The King stood up from his seat, smoothing down his royal robes as he gave Haruto a firm, serious look.
"That is all I have to say for now. Just promise me one thing—take good care of my daughter, understand?"
With that final word, the King began to walk toward the exit, and his seven queens stood up to follow him. Haruto, Lilith, Seraphine, and the three goddesses all rose from their chairs out of respect.
Before leaving the room, the King turned back to the group with a calmer expression.
"You all have the rest of the day to explore the palace as you please. In the meantime, the court and I have some final preparations to make for the ceremony tonight."
The moment the King finished speaking, Lilith immediately stepped into her perfect royal persona once again. She bowed gracefully, her voice dripping with polished manners.
"It would be my absolute honor, Father. I will personally guide them and show everyone around the entire palace."
But just as Lilith finished her sentence, the seven queens swarmed right back into the room, their eyes locked onto Haruto with playful grins.
"Oh, don't worry about Haruto, dear!" one of the queens chirped, waving her hand.
"We will personally take charge of looking after Haruto and keeping him company. As for the rest of you girls, go ahead and explore the palace on your own!"
Lilith's professional posture cracked instantly. Her face flushed with annoyance, and she immediately tried to protest. "Wait, moms, no! I should be the one to—"
But it was completely useless. Against the united front of seven stubborn mothers, a princess stood absolutely no chance. The queens completely ignored her complaints, pushing past her to surround a perfectly silent and thoroughly exasperated Haruto, leaving Lilith to just stomp her foot in defeat.
Haruto stood completely frozen, his mind racing as he tried to figure out a way out of this situation. For the first time in a very long time, he felt completely out of his comfort zone and incredibly awkward. But the seven mothers gave him absolutely no room to escape. Smiling cheerfully, they firmly grabbed his arms and practically dragged him away deeper into the royal quarters.
Their first destination was a massive, luxurious royal bath. Despite Haruto's silent protests and stiff posture, the queens smoothly took charge, guiding him into the steaming, crystal-clear water to make sure he was thoroughly clean for the big night.
Once he was out of the bath, the real chaos began. The queens immediately treated Haruto like their own personal dress-up doll. Each of the seven mothers had her own specific taste, and they were determined to try out every single style on him.
They began bringing out rack after rack of lavish royal garments, making him change clothes over and over again. They experimented with different styles, adjusted his posture, and completely redid his look. They even began playing around with his hair and trying out different styles, eventually placing a unique, beautifully styled wig on his head.
When they finished, Haruto looked entirely transformed. The neat styling perfectly complemented his natural, striking split hair colors—one side pure white and the other deep black. The contrast looked incredible against the elegant clothes they had chosen. To top it all off, his single, vivid crimson eye peeked through the styled bangs, gleaming sharply in the light.
The seven queens stepped back, clapping their hands in pure delight as they admired their work. To them, Haruto looked absolutely stunning—a perfect blend of sharp mystery and royal elegance. Meanwhile, Haruto just stood there in silence, enduring the endless makeover while counting down the minutes until he could finally get his voice back and regain control of his day.
Once the queens finished their initial makeover, Haruto quickly swapped his clothes back to a simple, comfortable outfit, letting out a silent sigh of relief. He thought the ordeal was finally over.
Right at that moment, a soft knock sounded at the door, and a royal maid stepped inside.
"Excuse me, Your Majesties. Princess Lilith and her guests are currently waiting in her private chambers."
The moment the words left the maid's mouth, a sudden, mischievous look flashed across the faces of all seven queens. They looked at each other, a unified, wicked plan instantly forming in their minds. Before Haruto could even register the danger, the mothers swarmed him once again, pinning him down before he could take a single step toward the door.
This time, they went completely overboard. They pulled out a long, sleek, pitch-black wig and fitted it perfectly over his head. Next, they cleverly added a bit of padding beneath his shirt to give the illusion of a feminine chest. Finally, they brought out a highly detailed, elegant black-and-white maid uniform and forced him into it.
When they stepped back to look at their creation, the queens completely froze, clutching their cheeks as deep blushes spread across their faces.
Haruto looked absolutely breathtaking. The pure black maid uniform contrasted beautifully with his pale skin, and the sleek dark wig perfectly framed his face. His single, vivid crimson eye peeked through the black bangs, giving him an incredibly cool, sharp, yet stunningly beautiful appearance. He looked like the most captivating, elegant maid imaginable.
Haruto stood dead center in the room, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened to him. He silently thanked his locked-down emotional files; if his feelings hadn't been heavily restricted, he would have likely died of pure, unadulterated embarrassment right then and there.
Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed loudly through his skull, breaking the silence.
"Hello! I'm back online! What on earth are you doing right now?"
It was Sirehtea. She had finally finished stabilizing his core database and reconnected to his mind.
Thank goodness you're back, Haruto thought to her, his internal voice filled with absolute exhaustion. Take a look through my eyes and see what a complete disaster they've turned me into.
Sirehtea shifted her awareness to his field of vision, looking straight at his reflection in the mirror. For a second, his mind went completely quiet. Then, Sirehtea burst out into a loud, frantic squeal inside his head.
"Oh my goodness!!! Haruto, you look incredibly cute! Wow, if this maid version of you were actually a real girl, I would literally cross the universe and hunt her down to any corner of the world just to kidnap her and make her my own personal maid! Seriously, what are you even doing looking this stunning?!"
Just keep quiet and don't make it worse, Haruto thought back to her, mentally shaking his head. I can't even believe I'm wrapped up in this ridiculous setup.
"Oh, come on!" Sirehtea giggled loudly inside his head, clearly enjoying his misery.
"These queens are just using you as their personal plaything for the day. Just let them have their fun. It's harmless!"
Haruto's mental brow furrowed. Wait a minute. How did you instantly know they were the queens anyway? I thought you were completely offline for the last two hours.
"Uh, hello? Did you forget how our connection works?" Sirehtea huffed playfully.
"I am literally linked directly to your consciousness. Every single memory, thought, and sight stored in your brain automatically syncs with me. I don't need to be actively awake to look through your mental files!"
Right, Haruto thought, quickly moving on to more practical data. Since you're back online and scanning my surroundings, you mentioned earlier that you could check the status screens and levels of the people right in front of me. Give me a full breakdown of these queens.
"Alright, give me two minutes to calibrate the data loop," Sirehtea replied, her tone shifting into an analytical gear.
A brief silence filled his mind as she ran the assessment. A moment later, she gasped softly in genuine surprise.
"Wow... okay, Haruto, the King's harem is seriously no joke," Sirehtea reported, sounding thoroughly impressed.
"Their power levels are incredibly high for human royals. Almost every single one of these queens is sitting comfortably at Level 68. And that particular lady standing right in the center—the one wearing the elegant red dress? Her status screen is registering at Level 71! That is an immense amount of raw power for individuals living in a peaceful territory."
She paused, looking closer at the background metrics. "Based on their combat profiles and residual energy signatures, these women aren't just decorative royals. They have definitely fought through serious battles in the past. They're a highly experienced, powerful faction."
The realization of just how powerful the King's harem truly was sent a sudden spark through Haruto's usual detachment. For the first time in ages, his mind felt completely focused. This is incredible, he thought, his single crimson eye narrowing behind his black bangs. To think there are individuals this strong just casually living in a peaceful territory. Knowing people of this caliber exist gives me the perfect incentive to push my limits and unlock my full potential.
As he took a look at all of them, Sirehtea's voice echoed in his mind, bringing a more analytical perspective.
"It is impressive, Haruto, but my scanners are picking up a strange anomaly. Even though their raw power levels are high, their current energy signatures are completely stagnant. It's almost as if they haven't fought a real, life-or-death battle in decades. There isn't a single trace of recent combat stress or scar tissue on their files from the last ten or fifteen years. They've been resting in luxury for a long time."
Haruto simply smirked under his breath, adjusting his maid apron. That doesn't change the baseline facts, he countered smoothly in his thoughts. In the grand scheme of things, these women are about to become my mother-in-laws. If I am going to be a part of this family, having such high-level figures in my corner is a massive tactical advantage. I'll figure out a way to utilize their strength properly when the time comes.
Before Haruto could fully analyze the strategic value of this new information, Sirehtea's voice dropped into a teasing, panicked whisper.
"Oh, and one more thing, Haruto... you might want to brace yourself. My emotional scanner is picking up off-the-charts mischief from them right now. They are currently locked in an incredibly playful, chaotic mood, and they are brainstorming a whole list of ridiculous things they want to try out on you next. You better stay on your guard, because they're definitely not done playing dress-up with their new favorite maid!"
The moment Sirehtea finished warning him, the queen in the red dress stepped forward with a confident, knowing smile.
"Alright, Haruto," she said, looking him up and down in his maid uniform.
"It's time for your first official mission from your future mother-in-laws. Your task is to sneak directly into Lilith's private chamber and retrieve a single strand of her hair."
She leaned in slightly, her expression turning incredibly playful.
"Since you cannot speak out loud right now, this is going to be quite a challenge. You must complete this task completely undetected. If you manage to bring us her hair without getting caught, we promise to stop playing these dress-up games with you entirely. Not only that, but we will do whatever you ask us to do, no questions asked. But... if you get caught, or if you return empty-handed, you have to keep playing our games without complaining. Now, let's see how sharp that mind of yours really is. Best of luck!"
Haruto stood there, processing the absurd terms of the wager. What kind of ridiculous situation have I walked into now? he thought to himself.
Inside his head, Sirehtea was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Wow! Now this is getting genuinely interesting, Haruto! A stealth mission in a maid uniform!"
Despite the sheer absurdity of it, a rare flicker of interest crossed Haruto's mind. Well, at least this is a break from the usual soul-crushing boredom, he reasoned. This might actually be a little fun. He shifted slightly, frowning internally. Though this wig is scratching my head like crazy.
Before he could take a step, the queen in the red dress clapped her hands together sharply.
A heavy oak door opened, and a royal maid wheeled in a large, elegant rolling table. It was beautifully arranged with various sweet snacks, fresh pastries, and expensive juices, all covered neatly beneath silver dome lids, making Haruto look exactly like a high-end server.
One of the other queens chuckled softly, adjusting the apron strings on his outfit.
"After all, a future King should absolutely know the proper way to serve his queens. Consider this your perfect cover story. Now go on, give us a good show!"