This was a room in one corner of the royal castle. Judging by the interior, it appeared to be a woman's room—tastefully decorated furniture and furnishings lined up in moderation, neither too plain nor too ostentatious.
In a chair placed beside the bed at the center of the room, a single woman sat.
Her name was Maria von Blue Mail Christin.
She was the king's first wife, a woman known as the Queen.
Maria sat in her chair, sipping wine as she listened to the maid at her side deliver her report.
"So Tenma has multiple other women he's close to."
"Yes, nine in total. Of those, I believe three can be safely excluded."
"Why is that?"
"Of the three, one is still a child and apparently occupies a role similar to that of Tenma's disciple. The other two are members of an adventurer group he's acquainted with—more like good professional colleagues than romantic interests."
The two appeared to be discussing Tenma's relationships with women, and the maid delivering the report was Aina.
It was unclear where she had conducted her research, but she had clearly gathered extensive information.
"What about the remaining six?"
"In order of how long they've known him, there are the three adventurer sisters, the vice-guildmaster of Gunjou City, a woman rescued from bandits, and Duke Sanga's third daughter. The first—the three sisters—are beastfolk who have known Tenma since he first started living in Gunjou City, and among all the candidates, they appear to have spent the most time with him. Next is the vice-guildmaster. The volume of prey Tenma brought back was unnatural for a newcomer, so she was assigned to keep an eye on him, and even after the misunderstanding was cleared up, she was frequently appointed by Tenma's own request."
"Tenma's own request?"
"Since the vice-guildmaster knew Tenma's abilities better than anyone, the purpose was likely to spare herself the trouble of explanations."
"In short, he was being troublesome... Next?"
"A woman who was rescued from the Banza gang, who had established a hideout near Gunjou City at the time."
"From bandits?"
"Yes. The Banza gang had occupied a village, slaughtered most of its inhabitants, and taken their places as villagers. They were planning to ambush travelers and adventurers who came to the village, and the first to fall for their false commission request happened to be Tenma. The woman had been imprisoned along with several other women for their value as... women, but she was rescued after Tenma and his companions destroyed the Banza gang."
"Their very first catch being Tenma... You couldn't ask for clearer divine retribution... But why is that woman among the candidates?"
"According to my research, when Tenma visited to say his farewells before departing, she pleaded to be taken along as his attendant. At the time, Tenma declined, and she accepted the rejection—but based on that incident, I judged she should be included among the candidates."
"I see... And the last one is Duke Sanga's third daughter, Primera."
"Yes. Their first encounter was an argument with her subordinate, but Tenma appears to be on good terms with Duke Sanga, and his relationship with Primera herself doesn't seem bad either. What's more, she herself appears to hold Tenma in high regard."
"I see... And your conclusion?"
"After weighing all factors, for the Royalist Faction, the ideal order would be: first Primera, second Chris the Royal Guard, and third Luna."
"Primera is fine, but why are Chris and Luna on the list?"
"Chris is a Royal Guard, so she has sworn loyalty to the royal family, and moreover, she is privy to Tenma's circumstances. That makes her easier to manage. As for Luna, it's simply because her connection to the royal family makes the situation more straightforward."
"You're awfully blunt about it... Chris is your close friend, isn't she?"
"Precisely because she is."
Maria drained the remaining wine from her glass and poured a fresh serving.
"So, what about the one that really matters—Jeanne?"
"She's out of the question."
At those words, Maria's eyes seemed to flash.
"Continue."
"I personally would like to support her, but the truth is, the current Jeanne relies on Tenma far too much. If things continue as they are, I believe there is a high probability that both of them will end up unhappy."
"That's the same conclusion I've reached... I don't dislike her, but in her current state, she simply doesn't have what it takes."
"Jeanne wasn't always this way, though."
A shadow briefly flickered across Aina's face. And Maria was not one to let that go unnoticed.
"What was Jeanne like before?"
"We didn't spend as much time together as Aura did, but... in my impression, she was more of a wild child than a well-behaved girl. When she was young, she and Aura would tear through the gardens together, pulling all sorts of mischief. They'd get scolded by Jeanne's parents, and then go right back to causing trouble. I scolded the two of them myself on a few occasions."
"That was when we were very small, of course," Aina added, gazing into the distance with a nostalgic look.
"If I recall correctly, Jeanne was the eldest daughter of the Armeria Viscount family, which had fallen on hard times... What caused the decline?"
"Yes. According to my research, it seems that after some petty squabbles between nobles, a rebellion broke out in their territory. That set the family on a downward slope, and the decisive blow came when the branch family's Podro il Cloide Sub-Viscount abandoned House Armeria. On the surface, it was framed as an independence—but it was clearly a defection. At one point, there were even rumors that he had been secretly supporting the rebellion in Armeria's territory from behind the scenes. Those rumors have since faded due to lack of evidence, though..."
"That's a complicated situation... In any case, it's clear that Jeanne has circumstances of her own. However, that is a separate matter. If I see no change in her, I will use whatever means necessary to part her from Tenma."
"Yes, ma'am. I will do my utmost to ensure it doesn't come to that."
Having made her declaration, Maria poured wine into a second glass and handed it to Aina.
"By the way, couldn't Aura have been included among the candidates?"
"Maria-sama... that would be disrespectful to Tenma, no matter how you look at it. Besides, if it weren't for that, I would have rated Jeanne a bit higher."
"...You really are something, aren't you."
"Thank you... But Maria-sama, is it truly necessary for you to go this far on Tenma's behalf?"
Aina took a sip of wine and posed her question.
"Oh my. He is the child of my dearest friend. It's only natural that I look after things in their place. Besides, when it came to Caesar and the others, he was the one who drove the whole thing—so surely a little indulgence is warranted."
Hearing the amusement in Maria's voice, Aina sighed.
"I don't think this counts as 'a little'... But Tenma surely has no idea that somewhere beyond his notice, the selection of his bride candidates is being personally conducted by the Queen of this country."
A considerable measure of sympathy for Tenma could be heard in Aina's voice.
And so, Tenma's first night in the Royal Capital drew to a close.