“First love… you say? My… first love…”

I trailed off with a benevolent smile.

Even I, proud of my acting talent, struggled to stem the cold sweat trickling down my spine.

‘It seems I have to tell them…’

Dorothy, Luce, and Alice had rushed over, no, flown over as soon as they heard about my first love issue.

A topic I had hoped to keep hidden forever had inevitably surfaced.

Thus, the question ‘Who indeed was Isaac’s first love?’ sharply took its place in their consciousness.

Above all, the answer to this question was of a higher order than ‘Was Amy Holloway truly Isaac’s first love?’. Their reaction was understandably convincing.

“Yes, I’m quite curious. Depending on who your first love was, it might even affect the pecking order among these kids, right?”

Alice spoke in a gentle, natural tone, stirring the emotions of Dorothy, Luce, and Kaya.

‘Alice, you rascal…!’

Pouring oil on the fire, indeed…!

Alice herself was confident she wasn’t my first love and seemed to be leisurely enjoying the situation.

She must have known how emotionally difficult this was for me… It was quite malicious.

“Mr. President? You don’t have to answer…! This sister here doesn’t really need to hear it, okay? Of course, I’m curious, but it doesn’t matter if you say I was your first love, right?”

“Isaac, please answer. Then I’ll forget everything Amy Holloway said.”

“Mr. Isaac…?”

The hopeful gazes of Dorothy, Luce, and Kaya weighed heavily upon me.

It was a testament to their love for me, which was gratifying, but the pressure was undeniable.

No matter who I named as my first love, they would all be unable to hide their disappointment. It was like putting a dent in a marriage that hadn’t even started yet.

Is this the weight one must bear when wearing the crown of a harem?

…No.

“…It won’t do.”

“Huh?”

“I guess this won’t work after all.”

If they were going to push me this far, I had no choice but to resist.

Especially Alice, I didn’t want to play into that guy’s tricks.

Unknowingly, a chill seeped into my sigh, and the atmosphere dipped.

Everyone swallowed their breaths. Kaya released our interlocked hands and clasped hers together politely.

Were they all watching me?

I wasn’t angry, but… they all seemed too compliant.

“There are things I don’t want to answer too.”

I said as gently as I could, with a calm smile.

“You’re all going to be my wives, aren’t you? So I think we shouldn’t bring up this topic.”

“……”

“Wasn’t that a bit harsh?”

Silence lingered for a moment.

Dorothy touched her witch hat and laughed awkwardly.

“Nyahahaha…! Really, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I didn’t want this kind of mood, you know…?”

“Me too. I think I was a bit harsh. Sorry.”

Alice apologized cheerfully.

“…Yeah. I think I was a bit too cold.”

Lucy shrugged one shoulder, closed her eyes, and sighed.

“I have committed a sin. I’m sorry, Isaac.”

“No, I didn’t mean to get an apology… I usually prefer meeting you all over a class reunion…”

“Ah, is that so? Good for you?”

“Huh?”

As if she knew this would happen.

As if she had been waiting, Kaya hugged my arm.

“So, Isaac, may I ask for forgiveness?”

“Forgiveness?”

“Yes, with this insignificant body of mine…”

Kaya’s soft yet sinister voice crept up stealthily, secretly shaking my eardrums.

What was the flow… It was hard to understand.

Had Kaya intended to steer the mood this way from the start?

“Why are you bringing that up now?”

Dorothy narrowed her eyes in disbelief and asked.

Suddenly, Kaya’s expression turned cold. She glared sharply at Dorothy.

“Senior Dorothy. Did you do it with Isaac while I was away?”

“What…? Do, did it? What does that even mean…!?”

Startled, Dorothy quickly avoided Kaya’s gaze.

Typical Dorothy. Her attempt at playing dumb was terribly unconvincing.

“Lucy Eltania, you too.”

“Yes.”

At Lucy’s curt reply, Dorothy was momentarily stunned, then exclaimed, “Yes!?”

She seemed quite shocked.

Hadn’t she guessed last time that Lucy and I had a physical relationship?

“So, it was true after all…”

Dorothy murmured to herself in a low voice.

Apparently, she had trouble believing what she had suspected.

“So, our vow of premarital purity was meaningless after all?”

“How naive. That’s why you were always second best.”

Lucy, Lucy…!

That’s a taboo…!

“Ah?”

Kaya let out a small laugh.

Unexpectedly, her reaction wasn’t intense.

“Is that so? Always the runner-up… Hearing such words from you brings back memories.”

“What?”

“The person who couldn’t even remember me, now you can at least recall who I was. You’ve learned how to intentionally scratch my nerves?”

Somehow, Kaya didn’t seem too upset.

“Does that mean I’ve become someone you care about to that extent?”

“…Positive thinking. Think what you will.”

“Heh.”

Luce was at a loss for words.

“By the way, Isaac…!”

Kaya turned her head towards me, puffed up her cheeks, and sulked. The ends of her eyebrows raised. She had a pouty face.

“You’ve been working hard, haven’t you? In my absence…”

“I’m at a loss for words…”

“It can’t be helped. It was my fault for leaving my spot. It was bound to happen anyway.”

From noble mtl dot come

Whether it was an act or not, Kaya’s lips soon curved into a smile.

“And you don’t have to reveal who Isaac’s first love was. It’s meaningless, such things.”

“?”

For some reason, Kaya wore a smile unique to a victor.

Suddenly, a psychology I hadn’t been aware of tread upon my mind.

Kaya, this girl.

Why is she so sure she was my first love…?

Perhaps because of that, even though I had shared a deep love with Dorothy and Luce first, it felt like it ended with just a slight regret.

“Now, those of you who broke the promise, how about giving up your seats for today?”

Kaya leaned her head against me and spoke firmly to Dorothy and Luce.

“Today, I’m going to monopolize Isaac.”

Kaya’s unilateral declaration continued.

“Monopolize!? All of a sudden?”

“……”

Dorothy reacted violently, and Luce sent a cold glance.

“It’s okay for today, right, Isaac?”

I had intended to lead the mood until just a moment ago…

Somehow, I felt like the flow of the conversation was going exactly as Kaya, the monopolist, had aimed.

I didn’t particularly dislike it, so I didn’t think to say anything.

“Well, if everyone agrees.”

After all, Dorothy and Luce could return to Düpendorf at any moment.

From the start, neither of them had any connection to this reunion, nor the intention to attend.

They had rushed here, harboring misunderstandings, only to confront me.

“So that’s how it is… How amusing.”

Alice wore a meaningful smile.

“Well then, sweetheart, enjoy your time. I’ll be taking my leave.”

Alice turned her back and began to walk away, drawing everyone’s gaze towards her.

“It was a pleasure to see you, even if just for a moment today.”

“Wait, you’re leaving already?”

“There’s still so much to do. But I might drop by from time to time? Seeing my darling has made me lose a bit of my self-control.”

“Self-control…?”

“Take care.”

At that moment, a secret communication spell was cast on my ears. It was Alice’s magic.

[Have fun with the rest of them. In the end, you’ll only have eyes for me, won’t you?]

A voice that resonated only in my ears.

A clandestine yet meaningful statement.

Soon after, the communication spell was lifted.

“What are you saying… Come back soon, please. I want to see you too.”

Without even a glance back, Alice waved her hand and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

“The most bothersome meddler is gone now.”

“Meddler?”

“Never mind. Now, Master Isaac~. I’ll clean the inside of the hideout with my wind magic~.”

“But there are still kids left?”

Dorothy and Luce were staring intently at us. Unable to refute Kaya’s words, they stood there dumbfounded.

“Actually, that’s better.”

Whoosh!

Kaya used a simple wind elemental spell inside the hideout. Following her precise control, the wind swept up the accumulated dust and sent it flying out the window.

Kaya’s indigo hair fluttered in the breeze.

Then, her blood-red eyes looked at me, a playful smile on her lips.

“Guess I’ll have to moan even harder, huh?”

“……!”

Dorothy and Luce’s eyes widened in shock. It was a sight to behold as Kaya, who was weaker than them, landed a solid hit.

Kaya glanced at the two women and smirked.

She intended to vividly share with them the sounds of our love.

“President…”

“Did you think I would just sit by and eavesdrop?”

Dorothy trembled, unable to continue speaking, shocked, while Luce looked at Kaya with a scornful gaze.

Unyielding, Kaya frowned and scoffed.

“Are you implying you want to interfere with Sir Isaac’s grand affair? Luce Eltania, as someone who will also be Sir Isaac’s wife, shouldn’t you refrain from causing such trouble? I wonder how disappointed Sir Isaac would be…”

“……”

“Even though you were the first to do so. Please stop being so selfish. It’s irritating every time I see it.”

Kaya snorted with derision.

Luce’s eyes lost their vitality.