The system shook his head slowly. "I can’t believe this actually worked."
"Of course it worked," Heena said. "They were so focused on being offended by my words that they never stopped to think about why I was keeping them there so long."
She smiled wickedly.
"Never interrupt your enemy when they’re making a mistake. And never let them notice when you’re making a strategic move. Keep them angry, keep them emotional, and they won’t think clearly."
"That’s... actually brilliant," the system admitted.
"I know," Heena said smugly.
A knock on the door interrupted them.
"Co in," Heena called.
Her secretary entered, holding a thick folder. His panda eyes sohow looked less dead than usual—probably because he was enjoying the chaos.
"Your Majesty," he said, "preliminary reports from all five locations. Everything went smoothly. No one suspected anything."
"Excellent," Heena said, taking the folder. "Compile everything and organize it by priority. I want to know every secret they’ve been keeping by tomorrow morning."
"Already in progress, Your Majesty," the secretary said. "I took the liberty of assigning additional staff to the analysis."
"This is why I pay you so much," Heena said.
"I know, Your Majesty," he replied serenely. "Will there be anything else?"
"Yes," Heena said. "Send a ssage to Prince Larus. I’d like to have dinner with him this evening. Sowhere private. We have things to discuss."
"Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll arrange it imdiately."
He bowed and left.
The system looked at Heena. "Host... you’re going to share this information with Larus?"
Heena looked at the system like he was insane. "Why the hell would I talk about work with my fiancé?"
The system hesitated, then said cautiously, "And then, Host... are you going to talk to him about poisoning the consorts?"
Heena stared at him like he’d grown three heads. "Are you getting crazy, system? Why would I talk to a handso man about killing so useless characters? That’s a complete waste of ti."
The system watched as Heena fixed her hair in the mirror, adjusting a few strands carefully.
"Then what are you—" the system started.
"Of course I’m going on a date, you fool," Heena interrupted, checking her reflection one more ti.
The system was in complete disbelief. "Date? Host? *You?*"
"No, *you*. Shut up," Heena shot back.
The system floated there in shock. "But Host, you told that you shouldn’t have emotional feelings with NPCs—"
Heena looked at him like he was being deliberately obtuse. "I said I don’t fall in *love* with NPCs. But right now, while I’m in this world, they are real humans to . So I should treat them like real humans. Now shut up. I’m going out with my fiancé."
With that, she walked out, leaving a very confused system floating in her wake.
---
**anwhile, in the Palace Corridor**
On the other side of the palace, the five consorts were walking through the corridors, their mood already sour from the confrontation in Heena’s office.
As they turned a corner, they nearly collided with Prince Larus, who was coming from the opposite direction, humming a soft tune under his breath.
Larus stopped, and when he saw the consorts, his face lit up with that characteristic warm smile. He bowed gracefully, the gesture perfectly calibrated—respectful but not subservient.
"Greetings, Your Highnesses!" he said brightly. "What a pleasant surprise."
All five of them stopped.
Their mood was already terrible, and seeing Larus looking so cheerful sohow made it worse.
Kieran managed a tight smile. "Prince Larus. Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon indeed," Larus said, his tone genuinely pleasant. "I hope your day has been well? The weather is beautiful, isn’t it? I was just admiring the gardens earlier—the roses are particularly lovely this season."
The casual friendliness seed almost jarring given the tension in the air.
"We’ve been... occupied with important matters," Adrian said coolly.
"Oh, of course!" Larus said, nodding understandingly. "I imagine you’re all terribly busy. Her Majesty ntioned how much responsibility each of you carries." He paused, then added with innocent curiosity, "Were you perhaps coming from Her Majesty’s office? I was just heading there myself—she asked to see ."
Kieran’s smile beca strained. "Our movents are hardly your concern, Prince Larus."
"Oh! I apologize," Larus said quickly, looking genuinely embarrassed. "I didn’t an to pry. I was just making conversation."
Damien stepped forward, his calculating eyes sweeping over Larus from head to toe with deliberate slowness. When he spoke, his voice was perfectly polite but with an edge underneath.
"Prince Larus, I’ve been aning to ask—how does the Marus Kingdom view such... ’unique’ marital arrangents? It must be quite different from your customs."
The question seed innocent, but the implication was clear.
Larus tilted his head, his smile remaining warm. "Every kingdom has different traditions, Consort Damien. I find the diversity fascinating."
"Fascinating," Damien repeated. "What a diplomatic answer. Though I suppose when one is willing to beco the ’sixth’ husband, diplomacy is essential."
The emphasis on ’sixth’ was subtle but cutting.
Raphael added in his asured, priestly tone, "Indeed. In most kingdoms, such arrangents would be considered... irregular. But I suppose necessity makes allowances where pride might not."
Larus’s smile didn’t waver, though sothing flickered in his eyes. "I’m not sure I understand your aning, Your Holiness."
"Don’t you?" Adrian said smoothly. "We’re simply curious about what would motivate a prince to so eagerly join an already... crowded marriage. Ambition? Desperation? Or perhaps the standards in Marus are simply more... flexible than we realized."
The insult was delivered with perfect politeness, wrapped in silk but sharp as a blade.
One of the servants escorting Larus—one of Heena’s own people—stiffened and took a step forward.
"Your Highnesses," the servant said, voice tight, "perhaps this conversation—"
"Perhaps," Kieran interrupted coldly, "the servants should rember their place. Or have the standards for ’that’ also beco flexible recently?"
The servant’s face flushed with anger. "I serve Her Majesty the Empress, and I don’t believe—"
"That the Empress would appreciate servants who overstep their bounds?" Damien finished. "I quite agree. Perhaps we should discuss this with Her Majesty directly."
Larus raised his hand gently, his expression still warm and understanding. "Please," he said to the servant softly. "It’s alright. Would you give us a mont? Just a few minutes."
The servant looked at him with clear concern. "Your Highness, Her Majesty is waiting—"
"I know," Larus said with a reassuring smile. "I won’t be long. Please, just give us a mont to talk."
The servant hesitated, clearly unhappy, but finally bowed. "As you wish, Your Highness. We’ll be just down the corridor."
As the servants withdrew, Larus turned back to the five consorts, his gentle smile still in place.
"Thank you for your patience," he said pleasantly. "Now, where were we? Ah yes—you were questioning my motivations for accepting Her Majesty’s proposal."
"We were making observations," Adrian corrected. "About the... unusual nature of your position."
"Unusual," Larus repeated, nodding thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose from certain perspectives it might seem that way."
He clasped his hands together, the gesture making him seem even more innocent and approachable.
"But may I ask you sothing? Out of genuine curiosity, not rudeness."
"By all ans," Kieran said, though his tone suggested otherwise.
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