Promiscuous Polygamous Siegrain

Chapter 3: Thirty-Three Children

Erza remained elusive when it came to discussing her marriage, particularly in the aftermath of the grueling Phantom Lord war that had gripped everyone's attention.

Currently, the guild is under construction and Erza has a hard time contemplating the events that went on. For one, she spent days confined to a hospital bed. Siegrain visited her, clearly concerned about her wellbeing.

To her, that is strange. They are only bound to a contract, an illegitimate one at that. Still, the way his eyes widened at the mention of Jose.

If Erza didn't know Siegrain better, she might believe he genuinely cared for her.

Erza takes a momentary respite from rebuilding the guildhall with the other mages. She purses her lips and sips her glass of orange juice, her thoughts swirling.

Was Siegrain involved in proving Makarov innocent and Jose guilty?

Day four of being married to Siegrain and her life is still peaceful. They have scarcely exchanged words since the initial day. While she spends her days at the guildhall, he engrosses himself in the affairs of the Magic Council. True to his word, Siegrain keeps himself occupied with his work, leaving Erza to wonder about the exact nature of a councilor's responsibilities.

Although Siegrain is technically on vacation, neither of them shows any inclination to spend time together. Instead, they immerse themselves in their respective pursuits. Erza delves into matters concerning Phantom Lord, while Siegrain remains sequestered in his study, doing evil councillor things she would imagine.

Mirajane's smile reaches Erza, and she comments, "I heard your husband paid a visit to the infirmary."

Husband, what a foreign term. They both are nineteen and married, so she refuses to refer to him by that title. They are too young, she reasons. They are too different. One is evil, the other is good.

One is promiscuous and polygamous, the other is chaste and monogamous.

"He did." Erza confirms vaguely, not inclined to divulge any specifics.

"Rumour has it he interfered with the court proceedings and deemed Jose guilty right then and there."

"Really?"

"Mhm. He must have saw your injuries and sought revenge."

Erza lets out a snort. "Siegrain is anything but romantic."

"I believe deep down he has feelings for you, Erza. Perhaps the marriage wasn't such a bad idea after all."

"The worst thing that could have happened to me."

"I'm sure there have been worse."

She's right. The Tower of Heaven. Every time Erza gazes at Siegrain, memories of that place resurface. It reminds her of how she was forced to abandon her friends and witness the construction of a tower for Jellal's twisted dream.

All things considered, they are equally bad because Siegrain is not Siegrain. He is Jellal, and she cannot think of him otherwise.

Mirajane raises an eyebrow. "Did you have feelings for someone else, Erza?"

"It was a while back, when I was a child."

"Oh. If it was so long ago, then I assume you don't hold any feelings for them?"

Erza responds with a crooked smile. "Strangely enough, I still think of him almost every day. Now, with my marriage to Siegrain, he's constantly on my mind."

"Siegrain did mention something about his brother. Are you in love with his brother?"

"Like I said, it was a long time ago."

"Are they twins?"

"Yes."

"Then if you find his twin, Crawford will not know the difference between the two! You can still be with him."

Erza snickers, "If I find him. Although we're not on good terms anymore, so I'd rather not see him again."

"I see."

Mirajane digs her hand in the bottom shelves at the bar and pulls out a job request. "I saved this job for Lucy and was wondering if you could take the mission with her. Apparently she's not too excited to go with Gray and Natsu."

"I'll say, they practically destroy anything."

Another voice joins the conversation. "I think the damage you inflict compared to them is tenfold."

Erza turns to find Siegrain joining her, glancing at her nonchalantly.

With most of the guild occupied with the construction efforts, Siegrain's arrival doesn't draw much attention. Those who catch sight of him dare not approach.

"Hello, Siegrain." Erza says, before directing her attention to the job request. He nods in acknowledgement, glancing over her shoulder to find her studying the job request with complete undivided attention.

"I would guess you are not too happy with my presence." His voice sends a tingling sensation through her, especially since he stands so close to her.

"Am I ever?"

He chuckles. "Fair enough. I thought I would find you here."

"Do you need something from me?"

"No, I came up to check on you. How are your injuries now?"

"All healed," she reassures him.

"May I see?"

"No."

She elbows him and he falters back, smile plastered on his face. "I suppose I have teased you enough. I actually came here to inform you that I'll be gone for a week."

"Alright."

Mirajane watches, biting the inside of her cheek. Erza in particular does not make an effort to engage in a conversation with him.

She will have to change that.

Siegrain waits for a response. When she remains silent for the next moment, he clears his throat and hands her a small envelope. "The key is in here."

Erza studies his hands for a moment. "You're going to blindly trust me?"

"You are my wife."

"Hardly."

"Yes, well, seeing that you do not have any other place to call home but the estate, I have no choice but to entrust this to you."

Erza looks back at the job request. One week. Perfect. She presses the envelope into his palm.

"I do not need the keys, Siegrain, for I will be gone for a week as well."

"Is that so?"

"Yes," she declares, shoving the job request back into his hands. He nods, pretending to read the words on the paper.

Mirajane claps her hands together. "Good thing she informed you, Siegrain. Would you be able to come and watch the play after the mission? Chairman Crawford and Yajima plan to attend as well. It's on Saturday afternoon."

"Mira," Erza grits her teeth. "I don't want him there."

"I would be more than happy to attend the play," Siegrain unexpectedly responds, leaving Erza speechless.

"Surely you don't mean that."

"Of course I do, what better way to entertain myself than to watch the infamous Fairy Tail guild perform?"

Mirajane chuckles briefly. "My, we certainly have quite a reputation within the Magic Council."

"What part of this is funny, Mira?"

"Oh, don't mind me."

Erza hears mumbling behind her and she whirls on her heel to find Laxus lounging around the guild, instilling fear in the members.

Erza clenches her fists. "That sorry excuse of a human being. Why has he decide to come only after the war?"

Mirajane frowns but gestures for Siegrain to stay put before following Erza's lead. "Please take a seat. We'll be back shortly."

Siegrain settles onto a bar stool, observing as Erza hurls a barrel at Laxus. "What did you say!?"

"I have no problem repeating myself, redhead."

The Wizard Saint takes a moment to register the man's identity. Laxus Dreyar, Makarov's grandson. True to the rumours, Laxus is overbearing and arrogant, even more than Siegrain himself.

Laxus smirks at Erza, "I don't think that's any way to behave in front of your husband. Think of the guild's reputation, Erza."

"I don't care, as far as I'm concerned your absence in the war is the only thing that will be publicized. So whether I end up giving you a bruise or two should be the least of your concerns."

As Laxus continues to provoke her, Erza's attention is drawn to Jet and Droy, who were mentioned by Laxus as he recounts the events of the war. "Those two were Phantom's personal punching bags. Even with the three of them, none stood a chance against that Iron Dragon Slayer. And then it turns out that the little rich princess was pursued by her own father." He addresses Lucy, who sits at a distance from the commotion. "You should go back to wherever you came from, little girl."

"I won't tolerate your condescending tone," Erza growls, but before she can make a move, Natsu dashes in front of her, swinging at Laxus. "No, Natsu!"

Natsu stumbles as Laxus evades the attack with his lightning speed. "Come on, Laxus, fight me seriously!"

"You'll first have to catch me before fighting me. I'm about to change this guild for the betterment. Get ready kids, your days are numbered!"

"What a jerk," Mirajane comments, guiding Erza back to the bar.

"He may very well be right. There's nobody else that is a better contender than him." Erza admits, sinking her head down in dismay.

Siegrain tilts his head to the side. "Do you truly believe Makarov would hand over the guild to him? As it stands, it seems like you're the one next in line, Erza."

"Me? Guild master?" Erza gives it a thought and shakes her head. "I would make a terrible one. Levy writes all the apology letters. One time I wrote a thank you letter for a group of mages and they came at me with weapons."

"I never knew one could mess up a letter of gratitude so severely."

"Neither did I," she notices that it is one of the rare moments where they have a conversation normally, where she forgets that her friends are still slaves to a fanatical person's dreams. "You should go; I'll be leaving shortly as well."

He notices that she shuts him out, probably after delving into her train of thoughts, so he makes no other comment to rekindle a normal relationship between them both. "Right, then, I'll see you in a week."

With that, he disappears, and she hears some guild members stop him to ask questions. He lingers around a little bit longer, but Erza refuses to look at him. She would rather he never got involved with her in the first place.

"Erza, maybe you should try getting along with him. He's making an effort at least to speak with you."

"Our relationship is irreparable," Erza says, not wishing to discuss it further. She finds Lucy drawing closer to them until she is seated next to the knight.

"Hey Erza, I don't suppose you'll be going to Onibus with us?"

"I will." She confirms. Lucy's mouth stretches into a tight smile.

"And...I'll be getting all the money?"

"Sure."

"Cash is king!" Lucy exclaims, before remembering the rumours about Erza's marriage. "I imagine you wouldn't need that money anyway, not with how rich your husband is."

"Do you like him?" Erza asks.

Lucy shrugs, "I don't know him personally, but Sorcerer Weekly portrays him as a really charming man. I'd love to get to know him someday!"

Erza silently gestures to Mirajane, smiling before turning back to Lucy. "You can have him."

"What? I-I don't like him, Erza. I would never dream of taking your husband away from you."

"I don't want him. You could say that I am giving him to you."

"Giving him...?"

Mirajane grabs Erza's arm, threatening her silently. "You don't just give away your husband, Erza. I think you need another ticket for encouraging promiscuity."

Erza's mind races to the consequences of three tickets. Crawford. Mirajane. Marriage counselling between two unwilling people.

"I was only joking, Lucy."

The blonde laughs nervously. "I'm sure, Erza."

For the week they are rehearsing, the team asks about how her marriage is going. Erza answers as vaguely as possible, leaving Lucy unsatisfied. Gray is simply curious to know how she came to marry him, and Natsu wants to fight him.

"No Natsu, I do not know how powerful he is."

"You should fight him, Erza."

"I don't think spouses are supposed to fight each other," Erza replies, unsure if they ever do. She recalls the first day of their marriage when Siegrain mentioned turning her slap into a battle.

Seeing him lose his cool is never normal to her. She has never seen someone wipe the smirk off his face as quickly as she has.

She sighs at the thought, as though disappointed with Siegrain's fragility in her presence.

After a week of practice and Happy distributing flyers, Erza finds herself face-to-face with three members of the Magic Council, including Chairman Crawford, and two Wizard Saints.

Chairman Crawford among them the worst. He takes ahold of Siegrain by the arm, chortling at their union. "I hope you haven't been neglecting your wife, Sieg."

"Not at all," Erza answers, keeping a considerable distance from Siegrain. "I think he loves me a little too much."

Crawford, with a mischievous glint in his eyes, slaps Siegrain's cheek playfully, accompanied by a smirk. "Ah, my dear Siegrain, remember what they say: 'Love in excess, and the stork won't rest!'" His words hang in the air, leaving them both aghast.

"Chairman Crawford, we've already established that children are not an option. Let's focus on the matter at hand." Siegrain politely informs, perplexed by Crawford's fixation with children.

"Yes, now onward to the balcony." He turns to Erza, grinning widely. "We will look forward to seeing you perform, my dear."

"The honour is mine, to perform in front of members of the Magic Council."

Upon hearing Crawford's conversation, Makarov nervously chuckles, finding the Forced Marriage Program to be more than a little concerning. Still, he makes no mention of it to Erza, waving at her. After all, she is married to Siegrain. "Erza, you got this!"

She simply smiles, turning to her biggest fan, the captain of the pirate crew that she had met on the way to Galuna Island.

What could possibly go wrong?

Apparently, there are many things that can go wrong.

For one, her stage fright consumes her, and she knows for a fact that Siegrain will laugh about it later.

The blonde is hauled down, tied by a rope. "Oh Prince Frederic, how good of you to come save me! I am stuck in the brute clutches of that fiend Sienhart!"

Why does Sienhart sound so much like Siegrain? Erza imagines her husband is wondering the same thing.

Gray appears out of nowhere. "I am the great Julius!"

Erza tries to take a deep breath while being trapped inside Horologium, as Lucy improvises to keep the play going.

Siegrain on the other hand has no idea what is going on because he is suffocating in the balcony space. The space can hardly fit Yajima, Makarov, Mirajane, and Master Bob. Couple that with him and Crawford and there is barely any room, mainly because the chairman takes up so much space. He takes to sitting on the railing, much to Makarov's surprise.

"Uh Siegrain, do you think that's a good idea?"

"Better than suffocating there." Siegrain affirms, observing the play while his legs dangle off the railing. While Erza is struggling to recover, everyone takes to staring at him.

Then finally, Erza exits Horologium and prepares to battle Gray. Siegrain finds her effortlessness intriguing, understanding why Gray runs immediately when she prepares to attack him. From her conversation with Laxus, she holds an authoritative position in the guildhall.

He watches carefully as Erza bends down on one knee after freeing Lucy. She extends her arm out. "Please, Lady Yanderica, let us get married and have many children, like...thirty-three."

Siegrain looks back for Crawford's reaction, but he seems unfazed.

He's about to change that.

Siegrain dramatically jumps down onto the stage, interrupting the scene. The councillors watch him in disbelief as he strides forward and interrupts the play.

His voice resonates through the theatre as he addresses Prince Frederic and Lady Yanderica. "Hold on, dear Frederic, thirty-three is hardly a challenge for us! I propose a more fitting number! Behold, my beloved, a hundred offspring to grace our royal bloodline!"

Erza, her eyes widening in surprise, gazes at Siegrain. A mixture of emotions floods her face as she tries to process the audacity of his proposal. She raises a skeptical eyebrow and settles on playing along. "Oh, Siegrain, always the one to raise the stakes. But can you handle the chaos that would ensue with a hundred little ones running amok in our castle?"

Siegrain's confident smile only widens. He replies with a theatrical flourish, "Ah, my dear Frederic, fear not. With our love and strength combined, we shall tame even the wildest of broods! Our royal legacy shall know no bounds!"

The audience, captivated by the playful banter, erupts into laughter and applause. They revel in the unexpected turn of events, thoroughly entertained by the charismatic exchange between Erza and Siegrain.

However, Crawford's fury refuses to subside. His face contorted with rage, he steps forward, his voice sharp with authority. "Enough!" he declares, his words slicing through the theatre like a blade. "You dare defy the terms of your sacred contract, Siegrain? I forbid this mockery of your marriage!"

He is running to the backroom, they realize.

The atmosphere in the theatre grows tense as Crawford's anger fills the air. Erza's eyes meet Siegrain's, trepidation reflected in her gaze.

Crawford, seething with anger, takes deliberate steps toward the stage. His commanding presence sends ripples of unease through the theatre. With a swift wave of his hand, he summons an inkwell and a sheet of paper.

Unhelpful comments float among the crowd. "Why is the Chairman of the Magic Council here?"

"I didn't know Prince Frederic was such a player."

"So he decided to elope with another man and have one hundred children?"

As the audience watches in anticipation, Crawford's voice reverberates through the theatre, cutting through the air with authority. "By the powers vested in me, I hereby issue a violation to Siegrain and Erza under the Forced Marriage Program Act!" The inkwell hovers above the paper, the quill poised to transcribe his decree.

Siegrain stares at him in bewilderment. "Forced Marriage Program Act?"

Crawford's words drip with disdain as he continues, "Yes! You dare insinuate the notion of bearing children? This act of defiance against our agreed terms is an affront to our sacred contract." The quill touches the paper, the ink flowing as Crawford's words manifest in written form.

As Crawford finishes inscribing the ticket, he holds it aloft, his triumphant sneer directed at Siegrain and Erza. Then he shoves it into Siegrain's hands. "May this violation serve as a reminder of your transgressions and the consequences of deviating from our prescribed path."

The audience cheers alongside Crawford, swept up in the moment.

Suddenly, Natsu bursts onto the stage in his dragon costume, roaring at the chairman. "You think you can just steal my spotlight like that? I've been waiting patiently, and you two just jump in here!"

He starts spewing fire, targeting everyone, particularly Siegrain and Crawford. The two of them make a hasty retreat while Erza stands her ground.

Soon, Lucy's dress is on fire. Gray trips despite himself, freezing the floor. Erza cuts up her dress in response, garnering attention from the men in the audience.

On the fourth day of their eternal marriage, Siegrain and Erza receive their second violation ticket. One more violation, and they will be subjected to doomsday, where they'll have to endure merciless marriage counseling.

Siegrain holds up the second ticket issued to them and ensures Erza is staring at him before he rips the paper apart with a satisfied smirk.

Erza mirrors his expression as chaos engulfs them. From the corner of her eye, she sees Makarov in tears, realizing that Fairy Tail will be charged with property destruction and assaulting the chairman.

All in a day's work.

The saying, "Love in excess, and the stork won't rest" suggests that if a couple loves each other too intensely or passionately, they might end up having children as a result. In case you didn't understand why Crawford said that to Jellal.