Chapter 47 - Leaffa's Engagement

“By the way, I told the King to make Leaffa Halt’s bride.”

“Huh!?”

Tina, Leaffa, Sylph, and I were exploring Yggdrasil’s internal dungeon when Sylph spouted nonsense out of the blue.

“Sylph-sama, why would you say that now…”

“W-what do you mean?”

Leaffa clearly knows something, so Tina asked her directly.

Leaffa seemed torn, unsure of how to respond.

“Leaffa is someone I favor. I’ve been watching over her ever since she was little. Her marriage has come up for discussion.”

“Eh!?”

It looked like even Leaffa had no clue about this, judging by her surprised reaction.

“Well, I thought it couldn’t be helped since she does have to marry someone eventually. However, I heard her partner was supposed to be from the Apristos Royal Family, so I wanted to stop it.”

Apristos is a kingdom of humans located near Alheim, the Elf Kingdom.

In recent years, Apristos had been expanding its territory by waging wars on smaller nations. It’s possible they’ll set their sights on Alheim soon.

Previously, Alheim could easily defend itself against Apristos, but their military strength has suddenly increased. Fearing an invasion, the ministers of Alheim proposed that Leaffa marry into the Apristos royal family as a political move.

“I’ve heard nothing good about that country, and even the wind’s mana feels disturbed by it. There’s no way I’d let Leaffa go there.”

“So, you proposed Leaffa to be my bride?”

“Yeah!”

“But I just married Tina.”

“Halt seems reliable, so it’ll be fine!”

“Reliab... I don’t even have an income, you know.”

“No need to worry. I’ll give you the Leaves of Yggdrasil, so you can sell them if necessary.”

That doesn’t prove my reliability!

No, wait—before that…

“Leaffa’s feelings are the most important. It’s a pity if she’s forced into a bad marriage, but that doesn’t mean she wants to marry me, right?”

“If it’s with Halt, I’m fine with marrying.”

Wait, really?

That’s… shocking!

Although I’d refused the Elf King’s proposal earlier, it’s hard to say no to such a beautiful elf like Leaffa, especially when she’s willing.

However, even if Leaffa and I agreed, there’s still a bigger issue.

“Leaffa.”

Tina spoke to her softly.

Just as Leaffa’s feelings are important, Tina’s feelings matter even more. I want to treasure Tina above all else.

This could become a confrontation. Tina’s possessiveness is no joke.

There’s no way she’d agree to this remarriage, right?

However, I don’t want Leaffa stuck in a bad marriage either, so I was prepared to suggest a fake engagement to help her. I figured I could talk Tina into it.

“When sleeping, Halt-sama’s left side is mine alone. His right side will be shared in rotation by Youko, Mai, Mei, and Leaffa—the four of you. Is that clear?”

—What?

I don’t understand what Tina’s saying.

“Y-Yes! I understand!”

Leaffa answered enthusiastically.

What did she just agree to!?

“Also, you’ll have to do your share of the chores.”

“No problem! Although, I don’t have much experience since we had maids at the palace…”

“That’s fine. I’ll train you.”

“Lady Tina, thank you very much!”

“Yes, from now on, we’re a family who will support Halt-sama, so let’s do our best together.”

“I may not be very competent, but I’ll do my best.”

“Ah, yes, thank you.”

I responded absentmindedly.

Wait.

Does this mean I’m actually marrying Leaffa?

Ehhhh!!! Is this for real???

After that, Tina began instructing Leaffa on how to handle chores in the mansion and my food preferences, and other household matters.

“Good for you, Halt! You’ve got your second wife!”

Sylph cheered, beaming.

“Ahh, yeah…”

I could only give a half-hearted response.

──＊＊＊──

Not long after, all of my classmates returned.

“Master Sylph, what are you doing?” (Mai and Mei)

“Yahoo! I’m going on an adventure with everyone!”

“Oh, since Sylph-sama is guiding us, we won’t get lost this time!”

Ryuushin, did you already get lost?

But Sylph said the first floor is supposed to be easy to navigate...

“Excuse me…”

Leaffa tugged at my sleeve.

Apparently, she wanted to share the news of our marriage with everyone.

Do I really have to announce this?

I glanced at Leaffa, and she nodded eagerly.

There’s no way around it, I suppose.

“Well, the truth is… Leaffa and I will be getting married soon.”

“EHHH!?”

Mai, Mei, and Youko froze. They’re going to live with Leaffa soon, so I hope they all get along.

“Huh!? Wait a minute, Halt. Didn’t you just marry Teacher Tina?”

Luke stepped forward, clearly shocked.

“Why do *you* always get to marry the gorgeous ladies? And now a beautiful elf-girl, too? That’s not fair, man! How does this happen!?”

“Well… things just kind of happened…”

“You don’t just marry elf girls because ‘things happened’! And here I was thinking Leaffa was so cute!”

I felt guilty upon realizing that my best friend had feelings for Leaffa.

“Luke, thank you for thinking about someone like me, but I’d be grateful if you could give us your blessing.”

“O-Of course!”

Luke quickly caved to Leaffa’s puppy-eyed plea.

“Alright, I swear on my name as the grandson of the Sage, I’ll protect you guys and your family from now on!”

Wow, I seem to have gained some powerful backing for my family.

Luke is destined to become a Sage, after all.

Having him protect my family is reassuring.

“Thanks, Luke. If you like elves, I can introduce you to some.”

“For real!?”

Luke perked up at Leaffa’s offer. He’s a great guy. Maybe his time will come soon, too.

Afterward, Ryuka and Luna bombarded Leaffa with questions, like why she liked me in the first place.

Apparently, she fell for me without me even realizing it, which was embarrassing to hear.

Leaffa also blushed as she explained.

“Hey, let’s get back to the adventure already.”

Sylph, clearly bored, interrupted.

Well, we *are* in a dungeon. Talking about love stories in a place like this is weird, so we’ll continue this conversation at Sylph’s place.

“Then let’s go to my house!”

With Sylph leading, we resumed our dungeon exploration.