Sirehtea let out a long sigh inside his head, her tone shifting to a more casual, take-it-or-leave-it attitude.
"Look, it's just an option. If you want to do it, go ahead. If not, then just leave it."
But this feels totally unfair! Haruto complained mentally, his face still burning hot.
"What do you mean unfair?" Sirehtea fired back.
"You're just going to ask them, not force them into anything. It's completely up to them if they say yes or no."
Haruto took a deep breath, trying to calm his racing heart, and decided to take the leap. He turned to the King, clearing his throat nervously to use his newly unlocked voice.
"Your Majesty... if I happen to choose another wife down the line, I might need a few more ceremonial rings to make it official."
The King paused, looking at Haruto for a moment before bursting into a hearty laugh.
"Alright, alright! I don't mind. But let me tell you one thing, Haruto—make sure whoever you choose is incredibly powerful, not just pretty. The royal family needs strong bloodlines!"
"Yes, I understand," Haruto nodded.
The King immediately gestured to one of the nearby palace maids and gave her a quick order. A few minutes later, the maid returned carrying a beautifully crafted velvet box. When Haruto opened it, his eyes went wide. Resting neatly inside were eight matching pairs of exquisite royal engagement rings. He quietly took the box, his hands shaking slightly from pure nervousness.
Trying to get some reassurance, he closed his eyes and pinged his internal link again. Sirehtea... are you absolutely sure about this? Is this really the right move?
"Oh my god, I told you I don't care!"
Sirehtea groaned, sounding completely annoyed.
"If you want to do it, do it. If not, just drop it and stop annoying me!"
Hey, don't talk to me like that! I'm just stressed out, Haruto mumbled back defensively.
Sirehtea's tone softened just a bit, though she still sounded playful.
"Just go, dummy. I know what I'm talking about. You don't need to stress so much. They don't hate you; they're just terrified of being left behind and forgotten."
But still... Don't you think eight pairs of rings is a bit too much?! Haruto panicked, staring at the box in his hands.
"Ugh, whatever! I'm done talking about this," Sirehtea snapped, completely cutting the connection and leaving him to handle the rest on his own.
Hey, hello? Sirehtea? Don't just leave me hanging like this! Haruto pleaded internally, but his mindscape remained entirely silent. Man, she is seriously testing my patience tonight. For a brief moment during the ceremony, everything had felt so incredibly real that he had forgotten about his core reality. But now, looking down at the velvet box in his hands, his analytical player mindset kicked back into gear.
Alright, let's look at this logically. If I treat this whole situation like a high-stakes glitch game, this is just a crucial character event scene.
Plus, completing an engagement contract clearly triggers a massive data patch that grants me a split-system level up. If I want to unlock the maximum potential of my Nothingness path, I need to drive these faction bonds forward.
Curious about the contents, Haruto carefully opened the lower compartment of the velvet box.
To his surprise, it didn't just contain the eight pairs of rings; resting neatly in the custom foam inserts beneath them were two empty crystal chalices and a small, gleaming silver ceremonial dagger. He couldn't help but let out a quiet, amused chuckle.
Wow. Talk about an all-in-one, plug-and-play engagement starter kit. The palace really keeps these fully stocked.
Taking a deep breath to stabilize his racing heart, Haruto closed the box and turned his gaze toward the VIP tables. He walked over to where the three goddesses were sitting, completely detached from the ongoing party.
Stopping right beside them, Haruto didn't use his voice pack loudly to avoid drawing attention from the surrounding nobles. Instead, he leaned in slightly and gave Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra a firm, direct look, gesturing with his head toward a quiet, private balcony nearby.
The three goddesses snapped out of their gloomy daze and looked up at him in unison. Seeing the serious look on his face and the elegant velvet box tucked under his arm, their flat, jealous expressions melted just a fraction, replaced by a subtle, curious smile.
"Oh? And why exactly should we follow you out there, Haruto?"
Lustra asked, a faint, knowing smirk playing on her lips.
"Just come with me," Haruto replied calmly. Without waiting for their response, he turned around and walked toward the exit, his heart hammering against his ribs as he prepared himself for the wildest system event of his life.
The three goddesses turned around and followed Haruto out onto the quiet balcony, the heavy doors shutting out the loud music of the party. Far across the ballroom, Lilith watched them walk away.
A soft, gentle smile appeared on her lips as she thought to herself, Oh, looks like you're expanding the family already. That's completely fine, Haruto. No matter what you do, I know you will always belong to me in the end.
Once they were completely alone under the moonlight, Haruto took a deep breath to steady his racing heart. He looked at them and spoke clearly.
"Listen, I need to tell you three something important."
Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra froze completely, their eyes widening in absolute shock.
"Haruto?!" Ivory gasped, her hands flying to her mouth.
"You... you can actually talk?!"
"Yes," Haruto replied quickly, trying to explain it simply.
"I found a special item that lets me unlock my voice and my real feelings, but only for three hours every day."
Instead of looking happy, Ivory's face fell, a deeply hurt expression taking over.
"Since when? And why didn't you bother telling us about this sooner?"
Lustra let out a bitter, quiet sigh and crossed her arms.
"Let it go, Ivory. Whether he decides to tell us things or keep us in the dark is entirely his choice."
Hearing that, a sharp wave of guilt hit Haruto right in the chest. He could clearly see how deeply he had broken their hearts.
"Yeah, Lustra is right," Bellona added, her voice sounding cold and distant.
"He was probably way too busy getting engaged to two different girls tonight to find a single second for his own teammates. Look, whatever you want to say, let's just deal with it tomorrow. We're all exhausted and just want to go back and sleep."
With that, the three goddesses turned their backs on him and began walking away. Seeing them ready to abandon the conversation completely, Haruto panicked.
"Wait! Stop right there and just listen to me!" he called out desperately.
Ivory stopped, looking back over her shoulder with a completely flat, emotionless stare.
"What is it, Haruto?"
With his hands trembling from pure nervousness and his face burning bright red, Haruto decisively popped open the velvet box and held it out in front of them.
The moonlight hit the beautiful, polished bands, making the sparkling engagement rings shine brightly right before their eyes.
Haruto looked them straight in the face and forced the words out.
"Will the three of you... officially become my fiancées too?"
The three goddesses spun around instantly, their eyes locking onto the velvet box. They stared blankly at the glittering bands of silver and gold, completely stunned into silence, before glancing at each other in utter disbelief.
"Wow... great joke, Haruto," Ivory said, forcing a hollow, defensive laugh as she tried to guard her feelings.
"Stop messing with us. This isn't funny."
"Look at me, I'm completely serious," Haruto rushed out, his face burning a bright neon red as his uncalibrated emotions threatened to overwhelm him.
"You three are the only ones who know the truth about my voice and my feelings being unlocked right now. I have always imagined you by my side through everything. Right now, my chest feels so tight and my feelings are running so wildly out of control that I don't have the energy to play games or cause drama. Please... just give me a straight answer, yes or no. Because I mean every single word."
Hearing his breathless, completely raw confession, the defensive walls of the three goddesses shattered instantly. All three of their faces redlined, turning a matching shade of bright, burning crimson under the moonlight.
"Haruto... are you really being serious right now?" Lustra whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
Haruto couldn't bring himself to say another word. The sheer awkwardness and shyness choked him up, so he simply held their gaze, his eyes wide and completely honest.
Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra looked down at the box of rings, then back up at Haruto, and then at each other, their minds completely racing. The silence stretched on for a few agonising seconds. Misinterpreting their hesitation, a sharp wave of panic and embarrassment hit Haruto's chest.
"Right... I get it. It was too sudden. I completely understand," Haruto mumbled, his voice dropping as he hurriedly started to snap the velvet box shut to hide his embarrassment.
But before the lid could click into place, three pairs of hands reached out simultaneously, firmly grabbing the edges of the box and freezing his movements.
Haruto snapped his head up in surprise. As he looked into their faces, his heart skipped a beat. Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra were staring back at him, their intense blushing faces softened by a layer of bright, emotional tears that were suddenly welling up in their eyes.
Seeing the tears welling up in their eyes, Haruto's chest tightened in pure panic.
"Wait... why are you crying?" he stammered, his face burning as he desperately tried to apologize.
"I'm so sorry! If I said something wrong or crossed a line, please forget I even—"
Before he could finish his sentence, Lustra stepped forward and gently placed her soft fingers over his lips, silencing him instantly. She looked deeply into his eyes, her voice trembling with emotion.
"Are you truly telling us the truth, Haruto? Do you really want us?"
Haruto nodded his head firmly, his gaze completely steady despite his intense shyness.
"Yes. Every single word. I haven't lied about a single thing to you."
The moment the words left his mouth, Lustra, Bellona, and Ivory couldn't hold back their emotions anymore.
They threw their arms around him all at once, burying their faces into his royal clothes as they began to cry softly.
Haruto stood there completely frozen, his arms hovering awkwardly in the air, his mind totally unable to process the sudden wave of affection.
After a couple of minutes, the girls gradually calmed down. They stepped back, wiping the tears from their flushed cheeks, though their faces were still a deep, bright pink. Ivory cleared her throat, looking away shyly as she spoke up first.
"We accept. We accept your offer, Haruto."
Haruto blinked, his eyes darting to the other two.
"That was just Ivory speaking... What about the two of you?"
Lustra and Bellona both nodded their heads in unison, blushing furiously as they looked down at the ground. For the first time since he had met her, Haruto saw Bellona looking completely flustered and shy, her usual tough warrior exterior completely melting away.
Looking at them, a sudden realization hit him. Wow... Sirehtea was absolutely right. They weren't just being difficult; they genuinely, truly care about me this much.
"Alright," Haruto said, a soft, genuine smile finally breaking across his face.
"If you accept, then let's make it official right now."
Working together in the quiet moonlight, the four of them smoothly carried out the binding ritual using the all-in-one kit. Using the gleaming silver dagger, they each made a small, carefully controlled cut on their left ring fingers.
They let a drop of their blood fall into the crystal chalices, watching the clear liquids instantly transform into a beautiful, glowing ruby-red. Holding their breath, they exchanged the glasses and drank, the sweet elixir soothing their throats while their cuts instantly healed into smooth skin.
With the contract sealed, Haruto took the sparkling bands from the velvet box and carefully slid an engagement ring onto the left ring finger of Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra. One by one, the three goddesses took their matching rings and slid them onto Haruto's left hand.
When the ritual was fully complete, Haruto lifted his left hand to inspect it under the moonlight. He couldn't help but stare in absolute amazement—with Lilith's ring, Seraphine's ring, and now the three new bands from the goddesses, his left hand was entirely filled. Every single finger now held a beautiful, shimmering token of their shared future.
Ivory looked down at her new ring, a soft, relieved sigh escaping her lips. "We honestly thought you were going to completely leave us behind, Haruto. We figured you were stepping into a brand-new royal life where we just wouldn't fit anymore."
Lustra nodded, a playful but genuine smirk returning to her face as she looked up at him.
"And let me tell you, it was absolutely torturing us from the inside out. The sheer jealousy was driving us crazy. I mean, who wouldn't want to claim a handsome master like you all to themselves?"
Haruto's face instantly flashed hot at her words, his unlocked shyness kicking right back in.
"Can we please drop the 'master' title already?" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck to hide his embarrassment.
Bellona stepped closer, her sharp eyes locking onto his with absolute, unwavering seriousness.
"For me, it's different, Haruto. I've watched you fight, and I've watched you grow. Back during the trials, when I witnessed your raw skill and that absolute desperation to survive, it sparked something deep inside me. I didn't put this ring on out of standard romantic love—I did it out of pure, unyielding devotion to you as a warrior. Never forget that."
Looking at the three of them, a heavy wave of emotion washed over Haruto. He lowered his head slightly, a soft, apologetic look in his eyes.
"I'm really sorry... I'm sorry we couldn't do a massive, grand ceremony for you guys with a big stage and all the nobles celebrating you properly. I was worried you wouldn't be truly happy with just a quiet balcony setup like this."
Hearing his apology, Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra paused for a moment. Then, they slowly turned back toward him in perfect unison. A beautiful, genuinely radiant smile broke across all three of their faces.
"We are incredibly happy, Haruto," they said together, their voices filled with absolute warmth.
Before they could step away to head back to the party, Haruto stepped forward, stopping them in their tracks. He looked at each of them with absolute sincerity, his voice steadying.
"Don't ever be afraid," he promised softly.
"You three will always be by my side, no matter what changes around us."
The three goddesses smiled warmly, their hearts completely at ease. "Always," they replied in unison.
With the secret contract fully sealed, the four of them walked off the quiet balcony and headed back down to join the main reception hall.
The moment they stepped back into the crowd, Haruto nervously kept his left hand tucked into his royal robes, doing everything he could to awkwardly hide the fact that every single one of his fingers was now completely loaded with engagement rings.
As the night progressed, the three-hour system window smoothly ticked down to zero.
Instantly, the vivid emotional colors and the chaotic sensory spikes in Haruto's mind vanished, completely settling back into a flat, quiet baseline. The intense stage fright, the gripping shyness, and the overwhelming anxiety died down completely, leaving his internal processing grid entirely stable.
Wow... coming back to zero emotion after all that chaos feels incredibly peaceful, Haruto thought, his inner mind sighing with relief as his typical cool, analytical player mindset returned. Dealing with all those feelings at once was a total calibration nightmare. This state is way easier to manage.
He opened his mouth to run a silent internal link diagnostic with Sirehtea, but as he tried to form a thought, his vocal metrics completely locked out. He couldn't force a single syllable past his lips.
Shit, right... Haruto realized, a faint trace of mental annoyance hitting him. The voice pack is officially offline too. No emotions is great, but damn it, I really hate not being able to talk.
Haruto stood near the edge of the grand hall, his left hand completely hidden inside his royal robes to conceal the five engagement rings lining his fingers. With his emotional pack completely offline, his thoughts returned to a sharp, entirely cold logical flow.
Wait a minute... why didn't I receive a system notification or a level up after completing the ritual with Ivory, Bellona, and Lustra? Haruto thought, his analytical brain immediately searching for a glitch or a missing variable. The engagement with Lilith and Seraphine triggered a massive data patch instantly. The ritual mechanic with the daggers, the blood, and the rings
was exactly the same this time. So why did the system reward protocol fail to execute for the three goddesses?