As soon as I arrived at the palace, I was summoned by my wifey.
She was sitting on the throne—the very one I had persistently avoided with the bizarre excuse that I “did not wish to sit there, de gozaru.”
She looked to be in a foul mood.
“Yes, ma’am,” I muttered.
For the time being, I dropped into a formal seiza position.
Look upon me, people of Chronos! Even after rising to the rank of Grand Duke, this was my reality. Such was the inherent weakness of a Japanese-descended man toward his wife.
“But Lord Groom,” she began.
“Yes, I’m here. I’m sorry. I love you.”
“What are you apologizing for? You have done well, Lord Groom.”
“Wait, I’m not being scolded?”
“No. It is simply… that the day has finally come.”
“You’re scaring me. What day?”
Wifey, who was usually the picture of composure, wore a solemn expression.
“You must marry them.”
“But I’m already married to you, Wifey.”
What was she even talking about? We had already registered our marriage.
“ I mean Claire, Melissa, and Ren!”
Come to think of it, things hadn't really progressed since the engagement. After all, they had each become the heads of their respective houses, while I was the Grand Duke of the Galactic Empire and the Monarch of Chronos.
I had assumed the logistics would be a nightmare—specifically, how to handle their relative rankings.
Claire personally controlled the agriculture of Chronos and managed the trading operations for the Kamishiro Group. To put it bluntly, she was the Princess of the Business World. Perhaps because I had brought the major trading companies into the fold early on, they now treated me as one of their own.
Melissa was hopeless at business, but she was the darling of the Public Security & Police Faction. The only reason they supported me was because I was taking Melissa as my wife. In their eyes, I was a member of the police and public security “family.”
Then there was Ren, the survivor of an old ducal house. The reason I hadn't faced a massive retaliation from the old nobility after I dismantled the Duke Association was because I was marrying Ren. Her presence lent weight to the claim that “while the Duke Association is being crushed, the old ducal families are not being neglected.” By marrying her, I was effectively treated as a member of the old aristocracy.
Furthermore, Ren had become an Icon of the Abolition of Discrimination Against the Beast Species. To the Beast Race, she was a goddess; to the commoners, she was a savior.
This was exactly why I’d been dragging my feet!
Their various positions were the pillars of Wifey’s power. Between them, Wifey had the military, public security, the police, the business world, the upper crust, and the common people all on her side. In short, if I had simply defeated Zork and stopped there, the Empire would have likely devolved into a chaotic era of warring states.
Instead, thanks to my poor self-control around women, the Galactic Empire had achieved stability through a miraculous balance of power. My thoughtless actions had somehow perfectly realized the concept of: “As if there could be a harem without political motives!”
I suppose acting on one’s raw desires really was the most correct path after all.
Yes! This potato too! And this one! And this one! They were all my—
“Applying a potato tax,” Melissa said, snatching one away.
“Thanks for bringing these,” Claire added, taking another.
My poor potatoes…
“There you go, Veronica-chan.” Claire naturally handed one over to Wifey.
“My thanks,” Veronica replied.
“Thank you as always, Husband,” Ren said.
When she thanked me like that, I couldn’t exactly be stingy. Whatever. I’d just eat my own potato.
Returning to politics—even Chronos might not have been so easy to govern without Tatiana. And honestly, the war probably wouldn’t have ended without One-oh-one. Hmm. It seemed I really was just the guy doing the fighting while everyone else did the work. Such was the true nature of the man being marketed as a hero.
Anyway, the reason things were so tense was that the various factions were currently locked in a fierce power struggle over which girl would get to have her ceremony first.
It was terrifying.
“If it were up to me, I would have kept you to myself a while longer,” Wifey sighed. “But every faction is clamoring with bloodshot eyes, demanding to know when the time will come! You three, enter!”
Claire, Melissa, and Ren walked into the room.
“The paperwork,” Claire said, handing me the documents.
I signed each of the three marriage certificates and transmitted them to the government office.
“Hehe, you didn’t even hesitate,” Melissa teased with a laugh.
“Well, obviously. I’m a man who can’t do anything without all of you.”
“Ahahaha! You liar.”
“No, really, I am truly grateful. Right, Claire? Ren?”
“Goodness. Well, let’s all be happy together then!” Claire replied.
Ren chimed in as well. “Indeed. Now that I am officially Husband’s wife, I shall also resign as the Great King of the Beast Race…”
“That you will not,” Wifey interrupted. “No one but Ren can handle that role.”
“No way!” Ren cried.
Wifey was as ruthless as ever.
“So, Wifey. What about the wedding ceremonies for the rest of them?” I asked.
“They shall take place after my own wedding.”
“And when will that be?”
“We are currently developing the Wedding Ceremony Planet. It won't be until next year at the earliest.”
“Is it just me, or does the scale of this get bigger every time we talk about it?”
“It is because the Lord Groom has become far too important. Family or not, you are the monarch of a nation. The scale keeps expanding, and the plans are constantly being revised.”
An entire planet just for a venue… I really had become a big deal.
“Also, the shrine for Zashiki-warashi-chan… or rather, the Ship Spirit… is under construction,” Wifey added. “We plan to enshrine her as the Guardian Deity of our Empire.”
Zashiki-warashi-chan was moving up in the world too. I guess that was fine.
With that settled, it was time to report to my mother. I called her even before I called Big Brother Sam, the Head of a Branch House. You can deduce the power hierarchy of my family from that fact alone.
The Tyrant of Our House was the most fearsome entity of all.
“Unlock your door, Mother. I got married,” I said as the call connected.
“The notification already arrived,” she replied. “Leo… you understand, don’t you? If you are a man, you must make every one of them happy. If you ever make them cry, I will come and prune that unnecessary thing hanging between your legs.”
“Um… that’s genuinely terrifying. That doesn't sound like a joke at all.”
“Do I look like the type to tell jokes?”
For some reason, my mother produced a pair of two-handed pruning shears and snapped the blades shut with a menacing shereen.
Terrifying!
“Yes, ma’am! I will make them all happy! I’ll let you know once the wedding date is set!”
“ I’m expecting great things.”
The call ended.
I realized my legs had naturally pulled together into a knock-kneed posture.
Man, my mother was something else. She was the type to be hands-off with actual parenting while hammering in concepts of duty, humanity, and responsibility. I suppose that’s why the eldest son became a fragile academic, and after she raised the second son with too much freedom and he became a stupid Yankee, she raised me, the third son, to be manly while emphasizing duty and responsibility. Then, deciding she shouldn’t interfere too much, she just threw the whole parenting thing aside and left me to my own devices.
Basically, she swung from one extreme to the other. I suppose I’ve reached an age where I can understand a parent’s perspective a little better. Hahaha.
“And one more thing,” Wifey said.
“Good grief, there’s more?”
“Those potatoes you were growing in the woods using bag cultivation. They are confiscated.”
“What… did you say?”
“The bags tore and it was a mess! I have rented a proper field, so go do it there!”
Curse those flimsy bags! They only lasted a single season. But fine, whatever.
“Well, if I must,” I said with a sigh.
I had officially received permission to farm. Once it got a bit warmer, I’d plant some summer vegetables.
“Claire-shan…” I looked at her with a passionate gaze.
“Don’t look at me like that! Fine, I get it! I’ll help you!”
“Yes!”
And so, I had finally, truly, obtained my harem.
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