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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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News of Elizabetta sharing a bed with Edanant quickly reached Ludmilla’s ears.
As expected, she flew into a rage the moment she heard.
“Sharing… sharing a bed?! A young man and a maiden sharing a bed! I did consent to your relationship with Liza, but… you haven’t even held an engagement ceremony yet!”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
If news of the Platinum Princess sharing a bed with her sister’s fiancé spread through the capital, it would undoubtedly ignite a flurry of scandals.
Brother-in-law and sister-in-law.
A classic trope often found in certain genres.
The nobles, with their insatiable appetite for gossip and scandal, wouldn’t let such a juicy tidbit slip by. They would undoubtedly gather in hushed groups at every social gathering, whispering and speculating.
Ludmilla’s fury was understandable. Even if the Emperor had consented to a polygamous marriage, an unmarried man and woman sharing a bed before any formal engagement ceremony was considered scandalous.
“L-Last night… I just… felt like I had to be with Edanant. It was like I was… intoxicated.”
“Intoxicated? Did Edanant drug you, perhaps?”
Ludmilla’s red eyes narrowed, a dangerous glint flashing within them.
He frantically shook his head.
“I would never drug Princess Elizabetta for impure purposes! I swear, it’s not true!”
“It’s true. Last night, I just… felt that way.”
Countless men and women throughout history must have made similar excuses after finding themselves in a similar predicament. A hasty marriage due to… an unexpected pregnancy.
No reason.
I just wanted to sleep with him.
Elizabetta’s blunt response shocked Ludmilla. A wave of betrayal washed over her as she stared at her younger sister, speechless.
“You! Liza is still too young to understand such matters! You should have stopped her!”
“Twenty is old enough to be considered an adult… Ah, never mind.”
He retorted, his voice laced with a playful defiance. Ludmilla’s fury surged, threatening to erupt like a volcano.
Caught between a rock and a hard place.
A furious older sister.
An unapologetic younger sister.
He had indeed shared a bed with Elizabetta until morning, so he had no grounds to argue. If Rue hadn’t been present, Ludmilla would have undoubtedly suspected something more intimate had transpired.
“Did you honestly think I would be unfaithful to you, Ludmilla?”
“The moment you shared a bed with Liza, you were unfaithful. And stop trying to weasel your way out of it with your usual excuses.”
Ludmilla retorted sharply, yet a faint smile touched her lips as she let out a sigh.
She would, for now, let it slide.
“You truly are incorrigible.”
“…”
”Hmph.”
However, letting it slide didn’t mean she wasn’t still upset.
With a cutting remark and a dismissive snort, Ludmilla turned and walked away.
“Edan!”
“I’ve already been lectured enough, Saintess.”
Where the Red Dragon retreated, the White Dragon advanced.
As if to prove this, the silver-haired girl stomped towards him, her face flushed with anger.
He reached out and ruffled Zebeline’s hair, ignoring her indignant protests.
“Eek! S-Stop it! You… you philanderer!”
“Alright, alright. I apologize. I’m sorry.”
“Apologize properly to your girlfriend! Put some feeling into it!”
“I’m sorry, my beloved girlfriend.”
He chuckled and ruffled her hair again, amused by her attempt to elevate their relationship to “girlfriend” status. Zebeline swatted at his hand, surrendering.
Her neatly arranged silver hair was now a disheveled mess.
Zebeline, smoothing her hair, glared at him.
“Always flirting with other women…! I honestly don’t know when you’ll ever grow up!”
“I’ll grow up eventually.”
“Eek! If this happens again, you’re dead!”
“Alright, I’ll be careful.”
Thankfully, they had only shared a bed. This allowed him to avoid the full wrath of the White Dragon.
If anything more intimate had transpired, both the Red Dragon and the White Dragon would have undoubtedly unleashed their fury upon him, tearing him limb from limb.
Dealing with both Ludmilla and Zebeline simultaneously was exhausting. He longed for the comforting presence of Rue, like a bolster to cling to as he drifted off to a much-needed nap.
“I thought you were about to be ganged up on by both my sister and the Saintess. Are you alright, Edanant?”
“I’m fine. It’s not the first time.”
“…You say that as if you’re proud of it.”
“I would never.”
Elizabetta stared at him, aghast.
He shrugged in response.
“Edan! Edan!”
Rue, having been playing with the other Luinongs in the backyard, ran towards him, a soccer ball tucked under her arm.
She looked like an eager puppy, begging to play fetch.
“I’ll let you play with us! It’s a special invitation!”
“I’m not really interested.”
“Don’t be so modest! You’re practically family to us Luinongs!”
“…”
Elizabetta chuckled and gave him a gentle shove. The Luinongs, who had been playing with Rue, gathered around, their eyes filled with anticipation.
Should he indulge them?
He had always been challenged when it came to sports, earning him a plethora of unflattering nicknames.
—Sigh.
No choice.
Might as well humor them.
He picked up the soccer ball. Rue and the Luinongs cheered.
“Here I go!”
He kicked the ball with all his might.
—Whoosh!–
The ball soared through the air, tracing a graceful arc… in completely the wrong direction.
It slammed into a statue in the backyard. The statue, a meticulously crafted bronze likeness of one of House Hohenberc’s founding ancestors, stood proudly in the center of the garden.
The ball struck the statue’s head.
A sickening crack echoed through the air.
And the bronze head tumbled to the ground.
“Woooow!”
“As expected of Edan!”
The Luinongs, witnessing the unprecedented event, cheered and clapped.
Elizabetta, meanwhile, doubled over with laughter.
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He raised the head.
And with Ludmilla’s assistance, he welded the severed head back onto the statue.
Thanks to his swift action, he had managed to avoid his father’s wrath. And to ensure the Luinongs’ silence, he bribed them with hard candies.
“Hee hee! I’m gonna sleep with the pretty princess tonight!”
“Suit yourself.”
Rue, clutching a pillow, scampered off.
What was that about?
The little fairy, usually so attached to him like a shadow, had suddenly become distant.
He supposed it meant she was fond of the pretty princess. A pang of loneliness struck him as he watched Rue disappear. He lay down on the bed, feeling strangely empty.
‘The bed feels so big… Rue usually takes up so much space…’
Perhaps it was because the little fairy, who usually bounced around like a hyperactive squirrel, wasn’t there.
He felt bored.
Like a dog owner whose energetic puppy had suddenly vanished.
He turned off all the lights except for the lamp on the desk and pulled out a stack of documents. He decided to review the proposals he had approved earlier that day.
“I will attend to Edanant. You may leave.”
“Don’t be absurd. I made plans with him first.”
Sharp voices echoed from the hallway, disturbing the quiet of his bedroom.
What was going on?
He recognized Ludmilla and Zebeline’s voices.
Why were the Empire’s Second Princess and the Holy Kingdom’s First Saintess arguing so late at night?
He soon realized the reason, and he bolted upright in bed. He rushed to the door, intending to lock it.
—Thud!–
But he was too late.
Ludmilla and Zebeline flung open the door.
“You! Send the Saintess away!”
“Edan! Surely, you’ll choose the youthful and beautiful Saintess, won’t you?”
He stared at Ludmilla and Zebeline, both looking at him with expectant gazes.
A deadly choice.
No matter which he chose, he was doomed.
Recognizing the futility of resistance, he resigned himself to his fate and allowed them into the bedroom.
“Hmm?”
—Click.
Ludmilla and Zebeline entered and closed the door.
And the sound of the lock clicking into place echoed through the room.
“Ahem…!”
“To share a bed with a man… How scandalous.”
Ludmilla began removing her gown. Beneath it, she wore seductive black lingerie that accentuated her curves.
Zebeline followed suit.
She untied her robe, revealing a pale blue bra that barely contained her modest bust.
Daring lingerie.
They clearly wanted more than just a shared bed.
Edanant stared at them, their intentions clear, and glanced towards the window. If he charged at the window and smashed through it, he might be able to escape.
But—
“If you try to escape, I’ll burn you alive.”
“Such a cowardly act deserves to be incinerated.”
Burn?
Incinerated?
Flames and lightning crackled in the air, a silent threat.
He couldn’t risk the Hohenberc family line ending with him being reduced to ashes. So, under the watchful eyes of Ludmilla and Zebeline, he slowly lay down on the bed.
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He is cooked