Hello. It's me, the Lucy herself.
I see there's been some mixed reactions to the last chapter. Let me explain how I see things.
For the ~93,000 words which preceded that chapter, I have been trying my best to slowly make Ainz feel certain things which he never has. The old him would've just had Neia killed, and I know that. But I do feel that after this much time, this isn't the old Ainz anymore. His loneliness is slowly being melted away. Since this loneliness is probably the single most defining thing about him, I felt that any sort of genuine companionship would affect him deeply, even though he doesn't yet realise any of this is happening. This is why I feel it was possible to stretch the character's limits like this and make him do weird stuff in that last chapter. He is changing, and this is the first time we really see these emotions influence him. It was the first time he prioritised something that wasn't Nazarick or himself.
Though it is a massive turning point for him, I really did my best to shape him with everything up until this point. If you don't feel that much was enough, please leave a review/comment telling me about your ideas! I am open to rewriting/adding entire chapters if there are constructive suggestions!
Either way, it is now time to start dealing with the many consequences of his decision.
…
Albedo was once again secretly laying naked in her beloved's bed, trying her best to think about the situation.
She simply didn't understand why he still hasn't taken her virginity.
What could the reason possibly be?
She sighed, and shifted to a different position.
She's thought about that problem every day for years, but now she needed to think even harder. She was closer than ever, after all.
But that wasn't the only completely baffling thing which occupied her mind.
A few days ago, he also said that he might take a wife from among the lesser creatures which occupied this world.
But that just didn't make sense, no matter how she thought about it. Was there really a scenario where the Supreme One would lower himself like that, just for a political manoeuvre which was surely possible even without such a step?
Maybe that way of thinking was wrong. Surely in his infinite wisdom, he would know far better than her, right?
Still, the day of that happening was probably very far away, if it would ever come.
Yes... surely it wasn't actually going to happen, right?
And if it somehow did, the idea that he would ever actually have any feelings for such pathetic life forms was something to be laughed at.
Indeed. She should focus her energy on the real problems. The others in Nazarick...
For example, why the hell was Demiurge tasked with everything leading up to the marriage application system being established? Did her beloved trust him more?
And Pestonya... was she already forgiven for her betrayal to the point where he would choose to marry her?
And then there was Aureole. To her knowledge, those two had barely had the chance to interact. And yet he chose her...
She clenched her fits.
It seems she might be in an uphill battle. There were many uncertainties now.
... ... ...
As she was waiting for the man she loved, Neia was shifting about just a bit.
Earlier today was her first time trying one of the larger toys, and it still made her private parts feel a little-
Just then, he appeared, interrupting her thoughts.
"Your Majesty!"
She got up and stepped close.
"Hello, Neia."
He outstretched his arms, inviting her to a hug.
As she of course accepted, she noted that his tone was very cheerful. From those two words alone, it felt like this might be the happiest she's seen him in a very long time.
And then, the embrace also continued on for longer than she expected, further making her wonder.
"Your Majesty? Did something good happen?"
He pulled away to face her.
"Yes, something quite good indeed. I told you during one of our previous dates that I was dealing with a certain problem. Well, everything has been dealt with."
Although she was of course happy that he was happy, it did feel a little strange not knowing why this was.
"I'm glad to hear that! May I ask what it was about?"
He chuckled. It was a happy chuckle, but also a sly one.
"That's something I very much wanted to talk about today. Among other things, of course. Shall we sit down?"
Neia had to admit she was quite curious at this point. What could it have been?
"Of course!"
As they both moved to sit down on the sofa next to each other, he grabbed her hips at the last moment, pulling her into his lap and making her blush intensely.
"Ah! Y-Your Majesty?!"
"My apologies. Was that too forceful?"
"Uhm- n-no!"
Her blush continued to deepen as he wrapped one arm around her, while using the other to hold one of her hands.
"D-did something really make you this cheery?"
"Like I said, you'll find out soon. But for now, why don't you tell me about how you have been?"
"Well… for me, everything's been great. I was practising archery again, but I don't think all the work has made me rusty at all! I can still hit all the targets, just like during the days of the Liberation Army."
"You seem proud of yourself. You should be."
"Ah, but my father would still almost certainly beat me in a proper contest. I need to train even harder."
For some reason, His Majesty seemed to flinch slightly at the mention of her father. Why would that be? Was she just imagining things?
"..."
Judging from the silence, she was not. Did she say something wrong? Maybe she should-
"Yes... very good. Hopefully you match his skill one day. I would hope that you do. You've worked very hard to get where you are."
"Thank you. It really means a lot coming from Your Majesty."
"By the way, is this another new perfume?"
"Yes! Do you like it as well?"
"I do. Though it does feel a bit similar to the one from last week, so I wasn't sure if it was indeed a new one."
"I'm glad you enjoy it! Though I suppose I can't forward you compliments to the maid who was responsible for choosing all of them..."
"You said her name... Emma, was it? And you said she was becoming more of a friend than anything else?"
"Yes! It has been just a tiny bit strange having someone so I'm getting closer with being my servant... I suppose I should promote her to head maid after all. Though I'll have to create that position first."
He simply nodded along.
But when she finished, there was a brief silence.
She didn't mind at all, of course. She looked into his eyes and smiled.
Those eyes always put her heart at ease.
"... Neia?"
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"Perhaps we should get to that thing I was talking about earlier?"
"Yes! What is it that made you so happy?"
He did not speak, instead releasing her hand, while also moving away the arm which embraced her until just now.
And then, he reached into nothingness, and pulled out a very small black box.
"Neia. I have something for you."
"Your Majesty? Another gift?"
"You could say that."
She got slightly uneasy. Just a little bit.
"Is that really necessary?"
He chuckled.
"I think you'll stop talking like that when I tell you what it is."
He used his other hand to slowly open the box.
Inside, there was a golden ring with a large while pearl socketed into it.
He brought it slightly closer to her, and was silent for a moment.
"... Neia... will you marry me?"
She completely froze up.
At that moment, she could neither move nor think.
It was as if the world had completely stopped.
The thing which pulled her out of this state was the sensation of her tears moving down her face.
She wanted to say yes, but she currently could not. She was so happy that it completely overtook her, making her weep intensely.
And so, she buried her face in his chest and embraced him with all her might.
She was never happier.
It was the best moment of her life.
So she simply cried.
She could feel his arms hugging her back.
\\\
Neia cried and cried in his arms.
He held her close, giving her as much time as she needed.
She was still crying when she suddenly pulled away so she could face him. When she spoke, her tone was frantic.
"I-i-is this r-really happening?! Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Is... t-this real?! Do you really mean it?!"
He smiled internally.
"Of course I mean it, Neia. It is time."
Her crying only intensified, and she buried her face within his robe again.
"I love you... I love you... I love you... I love you! I love you so much! I love you, Your Majesty!"
"Now now... 'Your Majesty'? Isn't that a bit strange for engaged couples?"
He could feel her grip tightening even more, and her breathing was getting erratic.
He expected an extreme reaction, but this was even a bit more than he expected.
'She cares about me this much, huh?'
...
The previous quarter of an hour mostly consisted of Neia crying until she couldn't, at which point she had to take a very long time to regain control of her breathing.
But she couldn't help herself.
She didn't think happiness could be so strong and overwhelming.
And now, she finally felt herself start to recover from the wave of emotion.
Thinking that it was probably rude to bury her face in His Majesty's robes for so long, she pulled away again, looking up with tired eyes.
Wait, did she even give an answer to the proposal? She should do that to properly confirm.
"... yes. I will gladly marry you."
He chuckled.
"Is that so? I wasn't sure you'd accept until now."
She chuckled too, only now realising that she was being silly.
"Your Majesty... I've never been happier than this... not ever... I just want to thank you. For giving me a chance... For everything. For making me the happiest girl in the world."
"There's no need to thank me, Neia. But like I said, isn't 'Your Majesty' a strange way for a wife to address her husband?"
"Ah, right! I'm so sorry! I did it out of habit!"
"Don't worry, I'm not mad, of course, but I thought that it is probably time to switch. If you want to, of course."
"Uhm... in that case... I am so happy to finally be your wife, darling."
... ... ...
Neia woke up from a very deep sleep, completely rested.
She immediately looked at her right hand to make sure yesterday wasn't a dream.
And there it was. Their engagement ring.
She looked at it for a moment before pushing it into her chest.
To her, it was one of the most beautiful things in this world. She's had it for less than a full day, but it was now her dearest possession.
That was of course because of its meaning.
When she looked at it, she saw the proof of their love. She remembered all the things they did together. Every step of the journey here… Her confession, the time he called her beautiful for the first time, their first hug, their first kiss…
But seeing that her room was already lit up quite a bit by the morning sun, it was probably high time she got out of bed.
After sitting up and stretching for a bit, she didn't waste any time going for the door.
Opening it, she saw the maid which was assigned to her for the day.
"Good morning, Your Holiness!"
"Good morning Velka. Uhm... can you tell the others to gather here after lunchtime? I think it's time for a girls' talk."
"Of course!"
"Thank you. By the way, did you already have breakfast?"
"Yes! I had some apple pie and washed it down with milk. It was really good!"
"Glad to hear that. Either way, I'll start getting ready now."
...
After her secret breakfast, followed by a bath and other hygiene, Neia was now ready for the day ahead, just in time for the talk she wanted to have with her maids.
She once again opened the door to her room, and saw all the mansion's maids gathered outside.
She spoke quickly and with a large smile, before any of the five women could greet her.
"Hello, everyone. Let's go inside. There's something I wanted to talk to you about. I have some very good news!"
"Is that so?"
"Really?"
"What news, Your Holiness?"
She looked around, and noticed that Emma was the only one who had a reaction different from the rest.
She seems to be somewhat frozen in place, staring at the new ring on her right hand's ring finger.
Neia smiled even harder. Her friend really was observant.
"Let's go. You'll all be very happy to hear it, I'm sure!"
The maids followed her inside, and after she sat down on one of the sofas, they did so as well, on the opposite one. It looked just a little cramped with their hips touching, but they were all women here, so it should be fine.
"So... Do you all want to hear some exciting news?"
"What is it, Your Holiness?"
"Your Holiness! Stop teasing us!"
She smiled, and slowly held out her right hand.
"See that? Do you know what that is?"
One after another, they froze up, except for the one who already noticed earlier.
"This is an engagement ring! I'm getting married!"
Their suspicions were confirmed, giving way to shock.
"Your Holiness?! Who is it?!"
"Who could it be?!"
"Lady Baraja!"
"B-but how?!"
She let them ask for several long seconds before finally answering smugly.
"I'm marrying His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown, of course."
And now, all their jaws had dropped. Except for one of them, once again.
"YOUR HOLINESS?!"
"HUH?!"
"W-WHAT?!"
While the deepening shock of the four was satisfying in a weird way, she turned to the only one who was silent.
"Emma. You..."
"Yes. I guessed this might be the case."
The rest of the maids were shocked for the third time. This time, Neia finally decided it was time to elaborate.
"Let me explain, everyone... Ever since we first met about a year ago, I knew there was something very special about him… besides him being the kindest and wisest ruler of all, of course. Something very... Well, I eventually realised how I felt during the second battle for Loyts, when he saved me from certain death. The situation back then didn't really allow for us to date openly, so we kept everything a secret. But as he said to me, it's time. It's time to make our love known to the world."
And with that, the maids understood and accepted the news, all five of them excited and happy for their mistress. But she interrupted before they could start celebrating on the spot.
"But let's not get carried away! Darling is still preparing to announce things publicly, so let's keep this quiet for a few more days. You can tell other trusted people, but no one else."
"Ah, seriously?"
"Yeah, can we really not tell everyone?"
"Your Holiness? How did you manage to not talk about something so exciting this whole time?"
She chuckled.
"Yeah... there were times when I almost failed to keep it a secret, honestly… it really was hard…"
The women shared some more small laughs amongst themselves.
Until suddenly, one of them spoke up in a very serious and worried tone.
"W-wait! Your Holiness! Does this mean you are the Sorcerer Queen?!"
Neia froze up.
She was so happy with the development that she completely failed to think about that for even a moment.
"U-uhm... ah, uhm... I-I don't think so?! I... uhm, no?"
She then heard one of the others muttering.
"Neia Ooal Gown, the Sorcerer Queen..."
"W-wait! I don't think that's possible! We didn't even discuss that at all!"
That much was true. Was it because it was obviously not going to happen, or was it because it obviously was going to happen?
The thought made Neia's head spin.
And what was this about 'Neia Ooal Gown'? While she thought that this sounded wonderful, that probably wasn't going to happen either. That name would come with a lot of prestige and status she surely wasn't going to be granted, since she was surely not going to be made the queen... right? At least that's what she hoped for.
... ... ...
Albedo was waiting in a room on the 9th Floor, impatiently tapping her foot on the ground.
It was the first time since she married her beloved that she needed to borrow Demiurge's intelligence. She didn't feel particularly great about it, since she considered him a rival in her love life.
But he was very far from the greatest threat. She already confirmed that he had no great ambitions when it came to getting close to her love, and he didn't threaten her wish to be the head wife who would bear the most children.
But the matter at hand was regarding the former Roble Holy Kingdom, so she had no option but to rely on him.
Just then, he opened the door to the small room.
"Greetings, Albedo."
"Demiurge..."
She waited for him to walk over and sit opposite her, something which took far too much time in her eyes, annoying her further.
"I assume this is about Neia Baraja?"
"Tch."
She clicked her tongue hearing that name.
"... Yes, it's about that filthy-... about her."
She remembered her beloved's rule against spouses fighting or insulting each other at the last moment. But did that rule really need to apply in private? Especially considering her love must also feel the same about that bitch. Surely he would, considering he has to lower himself so much pretending to care for that thing.
"Of course. That country isn't your area of expertise, after all... very well. Ask away."
"Do I even need to ask?! Surely you have the same question! Why her?! What the hell makes that worm so important?!"
Demiurge seemed to be in deep thought as he spoke.
"Hmm... I'd put quite a lot of thought into this, because my initial reaction was similar... but I assume that you could never reach the conclusion I eventually have with your lack of knowledge on the specifics of her country and religion, so let me explain. Though I could never truly hope to understand the full extent of the plan, I have identified three main things that seem easy to miss initially.
First, about this woman's religion. It seems our master has deemed it even more important than I thought it was. He likely has plans to not only continue using it to maintain permanent peace within the Sorcerer Kingdom's own territory, but also possibly to claim more in the future. I thought the Holy Kingdom might be the only nation to be conquered in such a way, but perhaps as the faith continues to spread, the same approach might be used in other places. Though I am unfortunately not sure how exactly marrying the leading figure will help this religion spread so much that he felt the need to lower himself to this extent..."
Albedo was nodding along, but also cursing herself. She should have been able to figure much of this out herself if she really tried... did she let her emotions get to her?
"... Second, we both know that Lord AInz isn't simply satisfied with ruling new territories, but also integrating them well. This is often made harder due to idiotic fear of the undead, causing panic at being led by one, making usable workers leave and other such problems. It could be that by taking a human as his equal in marriage, he plans to have this be a sort of union between the undead and the living. This could be seen as a religiously significant moment, possibly helping facilitate the faith's growth, while also being another way to maintain order by showing the people he means well and cares about the living, enough to love one."
Albedo still felt that this seemed somewhat unnecessary. If there was ever an uprising of some sort, they could simply slaughter all those who dare not be satisfied with being ruled by the greatest of all.
She was also still disgusted with the idea that he'd pretend to love a lesser creature like that, of course.
"... Third, perhaps it isn't as important that he married Neia Baraja specifically, but that he married anyone at all. He could be simply using this to show to the world that he was accepting spouses, which could have the opportunities come to him, instead of having to seek them out..."
... ... ...
Draudillon Oriculus was sitting alone in her room. With one hand, she was pulling another document from the pile. In the other, she held a glass of wine.
A yawn indicated to her that maybe she should just leave it and just go to sleep for today. She should have been able to deal with all of these, but those damn meetings took so much out of her...
Still, she was determined to do as much as she could today, so she continued reading.
It was just another standard report about the state of the war with the neighbouring Beastman Country. Well… they called it a war, but very little has happened since she was able to loan those terrifying Death Knights from the Sorcerer King. While their usefulness undoubtedly justified their cost, they were not exactly free either. Slowly but surely, the Dragon Kingdom was running out of money… and everything else…
She's been desperately looking for a solution for about two years now, but she didn't find one. Not a good one, at least.
After finishing the report which might as well have been a perfect copy of the one which preceded it on the same topic, she refilled her glass.
Maybe she really should leave it for today?
No, she can still do a few more. This was her duty.
And so, she reached for another.
Judging from which minister sent this one, it was something about another country... not something she needed to prioritise right now. Not when the internal situation was so grim.
Still, she opened it.
It was about the Sorcerer Kingdom. So it might be relevant after all...
She read on. The Sorcerer King has just announced that he was going to-
"Huh?!"
She read the sentence several times making sure her tired eyes weren't tricking her.
The Sorcerer King has just announced that he is going to marry a woman named Neia Baraja.
She recognized the name. It was that girl who led the religion which worshipped him. Some of their people were preaching in various places in the country.
How did that happen? What political reason was there to marry someone like that? She couldn't really find one. Her faith was already dedicated to him, so why would he do such a thing?
Unless it wasn't fully about politics...
Thinking about it more, she remembered being really surprised at how old that Baraja girl was. Wasn't she underage?
An idea flashed into her head.
An idea to save her country, without hopefully having to do something potentially bad like those other things she considered. But this idea needed some more information to be gathered about this whole situation.
And so, while she would have her people gather that information as quickly as possible, she also started preparing the necessary documents needed to propose to the Sorcerer King.
There would normally be no reason for him to marry the queen of a weakened and falling country, which he would then have to pull out of serious trouble and defend for many years to come. At this point, her only other hope might've been to beg for being turned into a vassal like the Empire, but she would have to accept extremely unfavourable terms, since the other side was well aware of their hopeless situation.
But if he liked underage girls… especially ones he had power over…
Although she found that type of person very disgusting, for the first time in her life, Draudillon hoped with all her heart that someone was a pedophile.
If he had such a bias, he might choose to marry her despite the drawbacks, which might just be the Dragon Kingdom's best hope.
... ... ...
Jircniv Rune Farlord El-Nix sat in his chambers, staring at the baffling document with a blank expression.
That horrifying undead was... marrying.
And he was invited to the wedding.
The Sorcerer King was going to marry that weird preacher who started a religion based around him.
But why?
If he was going to marry someone, Jircniv expected it had to be someone extremely politically powerful, or the daughter of someone extremely powerful. And while yes, that girl's religion had grown to be a great force on the continent, it was a religion which he already had control over, being its God.
And so, he struggled to understand the incredibly deep plot which must be happening behind the scenes.
Having spent his entire day thinking about it now, his mind was going to all sorts of crazy possibilities.
But there was one crazier than them all.
"What if... what if Ainz Ooal Gown actually loved that woman?"
He then shook his head, cursing his stupidity.
He was so desperate to find an answer that he was resorting to ideas this dumb? Maybe he was just too tired to think straight.
Even if that undead could fall in love... with a human, no less, would he really marry her? He'd probably just have her join his concubines. To leaders of nations, marriage was a political tool more than anything.
So it couldn't be love... not at all...
But before he could fully dismiss this stupid theory, Jircniv, probably out of desperation at not having anything else, decided to think about it just a bit more.
Was the idea that Ainz Ooal Gown could love really so wrong?
In Jircniv's eyes, the undead king was someone so utterly terrifying and inhuman that he surely couldn't have such emotions.
But there were almost certainly people who thought that way about him, too.
The same way the Sorcerer King slaughtered countless people in his conquest, Jircniv purged the nobles and many others in his own country. Both would cause their enemies to see those who've committed the acts as completely monstrous.
With that in mind, perhaps it really was possible that there was a human side to that undead, but it could only be seen by those who remained on his good side… meaning, not him.
But that was just his tired mind reaching for strange conclusions. It was surely wrong.
But if it wasn't...
His expression turned to one of horror.
If it wasn't, how would Ainz Ooal Gown react to any perceived disrespect of the woman he loved? If there was even the smallest chance that they truly were in love, he needed to act as if that was the truth. Not doing so will surely mean his death… or worse, actually.
And so, if he was invited to the wedding, he ought to bring some sort of great gift. Presenting anything but the greatest of national treasures might just seal his fate… Maybe he shouldn't just bring one gift, but several? Yes, all the treasures of the Empire combined were surely enough, right?
Wait, maybe just bringing too many gifts was bad, too? For example, if one brought a giant pile of low-quality gifts, the total value might be enough, but surely that wouldn't be acceptable. He'd probably have to get spies to look into this Neia Baraja and find out if there are any clues as to what he should bring. Maybe she had a signature hobby?
And as for the woman herself, he should probably address her with more respect than the undead, since he would surely be watching for any hints of disrespect... wait, maybe that was wrong too, since it could be considered disrespectful to him if anyone notices?
His stomach hurt. A lot.
... ... ...
Aura was dragging herself towards her home, with her ears pointing down and her posture slouched.
The young elf had enough of just about everything. It was because she spent the day with Shalltear, who was completely inconsolable.
Even now, against her will, she recalled the vampire's high-pitched complaining.
"Waahhh! Why would my love do something like that! A petty human! Aren't they so disgusting?! And I don't understand why! I want Albedo and Demiurge to explain his plans, but they would just tell me to go away, because they look down on me and think I wouldn't understand! Aura… Aura! Are you listening, Aura?!"
Just having to remember it made her shudder.
Aura herself did not share Shalltear's worry at all.
Their master surely had a genius plan as his reasoning. A plan so great none of them could probably fully understand. And even if they could, why would they? Aura was one of those who found comfort in knowing that she didn't need to think at all, as long as she followed the words of someone so much wiser than her.
But Shalltear did not share that view. Apparently Lord Ainz wouldn't want an idiot as his head wife, so she had to work hard and become even smarter than Albedo.
'Seriously, what a pain...'
But the vampire wasn't the only one who was being really weird about this whole marriage thing.
Cocytus, for example, was overly excited about all the children he was going to become an uncle of.
At least her brother didn't have any weird reaction, so she could always relax at their home.
Hopefully things would go back to normal soon… this whole marriage thing was a mess.
... ... ...
"Seriously! Why would he marry a lesser being?!"
"Calm down, Lupusregina. Surely our master has a great plan in mind."
"But I want to understand him, Yuri! I'm his wife now, after all! Right, Narbeal? Aureole? Isn't it only natural to want to understand our husband?"
The two nodded in agreement.
While that was happening, Yuri looked at the uneasy slime.
"Don't worry, Solution. I'm sure you will also become his wife soon."
"How can you say that so calmly! You don't know that! What if I did something to displease him?!"
She truly had nothing to say to that, unfortunately. And so, an uncomfortable silence followed.
This silence was broken by the quiet sound of someone sipping through a straw, making all of the sisters look in the sound's direction.
CZ was simply sitting on a sofa further away, drinking chocolate milk.
"Hey, CZ! Why are you so far away? Do you not care, or something?"
"... Not really."
This response forced a gasp out of everyone else, including Yuri. The other sisters rushed over to CZ.
"Hey, how can you say that! Lord Ainz is marrying a lesser creature, and you say you don't care?!"
"... Yeah."
"Huh?!"
"What the hell!"
Yuri sighed, feeling like she has to step in now.
"Everyone! Did you all forget that CZ is friends with Neia Baraja?"
This statement received mixed reactions. While Yuri knew about the friendship being genuine, the others still had a hard time accepting that one of their sisters had a real friendship with a human of this world.
"CZ, what can you tell us about Neia? Why do you think Ainz is marrying her?"
Yuri saw her sister immediately look down, seemingly not wanting to give a straight answer.
"... Well... it is beneficial to some plan, I suppose..."
"Eh?! So you have no idea?!"
"You should totally know something more than everyone else!"
"What the hell!"
While she wasn't sure, Yuri felt that this was a lie, and so she was the only one who remained quiet.
What did her sister know?
Was the plan secret?
What was really going on with that girl?
... ... ...
Tuare had recently heard the most intriguing yet confusing news.
Apparently, Lord Ainz was going to be marrying a human.
What little she'd heard was quite vague. Apparently it was a woman named Neia Baraja, who was some sort of important religious figure, but that was about it.
This has caused some ripples in Nazarick, similar to how him marrying the first batch of spouses did. Even when Tuare was around to hear, no one hesitated to express how disgusting it was that their master married a person from outside Nazarick, and that for him to do something like that, it must have been extremely important to his plans.
If it was Lord Ainz's decision, it must have been an incredibly wise one, of course. But that last part… was it really only to further his goals? Was he really only using that woman? Could he really not love an outsider like they all thought?
As she was thinking that, she turned the corner, and saw the person she was looking for.
She picked up her pace to catch up.
When she did, she had to resist the urge to bow.
"Lady Pestonya!"
Although she was already told that no such thing was necessary, not bowing to one of Lord Ainz's wives still felt wrong.
"Hello, Tuare. What is it, woof?"
"I wanted to ask if you knew more about the recent announcement. And about the woman in question, Neia Baraja."
Her beloved Sebas unfortunately knew very little, and so she turned to the second best person. If even Pestonya didn't know, perhaps Yuri would?
"Of course. What did you want to know?... woof."
"Uhm... maybe we should specifically meet to talk about this?"
"It is fine. I am not currently busy, so unless you have a lot of questions, I am fine with talking right here. Woof."
"Yes, I don't mean to take too much of your time! First, do you know at all who Lady Baraja is, exactly? I mean… what kind of person she might be."
"Hmm... You should definitely ask CZ if you want to know about her as a person. The two of them are good friends. I have only heard from her that she is a hard-working young woman devoted to Lord Ainz, and is a few years younger than you. Woof."
Tuare's eyes widened, and she started smiling.
So they were similar in age? She already thought that their situations were just a tiny bit similar, each falling in love with someone from Nazarick.
Could they meet? Could they become friends?
Well, maybe not friends… the difference in status between them must have been incredible even before she married Lord Ainz, since she is the first person from outside Nazarick to do so.
Still, Tuare really wanted to meet her.
"Uhm... Lady Pestonya? Do you think a meeting could be arranged between myself and Lady Baraja? But perhaps it's rude of someone like me to request something like that… could it be stressed that it is merely a suggestion?"
"I suppose I don't see the problem. I will ask Lord Ainz about this, woof."
"Thank you! And... uhm, there was one more thing bothering me. I am not sure what to think but... it seems everyone thinks that Lord Ainz is only using Lady Baraja, and wouldn't actually fall in love with one of... uhm... is... that's not true, is it? Lord Ainz is very kind, so…"
Suddenly, Pestonya looked around, before quickly stepping close and whispering right into her ear.
"Let them think that. It's better this way. It would cause him trouble otherwise. If you want the full truth, ask CZ… Woof."