At first, Valenia didn't feel like talking to them that much because of what happened in the last group, but later she realized that the two groups weren't the same at all. At least that was what she felt after observing them.
They'd come up with this voting system, which was kind of interesting when she thought about it. It wasn't some big dramatic decision born from distrust or fear of someone turning into a tyrant. No, it was simpler than that. None of them thought they were cut out to be a leader. Not a single one had any real experience guiding a group, and honestly, none of them seemed eager to try. So instead of picking someone to take charge, they just shrugged and decided everything would be settled by a vote.
In Valenia's opinion, the idea of individual voting in theory sounded good, everyone getting a say, no one's voice drowning out the rest. But in reality, if a person were charismatic or manipulative enough to influence others, then the vote would still favor that person's choice. However, it wasn't necessarily bad. In the end, it still depended on people. No matter what kind of system people established, if the people involved with it were bad, then the outcome would still be bad. There was no perfect system.
For now, these ladies didn't stir any unease in her. She kept watch anyway, always scanning for that flicker of trouble—the kind of sour feeling Ghossy used to radiate back in the old group. If any of them showed even a hint of that bad vibe, she wouldn't hesitate to immediately stay away from them. Now that Slashy was with her again, loneliness wasn't a problem anymore. However, that would be after getting her food, of course. Her stomach growled faintly, a reminder of the prize she wouldn't let slip.
Ayaya's tone cut through the chatter, bright with surprise. "Ayaa? Hold up—you're married? Wait, wait, wait. Aren't you an Alchemic Knight? I thought your whole deal was devoting your life to your madam alchemist or something."
"Heheh, not a big deal. I'm married to the same man as my madam," Valenia scratched her head, feeling awkward. Her cheeks warmed slightly, unused to spilling personal details like this.
She never had girl talk like this. It was different from the ones she had at home, where a lot of the talks were about defeating Leyvi in the night battle or some other strange things. A flicker of those wild conversations flashed through her mind, making this feel tame by comparison.
"What? You're serious? How does that even happen? Your madam didn't mind? What's your husband—some ancient cultivator, the strongest old geezer in your region or something?" Saloma asked, her mouth unfiltered. Valenia's madam was a young Grandmaster Level Alchemist. She couldn't fathom how a woman of her caliber would be fine sharing a husband with her subordinate.
If it were in her kingdom, women of high status would never share a husband unless the husband possessed far higher status and achievement. But of course, there were exceptions to everything, so Valenia's madam might belong to that exception.
Ayaya, Megumin, and Ziana had similar thoughts as well. After all, they were all ladies of high status.
Valenia rolled her eyes. What do you mean by old cultivator? Do you think I'm that desperate?
"My husband's still young," Valenia added, her voice firm. "He's the same age as my madam." She didn't want them spinning off into even wilder assumptions about some wrinkled old sage.
That only stoked their curiosity higher. Saloma tilted her head, eyes glinting with interest. "Then is he a prodigy of some kind?"
Valenia paused, letting the question settle. A prodigy? She mulled it over, picturing Leyvi in her mind. Her cheeks warmed suddenly as an unbidden thought bubbled up—Leyvi's talents in the bedroom. That man's holy rod had been a force of nature for years, leaving a trail of conquered ladies in its wake. That's got to count for something, right? She bit her lip. Should I tell them? Maybe I could let them try that holy rod replica we made, just a taste of his power. Her mind spun for a moment before she caught herself. No, no, what am I thinking? They're innocent maidens—they'd never recover from that. She shook her head, chasing the idea away.
What else, then? His absurd willpower, maybe—how he could grit his teeth through hellish pain like it was nothing. That's prodigy-level, isn't it? She frowned, testing the words in her head. "My husband's a prodigy at taking beatings." Or maybe, "He's a genius at self-harm." No, that sounds awful—there's no way to spin it right. She sighed inwardly, giving up the mental tug-of-war.
The four ladies watched her, their curiosity deepening as her face flickered through odd expressions—blushing one second, grimacing the next. Ayaya raised an eyebrow, but it was Saloma who broke the silence again. "What's with the weird faces?"
"Ahem," Valenia coughed, brushing it off. "My husband's just a normal guy, honestly. He was my madam's childhood friend. They grew up together and got married."
Megumin's eyes lit up, her hands clasping dramatically. "Wow, so romantic! Marrying your childhood friend? That's straight out of a novel! They must love each other so much—ahh, I can see it now, the perfect scene. I wish I had a childhood sweetheart to sweep me off my feet."
Her performance was in full swing, arms waving like she was staging a play. Then, mid-gesture, she froze, her gaze snapping back to Valenia. "Wait a minute. How did she let you share him if they're so in love? Shouldn't she be possessive? Oh no—don't tell me he's some womanizer, and your madam's just the quiet, submissive type who puts up with it. Poor thing, she doesn't deserve that…"
Valenia rolled her eyes again, a tired laugh bubbling up. These ladies and their imaginations—they flipped from swooning to scandal in a heartbeat. "You lot sure love to run wild with a story," she muttered.
"Actually, my madam was the one who encouraged me to join the harem, including the others. In most cases, my husband is the submissive one, going along with her wishes. Back then, she tried to recruit many ladies to join our household left and right. Recently, her habit of recruiting has become less frequent. Not because she lost interest in expanding the harem, but because she has increased the recruitment standards," Valenia cleared the misunderstanding.
The ladies were dumbfounded. The madam was the one who delivered lady after lady to her husband? Their jaws dropped slightly, a stunned silence hanging between them.
Saloma was the first to recover, her brow furrowing. "Is your madam… alright? Why would she even do that?"
"My husband and my madam are both orphans. She said she wants a bigger family, so she does it like this," Valenia said. Her tone softened, a flicker of Anda's warm smile passing through her mind.
The words settled slowly, like dust after a storm. Megumin's gaze softened, her usual theatrics pausing as she took it in. "Is that so?" she breathed. "Haa… Valenia, forgive me. I had her all wrong at first—thought she was some oddball, piling up wives for no good reason. But now… now it makes sense. She's just a girl who wanted a full house, and she didn't care about keeping her love or her happiness all to herself. She shared it instead. Sigh… your madam's something special. I've never laid eyes on her, but I already admire her." Her voice trembled slightly, and she fanned her face with a hand, teetering on the edge of a grand performance—but this time, it carried real weight.
After Megumin's dramatic performance, Saloma, Ayaya, and Ziana also seemed to be touched by the story.
---
Three days later, Lumine finished cooking all the meat for Valenia. She handed over a space bag containing all the food inside. Her arms crossed with a satisfied huff, a flicker of pride gleaming in her eyes as she watched Valenia take it.
Valenia took the space bag and inspected it. Inside was full of delicious-looking food, enough for her and Slashy to eat every day for several months. If she ate them sparingly, it could last years! Now she didn't have to endure her plain roasted meat anymore. Her stomach practically cheered, a wave of relief washing over her at the thought of banishing bland meals.
"How's that? These are your compensations. You really made me work so hard for this. Now we're even! I already did my best preparing all these, even in this lacking condition. Ten different demonic beast meats, ten different styles. Do you want me to explain all the dishes in detail?" Lumine asked. Her voice carried a hint of exhaustion, but the undertone of triumph was unmistakable.
"No, no, no. No need. I don't know anything about cooking, so it's useless even if you explain," Valenia rejected, waving her hands.
"Hmph, figures. Now, how about you test the food for yourself? As a Spirit Gourmet Maestro, I always need feedback to improve myself," Lumine suggested.
Heh, I can't wait to see your face when you realize what real heavenly flavors are! Lumine could already imagine Valenia's face—wide-eyed, humbled, and awestruck.
"Sure," Valenia nodded. She was hungry and craved good food anyway, so why not?