"It is my duty," she declared loudly, "to provide the great warrior—Mason—and hero—Emilia—with the best possible support."
But then her voice lowered, her gaze dragging over me shamelessly. Her lips parted just slightly, a thin string of drool nearly visible as she smiled.
"And I believe," she said with heat in her tone, "that I should personally accommodate Mason… in my chambers, and relieve his stress."
The courtyard went dead silent. Three women froze. My brain short-circuited.
Great. Just great.
I looked straight at the Princess. Her eyes were glowing with that smug confidence only royalty could pull off.
"You're a great and beautiful woman," I admitted honestly, scratching my cheek. "If I stayed with you… I might lose control."
For a second, silence. Then she leaned forward, smiling like a cat playing with its prey. "You are welcome to lose control, Mason."
everyone: "…"
"Did she just say that out loud?"
Her cheeks reddened a fraction, then she straightened her posture, clearing her throat. "What I mean is—" she coughed, "as a great nobleman with so many achievements, I trust you fully. You've done so much for this kingdom already…"
Her lips curved again, softer this time. "…And if you wished, I wouldn't mind seeing you as king one day."
My heart skipped. Not out of joy, but out of pure panic.
Because behind me, three killing intents rose like volcanoes.
Sarah's hand tightened around my sleeve, Emilia's eyes burned with fury, and Luna's blade rang out of its sheath.
Why? Because the only way a non-royal could ever be king… was by marrying the Princess.
And suddenly, the courtyard exploded again, spells flying, swords clashing, voices overlapping in shouts and accusations.
"Don't joke with something like that!" Emilia snapped.
"Over my dead body!" Luna snarled.
"You already have me, Father! Why do you need anyone else!" Sarah shouted, eyes trembling with something far more dangerous than tears.
Before I could even scream for peace, a familiar voice cut through the chaos.
"You are all stressing Mason."
Everyone froze. Marianne had arrived, robes fluttering, her staff glowing faintly as if daring anyone to argue.
She looked at the four of them like they were children squabbling over candy. "The Frost King Gate expedition is near. He will come with me."
That didn't exactly calm things down; it just made the four of them redirect their glares at her.
Feeling my sanity slipping, I raised both hands. "You know what? Forget this. I'll just sleep with a friend tonight."
The silence that followed was worse than the shouting.
"…What friend?" Emilia asked coldly.
"…Which woman?" Sarah whispered dangerously.
"…Name her," Luna growled.
"I-I mean a male friend!" I blurted out. "Male. Manly man. Beard. Muscles. Definitely not a woman!"
Their glares softened… only slightly.
"…Alright," Luna muttered.
"…But we're still tending to you," Emilia insisted.
"…Every night," Sarah added, eyes glinting.
I sighed. Wonderful.
We headed to the carriage, but then came another problem. The damn thing only fit four.
The Princess crossed her arms. "It is my carriage. Naturally, I will ride inside."
Luna scoffed, pointing at her insignia. "As Captain of the Royal Knights, I am more obliged to offer protection. And let's not forget, this carriage was paid for by the people's taxes, not your personal treasury, Princess."
The Princess's eyes widened at the insult. Sarah and Emilia were seconds away from jumping in too.
Before it turned into another war, I stepped forward stiffly. "I'll walk. It's nearby anyway."
That shut them up. For now.
So there I was, walking through the streets, my posture stiff as a board, while all of them clung to me like iron chains. One arm seized by Emilia, the other trapped by Luna, Sarah latched onto my waist, and the Princess strolling at my side with a triumphant smirk.
The people passing by whispered and pointed, their voices carrying.
"Look, it's Lord Mason!"
"Truly wonderful—the Mason household is reviving again!"
"With so many noble women by his side…"
"Amazing…"
I smiled on the outside, but inside I was screaming.
Because if this was revival, then I was already dying.
Walking stiffly with all of them glued to me, I kept my noble smile for the crowd, but inside my head… I knew I couldn't let myself fall. Not now.
I couldn't let myself feel at ease just because women were fighting over me or because people said my household was reviving. There were still too many obstacles ahead. And this time, it wasn't just about me anymore—I had people I needed to protect.
Loved people.
Which means I must get all the power I can lay my hands on.
The first one on my list? The Grail of the Frost King.
That legendary artifact wasn't called legendary for nothing. Supposedly, it grants the body full immunity to every type of status—poison, burn, petrify, curse, frostbite—you name it. Basically, permanent "no debuff mode." But of course, there's a catch.
The "catch" being hundred-meter-tall frost giant guardians. Plural. Thousands of them, circling the Frost King's castle like it was some kind of amusement park ride from hell. And the castle itself? About as big as a small nation, stuffed with traps, puzzles, mechanics, and every cheap trick in the book.
Thank God I had cleared this game before coming here. If I didn't remember all the key points, I probably would've killed myself just from the sheer difficulty spike.
But that leaves me with a choice.
Should I take them with me… or not?
Luna and Emilia, no problem—they're both strong. One is literally a hero, the other is the Captain of the Royal Knights. They could hold their own.
But Sarah… that's a problem. I can't just leave her behind. She'd only follow me anyway, and probably straight into danger.
And Marianne? Yeah, there's no stopping her. She'd tag along whether I said yes or no. Probably even tease me while doing it. "Oh Mason, if you can't stop me, how do you expect to stop the Frost King?" Something like that.
Wait.
I feel like I'm forgetting something.
…Right. Emilia. And that demon general.
"Emilia," I asked slowly, "did you… actually kill her?"
Emilia's lips curved into that sweet, too-sweet smile of hers. "Oh, dear. That vixen. The moment she dared to say their demon race was interested in the human who is Lord of Bijun City…"
Her eyes glittered as she made a slicing gesture with her hand. "Her head left her body. It was a wonderful sight. I only wish you had been there to see it."
I froze.
Yeah. Maybe confirming our relationship this fast was a bad move. Because if she ever decided to tell others about me… or even worse, show this side of herself in public…
Well. I can't say for sure what would happen. But it wouldn't be good.
And here I thought yandere tendencies were just Sarah's problem.