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Of the four lovers who came on this field trip, two knew about my wound, and two didn’t—a perfect 50-50 balance.

If I included myself, that made three people who had kept silent, forming a majority—

“I didn’t want to find out about oppa’s injury by accident like everyone else. I wanted to hear it directly from oppa.”

“I’m sorry…”

But having more people in the ‘guilty’ party didn’t change the fact that we were all just offenders here. In this situation, I, Marghetta, and the Mage Duchess were all just culprits. It wouldn’t be a crime if we hadn’t been caught, but we were criminals since we were caught.

And honestly, I couldn’t argue with their frustration. After exchanging rings, we weren’t just acquaintances anymore; we had a closer, more significant relationship. That kind of bond demanded honesty and transparency, not secrecy. From Louise and Irina’s perspective, they’d been treated no differently than mere bystanders.

It might have been different if none of my lovers knew, but how heartbreaking must it be when some knew and others didn’t? The fact that the ones in the know were the first and second future wives only made it worse.

Anyone can see it’s discrimination.

They had every right to think I’d chosen to tell the ‘important’ lovers while leaving out the ‘lesser’ ones. If our positions were reversed, I’d probably think the same. Damn it.

“Still, I don’t think oppa did it on purpose. There must have been circumstances. That’s why you said you’d explain everything, right?”

I nodded hurriedly at those words. Louise was right. It wasn’t out of favoritism or malice but due to unavoidable circumstances that I hadn’t told them.

“I think so too. At least, oppa not the kind of person who’d do this without reason, right?”

My already enormous guilt swelled even more after seeing Irina speak with a faint smile. I had let down these girls who trusted me so much.

Glancing around in embarrassment, I caught sight of Margherita and the Grand Duchess, who were as silent as I was. They had no excuses either, given that it was because of my silence that they were dragged into this situation. Honestly, they were probably feeling unfairly implicated right now.

“This might take a while to explain. Is that okay?”

I needed to address this quickly. Any more delay would only make the anxious more frustrated and the guilty more uncomfortable.

“Yes.”

“It’s better than not knowing.”

Their firm and cutting responses almost made me close my mouth again.

Right. Of course. What a dumb question.

***

The apology show disguised as an explanation was not just short, but very long.

To explain my wound, I had to delve into the Great Northern War. There was no way to keep it short and simple.

“Injuries inflicted by the Rebel couldn’t heal. Some who fought him are still living with permanent damage, like amputated arms they can’t regenerate.”

So, I explained in as much detail as possible: Kagan’s vicious power and dirty unrecoverable curse, the numerous victims injured fighting Kagan, and the sad legend of how I got stabbed at the end.

Of course, explaining the Great Northern War inevitably led to talking about the Six Swords, but thankfully they listened quietly. To be honest, I think I spoke a bit emotionally because their memorial was approaching, but I was grateful they listened despite it being TMI unrelated to the topic of my wound.

“The injury hasn’t healed but it doesn’t hurt anymore, and it doesn’t interfere with my daily life. I planned to tell you when the time was right, when it wouldn’t shock you. But… well, here we are. I’m sorry.”

In the end, I could only say sorry again. Whether I had hesitated out of fear of upsetting them, found it difficult to bring up, or simply didn’t think it was worth mentioning—all of it boiled down to excuses now that the secret was out.

So what else could I say? The only way was to explain why this grotesque wound occurred, why I kept quiet about it, and apologize. Clumsy self-justification or turning the tables would just be ugly.

“Oppa.”

“Yes?”

Louise was the first to speak after my apology.

“So, are you okay now? The fairies said something about divine energy. Is that related to your wound?”

It came along with a very important question.

“That’s right. The power of the god the Rebel believed in was stuck in the wound. It’s fine now, so don’t worry.”

As I nodded, Louise sighed with a relieved expression. Between the unhealable wound and the divine energy the fairies had mentioned, her mind must have been racing with all sorts of concerns. She was probably wondering if it was a curse from the god.

Of course, it was a curse at first. But after the whole ordeal, the ‘illegal tenant’ had been evicted, and the curse was no longer an issue.

“Thanks to the fairies removing the power, I should be able to recover from the wound soon.”

“R-Really?”

“Is that true?”

Even Marghetta and the Mage Duchess, who had been quiet, reacted to those words. It was only a natural reaction, given that they’d known about my wound for longer and must have worried more.

And just like that, the atmosphere shifted from an interrogation about hiding my wound to a celebration of its impending recovery.

I’m saved…!

***

Oppa’s explanation that his wound didn’t hinder his daily life, and he delayed telling us to avoid worrying anyone made sense. Or rather, I tried to make sense of it.

It was a bit disappointing that we found out through other means instead of from oppa’s own mouth, but it was hard to blame him when I thought about what I would’ve done in his position.

I probably would’ve done the same.

People naturally wanted to avoid unnecessary conversations and spare their loved ones from worry. Oppa wouldn’t have been any different.

He’d explained himself well and apologized sincerely, so what would change if I pressed further? Wouldn’t it just make oppa more uncomfortable?

…Let’s let it go for now.

So, I decided to skip the questions about the World Tree too. While it was true that the fairies said they would take the divine power from oppa, that didn’t mean they succeeded. One of them had even complained about how ‘heavy’ the energy was.

“You might be able to see your mom again.”

After that, oppa calmly led the fairies outside as if he knew exactly what to do. The result was so shocking that no one even thought to ask how he’d done it.

With the World Tree practically on the verge of resurrection before our very eyes, who could stay composed enough to demand an explanation? Even the elven Elder and the saint of the Dawn Sect had been entirely focused on the tree. How could anyone else be any different?

It’s probably not something he can talk about right away.

And while the wound was oppa’s personal matter, the World Tree was an issue that would stir up not just the empire but the entire continent. There was no way oppa acted independently on such a massive issue, so he must have discussed it with the imperial family.

It made sense that he couldn’t share the details with us, who weren’t civil servants.

I didn’t feel slighted. Even in the Yorun family, critical contracts were kept tightly confidential. Oppa had carried out a national-level task beyond a simple contract, so of course he couldn’t explain.

It’s not like anything bad will happen to oppa, so it’s fine.

Crucially, the resurrection of the World Tree would help oppa’s reputation, not harm it. This wasn’t an urgent concern, and I could wait to hear the full story.

So we shouldn’t rush it and wait. It’d only make things awkward for oppa if we questioned a national matter, so let’s wait for the day when oppa could talk about it himself.

“With the divine energy gone to the World Tree, the wound should finally heal. Ah, I’ll explain the World Tree later.”

His words brought a faint smile to my lips.

As expected, oppa didn’t want to hide things from us just for the sake of hiding them.

***

The interrogation caused by the forced confession about the wound ended on a warm and understanding note. I was so happy to have met such kind people in my life…

“They say you can ride centaurs for transportation in Santoria instead of carriages.”

“That would feel a bit awkward.”

“Right? It’s like piggyback riding for humans.”

Watching Louise and Irina chatter cheerfully only strengthened my conviction. I really was blessed with such wonderful people.

Unlike the large group from yesterday, today’s party consisted of just the three of us: Louise, Irina, and me. A rare treat, made possible only by the selflessness of Marghetta and the Mage Duchess.

“It’s true that I made a mistake. Even if it wasn’t something to share lightly, I would’ve felt hurt in their place too.”

“I’m ashamed as well. It’s no different from excluding the children, so I should reflect on it.”

Their decision to give us this time alone was a remarkable gesture. Giving up part of their trip must have been bittersweet, but it showed how much they valued building bonds within the family.

It was moving. Stories of rivalry and schemes between multiple wives were common, but in my case, there was only harmony and mutual consideration. How fortunate was I to have this? Thinking about how I’d excluded them by keeping secrets only made me more ashamed.

“Well, since we’re here, we should try it. When else would we get this kind of experience?”

Still, wallowing in guilt would only waste this precious time. I leaned forward toward Louise and Irina, who were debating between centaurs and carriages.

“Sh-Should we?”

Louise, seemingly enticed by the word ‘experience’, fell into deep thought.

“It would be nice if it’s big enough for all three of us to ride at once…”

Irina immediately agreed and seriously muttered.

I understood their sentiment, but wasn’t that realistically too much to ask? Even a centaur was still like a horse at the end of the day. Expecting one to carry three adults was downright cruel.

***

I had clearly underestimated other races.

“Haha! I’m big enough to carry three of you just fine!”

The booming laughter of a female centaur rang in my ears. It was almost deafening. She stood noticeably larger than the other centaurs nearby, making her claim entirely believable.

“Of course, any more than that would be difficult!”

She added jokingly and laughed, but I could only manage an awkward smile. If it weren’t for yesterday’s hearing, there would have been five of us instead of three.

Is she taking a subtle dig at me?

It wasn’t likely, but the paranoid thought crossed my mind for a split second. Had the infamous ‘half-dozen little Gold Duke’ legend spread to the other races as well?

Right, I was that bastard with so many lovers that I couldn’t fit them all in one carriage. At least there was someone out there with double my number to take the spotlight off me.

“Now then, hold each other tight! The closer, the better!”

At the centaur’s enthusiastic instruction, we carefully climbed onto the saddle.

“…Guys?”

“She said to sit close together!”

“This seems like the safest way to sit…”

Louise sat in front of me while using my body as a backrest, while Irina sat behind me, hugging me tightly.

It would’ve been a typical couple’s riding position if just one of them had done this with me. But with both of them doing it at once, the scene felt… difficult to describe.

“It looks good! I’m envious!”

The centaur praised us with a smiling face even while looking at this scene.

What a true champion of customer service. A capitalist through and through.

***

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