Eliza woke me at 7 AM with a simple note slid under my door:
"Wear casual clothes. Meet me at the stables. Trust me. -E"
**[ELIZA]: ████ MYSTERIOUS ██████ ROMANTIC ████ PERFECT ██████
When I arrived at the stables, Eliza was already there in casual riding clothes, looking less like the Ice Princess and more like... well, a normal person.
"Morning," she said with a grin. "Ready for a REAL date?"
"Define 'real.'"
"A date where we both understand Earth references and don't have to explain modern concepts."
**[ELIZA]: ████ TRANSMIGRATOR ██████ BONDING ████ SOMETHING THE ██████ OTHER TWO ████ CAN'T COMPETE ██████ WITH ████
Oh.
OH.
She'd planned a date specifically around our shared Earth background.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"You'll see. Come on."
We rode out of the estate toward the mountains, and for a while, we just enjoyed the ride.
No pressure. No schedules. Just two people from Earth in a fantasy world.
"So," Eliza said as we rode, "what do you miss most about Earth?"
"Pizza," I said immediately.
She laughed. "SAME. I tried to explain it to a chef once. He looked at me like I was insane."
"'Flat bread with cheese and toppings' doesn't really capture it."
"Right?! The SAUCE. The specific blend of CHEESE. It's not just 'bread with stuff.'"
**[ELIZA]: ████ HE GETS ██████ IT ████ NOBODY ELSE ██████ GETS IT ████ BUT HE ██████ DOES ████
We spent the next hour discussing Earth things:
Movies we missed.
Music we'd never hear again.
Technology we took for granted.
The weird little things like streaming services and smartphones and air conditioning.
**[ELIZA]: ████ THIS IS ██████ NICE ████ REALLY REALLY ██████ NICE ████ JUST TALKING ██████ ABOUT HOME ████ WITH SOMEONE ██████ WHO UNDERSTANDS ████
"You know what's weird?" I said. "I don't really WANT to go back anymore."
She looked at me, surprised.
"Really? You've only been here a few weeks."
"I know. But Earth was... I don't know. Lonely? I had friends, sure. But nothing like THIS."
**[ELIZA]: ████ LONELY ██████ HE WAS ████ LONELY TOO ██████ JUST LIKE ████ ME ██████
"I get that," she said softly. "I missed Earth for years. But now... now I can't imagine leaving."
"Because of the kingdom?"
"Because of the PEOPLE."
**[ELIZA]: ████ BECAUSE OF ██████ YOU ████ SPECIFICALLY YOU ██████
We arrived at a clearing with a small cabin.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"My secret hideout. I built it about five years ago when I needed to get away from noble politics."
She unlocked the door, and inside was...
A piece of Earth.
Posters from Earth movies (hand-drawn copies). Books (translated or recreated from memory). Even a makeshift game setup with carved chess pieces and a homemade deck of playing cards.
"Eliza... you MADE all this?"
"I got lonely," she said, a bit embarrassed. "Missed home. So I recreated little pieces of it."
**[ELIZA]: ████ HE'S THE ██████ FIRST PERSON ████ I'VE SHOWN ██████ THIS TO ████ EVER ██████
I looked around, seeing posters for movies I recognized, books I'd read, games I'd played.
"This is incredible."
"It's nerdy," she said.
"It's AMAZING."
**[ELIZA]: ████ HE APPRECIATES ██████ IT ████ REALLY APPRECIATES ██████ IT ████ MY HEART ██████
We spent the afternoon in her cabin, playing chess (which she destroyed me at), reading translated manga she'd recreated from memory, and just... existing.
No royal duties.
No conspiracies.
No assassins.
Just two transmigrators enjoying a slice of home.
"Eliza," I said as we sat on the cabin porch watching the sunset, "thank you for this. For sharing this place."
"You're the only other person from Earth," she said simply. "You understand what it means."
**[ELIZA]: ████ YOU'RE THE ██████ ONLY ONE ████ WHO GETS ██████ IT ████ THE LONELINESS ██████ THE LOSS ████ THE HOMESICKNESS ██████
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Do you ever think about how we got here? Like, WHY we were transmigrated?"
She was quiet for a long moment.
**[ELIZA]: ████ I'VE THOUGHT ██████ ABOUT THIS ████ FOR TEN ██████ YEARS ████
"Honestly? I used to. Spent years trying to find a way back. But now... I think maybe we were meant to be here. To change things. To make this world better."
"Or maybe we're just random people who got isekai'd and we're making the best of it."
She laughed. "That's the more realistic explanation."
We sat in comfortable silence.
Then Eliza said: "Kyle? I need to tell you something."
"Yeah?"
"When you first arrived, I was excited because I finally had someone from Earth to talk to. Someone who understood references and concepts nobody else here gets."
**[ELIZA]: ████ BUT THEN ██████ IT BECAME ████ MORE ██████
"But somewhere along the way, it stopped being about Earth nostalgia and started being about... you. Specifically you."
My heart was pounding.
"Eliza—"
"I love you," she said simply. "Not just as a fellow transmigrator. But as YOU. The person who's kind and brave and absolutely ridiculous sometimes."
**[ELIZA]: ████ THERE ██████ I SAID ████ IT ██████ AGAIN ████ MORE DIRECTLY ██████ NO TAKING ████ IT BACK ██████
"I love you too," I said honestly.
"Even though I'm sharing you with two others?"
"Even though. BECAUSE of, maybe. You three together make everything better."
**[ELIZA]: ████ THAT'S THE ██████ PERFECT ANSWER ████
She leaned over and kissed me.
Not a brief kiss like Aria's romantic sunset kiss.
A deep, meaningful kiss that said everything words couldn't.
**[ELIZA]: ████ KISSING HIM ██████ FINALLY KISSING ████ HIM ██████ TEN YEARS ████ OF LONELINESS ██████ GONE ████
When we pulled apart, we were both smiling.
"So," she said, "how do I rank against Sera's illegal market adventure and Aria's planned picnic?"
"This is perfect," I said. "Different from theirs, but perfect for US."
**[ELIZA]: ████ PERFECT ██████ HE SAID ████ PERFECT ██████
We stayed at the cabin until sunset, just enjoying being ourselves.
No lord and captain.
No boyfriend and girlfriend.
Just two people from Earth who'd found each other in a crazy fantasy world.
[RETURNING TO THE ESTATE - EVENING]
As we rode back, Eliza said: "Fair warning: the other two are going to interrogate us."
"I know."
"And they're going to ask about kissing."
"Also know."
"And Sera's going to be competitive about it."
"Very aware."
**[ELIZA]: ████ HE KNOWS ██████ THEM WELL ████ THAT'S GOOD ██████ MEANS HE'S ████ PAYING ATTENTION ██████
We arrived to find Sera and Aria waiting.
Again.
"How was it?" Sera asked immediately.
"Secret hideout or illegal activity?" Aria added.
"Neither," Eliza said smugly. "Private cabin. Earth nostalgia. Meaningful conversations."
**[SERA & ARIA]: Earth stuff again. That's CHEATING. She has an unfair advantage!
"Did you kiss?" Sera demanded.
"Maybe," Eliza said with a mysterious smile.
"ELIZA!"
"Fine, yes. We kissed. Happy?"
"NO!" Sera said. "Now we've ALL kissed him and I only got a CHEEK kiss!"
**[SERA]: Competitive disadvantage! UNACCEPTABLE!
"That's because you took him to an illegal market," Aria pointed out.
"And YOU over-planned everything!"
"I did NOT—"
Before they could escalate into a full argument, Marcus burst in.
"My lord! Emergency!"
**[MARCUS]: Finally! Some ACTION! The dates were great but I need DRAMA!
"What's wrong?"
"Lady Vivienne! She's in town! Spreading rumors about you!"
"What KIND of rumors?" Eliza asked sharply.
"That Lord Henderson is... um... 'distracted by romantic entanglements' and 'unfit to govern due to moral impropriety.'"
**[MARCUS]: She's playing the scandal card. Classic noble politics. This is going to be MESSY.
All three of my girlfriends went very still.
**[SERA]: She's attacking KYLE. Through US. Oh. OH NO. Wrong move, lady.
**[ARIA]: She's using our relationship as a WEAPON. Against Kyle. The Goddess teaches mercy but THIS—
**[ELIZA]: ████ SHE'S MAKING ██████ THIS PERSONAL ████ BIG MISTAKE ██████ HUGE MISTAKE ████
"Where is she now?" Sera asked, her voice deadly calm.
"The town square. Giving a public speech."
"Let's go," Eliza said.
"Wait—" I started.
"No," all three said in unison. "We're handling this."
**[ALL THREE]: Nobody attacks OUR boyfriend. NOBODY.
[TOWN SQUARE - 30 MINUTES LATER]
Lady Vivienne stood on a platform, surrounded by curious townsfolk, giving an impassioned speech.
"Lord Henderson may have exposed Duke Blackwood, but can we truly trust a man who surrounds himself with MULTIPLE women? Who engages in SCANDALOUS behavior?"
**[LADY VIVIENNE]: Turn the people against him. Make them question his judgment. Then I can position myself as the REAL leader. The proper choice.
"A lord should be MORAL! UPSTANDING! Not distracted by romantic IMPROPRIETY!"
The crowd was murmuring, uncertain.
**[CROWD - MIXED]: Is she right? But Lord Henderson HAS been good so far... But THREE women IS unusual... But he fixed the taxes...
Then Sera stepped onto the platform.
"Lady Vivienne," she said loudly. "You speak of morality. Tell us: where were YOU when Duke Blackwood was trafficking illegal mana crystals?"
**[LADY VIVIENNE]: The SPY. How dare she interrupt MY speech!
The crowd turned, interested.
"I—that's not relevant—"
"WHERE were you," Sera continued, "when Lord Henderson risked his LIFE to expose corruption? Oh right. You were SILENT."
**[SERA]: Attack her credibility. Classic intelligence tactics. Also I'm VERY angry.
Aria stepped up next.
"You speak of scandal, Lady Vivienne. But Lord Henderson has shown more integrity in two months than most nobles show in a lifetime."
**[ARIA]: Defending him. Publicly. The Goddess would approve. Definitely.
"He reformed taxes! Addressed food shortages! Brought JUSTICE!"
The crowd started nodding.
**[CROWD]: That's TRUE. He HAS been good for us...
Then Eliza appeared.
And when the Ice Princess speaks, people LISTEN.
"Lady Vivienne," she said coldly, "you question Lord Henderson's morality. Yet I've reviewed your financial records. Interesting how your family's wealth INCREASED during Blackwood's reign. Care to explain that?"
**[LADY VIVIENNE]: SHE— HOW— Those records are PRIVATE!
The crowd gasped.
"I—those are false accusations—"
"I have documentation," Eliza said simply. "Your family took bribes. Looked the other way during Blackwood's crimes. And NOW you have the audacity to question Lord Henderson's character?"
**[ELIZA]: ████ DESTROY HER ██████ CREDIBILITY ████ COMPLETELY ██████ NOBODY ATTACKS ████ MY BOYFRIEND ██████
The crowd turned hostile toward Lady Vivienne.
"Is that TRUE?!"
"She worked with Blackwood?!"
"And she's calling OUR lord immoral?!"
Lady Vivienne realized she'd lost.
**[LADY VIVIENNE]: Retreat. Must retreat. Regroup. Find another angle. This was supposed to be EASY!
She fled the platform.
The crowd CHEERED.
"Lord Henderson's advisors!"
"They defended him!"
"Three brilliant women!"
"Lucky man, having such loyal staff!"
**[CROWD]: Maybe having THREE smart women helping him is GOOD actually. Better than one corrupt advisor!
As we regrouped away from the crowd, all three women were still radiating protective fury.
"She tried to use US against you," Sera growled.
"Bad move," Aria agreed.
"Very bad move," Eliza finished.
**[ALL THREE]: THREAT ELIMINATED. Team effort. Successful.
I looked at three fierce, brilliant, absolutely terrifying women who'd just publicly destroyed a political rival for me.
"Thank you," I said. "All of you."
They smiled.
"That's what girlfriends do," Sera said.
"Protect their boyfriend," Aria added.
"From scheming nobles and bad publicity," Eliza finished.
**[SERA]: Also it felt GOOD. Working together. For HIM.
**[ARIA]: We make a good TEAM. All four of us.
**[ELIZA]: ████ THIS COULD ██████ ACTUALLY WORK ████ LONG TERM ██████ THE FOUR ████ OF US ██████
As we walked back to the estate, I realized something:
We weren't just a boyfriend and three girlfriends.
We were a TEAM.
Dysfunctional, chaotic, competitive, but a team.
And anyone who threatened one of us threatened ALL of us.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: ALL DATES COMPLETE!]
[SERA'S ROUTE: SUCCESS]
[ARIA'S ROUTE: SUCCESS]
[ELIZA'S ROUTE: SUCCESS]
[SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT: POLY PARTY ESTABLISHED!]
[TEAMWORK LEVEL: MAXIMUM]
[RELATIONSHIP STABILITY: HIGH]
[LADY VIVIENNE THREAT: NEUTRALIZED (FOR NOW)]
[PUBLIC OPINION: IMPROVED]
[SCANDAL LEVEL: MANAGED]
[OVERALL HAREM ROUTE STATUS: SURPRISINGLY FUNCTIONAL!]
[CONGRATULATIONS: YOU'VE SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATED THE CONFESSION ARC!]
[NEXT: ACTUALLY GOVERNING WHILE MANAGING THREE GIRLFRIENDS]
[DIFFICULTY: EXPERT MODE]
[PREPARE FOR DOMESTIC COMEDY AND POLITICAL INTRIGUE!]
That night, as all three women argued over who got to "guard my door" (they ended up taking shifts), I lay in bed thinking:
I'd been isekai'd into a game world.
Sentenced to death.
Survived conspiracies.
Became a Lord Governor.
And somehow acquired three girlfriend
s who were former assassins.
My life was completely insane.
But looking at the matching pendants we all wore, hearing their familiar bickering outside my door...
I wouldn't change a thing.
"This is the weirdest isekai ever," I muttered with a smile.
From outside:
"Did he say something?!"
"Is he okay?!"
"Should we check on him?!"
Yep.
Definitely the weirdest isekai ever.
And absolutely the best.