Chapter 04: Excuse for a Happy Marriage

I stepped inside and found him to be sitting at his desk. I glanced at the bed as I found the sheets to be slightly disheveled. He probably had dived into his bed right after the meeting just now, I remembered that was his go-to action when he said something embarrassing or was overwhelmed with the situation.

*Cough* Momonga-sama tried to attract my attention.

"S-so why did you come to find me?"

Ah, right he probably didn't want to be seen as a lazy boss or something. I looked at Naberal who was watching us from beside the door. Wonder when she had entered. Hm? Shouldn't I be more nervous? Maybe it was because I had planned this for quite some time now.

"I apologize for my impoliteness, but if you allow it, I would like to speak about this in private," I said after having eyed Naberal for a moment.

"... I see." He hesitated for a moment. Well, I thought he was hesitating. Of course, his pause could be just interpreted as a King being collected and calm, but I somehow had the feeling that he was nervous. I felt like I could see through his demeanor. It was strange...

Was it because I guessed the NPC's emotions even though their countenance didn't change an inch, not to mention the fact that I was disillusioned about what kind of person Momonga really was, or was it because of what Hermorah added to my settings? My perception of people's state of mind was said to be immaculate, after all.

"You heard him. Narberal, wait outside. W-we will call for you if we need something."

She seemed to be surprised by the turn of events and opened her mouth to speak as she looked between the both of us back and forth, "Bu- I… I understand."

She retreated right after she reluctantly agreed. After she stepped outside and closed the door, I turned my sight back on him and I could swear that I could hear him gulp, but that was probably just my imagination. He didn't have spit to swallow...

"I have come to ask you some questions about my marriage with Albedo."

Although he didn't show any external emotions that would indicate as much since he was a skeleton and hadn't moved, I still noticed how he nervously perked up at that.

"Your marriage...?"

Did he forget I was married to Albedo? No. Maybe he was just trying to remember what had led to it, or maybe he didn't know about my background story, on how I was supposed to hate Albedo?

He was there at my wedding and when many members of the guild had added something to my backstory, though, he hadn't taken part in changing me back then. He also hadn't read my backstory since then as far as I remember and Hermorah made a lot of changes afterward. Neither did he read Albedo's, as he had just skipped through it.

"I feel like there was something she didn't want to admit about our marriage. I know it might be a rude question, but could it be that Albedo wasn't the one that initiated arranging our marriage?"

"Hm?"

I didn't let up on that slight pause of his and continued in fear that he came to the wrong assumption like I wanted Albedo to be the one that had arranged the marriage.

"I had previously assumed that after falling for me, Albedo had done everything to have Tabula Smaragdina-sama arrange the marriage even though she knew I was into someone else."

Momonga-sama's red glowing eyes vanished as if he had closed his eyes. Was he reminiscing?

"I know that for some reason Hermorah-sama couldn't refuse and had reluctantly married me off. I wanted to ask you if I misunderstood something."

I didn't continue to speak as I waited for him to process my words. He was probably weighing whether he should tell me the truth.

"What made you question this now?" His voice reverberated through the quiet room. He stood up and turned his back to me. It might have looked profound and deep if he wasn't looking at a wall, but no one could tell me he couldn't sell it. How long has it been? Only a few hours! Momonga-sama, a natural actor! Sasuga!

"There were some things that didn't quite sit well with me. I had realized that she truly loved me and as smart as she is I couldn't help but doubt whether she was the one to force me into a marriage that would obviously make me displeased, especially since beforehand I was promised to marry whoever I wanted."

"... I see."

"I hadn't spoken up before since I didn't want to complain about the Supreme Beings especially not when they couldn't explain it to me personally, but after the transportation of Nazarick and the cut connection to Yggdrasil... I didn't want to have that question left unanswered and weighing on my mind while we face this unknown world."

He turned around after letting my words fade away. The room had returned silent for just a few more moments before he spoke again. "... Don't blame Albedo for it."

He continued without missing a beat as his red glowing eyes pierced into me. "She wasn't at fault here. There was a conflict between Tabula Smaragdina-san and Hermorah-san. That you two were dragged into this shouldn't have happened and although I know it isn't something I could do in their stead but -"

He then bowed to me, "- I apologize."

"Momonga-sama! What are you doing?! Please raise your head!" My panicked voice rang out, but he remained in a bowing position.

"I accept, so please raise your head!" I added quickly. Only then did he raise his head with a heavy sigh.

"What do you intend to do with that information?" He asked me as I slowly schooled my expression again.

"I- I don't know. I just know that I should make it up to Albedo... Hermorah-sama would have wanted that." I added as I seemingly looked into the distance.

Momonga-sama nodded at that and chuckled slightly. "Indeed, he would. I wish the best for the two of you."

"I- Thank you, Momonga-sama. This means a lot to me." I bowed my head.

"Umu. Before you leave, I wanted to ask you something. You are the Prince of Nazarick, right?"

Was that a genuine question? Did he forget that, or was he testing my awareness of my backstory? However, shouldn't that have been already confirmed with my questions about the marriage? Though he might have not known that, my marriage was written into my lore.

Perhaps he only knew for certain that I was the prince and that the other information about Albedo might be something that I had come up with on my own?

Barely a second passed while I was thinking about the possibilities of why he would want to know that and it surprised me how fast I was able to think. Considering that Momonga-sama didn't show any advancement to his mind in the anime or novel.

"As in, the next in line to become the leader of Nazarick?" I chuckled at that, which caused him to keep quiet.

"You must joke, Momonga-sama. On the off chance that you aren't ruling, the next ruler would obviously be your children."

"Ahh-" His jaw hung open for a moment before he continued, "Yes, of course, but in case something happened and you would have to take over in my stead, what would you do in our situation right now? Purely hypothetically, of course, I have my own designs." He added the last bit in a hurry.

I thought he wanted to give me the responsibility of ruling Nazarick, but at this stage, he might still be paranoid about the NPCs. It would be incredibly dumb to give me more power and potentially threaten him and his position.

It seemed like he just wanted my ideas and sell them as his own...

"Oh, I would probably be busy quelling the unrest and the void your disappearance would have caused among the Floor Guardians as I get them in line. Afterward, I would similarly hide the entrance of Nazarick and then send out a scouting group to search for you and the other Supreme Beings, while gathering enough information to devise further plans about the surrounding territories. A preemptive warning system around the tomb would also be the first among the things to do."

I was just saying stuff without actually how to implement them. As a project manager, I had long learned how to say stuff without knowing a damn thing!

"Umu. I see..."

"Fortunately, my ruling would never come to pass with you around. I feel immensely relieved at that. I would be severely underqualified to lead Nazarick to a future that would be anywhere near your vision or something the other Supreme Beings would be proud of."

He coughed again. "Ah, don't sell yourself short. I know you would do well."

"Thank you for your trust in me, Momonga-sama." I bowed deeply. After being told to rise again, I said my farewells. "I am sure you have a lot to plan for the future and I don't dare to disturb you any further."

Momonga-sama said nothing as his eyes seemed to extinguish. I used that moment to leave the room and close the door behind me.

Narberal was staring at me with an intensity that I hadn't experienced before. I nodded at her and walked away. I was just about to turn the corner before I finally heard her open the door of Momonga-sama's room again.

That went as well as it could have. I thought about what I said and didn't find too much fault with it. The question of what I would do in his stead was unexpected, but my response was pretty much a non-answer.

I just cemented the idea that I was loyal to him by saying that I would send a search party for him and his friends while otherwise trying to keep Nazarick safe.

Gathering information was a must in almost any situation, so there wasn't anything wrong with that, and probably the only thing one could do in our situation, anyway. Hopefully, he wouldn't ask for my opinion again in the future. I really don't want to be responsible for killing thousands of people...

After a few turns, I ended up inside the throne room again, where I could see Albedo standing in front of the throne with a hologram hovering in front of her. She noticed me and the smile she wore widened and extended to her eyes. After all this time being ignored and insulted, still in love with me...

"Everything alright?"

"Now it is." She said as she lost herself in observing my face. Ah, sweet, genuine too, which only makes it that sweeter and bitter, too, considering our current relationship.

"You have not forgotten our conversation, have you?" She tensed up ever so slightly before nodding solemnly. It honestly scared me how attentive I was. No motion of her escaped me and I was intoxicated with the feeling of being able to read someone this easily.

"Of course, darling. I would never forget something this important." She emphasized, meaning every word she said.

"Good. When can I expect you?"

"My tasks are almost complete. There are only the reports that I still have to review from the Floor Guardians, but since I had already confirmed the situation personally, the reports are just a formality. Of course, I also have to get Momonga-sama to look over them, but for that, I just have to hand them to him." She said dutifully.

This was probably the less work she would have for the foreseeable future and I could already see that the workload would only increase for me as well, but I hadn't spent the years without planning.

"Very well," I said before walking past her. I heard her hurriedly tapping away on the hologram and I couldn't help but remind her, "Haste makes waste. Don't make any careless mistakes."

"Yes." I heard her say, and the tapping reduced in intensity. I stepped into the hallway and found one of my two maids dusting off the paintings above the couch Fubuki sat on previously. I believe the maids were inspired by those androids from Nier Automata. At least their outfits and their appearance were similar to 2B's. This one was called Aneko while her little sister's name was Sueko.

Aneko had long, light blonde, almost white hair and light blue-grayish eyes. She was mainly supposed to be the bold one of the two, even if most of it was played up, while her little sister, Sueko, was rather reserved and loved to be in nature. Sueko had short hair and blue eyes. She was also the reason why I even realized that they looked similar to 2B.

It was a good thing that they were in my area. It had given me the opportunity to read their settings and add in my own changes to them. They would be incredibly useful in the future, especially since they were pretty tough, too.

I remembered that two Players were reusing their personal NPC levels to bump them up a bit. Instead of a high-level follower that would pick up their loot, they used them to deliver these precious maids to me. Honestly, I believed that my appearance and the beef between my creator and the other Players had reintroduced some excitement for quite some time.

After I had entered the room, I attracted her attention. She smiled before approaching me.

"My prince, you are back!" She sounded happy and not without reason. Like most of Nazarick's female population, she had a thing for me. At least I knew that about the NPCs that had visited the 10th floor.

"Do you want your dinner? Or your bath? ... Or Me?"

"..."

Her face turned red and was about to stammer a response before I interrupted her. "Maybe a dinner later." Her face lit up at that before she nodded seriously. I didn't know why. Didn't she want me to choose her?

"I will have you know that Albedo will come soon and we have something important to discuss, so unless Momonga-sama demands it or it involves the security of Nazarick, we ought to be left alone. Understood?"

She nodded again. "I will guard the entrance with my life!"

It's not that serious. Though I didn't say that out loud and risk being overheard by Albedo, which would probably hurt her feelings since it was important to her but not to me or some stupid misunderstanding like that.

"Oh, is your sister in the house?"

"Yes, Sue should be repairing the shooting range." Ah, right, that happened, sorry Sueko.

"Alright, inform her of this as well. Don't want her to accidentally barge in on us."

"Oh... I see. Of course, I will inform her immediately." With a nod, she then rushed towards the backyard to inform her sister. I went ahead and walked down the hallway past the couch with the painting until I reached the other end of the hallway. At the end was the entrance door to my forest, but the hallway in front of it expanded into a little waiting area to the right of the door. I sat on the couch there.

It only took a quick moment until she returned with Sueko in tow. She didn't wear her visor, but other than that, she looked almost identical to what I remembered from some pictures and videos I had seen about her...

She greeted me politely. I asked the two to prepare tea for Albedo and me. They moved quickly and prepared everything.

They even cleaned the table and the other chair in front of me in record time before placing the teacups and the teapot on the table. They quickly left for the throne room after having finished preparing.

I knew that after leaving, they would be on standby behind the throne to guard the secret entrance. Albedo should notice them by then, so she should be able to deduce that we would be the only ones left inside.

Well, I wasn't sure if Fubuki was somewhere in the Royal Backyard or somewhere else on the 10th floor, but besides her, the Royal Maids, Albedo, and I, no one else was allowed into the backyard without my explicit permission.

After sitting down, I didn't have to wait for long until she entered the hallway and then the little waiting area. She approached me rather quickly but still made it look elegant. She then stood next to the table and was about to speak, but I beat her to it.

"Please, take a seat."

"I-" She was about to reject, but after I stood up and pulled out the chair, she was swayed enough to just accept the seat. She gently sat down in her iconic long white dress and placed her hands in her lap. Her other darker dress had been her wedding dress. It was a shame I couldn't casually enjoy looking at that piece of clothing. Though I was sure she would wear it for my sake.

I sat down on the couch opposite of her and if my perception wasn't as sharp as it was now, I would have missed how nervous she was. She was anxiously afraid, but also happy. I couldn't see her hands as they were intertwined in her lap. She didn't reach for the tea lest I would see her trembling hands. At least that was what I could gather from her micro-expressions.

"There is nothing to be afraid of. Even after this conversation is over, there are only two results possible. Either our relationship will remain as it is or it will turn for the better for you, I promise you."

My words seemed to have eased her fear somewhat, which was understandable since the outcome of this conversation wasn't something unknown anymore, and that knowledge eased a lot of uncertainty.

But my announcement had also introduced a nervous determination in her. Maybe it was the prospect of something good for her, so she wanted to steer the conversation in that direction.

Of course, I could have come out of the gate and said that I had already talked to Momonga-sama, but I was curious about how she would explain the background knowledge. Did she only know what was written into her lore, or did she also consider the words that she must have picked up over the years?

"How long have we been married now?" Usually, a question asked by a clueless husband that disguised their ignorance with it. Clearly, this wasn't the case here, but what was the point of this question then? Why was it important to emphasize the time of our marriage?

These thoughts were probably running through her mind as she analyzed why I would ask this first, but the truth was that I just wanted to know what she believed. Of course, that was something I wouldn't tell her.

"It has been 5 years." She answered without delay and her response told me she took the time that had passed in real-time. I wonder what the answer of someone would be that had another date for our wedding written in their background.

I doubted that someone had written the exact time of our marriage in their lore, but maybe something like 10 years ago or something like that. What would happen when those people discussed it with Albedo? Would Albedo think that they were just straight out lying or too stupid to remember such an important date...? Probably...

"Do you still remember how it had come to our marriage 5 years ago?" I directly asked her about the core problem, the misunderstanding on which my resentment for her was built.

"I... I had asked Tabula Smaragdina-sama to arrange our marriage knowing that Hermorah-sama wouldn't be able to refuse..."

She looked down at the table with shame. I didn't have to see her eyes directly to know with what emotions they were filled.

"Are you going with that answer?" Her head shot up and her eyes widened as she looked at me in shock.

I calmly met her gaze as she tried to figure out what I knew. "Why do you lie to me?".

I asked her, genuinely curious about her thought process. There wasn't much logic in that approach, since she could ease my dislike for her by exposing what had actually happened. It wasn't like Tabula Smaragdina-sama had written into her setting that she must describe the marriage arrangement in a way that I would hate her, at least not that I knew.

"I- I didn't-"

"Seriously? Just tell me the truth... I will have you know that before this I had already spoken to Momonga-sama." Coming out with that tidbit of information already since I realized she would just deny it.

Now, her attempt at a denial didn't leave her mouth.

"Why?" I asked knowing fully aware that she knew what I wanted to know.

"… Like any other citizen of Nazarick, you had always admired the Supreme Beings, but you worked so much harder than any of us to earn their approval. I didn't want to destroy your image of them because of Tabula's goodwill."

I worked harder?

"Her goodwill?"

"Tabula-sama and I had visited you when you were sleeping and when I saw you with your eyes closed. At the sight of yours, I immediately crushed on you..." She smiled fondly as she recalled the memory.

"... When I saw you stand proudly in armor. When you led our forces against the invaders as the last line of defense..."

Didn't that happen while we were already married, or was she talking about something else?

"I knew I loved you with all my heart and I just couldn't get you out of my head. The way you moved, the way you talked. Just your existence fulfills me. I knew you would be the only one I could ever be with. It was at a moment when I didn't notice Tabula-sama standing behind me when I muttered I loved you. She took that and arranged the marriage for me despite what they had promised to you, while I remained silent-"

"Didn't you know I was already interested in Fubuki?"

"Thi- I- W-what? Most females in Nazarick are interested in you and since you are always... nice to everyone. I just thought she was another fling-"

Her hand covered her mouth as she looked at me in shock. Probably realizing that I had feelings for another and she destroyed my happiness by staying silent as her creator arranged the marriage.

The glistering in her eyes accumulated until she couldn't hold it back any longer as she broke down. Her tears flowed down her cheeks, staining her white glove. She realized how her tears continued to flow and desperately tried to wipe them away while her incredibly tough facade turned into a crying mess.

I couldn't suppress it any longer, so I stood up, knelt beside her, and pulled her into a hug. She hiccuped in shock and froze in place. It was only after I petted her hair a few times that she buried herself in my arms.

She continued to cry while apologizing to me and begging for my forgiveness. She didn't calm down even after a while. I whispered to her it was alright, that I understood it.

"Albedo, I forgive you. You don't have to apologize. It is me that should apologize!" I said, making her look up from my chest with a disbelieving expression on her face. Even though her face was stained with tears, it didn't make her any less beautiful.

"W-wha?"

"I unfairly treated you like a dick because you loved me." She was about to refute me having unfairly treated her, which was obviously stemming from the guilt that plagued her or that regardless of what I did, I could do her no harm. I let her go and took a step back before bowing deeply to her.

"I was so blinded by anger that I didn't realize this couldn't have been your idea. Since I wanted someone to blame, I didn't want to realize it and didn't look any deeper into it. I just assumed that you wanted me to yourself and didn't care about the relationships I had. However, if you never knew how I felt about Fubuki at that time and with Tabula-sama instigating our marriage. My anger was unnecessary, or rather misplaced.

Instead of working things out and handling the situation maturely, I threw a fit, but not when a Supreme Being would notice and might have done something to fix it, but behind closed doors to someone that didn't deserve it. For that, I apologize and I hope you can forgive me."

I said, without raising my head. I heard her stand up. She raised my head with her hand as she wiped the tears from her face with her other hand, with more success this time. A brilliant smile appeared on her face.

"Since we have both wronged the other, how about we wipe the board clean and forget our faults with each other?" I reluctantly nodded at her suggestion, having had a similar idea from the start, though there was one thing that I was concerned about, which was why I had to be careful in the wording.

"Albedo, even though I now know the truth and I know you deserve better than this, I might need some time. I had carried this anger for too long and it might take a while for me to adjust, but please, and I know I am being unreasonable, but please be patient with me."

I just couldn't suddenly love her. The 180 personality change, even with the truth out in the open, would take a while. Emotions weren't something that could be changed with a snap of a finger, especially if they had been cultivated for a long time. I knew that, and so would Albedo. She had to be suspicious if I suddenly told her I loved her. She might think I only said it because of my guilt.

As a response to my pleads, Albedo gently stroked my cheek with the back of her hand as she looked me in the eye with an understanding and relieved smile on her face. "I would wait all eternity for you."

I didn't expect her to be this cheesy, but she knew how to express herself. Damn. My heart skipped a beat and my face was probably flushed red right now.

"Thank you," I uttered as I stood up and let the silence reign in the room. She stared at me before closing in and wrapping her arms around my torso. I returned the hug, feeling her back.

Her breasts were pressing against my body and when I looked down, I saw how they were squished between us. Her wings were fluttering behind her and I could see her butt as she arced her back due to her upper body leaning against me.

I was really tempted to reach out and give her buttocks a squeeze, but I held back until I separated.

"How about a date?" She surprisingly asked me. I thought she would have gone directly to something sexually, but who knows maybe she would plan to end up in the bathtub together...

"I would love that," I answered, to which her eyes seemed to shine in anticipation.

"Let's do it as soon as possible."

"You steal my words out of my mouth." I smiled at her, which made her sigh dreamily as she looked at me. Her cheeks turned red and her eyes glazed over slightly. I snapped my fingers in front of her, breaking her out of her daydream.

She swallowed the saliva that accumulated in her mouth and uttered an apology. I chuckled slightly at her embarrassed self. "I really like that expression."

I said carelessly. Her face turned completely red and her breathing turned ragged as she continued to stare at me. I didn't think that she would have been this open, showing her expression like this if we hadn't had that talk...

"Alright, you should probably check how far the twin elves are progressing. I too have some things I need to check as well."

I still had some items to check which I changed the text flavor of. I just hoped that they worked as intended. It wouldn't be too much of a loss, but it would be a game-changer if they worked how I wanted them to. I just needed alone time and to be outside of Nazarick for the real good stuff and I would be good to go.

Reluctantly, she let go of me and then made herself presentable again. As she made her way out of the room towards the throne, I couldn't help but look at her curves swaying slightly before they suddenly gained an extra pep, as if she had sensed my gaze.