A Flat-Chest Believer Reincarnated in a World Where Women with Small Breasts Aren't Treated as Women ~ I Ended Up with a Flat-Chested Harem. - Chapter 45

The morning after the evening party, the six of us—my parents, Risty, Lyla, Kudell, and I—gathered in the dining room of the Gustique estate in the royal capital.

It was a meeting to share information about who we spoke with and what was discussed during the previous night’s soirée.

“Let’s go in order and share who we spoke with and the topics discussed. I’ll start. As for me…”

One by one, names were mentioned, but most of the nobles simply congratulated us on the pregnancy. Nothing of significant importance came up.

“The heaviest conversation was with Duke Manjula. He started with words of congratulations, but then subtly pressed for us to join the Griffis hardliners.”

“So, business as usual, then.”

“Exactly.”

Father responded to my comment. It was the same as always.

“However, the pregnancy has reduced some of the noise. The uneasy atmosphere from the wedding has subsided quite a bit.”

It was true—there were far fewer people suspicious of my marriage to Risty. Of course, some people gave me strange looks that seemed to say, “Wait, you actually managed to do it with her!?” But such things were trivial in the face of the brilliance of Risty’s beauty.

“Next up are Risty and me. Like Father, most of the people we spoke with simply offered their congratulations…”

I began listing the names of nobles we spoke with.

“Some wore unpleasant expressions, but their words were the standard congratulatory phrases. Oh, and Duke Manjula’s family approached us as well. It was Vidal.”

I reported on my conversation with Vidal of the Manjula family.

“…Vidal seems to be perfectly aligned with his father. Well, I hear he was close to his half-brother, who died in the war against Griffis, so it makes sense. Kudell, how about you?”

Father turned the conversation to Kudell.

“Uh, yes. A few of the attendees from the Green Fever presentation spoke to me. But I didn’t say much of substance. Everyone praised Lady Risty’s magic for projecting images onto the fabric. Other than that, I mostly hid behind Lady Lyla or Lady Risty. I’m sorry.”

It seemed the projector magic had made quite an impression. Unlike microscopic organisms, we hadn’t designated the projector magic as a secret.

“Hmm. From the sound of it, we’ve successfully led them to misinterpret the means of identifying microscopic organisms as pure magic. Lyla, how about you?”

“Uh, as for me…”

Lyla began her explanation. It seemed members of the Manjula faction had approached her as well. However, there were no overt remarks about Griffis—just small talk. They had subtly tried to probe for information about the state of the Gustique family, but Lyla had skillfully deflected their questions, so there were no issues.

“Partway through, Lord Alvy invited me to dance, and after that, I joined back up with my brother.”

“I heard your dance with Lord Alvy was well-coordinated and impressive. How was it?”

“Lord Alvy adjusted to my movements, so it was easy to dance with him. I had a lot of fun.”

Lyla’s carefree smile as she answered was delightful. Yes, things seemed to be going well. I had a feeling the day when Brother Al officially became part of the family wasn’t far off.

“It seems there were no major issues. I’m glad everyone handled things so well.”

Mother smiled warmly as she spoke.

“On that note, does anyone have anything that caught their attention? I have one thing.”

Father’s expression tightened slightly.

“I also have something.”

I locked eyes with Father, and we spoke at the same time.

“Duke Manjula’s faction is uncharacteristically quiet.”

Our words were perfectly in sync.

It was true that Duke Manjula and his heir, Vidal, had made some remarks. Other members of the Manjula faction had also pushed for hardline measures against Griffis. However, there was a certain lack of intensity. They weren’t playing any concrete cards, nor did they seem particularly desperate about not having any cards to play.

“You felt it too, Folca. It’s a bit unsettling.”

“Yes. We may need to prepare just in case.”

There was no telling—they might have a secret strategy in place. Of course, it could just be overthinking on our part, but it was better to take precautions while we could.

“Hmm. Perhaps we should accelerate the production of armor.”

“Agreed.”

Even just increasing the production of kettle hats—helmets with brims that could deflect arrows coming from above—would make a significant difference.

“And if you have the time, Father, I’d like to produce a few of those as well.”

I gestured with my fingers to indicate the specific item I had in mind.

“Understood. I’ll find time to work on them. Does anyone else have anything to add?”

Father glanced around the room, but no one spoke up.

“Alright, that concludes the meeting. Thank you, everyone, for your efforts.”