Reborn As Noble

Mylezra sat back in her seat, crossed her legs, lifted her glass of juice, and glanced at Phenelopie.

”Speaking of which, where is your daughter-in-law?”

Phenelopie glanced around.

”I saw Kliatana earlier. She was nearby before Heres went to join his brothers and greet the guests, but after that...” She scanned the hall. ”...I don’t see her anywhere.”

They all glanced around the hall. Garcinia’s eyes landed on Kliatana standing near the far wall, surrounded by a few Armand female officers. One of them was holding a small portable mana computer, tilted toward her so she could see the screen.

Garcinia chuckled softly.

”There she is. Looks like she asked the Armand officers to show her something~”

Phenelopie followed Garcinia’s gaze and smiled.

”Looks like she’s checking on Heres through the surveillance system~”

Mylezra chuckled softly, taking a slow sip of her juice.

”Of course she was. After that whole mess with Emeline, she probably wants to make sure he isn’t charming any other girls at the dock~”

Phenelopie smiled softly, her voice dropping low.

”I can’t blame Kliatana. It’s Heres’s fault for hiding it from her in the first place. If he had confessed earlier, if he had told her the truth from the start, none of this would have happened. He wouldn’t be in this mess.” She shook her head. ”But that’s Heres. He always tries to handle things alone. He always thinks he can fix it before anyone notices. And then it blows up in his face.”

Garcinia smiled and leaned slightly toward her.

”What do you think? If Heres decides to take Emeline as his second wife... would you approve?”

Phenelopie paused, considering the question.

”I can’t say anything about that. The decision isn’t mine to make. It belongs to Kliatana. She’s the one who would have to share her husband with another woman.”

She set her cup down gently.

”I’m Heres’s mother, yes. And Kliatana’s mother-in-law. But that doesn’t give me the right to decide something like this for them. It would be disrespectful to Kliatana to step in as if I had any authority over her marriage. Let Kliatana decide if she allows it or not. That’s her right, not mine.”

Phenelopie smiled and glanced toward Kliatana, who was with the Armand female officer at a distance.

”Just look at our Husband. Despite Armand being a royal family now, he never forced or arranged a marriage for any of his sons to ’maintain’ noble blood or secure alliances. He never treated his children’s marriages as political tools. He let them choose their girl themselves.”

She turned back to Garcinia.

”And look at how our big sister handles it. Fransesca never forces a decision on anyone. She never steps in and declares what should be done, not even for her own sons’ marriages.”

She paused, her voice softening.

”When her sons brought their women into the family, Fransesca didn’t command it. She welcomed them. She made them feel like they belonged. She let them and their wives work it out among themselves, and she was simply there. Warm. Supportive. Steady. And look at how it turned out. All of them are happy. She let them come to their own choice, and then she stood beside them when they made it.”

She glanced toward Garcinia.

”Just like how you never forced Aelius and Athine apart. Even when it was complicated. Even when some might have whispered. You let them make their own choice. And you stood beside them when they did.”

She smiled.

”That’s why the family stays together. That’s why no one feels left out. If I want to be like any of you... then I should do the same. Trust my children to make their own choices, and stand beside them once they do.”

She lifted her cup and drank slowly.

”If Kliatana chooses to accept Emeline, I will welcome Emeline with open arms. If Kliatana chooses not to, I will stand beside her and say nothing more.”

Mylezra and Garcinia smiled. Eridith, still munching her meat, glanced at Phenelopie.

”What do you think about the upcoming addition to our husband’s harem?”

Phenelopie laughed softly. Garcinia rubbed her stomach and smiled.

”Our big sister Fransesca already told us about it long ago. Before we even had children with Garius. She told us about you. About Mylezra. About Nyxara. About the last promised girl. She didn’t hide anything from us. She laid it all out clearly, so we knew what we were stepping into.”

Garcinia smiled, one hand resting on her belly.

”It was also Fransesca’s condition. If we wanted to be part of our husband’s harem, we had to accept that there would be more women after us. That there were promises waiting to be fulfilled. That we wouldn’t be the only ones.”

”Mm,” Phenelopie nodded. ”We are the second and the third. We came after Fransesca. We came before you and Mylezra, but only because we arrived first. The order wasn’t something we chose. It was simply the way things happened.”

Garcinia lowered her hand from her stomach.

”It was Fransesca who was supposed to be his only wife. She could have demanded it. She could have refused any other woman entering this family. She had every right to.”

She looked around the table.

”And yet she didn’t. She welcomed us. She welcomed all of us. She let us into her family, into her husband’s heart, into this life. Knowing she would have to share him. Knowing she wouldn’t be the only one.”

Phenelopie smiled with a teasing glint in her eye.

”Besides... our husband’s stamina is strong. And despite his busy work, he has time for everyone. No one lacks anything. So two more additions aren’t a problem.”

She lifted her cup.

”The decision whether to add or reject isn’t ours to make. That decision belongs to Fransesca, not to us. We are already Garius’s wives. We already have our special places beside him. And knowing our husband, who loves having a big family...” She paused, smiling at the tangle of bloodlines they’d built. ”...well, I think he’d welcome the chaos.”

Mylezra smiled. Eridith kept munching her meal. Garcinia reached for her cup.

Then Phenelopie glanced toward the huge doors as they swung open. Her eyes landed on Garius walking through, one arm steady around a girl who was clinging to his arm.

Nyxara walked beside him, her steps unsteady, her cheeks flushed, her crimson eyes soft and hazy. She leaned heavily on Garius as she moved, her legs trembling faintly.

Mylezra narrowed her eyes and smirked. She nudged Eridith with her elbow, her voice dropping into a teasing tone.

”Look at that~ The crybaby is all grown up now~”

( End Of Chapter )