Shortly after the announcement of my marriage to Licorette, it was announced that the previous emperor had died. The royal family and the nobility were obliged to mourn for a year and refrain from any extravagant events. Ostensibly.
Although his marriage to Licorette was announced, they did not actually move in together right away.
When she was to marry into my house, it was necessary to make room for Licorette, so His Highness Prince Heath had our house enlarged. It took about half a year to complete it, and during that time, Licolette came to visit me from time to time.
When I was out of the store, he came to the store to have lunch with me or to go shopping. Naturally, Meilias was often with them, and I was worried about their relationship, but they seemed to get along better than I had expected. If things went poorly, they would often laugh at each other while ignoring me.
When the store is closed, they come to my house. I was worried about her friendship with Peris here, but my fears were unfounded and she, like the other residents, was instantly captivated by Peris's cooking. After that, she started to learn cooking from me and Peris, and in the past six months, she has become quite a good cook. Tempura, for example, can be made by an expert.
As for me, of course I keep the restaurant going. There is still a lot of demand for warding among adventurers, soldiers, and merchants. I don't have a problem with people knowing my face, but on Gon's advice, I have put wards on my store to make me look like a different person, and I have also put wards on Licorette to make her look like a different person when she is around me.
About two months after Licorette started coming to my house, I told her the secret of our family.
I was afraid that she might be distraught or get upset, but she was calmer than I had expected. She told Gon and Peris that she wanted to continue our relationship as before, and she even greeted Jeneha properly and asked her to keep in touch with her. Surprisingly, when he showed Ilimo, he started to cry unexpectedly.
I had known that Ilimo had been treated almost abusively by the idiot prince, but it seemed that this was also known to Riccolet. She herself had tried to stop him many times, but he would not listen to her, and at one point he even pointed his sword at her. Likolette's bad reputation in the capital was, in a way, partly due to the Prince Cearius.
She did not say much, but it seems that life in the palace is quite stifling. All of the ladies who had served her up to that point had been removed and replaced by completely new people. Naturally, they are under the watchful eye of Riccolette. I didn't like it so much that I had to leave the palace every day to go to my place. Of course, my close associates were watching me too, but I had nothing to hide, so I left them alone. On the contrary, when I brought them various gifts such as rice cakes, they started to tell me about the movements of Miyagi. They were also very generous.
The expansion of the pavilion, which was supposed to take half a year, was delayed for three months due to the heavy snowfall, and was finally completed in the spring.
The new building was built behind the building where we had been living. Meirias' workshop and library were placed on the first floor, and our living space, bath and toilet were placed on the second floor. The construction of this bath was unexpectedly difficult and we had many heated discussions with the craftsmen. Thanks to their efforts, a wonderful bath made entirely of Japanese cypress was completed. I am very satisfied with it.
One day, when we had finished moving our belongings into the new house and were just waiting for the bride to move in, Licorette made an unexpected proposal to us.
"Please make Meirias a wife of Linos too!
Meilius is lying on the ground, her face bright red.
"That's a good thing, isn't it?
Gon and the other residents of the pavilion seemed to agree.
"I don't mind, but... are you sure you want to do this, Rico?"
"Meilias adores Linos with all her heart. I was moved by her pure heart. I hope you will do it.
"I'm surprised Rico would say such a thing."
"It's okay because it's Meirias. Please don't go for other women."
"How about Meilias? Will you marry me?"
"... Hi."
Meilius, red to the ears, gives a small reply. Oh my god, he is so cute....
I am a slave. That's why Lycorette is your wife and I'm your chambermaid..."
You can't do that! Rico and Meilias continued to push and argue for a while, but Gon suggested that since Rico was an honorary marquess, it would be better for Rico to be the official wife, so it was decided that Riccolet would be the official wife and Meilias would be a concubine. Of course, I do not intend to discriminate between them, and I will not, and probably will not, have an affair with any other woman, but I will continue to love them. But still, I got two wives at the age of 17. Compared with my previous life, I think my life is too good to be true.
Although we could not have a big wedding ceremony because of the mourning period, His Highness Prince Heat and His Highness Prince Vilas officiated our marriage in front of the High Priestess. Rico was so moved by this that he cried during the ceremony. The ceremony itself, however, ended quickly after a short prayer by the High Priest and the confirmation of our intention to marry.
"Ah, I haven't done Meirias' wedding yet..."
"This is good enough for me. It's enough that I wasn't made a criminal slave and killed, and now I get to marry the man I love. If I wanted more, I'd be d*mned."
Without thinking, I hugged Meirias.
Finally, Rico's belongings were brought in, Rico was settled in the house, and we started our new life together.
We made many unexpected discoveries when we started living together.
What surprised me the most was that Rico and Meilias had different faces from day to night. During the daytime, Rico is a winsome guy, who talks without any teeth and shows his quick thinking to the fullest, but when he is alone with me, he becomes quiet at once. She is rather passive and lonely, and does not want to leave me. When I give her hugs and kisses, she looks very happy. But I can't help but work hard because of her sensitivity. Meilias, on the other hand, is a quiet girl during the daytime, but when we are alone, we try to find the best way to get the best out of each other. I don't know if it is the researcher's blood or not, but they are much more aggressive than Rico.
As for my two wives, I have no complaints at all. They both heal me, and we recognize each other, so there have been no marital problems so far. However, lately, Rico's loneliness has increased and it is a little embarrassing for me to have him intrude when I and Meirias are together. I have been sleeping with both of my arms under my pillow, which is a bit tiring for my arms, but it is a luxurious problem, so I have not talked about it with anyone so far.
Gon, Peris, Ilimo, Geneha, and the harpies. They all get along well with each other. Everyone, including me, felt like we finally had a place and time to rest.
But soon after that, I came to know a terrible fact, and I had a new problem.