Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

Oh ho~ Ryuka raised an eyebrow at Clovis's amused smile, seemingly understanding what he wanted to do to turn the situation around. "You're here, I'm not here, you're here, Lin is here, aren't you here..."

"Oh, if the two of you were to marry, that would be such a fortunate event. Not only would I, your cousin, be happy, but Father and Uncle Ellen would also be delighted!"

Clovis scratched his head and laughed heartily like a drunken old man, his inappropriate words startling the surrounding nobles.

A marriage alliance? A sixteen-year-old boy and a thirty-year-old mature female knight? Does His Highness even know what he's saying? Although age isn't an issue in noble marriages, and they're more about binding and exchanging interests, it's still inappropriate for Clovis to say it in this setting and in this tone.

Amid Clovis's laughter, Ryuka smiled slightly as well. This third prince was truly unpredictable; the way he changed the atmosphere was like a child arguing, whether intentional or simply because he didn't care.

Megan was thrown off balance by Clovis's words, her beautiful face instantly turning red. She knew she was merely Ryūka's loyal lackey. But Clovis's words had put Ryūka in a very difficult position, given that Megan was simultaneously the princess's niece, the prince's cousin, and the daughter of Earl Payne—a truly illustrious background.

Even if it was Clovis's 'joke', Ryusha's subsequent attitude was crucial, after all, Hefren had once said that she was alone and had no relatives or family, which was a political disadvantage.

"Your Highness Clovis! What...what are you saying?!"

Even if it was Clovis's 'joke', Ryusha's subsequent attitude was crucial, after all, Hefren had once said that she was alone and had no relatives or family, which was a political disadvantage.

"Your Highness Clovis! What...what are you saying?!"

A somewhat immature voice rang out, and in front of everyone, Liu Xia blushed and said with a pure and shy expression:

“Miss Megan… she… she’s like an older sister to me. And I’m only sixteen… I’ve never even thought about such things! I just want to use my insignificant abilities to manage this territory for His Majesty…”

goodong...

All the nobles present fell silent, with many female nobles and officers even swallowing audibly. Everyone stared at the handsome young man; his shy and innocent demeanor was unmistakably genuine, and no one would dismiss his words of 'loyalty to the empire' as a child's joke. After all, his strength and leadership abilities had already been proven; throughout history, there had been many extremely young individuals entrusted with great responsibilities. Ryūka had simply lowered that age a little further…

Ryuka's behavior made Clovis look like a drunken, disrespectful older man bullying a younger person. Clovis's smile froze on his face, his cheeks twitched, and he fell silent as he looked at Ryuka.

This boy is completely different from the one I saw on the battlefield and in intelligence reports!

What is this? Playing cute? After doing so many earth-shattering things, he's putting on this childish expression again?!

This is truly...shameless! Using shamelessness to counter one's own shamelessness...

"Hahaha~ Oh~ Liu Xiaqing, you really are something~ Men in Otus should be thinking about marriage by the age of sixteen~ By the way~ You must think Megan is too old~ Look at me~ I'm really drunk~ Hahahahaha..."

Even Hudson couldn't stand it anymore. He sighed, his face dark, and took a half step back from Clovis, turning the verbal battle into a farce.

Is this a farce...? Ryuka remained in 'business mode', looking at Clovis in front of her.

A smart, powerful, and ambitious man who is willing to set aside his pride in the social occasions most valued by the nobility, but who never hesitates to be ruthless when necessary... This man is more dangerous than he imagined.

Compared to him, there's someone even more dangerous by my side...

Ryuka couldn't help but look at Megan beside her. Megan was looking down, her long hair obscuring her expression, and she was muttering to herself in a voice that only she, who was closest to her, could hear.

"Cute...Master is so cute...Sister, older sister...Master calls me older sister...Ha..."

Megan's full thighs, encased in tight riding trousers, trembled to a degree imperceptible to most, clenching slightly involuntarily, and her breathing became hot.

Pull yourself together, you sow! What are you doing, acting all horny?! I was just putting on a little act! I'm usually so domineering in front of her, did this sudden change in behavior overwhelm her? When did you become such a perverted woman who falls for this kind of thing?! Megan!

And you, Clovis! Stop grinning like an idiot! We're rivals! A confrontation after we meet should be more mature and unfathomable, right? An enemy should act like an enemy!

While maintaining an innocent appearance, the boy's heart was screaming incessantly. Just as the scene was rapidly descending into a bizarre abyss because of Clovis and Megan, another character jumped out and delivered a vicious kick.

"I can't pretend I didn't hear that, Your Highness. This guy is much more popular with girls than you think, so you don't need to worry about that kind of thing."

Hafulen Alvarez! Join the battle fair and square!

Chapter 3: Human relationships are weapons, both soft and deadly.

When Ryuka saw Heflian join the conversation with an arrogant, wicked grin, she instantly had a bad feeling.

Please, Your Highness/Ambassador, could you please hurry up and bring your carriage?

Although Haifulian has been behaving very well lately, she was, after all, a willful young lady in the past. In particular, her subtle attitude when talking about the possibility of an arranged marriage made Ryuka unsure of her intentions.

Things are different now. In the past, he was a shadow lord developing in the shadows of the empire, but now he has officially stepped into the public eye. People like Hafulane, Melanie, and Megan all have some kind of status and background, so he absolutely cannot let others see his unusual relationship with them!

In this respect, Hetia's pride and reserve reassured Ryūka. Although she was also one of the main characters today, Hetia was standing quietly in a corner, watching the farce unfold before her, without any intention of getting involved. At that moment, Melanie suddenly appeared in Ryūka's field of vision, walked over to Hetia's side to greet her, and leaned against the wall with a wine glass in her hand, quietly looking at him.

This relieved Ryusha; Melanie must have returned with the delegation. Her appearance now meant the prince should be arriving soon, perhaps changing into his banquet attire. Once the investiture ceremony began, she wouldn't have to face Clovis's insincere flattery and sharp words.

Ryuka turned her attention back to the present and, along with Clovis, greeted Hefren.

"Minister Alvarez."

"Miss Alvarez".

In response to Clovis's greeting and Ryusha's polite yet slightly threatening smile, Hafren walked over nonchalantly, put her wrist on Ryusha's shoulder, and shamelessly pinched his cheek in front of everyone.

"Honestly, you call Megan by her first name and 'sister,' but you call me 'Miss Alvarez'? Sister Heflin will be sad~"

"Haha~ I meant 'Ms. Megan is like an older sister,' not that I called her 'older sister'..."

Feeling the aristocratic gazes around her, Ryuka emphasized the word "like" heavily, maintained an awkward smile, and glared at Heflian with a look that said, "You just wait and see tonight, you bastard."

"Miss Heflene, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Ryūka quickly changed how he addressed Heflin, and Heflin brought her lips close to his cheek. Feeling her warm, moist breath, Ryūka heard Heflin whisper in his ear.

"Don't worry, I'm trying to help you."

This scene seemed overly ambiguous to everyone. Although they couldn't hear what the young lady from the Alvarez family had said, Heflene immediately looked up and said to Clovis quite frankly:

"That's exactly what happened, Your Highness. You see, this kid is quite indifferent to my enthusiasm. Even I feel frustrated."

"Oh~~~~~"

A gasp erupted from the crowd. Hafulen's words were tantamount to a public confession and admission of defeat. This caused the nobles to look at Ryūka with new respect, and even her former enemies had to admire her.

This is the daughter of General Alvarez, one of the Ten Heavenly Ranks, and the Emperor's most trusted general. Although it's said that she has a somewhat masculine personality, her looks and strength are absolutely impeccable. Seeing her carefree demeanor today, this personality isn't a flaw but rather a charm. After all, many men prefer a girl with a touch of wildness to a lady from a respectable family, and it would be even better if this girl also came from a noble background.

If there's one downside, it's that although the Alvarez family is highly regarded by the Emperor, they never have any fiefdoms and rely entirely on the Imperial treasury. After all, the Hafulen family was one of the pioneers in supporting the bureaucratization of the Imperial administration, meaning they were essentially on the same side as His Majesty the Emperor.

But now that the Emperor has bestowed upon Hafren a baronetcy, it indicates his satisfaction with her role in the Sochi incident. This forces everyone to reassess the value of this valiant female knight among the new generation of nobles in the empire. If their ancestors bless them and the one currently on the throne recovers from his injuries and wields power for several more decades, then the future of the Alvarez family will be formidable.

Now, this young lady knight has openly expressed her pursuit of a younger man, which has made many people envious, especially the younger generations of noble families who are attending the award banquet today, and they all sighed.

First it was the mature and beautiful Megan, and now it's the passionate and bold Hafren, that kid Ryuuya. But considering that Hafren was kidnapped by a mysterious heretical demon, and it was Hetia who defeated the demon and rescued her, Ryuuya might have been in the army at the time. So it's only natural that this knight lady secretly harbors feelings for Ryuuya.

Although everyone's imagination was vastly different from the truth, it must be said that Hafulen's bold statement surprised even Clovis. On the political spectrum, few were more loyal than Hafulen's father. At least from the Emperor's perspective, if Ryūka and Hafulen were to get together, it would be a completely reassuring situation for him; perhaps he wouldn't even need to consider choosing a princess from a collateral branch of the royal family for her marriage.

Hafren's public admission of her failed pursuit of Ryuka made it even more difficult for Clovis to use the topic of marriage to interfere with Ryuka's public statement. After all, it would be extremely impolite to introduce other suitors to a noblewoman who so openly admitted her romantic troubles. How things would develop from there was anyone's guess. Hafren's character was well-known among the nobility, and it wouldn't be surprising if she immediately challenged Clovis to a duel to defend her love.

After all, Hafulen's mother was from a collateral branch of the Otus royal family, and her father was a favorite of the emperor. Coupled with the nobles' favorite excuse of 'pursuing love,' Clovis had nothing to say even if she challenged a prince to a duel.

If things escalated to that point, regardless of whether Clovis accepted the duel or whether anyone would get hurt, it would make the banquet awkward. So Clovis, as if conceding defeat, offered a polite smile.

"Haha, I didn't expect Lord Alvarez to be so bold. Lord Liu Xia is a lucky fellow. My words just now were inappropriate."

At that moment, a commotion arose among the crowd at the entrance to the castle garden, accompanied by polite greetings. This finally relieved Ryuga; it seemed Prince Hypnos had finally arrived. He nodded slightly to Clovis, said "Your Highness," and prepared to leave, but Clovis unexpectedly gave him a playful smile at the last moment.

"However, I did hear an interesting rumor..."

"Ok?"

Ryūsha looked warily at Clovis, and the curiosity of the surrounding nobles was once again piqued. As the Hypnos dynasty approached, Clovis casually revealed:

"I heard from Lord Julio of the Snowfield family that his granddaughter, Miss Melanie Snowfield, has a very close relationship with Lord Liu Xiaqing, or rather, they are quite intimate. The Snowfield family is also planning to formally propose a marriage alliance. Ah, Lord Liu Xiaqing, is this why you keep your distance from Lord Alvarez?"

Ryūka's face darkened. He glanced at Melanie in the corner. The great mage sighed softly, clutching her forehead. She didn't speak, even avoiding Ryūka's gaze, only sipping her wine, her knuckles trembling slightly. This was completely different from her usual personality. Ryūka knew that beneath her cold exterior lay an exceptionally soft heart. Finally, Melanie raised her head, looked into Ryūka's eyes, and mouthed the words: "You are here, you ...

sorry……

That was a heartfelt apology for causing trouble for Ryūka, for which she had no other choice. Melanie rarely yielded; she would rather die than submit, but Ryūka could understand the reason behind it.

Like the Payne family, the Snowfield family sided with Clovis, but their power was not considered particularly strong. Furthermore, unlike Megan, who had a strained relationship with her family, Melanie had a relatively good relationship with her parents, though they were both part of the family. This led Ryusha to suspect that her grandfather Julio's public actions were either his own doing or instigated by Clovis, using his children and grandchildren as political pawns.

Was he using Melanie's family as hostages to disgust himself? Considering the timing, Clovis probably already had this backup plan in place before the battle in Sochi was over. First Megan, then Melanie; he was using women of different backgrounds around him to label himself in the public eye, likely with the aim of interfering with the judgment of neutral forces and even the Emperor himself.

In the power struggles among nobles, there has never been such a thing as absolute trust.

Seeing the change in expression on Ryukyu and Hefren's faces, Clovis revealed a victorious smile. At that moment, Prince Hypnos finally noticed the protagonist of the day and walked over with great enthusiasm.

"Oh~ So you are Liu Xiaqing? You are even younger than I imagined. Considering what I have seen and heard along the way, it is truly admirable how accomplished you are at such a young age. Oh, Clovis, it has been a long time since we last met."

Seeing Prince Hypnos approach, Clovis said "Excuse me" to Ryukyu and then planned to reminisce about their relationship as uncle and nephew, thus bringing his conversation with Ryukyu to a victorious end.

At that moment, the boy's clear and serious voice rang out behind him.

"Your Highness Clovis, please wait a moment."

Ryuka ignored Prince Hypnos's greeting and directly called out to Clovis, which could be considered somewhat rude. But at this moment, the boy seemed to have only Clovis as his opponent and could not tolerate anyone else.

Prince Hypnos, observing the standoff between the two, sensing an impending conflict in the air, couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"

“Uncle Hypnos, it’s nothing…” Clovis said with a smile, but was forcibly interrupted by Ryuka.

"My conversation with His Highness is not yet over. Your Highness, could you please give me a few minutes to say a few words?"

"Well, it's nothing, you two can talk."

Although the boy's act of making the prince wait was somewhat impolite, Hypnos nodded with interest, ready to see what the boy had to say. Meanwhile, nobles around him began whispering, recounting everything that had happened to the prince.

Interesting, has the war spilled over from the battlefield into the banquet? Hypnos had no intention of interfering in his cousin His Majesty's family affairs; in his view, it was merely a dispute over inheritance between nephew and niece. He only wanted to be a carefree prince, fulfilling the tasks assigned to him by the emperor.

He listened to the conversation around him, then turned his gaze to Melanie, who remained silent in the corner. If Ryusha admitted his relationship with Melanie, he would be seen as someone easily manipulated. If he accepted the marriage proposal from the Snowfield family, His Majesty would be disappointed in the young man. But if he refused, Melanie's situation would become awkward, and it would also affect his reputation among the nobles.

Not everyone can grasp the power struggles surrounding Liu Xia. This rising star will soon be labeled with negative tags such as 'womanizer, heartless, and only concerned with self-preservation, neglecting his lover,' which will undoubtedly hinder his future development within the empire. Although His Majesty would certainly be happy to see this happen... after all, emperors don't necessarily like loyal ministers, but loyal ministers are always the most useful.

It was somewhat despicable for her nephew Clovis to force her family to do such a thing, but in Hypnos's view, it was also a sign of a qualified ruler. However, what the prince wanted to know more about at the moment was what Ryūka planned to do; judging from his aggressive manner in stopping Clovis, he probably wouldn't back down.

Come on, let me see what you plan to do, young man. Will you consider the situation of your confidante and act as a loyal and righteous young man? Or will you draw a clear line between yourself and her, maintaining your innocence in the power struggle?

Chapter 4: Too Loving to Arrange Marriages

“When I was still an extremely ordinary person, I had a wish.”

After Clovis turned around, Ryuka spoke in a serious tone, as if she were about to say something very important.

Clovis frowned. A wish? What is this kid talking about?

"This wish is extremely despicable, and many people may not agree with it. But now that I have the power, I want to achieve it no matter how many difficulties there are, even if it means encountering many hardships and criticisms. That is..."

As a rising star of the Otus Empire and the protagonist of today's banquet, Ryusha paused briefly before speaking in a very calm tone under the watchful eyes of everyone.

"To marry a bunch of beautiful wives."

……

Ok?

For a moment, silence fell over the room. The ladies and young women gaped, staring in disbelief at the handsome young man's words. The men raised their eyebrows, some coughing lightly to hide their urge to laugh, but their eyes revealed a hint of approval and admiration.

"Uh, what is Ryuka talking about?! Has he gone mad?! This is a bestowal ceremony designated by His Majesty the Emperor!"

Hetia, sitting in the corner, looked utterly disgusted. She couldn't believe that Ryūka, who had always appeared so thoughtful, would openly utter such words at the banquet. Did he completely disregard his reputation? Even the most basic desires of men were far too shocking to utter in this setting!

However, Melanie, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but let out a soft, suppressed laugh, then her whole body trembled, and she finally burst into a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha!!! Hahahahahaha!!!"

“That’s right, marry a whole bunch of beautiful wives.” Ryuga nodded, repeating his words again. The only sounds in the room were silence and Melanie’s laughter, followed by Hafren’s applause, seemingly saying, ‘You’re something else.’

From the top of the castle, Kania looked out the window at the banquet hall in the garden, resting her soft cheek on her hand, and couldn't help but giggle softly...

"The laws of Ottomans allow noblemen to have multiple wives, which is one of the many reasons why I'm working so hard!"

Liu Xia frowned slightly, closed her eyes and said firmly, nodding repeatedly in agreement with her words.

"That's right! To live intimately with a bunch of beautiful wives! Every man has dreamed of that, hasn't he? Even men who claim to be absolutely loyal in love have probably fantasized about it for a moment! Rather, they just haven't faced their true selves yet! But since Your Highness has brought up the matter of marriage, I have no choice but to speak up!"

"After all, there is something that troubles me greatly. Although imperial law allows it, marriages between nobles always require a formal title, with distinctions like principal wife and concubine! I do have special feelings for Miss Melanie, but I can't let go of other girls! Whether I've met them or not! After all, I'm only sixteen! I have a long future ahead of me! So I want to wait for the right day to hold a grand wedding with all the girls I love!"

"I would like to ask Your Highness Clovis: Which lord would be willing to let his young lady accept such a situation? It's difficult, isn't it! Therefore, I must do my utmost to serve His Majesty and achieve more merits to gain recognition! I will not consider any marriage alliances until then! The same applies to my feelings for Miss Melanie and Miss Hafley!"

Clovis's facial muscles trembled, a mixture of surprise, helplessness, an unconscious smile, and a hint of anger beneath a deep facade... He looked at Ryuka, who was looking serious, and listened to his righteous and eloquent nonsense, which sounded like a speech, frantically organizing his thoughts in his calculating mind.

What utter nonsense is this guy spouting?! What does "many wives" even mean?! What does "everyone gets married together" even mean?! And what's this about "already met" and "not yet met"?! What are "not yet met" anyway?! This is utterly irresponsible talk about not getting married until he's satisfied!! Would any sane person say something like this in public?!

He even asked if others would accept it! How could any nobleman accept his young lady becoming someone else's concubine? Nobles care about their reputation! Even with a huge difference in status, such a thing is rare! Not to mention that stubborn old man from the Snowfield family!

But Clovis knew he couldn't answer Ryusha's question.

Even if the Snowfield family were his vassals, and even if he had pressured Giulio to force his granddaughter Melanie into a marriage alliance, it was based on the fact that Melanie already had an ambiguous relationship with Ryūsha. No matter how much Giulio supported him, he would never abandon his son and granddaughter for his own scheme.

Needless to say, Ryuu's self-destructive statement would easily reveal the secrets hidden within to all the nobles. If he were to turn against Melanie's parents because his scheme had failed, no one would dare to serve him in the future.

Ryūka has essentially exposed all the unspeakable secrets of the audience through self-destruction… No, that's not all. His speech has even blocked any other plans for marriage alliances. Even his own father, Emperor Otus, probably can't use Ryūka's youth and talent as an excuse to force a prince or duke to marry their daughter to him for control… (You're missing...)

If you're going to marry, why don't you just marry your own princess!

"Ha, ha... Has Liu Xiaqing had too much to drink? You're really joking... You can't say things like that. Let's decide on the next wife first, just in case things change later..."