第２５８堀：素晴らしき作戦 (Part2)
"……Sasari. Do you know why I’m asking you this?"
"You wish to give up on Yuki-sama, don't you?"
Sasari said it without a moment's hesitation.
"Then why do you keep saying things that praise him so much?!"
"It is fine. Your feelings, Milady, have no way of reaching him. You have no choice but to give up. Don't you already know that deep down?"
"Th-that is..."
At her words, tears began to well up in my eyes.
"You are not a match for Yuki-sama. Not in power, talent, lineage, or anything else."
*Note: Yuki is a common salaryman.*
Faced with that cold, hard fact, I desperately tried to cover my ears.
"St-stop it."
"Please, do not do something as foolish as lowering Yuki-sama’s reputation just because you want to force yourself to give up on him."
"No."
"No, listen to me. Milady, you cannot afford to be weak-willed and speak of giving up here. Why do you not ask him yourself to love you?"
"Th-that’s... I’m sure I’d be rejected immediately."
Yes, I know that. I truly cannot imagine myself being allowed into that circle. I am terrified. I am terrified that if I am rejected further, I won't even be able to speak to him again.
"Yuki-sama and the wives around him are sure to treat you kindly, provided you do not cause them harm, even if you approach him. Even if you are rejected once, you must attack again and again!! I will not recognize any husband for you other than Yuki-sama."
"Sasari?"
"The day will come when I am no longer your attendant. When that time comes, I would be happy if there were a wonderful partner by your side—someone I could trust you with. That person is right here, right now. Therefore, please, do not give up; convey your feelings to Yuki-sama."
"B-but..."
"I understand. Yuki-sama may look the way he does, but he is a man of very firm principles. You can tell just by looking at the smiles and trust of his wives. So, please, give it some time. I will make sure he accepts you."
"Sasari... I understand. It is a disgrace to the Ducal House for me to be in this state. I will absolutely make myself a concubine to Yuki-sama!!"
That’s right. I climbed to the top ten in this meritocratic academy. I will seize my own husband, no matter what!!
"That is the spirit. With that said, let us first lay the groundwork."
"Groundwork?"
"Yes. Yuki-sama is kind; we shall take advantage of that and become friends. Do you think that is feasible?"
"Yes, to that extent, he already calls me a friend."
"That is a stroke of luck. Then, invite Yuki-sama and his party to your family home in Roday. There, we shall explain the situation to your father and ask for his cooperation. Once he learns of Yuki-sama’s lineage, his influence over various nations, and his own personal brilliance, he will certainly not treat him with disdain."
"……I see. But what about Eris-sama and the others?"
"It is true that we must speak to Yuki-sama’s wives beforehand. However, I do not believe they would refuse based on the benefits your position brings. They are far too intelligent for that. Though, whether you get along personally will depend on you and them."
"I understand. I will speak to the wives directly. It is I who am foolishly pining for Yuki-sama. It would be meaningless if I didn't speak to them myself. That is the bare minimum of sincerity."
*Note: The wives are hoping for Samantha to join the family.*
And so, after discussing the details with Sasari, I began the "Operation: Become Yuki-sama’s Bride" the very next day.
***
Side: Yuki
"Yuki, what are you going to do about the fact that your confession to Samantha is guaranteed to fail?"
After that meeting, I had been asking Cleena for information on Samantha. I was ensuring that, under no circumstances, could the confession actually succeed.
"Based on the information I got from Cleena, Samantha is a dignified woman who carries herself properly as a noble and has high pride. So, I’ll explain that I’ve already taken Cleena as a wife, and then say I want to take Samantha as a concubine. Even though she’s the disciple of a famous mage, Cleena’s status is technically lower than Samantha’s. To Samantha, that would be equivalent to insulting a Duke. She couldn't possibly accept that confession, right?"
"Oh, I see. Yuki, you’re clever."
Good. If Cleena is okay with it, there shouldn't be any problems. Even if Samantha herself gets angry, I am technically higher in status by name, so I can at least maintain the connection to Roday. Once I can get into Roday, I’ll just have Cleena mention that there are signs of a massive monster outbreak, and then go with the flow of "I’m sorry to trouble you, Lady Samantha..." and it’ll be smooth sailing!!
No, that’s a bit mean, so I’ll secretly tell her before the confession that my wives are the ones pestering me to do it. That way, Samantha won't be too hurt. If she acts like a true noble, she can't ignore signs of a monster outbreak, and the confession part is just something my wives told me to do!!
Besides, it’s not a bad thing for Samantha herself to have a connection with us, so she should be willing to play along with the act!!
It’s perfect. It’s an overly perfect plan.
I was confident that the confession would fail 100%, and I slept soundly that night.
Well, how was it? This magnificent plan?
I pride myself on the fact that it was truly 100%.
Eh, 100% in which direction? Don't make me say it.
Anyway, putting that aside, I have a consultation for everyone.
There has been a request for a while now: I have a completed story about Yuki’s student days, about 20,000 characters long.
If you want to see it, I’m thinking of slipping it into *Victory Dungeon*, but what do you think?
Well then, look forward to the next results!!