"Have you calmed down now?"
As Yuri stroked Kokuyou and finally let out a breath of relief, Celine spoke to him gently.
"I'm sorry. I got far too shaken up..."
"That's enough petting, nyah. Any more and my fur's going to start coming out, nyah."
Kokuyou sighed and offered a mild protest as Yuri kept on petting her.
"Aina, would you prepare some tea?"
When Celine called to the maid waiting by the doorway, Aina bowed and went to prepare it.
"...Where should I begin, I wonder? Yes, I suppose I should start by explaining that I am no longer the Virtuous Consort."
"Yes, please."
"There's no need to be so nervous. We're going to be husband and wife from now on."
Husband and wife—that phrase rang sweetly in Yuri's ears, and his brain short-circuited.
"Y-yes. I'll do my absolute best."
The words slipped out of him before he even realized it, and Celine smiled gracefully before continuing.
"You know that the new king has been crowned, don't you?"
"Yes. I heard that after the late king passed away a year ago, the mourning period ended and the first prince was formally enthroned as the new king. ...Um, are you all right?"
"Hehe, Lord Yuri, you're very kind. Thank you. It's already been a year, so I'm all right."
Celine replied with a gentle smile.
There was no tragic weight in her words. If anything, they carried the strength of a woman who had already made it through her grief. In his previous life, he himself had spent years unable to get over a broken heart...
She says she's fine, but there's no way anyone can forget in just a year... From now on, I have to protect her...
Resolving himself, Yuri turned his gaze to Celine and Lieselotte.
"In the Kingdom of Oltania, do you know what happens to the late king's consorts?"
Celine asked quietly, and after thinking for a moment, Yuri shook his head.
"No. I've never really thought about it. What happens to them?"
"A consort who has borne a prince moves to a detached palace, but the other secondary consorts may choose to enter a convent, return to their own lands, or be granted a new territory."
At Celine's explanation, a sharp little pain pricked Yuri's chest at the thought that even here, those who were no longer needed were cast out.
"The mother of the first prince, now the new king, was the Noble Consort, wasn't she? I heard Her Majesty the Queen Consort had no children. What happens in that case?"
When Yuri asked, Celine answered with a serene smile.
"Her Majesty the Queen Consort will continue assisting in state affairs, so she will move to the same detached palace as the former Queen Dowager."
"I see. Then does that mean you became the Baroness Regnant of Reberk because you chose to be granted a new territory, Lady Celine?"
Could she really have chosen that debt-ridden territory herself?
Watching Celine, Yuri put the question to her with a hint of tension. She looked away for a moment, then smiled again.
"Yes. I didn't want to be separated from Liese. But the land I was given was the Reberk Barony, which had been left vacant after its former lord was punished. It's a territory burdened with enormous debt, but I will find a way."
Yuri could not hide his surprise at her words.
"I see... But to be given a territory like that by His Majesty sounds rather severe, doesn't it...?"
"Hehe, not by His Majesty. More likely it was the Queen Dowager's consideration. I was taught estate management as part of my education to become queen, and if I'm with you, Lord Yuri, I'm sure we can overcome this."
Celine smiled gently, but there was unmistakable resolve in her voice.
Less consideration and more harassment, if you ask me...
"But I heard the former lord was severely punished because he couldn't repay the debt. Are you really going to be all right?"
"Let's see. Tax revenue is in the red, the population has fallen because of the previous governor's harsh taxation, monster attacks have brought food shortages and repair costs for our defenses, military expenditure for the knights has risen... and then there are the operating costs of the First Hero's harem complex. Of everything, the harem is the biggest money pit."
Celine murmured that with a troubled look.
No, no, no. No money, no people, not enough food, constant monster damage, and loads of fixed assets? That's impossible...
In his mind, Yuri despaired at the fact that cash was only flowing out, with nothing coming in.
"Mother, putting aside the issues of tax revenue and monsters, do we still have to keep that legacy of the First Hero?"
As Lieselotte raised a hand and voiced her question, Yuri listened closely as well.
"Because the Empire and the Church have ordered us to preserve it."
Celine answered with a faint wry smile.
"Is that because the First Hero defeated the Demon God and became the first Emperor of the Empire?"
When Lieselotte pressed further, Celine nodded slowly.
"That's right. It's a strict order from the Empire and the Church, so there's nothing we can do..."
"The Empire and the Church... Yes, I suppose we can't simply ignore that..."
Yuri fell into thought.
The Empire was a vast nation that ruled most of the western part of the continent, and the Kingdom of Oltania depended on it for many supplies, so it could hardly defy it.
The other was the Church of Stellar Guidance, which oversaw the Gifts bestowed on the nobility and wielded enormous influence across the entire continent.
This is... not going to be easy...
Furrowing his brow, Yuri sank into deep thought.
"Lord Yuri, it'll be all right."
Smiling gently, Celine lightly laid a hand against Yuri's cheek.
"L-Lady Celine..."
Yuri stared at her in surprise.
Ignoring his confusion, Celine urged him on in a calm voice.
"Please hold still."
Drawn along by her soft voice, Yuri closed his eyes and surrendered himself to the warmth of her hand.
He could feel his heart calming down.
"Hehe, your cheeks are wonderfully soft, Lord Yuri. Stroking them is so soothing."
The instant he heard those words, Yuri felt his face grow hot as embarrassment surged through him.
"M-Mother, that's enough. Lord Yuri seems troubled too."
"Hehe, yes, you're right. My apologies. Shall we continue?"
Celine withdrew her hand with visible reluctance and resumed speaking.
The moment her hand left him, Yuri felt relieved, yet at the same time a faint loneliness swept through his chest.
It was the first time in all his lives that a woman had stroked his face like that.
Part of him wished that warmth had lingered a little longer, but he doubted he could have endured much more.
"Now, where was I...? Ah, yes. Being granted territory was all very well, but given what sort of territory it was, I consulted His Majesty, and through a chain of events an order came down from the Queen Dowager that you, Lord Yuri, were to be taken in as my husband."
"From the Queen Dowager?"
Yuri cried out in surprise.
He had never imagined that someone of such exalted rank had taken any interest in him.
"Yes. I heard that because you'd become something of a topic in high society, the Queen Dowager approached Lord Leonidas."
"I see. So that's why a hapless noble like me was chosen. I'm truly sorry."
Celine and Lieselotte looked at Yuri in astonishment.
"? Is something wrong?"
Noticing their stares, he tilted his head in puzzlement.
"No, I only thought most people would be angry in your place..."
At Celine's words, Yuri considered for a moment, then answered quietly.
"Really? If people say that, despite being a noble, I was given nothing but a merchant Gift, then I suppose it can't be helped if they think that way."
At his calm response, Celine nodded as though impressed.
"You're remarkably detached about it..."
"Haha, a-am I? Princess Lieselotte seems perfectly grown-up to me as well."
Turning his eyes to Lieselotte, Yuri looked at her placid expression and suddenly thought of his step-sister.
She had been about the same age, but still childish, always clinging to Yuri and teasing him with innocent mischief.
Compared with that, Lieselotte seemed astonishingly mature.
After the Rite of the Stars, I was forbidden from seeing my step-sister... I wonder if she's doing well...
The thought crossed his mind, and Yuri's gaze turned distant.
Noticing the look on his face, Celine spoke to him gently.
"Liese was, at least technically, a princess."
"Mother, the 'technically' was unnecessary."
Lieselotte chided her mother with a faintly sullen look.
Celine gave a light laugh and shrugged.
"Yes, perhaps. But if anyone ought to apologize, it's me."
"? Why?"
Yuri tilted his head at those words.
Lowering her eyes a little, Celine answered modestly.
"Because this is your first marriage, isn't it? I was the late king's consort, I have a daughter this grown, and I'm no longer young. I'm a second-hand woman..."
Those words sent a sharp pang through Yuri's chest.
"What are you saying? Lady Celine is as beautiful as a goddess. I don't feel short-changed at all. Please, marry me."
At Yuri's words, Celine's eyes widened and grew wet, and a single tear slipped quietly down her cheek.
"Really? Are you sure I'm enough for you?"
Even in her smile, her lips were trembling ever so slightly.
"Yes. Let's develop the Reberk Barony together and raise up House Strauss. I won't spare any effort. Ask anything of me."
As if to reassure her, he spoke gently, and a faint blush rose to Celine's cheeks.
"Thank you. Then... may I call you my lord husband?"
When Yuri answered, "Of course," whatever anxiety had lingered in her seemed to vanish, and she smiled like a goddess.