Side: Seraria
"—And that's the situation. What do you all think?"
I laid out the details of the incident at today's meeting—the one where my bastard father tried to push a princess onto us.
I watched everyone's reactions as they processed the news.
"I'm against it! Absolutely against it!! Treating a girl like some kind of object is absolutely unacceptable!!"
Riel shouted her opposition at the top of her lungs.
"But if we reject the Princess here, wouldn't that be treating her even more like an object?"
Eris pointed out.
She was right. If we refused her here, she'd just be passed around like a hot potato to someone else.
"Exactly. In the end, the Princess has nowhere else to go."
"That's... well, it's pitiful, I suppose."
Ratz added with a troubled expression.
"However, I can understand the king's situation. If things are investigated carelessly and Elju-sama's situation is exposed, even if Gartz doesn't intend to act, those in Roshure who admired Elju-sama wouldn't be able to be restrained."
Rurua noted. She hit the nail on the head.
That's right. The old geezer isn't a total fool. He can't afford to hold onto a ticking time bomb that could blow up the alliance. That's why marrying her off to Yuki here in the dungeon is his "best" move.
"I still don't quite get it, though. Why does marrying her to Yuki-san solve the problem?"
Riel tilted her head in confusion.
I suppose I should explain the specifics.
"That's because—"
"—Seraria, may I speak? Please correct me if I'm wrong about anything."
Eris cut in. I figured it would be good to see how much she understood.
Also, everyone has finally gotten used to not calling me "-sama" while we're inside the inn.
"Go ahead."
"Thank you."
Eris walked over to the whiteboard in the banquet hall. The key members were all gathered here; Yuki was currently busy giving Aslin and the others a bath.
"As Riel said, I think there are some things people don't understand or situations that aren't quite clear, so I'll summarize them here. Listen up, everyone."
Everyone nodded.
"First, regarding this royal marriage proposal: at its core, this is Gartz's 'return gift' to Roshure."
Specifically, this marriage—which is essentially a hostage exchange—is their response to the massive reparations I squeezed out of Rithea.
"I get that, but why does it have to be a 'princess'? Couldn't they have sent someone else?" Milly asked.
"The fact that she's a princess is the key point. It has to match the value of the reparations. On the other hand, sending a large number of daughters from minor nobles would be rude and would also invite too many spies."
That's the problem.
Gartz can't afford to pay reparations in cash or goods, and they can't afford to lose valuable personnel.
That leaves women.
But a mere noble's daughter doesn't carry the weight of the sum involved. So, it has to be royalty. But that means we can't treat her poorly either.
"I see. One spy is better than many. Hmm, so a princess is worth the money?"
Riel still seemed a bit fuzzy on the details.
"That's a matter of noble politics, so it's better to hear it from Seraria."
Eris said, deferring to me.
Fair enough; commoners wouldn't know the "rules" of the state.
"Being from the royal family carries meaning. If it were an ordinary noble, the weight of the apology would be too light. Let me put it this way — if this dungeon had to apologize to someone, who do you think the other party would take more seriously: me or Riel?"
"That would be you, Seraria, since you're the lord... Ah, I see. So the higher the status of the person, the more meaning it has."
"Exactly. Eris, please continue."
"Yes. So that explains the public reason."
"Public?" Milly asked.
"Yes. The princess is likely also here to investigate Roshure's internal affairs."
"We heard that, but even if she investigates—we'll monitor her, right?"
"That's the issue. Because she's coming as a bride. If we restrict her freedom, Gartz could accuse us of mistreating her. Then they'd have a legitimate reason to inspect Roshure."
"Oh, I see! If she marries Yuki-san in this dungeon, the things she probes won't be Roshure's secrets, but the dungeon's secrets. And since Yuki-san is the husband of representatives from other nations like Seraria and Rurua, the Princess can't exactly complain about her standing."
As Milly said—and as the old geezer intended—from a global perspective, placing her here is the most logical choice.
"I suspect the King of Roshure came here specifically to ask for this favor, rather than to scold us for the unsanctioned battle with Rithea. What do you think, Seraria?"
"Just as Eris said. That's the true purpose of this visit. The Rithea conflict was just a side issue. To those who don't know the truth behind Roshuru and Rithea, it looks like we arbitrarily picked a fight with Rithea right after the alliance was reformed. My father can suppress the complaints with one word, but that would still leave dissatisfaction. Therefore..."
"I see. The King scolded you to satisfy the vassals, had the princes explain things to them later to show the decision was right, and thus kept everyone happy."
Ratz nodded, clapping her hands together.
"Precisely. The vassals aren't incompetent. If they don't know the truth, they should be angry about such a reckless move. Anyone who just stood by and watched without saying anything is the one who deserves to be fired. But the ones who do know the truth can't tell everyone else, or it would lead to war with Rithea."
"The King has it tough, doesn't he...?"
Tori muttered, looking impressed.
"Well, that aside, I just don't like him trying to shove a woman onto my husband."
"So that's your main grievance?"
"Obviously! Ratz—actually, everyone here feels the same, don't you?"
Everyone nodded in unison.
"I also want to be embraced by Danna-sama soon..."
"True. Onii-san hasn't made a move for some reason, has he?"
"That's right. And if this princess gets pregnant first..."
"...I might end up resenting Yuki."
At Derieu's words, everyone's eyes blaze.
"But wait," Riel spoke up. "If Yuki-san makes a move on the Princess, then there's no reason he shouldn't make a move on us, right? Coming here as a bride means the intention is to have children."
"""...Ah!"""
Everyone realized the loophole in Riel's logic.
"Wait a minute. This is..."
"Yes... it's a chance to carry Danna-sama's child."
"Seraria, is there any way Yuki-san could get out of touching the Princess?" Eris asked.
"No. Usually, she'd have a lady-in-waiting to confirm if the 'deed' is being done. Refusing to touch her is the same as refusing the peace offering itself."
"In other words, whether or not she gets pregnant, Onii-san has to lay hands on her?"
"That's right."
"Wait, so... if we welcome the Princess with open arms, it might improve her situation, and it means we can finally have sex with Yuki-san out in the open!?" Riel said.
"I don't know about the Princess's situation, but if we welcome her, wonderful days with Onii-san are a certainty! If he touches her and tries to say he won't touch us, he'll have to prove his love properly... Wait, are we starting with outdoor play?"
"N-No, that's not what I meant!"
We had been focusing only on the downsides, but this was a massive blind spot. This is the perfect excuse for me—for all of us—to be loved by Yuki.
"W-Wait, everyone, calm down! The benefits to us are huge, but if we don't think about the dungeon's benefits, Yuki-san won't agree to it."
"That's the problem. We have to tell Yuki exactly how the dungeon benefits from marrying this Princess..."
Eris tried to maintain order, and as I finished her sentence, everyone fell into deep thought.
* * *
Side: Yuki
I am currently extremely troubled.
The problem: the proposal at today's meeting to welcome the Princess as a bride.
Good grief, if I ever went back to modern Japan, I'd be beaten to a pulp by every dateless guy in the country. I'm already in a harem situation. Adding another princess on top of that... Seraria and Labyris will be the first ones to object.
Plus, this time, the marriage is the prerequisite. It's a national negotiation. Unlike Seraria, who came here because she wanted to, it would be extremely bad form not to touch her. If I haven't even touched Seraria and the others but I touch the Princess first, I'm definitely going to get stabbed.
I've had a certain reason for not laying a hand on them yet, but I guess I've reached the limit. I'll send a confirmation email to Luna; once I get a reply, I'll talk to Seraria and the others, and... well, we'll do it...
It wasn't that I was stalling on purpose, but if that useless goddess sees the content of the message, she might show up in front of Seraria and the others, and that is what scares me. She'd say something unnecessary and ruin everything. That's why I've barely contacted Luna. How the hell am I supposed to explain a useless goddess to them...?
No, no, focus.
First, I have to explain to Seraria and the others the benefits of welcoming the Princess—or rather, taking her into the dungeon. It's not like I'm some creep thinking, "Oh boy, I get to use a princess as a toy! Hyahhoi!"
Rather, King Roshure probably brought this princess to me on purpose, telling me to "use her well." Yes, with this princess, it will be easier to build a relationship with Gartz. Even if Gartz learns the truth about Roshure and Rithea now, it would only lead to another war between the three nations, which offers no benefit to Gartz. But Gartz, not knowing the truth, can't just ignore Roshure's sudden wealth, and they have to return the favor to save face. That's why they sent the princess.
The Princess has to investigate for the sake of her country, but once she knows the truth, she can't tell anyone. Since both Roshure and Rithea were messed with from the inside, there's no guarantee the same won't happen to Gartz.
The 7th Princess is essentially being made to walk in front of a bomb that she's been told to investigate but mustn't actually trigger. She's a nuisance to every country, but they have to send her anyway. She's a necessary sacrifice.
And that's where the spotlight hits my dungeon. I don't really hide the inner workings of the dungeon; in fact, I want the publicity. If Gartz residents start coming too, even more people will gather. It's the perfect place for all three nations to dump a princess they can trust to be safe.
But... will the wives accept a reason like that?
Even if the logic is sound, there are things you just can't accept emotionally. This is especially true this time.
If I welcome a princess whom I have to touch, even though I haven't touched the others yet, they might feel like she's jumping the queue... or think I'm being incredibly conceited. That's why I need to show them love before welcoming the Princess... but there's no way I can just say, "I love you, now I'm bringing home another woman," and expect it to work.
Argh, forget it. I'll just bow my head like a man and say, "I'm taking the Princess as a wife, please forgive me!"... That counts as manly, right?
Having steeled my resolve, I opened the door to the banquet hall where they were meeting and immediately dropped into a perfect dogeza. The movement was so fluid, I'm sure it would have scored a 10.00.
"Everyone, I'm sorry!! I've decided to accept the Princess. I know you're unhappy about it, but starting today... I'll finally make my move on all of you! So please, forgive me!!"
"""WE FORGIVE YOU!!"""
"...Huh?"
I had been prepared to give a long, grueling explanation, but the instantaneous response left me standing there with a look of pure idiocy on my face.
