Case 38: To handle the aftermath of the situation.

''Whew...''

I let out a sigh of relief, gazing at the passing scene outside the car's window.

I was now on my way back to my home after spending the night at Rachael's place. She had a different palace of her own, but she preferred to stay in the imperial palace for work-related reasons. Well, that place would soon be hers entirely anyway.

Nevertheless, after experiencing my first night... I was ecstatic, of course. Perhaps a bit eased. Fortunately, I didn't cave in and lose my control during those euphoric moments; else it would have been a disaster.

Even now, as I was on my way back home, a smile would come out whenever my body recalled Rachael's touches.

Feeling the two little teeth holes on my neck also gave me immense joy. It was the proof of our connection, after all. I refused treatment of the 'wound' partially because I wanted to remember it. Besides, it was enough to cover them with my choker.

As for the hickeys and bite marks... I told Rachael I had a cosmetic powder that could take care of them, but Lucy could handle them for me regardless.

So, it was all good.

What else... oh, about us not using contraceptives. A convenient feature of Cecilia's body was that she wouldn't get pregnant no matter how much she did it and no matter how many people she did it with—if she didn't want a kid, nothing would happen.

I had feigned that it was my safe day, but I would have to bring condoms the next time to avoid suspicion.

The real worries were, of course, the other two's reaction to this rendezvous. Not Penelope and Kiara, but Penelope and Lyra. I knew Kiara would be fine with this, but those two with abyss-like eyes...

Ah, well. I told Lyra beforehand that I would probably not come back yesterday, so it'd be fine.

''...Big sis?''

Correction: it was not fine.

For whatever reason, when I got out of the car, a very ominous Lyra was already waiting outside. Of course, her face didn't have an ounce of what was called 'emotions,' yet that was precisely the reason it was so scary.

The incredible thing was that despite all of the muscles on her cute little face being relaxed, her intent was thoroughly expressed through the lack of life in her eyes.

I felt like I was gazing into the abyss when she looked up at me.

I couldn't help but also notice her pet dragon... which was being crushed in her arms right now. That gagged expression of Amethyst was definitely not normal.

''Big sis, answer me.''

''Y-Yes?!''

Oh, god, her chilly voice startled me again...

''Why didn't you come home yesterday?''

''Um... I said I was going to the imperial palace to meet Her Highness, remember? Our meeting extended all the way into the night, so I decided to sleep over—''

''You said you would try to come back. I waited for a long time.''

''I... look, it was really late, and... okay, no.''

Yeah, what was I thinking, casually throwing out such promises? It was clearly an oversight on my side. I thought Lyra would understand and expect me not to come back at all, but then again, she wasn't a typical child.

So, I cautiously approached the little heroine and took her into my arms, ''I'm sorry for making you wait, Lyra. I'll try to keep my promise next time.''

''...Really?''

''Yeah.''

''...''

Without saying a word, Lyra looked up at me for a moment. Perhaps seeing the sincereness in my expression, she subtly softened her own expression and buried her face into my chest.

[Kugeh...! I'm suffocating...!]

''Ah, look, your soul guardian is...''

''Amethyst. You're in the way.''

''...?!''

[Eugh...!]

N-No, why did you throw the dragon away like that...?!

When I inevitably turned my gaze from the quivering Amethyst on the ground to my little sister, my body froze. There Lyra was, smiling ever so faintly, yet inexplicably, I felt as though her weight was pressing me down, and her arms wrapped around my waist would be the chains binding my limbs.

''Big sis, let's go inside. It's cold here.''

''O-Okay...''

I must be imagining things, right...?

Yeah, I must have. The lovable heroine wouldn't act like this.

...Maybe.

''Phew...''

That was somehow nerve-wracking.

Seriously, what kind of insane jealousy did this little girl have?

Either way, I was finally able to shake Lyra off after cuddling her for a good while. Well, it was mainly because she had a lesson that we separated, but I digress.

As soon as I came back to my room, I flopped down on my bed.

My eyelids were heavy.

It wasn't that I was exhausted physically. This body was made to handle much more than ordinary sex, so that wasn't the case.

Wait, no, that might not be true.

While I wasn't experiencing muscle pain or anything of the sort, it was definitely harder to move than usual—like moving underwater. Fundamentally, it was the lack of energy that killed my body's vibrancy.

Besides, I only slept for a few hours in Rachael's bed, so I was ready to drift into the dreamland again.

ding—!

''Hm?''

Although fatigued, I still crawled my hand into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Unsurprisingly, it was Rachael—the lover herself—who sent a text to me.

[Did you arrive at home?]

Giggling, I quickly typed a 'Yes' back.

[I see. Take care of your body. I don't want to see my girlfriend being sick all year long.]

''Girl... girlfriend... heheheh...''

[Also, I'll visit you next time. I want to do it inside your room.]

''...gulp—!''

Okay, let's send a hesitant 'Yes'... no, let's send an emoji. Which one should I choose...

Somehow, as I started to exchange messages with Rachael, all that fatigue I felt earlier went away. Even though most of our conversation was nothing more than fluff, it was rewarding just thinking about how the princess spared her precious time to do this with me.

Especially when, just like how it would unfold on Earth, the texting prolonged for a significant period.

We ran through a variety of topics, this time more intimate than ever before. I thought we had crossed a certain barrier since we slept together, and I could really feel it now.

''Huhuh... heheheh...''

[By the way, I'm working on our engagement.]

''Wait, what?''

I stopped giggling like an idiot immediately and sprung up. I knew Rachael was head over heels with me, but to think that she would want to engage right after the first night... wasn't it too fast?

No good. For the sake of my harem, I must convince her to stay put for now.

[Your Highness, I want us to remain lovers for a while. I'm afraid to say this, but sealing an engagement with me at this point would only harm you. Why don't we wait for a bit more?]

[So you can sleep around with other women, is it?]

C-Crap. How did she know...?

[It's not like that, Your Highness. Look, I won't go anywhere, so let's not be too impatient...]

[You sound flustered. It must be true.]

[Who would I even do that with—]

[Penelope de Bourbon. That stupid snake. Did you expect I wouldn't know?]

[...]

She really knew, huh.

Seriously, though, I didn't want to engage with any of them. Brutally speaking, I probably wouldn't be able to live until our marriage seven or eight years into the future at this rate, so binding them down while giving them a false sense of hope like that... it wouldn't be right. Even if we married earlier, I wasn't sure if I could be there for the child.

I had confidently decided that I wanted to date all three love interests, yet I would have to convince them to leave me later.

''Hah...''

What a garbage reincarnation this was.