Valença had her hair tied in a ponytail and was wearing a fairly casual outfit. The only piece that stood out was her skirt, which reached her ankles and had subtle floral embroidery along the edges. Her face remained serene, but deep inside, she was profoundly dissatisfied.
After all, there was an unwanted person sitting at the same table, which should have been occupied only by her and Enrico.
'Why did she have to come? And how did she find out we were going out together?'
"You're probably wondering how I found out, aren't you? That doesn't matter. The problem here is that I should have been the first to go out with my subordinate."
Serenya was sitting on the other side of the table, casting a threatening look at Valença. She wore an elegant lilac and white noble dress with short sleeves adorned with sophisticated ruffles. A thin golden belt accentuated her waist, while a short cape rested on her back, fastened with her family's coat of arms.
Both of them were also wearing the gifts Enrico had given them during the festival a few months earlier.
[She really looks like a noblewoman. She's even wearing gloves and carrying a fan.]
Enrico's expression was neutral as he watched the two stare at each other. Even he had been surprised moments earlier by Serenya's appearance.
'She literally looks like one of those fantasy noblewomen in stories who spend their time tormenting the heroines. And, from the looks of it, Valença is the heroine of this story.'
Enrico, meanwhile, was wearing a black noble outfit with a white line down the center. On his chest was a red symbol representing the Solcren Ferreira family, a gift Platina had given him after somehow discovering that he would be going out with someone that day.
Sitting calmly between the two, Enrico watched their silent staring contest without showing any concern.
Surprisingly, convincing Yumeha hadn't been as difficult as he had imagined. When he told her about the date, he thought she would try to join them too, but the girl merely looked at him with a satisfied smile, as if she had just secured first place in a competition.
'Why should I care who becomes Master's second wife? For someone who has already secured first place, that means nothing.'
Yumeha seemed especially happy because Enrico had told her everything without hiding anything. That honesty further strengthened her confidence that she would be his first wife. Besides, he had even said that he would only go out with someone if she agreed, so Yumeha had been quite happy.
'Well, it's not a lie. She really is the first.'
The three were at a luxurious café that Serenya had chosen for their date. Initially, Enrico and Valença had been about to leave for another place, but they were interrupted by the noblewoman's unexpected arrival.
As if he wanted to put an end to that silent rivalry before it got worse, Enrico began looking over the menu and sat down between the two.
"What would you like?"
"I'd like a sweetly scented tea and a slice of Sanos cake with chocolate."
"I'll have..."
Valença discreetly looked around, trying to figure out what she could order. She wasn't familiar with the establishment, whereas Serenya seemed quite familiar with the place and hadn't even needed to look at the menu.
Enrico looked at her while holding the menu.
"If you don't know the place, you can look at the menu with me. And don't worry, this is my first time here too."
"All right."
Valença blushed slightly as she moved closer to Enrico to look at the menu with him. Their shoulders touched, making her heart race.
Enrico patiently guided her, explaining the available options and helping her choose something she would probably like. With his help, the decision became much easier.
Beside them, Serenya began to pout. Enrico noticed immediately and smiled before raising his hand and gently touching her nose with his finger.
"Don't be jealous, my leader. Don't forget that you still have to compete for the position of my wife, even though you're already in my heart."
[What a desire to vomit.]
Enrico immediately understood what the System meant by those words.
'...I think it's right. I was being too cheesy and even provoking both of them.'
Despite that thought, Serenya seemed to like his words. Her cheeks turned red, and a somewhat silly smile appeared on her face as she moved even closer to Enrico.
Both girls were happy to be with him, but at the same time, they were irritated that they had to share him during the date.
Serenya stuck out her tongue at Valença while holding Enrico's arm. Not wanting to be left behind, Valença shot her rival a cold look and held his other arm.
[Why are these two already acting as if they're dating him and only competing for first place? They should be competing to see who gets to be with him, not accepting that they're already part of a harem.]
'I've already explained that, in this world, this is normal among exceptionally powerful people or when alliances are involved.'
Naturally, both parties needed to agree to this kind of relationship. One example was the Circle Nine mages. Among them, only the emperor of Tsuyokuni had three wives. The others generally preferred to marry people who could bring them benefits, whether through power, influence, or alliances. They were quite proud, so they wouldn't be with someone weaker than themselves.
This was Valença's first time at such a luxurious café. To be honest, she had never drunk tea the way nobles usually did.
'Be careful, Valença. You can do this, even with Enrico watching you.'
As the two enjoyed their drinks, Valença accidentally let her cup slip, spilling some tea onto her clothes. The situation would have been even worse if Enrico hadn't caught the cup in time, preventing the rest of the liquid from spilling.
"How troublesome. I'll have to teach you how to drink tea properly in the future."
Valença immediately became happy at those words.
Enrico took a cloth and carefully wiped Valença's clothes, maintaining a serene expression as if there were nothing concerning about the situation.
Serenya, who had initially intended to mock her rival, ended up remaining silent. Then she spilled a little tea on her own glove.
"Subordinate, I got myself dirty too. Could you help me clean it?"
"Of course."
Enrico took her hand and carefully cleaned the glove.
To Serenya, Enrico was practically already her husband. Whenever she saw him treating her with such attention, she couldn't help imagining a future in which the two of them would start a family, even if she had to put up with those other insufferable girls around him.
When the cake arrived, the three finally began to truly enjoy their date.
Small disputes between Valença and Serenya continued to arise from time to time, but Enrico always intervened whenever he noticed that things were about to get out of control.
Gradually, the three began to find a pleasant harmony at the table. Despite their rivalries, their company worked thanks to Enrico, who managed to keep the two in balance.
Later, Enrico asked Valença to choose their next destination, since Serenya had decided where they would go first. After thinking for a few moments, Valença took them to a library. There, she began showing Enrico the stories she had loved most since childhood.
She wanted to share an important part of her life with him, showing him the books that had sparked her imagination when she was a child.
Her happiness grew when Enrico chose one of the volumes to take with him and read that night.
Serenya also joined in, asking him to choose some books she could read. Enrico picked up a book with a picture of a princess on the cover and handed it to Serenya.
"This is one you'll like. It's called The Tale of the Arrogant Princess."
"Arrogant princess? Don't tell me you're comparing the character to your leader."
"Yes, I am. After all, that's exactly why I like this story."
Serenya paused for a moment, holding the book firmly between her fingers. Then she brought the volume to her chest and smiled, blushing as her hair partially concealed her eyes.
"Thank you."
"Thank me after you've read the story."
Watching the exchange between the two, Valença firmly squeezed Enrico's hand and began showing him her next favorite book, refusing to be left behind.
The three spent as much time as possible in that place, talking about stories and authors. When they finally left the library, each was carrying a different book, and Enrico had also recommended a book for Valença to read.
"Now I think it's my turn to take you two somewhere."
Enrico held both their hands and began running, leading them toward a different destination.
When they arrived at the academy, he looked around to make sure no one was nearby. Then he placed a piece of paper on the ground and activated his magic. The next instant, all three disappeared from the spot.
"Where are we?"
"You could say I come here from time to time, Princess. When the sky is without stars, I like visiting this place to spend some time thinking about nature."
The place was a field filled with flowers, with fireflies flying among them and softly illuminating the surroundings.
Enrico asked the two to lie down and pointed toward the sky.
As soon as they raised their eyes, both were amazed by the number of stars covering the vast expanse above them. The celestial glow spread across the horizon, forming a landscape so beautiful that it seemed to have come straight out of a fairy tale.
Enrico had discovered that place a week after the vacation and, since then, had enjoyed visiting it occasionally.
He also lay down on the ground, with one girl on either side of him. Then he raised his hand and pointed at the stars.
"One fun thing you can do is observe the stars carefully and connect them, drawing lines in the air with magic. If you do it correctly, you can form shapes."
Enrico moved his finger, leaving a trail of fire across the sky. As the lines connected, the two were able to make out the shape of a rather cute lion.
Excited by the discovery, both began doing the same.
"You're right! Mine looks like a dragon."
"Let me see!"
"Subordinate, look at mine too! I created a princess, and she's much better than a dragon."
Valença shot her a murderous glare.
"Please, Lady Serenya. Even you don't believe that."
The two began arguing over whose drawing was better, while Enrico watched the figures they had created, enjoying their competition.
The day was coming to an end, but the three had enjoyed their date quite a bit, despite Valença and Serenya still being unable to get along with each other.
While the two continued creating new drawings in the sky, Enrico turned his attention to a region where there were no stars.
'I really do prefer it when this sky is empty...'
He remained silent for a few moments, contemplating that dark part of the firmament.
'Well, today was a good day for them and for me too. Thank you for this day...'