After deliberately dragging out the prep time, the lunch I had carefully crafted was finally ready. I set the trays down in front of the king and the others.
"Please, help yourselves."
"What dish is this?" the king asked, eyeing the bowl.
He really couldn't tell? It was clearly just a beef rice bowl—thin slices of beef I had gently massaged and seared to a perfect medium-rare, paired with stir-fried bok choy I painstakingly picked out, and half of a boiled egg I absolutely didn't spend time on. Simple. Efficient. Time-consuming only where I wanted it to be.
"It's just an ordinary beef bowl," I explained.
"Duke Somart, you and the two knights should eat as well."
I handed each of them a bowl. They accepted it like they were receiving a royal decree rather than lunch.
"Mr. Karen, may we really have some as well?" one of them asked cautiously.
"Of course. You all have to stay until evening, right? Not eating would be ridiculous."
Guests are guests. My conscience would never let me ignore them. Sword Saint Somat bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much! You two—thank him."
"Th-Thank you!" the two knights shouted in unison, brimming with energy.
"It's fine. Eat while it's hot," I said, waving a hand dismissively.
I went back to the sofa and ate while keeping an eye on Lani to make sure she didn't struggle. She had gotten so skilled lately—she could eat by herself now. Good girl.
"Mr. Karen, what is your relationship with Ms. Lina?"
It was the queen who addressed me this time. I looked up. Her tone sounded curious, but her face didn't show curiosity—it showed intention. The kind of intention that told me this question was merely the setup for something else.
"We grew up together," I answered casually.
"And you two aren't lovers? Then why do you live together?" she pressed.
The queen shot a brief look at the princess. I followed her gaze—Princess Sophia was sneaking glances at me, waiting for my answer.
Ah. So this is where this conversation is going.
I stared coldly at the queen. "What exactly are you trying to say?"
The queen was startled by my words. By then, I had more or less figured out why she came today—she wanted to pull me in with a royal marriage contract. The princess clearly wanted no part of it, but she didn't have the choose to refuse.
I glanced at the king. He quickly averted his eyes. So this wasn't his doing. The queen acted on her own.
Still unwilling to give up, she asked another question.
"My apologies, but… what do you think of polygamy?"
"Garbage," I answered instantly.
The moment the queen said that, I blurted my answer out. This question was even more outrageous—she actually wanted me to start a harem. And because of the princess's status, she'd have to become the primary wife, while Lina would be reduced to a concubine.
There's nothing I hate more than harems. I despise every man who builds one. And the reason… well, she was about to hear it.
"...May I ask why?" the queen said softly.
Time for my counterattack—politely packaged as a lesson. A lesson based on one thing: the mutual love between the king and queen, and the equality between men and women.
"Then let me ask you," I said. "Could you accept His Majesty having a second or third wife? With no political gain involved—just sharing your husband's affection for no reason at all?"
Among nobles, marriages were usually political tools, a matter of family benefit. Without that benefit, it was simply love. Purely personal. Purely emotional.
And that was exactly why her plan was nonsense.
Royal families rarely marry for love. Unless a partner brings political or economic benefits, romance is almost impossible.
"No."
The queen answered immediately. It seemed she truly loved the king. I shifted my gaze to His Majesty.
"Your Majesty, let's switch perspectives for a moment. Could you accept your wife having multiple husbands? And sharing her affection with all of them?"
"I would never allow that."
The king clearly loved the queen too. That made things much easier. I continued, speaking to both of them:
"Everyone wants to be the most special person in their partner's heart. Put yourself in the other person's shoes—who would ever want the one they love to divide that love among many instead of giving it all to them?"
Lina is the only one in my heart, and I want to be the only one in hers. If I started a harem, I would gain their love, but they would each receive only a fraction of mine. Even if I'm a man, women shouldn't be treated like that. It's simply unfair.
And if Lina started a harem and I only received a small portion of her affection, I would walk away. Don't tell me "if you love her, you should accept it"—only miserable people say that.
And don't say I don't love her. Love doesn't mean clinging even when you must abandon your own happiness. I would rather suffer a heartbreak and seek a new relationship—one where there is no room for anyone else on either side.
I continued questioning the king.
"Your Majesty, did you and Her Majesty fall in love before the marriage?"
"Yes."
Falling in love before marriage—can that still be called a political marriage? Sounds more like mutual desire to me. I asked the next question:
"Do you have a second wife?"
"No."
Excellent. If the king had a harem, I would be utterly disappointed—and might even have kicked him out of my house on the spot.
"Good. Your Majesty the Queen, if His Majesty needed to marry a second wife for the sake of national interest—and even produce heirs—how would you feel personally? Not as a queen, but as yourself."
I wanted her real feelings. Royals must always prioritize the nation, so the queen is forced to hide her true heart behind duty.
"I wouldn't be happy."
Good. Love is selfish. It cannot be shared. Sharing only brings pain.
"Your Majesty," I pressed on, "if the second wife fell in love with you and actively pursued you… would you give her your affection?"
The king hesitated before answering.
"…Probably, I will."
What a scumbag. Seriously—does he even love his queen? If it were me, I would refuse a second wife outright and think of a better solution for the nation.
But I had to know why he thought that way.
"Why?"
He placed both hands firmly on his thighs and declared:
"Because I'm a man."
Hearing that, I truly wanted to slap him and give him a lecture worthy of a sage. But I forced myself to breathe deeply, calm down, and shake my head.
"Your Majesty, I'm disappointed in your answer. That's exactly what men say when they cheat and can't resist temptation."
"W–What!?"
The king looked shocked. The queen turned to him, equally angry.
"Edward, I'm disappointed in you as well."
"Leanna!?"
Of course he'd be shocked a second time. Then I pressed further:
"Your Majesty, suppose someone actively pursued the queen. And if Her Majesty told you, 'I'm a woman, so it's fine'—how would you feel?"
The king slammed his fist onto the table. I winced internally for the poor table. Then he spoke, deeply furious:
"I would tear them to pieces."
"Exactly. You'd be angry, right? Now put yourself in each other's shoes—men and women are the same. No one wants their partner to cheat. Love is not a one-sided thing. It's something shared between two people. Do you both understand?"
I spoke passionately, maybe a little too fast, and ended the discussion with a question.
"I understand," the king said.
"I understand," the queen echoed.
"Good. Let's continue eating."
Honestly, I wanted to tell them that if they truly understood, they should abolish the entire polygamy system in the country. But that wasn't possible. Polygamy had its political advantages, after all.