Taming The Villainesses novel Chapter 411

“So, Teo, what do you think? Doesn’t this one make me look a little fat? And this one... feels too thin, right? Wait, I’ll go try it on.”

“......”

“What? Still not smiling? Is helping me pick out dresses that hard?”

At Elga’s low growl, I stretched my expression into a bright smile.

“I’m absolutely thrilled...!”

Of course, Elga frowned at my exaggerated nymph-like reaction, grabbed my cheek, and yanked it straight upward.

“You were the one who said you’d help us today. It’s what you should be doing as the groom, so don’t you dare try to slack off or space out. Got it?”

“...Y-Yes, ma’am.”

She was right. Today, I was out with the noble ladies in Monarch City’s luxury shopping district, helping with wedding preparations.

To the noblewomen of this country, marriage was like one long photo shoot.

And since this wasn’t just any marriage, but a national event, there were all kinds of things to prepare and purchase.

First and foremost: dresses.

Pure white dresses.

They all looked similarly beautiful to me, but each of the five women tried on different outfits one by one and asked for my opinion.

“Teo, how about this? It’s called Nymph White. Very classical. But I also like that Pure White one over there.”

“Lord Teo, is this one... too low-cut at the chest?”

“Teo-kun, for elves this is...”

Even with each woman saying just one sentence, that was five sentences. I could feel something going wrong. And we were supposed to keep doing this for the next ten days?

I’d rather go end the Church’s civil war myself.

But this was something I had to do. The duty of a man with a harem. So I decided to accept all of their comments and match their energy without a single complaint.

No matter what they wore, I’d find them beautiful and stunning.

This was a once-in-a-lifetime wedding.

And because it must only happen once, they all wanted it to be perfect. It was going to be the greatest day of their lives. So I took it seriously too.

“First, I’ll just head to the restroom for a moment.”

Whoosh.

I slipped out of the shop and took a quick breath.

“Fuuuh.”

Filling my chest with air, I glanced around.

The capital of Angmar, Monarch City, was the largest city in this world. Naturally, there were a lot of people—among them, some so rich it made your jaw drop.

This was the noble district where those rich people frequently came and went, shopping, strolling, or dining. Normally a place where elegant gentlemen and ladies walked with smiles—it was unusually silent today.

“On another level, seriously.”

The reason wasn’t complicated.

For a day of comfortable shopping, my wives had rented out the entire noble street.

Their authority was so overwhelming, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it reached the heavens—this kind of outrageous act was actually possible.

I mean, who would oppose the queen herself ordering a road closed? With a light stretch of my body and mind, I headed back inside.

And then—

The women who had entered the store early in the morning to pick out dresses didn’t come back out until it was time for a late lunch.

***

We had lunch at the same place I’d once gone with Professor Stella.

An autumn lunch. Bread and meat on the terrace of a luxury restaurant, completely reserved for us, with a cool breeze blowing across our faces. Delicious.

It hit me then—how used to this luxurious court life I’d become. Life, it seems, is about adapting.

Though I suspected it would take a while to get used to all this noise.

“So then, wouldn’t it make the most sense to enter in the order we joined Teo? I’ll go first. Then the rest, one by one in order.”

At Elga’s suggestion, Stella frowned.

“How about by age?”

Naturally, Ayra opposed.

“Things like this should be determined by status. As queen, I should be the one to enter first. That’s proper both in principle and appearance.”

Then Mirna spoke.

“I’m used to setting orders like this, since I lived with Narmee. In my opinion...”

That’s when Narmee cut in.

“I got it! You’re all trying to say we should just enter together, right? Great idea! All five of us can enter at once!”

I wasn’t entirely sure, but they spent the entire meal debating who should step onto the red wedding carpet first. So many opinions, so much to say—no decision in sight.

Elga let out a light cough.

“Then for now, since I’m the head lady, I’ll make an executive decision. Let’s go with what Narmee suggested: all of us enter together.”

Everyone turned to stare at Elga in surprise.

She just shrugged and said, “What? Did you really think I’d insist on going first no matter what?”

Honestly, I had thought so. Elga was the kind of woman who couldn’t rest until she got what she wanted.

“I know how to yield. I do know how to share.”

It seemed Elga had grown in her own way, going through many things. Maybe becoming a mother had made her more home-oriented?

Fascinating.

People really do change, it seems. Just as I’d adapted to these lavish court meals, customs, and ceremonies—maybe Elga had too?

Mirna scoffed with a snort.

“Looks like the wild girl’s finally been tamed. Never thought the Lady of Leones would mellow out like this.”

“Who tamed who? I am the wild itself, thank you. And look who’s talking—splitting yourself into two and chattering away. Never imagined you two would be the noisy ones.”

“You’ve always been noisy. You even grind your teeth in your sleep. Very unladylike.”