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The act of having an affair with a woman seeking revenge, particularly ‘infidelity,’ has historically been considered a grave sin.

Some may argue that the flamboyant womanizing of the original golden-haired scoundrel ‘Zeus’ from ancient Greek-Roman mythology (which modern law would define as a sexual crime) and the tales of heroes suggest that ‘infidelity among men was socially acceptable in ancient times!’ However, this is a narrow perspective that fails to see the forest for the trees.

When the prince of Troy, the cowardly archer who fled prior to a sacred one-on-one duel, abducted a married woman, what kind of criticism did he face?

The courage to steal the original Spartan queen is commendable, but touching a woman who belongs to someone else is an atrocity that even the politically correct ancient Greeks, who embraced homosexuality, could not tolerate. Thus, in their anger, the village chiefs of Achaea assembled fleets of hundreds of fishing boats and invaded Troy.

Those who prefer modern stories over ancient tales might claim, “Isn’t it okay in regions like the Middle East where polygamy still exists? As long as it’s not infidelity.” However, if local Middle Eastern men heard such a thing, they would likely respond with mockery like, “You go ahead and try it.”

It’s a well-documented fact that according to the Quran, a man can have up to four wives, and in reality, many husbands do indeed have multiple wives.

But God, the one true deity in Islam, has declared that if one cannot treat multiple wives fairly, then they should shut up and stay married to one wife for a lifetime.

Husbands in Arab societies, who lack the ability to balance money, affection, and marital relations (and cannot manage even a single mandatory defense duty every four days) have long sought the path of monogamy.

(Note: Let’s remember that regardless of religious laws or anything else, if a man has four wives, he’s also going to deal with four times the nagging.)

Of course, French men, who have garnered rumors of infidelity even with ex-presidents, might not care whether they have multiple wives.

A former American president, who famously stated that oral sex isn’t sex, might consider this a mere trivial escapade.

Nonetheless, based on universal social norms, acts like infidelity, having multiple partners, or polygamy remain unforgivable sins.

Thus!

“It’s a misunderstanding, I tell you!”

“Alright, alright, I get it, but can you just leave me alone, little brother?”

“No, seriously, it’s a misunderstanding…!”

Frederick, bringing two daughters-in-law at once.

What a little bastard, confirmed.

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Side Episode – I Have Suffered Through Various Schemes

The master and mistress of the Nostrim Family, Charles Nostrim and Grace Nostrim, felt an overwhelming urge to cry.

“…Oh my God.”

Charles pressed his palms against his face.

He had suspected something when his son didn’t return, claiming to be with a woman, but he never dreamed such a huge disaster would occur.

As the head of the Nostrim Family silently sobbed, the mistress called their second son to quietly investigate the truth.

“What on earth gave you the confidence to pull off such a stunt?”

“What did I even do?!”

“Don’t you still understand what you did wrong?”

Frederick looked somewhat (actually, very) wronged, but in Grace’s view, there was no one more despicable than this rascal of a son.

This wasn’t merely because their son had brought two daughters-in-law without their knowledge.

“Why on earth would you cheat… ah, let’s not even talk about it…”

“I’m telling you it’s not like that!”

In the Kingdom of Abas, where social classes exist, being romantically involved with two women at once is worthy of condemnation.

First and foremost, that’s how the law works. In a society that recognizes only monogamy, being married to multiple women is legally impossible.

In the same vein, ‘dating multiple partners’ is just as good as committing adultery, infidelity, or cheating.

Of course, nobles, especially young, vigorous ones, often found themselves in situations where they couldn’t control their lower bodies, causing all sorts of incidents and then returning to society unscathed.

In fact, among Charles and Grace’s friends during their academy days, there were many who, after getting caught sneaking around with secret lovers, briefly returned to their hometowns and then came back.

However, such behavior was tolerated solely because they were young.

While academy students might sneak around and adults could chuckle, thinking, “Well, kids will be kids,” if a university student or an adult were to pull such stunts, it would quickly lead to a tongue-lashing of, “Uh… did you perhaps learn about family ethics from a fantasy novel?”

And Frederick was no longer a minor; he was a fully-fledged adult and a civil servant drawing a salary.

In an age where infidelity could be the talk of the evening news, this reckless child managed to pull off the feat of simultaneously wooing a saint and a high-ranking official from the Magic Tower. Up close, it’s tragic; from afar, it’s still tragic.

“……”

Charles and Grace flopped helplessly onto the sofa, watching their son’s ridiculous performance.

“This is all a— it’s a complete lie, I’m telling you!”

“Sure, if that’s what you say, then that must be true…”

“How many times do I have to say it’s slander?!”

Frederick passionately insisted on his innocence, but it was for naught. What good is it to fervently proclaim his case when he had lost their trust? No matter how much truth he insisted on, it went unheard.

Common sense tells us too, right? Why on earth would a saint of the cult and a high-ranking official from the Magic Tower have any incentive to lie about being the girlfriends of the son?

And when Frederick declared his late return, his excuse had been, “I’m going to see a woman.”

Lady friends claiming to be friends visited the residence, and by the time my son crawled in late, he had brought along a third lady. At this point, it could hardly be called slander.

Rather, it was the most realistic (and closest to the truth) perspective to think that my son was straddling two boats.

“Jerry, Adela. Where are you?”

Frederick, who had been throwing a fit, abandoned persuading our parents and hurried off in search of his siblings.

“Please help me persuade them, quickly!”

The Ministry of Defense Official sent an SOS to his brother and sister, but unfortunately, salvation was not forthcoming. Quick-witted Jerry and Adela had already fled to the second floor of the residence.

In the end, Frederick, left alone in the wild, needed to clear up the misunderstanding by himself.

Could it be that his desperate plea was reaching them? Charles and Grace seemed to gradually be convinced by their son’s appeal.

Whether they liked it or not, after all, a child is a child, and seeing him so wronged made it seem like there was indeed some misunderstanding.

“Excuse me, but what is your relationship?”

“Are you referring to me? I’m Camila Lowell. I’m Frederick’s colleague! I’m sorry for the late introduction.”

“Oh… I see.”

So the redhead wasn’t an ordinary colleague? I had a fleeting thought that my son had brought home another potential daughter-in-law, but it turned out they were just colleagues.

Polite Camila explained to the elders, in a kind manner, the reason for Frederick’s late arrival. After chatting about various things, including activities in the Jamria Federation that hadn’t been conveyed for a month, they had lost track of time.

While I didn’t know the specifics (to be honest, the very name Jamria was unfamiliar to me), it appeared to have been a work-related meeting.

“I see, that explains it.”

“We weren’t aware of that!”

The royal court maid and the high-ranking official from the Ministry of Finance let out a small gasp as they belatedly faced reality.

To this, Frederick’s shy protest of “I told you it was slander!” followed, but separate from his indignation, this was also his comeuppance.

After all, why did he have to mention meeting women, leading to this misunderstanding?

Everything was a calamity he had brought upon himself, so he had to swallow it, sweet or bitter.

“I said it, but no one seems to understand… What is everyone thinking?”

Anyway, after a touching excuse finally began to see the light, Frederick could finally shake off the unfounded accusations (or not) that had been plaguing him.

“Phew, if it’s all over, please start heading back. I’ll contact the embassy now.”

Frederick set out to manage the chaos with a face that looked a decade older. He was eager to clean up this mess quickly and rest.

He planned to send the group and the duke off to a hotel or somewhere, and as he was on his way, he thought he’d better ask Ayla to pick something delicious to eat.

With quick reflexes, Frederick called his sister, requesting some kind of delicious food, not specifying what. Of course, he wouldn’t give her any money. To be precise, he said, “I’ll give it to you when you come,” but everyone knew that was a blatant lie.

Anyway.

The double trouble of two potential daughters-in-law (might be, might not be), parents getting their minds spun around on a rollercoaster ride between heaven and hell.

A teacher visibly annoyed, a disciple who could only sense the mood, a roommate who had abandoned his brother and run off, and finally, a rather awkward-looking nomad dressed in Mauritanian traditional attire, among others.

Report to the company and contact the embassy. While he was busy running around taking care of people during this chaos, he suddenly heard the sweetest, clearest doorbell ringing in his ear.

-Ding Dong.

Ayla must have arrived.

Frederick’s lips curled into a smile at the thought of finally getting rid of the unwelcome guests (his own colleagues). He swung open the front door without looking back and shouted, “Get out of my house!”

To be precise, he was about to shout that.

*

Just as he was about to yell for everyone to go home, his vision suddenly darkened.

Warmth wrapped around his eyelids like a hand, blocking the light.

“Peek-a-boo?”

The voice from behind was one he was very familiar with.

I, having opened the front door and leaned out towards my family and guests, stood there frozen in place.

A chilling silence enveloped the residence, and the sound of hair falling could be heard clearly in the hushed quiet.

No one spoke. The suffocating stillness possessed a power that even made it hard to utter a word.

After what seemed like an eternity,

With time standing still, I finally opened my mouth and offered an excuse.

Side Episode – Plagued by All Sorts of Slander – END –

 

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