Chapter 6

On the night that Yamai Zenjiro was summoned from Earth, Queen Aura I of the Carpa Kingdom gathered a few of her closest subordinates in her private chamber for an unofficial meeting.

The flames of the candlesticks placed on the table faintly illuminated the spacious room.

Aura, with her legs crossed on a chair woven from tropical vines, looked at the gathered subordinates and began to speak.

"So, how is the new husband doing?"

The first to be addressed was a young maid with long blonde hair, standing at the far end.

"Yes, he finally fell asleep a little while ago."

"I see, that's good. However, the new husband seems to be quite strong at night. We might need to prepare additional lighting for the harem in the future."

Aura rested her chin on her folded arms, as if in deep thought, and muttered.

If Zenjiro had heard this, he would have felt it was an unfair assessment. The current time was around ten o'clock at night. For Zenjiro, who was used to returning home around midnight or one o'clock on weekdays, this was an incredibly early bedtime.

Zenjiro had been considerate of the maids, who would not be free from their duties until he went to sleep, and had deliberately extinguished the lights and slipped into bed, even though he wasn't particularly sleepy.

To be called "late" or "strong at night" was a bit much for him.

However, it was not unreasonable. In the modern world, where electricity provides twenty-four-hour lighting, and in this world, where the only sources of light are torches, candles, and lamps, the perception of nighttime is fundamentally different.

In this world, shops that are open at night are limited to a few specific professions. Even in the busy core of the royal palace, the notion that "night is for sleeping" is deeply ingrained.

In response to Aura's words, a middle-aged man with a slender face, who appeared to be a civil servant, spoke up from the front.

"Regardless, congratulations on the engagement, Your Majesty. How do you assess Mr. Zenjiro's character?"

The middle-aged man, Fabio Deubage, is Aura's secretary. Although the position of secretary is not typically one of high authority, given that the Carpa Kingdom is currently governed and the military directly commanded by Queen Aura, who has neither a prime minister nor a marshal, Fabio's authority is much greater than his position would suggest, earning him the title of "the Queen's right hand."

The queen, shrugging her shoulders slightly in response to the trusted confidant's words, said,

"He is far more intelligent than I expected. He has a calm judgment and a fair amount of courage. This is a 'bad miscalculation.'"

Indeed, to call such a seemingly positive evaluation a "bad miscalculation" is evidence that the queen does not seek a capable husband.

For Aura, the ideal husband is one who is content with indulging in luxury, satisfying his immediate desires for money, women, and fine food, and showing no interest in political power.

"Especially that last question. I believe Mr. Zenjiro must have realized my intentions. He accepted this marriage despite that."

Aura chuckled, recalling their conversation earlier. After all, she had asked him directly, "If I were to retreat to the harem after marriage, cut off all external contact, and spend my days idly, how would you feel?"

It was clear that he understood what she wanted, or more accurately, what she did not want.

"At first, I thought he was a commoner, but his intelligence suggests he might be from the nobility of another world."

"Indeed, that's possible."

"His manners and behavior do raise some questions, but it is somewhat unnatural for a commoner to be so intelligent."

The gathered confidants nodded in agreement with Aura's somewhat off-the-mark assessment.

This was partly because Aura and her confidants were applying their own world's standards to the other world. In this world, education is a privilege reserved for the royal family, nobility, and a few wealthy individuals.

To the majority of commoners, education is a non-existent concept. While there are some educational institutions that accept commoners, they are not as widespread as the nine years of compulsory education in modern Japan, which is completely outside the realm of Aura's imagination.

"However, if Mr. Zenjiro accepted this marriage, there might be some ulterior motive. If the engagement with Mr. Zenjiro is to be broken, the re-summoning ceremony in a month will be canceled."

This was said by the elderly man in a purple robe who stood to Aura's left when Zenjiro arrived. Espiridion, the head magician of the Carpa Kingdom's court, received a dismissive snort from Aura, who waved her hand in response.

"Don't be ridiculous, old man. And do you want me to marry the 'Wolf' from the Gijen family or the 'Puppet' from the Marques family instead? If I did, the Carpa Kingdom, which has survived the turmoil, would be destroyed by internal strife."

The queen's blunt words elicited a wry smile from the old magician, who stroked his long gray beard and defended the domestic candidates who had been criticized by the queen.

"Your Majesty, those are harsh words. Lord Pujol of the Gijen family is a worthy general, and Lord Raffaele of the Marques family is an extremely capable civil servant."

"I know that without you telling me. I am the one who placed them in their current positions. However, no matter how capable they are, ambitious men and those who cannot defy their parents' wishes are not suitable as my husband. That's what I'm saying."

The queen's assessment, though harsh, was not off the mark, so the old magician said nothing more.

"Then, the marriage will be with Mr. Zenjiro?"

In response to the question from the slender middle-aged man, Fabio, Aura nodded easily.

"Yes. While there are some concerns about his intelligence, his character is satisfactory. At the very least, he is far superior to the 'Wolf' or the 'Puppet.' His royal blood is also sufficiently strong. With him, the nobility will not openly oppose the marriage."

The royal bloodline magic, "Time-Space Magic," of the Carpa royal family must be correctly inherited by the next generation. This is a significant and legitimate reason in this world.

Given that Zenjiro's royal blood is clearly stronger than that of any domestic noble, there will be no open opposition to his marriage to Aura.

"However, he is not just from a different social class but from a different world. There are many issues to consider, such as whether they can build a successful family after marriage."

In response to the old magician's concerns about the future, Aura smiled meaningfully.

"Well, those are issues that arise in any marriage, big or small. The rest is a matter of my sincerity and effort. As I told the new husband earlier, this is a marriage arranged for my convenience. As long as he does not make unreasonable demands that affect the state, I will accommodate his wishes."

The sincere treatment Aura showed Zenjiro earlier was not just for show.

Aura herself felt a sense of guilt for involving Zenjiro in this situation, and rationally, treating her husband with sincerity was the right approach.

A husband is not a subordinate but a family member. If things go well, they will share many intimate moments and spend decades together.

It would be exhausting to constantly be at odds with each other.

"I understand. This is a matter of the 'house,' so I leave it to you, Your Majesty. However, whether the royal family has children is a matter of the kingdom. If there are any issues with the 'nightly activities,' please report them frankly.

Fortunately, Mr. Zenjiro has royal blood strong enough to potentially learn 'Time-Space Magic.' There are also a few women in the current kingdom who have royal blood comparable to that of Lord Pujol and Lord Raffaele."

It was the secretary, Fabio, who bluntly stated what would normally be considered extremely impolite.

Indeed, now that a man with strong royal blood, Zenjiro, has been identified, the situation has changed.

Previously, since only Aura could activate "Time-Space Magic," it was imperative that she have children. However, now that there is a man with the potential to use "Time-Space Magic," Zenjiro, there is another option.

In the extreme case, the kingdom could revert to the old system, where Aura remains single and the royal heir is born to Zenjiro and a noblewoman with royal blood.

The marriage of the queen, which creates a contradiction between the "absolute authority of the monarchy" and the "patriarchal head of the household," is a problematic issue.

Knowing about Zenjiro, the nobles with royal blood in their daughters might use this as leverage to demand the annulment of the queen's marriage and the marriage of their daughters to Zenjiro.

In a sense, the existence of Yamai Zenjiro is both a valuable asset and a significant threat.

However, Queen Aura, showing no sign of anger at her confidant's impolite words, crossed her legs on the chair and responded meaningfully.

"Yes, that is a matter for the future, but I have some plans in place. However, I believe your concerns are unnecessary. I am confident that I will be able to have children with my husband."

"Hmm? May I ask the basis for your confidence?"

In response to the old magician's interested question, Aura smiled seductively and answered.

"It's simple. I had dinner with my husband tonight, and his gaze was fixed on my chest, almost painfully so. He tried to hide it, but it was undoubtedly a lustful look.

It seems my body is more than capable of arousing his desires."

Saying this, Aura puffed out her chest, proudly displaying her large breasts.

A man's glance is a woman's stare.

It seems that Zenjiro's lecherous thoughts were completely noticed by the queen.