Pomegranate.

—

After a long heart-to-heart talk with Jaina, where she acknowledged that although Rita might not fully understand her feelings, it was still her duty to know her husband's first concubine's sorrow, their conversation eventually shifted back to how to manage all of Yoriichi's lovers.

"No, Rita. I think lover is different from concubine in his dictionary, right, my honeyed?"

Seeing him nod, she turned toward Rita and continued, "To him, a lover is just like a 'friends with benefits' situation. And just like in his previous world, once those women find someone else to love or even play with, Richard will cease physical contact with them and only treat them as normal, healthy friends with nothing else. As for concubines, I believe he expects a one-way commitment where we must be faithful for eternity. Unlike a lover, whom he can sever ties with and never engage with again if their ideals differ from his, we mistresses must wholeheartedly abide by his desires."

Finally understanding the nature of what her husband wanted in this mistresses-wife relationship—since he had never explicitly explained it and she only had an inkling of the situation—Margarita looked at Yoriichi, who was currently deep asleep, and asked, "Dear, if this is what you expect from your lovers, I think it might be too harsh to require them to become your concubines in the future. Although they might not be ready to fully commit their thoughts and desires at the beginning of the relationship, they might change their minds later and develop that conviction. Not everyone here has a history with you like Jaina does, dear."

After opening his eyes from deep sleep, he simply answered and went back to sleep again, "Leave everything to fate…"

Sighing and shaking her head in confusion, wondering who wanted a mistress in the first place, Margarita then asked Jaina, who was playing with her semibreve beside her, "Jaina, do you know what he meant?"

Freeing her kiwi from Rita's pomegranate, with strings of juicy, refreshing sweetness dripping down into the bed, she answered after a long time trying to decipher the meaning of her honeyed unspoken words.

"I think what he meant is that if they remain single or are not touched by anyone other than him, after many twists and turns in his experience with that designated lover, he might give them a chance to become his doll for the sake of memory. But if that lover is touched by someone else or still has the mindset of being just friends with benefits, then he will not entertain the idea with that woman at all."

Seeing her husband twitching his eyebrows at the mention of the word "doll"—since, at the end of the day, his-her concubines like Jaina are, in a sense, glorified playthings—Margarita just chuckled at Jaina's use of the word. Looking at her doll, who gazed at her innocently, Margarita then kissed her deeply, leaving both of them out of breath. After marking her plaything as her own forever, she summarized with a possible example: "So let me use his two ex-lovers as an example."

"First, let's say that if, in the future, Ciri and Lanfear still retain our dearest marks and don't taint them with anyone else, remaining faithful and desiring no one but him, and if, after all this time, they continue to keep him in their minds, then not only that, but if they also experience many different stories that bring them closer together—experiences that extend beyond just a single moment—and if, despite their actions being considered signs of deep love and affection, they still adopt the mindset of being a doll or servants to my husband and me, would Richard finally be willing to give them another chance? Is that correct?"

Nodding her head over the long, drawn-out example, which even when simplified, still retains its complexity, Jaina goes back to playing with Rita's pomegranate and answers, "Yes. That's basically it."

Caressing Jaina's hair and letting her drink from her semibreve, Margarita then shares her opinion, "Say, Jaina, between those two, who do you think will become my next pawn? I think it will be Lanfear, as she already has a lot of experience and is mature enough, wanting to settle down. As for Ciri, I don't think she will become his mistress. She is still young and has many experiences yet to come. Additionally, considering her mother figure Yen, who once had a wild side, I don't find it very likely."

After thinking for a bit, Jaina replied with her own opinion, "I don't know. But… if I had to take a wild guess, it would be the people who come in the next Conjunction and Conjoin. Due to the time difference that separates us, they might meet us first and experience life together before those two even have a chance."

Nodding her head and considering this possibility, Margarita exclaimed, "You are right." After a long period of contemplating whether her husband's childhood sweetheart might want to replace her as the queen in Yoriichi's heart—which is very unlikely, as she would not allow it in the first place—she looked at Jaina, who was currently nestled between her chest. 

Bringing Jaina's face to meet her own because she wanted to tell her something, Margarita then asked, "Dear, would you like to become my bishop? A bishop who can stretch my hand diagonally to every pawn you can see? I want to capture them and make them my own."

Kissing Margarita lightly before going back to playing with the pomegranate, Jaina replied, "Sure, my queen. Whatever you say."

So, just like that, the simple, fun playboy relationship he entertained as a side quest branch becomes more and more complicated, evolving into a truly personal force with many intricate details that need to be managed. From simply fantasizing about wanting to collect them like Pokémon, he now must consider many factors, where even one variable or calculation alone gives him a headache just thinking about it. Still, if he wants his women-only sect to run smoothly without any jealousy between them, Richard—no Felix—like it or not, must undertake this tiring and exhausting computation.

—