The night before the hearing… or rather, late at night on the day of.
I spent a long time explaining to the person in front of me what I had experienced throughout the day—yesterday, or rather, today.
Listening with a composed expression was my wife, Noie… or rather, Glodia, who was borrowing her appearance.
After hearing the story, she looked up at the ceiling and sighed.
「Halfren still has a ways to go. Did King Wilmot realize it… and deliberately keep his mouth shut to raise the child? Being too much of a doting parent is also a problem.」
She shook her head as if talking to herself.
「Um… Could you please explain it in a way I can understand…?」
When I asked timidly, she glared at me with scary eyes.
「There’s another idiot here. Listen well? Do you remember the Republic’s aim?」
「To have Noie join the alliance and take her away, right?」
Even I wouldn’t forget something like that. But Glodia shook her head with a look of disappointment.
「That’s where you’re wrong.」
「Huh?」
「You’ve misunderstood the Republic’s aim. If you go to the hearing as you are, we will lose overwhelmingly.」
「That’s normally troubling… so it will become a problem?」
I started to feel that if the premise was different, the goal would change too.
Noie’s glare felt different from usual, which made me slightly excited.
Her scornful expression might be nice too… It gave me chills.
「I don’t know why you’re making such a happy face, but the Republic’s true target is you.」
「…Me?」
I flinched at the sudden nomination.
I felt fear in various senses. My chastity, my chastity… you know?
Ignoring my feelings, Glodia continued her explanation.
「From what I’ve glimpsed recently, Noie’s popularity is higher than that of the Royal Family. In other words, there is a high possibility that the citizens will react to her every move.」
「Y-yes.」
Noie’s high popularity was indeed true. But how did that relate to me?
Glodia looked at me with a sneer.
「What if all the citizens judged that a man named Argusta, her husband, was unworthy of her? What if the citizens, anxious about that, began to hold grievances against the country and the Royal Family? The terror of the Republic lies in its abundant financial power. The strategy they use with that power is agitation.」
「Agitation?」
Ah, that. Standing on a ship and poking other ships with something like a clothesline pole… I stopped my escapism because I received a scary glare.
「It is a method to incite the citizens and cause the country to collapse from within. In fact, that nation weakens other countries using this kind of method, then approaches under the guise of relief to seize them.」
「Scary.」
「Yes, it is terrifying. Therefore, your defeat is necessary for the country’s collapse. From the Republic’s perspective, that is.」
Glodia chuckled through her nose and scratched her head. I saw a movement somewhere similar to my idiot older brother.
「Well, it’s fine. If you understand that… the method we should take is simple.」
「Huh?」
「Admit it. Admit that it is your child.」
Time stopped at those shocking words.
It seemed only I had stopped, but what did this person just say?
「Um… once more.」
「Admit it. Papa.」
「Ugh～! Something intense inside me is having a severe rejection reaction!」
I clutched my head, fell onto the bed, and rolled around. No, this was the correct reaction, right?
「Admit it… Why? How?」
When I sat up and pressed her for an answer, she pushed me back as if to say I was in the way.
「Have you forgotten? How many children your father has?」
「Eh～. Currently, three have the right to succeed the throne, and there are quite a few children who do not?」
「He was still adding to them. That stud!」
Sensing something dark, I took a pause. In a physical sense.
Because it felt like I was about to be hit.
「…In short, having children, or even having unrecognized children, is not a problem if you are a member of the Royal Family. You just need to insist that it happened before you married Noie.
If you say something like, 『I was single back then and played around every night. Well～ there might be other children besides you, but I will properly care for them as children of a concubine』, the hearing will end.」
「……」
At that point, something inside me felt like it was ending.
「Admitting it even though it’s not your child?」
「You don’t know because you have no memory, right?」
「Yes.」
「Then don’t make unnecessary excuses and just admit it. And then decide to put the child up for adoption. The Republic will panic then. If they came prepared, expecting a place where you would prove your innocence, and you simply admitted it… they cannot bring up this topic any further. Because you have admitted it.」
Noie’s coldly smiling expression looked like an intelligent demon. Scary.
「Even if they try to spread rumors that you are 『unworthy of being Noie’s husband』, as long as you show the attitude of 『admitting past sins and striving for integrity』, the citizens will complain a little but won’t cause any further unrest. After all, men cheating is only natural.」
「I… am devoted only to Noie, though?」
「Oh? Have you looked at other women’s chests or bottoms since getting married?」
「I have, yes.」
「That is sufficient infidelity.」
Isn’t the infidelity judgment too strong? By that standard, every man and woman in the world is cheating, isn’t they?
「If you truly love me from the bottom of your heart, you shouldn’t look elsewhere. If you still talk such nonsense in front of me, I will twist you off.」
My entire body shrank back from her terrifyingly cold gaze and words.
Yes. I should stop talking about romance in front of Glodia. Something would probably get twisted off.
Then, it suddenly popped into my head.
That’s right. I… am clearly hated by her.
In other words, what would happen if I blindly accepted her words and teachings?
I pretended to tremble at her words while thinking desperately. No, I didn’t even need to think.
It might be a good response for the country… but how would Noie see it? Wouldn’t I be the worst husband?
This was a perfect answer, except for the part where Noie might hate me.
But what I wanted was the opposite.
「Ah.」
「……」
「Thank you very much.」
「I see. Then that is fine.」
She showed a bored expression at my reply and collapsed onto the bed.
Did she notice? But I….
I gently covered her lying form with a sheet and settled down beside her.
She had her usual expressionless face, but even she had fragments of emotion.
Above all, I didn’t want to see Noie’s sad face.
「If I choose the wrong option… will my own citizens become my enemies?」
Isn’t the setting on an absurd level?
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