The news reached me through official diplomatic channels at precisely the same time it arrived via emergency magical communication from my mother, which told me everything I needed to know about the magnitude of what Arthur had just accomplished. Sitting in my private study at the Northern palace, I found myself staring at reports that would have seemed impossible just hours earlier.
Arthur Nightingale—my friend, rival, and one of the few people whose political instincts I genuinely respected—had just announced engagements to six women simultaneously: Rachel Creighton, the Saintess I had grown up alongside, Cecilia, Seraphina, Rose, Reika and Elara.
"Magnificent bastard," I murmured with genuine admiration, setting down the official report to pour myself a drink that the situation clearly warranted. "He didn't just make strategic marriages—he created a world alliance that makes him untouchable."
