“So, darling, these are your lovers, correct~?”

“…Yes…”

“My, my… aren’t they all so pretty. But~ I’m still the prettiest in your eyes, yes?”

“…Yes.”

“Hehe, as expected of my darling~ You’re also the only beauty in my eyes, darling~”

Three pairs of eyes locked onto me.

I could feel their stares digging into my soul, and for a second, it felt like the cold outside had snuck into the room.

The fireplace was still crackling, the room was still warm… but my back was already drenched in sweat.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

I was just having a peaceful walk with Liyana out in the snowy backyard.

That was all.

Just a calm little moment between us—quiet snow, light wind, her hand in mine as she pulled me around excitedly, telling me little stories about her time here while I was away.

She looked so happy, like a puppy that hadn’t seen its owner in years.

I shared a few things too—left out the weird parts, of course. Like getting stuck in the white realm.

No one needed to hear about that today especially her… who was mostly likely aware of it already…

Everything was fine.

Normal.

Peaceful.

Until it wasn’t.

We’d only just stepped back inside.

The plan was simple—end the walk, bring her in, let her say hi to Mom, maybe sit down for tea or something and intend to go to the duke’s castle to properly talk with the duke and maybe playa around with Liyana for a bit…

So why are they here?

Snow. Rose. Alice.

Out of all the unpredictable things I thought might happen today, this wasn’t one of them.

I thought they were supposed to go back to their respective houses?

That was the plan, wasn’t it?

Rose… well, with how whimsical she is, her showing up unannounced isn’t entirely out of character.

Still, I wasn’t expecting her today of all days.

I figured she’d be off chasing some random inspiration for her progress in magic as well as her progress In the celestial arts, not… crashing my living room.

But Snow?

Why is she also here?

Knowing that over protective father….

There’s no way he’d let her just wander around freely.

Is the imperial palace in a panic right now? Does he even know where she is?

And lastly Alice… being who she is, she was probably dragged along with those two…. I think.

But wait, wasn’t she supposed to be busy?

She was knee-deep in managing the whole unification of the red and white realms still.

Cheshire and I might have helped her out in the most basics of stuff, but the unification is still undergoing full completion.

They all had their own lives.

Their own responsibilities.

Important stuff.

And yet they’re all here, somehow, acting like this was just another normal visit.

All three of them were sitting across from Liyana and me, glaring at me with this perfect synchronization that made me question whether they planned it in advance.

Like I was some criminal being judged by a very pretty, very angry jury.

Meanwhile, Mom was off to the side, sipping tea with this half-lidded look in her eyes.

It’s her default reaction whenever things get awkward and she doesn’t want to get involved.

She was already mid-conversation with the girls when Liyana and I walked in, so I can only assume she knows who they are at this point.

Which just makes me feel worse.

Considering who these visitors are… Rose, the daughter of a duke and magical prodigy. Snow, an imperial princess. Alice, another magical prodigy.

Each one enough to make nobles scramble—and my mom had to entertain all three at once without any warning.

I might owe her a dozen apologies after this.

I then noticed the half-broken cup slowly being cleaned up by the servants near mom….

Or a maybe new tea set.

Probably both.

Reina—my lovely little sister—was quietly inching her way out of the room, hugging the wall like a background character trying not to get caught in the crossfire.

She glanced at me once, her eyes sharp and full of warning.

‘Don’t you dare call me out.’

Yeah. Message received loud and clear.

Honestly, I couldn’t blame her. If I had the option to escape this mess unnoticed, I’d probably do the same.

My original plan had been simple.

Wait for the right moment, introduce the girls to Mom one by one after everything had calmed down—, after I’d properly sorted out everyone’s feelings, after I fixed all the problems, and after everyone gets their happy ends… mine included.

But no.

Apparently adding more unexpected problems to the pile is just something I’m naturally good at.

I turned to Liyana beside me, narrowing my eyes slightly.

Did she know?

Did she know they were here from the start?

“Darling~ Let’s go back inside,”

“Hm?”

“It’s getting a bit cold, don’t you think? And I wanna greet Mom too, hehe~”

“…Alright.”

Now it made sense.

Back during our walk, she’d suddenly stopped. Just mid-step, for no real reason.

Normally, she’d be dragging me around in the snow, making me chase her until her heart was content.

At least an hour of playing in the cold before she even thought about going back inside.

But today?

Barely ten minutes in, and she just turned her head toward the house… and stared.

With her draconic senses, of course she noticed.

Even if didn’t have the ability to see them through the walls, she could feel their presence.

Their mana, their emotions, the tension hanging in the air like frost.

And she brought me right back into it.

She’d already given me her word that she’d accept the other girls as my lovers. I trusted her on that… somewhat…

But still, it was Liyana.

And when it came to her, there was always that small knot of doubt buried somewhere inside me—just enough to keep me on edge.

I glanced at her again, quietly.

[Skill: True Sight]

[Activated.]

Just in case.

No anomalies yet.

Her mana was steady, her presence calm—at least on the surface.

But if there were even a hint of aggression… if any chaotic energy started leaking out, I’d need to activate my blessings immediately.

Just in case.

Better to be cautious than vaporized.

I sighed inwardly, breathing slow to steady myself.

The tension in the room was thick enough to choke on, and clearly, no one here had any intention of breaking it—besides the overly enthusiastic Liyana who, as always, acted like the world revolved around her current mood.

Guess I should be the one to take the lead then.

If I didn’t, this awkward silence might just kill me faster than any divine punishment.

“I don’t know why you girls are suddenly here,” I started, keeping my voice as neutral as possible, “but I guess that can be asked later. You’ve probably already introduced yourselves to my mother… so for now, let me at least do this properly.”

I turned slightly to my left, gesturing beside me.

“Girls, this is Liyana Heavens. Daughter of Grand Duke Luther Heavens… and my fiancée.”

Smooth. Straightforward. Nothing to misinterpret, right?

“Fufu~ Hello, everyone,” Liyana chimed in with a bright smile that could kill a saint. “As Darling already mentioned, I’m his beloved fiancée. Nice to meet you all~ I’ve heard so many adorable and heartwarming stories about you girls from him~ Hehe~”

She gave a playful little tilt of her head as if this wasn’t a landmine of a situation.

Silence.

The other girls didn’t reply right away. Instead, I noticed a subtle twitch in all three of their brows—perfect synchronization again.

They weren’t speaking, but their expressions said enough.

Before I could even try to defuse things, Liyana leaned in and wrapped herself around my arm, hugging it tightly.

I flinched as I suddenly felt the soft press of her chest against me, the warmth unmistakable—and the tension instantly skyrocketing.

Why is this woman doing this now?

I tried to subtly nudge her off me, a light shift of my shoulder, a tiny lean away—but all it did was make her grip tighten as if to say you’re not getting away from me that easily.

She snuggled closer, completely ignoring the growing storm across from us.

I could feel the eyes of the three girls sharpen like daggers, digging straight into my soul.

Their glares weren’t just cold anymore—they were frostbitten.

And somehow… it was all aimed at me.

Why me?

It’s not even my fault!

“Fufu, I see,”

Snow said, lips curling into her usual graceful smile as she kept her posture perfectly straight, hands folded on her lap like she was still in the royal court.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Miss Liyana. My name is Snow Luvenitia White Germonia Leven. I’m sure you’re already aware of my titles, so let’s skip the formalities for now, Cousin. Riley told me many wonderful things about you…”

Liyana’s eyes lit up, her tail—if she had one—would’ve been wagging. “Really? Darling did? What kind of things?”

“Like how lovely and charming you are.”

‘I’m pretty sure I never mentioned much about Liyana towards any of the girls though….’

“Oooh~ I see, I see~” she giggled, pressing a hand to her cheek. “I guess Darling was thinking about me a lot while he was at the academy, huh? That just makes me love him even more. Hehe~ Thank you for taking care of him all this time, Princess.”

Snow nodded politely. “Since we’re bound to become future spouses’ with Riley soon… please feel free to call me Snow.”

“Oh my, is that so? Then I’ll gladly do so—Snow it is,” Liyana responded with a bright, satisfied smile. “Though… since you’re still two years older than me, am I free to call you Sister Snow from now on?”

“…It’s fine,” Snow replied after a short pause, eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she weighed the implications. “Since we are technically cousins, it seems more appropriate for the situation as well.”

“Hehe~ Now that you mention it, we really are cousins, aren’t we?” Liyana chimed cheerfully, tapping her chin with a soft laugh. “We even look a bit alike, don’t you think? It’s a shame I couldn’t meet you more when we were younger. Who knew we’d end up falling for the same man? Fate is quite the trickster sometimes.”

“It quite is indeed…”

Snow murmured, her smile frozen in place—beautiful and composed, but with the faintest twitch in her eyebrow that only someone like me could probably catch.

She took a slow sip of tea from the cup in her hands, as if using it to hide any possible reaction.

Then, with the same bright, innocent energy, Liyana leaned in slightly, her eyes shimmering with curiosity and playful admiration.

“Now that I see you up close, it seems the rumors are true after all, Sister Snow. You really are the epitome of beauty. I’m a bit envious~”

Snow blinked once.

It was rare to see her visibly taken aback, but there it was—a slight pause, a flicker of hesitation. Compliments from strangers were expected.

From noblemen, routine.

But from Liyana, the girl currently latched to my side like she was glued there?

That probably threw her rhythm off.

“…Thank you,” Snow said eventually, her expression returning to its default grace.

A faint smile curved her lips, but it was hard to tell whether it was genuine appreciation or just polished court etiquette at work.

I, meanwhile, just sat there quietly watching this whole exchange with a mix of dread and morbid curiosity.

Liyana, still smiling and perfectly poised with her arm linked around mine, shifted her gaze toward the remaining two girls, clearly waiting for them to speak.

Sensing the cue, Rose finally put her teacup down and lifted her eyes with a calm, almost calculating glint.

“My name is Rose Brilliance, daughter of Duke Brilliance,” she said evenly. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Liyana.”

Her tone was polite, but there was a hint of weight behind her words—like every syllable was carefully measured, crafted.

“Riley told me you were his first love,” Rose continued, eyes slowly drifting up and down Liyana’s figure with subtle scrutiny. “So naturally, I was curious what kind of person you were.”

A pause.

“I’m glad to see you’re well within expectation.”

“Expectation…?” Liyana tilted her head, eyes narrowing playfully as her voice trailed into a soft question, one brow arched with mock innocence.

“Yes,” Rose replied, simply and curtly.

No elaboration. No clarification. Just that.

She then calmly brought her teacup to her lips and took another measured sip—elegant, quiet, and distant, as if that was the end of her involvement in this conversation.

The atmosphere that had been warming ever so slightly now cooled by a few degrees, the awkward silence hanging briefly between us all.

“Haha… Please don’t mind Rose’s words,” Alice chimed in, letting out a slightly nervous laugh as she quickly tried to ease the tension. “She’s just… a little blunt, that’s all.”

Rose didn’t react, which meant Alice was probably right.

Alice then turned to Liyana and offered a bright, confident smile. “Anyway, let me introduce myself. My name is Alice Holloway. I may not come from a high-ranking noble family like the others here, but I’d say I’m fairly popular in my own right, wouldn’t you agree, Miss Liyana? Hehe~”

There was no false modesty in her tone—if anything, it was a playful jab, the kind that walked the line between casual banter and proud self-awareness.

Liyana chuckled, clearly enjoying the dynamic.

“Oh my, you’re probably the most popular one here outside of noble prestige, so Miss Alice. I’m fully aware of who you are,” she said with a smile that sparkled just enough to blur the line between compliment and mischief.

Alice’s eyes twitched at the phrasing, but she rolled with it.

“Is that so? Then you can call me big sis too, if you’d like, Liyana.”

“Then with pleasure,” Liyana beamed. “Can I also call you Sister, Miss Rose?”

Rose glanced up from her teacup briefly. “You can call me whatever you want,”

“Hehe~ Then it’s settled!”

Liyana clapped her hands softly, clearly delighted.

“I didn’t expect I’d suddenly gain so many big sisters all at once, I guess I’ll have to thank darling for that~ It’s quite a surreal… and fun feeling.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep