Demon Prince 20

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Chapter 20. With Yuu With Ai

"So? What did you want to talk about?"

"Yeah."

Right now, we're gathered in my room.

To discuss that plan and get their cooperation.

In the room are Ai and I, Noella and Lily—the four of us.

Honestly, I don't want to acknowledge Ai.

But denying Ai is like denying myself.

Moreover, Ai is my cousin now, not my sister.

I'm the younger sister, both in this life and the previous one.

Our parents have already accepted their engagement.

The situation isn't in my favor.

So, I have no choice but to be honest and ask for their help.

"Sigh... I'll be honest. I need your cooperation."

"Cooperation? With us?"

"Yes. Not just Ai, but Noella and Lily too."

"Us too?"

"Lily as well?"

"Yes, you too."

I can't hesitate now.

I can't just silently accept Ai and my brother's marriage without doing anything.

I intended to take more time and approach this carefully, but the situation changed rapidly.

"Ai, I know you love my brother. I'm frustrated about the engagement, but I accept it. Our parents have already approved, and I have no reason to oppose. But I can't give up."

""Yuu-sama...""

"So? What are you going to do?"

"I love my brother. I love him dearly. That's why I can't let you have him all to yourself. Especially since you're like me."

Ai is listening to me seriously.

Noella and Lily tilt their heads at "Like me?"

Sorry, but I can't talk about my previous life.

"Ai, you and my brother are engaged, but he's still troubled by that matter. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Even if I asked him to marry me, he probably wouldn't say 'yes' immediately."

"That's true."

"What! Yuu-sama plans to marry Jun-sama!?"

"Yes, I do."

"Lily, please restrain yourself."

"But, but, Noella-senpai. Siblings marrying... is..."

Even though the country permits it, Lily's reaction is probably more common.

"It's okay, Noella. I'm sorry, Lily. Please listen to my story until the end."

"Yes, Yuu-sama."

"Y-Yes..."

I make eye contact with Ai and resume the conversation.

"Ai, if things continue as they are, you might be able to marry my brother after some time. But it will take time. We need to address what's troubling him."

"That might be true."

"What if he falls in love with someone else in the meantime? If that person has no issues with marriage, he might break off the engagement and marry them."

"..."

Ai looks like she wants to say, 'That won't happen,' but she holds back.

There's no such thing as certainty.

"So, I need your help. To make my brother want to marry his sister. If that happens, your marriage won't be an issue either."

"Specifically, what do you plan to do?"

"I'm going to create a harem."

""Eh?""

Of course, they'd be surprised...

Noella looks somewhat impressed.

"Fortunately, polygamy is allowed in this country. And if we go that far, my brother's ethics should change. He should become more tolerant of marrying his sister."

"There's not much benefit for me, is there?"

"That might be true. But I don't think taking time is a good thing. I thought I had time too. But now, I can't afford to be complacent. Besides, my brother is the Demon Prince of this country. He might be forced into a political marriage. It might happen to me too, but I don't want anyone but my brother. It has to be him. So please, help me."

"..."

Ai seems to be struggling, but she hasn't fully accepted it yet...

It's understandable; I wouldn't be able to accept it if I were in her place.

Even so...

"Um, do you want us to help with...?"

"Yes, that's right. Noella and Lily, I want you to be part of the harem too."

"Eh..."

"Understood, Yuu-sama."

"Noella-senpai, that's too quick! We should think it over more!"

As Lily says, it was a surprisingly quick decision.

Honestly, I thought they would refuse...

"Is that okay, Noella?"

"Yes, Yuu-sama. I am a maid who serves Jun-sama and Yuu-sama. It's only natural to comply with Jun-sama's wishes. Besides, joining the harem of someone as great as Jun-sama is an honor, not something to refuse."

"I-I see. Thank you."

Noella's idea of what it means to be a maid seems quite distorted, but whose fault is that?

"L-Lily is, Lily is..."

"Lily, you're not entirely opposed to the idea, are you? Please."

"But, but..."

"Lily, Yuu-sama, and I both know you're fond of Jun-sama."

"Eh! How do you know that?"

That's right.

That's why I chose Lily.

Of course, the main reason is that Lily is a good girl.

"It's obvious if you watch. Ever since Jun-sama touched your ears and tail. Do you know, Yuu-sama? For beastmen, letting the opposite sex touch their ears and tail is something only done for their pledged partner."

I didn't know that.

No wonder her face turned so red.

By the way, I got to touch them too later.

"Oh! Noella-senpai! You should've stopped it if you knew!"

"As a maid, it's natural to respond to the master's request at any time."

"Ugh..."

It does seem a bit harsh, but I'll go along with Noella.

"Please, Lily. Okay?"

"Lily is, Lily is..."

As Lily hesitates, there's a knock on the door.

Noella answers it, and an unexpected person enters.

"Hello. Sorry to interrupt."

"Lady Shanze, why are you here?"

"I wanted to talk to Ai. I was looking for her, and then I overheard an interesting conversation. Sorry for eavesdropping."

"You heard?"

"Yes, sorry. It was related to my talk with Ai too."

"What is it? What do you want to talk about?"

A talk related to this?

No way...

"Actually, I was wondering if I could also get engaged to Jun-kun. Hehe."

"""Eh!"""

This was unexpected...

Everyone else is surprised too.

Noella didn't make a sound, but she looked shocked.

"W-What do you mean?"

"Well, it's surprising, right? I'll explain. I'm a newly crowned Demon Queen, and I don't have a fiancé yet."

"So?"

"Therefore, as the Demon Queen of Frelmeria, I need a suitable partner, someone everyone can accept. That's Jun-kun! There's no problem with him!"

"Uh..."

"Also, I'm a succubus. When I saw Alize-sama so smitten with him, I knew he was Eliza-sama's son for sure."

Aunt Alize, or rather, Sister Alize, said the same thing. Is my mother really that amazing? She seems more respected than my father, the Demon King...

"So, before more rivals appear, I wanted to get Ai's approval and get engaged. Some women at that event were eyeing Jun-kun with interest."

"Excuse me, how old are you, Lady Shanze?"

"Hm? I'm twenty. A bit older, but it's not a big deal for us who live hundreds of years."

It's true, it's not a big deal.

And for us with memories from a previous life, Lady Shanze is actually younger.

It's not even an issue...

Rather, not being his sister is an advantage... this is bad...

"So, Ai, what do you think? I want to get along with you. I can't change my status as the Demon Queen of Frelmeria, so there will be political marriage aspects, but I genuinely like Jun-kun. I'd like your approval."

"Ugh..."

"Ai..."

This is bad.

If Lady Shanze joins, the harem plan...

"Oh, and about the harem plan. I'm all for it."

"""Eh?"""

"I intend to be tolerant in that regard. Even if I marry Jun-kun, Elmbern and Frelmeria won't merge. So, we can't always be together. Public appearances, yes, but I can't bind him to my side. So, I approve of the harem and more concubines."

I never expected someone who seems so serious to approve of a harem...

"Ai, I..."

"Fine, I get it! Let's proceed with the harem plan."

"Thank you, Ai!"

"Thank you, Ai-san."

"I have no choice. As Yuu said, the political marriage issue has arisen. I didn't expect it so soon. Besides, Yuu, I was going to tell Jun to marry you if you were okay with it."

"Really? Why?"

"I knew your feelings. And I want to get along with you too. I don't want to be unable to get along with my future sister."

"Thank you... Ai."

"It's fine. It's also for me. So, Noella and Lily, are you okay with joining the harem plan?"

"Yes, Ai-sama. Please just call us by our names."

"Lily is... Lily is..."

"Lily, you don't have to decide right now. But eventually, please give us an answer."

"Yes..."

"But if it's a harem, you plan to increase the members, right? Will we decide who joins?"

"My brother's feelings come first, but these five are definite. Whether it increases depends on him. We can't accept just anyone, so we'll scrutinize them."

"Okay. Five is already enough for a harem. And no matter how many join, I won't yield Jun's top spot. To Yuu or Lady Shanze."

"I won't either. My brother's number one is mine."

"I'm not fixated on it, but being number one is nice. Let's make it a competition, okay?"

""Yes.""

"I'm a maid. I know my place."

"Lily is, Lily is..."

And so, with Lily still hesitating, the harem plan to change my brother's perception began.

Even if we create a harem, I won't yield my brother's top spot... never!