Chapter 48

Because it's Christmas, I'll update three times.

It's Santa (San-ta) after all.

I might run out of pre-written content, though.

I actually thought about doing a special Christmas story, but I didn't think it would be appropriate with Yuria in her current state.

"Yuria, it's been a while."

"Yes, it's been a while. Thank you for coming."

"You're the one who called me, right?"

The letter Yuria gave me at the venue said, 'On the night of the full moon, by the lake.'

I came here following those instructions.

"I thought I'd never see you again. You used to call me Almus-sama, you know."

"You called me Princess Yuria, too."

Yuria smiled as she said this.

"Want to talk a bit?"

"Do you remember the first time we met?"

"Yeah, I remember. You were a butterfly, and you lured me out, right?"

"Exactly!"

We sat by the lake and reminisced about old times.

"You even saw me naked, right?"

"That was pretty recent, I think. I remember meeting King Rosais after that."

"Who was prettier, Tera or me?"

Yuria laughed mischievously.

"Well, your chest is bigger, at least."

When I said that, Yuria's face turned bright red, and she clutched her chest.

"Stop it..."

Yuria laughed, though she sounded a bit annoyed.

"Hey, Almus..."

Yuria looked at me straight in the eye.

"I like you."

"Yeah, I know."

Of course I do. How could I not?

"Do you like me?"

"Of course."

When I said that, Yuria pressed her lips to mine.

Her tongue entered my mouth.

I accepted it and pushed my tongue into her mouth, swirling it around.

Our tongues intertwined multiple times.

"Mm!"

I moved my tongue to find Yuria's weak spot and caressed it intensely.

I forcefully sucked on Yuria's tongue, swallowing her saliva.

When we finally pulled away, a bridge of saliva connected our mouths.

"You've gotten really good at this, haven't you?"

Yuria said, panting, and then she kissed me again.

I grabbed her shoulders and pushed her down.

And then...

"Close call."

I almost broke my promise to King Rosais.

"It's only been a year since we got married... It's not right to even think about cheating."

"You're the one who tried to make me cheat."

We only kissed, so it's probably safe. Probably...

"Almus."

Yuria looked at me seriously.

She knelt down and bowed deeply.

"Please, will you marry me?"

"I can't answer that."

When I said that, Yuria looked like she was about to cry.

"Why? Don't you like me?"

"No, I like you. I love you as much as Tera... maybe even more."

I can't believe I'm saying this when I have a wife...

"Then why? Is it because of Tera?"

"That's part of it, but the main reason is different."

When I said that, Yuria's eyes filled with tears, and she shouted.

"What? If you marry me, you can love me freely. I won't be any less than Tera!! And if you marry me, you'll get the right to inherit the Rosais kingdom!"

"That's the problem!!"

I raised my voice without thinking.

"Let's say I marry you. How many people would recognize my right to the throne? Only the relatives of the Rosais family and a few anti-Dybel factions centered around Baltro. They don't recognize me as king because they respect me; they do it because they hate the Dybel family. Would Rigar Dybel accept it quietly? No way. A civil war would break out."

The battle with King Verm was a necessity. I had to take the risk to save my life.

But this civil war can be avoided if I don't marry Yuria.

It will be painful for Yuria... but it won't necessarily mean her death.

If a civil war breaks out, I won't be a bystander. I'll be at the center of it.

Who will be hurt then? It will be Ron and the others.

I can't let that happen.

But...

"I don't want to give you to Rigar. So... can you wait for my answer for a little while?"

I should probably refuse immediately, as a leader, as a lord.

But I can't...

"Alright. I'll wait for five months. Make a decision by then. If you don't..."

Yuria hugged me and said,

"I'll have to marry Rigar."

---

"Where were you?"

"At Yuria's place."

When I told the truth, Tera looked a bit surprised.

"Shouldn't you hide something like that?"

"I don't think I can hide it. You're too smart."

If I told a bad lie, it would be exposed right away.

It's better to be honest.

"Did she ask you to marry her?"

"You figured it out."

"Women's intuition."

Tera's intuition isn't always accurate... but it hit the mark this time.

"Are you going to accept?"

"I'm thinking about it. I got a five-month extension."

What am I doing, consulting my wife about this?

"It's fine if you don't worry about me."

"I can't just ignore you. If I marry Yuria, you'll be treated as a concubine."

Is Tera okay with that?

"I'm not entirely happy about it, but I don't care about status. As long as I can be your wife."

Tera blushed as she said this.

"Besides, it's sad for Yuria. If I were in her position, I'd want to die. It's different if it's a stranger, but..."

Tera paused.

"Yuria is my friend. I'll forgive her, as long as she sincerely apologizes to me."

Women are hard to understand.

But maybe Tera is special?

Of course, that's true.

"But that's not the real issue, right?"

"You're right. As long as there's a possibility of war..."

I can't split the country in two and cause unnecessary deaths just for personal reasons.

"I think you should do what you want. You've worked hard for everyone. It's okay this time, right?"

"Thanks... I'll take that into consideration."

I shouldn't rely on others for such important decisions.

I need to make my own decision.

---

"I see. So that's why he refused."

King Rosais looked surprised after hearing Yuria's explanation.

"Did you think Almus would accept?"

"No, I thought he would refuse. But the reason was unexpected. I thought he would refuse because of insufficient merit."

Defeating King Verm was a great achievement.

But it was balanced by elevating Almus to a noble.

Ideally, two-thirds of King Verm's territory would become direct control, and the remaining one-third would be given to Almus.

That would be a fair reward, considering Almus was originally from outside the Rosais kingdom and his village was small.

But King Rosais gave Almus all of the former King Verm's territory.

It was almost too generous.

Almus hasn't achieved any notable merit since becoming a noble.

If he were to engage in a betrothal with Yuria now, it would look like he tricked her. Though, that might not be entirely wrong.

It's uncertain whether the anti-Dybel factions would follow.

"I was planning to make Almus the general and have him attack a nearby country to create merit, but..."

With Almus's subordinates, gunpowder, and Baltro's support, he could achieve significant merit.

If he couldn't, he would be considered a failure.

"So... even if Almus decides, it won't work without merit..."

Yuria's shoulders slumped.

"Well, there's nothing we can do but pray. We have to leave it to fate."

"Fate... Yeah, I guess..."

Yuria's shoulders slumped even more.

---

At a village on the border between the Dybel and As territories, a conflict was brewing.

"Hey! There's not enough wheat!! What's going on?!"

A man was waving a sword and shouting.

His name was Gilbert.

He was a cousin of Rigar Dybel.

The village chief was begging Gilbert on his knees.

"I'm sorry. We have no more wheat. Can you wait until next year? We'll pay this year's taxes next year, I promise."

Gilbert kicked the village chief in the face.

"Are you kidding me?! You didn't even pay this year's cloth taxes!!"

Gilbert shouted and ordered his soldiers to search the storage.

"Nothing... Wait?"

Gilbert's gaze fell to the ground.

The soil color was off.

Seeing the village chief's change in expression, Gilbert ordered his soldiers to dig.

The ground was soft and easily dug up.

Several jars were unearthed.

When the lids were opened, they were filled with wheat.

"There it is!!"

"That's the seed wheat!! If you take it, we won't have any for next year..."

Gilbert kicked the village chief again.

"No problem. I'll lend you the seed wheat. Just pay it back next year. Now, load it up!!"

The soldiers carried the wheat out of the jars one by one.

After the wheat was loaded, Gilbert gathered the villagers and checked their faces.

Gilbert had been in charge of this village for a long time.

Even if he didn't know their names, he would recognize unfamiliar faces.

His eyes stopped on a woman he had never seen before.

She was reasonably attractive.

If she were plain, he might have forgotten her, but her appearance was notable.

"Hey, you. You're not a resident of this village. Where are you from?"

When Gilbert asked, the woman turned pale and answered.

"F-from the neighboring village..."

"Did you file a move application?"

In the Dybel territory, villagers were not allowed to move freely.

They had to file an application.

Those who broke this law were punished.

The woman didn't answer Gilbert's question.

"So, you didn't file an application, did you?"

The woman nodded, trembling.

"Did you move here to get married?"

When Gilbert asked, the woman prostrated herself and begged for forgiveness.

Gilbert smiled slyly.

"Alright. Pay the marriage tax and the first-night tax."

The man standing next to the woman, who had been pale, prostrated himself.

"I-I'm sorry. I'll pay the taxes within a month."

"No. Pay now. If you agree to my conditions, I'll forgive the marriage tax and the application fee."

Gilbert smiled as he explained his conditions.

It involved Gilbert taking the woman's virginity right there and then, and promising not to tell anyone.

The couple had no choice.

The coexistence of the marriage tax and the first-night tax is a system.

Still, this indecisiveness is frustrating.