"Well, I'm Yuki—the representative of this place."
"Ah, so you are Marquis Yuki. A pleasure to meet you. I am Germa Labluse, one of the inspection party."
His reaction was surprisingly normal. I mean, he's just a son, so he's not actually a Duke yet. I guess he's just carrying himself like the future head of the house.
If Seraria finds out about this, there's going to be a bloodbath...
"Right. So, do you have some business regarding Sheila?"
"Indeed. You are treating Princess Sheila as mere labor—handling her like a nuisance."
"No, that's actually..."
"You don't understand the reason Princess Sheila was entrusted to you! If you treat a princess like that, there will certainly be protests. It defeats the whole purpose. Do you understand? She must be treated with care. It seems the King trusted you enough to leave her here, but this simply won't do. You should entrust the Princess to me."
"Uh, and what happens if I hand her over to you, Germa-san?"
"You will be freed from the burden of handling the Princess, and I will treat her with the utmost care in my own territory. It will earn us both favor from Roshure and Gartz. See? It's a win-win."
Ah, how should I put this... he's the type who only listens to surface-level information. I see, that's why he thinks he can act tough with me, Seraria's husband. He thinks I should be grateful that he's "taking the burden" off my hands.
I don't know exactly how great the Labluse territory is, but they likely have a fair amount of influence in the Royal Capital. If he took Sheila in, her original diplomatic goal would be met. Roshure might be annoyed, but since it's not the capital, they'd probably accept it and his reputation would rise. It would even be a perfect excuse to criticize the dungeon's management.
That would all work—if Sheila actually wanted to go, and if we actually found her to be a nuisance.
"No, I'm afraid I have to decline. Sheila is working because she wants to, and our relationship is just fine, so no thanks."
"Huh?"
Oops. He didn't expect to be turned down, did he?
"Wait a moment. Did I hear you correctly? Did you just refuse?"
"Yes, I refuse. Furthermore, this matter was a reward granted directly by the King himself. If I were to hand that reward over to an unnamed individual like yourself—who hasn't even inherited the title of Duke yet—it would be a major problem. Do you understand that?"
"I am unnamed?! I am the eldest son of Labluse and the next—"
"—Right now, you are just a 'son.' Honestly, I have to question the education provided by your father, the Duke."
"What could you possibly question about my father?!"
"His son's inclination to try and snatch away another man's wife from the side. Should I report this to Seraria or the King of Roshure? It might just ruin your house. Oh, and surely you aren't going to say this was your father's suggestion? That would be bordering on treason."
"Guh...!?"
Fumu. At least he understands that he's talking nonsense.
"Well, Sheila is a beauty, after all. I can't say I don't understand the feeling. So, let's just pretend this never happened. We'll call it a youthful indiscretion."
"......Does Princess Sheila truly wish to live here?"
"Yeah, she does. Sheila, come on in."
"Yes, Yuki-sama."
On cue, Sheila, who had been waiting outside the room, entered. Naturally, she sat down right next to me.
"Germa-dono, I am working in this dungeon by my own choice, and I am happy to be Yuki-sama's wife. I appreciate your concern, but I am not being treated as a nuisance; in fact, I am glad I came here."
"I... see..."
Germa's head dropped in defeat.
"Are you satisfied now?"
"...Yes. My apologies. Marquis Yuki, regarding this matter... can I ask you to keep it quiet, as you suggested?"
"Well, it can't be helped. We'll keep this conversation between us. Now, the rest of the inspection team is probably wondering where you went. Please head back and put them at ease."
I opened the door to find Ratz and Eris standing there, having been eavesdropping.
"Oh! Come to think of it, is your husband still not here? It's a shame about Princess Sheila, but if you two would come with me, that would be a small matter in comparison!"
Hey now. You're saying that right in front of Sheila...?
"...Yuki-sama, may I dispose of this rude man now?"
"Calm down. Killue's going to take it seriously... Killue, that was a joke—put that combat knife away please."
"...Understood."
"I am not some consolation prize! Don't mess with me!"
"Please, just stop already. Otherwise, we'll have our husband beat you down."
"What are you two so angry about?"
Ah, forget it. This guy can't read the room at all.
"Our husband is Marquis Yuki, right here."
"So just stop already. Or should I call Seraria?"
"Wh—Marquis Yuki is your husband?! W-Why?! I'm far superior to him! Why would women like you flock to a man like this? It's impossible!!"
He's finally reached the point where his brain has short-circuited.
Listen, buddy, you haven't actually done anything yourself. Well, I wouldn't call myself a heartthrob, but I guess I've built up some history here.
"Ah... this is no good anymore."
Ratts says with a smile.
"No matter how you look at it, Yuki-san is the superior one."
Eris adds coldly, her pressure rising.
"Yuki-sama, I'm sorry. As your wife, I cannot overlook such insults to my husband. Right, Killue?"
"As Sheila-sama says."
Sheila and Killue were in full battle stance.
"W-What?! Why are you all..."
* * *
And so, Germa ended up spending the remainder of the inspection days in a hospital bed.
By the way, despite all his whining, word of the incident eventually reached Seraria's ears, and he reportedly saw a whole new level of hell.
Later on, this story would be passed down as a classic cautionary tale:
"Don't lay a hand on another man's wife."
Furthermore, "Germa" became a fixed character type—the classic meddling pest who gets kicked around in all sorts of stories.
"...I don't even know what to say... Rest in peace."
