Linel briefly summoned Bellos up onto the deck.
“Your Majesty, what is it?”
Bellos asked, looking at Moiya, who was sitting on Linel’s shoulder with his head bowed like a criminal.
“I have a question for you.”
“...Please speak.”
“Do you happen to know of a drug that causes male dysfunction? The symptoms are, there’s no reaction, morning or night. No matter what I see or do, except for one person.”
Linel glanced down at his lower body and asked.
Bellos wondered why he would call him in the middle of the night and ask such a question, but judging by the atmosphere, Moiya seemed to be up to something.
“It’s a drug usually prescribed to prevent a married couple from cheating. I understand it’s traded secretly.”
“Are you going to ask Magic Tower Lord to make an antidote? Is there really a need for that? If you only love my master for the rest of your life, you wouldn’t need to take an antidote, right, Moiya~?”
When Moiya spoke out, Linel coldly rebuked him.
“Shut up. That’s not why I summoned the Magic Tower Lord.”
“Your Majesty, what the hell is this...”
He was about to ask what was going on, but Bellos cut him off.
“If you take that drug, won’t it have any side effects, like a decrease in your functions?”
That was the most important thing.
After all, the only woman in his life was Zelda, the goddess of fire.
“They show even greater concentration toward that one person who responds to misfortune. Your Majesty, you must be feeling it yourself.”
Bellos felt a deep sense of guilt.
“Why am I telling you this?”
It stung, but since he had sinned against him, he told him the truth as atonement.
“I understand that. But I think it would be better to have it confirmed by a specialist.”
Linel released Moiya’s hand, finally regaining his smile.
“I... refuse an examination.”
“It's a blissful night. Thanks to you, my curiosity has been satisfied. Magic Tower Lord, have a wonderful night.”
He patted Bellos on the shoulder and spoke affectionately.
What kind of blissful night is this, spending alone? Who are you kidding?
“...Yes, then I’ll go in first.”
Bellos turned around, his face trembling.
It was a night when the wind felt unusually cold.
After Bellos disappeared, Linel spoke to the two boys who had each taken his shoulder.
“Sleep somewhere else tonight.”
“Ow? You said we could sleep together earlier.”
“I heard that too, right, Moni~?”
“I absolutely don’t want to sleep together tonight. You should reflect on yourself for even a day.”
“Why did you change your mind? Your Majesty, your heart is as broad as your chest!”
Moiya huffed.
“My heart thumped in the guest room earlier and completely scattered into the air.”
“Magic Tower Lord said it was fine, that its functions have improved!”
“You heard that too, right, Moni~?”
Moni, who had also gone out to sleep, pouted.
“I’ll have to check again today. Whether that’s true or not.”
Linel spoke with deliberate seriousness.
“So... you’re telling me not to come in?”
“As expected, our Moni is smart.”
Linel placed Moiya and Moni on the deck railing and descended the stairs to the cabin.
“Ow? You’re acting all high and mighty about it being mating night, Moiya~?”
Moiya grumbled, puffing out his cheeks.
He returned from meeting Bellos.
Fortunately, his expression was much brighter than when he left the cabin.
“But, what about Moiya and Moni?”
“They went to Sharon.”
“Are they having a good time there?”
“I thought they would? Voluntarily.”
There was no way they would do that.
“Linel kicked them out, right?”
“Zelda, am I that narrow-minded? I thought he was acting embarrassed because he felt sorry for me. That’s why I told him to do whatever he wanted.”
“What did Bellos say? That medicine, he said there has no side effects?”
“He said there won’t be any. I’m such a strong man.”
“How did Bellos know...?”
“Just look at the tower master and you'll know. Ah, even without a precious diagnosis.”
“Your Majesty, what is it?”
Bellos asked, looking at Moiya, who was sitting on Linel’s shoulder with his head bowed like a criminal.
“I have a question for you.”
“...Please speak.”
“Do you happen to know of a drug that causes male dysfunction? The symptoms are, there’s no reaction, morning or night. No matter what I see or do, except for one person.”
Linel glanced down at his lower body and asked.
Bellos wondered why he would call him in the middle of the night and ask such a question, but judging by the atmosphere, Moiya seemed to be up to something.
“It’s a drug usually prescribed to prevent a married couple from cheating. I understand it’s traded secretly.”
“Are you going to ask Magic Tower Lord to make an antidote? Is there really a need for that? If you only love my master for the rest of your life, you wouldn’t need to take an antidote, right, Moiya~?”
When Moiya spoke out, Linel coldly rebuked him.
“Shut up. That’s not why I summoned the Magic Tower Lord.”
“Your Majesty, what the hell is this...”
He was about to ask what was going on, but Bellos cut him off.
“If you take that drug, won’t it have any side effects, like a decrease in your functions?”
That was the most important thing.
After all, the only woman in his life was Zelda, the goddess of fire.
“They show even greater concentration toward that one person who responds to misfortune. Your Majesty, you must be feeling it yourself.”
Bellos felt a deep sense of guilt.
“Why am I telling you this?”
It stung, but since he had sinned against him, he told him the truth as atonement.
“I understand that. But I think it would be better to have it confirmed by a specialist.”
Linel released Moiya’s hand, finally regaining his smile.
“I... refuse an examination.”
“It's a blissful night. Thanks to you, my curiosity has been satisfied. Magic Tower Lord, have a wonderful night.”
He patted Bellos on the shoulder and spoke affectionately.
What kind of blissful night is this, spending alone? Who are you kidding?
“...Yes, then I’ll go in first.”
Bellos turned around, his face trembling.
It was a night when the wind felt unusually cold.
After Bellos disappeared, Linel spoke to the two boys who had each taken his shoulder.
“Sleep somewhere else tonight.”
“Ow? You said we could sleep together earlier.”
“I heard that too, right, Moni~?”
“I absolutely don’t want to sleep together tonight. You should reflect on yourself for even a day.”
“Why did you change your mind? Your Majesty, your heart is as broad as your chest!”
Moiya huffed.
“My heart thumped in the guest room earlier and completely scattered into the air.”
“Magic Tower Lord said it was fine, that its functions have improved!”
“You heard that too, right, Moni~?”
Moni, who had also gone out to sleep, pouted.
“I’ll have to check again today. Whether that’s true or not.”
Linel spoke with deliberate seriousness.
“So... you’re telling me not to come in?”
“As expected, our Moni is smart.”
Linel placed Moiya and Moni on the deck railing and descended the stairs to the cabin.
“Ow? You’re acting all high and mighty about it being mating night, Moiya~?”
Moiya grumbled, puffing out his cheeks.
***
He returned from meeting Bellos.
Fortunately, his expression was much brighter than when he left the cabin.
“But, what about Moiya and Moni?”
“They went to Sharon.”
“Are they having a good time there?”
“I thought they would? Voluntarily.”
There was no way they would do that.
“Linel kicked them out, right?”
“Zelda, am I that narrow-minded? I thought he was acting embarrassed because he felt sorry for me. That’s why I told him to do whatever he wanted.”
“What did Bellos say? That medicine, he said there has no side effects?”
“He said there won’t be any. I’m such a strong man.”
“How did Bellos know...?”
“Just look at the tower master and you'll know. Ah, even without a precious diagnosis.”
He said, grimacing as if the mere thought was terrifying.
"...So, can we spend today comfortably?"
"When have we not been comfortable?"
He said, stroking my cheek.
"That's not it, but I think today, for the first time, I can stretch out my legs and sleep comfortably."
Our lips gently brushed against each other.
His body was instantly heated by mine.
Instead of him focusing solely on me, I took off his uniform jacket myself.
As I was taking it off, something caught my hand.
“Linel, there’s something hard inside your uniform.”
“Yeah... muscle, I guess. You know what I’m asking, but it’s teasing.”
“?”
He smiled, pinching my cheek.
“No, what is this? Is this the first time I’ve seen it?”
I asked, rummaging through his inner pocket.
“There’s no way you’ve never seen anything on my body before... Hmm? What’s that?”
I pulled a notebook out of his inner pocket.
“Oh! I forgot.”
“What is it?”
“When Melanie and I went to look for Hetor, it fell in the pantry. Under the chair Hetor was tied to.”
“Then Hetor’s notebook?”
Hetor and a notebook. It wasn’t a good combination, but it was even more unlikely that Melanie would carry a notebook.
“I think so. I forgot to return it. I was so distracted by all the things that kept happening.”
“That’s surprising. He doesn’t seem like the type to carry around a notebook.”
As I was about to place Hetor’s notebook on the nightstand, he snatched it away.
“Here, give it to me. What is he writing in it? Is it a notebook for recording pirated goods?”
Linel opened the notebook.
“Can I look at it? It’s someone else’s.”
“Even if I ask you to look closely, you won’t. I just want to check what kind of notebook it is.”
He retorted, turning to the first page.
“What if it’s a diary or something?”
“Hahaha, Hetor’s diary? I’m betting my throne... canceled. What is this?”
“Why? Is it really a diary?”
“It’s not a diary, but it’s filled with stuff? What on earth is it talking about?”
I stared at the notebook Linel was holding, eyes wide as if I was going to pierce through it.
We put our heads together and read the words written in the notebook.
The notebook contained a childish and absurd, third-rate novel.
A romance novel at that.
"The title is 'The Secret Chamber,' huh?"
The plot was roughly this: Susan, the youngest daughter of a Duke, spends every night in a "Secret Chamber" making love with her knight, Paul. It was just a predictable, commonplace story.
Every episode ended with "The Secret Chamber," so I couldn't help but watch the next episode.
The sentences were cringe-worthy, but I couldn't put the notebook down.
Even as I cursed, it kept piquing my curiosity.
"I can't take my eyes off it."
He seemed to be on the same level as me.
"This is the first time I've stayed up all night for anything other than making love, right?"
"That's right. Zelda, I can't read the last scene. You read it."
He handed me the notebook, saying he was too nervous to read the next part.
The only thing written in the notebook was the end of episode 11. Episode 11 continued with a plan to meet in a "secret chamber" the night before the heroine's wedding.
I cleared my throat and read aloud what I had written in my notebook.
"Tonight, too, they were drawn to each other and met in a dark secret chamber. The man who had arrived early and waited for her opened the door, embraced her as she entered, and kissed her hurriedly. They were entangled in love until they rolled to the window.'"
"Wait a minute, they didn't walk to the window, they rolled to it? And they rolled to it?"
He asked, interrupting the flow at a crucial point.
As he pointed out, the expression was a bit extreme and comical for a romance novel.
"That's how the author wrote it, so that's how it happened."
I regained my composure and began reading.
“They were particularly well-suited, as if their swordsmanship was perfectly aligned. As always, conversation between them was meaningless. Unlike other days, while they were making love, Susan pulled Paul’s hair. Paul felt like a handful of hair had been pulled out from the crown of his head, but he didn’t hate her wild passion, which he had never felt before. It was a night when even the will to speak was burned out.”
“Is he weak?”
He laughed, interrupting the flow again.
When I slyly glanced at him, he quickly shut his mouth, gesturing for me to continue.
“‘The man who woke up before sunrise the next day saw her sleeping, his whole body stiffened the moment he saw her.’”
I closed the notebook without reading the last sentence.
“Why did you stop? Why was his body stiff? Did he have a cramp? Did he exert himself too much last night?”
He asked with a curious expression.
“I just can’t get to the last one.”
“Why?”
“It’s so shocking.”
“What’s wrong? Ah, I’m curious. Read to the end, quickly.”
“Yes.”
I warned him to brace himself and opened my notebook again.
“‘She wasn’t Susan.’”
“What? If not Susan, then who?!”
“‘Susan’s... older sister.’”
Linel was speechless in shock.
“Isn’t this just ridiculous?”
“Listen. Susan’s older sister’s line is left.”
“?”
I reassured him, reciting the last sentence vividly.
“How is it, Paul? Aren’t I better than my sister?”
“Ha, what did Paul say?”
“That’s the end. Paul’s line will be in episode 12.”
“Oh, you’re cutting it off here!”
I was equally curious.
“What kind of novel did Hetor write? I should ask him to tell me the title.”
“I bet no publisher would publish such a third-rate novel. Oh my, look at this!”
He looked through his notebook and exclaimed excitedly.
It was written clearly on the last page of episode 11, though it was in small handwriting.
Written by Hetor...
We were both silent for a moment before accepting this shocking revelation.
“I’ll ask tomorrow when episode 12 is coming out.”
“I’m even willing to pay for it.”
***
The next morning.
Inside the buffet-style dining room, the concubines were vying for attention.
Catherine placed the last remaining orange slice on a plate.
“Oh, I wanted that!”
Melanie, standing right behind her, said regretfully.
“Are there any more oranges?”
Pecilini asked, stroking his belly with one hand. Melanie quickly patted her own belly and replied,
“Yes, Her Highness Catherine packed the last orange.”
Following Melanie’s words, Rosie asked a passing cook if there were any more oranges.
The cook said they had all the other fruits left, but they were out of oranges.
“How about giving the oranges to Her Highness Pecilini, who’s pregnant?”
Rosie said cautiously to Catherine.
“I’ll give it to you. Rosie, why are you telling me what to do?”
Catherine retorted with an offended expression.
“Your Highness Rosie. I’m pregnant too. Why are you only taking care of Her Highness Pecilini? If Your Highness Rosie were pregnant, I would have taken care of you first.”
Melanie said with a slightly pouty face.
“I’m sorry. I forgot that Your Highness Melanie is pregnant too.”
“Oh, now that I think about it, Her Highness Pecilini, and Her Highness Zelda. All three of us are going to be giving birth around the same time, right?”
Melanie chuckled and lifted her chin.
Catherine looked around, lowered her voice, and chimed in.
“I think I might be giving birth around the same time, too.”
Rosie and Melanie, who had already known about Catherine’s affair with Count Ethan, were startled by her words.
It was entirely possible.
“Then all the babies would be the same age, or at most, a year younger.”
Everyone smiled happily at Melanie’s words.
Rosie, feeling left out, blurted out,
“I-I could possibly do it too!”
Rosie’s cry made the concubines’ eyes widen simultaneously.
“Do you mean, finally, with Prince Norton?”
Melanie paused, observing Rosie’s expression.
Judging by Rosie’s flushed face, she too had made a big move.
“Our Highnesses. It just occurred to me, but wouldn’t it be great if our children’s mothers-in-law were Her Highness Zelda?”
Melanie asked with sparkling eyes.
“Her Majesty is a Wyvern Lord and has fire powers! She’ll soon be restored to her position as Empress. Could there be a more perfect Majesty?”
Rosie clasped her hands and agreed wholeheartedly with Melanie.
"I don't know if Her Highness Zelda will give birth to a Prince or a Princess, but I really want to have a relationship!"
Melanie's determination seemed to echo the other concubines' thoughts.
A silent competition had begun among them.
A moment later, Linel and Zelda entered the dining room.
She smiled and approached the concubines gathered there.
"Did you sleep well last night, Your Majesty the Empress?"
Rosie was the first to offer a polite and flattering compliment.
“...Empress?”
Zelda made a bewildered expression.
“Your Majesty, Empress. You’ll be restored to the throne soon anyway. Hahaha.”
Even Pecilini tried to impress her.
“Your Majesty, please eat this. They said it’s the last orange.”
This time, she handed the last orange that Catherine had taken, a plate full, to Zelda.
‘Why are you all acting like this?’
Zelda was taken aback by the concubines’ sudden fuss.
“...I have a question.”
Melanie, not to be outdone, also snuggled close to her and started talking.
“...What is it?”
“What are your plans for children? Your Highness, no, Your Majesty the Empress?”
Melanie asked with a serious face, and the other concubines perked up their ears.
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