Juno hurriedly shook her head. “I didn’t go inside because I wanted to! By the time I realized he had ties to the castle, Souma’s scary bodyguards had already surrounded me. And when I tried to run, they practically dragged me straight to him.”
“If we’d let you roam free, there was a good chance someone would have cut you down as a suspicious intruder. Taking you in was for your own safety. After that, we started holding what we called late-night tea parties, and little by little I told her about the castle,” I explained with a sigh.
“Hmm?” Julia tilted her head with a mischievous smile. “You’re so bold, Juno. Sneaking off to see the king for secret midnight trysts.”
“You’re making it sound bad! Most of the time the other queens were there too!”
“His queens approved of it? If you planned things that carefully, it’s almost more off-putting.”
“Why?!”
Juno’s cheeks burned red as Julia teased her. I figured butting in would only make things worse, so I stayed quiet and watched with a wry smile.
“I get it now,” Dece said with a satisfied nod. “That explains how Juno got us all those government jobs, like advertising the Ghost Festival, and acting as the advance party in the new world. Those came from you, Little Musashibo...no, I mean, Your Majesty.”
“Yeah. After she learned who I was, I had Juno handle the job requests. Oh, and feel free to call me Souma, or Mister Musashibo, or whatever you like.”
“Oh, yeah? Souma it is, then. But tell me, are you planning to bring Juno to the castle as one of your queens? Honestly, I can’t imagine her fitting in with castle life...”
Julia, Febral, and Augus all nodded in agreement.
“What do you mean by that?!” Juno protested. But it was clear they spoke out of concern as her companions, not out of fear she’d get caught up in palace intrigue. They were worried she wouldn’t be able to live true to herself.
Everyone knew Juno’s free-spirited nature was part of her charm. Life within the strict walls of the castle might smother that, and I understood their concern.
“Have no worry on that account. By Juno’s own request, I won’t make her a queen even after we marry. She’ll live in the castle town, and I’ll visit her regularly. I’ll see to it her daily life isn’t disrupted, and I’ll respect her wish to keep working at the Adventurers’ Guild.”
“Ohh, you’ve actually thought this through,” Dece said.
“I should add, Liscia and my other queens fully support the arrangement. In fact, it was mostly decided between them and Juno. I had little say in the matter.”
“Wait, why are you, the husband, being left out?!”
“Dece...” I rested a hand on his shoulder, probably with a rather benevolent look on my face. “Since you’re about to be married, let me give you a word of advice from someone who already is.”
“Wh-What is it?”
“When wives and their community stand united, a husband doesn’t stand a chance.”
“Huh...”
“We live in a society of good wives and wise mothers. They love their families and go out of their way to make their husbands look good in public. But their bonds with one another are strong. If you take your wife for granted and neglect her, the other wives will tear into you without mercy. That’s the end of you as a man.”
My words, born of experience, made Dece gulp. “I-Is that really...how it works?”
“Yeah. Think of it this way—if I neglected Juno, Liscia and the others would pillory me, and the children would look down on me too. They’re all active in different fields, so even being ignored by them could throw our internal affairs into chaos.”
“That’s a national crisis! Is this really how things go for the king they call a sex fiend?!”
“Well, our family’s a bit of a special case, but plenty of other families I know are much the same. Like the man they call the Red Oni, who never dares defy his childhood friend, or the fellow who remarried—or, well, can I even call it remarriage? The black tiger mask guy who married into the family of a widow.”
“So... You’re saying it could be the same with Julia?”
Dece glanced nervously at his bride-to-be. Julia simply smiled back at him. She was a gentle, easygoing beauty, but...something about that smile gave me Juna vibes.
“I think she’s got the potential...”
“Seriously?”
“But it’s true they do love their husbands deeply. If you accept that, respect it, and let her roll you around in the palm of her hand, you can build a happy household. I guarantee it.”
“R-Right. So that’s how it is...huh?”
I gave him a firm slap on the back, and Dece nodded, though a bit stiffly.
In the Kingdom, as long as a man cared for his wife, she would care for him. He’d be fine as long as he never forgot that. Still, the unwed Febral and Augus looked a little put off by hearing it, so I cleared my throat and changed the subject.
“Anyway, we’ve adventured together before—even if it was just me controlling a kigurumi suit—so if any of you ever need something, just say the word. I can’t act too openly, but I can at least line up jobs for you.”
“Oh! In that case, I do have a request...” Febral said, raising his hand hesitantly.
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Your Majesty... Sir Souma...you have Sir Ichiha, the leading authority on monsterology, as one of your vassals, don’t you?”
“Ichiha? He’s my little sister’s spouse, so he’s family now. But why do you ask?”
“Please! Please let me meet him! And if possible, allow me to become his disciple!”
“R-Right...” Now it was my turn to recoil at someone’s intensity.
Come to think of it, Juno had mentioned that Febral had been deeply moved by Ichiha and Hakuya’s illustrated encyclopedia of monsters, and revered Ichiha like a god. Clearly, that passion hadn’t cooled.
“A-All right. I’ll arrange a meeting for you later.”
“Thank you!”
While I was still overwhelmed by Febral’s intensity, Julia sidled up beside Juno, who was watching with an exasperated expression, and whispered in her ear. “Hee hee. You really landed yourself a good husband.”
“Julia?! W-Well, yeah...”
“I wish you happiness, Juno.”
“Y-Yeah. Thanks, Julia.”
Later, when Juno told me about their little exchange, I couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.