood up with a loud scrape of her chair.

“Don’t be ridiculous! Deciding something like this while Hort isn’t even here—!”
“Lady Adelheid, we are not being ridiculous. More importantly, are you aware of Sir Hort’s own words?”
“Hort’s words?”
“Yes. He has said he wishes to marry the most beautiful woman in the kingdom.”
“What?!”

I had heard that from him too.

“Lady Adelheid, do you have the confidence to be chosen as the most beautiful woman in the kingdom?”
“……”

Lady Adelheid was truly beautiful.
But what did “the most beautiful in the kingdom” even mean?

“Among beautiful women, cute women, countless women… can you truly become number one?”
“…Tch.”
“I personally believe you are very beautiful. However, since we do not know the exact answer he is seeking, I wish to widen the possibilities. Lady Adelheid… Have you never once wished to become his wife?”
“That’s—!”

Lady Adelheid looked flustered.
I understood that feeling very well.
Because I felt the same way.
I loved him.

“Among us, your rank is the highest, so you would naturally become the principal wife. Even so, do you object? Are we truly that unacceptable to you? Would you allow us to support him together?”

I understood Gina’s reasoning too.

So—

“Fururu wants to marry Big Brother! Lady Adelheid, please! I want your permission!”

The four of us all looked straight at Lady Adelheid.

“…Tch. Haah… that man really is unbelievable. To have women like you all thinking about him this way.”

With a slightly tired expression, she sank deeply into her chair.

“I was born into a marquis household. I grew up seeing polygamy as normal. I have no intention of condemning it. I am simply… overwhelmed by how many women care for Hort.”
“Which is precisely why I arranged this meeting. I hope we may respect one another. In order to win his heart, I would like us to become allies. What do you think?”

Please… I wanted her to accept us.

“…To be honest, I do not wish to accept this. However, it has not been decided that Hort will choose me. Therefore, I am not opposed to maintaining a cooperative relationship.”

Those were difficult words.
But… did that mean she was giving us permission?

“Thank you very much. It is true that we do not know what the future holds. If he chooses only one woman and decides not to associate with anyone else, then this relationship would lose its meaning. That is precisely why—since we all care for the same man—would you consider becoming friends?”

Gina’s words made my chest feel warm.

“It is not a bad proposal. Very well. I will accept.”
“Nagi has no objection. Having friends makes me happy.”

Nagi, who had been giving off such a fierce glare earlier, now kept glancing shyly at everyone.
It was so cute that I ended up smiling.

“I am glad as well. I do not have any friends either!”

Natasha was a little unusual.
But I had made female friends.
For some reason, that made me really happy.

“And regarding Sir Hort, he will require one month of recovery. However, each of you has your own lives and duties. As for nursing him—”
“I’ll do it! Mother told me I can focus fully on being Big Brother’s assistant! Please let me take care of him!”

The others had already spent time with him.
They had their own memories.
So I wanted time with him too.

“I understand. In that case, Miss Fururu, we will leave his care to you. Today was simply for introductions, but I hope that from now on we can continue to exchange information with one another.”

After saying that, Gina poured tea for everyone.
It was very delicious, and we all talked together for a while.

♢

Since then, I had been taking care of him.

When he was asleep, his face looked calm and peaceful.
When he was awake, he always worried about everyone else, pushed himself to smile a little too hard, and yet his eyes were always serious and strong.

That was why, seeing him sleep like this made something tighten deep inside my chest.

“Big Brother is amazing. He’s loved by everyone. But just for now… Fururu gets to have him all to herself.”

I leaned down and kissed his cheek while he slept.

“Please forgive me for at least this.”

It was just a tiny reward for myself.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

[Afterword]

Hello, this is Iko, the author.

With this, Act 05—Fururu Arc—has come to an end.
Rather than focusing only on Fururu, many of the other women appeared quite a lot, so her role as the heroine may have felt slightly lighter this time. Still, I would be very happy if you enjoyed it.

Story-wise, the Third Knight Order Arc has also concluded.

Now then, Hort has been promoted and is about to enter a period of leave.
So the story will take a short break as well, and I’m thinking of inserting a few short side stories.

We’ve just passed 300,000 words, and looking back, I realize I’ve written quite a lot in just a month and a half.

In Act 06, we’ll begin the Royal Guard Arc.
And the heroine will be… that person. Huhu.

To everyone who always sends in your thoughts and comments, thank you so very much.
It’s because of your support and encouragement that I’ve been able to keep going this far.

I hope we can continue to build this story together and have fun along the way.

Thank you for your continued support (๑>◡<๑)

Chapter 87: SS — Big Sister Mentor’s Thoughts

Side: Carrie Rubel

As I picked up the newspaper, I couldn’t help but smile at my little brother’s achievements.

“That kid really is unbelievable.”

My eyes drifted to the gift he had sent me, resting on the table, and I let out a small, wry laugh.

“A brassiere… is that really something you send to your older sister? Well, if my husband is pleased, I suppose that’s fine.”

Hort had always been a cute and talented boy.

But because he had been entangled with a strange girl since childhood, I wanted him to reclaim the youth he had lost.

As for me—
I truly had struggled.

Being born a baron’s daughter made marriage complicated.

Many girls born into noble families dreamed of marrying into viscount or count households. But there were nowhere near enough convenient suitors like that to go around.

On the other hand, there were far more daughters from baron families.

That was precisely why I believed our rank still allowed room for effort—to be chosen through our own merit.

Daughters of higher-ranking nobles often had their marriages decided through family alliances.

But we were different.
A baron’s house still had the freedom to choose.

That was why I polished myself.

My posture.
My speech.
My etiquette.
My education.
My expressions.
My movements.

And the resolve to be observed.

There were days when I hated being judged, weighed, and evaluated by others.
But sulking about it would not change reality.

I wanted to become a woman who would be chosen.

♢

“Carrie, that book again? You’re far too serious.”

The academy tea room.
The scent of tea drifted gently over the polished wooden table.

Resting her chin on her hand across from me was my friend, Hannah. She was also a baron’s daughter.

“Not serious. I’m desperate.”

“Desperate, huh. Being a baron’s daughter really is tough.”

Hannah laughed.
She was smiling—but her eyes weren’t.

We stood in the same position, after all.
Beneath our casual teasing lay real anxiety.

“What about you, Hannah? I heard your social invitations have increased lately.”
“They didn’t increase. I increased them! In the end, the one who chooses is always them, right?”
“…That’s true.”

We weren’t daughters of high-ranking nobles.

Our marriages weren’t simply decided—but they weren’t entirely ours to choose either.

That was frustrating.
So all we could do was find ways to stand out.

“So, Carrie. You have a pretty face, don’t you?”
“Looks don’t matter.”

She said it so casually, but I didn’t like those words.
I knew it sounded like a compliment.
But I also knew that if I stopped there, it would be over.

“That’s not true. Girls who are pretty get chosen more easily.”
“Looks are just the starting point!”
“Oh, that sounded like one of Carrie’s famous quotes!”
“It’s not a famous quote. I’m being serious.”

I set down my cup and neatly aligned my fingers.

“You use your first impression to catch their interest. That can be your face, your hair, your dress—anything.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But the one who gets chosen… is decided after that.”

Hannah’s eyes grew just a little more serious.

“How deeply can you make the other person fall for you? And how deeply can you fall for them? That’s what truly matters.”
“…Making them fall for you, and being able to fall for them. That’s true. Even if someone is beautiful, they don’t always get chosen as a wife. And even after marriage, we hear stories of older sisters being cheated on.”

She took a sip of her tea and lowered her gaze.

In noble society, being truly loved was difficult.

I had seen so many couples marry for status or conditions alone—only to slowly drift apart.

“That’s exactly why! I won’t rely on looks alone! I want someone who falls head over heels for me—and someone I can fall for just as deeply!”
“You really say bold things.”
“It’s the truth.”

I forced a smile.
If I didn’t smile, fear would creep in.

Was there really someone like that out there?

“That’s why I won’t become the kind of woman who only reshapes herself to match what a man wants.”
“You’re strong, Carrie.”
“Not strong. I’m just desperate.”

She tilted her head and gave me a slightly mischievous smile.

“But how exactly do you make someone fall for you?”
“I’ll make the man I fall for completely crazy about me!”
“Huh? Are you serious?”
“I’m serious. Otherwise, he’ll just cheat.”
“Haa… Carrie, you really are different.”
“Am I?”

At the very least, it was better than doing nothing.

Understand the other person.
And have them understand—and love—me in return.

That was my ideal.

“Carrie, you really dream about romance, don’t you?”
“It’s not a dream. It’s reality. I just haven’t met the person I want to devote all my heart to yet.”

I looked straight back at her.

“I want to be happy.”
“…Yeah.”
“And I want to make the person I’m with happy too.”

Saying it out loud made me feel slightly embarrassed.
But this was Hannah. Even if she laughed, I wouldn’t mind.

“I don’t want to be chosen by someone I can’t truly love.”
“But if you’re not chosen, you can’t get married.”

She fell quiet for a moment, then gave a small smile.

“…You know, Carrie. You have a cute face, but your ideals are really high.”
“They’re not high at all. I don’t care if he’s not high nobility. He could even be a commoner—so long as he fulfills my ideal.”
“A commoner? That’s going too far, isn’t it?”

There was a gap between nobles and commoners, created by differences in education and upbringing.
Because of that, women who married commoners were often looked down upon by noble society. Hannah clearly felt some resistance to the idea.

But I didn’t.

If the man I chose was the best, then I would devote my whole life to loving him.

“Hey, Carrie.”
“What?”
“Do you think… I could become a woman who makes someone choose me?”
“You can. You’re kind, Hannah.”
“But being kind isn’t enough, right?”
“You’re kind—and you have strength inside. That inner strength is what truly matters. A woman needs courage!”

As I said that, I gently touched her hand.

Warmth passed between us.
We shared the same resolve.

“It’s okay. We’re not high-ranking nobles. That’s exactly why effort can be our weapon.”
“…Yeah.”

She nodded, then gave me a slightly shy smile.

“Then… what should we polish first?”
“Polishing ourselves is important, but first we have to find someone we truly like.”
“That’s the hardest part!”
“If we want to be happy, we can’t afford to compromise!”

I lifted my cup. The scent of tea drifted down into my chest.

Until the day I met a man I would want to devote everything to…

♢

“Darling, I heard you helped Hort when he was in trouble.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you, dear.”

“Hmph. Of course I did. He’s your little brother.”

Thick arms. A broad, sturdy chest. Quiet, but dependable.

My husband, a rising merchant making a name for himself, was the best partner I could have asked for.

I had never met anyone so handsome.

“I love you.”

“…Yeah.”

“Come now.”

“Hmph… I love you too.”

How much effort had it taken to make my quiet husband say that much?

“Well done. Tonight will be special. Hort sent me some very… special underwear, so you’d better look forward to it.”

“Hmph! …Y-Yeah.”

His face turned bright red.
He really was adorable.

As expected of the man I fell in love with.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

[Afterword]

Hello, this is Iko, the author.

The first SS was a story about Hort’s older sister.
Her name is Carrie.

I had always imagined her as someone who put a great deal of effort into winning a man’s heart, so I decided to write about that side of her.

Thank you, as always, for your support.
I hope you enjoyed it.