The wedding was over. Around me stood Claus and all my most important retainers, showering me with congratulations. It had to be hard to be a mere employee. Not only did they have to attend my wedding, they had to praise me obsequiously the whole time. I understood how they must feel, but I liked the attention, so I accepted it without comment.
“Lord Liam, allow me to extend heartfelt congratulations from all your retainers.”
It was Claus who’d spoken up as their representative. By now, I’d heard the words dozens of times. If you counted letters, texts, and messages, I’d probably received millions of congratulations. I had to look at multiple messages at once to check them all, which was exhausting in and of itself.
“It’s just a wedding,” I grumbled. Loosening my collar, I leaned back haughtily in my chair and brought up the future to Claus and my other underlings. “We won’t be able to hold many more lavish ceremonies in the future.”
I’d decided to hold the minimum necessary ceremonies from now on in order to invest our finances in the domain as much as possible.
Tia stepped forward. “I have a suggestion for you on that subject, Lord Liam. If you plan to live frugally in order to further your grand plans, I believe it would be prudent for your retainers to do so as well. I could not allow you to be the only one suffering for your great work.”
“Huh?” My mood worsened instantly.
Marie stepped forward next, apparently thinking that Tia had offended me. “House Banfield treats its knights better than any other, but doing so strains its finances. We should review our—”
Everyone living frugally as a team? What a moving image—not. I didn’t trust others enough to find such a stupid suggestion touching. “No need for that. I have no intention of changing the way I do things. I want to be sure I retain the talented individuals I currently employ.”
“B-but…” Tia started to argue, so I corrected her misunderstanding.
“All I expect of you is the work that I pay you for. No more and no less.”
I didn’t have faith in people. Did Tia and Marie believe that others would put in the same effort for lower pay because they were willing to? That was the kind of thing employers wanted to believe. Talented people went where their talents were appreciated, though. If I started paying people less, I’d only end up employing the talentless. I didn’t believe in anything as unrealistic as loyalty.
Tia and Marie began to pout, so Claus tried to improve my mood instead.
“Well, we can discuss such matters at a later date. Don’t you think it’s about time for you to go see Lady Rosetta, Lord Liam? You’ve kept her waiting for a while already.”
“Huh?”
“Lady Rosetta is waiting for you, so you should return to your room, don’t you think?”
When Claus told me I should leave, I straightened up. “No, I think there’s still more to discuss. Come on—I’ll listen to whatever you want to say.”
As I postured as the considerate boss who would lend an ear to his employees, Kukuri bowed his head deeply to me.
“It will be your first night together, and a very important moment for the family. Please, pay us no mind—spend the night with Mistress Rosetta. Do not worry; we will ensure your safety during the act.”
“That’d be peeping, you creep!” I yelled at Kukuri.
Tia gave me an impudent look as if she saw right through me. “Are you nervous…? If so, I won’t mind serving as your practice partner, Lord Liam!”
After that ludicrous offer, I shoved Tia away, but Marie raised her hand next. “Stay out of this, ground meat! Please practice with me, Lord Liam. My body is pure, so you won’t need to worry about catching any strange diseases.”
Tia leaped up, shouting, “What’s that supposed to mean, huh?!”
“Why, exactly what it sounded like. You were captured by space pirates and subjected to all manner of things, were you not? Poor thing.” Marie wore a poorly concealed smile when she said the last two words.
“I was experimented on, but I’m inexperienced!” Tia barked.
As she and Marie started scuffling, I watched coldly. “If you’re inexperienced, you wouldn’t be a good practice partner, would you?” I heard Claus mutter.
True. But the two women continued fighting and yelling about how little experience they both had—it was truly a stupid sight. “Will you two shut up?”
As they deflated, Claus gave me some advice. “Lady Rosetta is nervous as well, Lord Liam.”
“I’m not nervous.”
“Then I would suggest that it is your duty to ease Lady Rosetta’s nerves, sir.”
“R-right… I guess so. I should get going, then.”
I stood up. As I left the room, the four of them all called after me.
“Lord Liam and Lady Rosetta will finally be together! What a wonderful night this will be! My men and I will pray for your success and celebrate your union!”
“Do your best, Lord Liam! I’ll pray for your success tonight as well!”
“Please leave your security to me. Do not worry; I will station only Kunai and other female operatives around your room.”
“This really is an important moment for the family.”
Are these guys actually making fun of me or what? “Just shut up!”
✦ ✦ ✦
I reached my bedroom and found Rosetta waiting there, a nervous expression on her face.
“Darling! Um…er… Well, what do you think?”
“R-right…” I blurted out.
Rosetta posed awkwardly atop my large bed in a provocative dress. Was it a negligee? The fabric was thin—I could see her underwear through it—so I had to question the purpose of such a garment. I didn’t know where she’d gotten the idea, but she was doing what I assumed was her attempt at a sexy pose in it; she looked too awkward, though.
I sat facing her on the bed, my back ramrod straight for some reason. What is going on? I wondered.
Regardless, I needed to explain a few things to Rosetta. “Rosetta.”
“Y-yes?”
“S-sorry, but we’ll have to be a little frugal from now on, for a few reasons.”
“Y-yes, I suppose so… Hmm?” Rosetta had tilted her head.
Not intending to listen to any protests, I went on. “I imagine you’ll have complaints, but this is something I’ve already decided on. Now that you’re married, you probably want to live lavishly, but that can’t happen.”
I planned to put everything I had into developing my domain so that I could go to war with the Empire. This wouldn’t be like the fooling around I’d done up until now. I was getting serious about my future at this point.
Rosetta thought for a moment, then nodded. “R-right. We can’t be too wasteful.”
“Exactly.”
It was good that she’d agreed so easily…but now we simply sat across from each other, staring, as the time passed.
Eventually, Rosetta couldn’t take any more. “Um, Darling?” she said. “Is that something we need to discuss further here?”
“No… It isn’t.” I didn’t have to think about that one very hard. It wasn’t a subject to talk over at the moment.
I didn’t know what she found so funny, but Rosetta giggled.
“Hey, what are you laughing about?!”
“It’s just funny that you’re nervous too, Darling.”
“I’m not nervous!”
“Y-you’re not? You’re used to this, then?”
Rosetta asked that with some shock, so I decided to tell her what was what. I wasn’t the kind of guy she thought I was! “Of course I am! I’ve had relations with all kinds of women… All kinds of…relations. H-huh…?”
“Darling?”
‘I’ve had relations with all kinds of women’? It had been a century since I’d reincarnated, but that was still only true of Amagi. I’d so often declared that I would gather a harem, but I hadn’t managed that at all. That fact hit me like a ton of bricks.
“What have I been doing for the last hundred years…?”
I was supposed to be an evil lord with a harem of women to serve me, but before I knew it, the only ones around me had been complete wastes of space. I’d had experience with two now—counting Rosetta!
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this…”
I curled up on the bed, crying at my own ineptitude.
“Oh, Darling, don’t cry! Come on. Let me comfort you.”
When Rosetta embraced me, I finally realized that one of the goals I’d held for such a long time had remained completely unfulfilled. I really needed to start acting like an evil lord from now on, I decided. Even if I had to live frugally, I couldn’t forget my original goal.
For now, I figured I’d have to start with Rosetta.
“Enough! Rosetta, we’re having sex!”
“Right…”
Rosetta smiled happily, her cheeks flushed…and I had to admit, she did look pretty cute.