When Leon was caught in a chaotic situation.
Marie—who was Leon’s sister in a past life and the scheming woman who completed a reverse harem—was at her wits’ end.
At the mansion’s entrance.
There, Erik was kneeling in a deep bow.
The red‑haired handsome youth is a fellow student of Marie’s.
He’s a classmate with spiky medium‑length red hair.
He’s also the man who was obsessively attached to Noel, stormed Leon’s mansion, and was stripped of his heirship.
Facing such a man, Marie’s face twisted in distress.
(What the heck is going on!!!)
Marie herself was in a mess.
Erik—Erik Leta Bariel—was shouting.
“I’ve fallen for you. Please… keep me by your side!”
Erik says that, but he was originally a noble’s child.
He’s the former heir of the Bariel house, one of the seven great noble families representing the Alzel Republic—now one of the six—and he’s begging Marie, on his knees, to let him stay by her side.
Erik, who used to be obsessed with Noel, is now obsessed with Marie.
Marie is drawn in by Erik’s fervor.
(Why is this guy coming after me! I didn’t cause any event. Besides, you’re not supposed to be after me!)
In that otome game, Erik, the “target” for攻略, is supposed to end up with the second‑game protagonist Noel.
If they don’t end up together, the world is in danger.
Surrounding Erik, who fell for Marie, are Julius and the others with multicolored hair.
“You said you loved a different woman not long ago, and now you switch to Marie—what guts.”
All five are angry.
“Some education is needed,” says Jilk quietly.
“I haven’t forgotten you hurting me,” snarls Greg, who was injured fighting Erik, snapping his fingers threateningly.
“Are you ready? Approaching our Marie won’t go unpunished,” he says.
Chris, also injured, carries a wooden sword on his shoulder.
“Do you even know what we think of you? After all the trouble you caused, you’re being way too selfish.”
Brad, who isn’t Erik but also a noble of the Republic and was badly hurt, is genuinely angry.
In front of those five, Erik puts on a brazen attitude.
“This has nothing to do with you. I fell for Marie‑san—no, for the way Big Sis lives. Big Sis, please keep me by your side!”
He even calls her “Big Sis.”
Marie wants to clutch her head.
(What the hell is this situation!!! Help me, big bro!!!)
He threatened a handsome guy and now wants to become a subordinate.
Marie silently begs Leon for help in her heart.
Behind them, Kyle slumps his shoulders.
“Looks like we’ve got another person to take care of.”
Cara agrees.
“Even five is a handful, and now more people…”
There are also servants who arrived with the Holfart Kingdom delegation, but the amount of trouble hasn’t changed.
Marie tells Erik,
“Go home.”
Erik answers, but—
“I have nowhere to go home to anymore.”
He looks down, explaining to Marie that he was basically kicked out of his family home.
The Alzel Republic’s relations with the Holfart Kingdom have been in a frenzy since the Pierre incident.
Just as negotiations were finally about to be settled, Erik attacked Leon, creating a mess.
Erik is disinherited.
Even if he returns to the Bariel house, there’s no bright future.
Realizing that, Marie thinks to herself—
(Stop making that pitiful puppy face! It’s not my fault. Damn! Even if I kick him out now it feels gross, and I can’t just push it onto my brother—)
—Right now Angelica and the others are on Leon’s side.
Because she once stole Julius, Angelica’s fiancé, from Angelica, Marie can’t ask Leon for help.
She was scared to meet Angelica.
Julius advises Marie.
“Let’s protest to the Republic through the embassy. Marie, this isn’t your concern.”
That’s the proper move.
But Marie is a woman who does have feelings for the troublesome five.
“—You’re not a customer. If you want to live‑in work, I’ll allow it.”
“Marie!”
“It’s fine. But if you start whining, I’ll kick you out.”
Julius tries to stop Marie, but Erik breaks into a smile.
“Yes, Big Sis! I’ll do my best!”
Having lost everything, Erik ends up being taken in by Marie.
◇
Leon’s house.
Libya is confused by Angelica’s words.
“Angelica, are you serious about telling Leon to marry Noel—?”
Leon is also in a daze.
He never expected to be told to get married.
But Luxion seems to understand.
‘—Prioritizing the benefits the Sacred Tree gives? That’s the right decision.’
“Is that sarcasm? But it’s worth it.”
The Sacred Tree that has supported the Alzel Republic.
If its power could be obtained, Angelica said she’d accept Noel.
Libya interjects.
“Wait. What about each other’s feelings? And is Angelica okay with this!?”
Putting another woman near your fiancé is just… abnormal.
Noel is also shocked.
“That’s weird. You two are engaged, right?”
She clutches a case containing a Sacred Tree sapling, trembling.
“If it can solve future energy problems, it’s a bargain.”
Libya immediately counters.
“But Luxion said they won’t be able to do something like the Sacred Tree right away.”
A Sacred Tree sapling.
Because it’s still a sapling, it can’t do what a full‑grown Sacred Tree can.
They can’t mass‑produce magic stones, create jewels, or even grant blessings at the same level as the Sacred Tree.
Luxion adds,
‘Even to reach the current Sacred Tree’s level of benefit, the shortest estimate is three hundred years.’
Even hearing that, Angelica is unmoved.
“Time will pass, but the future Holfart Kingdom—no, our descendants—will treasure it. It’s a legacy for the future. We must have it, no matter what.”
Libya clutches her hands and looks down.
“That’s… wrong.”
Angelica agrees with Libya’s words, though she looks a little sad.
“—I think so too.”
◇
Night.
Angelica called me, and we ended up talking alone.
Luxion isn’t here now.
He’s apparently doing some work with Claire.
In the room, I asked Angelica about what happened earlier in the day.
“—Are you serious about making me marry?”
Angelica smiled a bit awkwardly, looking away from me.
“Are you angry? It’s an attractive proposition. The Respinas family existed as a priestess clan, so you have the bloodline suitable for the priestess role. A mere sapling isn’t enough.”
After hearing Luxion’s plan, I judged it would benefit the future.
So they probably decided they need Noel’s power and bloodline.
The Sacred Tree is alluring, I get that.
Indeed, the Alzel Republic has prospered thanks to the Sacred Tree’s power.
Even Holfart Kingdom wants it if they can get it.
I understand that—.
“Leon, you and I are nobles. For the country, for our lands, for our people—we have a responsibility to the future. That’s why we’re nobles.”
He’s telling me to endure for the future.
I never expected my fiancé to say something like that.
Am I not liked much?
I start to feel uneasy, and Angelica looks down.
“Do you hate Noel?”
“I don’t hate him, but I think marriage isn’t right.”
“Marriage is the most straightforward bond. Besides, you can’t hand the sapling to another house or man. If it isn’t with you, it’ll wither, right?”
Luxion would have to manage it somehow.
If you throw it away, who knows if it’ll grow.
It might survive, but managing it is another issue.
That sapling might again pick some troublesome guardian.
If it gets taken back to Holfart Kingdom along with Noel, we’ll have more trouble.
But we still want the Sacred Tree.
—Angelica’s reasoning isn’t wrong.
If you ignore personal feelings, that’s fine.
“I can’t marry three people.”
When I mutter that, Angelica smiles at me.
“I get it. Take care of Noel and Libya. I… can be a side thing. If it’s too much, you can break off the engagement.”
“What?”
What is she saying?
“I suggested it. I take responsibility. Besides, handling three women is a hassle. Given your circumstances, you can drop me if you need to—”
She says all that, and I blurt,
“Refuse! No! No! I don’t want that!”
I answer instantly, and Angelica looks a bit surprised.
“Leon, you—”
Angelica had been abandoned by her former fiancé Julius.
Seeing my exhausted state, she knows breaking off the engagement is impossible.
I apologize to Angelica.
“Absolutely not! I won’t break the engagement!”
When I act selfishly, Angelica chuckles.
“You’re really… no, I’m also an idiot.”
Being tangled with two fiancés, I suddenly have to marry a third.
What the hell is happening to my second life?
“Do you want the sapling that badly?”
“Once people know, most will want it. Whatever means they use, right? The Alzel Republic hasn’t given up yet.”
The priestess of the Sacred Tree sapling.
If it’s known, Noel’s origins might be revealed too.
Troubles keep piling up.
Angelica proposes.
“Leon, come back with us. We’ll take the sapling and Noel with us. The Republic is weak in external wars. If we run, we win.”
For the future—Angelica was ready to sacrifice herself for that.
I understand why she thinks it’s worth it.
But—does that sapling really have that much value?
It smells like a junkyard.
Still…
“No, I still have things to do. I’ll stay.”
“What to do? —What’s next?”
Angelica’s doubtful gaze meets my answer, which I can’t honestly claim I’m trying to save the world.
It sounds too ridiculous.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door.
Libya entered, in night‑clothes, holding a pillow.
“What’s up, Libya?”
Angelica asked.
“—How about we all sleep together tonight?”
Beyond lucky perversion.
I thought even more fortune had arrived.
Come to think of it, the two are my fiancées.
It’s okay to make a move, right?
Angelica nodded with a smile.
“I don’t mind. Leon, what’ll you do?”
“I’m always ready!”
I pumped myself up, and Angelica seemed a bit taken aback.
“R‑right… that’s good.”
God, thank you for this luck!
◇
God—why do you give me such harsh trials?
The three of us lie in bed.
Libya on one side, Angelica on the other, with me in the middle.
Their sleeping faces are so peaceful—it feels like I’m trusted.
But that’s not the problem.
Should I make a move on those two?
Of course I will!
If I don’t go after them, who else would I go after?
But think about it.
“Which one should I—start with?”
I only have one body.
I can’t handle both at once.
Physically impossible.
It seems like a small issue, but which one I choose could cause future conflict.
And my feelings…
—I want both.
But I don’t know which to start with.
Considering social standing and everything, Angelica comes first, but does that mean I can put Libya on hold?
All this thinking keeps me from sleeping.
Then two spheres appear.
Red‑eyed Luxion and blue‑eyed Claire.
‘You’re hopeless.’
‘Ah, but which one you start with matters. You might be haunted by it forever. Women are jealous, you know.’
“What are you doing in my bedroom?”
We ask.
‘We were worried the Master might mess up.’
‘Leave the advice for when he fails.’
“Don’t peek!”
These guys act as if I’ll definitely fail—do they even think of me as a master at all?!