At a Certain Luxurious Inn…

Downstairs, in the warm, tavern-like dining area on the ground floor, the scent of fresh bread and roasted herbs lingered in the air.

It was early morning, with only a few patrons scattered across tables, the sunlight barely peeking through the old stained-glass windows.

At one circular table near the corner, three young women sat in silence—beauties so striking they seemed almost out of place among the rustic wooden furniture and plain walls.

Even in the soft glow of the dim morning light, their elegance stood out like polished gems in a bed of ash.

-Clink…!

-Clank…!

They ate quietly, methodically, the soft clinks of forks and knives cutting into modest breakfast portions the only sound between them.

Omelets, toast, fresh greens. Nothing lavish. Yet their presence alone was enough to make heads turn.

And yet—no one dared to approach.

Not the innkeeper, not the staff, not the brave adventurers or merchants who occasionally stole glances their way.

It wasn’t just beauty that kept people at bay.

It was the sheer, invisible pressure they exuded. An aura of tension and authority that made even seasoned warriors sit a little straighter and avoid eye contact.

“She did it on purpose, didn’t she…” Snow murmured, her voice low, eyes narrowed slightly as she poked at her half-eaten omelet.

Her pristine white hair was tied up into a neat ponytail, but faint strands had begun to slip loose.

Her deep blue eyes, usually calm and composed, now shimmered with a cold frustration—and beneath them, the faint, unmistakable shadows of a sleepless night.

“Yes,” Rose answered after a pause, her tone clipped.

Her appearance mirrored Snow’s in refinement, though her golden hair—usually immaculate—had a few strands sticking stubbornly out of place.

Her golden eyes, so often filled with sharp clarity and confidence, looked dull, exhausted.

“I’m pretty sure we made eye contact… just for a second,” she added. “And she smiled.”

“A test, then?” Snow suggested, her fork pausing mid-air.

“If it was,” Rose said with a sigh, “it was a cruel one.”

Alice, sitting between them, shifted nervously.

Compared to the composed severity of her two companions, she was visibly distressed.

Her pink hair was slightly frizzy from tossing and turning the night before, and her golden eyes flicked between them like a student caught between two angry teachers.

“U-uhm… guys… we aren’t entirely sure yet, right?” she tried to offer, her voice soft. “I mean, it could’ve just been a coincidence…”

Neither Snow nor Rose looked convinced.

“Riley told me Miss Liyana was always the openly affectionate, clingy type!” Alice continued, waving her fork slightly for emphasis. “Maybe she just… naturally acts like that! It doesn’t have to be an act of war!”

“Coincidence doesn’t leave you sleepless,” Snow muttered.

“Coincidence doesn’t smirk right at us while dragging him away in the middle of a conversation,” Rose added.

Alice deflated in her seat, her shoulders slumping.

“Still… w-we shouldn’t jump to conclusions. Riley wouldn’t let her do anything too crazy. I-I think…”

Snow sighed deeply and leaned back, brushing her fingers through her bangs.

Rose returned to quietly cutting her toast, her eyes cast downward.

Alice sighed quietly, her fork pausing mid-air as she watched the two girls seated across from her fall into that same heavy silence once more.

Their expressions were a mixture of uncertainty, exhaustion, and a tinge of something sour they were trying not to spit out loud.

She’d seen it coming.

This exact conversation—this tension and confusion—had already surfaced briefly between them last night, in hushed, scattered remarks.

But none of them had had the courage to really talk about it.

Not then.

Not when their hearts were still freshly bruised from what they had witnessed.

Because the truth was… they had all seen it.

Every moment of it.

Riley and Liyana, together—on what was very clearly their first proper date since she returned.

The memory still clung to Alice’s mind like a stubborn fog.

The way Liyana had grabbed him.

The way she kissed him—openly, fiercely, as if trying to carve her name into his very soul.

The kind of kiss that didn’t just speak of love, but of desperation. Of longing. Of a woman who was afraid she’d be left behind.

It hurt to see.

Of course it did.

Alice wasn’t made of stone.

Watching the man she loved being held like that, claimed so boldly, made something twist uncomfortably inside her chest.

She wasn’t immune to jealousy. She wasn’t blind to her own feelings.

But even so… she could understand it.

More than the others, perhaps.

After all, she had listened to Riley speak about Liyana before.

Had seen the somewhat distant look in his eyes whenever her name came up…?

Had heard the softness in his voice—the kind of softness reserved for a person who had been with him long before any of them.

Alice understood what it meant to miss someone so deeply you were willing to throw away pride and reason just to feel them close again.

Afterall she constantly feels that way towards Riley…

And if anyone had the right to be that selfish—to love that openly—it was probably Liyana.

Liyana hasn’t seen him for 4 months in the least…

They were each other’s first love.

And not just that—Liyana was his official fiancée.

So… didn’t she deserve at least that much?

That one day, that one moment of being unashamedly close to the person she loved?

Alice believed she did.

But of course, not everyone saw it that way.

Snow and Rose had their own thoughts—and not all of them were forgiving.

And though their words weren’t entirely wrong… they weren’t completely right either.

Still, as much as Alice wanted to defend Liyana, there was a deeper concern festering beneath her smile.

One she hadn’t found the right time—or the right courage—to bring up yet.

Because there was something else about Liyana that troubled her.

Something that went beyond kisses and jealousy and possessiveness.

Something she had learned recently that didn’t sit right with her.

And while Snow and Rose were worried about Liyana’s antics and her bold displays of affection… Alice’s mind was elsewhere.

Thinking about a truth far more complicated than a public kiss.

A truth about the woman Riley was supposed to marry… and what she might be hiding.

“We should do something…”

The sudden voice broke the heavy quiet of the table.

Rose, who had been mostly silent until now, finally spoke up—her tone low but firm, carrying the restrained edge of her growing frustration.

She set down her fork gently, but her golden eyes—still dulled from lack of sleep—shimmered with determination.

“The more time we leave him alone with that bitc— girl, a kiss is going to be the least of our worries. Riley is too vulnerable right now. And I doubt he’d push her away if she made a move. He’d hesitate. He always does…”

Snow, sitting across from her, sighed, her arms folding as she leaned back slightly in her seat.

The sunlight filtering in behind her caught in the strands of her white ponytail, making her blue eyes look sharper, colder.

“Yes,” she muttered, her beautiful face wearing a mix of irritation and concern. “Unfortunately, my official meeting with the Duke is two days from now… so any direct confrontation to stop my cousin from having Riley all to herself can’t be done too openly. Not unless I want it to become a political scandal.”

Alice flinched a little at the mention of the word “scandal,” unsure whether to jump in or stay quiet. But before she could speak, Rose leaned forward.

“Then why don’t we just do it the direct way?” Rose’s voice was firm now, almost like she was laying out a battle plan. “Let’s stick to Plan B.”

Snow raised a brow. “You mean… introducing ourselves into Riley’s household?”

“Yes.” Rose nodded without hesitation. “The situation’s already spiraling beyond what we can manage with subtlety. Any more delays, and we’ll lose our footing completely. Liyana’s already taken the first big step—we can’t afford to keep tiptoeing while she’s sprinting.”

There was a brief silence.

Snow’s fingers tapped against the table as she considered the idea. “That… could work. Knowing Riley’s parents, I doubt they’d reject our presence. His family is decent, and they’ve always shown respect to powerful lineages based on the “small” personal research I did…” She allowed herself a slight smile.

In all honesty, Snow felt a twinge of guilt press against her chest. She knew what her presence meant.

She was the Imperial Crown Princess—the weight her name carried was more than enough to rattle even the most powerful noble families in the empire.

Now pair that with Rose, a duke’s daughter born from one of the oldest bloodlines in the continent, and Alice, a prodigal technical archmage in the making whose future was practically guaranteed at the top of the tower’s mage hierarchy… Well, it was overkill.

Any respectable noble would probably faint at the mere thought of having to entertain one of them—let alone all three, showing up unannounced at a single Count’s household.

But it couldn’t be helped now.

The moment Liyana kissed Riley that openly, that intensely, everything had changed.

The air of competition that had long lingered silently between them had sharpened into something more tangible.

Snow glanced at Rose, who met her gaze with the same steely expression.

There was no need for words—just a single nod between them confirmed it.

Their personal race for Riley’s love had officially begun.

“Are there any Shadow Knights guarding you right now, Snow?” Rose asked, shifting to practical matters, her tone clipped and efficient. “We can’t have your side panicking once you disappear.”

Snow shook her head. “No… per my personal request, most of them are positioned at a distance. The closest ones are monitoring me from about five kilometers out. The rest are likely stationed near the Duke’s castle, preparing for my formal visit.”

Rose gave a firm nod, relieved. “Good. That means the Emperor won’t try to interfere. Not unless he wants to admit he’s spying on his own daughter during personal hours.”

Snow didn’t respond, but her small, knowing smile said enough.

Then, Rose turned slightly, already preparing the spell circle in her mind. “I’ll use teleportation. We’re not wasting any more time.”

Alice, who had been silently watching the conversation grow increasingly serious and—frankly absurd—finally raised her hands in a panic.

“W-Wait! Guys! what do you mean Plan B? t-there was a plan?” she stammered, her eyes wide as she looked between the two. “And also w-we can’t just teleport into Riley’s hometown! That’s… that’s insane!”

The two girls turned to her in mild surprise, blinking as though they’d forgotten Alice had been sitting there the whole time.

“A-And besides,” she continued, her cheeks flushing with a nervous sort of embarrassment, “k-kissing isn’t that big of a deal, right? I-I mean… even if something a bit deeper happens between them, isn’t that a good thing?”

Snow raised an eyebrow. “Alice—”

“I-I mean,” Alice rushed on, stumbling over her words in an effort to justify herself, “we’re all going to be his wives in the future, aren’t we? So… if Liyana gives him a little special reward now, it’s not the end of the world, r-right?”

The moment the words left her lips, the room froze.

Snow and Rose both turned toward her with slow, synchronized precision, their expressions gradually morphing into a kind of disbelieving horror—like she’d just blurted out something completely blasphemous in a temple.

“…Easy for you to say!” Rose snapped, her eyes narrowing.

“You had it easy, you selfish witch!” Snow shouted right after, her voice sharp with frustration.

The two voices overlapped, their outburst perfectly in sync despite their mutual irritation. The force of it made Alice physically flinch.

“W-Wha—?!” Alice stammered, stunned. “W-What are you two talking about?!”

Rose was the first to lean forward, her voice cold and full of suppressed grievance.

“You had Riley all to yourself for months, Alice. You got a head start while the rest of us were still trying to figure out where we stood, in the relationship while constantly waiting and hoping for both your safe return.”

Snow’s voice followed, layered with bitter disbelief. “You even went as far as to accept his seed already—!”

“W-WAIT, WHAT?!” Alice’s face turned beet red as she practically choked on her own breath. “T-That’s not what happened! I-I mean, not like that! W-We didn’t—! I-I mean maybe something happened but it wasn’t— W-why are we talking about this here……?”

But the other two weren’t done.

“And now you’re telling us to just let this go?” Rose said, her tone clipped and sharp. “You’re saying we should sit back and relax while Riley’s childhood sweetheart swoops in and takes everything?! You have no idea how frustrating it is!”

Snow crossed her arms, nodding firmly.

“Riley barely reacts when we try to make a move! He doesn’t push forward, doesn’t reject us—but he also never commits! And now, Liyana’s being bold, kissing him in public, taking the lead—and you want us to do nothing? Of course you’d be okay with that, Alice… you’ve already gotten a taste of what we’re all fighting for, we need to secure second and third place at least”

“That’s not what I meant at all!” Alice squeaked, her voice rising in a panic. “I-I wasn’t trying to dismiss your feelings, really! I was just trying to say—w-we shouldn’t rush, that’s all! A-And wait… what do you mean by ‘secure second and third place’?!”

Rose blinked, as if the question was obvious.

“Of impregnating us, of course.” The two said casually at the same time.

“…..”

Alice froze.

Her brain stopped working.

She sat motionless for a full second before—

-Pfffffft—!!

A puff of red smoke practically burst from the top of her head.

Her face flushed an impossible shade of crimson as her hands covered her mouth and her shoulders trembled in silent panic.

“W-WHAT—?! W-WAIT! H-HUH?! W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN B-BY THAT?!”

Heads turned. The quiet patrons in the surrounding tables who had, up until this point, been stealthily eavesdropping on the girls’ heated conversation now openly stared, eyes wide and jaws agape.

One waiter tripped over his own feet and nearly dropped a tray.

A noble lady fainted in the corner.

Snow pinched the bridge of her nose while Rose sipped her tea calmly.

“Well, it’s only fair,” Rose muttered. “If we’re going to fight, we fight with all our weapons.”

“I am not losing to Liyana just because she took advantage of Riley’s current mental state,” Snow added coldly.

Meanwhile, Alice looked like she might combust on the spot.

“T-That’s not how this works!” she cried. “Y-You can’t just—just schedule baby making like they’re appointments!”

“Oh?” Rose tilted her head. “But isn’t that what you already did?”

Alice shrieked.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep