The political tension in the kingdom began to thicken. While the formal engagements with Liselotte and Roanna were met with mixed reactions from the court, Serenil maintained his composed demeanor, outwardly unaffected by the storm brewing beneath the surface.
However, deep inside the palace, whispers of betrayal and unseen enemies began to circulate. Serenil's instincts, sharpened by decades of experience from his past life, told him something darker loomed ahead.
In the dead of night, he summoned the three beastkin girls—now loyal attendants, warriors, and companions. He had trained them in secret, and under his tutelage, they'd grown into deadly shadows of the palace, serving as his eyes and ears.
"Keep your guard up," he said quietly as he examined maps and letters stolen from intercepted couriers. "There are more who fear me than love me. And more who want me dead than want me wed."
"We'll protect you, Master Serenil," the fox girl—now named Zera—promised, bowing low. Her sisters, Mira and Yufi, followed suit.
As the sun rose the next day, Serenil stood on the palace walls, watching the banners of the Mermaid and Vampire kingdoms flutter in the wind. The engagements had prevented war, but the peace was fragile.