"Even at a moment like this you're still thinking about others… Sayu, sometimes, you don't have to be so gentle."
Akuto stroked Sayu's silky long hair.
Truth was, the instant he entered he'd noticed the girl hiding under his bed—the former minister's daughter, Chomo.
Under the bed, hearing Akuto call her by name, Chomo's fine, pale face flushed bright red.
She hadn't planned to offer herself this quickly. But at dusk, Sayu had convinced her.
According to Sayu, the girls around Akuto had naturally begun forming small circles:
The Empire "elite group": Koruneria, Chikushi, Poho;
The "enhanced group": Kurome, Gin, Doya;
The Night Raid set: Mine, Sheele, Leone;
The "sisters group": Akame & Kurome;
The assassin-syndicate group: Taeko, Merald;
The "mother–daughter group": Lady Rosa & Aria;
…and so on.
Sayu's status was the highest, but even she felt a twinge of crisis now and then.
So she roped in her fellow childhood friend—Chomo.
During their days at the Governor's Residence, Chomo had felt that same pressure. Realizing that without Sayu's help she likely couldn't keep up with those small alliances, she set aside her last bit of hesitation and agreed to Sayu's plan.
Thus, the Childhood-Friends Duo—"Sayu & Chomo"—made their debut.
Being found out, Chomo crawled from beneath the bed, cheeks blazing, and—before Akuto's eyes—"observed on site." It wasn't that she wanted to look; she'd been dragged into it… or so she told herself. And as Akuto-kun's second childhood friend, she decided it was necessary to, ahem, take notes.
Having convinced herself, Chomo began observing—without restraint.
"H-Has Sayu-san practiced yoga? That pose is possible…?"
"Eek—Akuto-kun, you perv… biting her foot is one thing, but why the white socks?"
"W-Wait, hair too? Well, Sayu-san does have amazing hair… I learned something."
Before him, Sayu smoothed her black hair so it draped naturally, then laced her fingers with Akuto's and looked into his eyes.
"Akuto-kun, you're the man who will rule the new Empire. Because of that, I can't selfishly chain you to my side."
"So I don't mind how many wives you have now—or will have. As long as there is always a place for me here." She touched her chest with a small smile.
Akuto said nothing at first, only stroked her hair with a tenderness that treasured it like a priceless artifact. Sayu's hair truly felt exquisite beyond words.
But Sayu's words were humble to the extreme.
Since childhood, Sayu had carried a thread of inferiority. It ran in cycles.
Her childhood friend was so talented; she herself felt so ordinary. Yet she was also the girl closest to him. From village days onward—when Akuto became village head, then town head, city lord, then taishō, then dō-taishō, then civil steward, then governor—people always said she'd be his future partner.
The expectation never changed.
But the pressure on Sayu only grew.
She was just an ordinary country girl. If not for being by Akuto-kun's side… in a rural province, she wouldn't even have met a "prince," much less stood beside one.
"How could someone like me be worthy of being Akuto's primary wife?"
To shut those mouths, Sayu did the only thing she could: study. And study more. And keep studying—so she could keep pace with him. For that, she even gave up much of the time she might have spent nurturing romance with Akuto.
Reading the insecurity in her heart, Akuto leaned to her soft pink ear and whispered:
"Sayu, I'm the one who's unworthy if I can't cherish you."
"In this world," he added, "it's normal for a ruler to have multiple wives. And I will be emperor—there will be more spaces to fill. But the first seat in my heart is already taken."
"Really?"
Hearing his formal answer, Sayu's eyes welled with crystalline tears.
"Akuto-kun… our status still has a long distance between them compared to Her Majesty, but I will work hard. I'll keep growing until I can stand at your side without you needing to shield me."
Akuto nodded and kissed away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
Fade to black.
Esdeath's "gift"
Later that night, a sealed casket arrived at the Residence with Esdeath's crest. Inside lay a Teigu-grade cold-iron blade and a folded note in elegant, forceful strokes:
"For Sayu. A ruler's primary lady must have fangs as well as kindness."
Akuto chuckled. "Trust Esdeath to send something sharp to express blessings."
Sayu held the blade—its chill steady, its balance perfect—and drew a slow breath. "Then I'll hone this as I hone myself."
Chomo, peeking from behind the screen, murmured in awe, "So cool…"
Akuto looked between the two childhood friends. "From tomorrow, Esdeath-san will drill you in the basics of command and personal defense. Sayu, you'll take statecraft modules with Najenda-san in the mornings, and Chomo, you'll shadow the internal affairs team in the afternoons."
"Yes!" "Y-Yes!"
Outside, the capital's lights flickered like stars. Inside, the triangle of trust had quietly locked into place.
The new Empire's empress-making… was complete in spirit.
(End of Chapter)
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