Kazuo rubbed his temples as Rin crossed his arms, staring down the four consorts who were watching him like hungry predators.
"What? You four are really becoming unhinged now that this brother of mine is letting you get close to me…" Rin muttered, eyeing them warily.
The consorts stiffened slightly at the blunt remark.
Rin continued, "The only thing you can't do is openly flirt with me in the presence of the Imperial Officials. I'll take note of when they're around just to stop you from approaching me."
A playful smirk tugged at his lips as he glanced at Kazuo. "I still believe that you should be the Emperor."
Kazuo groaned. "I already told you—I don't want it!"
Rin shrugged. "Bite me, then."
Kazuo actually considered it.
But then he remembered—Rin outclassed him in every single way.
The headmaids, watching the scene unfold, exchanged wide-eyed glances.
"…They're seriously fighting over who doesn't want to be the Crown Prince?" Emi muttered in disbelief.
"Most siblings would poison each other for that position," Fumiko added.
Yori sighed, shaking her head. "But these two? They're playing hot potato, trying to throw the title at each other."
Meanwhile, the consorts were making their move.
"Rin," Rei started, her voice firm, "you'd be a great Emperor. You're—"
"No." Rin cut her off without hesitation.
Miharu's brow twitched. "At least think about it—"
"No."
Suzuki hesitated before poking her fingers together. "…You might change your mind. After all, there's proof that you can love me."
Rin's gaze snapped to her.
His golden eyes narrowed.
"But I don't right now." His tone was calm but sharp. "And knowing that… makes me want to be difficult on purpose."
The consorts flinched.
"You four have already made my life harder." Rin exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Just by falling for a commoner and using your authority to pressure me into obeying, you've proven how much power can corrupt people."
A heavy silence followed.
Akane, who had been listening quietly, suddenly smirked.
"Well," she said, tilting her head, "I like power."
Rin sighed, crossing his arms as he lazily eyed Akane.
"Of course, you like power." He scoffed. "That said—why are you clinging to me when the current person holding more power is Kazuo?"
Akane simply smiled, her usual cunning glint in her eyes.
Kazuo immediately tried to protest, "Hey, that's—"
"Shush." Rin cut him off with a sharp glare. "You're also guilty of being a lazy Crown Prince who barely visits the consorts. Don't act innocent."
Kazuo looked away, clicking his tongue. "Tch…"
Akane's smile widened into something devilish.
"Rin… I like you because you trusted me." Her voice was smooth, confident. "That's rare for me to obtain." She tilted her head, eyes glinting mischievously. "That said, I won't hurt you when you're mine…"
Rin narrowed his eyes, but Akane continued, "And besides—you're strong in your own way. That's what makes you even more appealing."
He sighed.
He hated when she spoke like this—so smug, so sure of herself—because he couldn't even refute her words.
And worse…
"…You have the second most comfortable face to look at," Rin muttered under his breath.
The room froze.
The consorts flinched.
They slowly turned their heads toward Akane, staring daggers at her.
Akane, who had been all smug confidence a second ago, suddenly turned red.
"Rin… You… like my face?" she whispered, blinking rapidly.
Rin gave her a bored look.
"…Do I need to repeat it again?"
Akane's blush hadn't even faded when Rin's next words struck like thunder.
"Second," he had said. Meaning… there was someone above her.
The consorts stiffened.
"Oh? If you want to know who's first…" Rin's golden eyes flickered with amusement before he dropped the name without hesitation.
"It's Harumi."
Silence.
Then—
"HAH?!"
The consorts' reactions were almost synchronized, eyes wide with disbelief.
Kazuo, still playing catch-up with all the madness of the night, frowned. "Wait… Who's Harumi?"
Rin leaned back, arms crossed, and sighed. "A close co-worker in the White Flower Palace. If we're talking about trust, I trust her at the same level as the Hoshimi Imperial Family."
Kazuo raised an eyebrow. "That's… a pretty high level of trust."
"She doesn't know my real identity, though."
That was the part that stung the consorts the most.
They, imperial consorts, daughters of powerful noble houses, had been outdone by a mere commoner. A simple maid.
The worst part? Rin sounded completely at ease saying it.
Kazuo, sensing something deeper, smirked. "Do you like like Harumi?"
Rin tilted his head.
"…It's enough to say that I do." His voice was calm, as if merely stating a fact.
"WHAT?!"
"But," Rin continued, ignoring their shock, "my status is too far for her to reach." He exhaled, looking distant for a moment. "Unlike the four of you, I don't want to trouble her with that kind of weight."
A direct hit.
The consorts visibly flinched as if struck by an invisible arrow.
There it was.
Their greatest rival.
Harumi.
Not another princess. Not a noble. Not a fellow consort.
But a maid.
A girl who had been at Rin's side since he entered the White Flower Palace. The girl he trusted the most.
They swallowed hard.
But before any of them could even think of plotting, Rin's eyes sharpened, his voice turning dangerously cold.
"Don't. Even. Dare."
The temperature in the tent dropped.
"If I hear even a whisper about any of you touching her," Rin's golden gaze swept across them, "I will make sure I hate the four of you equally."
The warning was clear.
If one of them made a move, all four would pay the price.
The consorts gulped.
Even Akane, usually fearless, stayed quiet.
The headmaids, who had been silently observing, stared at the 2nd Imperial Prince.
He wasn't just a warrior anymore.
He was untouchable. A man who, even when he was a commoner, had carried himself like someone who couldn't be controlled.
And now?
Now, with his true authority in full display—
They respected the man named Hoshimi Rin.
Rin leaned back, his expression unusually peaceful.
"That said… when this Imperial Courtship is over, I'll need to tie up those loose ends."
The consorts watched him quietly.
"The White Elder is currently bedridden. He doesn't have much time left." Rin's voice was calm, but there was a weight to his words. "I'll return to the Imperial Capital once everything is settled."
He let out a slow breath.
"Still… I'll need to kill my feelings for Harumi as well."
A sharp, unpleasant silence.
The consorts stiffened.
"I can't be with her anyway. So… a goodbye will suffice."
He said it so easily.
As if his own emotions were something he could just cut away.
The consorts stared at him.
This was Rin. The one they loved. A man who never let himself have anything for himself.
Yet, his expression remained soft. Not sad. Not bitter. Just… accepting.
"…I wonder where she'll go once the White Elder passes." Rin's gaze drifted, as if imagining a future without him in it.
"I hope she gets a high-paying job—since she's actually quite skilled in many things…" He let out a small chuckle. "Except for cooking."
That earned some blinks.
"She's the worst at that," Rin continued, his lips curving into a rare genuine smile. "I often have fun grabbing her head and making her turn to look at the burnt food she made."
The consorts froze.
It was the first time tonight that they saw real warmth in Rin's expression.
Not duty. Not obligation.
Just… Rin.
A man reminiscing about the person he loved.
And for the first time, the consorts felt a terrifying sense of defeat.
Rin leaned forward, resting his chin against his hand.
"Now then… is there anything else to talk about?" He glanced around the room, noting the pensive expressions of the consorts, Kazuo, and even the headmaids.
Silence.
"...Right. About what to do after knowing that this world might be going through countless cycles."
A heavy topic. But there was no avoiding it.
"Well, informing the Imperial Family is a start," Rin continued. "Preparing them for it will lessen our burden in the future. Then it would be up to me… to find another way to save this world."
The consorts immediately protested.
"We won't let you fight alone!"
Rin paused, then let out a small chuckle.
"How?" He looked at them, amused. "With your current abilities—let's say high-tier magic—you would just be dragging me down."
The consorts flinched. They knew he wasn't trying to be cruel. He was simply stating the truth.
Rin sighed, leaning back. "I've always told you all… focus on your duties. You'll get stronger in time."
Then, his gaze sharpened.
He turned to Suzuki.
"Your standard… should be to reach the same power as your Empress counterpart."
Suzuki's breath hitched. The Empress Suzuki. The one from the other timeline.
"Forbidden-tier magic," Rin continued. "That alone shows how high your potential is. If the future didn't end, if Suzuki grew a little more, she would have attained the highest rank in magic possible for a human—Ascendant-tier."
The room stilled.
"Ascendant-tier?" Miharu repeated, eyes wide.
"That level of magic bends the very laws of the world. But even Forbidden-tier by 24 is already a remarkable speed."
Kazuo crossed his arms. "It's mostly the Hoshimi Imperial Family that reaches those heights quickly… Rin is Supreme-tier, and I'm at Master-tier."
A heavy contrast.
Rin smirked, his gaze sweeping across the consorts.
"Try your best to get stronger…" His voice was soft, but the weight behind it was undeniable.
"For the sake of the future we need to fight for."
The four consorts stared at Rin with newfound determination, their emotions deepening as they processed everything that had transpired.
The headmaids, however, watched in silent despair.
They whispered among themselves, careful not to draw attention to their mistresses.
"The natural charm of the 2nd Imperial Prince is frightening…" Niwa Yori, Rei's headmaid, muttered, her voice tinged with exasperation.
"It is," Ito Fumiko, Miharu's headmaid, agreed, rubbing her temples. "Lady Miharu was already hopelessly in love, but now…"
"Now she knows that Lord Rin personally chose her to be a consort back when he was just a commoner," Emi, Akane's headmaid, sighed. "That realization alone has completely solidified her feelings. There is no turning back."
Fujikawa Rina, Suzuki's headmaid, shook her head as she observed her mistress.
Suzuki was fidgeting—a rare sight for someone usually so composed. But now that Rin wasn't at risk of execution, her mind was filled with new possibilities.
"She's planning her next move already," Rina whispered.
"Lady Rei is the same," Yori murmured. Rei's expression was unreadable, but her grip on her sword hilt was firm.
"She's relieved Rin won't be executed, but now she's even more determined to grow stronger. I wouldn't be surprised if she sought guidance from her father. After all… does Lord Takigawa know Rin's true identity?"
"If he does, it makes sense why he allowed Lady Rei to fall for him," Fumiko reasoned.
They turned to Miharu, whose soft, loving gaze was practically shining.
"She looks like she just received a divine blessing," Emi noted dryly.
"In a way, she has," Rina admitted. "Lady Miharu already loved Rin, but now she realizes—being a consort was the best thing that ever happened to her. Rin chose her. That alone is enough for her to never waver again."
Then, there was Akane.
Calm. Smiling. But beneath the composed exterior, the headmaids could sense her mind working.
"She doesn't plan to match them in combat power," Emi observed. "But she doesn't have to. Lady Akane will do what she does best—play the long game. She'll support Rin in her own way, just as the White Empress Asami supported the Imperial Family through governance and influence."
They all shared a look.
Each of the four consorts had found their reason to fight.
And their common goal?
To make Rin take the Crown Prince position.
If they succeeded, he would be bound to them forever.
The headmaids turned to Rin.
He was already glaring daggers at the consorts, sensing the silent battle forming around him.
For years, he had used his status as a commoner to keep the consorts at bay. He manipulated the rules, made sure they couldn't approach him too publicly.
But now?
Now, the balance had shifted.
With Kazuo's full support, the consorts could approach him without consequence.
And with Rin's true identity revealed, his previous defenses had been completely destroyed.
The headmaids exhaled as one.
"We can't help him anymore," Rina whispered.
"Our mistresses' wishes… will be followed," Yori added solemnly.
"Lord Rin, forgive us…" Fumiko muttered.
"May the gods bless you, Lord Rin," Emi concluded. "You'll need it."