[174] : Mellie Plays Her Hand, Airmid Struggles with Her Heart!

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"Mika is taking Chelsea as his Imperial Consort?"

The news of Mika taking Chelsea as his first consort sent ripples of shock throughout the court. It was the Emperor's first consort, naturally attracting the attention of the officials.

More importantly, it caught the attention of Airmid and Mellie.

Outside Mika's palace, having just received the news, they rushed towards his chambers, coincidentally meeting along the way.

"I knew you'd come, Airmid," Mellie said, a playful smile on her face.

"Of course, I would," Airmid replied, meeting Mellie's gaze.

They exchanged smiles, but beneath the surface, other emotions simmered.

As companions who had faced life and death together, their feelings for Mika were no secret to each other.

It was an unspoken understanding.

But now, Mika had made the first move, taking Chelsea as his consort. This surprised both of them.

"Let's go see what that idiot is thinking."

Mellie took the lead.

Unlike Airmid's unspoken understanding, Mellie had been upfront with Mika about her feelings. They had shared many intimate moments in the dream world.

But now he was taking another woman as his consort.

Putting aside other considerations, wasn't he getting the order wrong?

She could accept Airmid being before her; after all, they were childhood friends.

She could also accept Yahweh being before her; after all, she was their leader.

But no one else.

In fact, Mellie had thought extensively about their relationship. She could sense that the other women including Yahweh in their Familia also had feelings for Mika.

Compared to Airmid and Yahweh, Mellie knew she wasn't in an advantageous position.

Putting aside Airmid, the childhood friend, Mellie believed she had many ways to outmaneuver her if she chose to, to seize the initiative. After all, Airmid was too passive.

But Goddess Yahweh was an insurmountable obstacle.

Mellie knew that Yahweh's love for Mika was more about possession than affection. After all, the Gods of Orario were lonely and bored.

Therefore, for Yahweh, Mika, who could travel between worlds, was someone she could never lose.

Facing this situation, Mellie had never considered being Mika's sole companion.

But she couldn't allow Mika to choose someone else while excluding her.

Therefore, she was the first to make a move, even if it was only in dreams.

And during their adventures, she had always subtly assisted Mika in his interactions with other beautiful girls.

She didn't mind how many people were by Mika's side.

But she had to be one of them, and she had to hold an important position.

Therefore, Mellie could tolerate Airmid and Yahweh being before her, but she would never accept anyone else above her.

Soon, they arrived at Mika's chambers.

"Mika, we heard you're taking that assassin from Night Raid as your consort?" Airmid spoke first, her voice filled with disbelief.

Seeing her expression, Mika froze.

Although not particularly intelligent, he knew he had messed up.

How had a playful remark escalated to this?

He immediately regretted his actions.

"Wait, you've got it all wrong!"

"I…"

"Wrong about what? Don't 'I' me!" Mellie's sharp voice cut him off.

She did it intentionally.

Seeing Mika's shocked expression, she knew it was a misunderstanding. He must have made a playful remark, intending to tease Chelsea, but it had escalated unexpectedly.

This reassured Mellie; no one was above her.

But at the same time, she realized this was an opportunity.

"How could you do this, Mika?! Is Airmid not good enough? Or me? Or perhaps even our Goddess?!"

"How could you abandon us for another woman?!"

Hearing Mellie's frantic outburst, Mika and Airmid were momentarily stunned.

They quickly recovered, but their reactions differed.

With Mellie's true feelings revealed, Airmid immediately disregarded Mellie and Yahweh, and, looking at Mika, asked loudly, "Mika-nii, don't you want me anymore?"

Hearing Airmid call him "Mika-nii," a term she hadn't used in a long time, he couldn't help but smile wryly.

Recalling Mellie's earlier hint, he quickly said, "You've got it all wrong, Airmid. I could never stop wanting you."

"Huh?" Airmid froze, her face flushing crimson.

How embarrassing!

In her excitement, she hadn't considered that possibility.

In that case, didn't her earlier reaction seem like a confession?

Mortified, Airmid lowered her head.

"I don't believe you!" Mellie continued her tirade. "You're just being fickle! You must have fallen for her; that's why you want to make her your Imperial Consort."

"No, I haven't, really!" Mika protested, holding up his hands in defense.

"I don't believe you!"

"Really, I'm not lying!"

"I don't believe you!"

"Please, just believe me!"

"No!"

Listening to their argument, Airmid wanted to intervene.

From Mellie's words, she confirmed that Mellie indeed had feelings for Mika. Although she had sensed it before, now she was certain.

This made Airmid conflicted. She longed to be with Mika forever, but she didn't want to jeopardize her friendship with Mellie.

Like Mika, Airmid cherished the current atmosphere within their Familia.

That warm, familial feeling was precious to her.

She didn't want this "home" she shared with Mika to shatter.

"But what should I do?"

Airmid was troubled.

But stopping their argument was the priority.

"Stop fighting…"

"Enough!" Mika's sharp voice cut through their bickering.

"Tell me, what will it take for you to believe me?" His expression was serious.

"Proof, of course!" Mellie crossed her arms, glaring at him.

"Proof?"

After a brief silence, Mika summoned the attendant outside. It wasn't Chelsea; she was currently on leave, flustered by Mika's earlier announcement.

"Your Majesty, what are your orders?"

"Prepare a decree. I will take both the Grand General and the Prime Minister as my Empresses!"

"What?!" Airmid exclaimed, shocked by this unexpected turn of events.

...

...

...

"Is this… my home?"

Looking at the familiar surroundings, Mika was momentarily stunned before realizing, "It's a dream!"

He knew Mellie must have entered his dream again. He was currently in another world; how could he be back in his home in Orario?

"Mellie, where are you?"

"Right here."

Mellie's voice came from behind him.

Turning around, he saw her sitting on a chair.

"Good acting, Mika," she said with a light laugh.

Their earlier argument had been a staged performance.

The purpose, of course, was to indirectly force Airmid to acknowledge their relationship.

Knowing Airmid's personality well, Mellie knew exactly how to handle the situation.

As for Mika, he understood even better.

"How is Airmid?" Mika asked, concerned.

"She's embarrassed," Mellie replied, her smile widening. "Once she calms down and thinks things through, she probably won't object anymore."

"So, your plan has succeeded."

Suppressing a smile, Mika feigned indifference. "What does that have to do with me?"

"Isn't this all your doing?"

"Hmph, don't play coy," Mellie scoffed, standing up and approaching him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "Since you're pushing the responsibility onto me, you better listen to me now."

With that, she leaned in closer.

…

Waking up from his dream, Mika stared blankly at the ceiling, motionless.

"Your Majesty, are you awake?"

Hearing the familiar voice from the window, Mika looked up.

Chelsea stood by his bed, silently watching him.

"Alice, what are you doing here?" Mika asked, puzzled. "Didn't I give you a few days off?"

"Even though I have time off, I don't know what to do, so I came back," Chelsea replied, handing him his clothes.

Though Mika was the Emperor, he wasn't accustomed to being dressed by others. So as his attendant, Chelsea only needed to hand him his clothes.

"I see. So you can't sit still, huh?" Mika chuckled.

"Perhaps I'm simply not suited for leisure."

This was a lie.

Chelsea's true purpose was far more important.

"Your Majesty, I heard that Prime Minister Mellie and Grand General Airmid had a heated argument with you last night over the Imperial Consort matter?"

"Because of me?"

"If so, please, Your Majesty, reconsider your decision," she pleaded.

Yes, convincing Mika to retract his decree was her true objective.

Otherwise, with time off, who would willingly return to work?

"Alice, you're so concerned about me!" Mika turned to face her, his gaze filled with mock affection.

He knew her true intentions.

But he had already paid the price for his earlier actions; how could he let her off so easily?

"There's no need to worry, Alice. It has nothing to do with you. My announcement merely triggered a confrontation that was bound to happen eventually."

Walking over to his desk and sitting down, Mika continued, "Airmid, Mellie, and I grew up together, fought together, and conquered this Empire together."

"Naturally, we have feelings for each other. But due to various reasons, we kept those feelings hidden."

"Last night, upon hearing my decree, they confronted me, and those suppressed emotions finally erupted."

"That's why we argued."

"So that's what happened!" Chelsea exclaimed, as if suddenly enlightened.

"No wonder someone saw the Grand General and the Prime Minister entering His Majesty's bedchamber together last night, followed by a heated argument." she thought to herself.

Her inner gossip ignited.

"So what happened next?" she asked eagerly.

"What happened?" Mika chuckled. "I agreed to take both of them as my Empresses."

"Huh? That's how you resolved it?" Chelsea was taken aback.

After a moment of stunned silence, she exclaimed, "You're taking two wives simultaneously?"

"Of course! While it might have been difficult before, I am the Emperor now!"

"As Emperor, shouldn't I have a harem?"

"Ah!" Chelsea suddenly understood. Mika was the Emperor, after all.

Emperors naturally had privileges.

After all, the Empire had ruled for a thousand years.

Over a millennium, the concept of the Emperor's absolute authority had become deeply ingrained.

Even the rebels, though they might scorn the current Emperor, would establish a new Emperor with similar absolute authority if they succeeded in overthrowing the Empire.

Thinking of this, Chelsea's initial resistance faded.

After all, beautiful women were always drawn to heroes.

And Mika, who had fulfilled her dream of ending the Empire's dark rule, wasn't he precisely the hero she envisioned?

A blush crept across her face.

Seeing this, Mika reached out and gently caressed her cheek.

"You're mistaken, Alice. I'm not taking two wives, but three."

At these words, Chelsea was utterly flustered.

…

"You're here?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Two cloaked figures met in a dark alley, their voices hushed.

One quickly passed a scroll to the other.

"Be careful not to get caught. For the revolution!"

"For the revolution!"

With that, they parted ways, disappearing into the night.

"Is this the latest intel?"

Back in his bookstore, Lubbock muttered, unfurling the scroll he had just received.

He had just met with one of the Revolutionary Army's spies within the court.

The scroll contained the intelligence they had gathered.

The first thing Lubbock saw was the news of the Emperor taking consorts.

"Damn, I'm so jealous!" He couldn't help but express his envy at the thought of the Emperor surrounded by countless beauties.

Then, as he flipped to the next page, he froze.

It was a portrait of Alice, the future Imperial Consort.

"That's… Chelsea!"

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