Chapter 90

On the night when Zenjiro finally met Lucinda Gazir, Zenjiro and Aura, his wife, sat across from each other in the living room as usual, after their evening bath.

Sitting across from each other was a serious matter. Realizing this unspoken rule, Zenjiro, who had been relaxing after his bath, regained his composure and looked straight at his wife's face.

Under the soft glow of multiple LED stand lights, his beloved wife, with her brown skin slightly flushed from the bath, smiled gently, trying to put him at ease.

"Well, I have something I'd like to talk about. Is it alright?"

"Of course, no problem. Is it about what happened today?"

Zenjiro's words made the queen nod slightly.

"Yes. There's no need for roundabout words between us. I'll be straightforward. Zenjiro, what do you think of Lucinda?"

"What do I think...?"

Zenjiro frowned slightly, understanding the question but finding it too vague.

Seeing his expression, Aura recalled the 'advice' she had received from Lucinda Gazir earlier that day.

"Zenjiro-sama's need for a concubine is not Zenjiro-sama's, but Queen Aura's. Yet, leaving the decision to Zenjiro-sama alone is rather unfair, isn't it?"

By asking such a vague question, it seemed like a pretense of letting Zenjiro take the lead in the matter of choosing a concubine.

Realizing this, Aura closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and with a determined look, spoke again.

"No, that was a bit unfair. Let me rephrase. Zenjiro, I also had an informal meeting with Lucinda after you. I got to know her and thought, 'I want Lucinda Gazir to be your concubine.' With that as a premise, can you tell me if there's any room for you to accept 'my proposal' to take Lucinda Gazir as a concubine?"

"I want Lucinda to be your concubine. This is my desire, and I want to emphasize that."

Zenjiro's eyes widened slightly at Aura's clear statement.

This was the first time Aura had so explicitly recommended a person to be Zenjiro's concubine.

"Um, Aura, is this the decision of 'Queen' Aura? And, to begin with, is this something I have a say in?"

Seeing the wary look in her husband's eyes for the first time, Aura realized she had mishandled the conversation.

"Of course. At least for now, there's no situation where I have to force a concubine on you."

The queen hurriedly explained, speaking a bit faster than usual.

After receiving Lucinda's advice, she had tried to take the lead in the matter without pushing the responsibility onto Zenjiro, but it seemed that Zenjiro had perceived it as a stronger attempt to force a concubine on him. Feeling the difficulty of word choice, the queen tried to clarify the misunderstanding.

"This is a proposal and a request from me, not a compulsion. If you say no, the matter will end there. However, I wanted to share my straightforward request after getting to know Lucinda Gazir, even if it's a simple one."

"Okay, I understand what you're saying."

Zenjiro, realizing that the situation hadn't changed drastically, relaxed his expression and let out a sigh of relief.

"So, you really like Lucinda, huh? But..."

What crossed Zenjiro's mind was the 'advice' he had received from Secretary Fabio before.

"The whims of a royal to live without a single concubine are unlikely to be accepted."

"If so, you should not reject a concubine outright but make a judgment after getting to know the candidate."

Recalling these words, Zenjiro thought for a moment and then responded in a flat tone.

"I... don't want a concubine. That's my firm stance, and I want you to remember that. However, if, hypothetically, I were forced into a situation where I had to take a concubine due to my position, then..."

Zenjiro paused, took a deep breath, and continued.

"Among all the women I've been introduced to, if I had to choose one as a concubine, I would choose Lucinda. Lucinda is the one I would choose."

"Is that so?"

Hearing her husband's words, Aura nodded with a broad smile. For 'Queen' Aura, this was a far better response than she had expected.

Zenjiro, who had always considered Aura's position and accepted her requests, had shown a significant compromise on the issue of concubines, which he had stubbornly refused until now.

Moreover, Lucinda was an extremely favorable choice even from Aura's perspective. It was almost too convenient for 'Queen' Aura.

However, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort deep in her heart.

"That's fortunate. If you say that, I'll be more motivated to move forward."

Despite pushing a concubine on her husband, Aura couldn't help but feel negative emotions when she saw Zenjiro's smile at the thought of a concubine candidate.

(He's really a scoundrel.)

'Queen' Aura felt joy, 'woman' Aura felt jealousy, and 'human' Aura felt disgust at her own contradictory feelings.

Still, maintaining her composure as a queen, she didn't let her expression falter.

As a ruler, Aura was confident in controlling her emotions and maintaining a composed appearance, but it wasn't enough to deceive her beloved husband.

"..."

Without a word, Zenjiro stood up from the sofa and sat next to his beloved wife.

"Zenjiro...?"

Aura, slightly surprised, tilted her head. Zenjiro took several deep breaths and then spoke.

"I guess you didn't hear me clearly, so I'll say it again: 'I don't want a concubine.' With you and Zenkichi, and no one else. Well, I'd welcome more siblings for Zenkichi in the future, but this is the happiest situation for me."

Speaking quietly but with passion, Zenjiro's words made Aura feel guilty.

"..."

It was clear.

Despite leading the initiative to take a concubine, Aura felt a pang of jealousy when her husband showed interest in another woman. Knowing this, Aura bowed her head and bit her lip.

Seeing her wife's reaction, Zenjiro smiled wryly and squeezed Aura's hands, which were clasped on her lap.

"Oh, you're misunderstanding again. From my perspective, it would be even harder if you genuinely welcomed a concubine. I know it might sound a bit selfish, but I'm glad you feel this way. If there were a real conflict between you and Lucinda, that would be a different story, of course."

Zenjiro, clearly embarrassed, blushed as he spoke, but his words were sincere.

If Aura didn't feel any negative emotions about a concubine, Zenjiro would feel a sense of loneliness as a husband.

Does she love me that little? Is she just a convenient husband to 'Queen' Aura, not a beloved person to 'Aura'?

If Aura didn't feel any negative emotions about a concubine, Zenjiro would inevitably have such doubts. In that sense, he felt 'relieved' to have noticed Aura's hidden feelings.

"So, in situations like this, it's important to express negative emotions to some extent. If you keep suppressing them because you think you have to, I won't realize you're suppressing them. The worst scenario is if you keep suppressing them until you reach your breaking point."

Controlling emotions and being considerate are essential even in a close relationship, but it's equally important to express feelings to some extent.

If you have to suppress something, you should say, "I don't like it, but I'll endure it," so the other person understands you're enduring.

"Aura often says I 'listen to everything she says, to the point where she feels guilty.' But from my perspective, that's more my line. I don't suppress anything. I tell you if I don't like something, like taking a concubine or going out in social settings. So, Aura, please tell me. Don't suppress your feelings and keep them to yourself."

"Right."

Nodding slightly, Aura relaxed her shoulders and switched hands with Zenjiro on her lap.

Taking a concubine is not just Zenjiro's problem or Aura's problem. It's a problem for Zenjiro and Aura as a couple.

"..."

"..."

For a while, the royal couple enjoyed a comfortable silence.

Even after the most complicated topic of concubines was resolved, there were still other matters to discuss.

For serious talks, they sat across from each other, and for light conversations, they sat next to each other.

Following this unspoken rule, Zenjiro, looking a bit awkward, sat back across from Aura on the sofa.

However, compared to their previous conversation, his posture was much more relaxed.

"By the way, I received a message from Princess Bonna. The magic tool with 'heat resistance' that we requested is complete. She wants to hand it over to us, so you should go and receive it."

"Oh, it's complete, got it. Wait, but is it okay for me to receive it alone?"

Zenjiro tilted his head because, in principle, he was not allowed to meet Princess Bonna alone.

Somehow, Zenjiro and Princess Bonna got along too well. Zenjiro's guard was too low around her, so Aura had forbidden him from meeting her one-on-one.

"No, it's fine. Prince Francesco will be there, and I'll have Secretary Fabio accompany you. Besides, this is an official duty to receive a magic tool, not a personal meeting, so there's no room for anything inappropriate."

Despite this, there was a hint of unease in having Secretary Fabio involved.

For Zenjiro, who found Secretary Fabio difficult to deal with, this wasn't a particularly pleasant instruction, but given his past mistake, he couldn't refuse.

"...Got it."

Zenjiro nodded solemnly.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

The next day.

While Zenjiro was receiving the 'heat-resistant' magic tool from Princess Bonna, Queen Aura was still in the harem.

This was quite unusual.

As a queen, Aura's days were much busier than Zenjiro's, and her limited free time was usually scheduled to coincide with his.

Thus, the chance of Aura being alone in the harem was almost non-existent, and this was indeed the result of her intention.

Aura was in a rarely used room in the harem.

Zenjiro hardly used any rooms other than the living room and bedroom where the extension cords reached, but the harem was not a simple 1LDK apartment. It was a vast space designed for the king and his 'multiple wives' to live with numerous attendants.

There were many empty rooms, even after living there for a year and a half, that Zenjiro had yet to discover.

In one of these empty rooms, the queen sat deeply on a sofa.

After a while, just as Zenjiro would start fidgeting if he were there, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

"Excuse me."

A tall, middle-aged maid, the head maid Amanda, entered with a bow.

"I kept you waiting, Your Majesty."

"It's fine. I understand you're busy. Have you finished your work?"

The middle-aged head maid bowed perfectly, and the queen spoke calmly.

"Yes, I've finished my morning tasks. The daily operations can be managed by the department heads."

"Good. Then, please sit and spend some time with me."

"Yes, excuse me."

Amanda bowed and sat on the sofa across from the queen, maintaining a perfect posture.

After confirming that Amanda was seated, Aura spoke quietly.

"Let's get straight to the point. I want to hear what you know about Lucinda Gazir."

Amanda was a member of the Gazir border baron family, specifically the cousin of the current border baron.

She was a suitable person to start with for investigating Lucinda Gazir.

"I understand. I'll share what I can, but is that acceptable?"

"Yes."

Amanda's response was a clear indication that there were things she couldn't share, but Aura nodded without much reaction.

Amanda was not only the head maid of the royal family but also a member of the Gazir border baron family, a powerful noble family.

If she were to easily reveal information about her relatives, she wouldn't be trustworthy as a head maid.

She kept the secrets of her family and the main line to herself, taking them to her grave.

That's why she could be entrusted with the heavy responsibility of head maid in the harem.

Seeing the queen nod, Amanda began to speak.

"I mostly work in the capital, so I don't have a deep relationship with Lady Lucinda, but to me, she appears to be an 'ideal noblewoman.'"

"An ideal noblewoman, huh?"

The queen repeated the head maid's words.

Aura had only met Lucinda once, but she understood what Amanda meant. However, she also had some doubts.

"Lucinda does seem very admirable, but I feel she deviates slightly from the ideal noblewoman. She seems a bit too assertive for a noblewoman, don't you think?"

Generally, the southern continent is a male-dominated society. Therefore, assertive women are not considered 'ideal women.'

While Lucinda didn't display the same 'outspoken' qualities as Aura, a narrow-minded man might still frown and think, "She's too assertive."

Shaking her head slightly, the head maid responded.

"That's because in the Gazir border baron family, capable women were needed. In a more typical noble family, she would likely have behaved more like a 'typical ideal noblewoman.'"

The head maid's confident answer gave the queen a slightly uncomfortable feeling.

"That... means she can adapt herself to different situations, doesn't it? If so, that's a bit unhealthy."

"That's a bit of a misunderstanding. Lady Lucinda's core belief is that 'a noblewoman should do her best for her family.' She also has the insight to accurately read what others desire and the ability to act as most people would expect. That's why she appears that way."

"I see. So, even if it seems like she's being swayed by her environment, it's actually based on a firm personal conviction."

Indeed, there were aspects that made sense.

During their meeting, Lucinda had initially given safe, non-committal answers. However, after a certain point, she began to express more in-depth and critical opinions that a typical noble wouldn't.

If this was a change based on reading Aura's character and understanding that she wanted honest opinions, it made sense.

"Quite a passive quality. In a way, she might not be a good match for the lord."

Saying this, Aura thought for a moment.

Zenjiro was also rather passive and considered it 'normal' to be considerate of others. If both were waiting for the other to make a move, they might end up not moving at all.

The queen, deep in thought, was asked a question by the head maid for the first time that day.

"Your Majesty, may I ask a question?"

"What is it?"

"By setting up this meeting and asking me about Lady Lucinda, does that mean you consider her a strong candidate for Zenjiro-sama's concubine?"

It was more of a confirmation than a question.

The queen nodded easily.

"Yes. Of course, it's still confidential, but I'm optimistic, and the lord has shown the best response so far. I think this is the most promising situation, and I want to make it work."

Hearing the queen's words, Amanda nodded slightly.

"I see. That's good news. I was also a bit concerned about Lady Lucinda's future."

"It's understandable. For a relative, it would be a regrettable matter for such a capable woman to miss her prime. Well, it was fortunate for me."

"Yes. Therefore, I hope this works out, and I will do my best to assist. However, I have one request."

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I would like to proceed with the appointment of 'my successor' in parallel with the concubine arrangement."

"..."

The queen's expression turned slightly stern at Amanda's words.

She understood the concern. Amanda was the cousin of the Gazir border baron, and Lucinda was the daughter of the Gazir border baron.

If Amanda remained as head maid while Lucinda became a concubine, there would be concerns about the Gazir border baron family having too much influence in the harem.

However, from Aura's perspective, finding someone capable enough to replace Amanda wasn't easy.

"I understand your concern, but even if there are some rumors, I would prefer you to continue in your role."

Hearing the queen's words of trust, the head maid smiled slightly and bowed her head.

"Thank you. That's a great honor."

However, she continued with a serious expression.

"But it is a concern. More importantly, I'm afraid that if Lucinda enters the harem as it is, she might come alone out of consideration for me, without bringing any attendants from her family."

Typically, a concubine brings a few trusted attendants from her family, at least one. However, with the head maid being a relative, Lucinda might worry about forming too large a faction and come alone.

Aura