I woke up to the sound of arguing outside my door.
"I'm going FIRST," Sera hissed.
"You can't just CLAIM first!" Aria whisper-shouted back.
"I literally claimed it last night!"
"That's not how confessions WORK!"
**[SERA]: I prepared a whole speech. Practiced in the mirror. I'M GOING FIRST.
**[SISTER ARIA]: I prayed for guidance ALL NIGHT. The Goddess told me to go first. Probably. Maybe. I'm interpreting divine will as "me first."
"Ladies," Eliza's calm voice cut through, "you're both being ridiculous. Obviously, I should—"
"YOU?!" they both said in unison.
"You can't just use rank to cut in line!" Sera protested.
"That's EXACTLY what rank is for," Eliza countered.
**[ELIZA]: ████ I'M THE ██████ OLDEST ████ MOST EXPERIENCED ██████ I SHOULD ████ GO FIRST ██████ BEFORE I ████ LOSE MY ██████ NERVE ████
I buried my face in my pillow.
This was a nightmare.
A romantic, comedic, terrifying nightmare.
"What if," Aria suggested, "we draw straws?"
"STRAWS?! This is a confession, not a raffle!"
"Do you have a BETTER idea?!"
"Rock paper scissors!"
"That's even worse!"
**[SERA]: How did my carefully planned romantic confession turn into a lottery?!
**[SISTER ARIA]: The Goddess is testing me. This is divine punishment for all my assassination missions. It has to be.
I dragged myself out of bed and opened the door.
All three women froze mid-argument, suddenly looking guilty.
"Good morning?" I offered weakly.
"GOOD MORNING!" they said in unison, too enthusiastically.
**[ALL THREE]: Act natural. NATURAL. Why is natural so hard?!
"We were just... discussing... the schedule," Sera said.
"For today's meetings," Aria added.
"Very important meetings," Eliza finished.
**[SERA]: That was the worst lie I've ever told. I'm a SPY. Why can't I lie to him?!
**[SISTER ARIA]: The Goddess teaches honesty. But this is REALLY inconvenient timing for that lesson!
**[ELIZA]: ████ SMOOTH ELIZA ██████ REAL SMOOTH ████ HE DEFINITELY ██████ BELIEVES THAT ████
"Right," I said. "Important meetings. About... feelings?"
All three went bright red.
"ADMINISTRATIVE FEELINGS," Sera blurted out. "About administration!"
"Budget... emotions?" Aria tried.
"Strategic... sentiments?" Eliza attempted.
**[ALL THREE]: ABORT. MISSION FAILED. RETREAT.
There was a long, awkward silence.
"Breakfast?" I suggested desperately.
"YES. BREAKFAST. EXCELLENT IDEA," they agreed immediately, fleeing toward the dining room.
I followed, already exhausted and it wasn't even 8 AM.
Breakfast was a warzone.
Not of swords and magic, but of passive-aggressive helpfulness.
"Kyle, you need more protein," Sera said, piling bacon onto my plate.
"Actually, a balanced meal is more important," Aria countered, adding fruit.
"He needs carbs for energy," Eliza said, depositing toast.
**[SERA]: If I take care of him BETTER, he'll notice me more!
**[SISTER ARIA]: If I provide SUPERIOR nutrition, he'll appreciate me more!
**[ELIZA]: ████ WHY AM ██████ I COMPETING ████ OVER BREAKFAST?! ██████ THIS IS ████ RIDICULOUS ██████ ...BUT I'M ████ STILL DOING ██████ IT ████
My plate was now a mountain of food.
"I can't eat all this," I protested.
"You need your strength!" all three said simultaneously.
They glared at each other.
Marcus, who'd been given a guest room for his safety, watched this unfold with undisguised fascination.
**[MARCUS]: This is PEAK drama. It's like a stage play. 'The Three Suitors and the Oblivious Lord.' I could sell tickets.
"So, my lord," Marcus said, trying to be helpful, "which lady are you meeting with first today?"
The temperature dropped twenty degrees.
**[MARCUS]: Oh no. Oh NO. Wrong question. VERY wrong question. Why did I say that?!
"I... haven't decided?" I said carefully.
"Perhaps we should let Kyle decide," Aria suggested with a sweet smile that promised violence.
"Yes, let's hear who he WANTS to talk to first," Sera added with equally threatening sweetness.
"I'm sure he'll make a LOGICAL choice," Eliza said, her tone making it clear the "logical" choice was her.
**[SERA]: Pick me pick me pick me—
**[SISTER ARIA]: Please choose me I prepared SO MUCH—
**[ELIZA]: ████ IF HE ██████ DOESN'T PICK ████ ME I'LL— ██████ WAIT NO ████ BE MATURE ██████ BE PROFESSIONAL ████
I looked at three pairs of expectant, hopeful, slightly desperate eyes.
And panicked.
"I need to... check on... the thing! The important thing! In the place!"
I bolted from the dining room.
**[ALL THREE]: HE RAN AWAY.
"Did he just—"
"He RAN—"
"From all of us—"
**[SERA]: STRATEGIC RETREAT. He's using MY tactics against me!
**[SISTER ARIA]: The Goddess teaches patience. APPARENTLY I NEED MORE PRACTICE.
**[ELIZA]: ████ COWARD ██████ ADORABLE COWARD ████ BUT STILL ██████ A COWARD ████
I ended up hiding in the library.
The LIBRARY. I was a Lord Governor hiding from romantic confessions in my own estate's library like a teenager avoiding chores.
"This is pathetic," I muttered to myself.
"Extremely pathetic," a voice agreed.
I jumped.
Marcus had followed me.
**[MARCUS]: He looks so lost. Poor guy. Three beautiful women want to confess their feelings and he's HIDING. I'd kill to have this problem. Actually, people ARE trying to kill him. Different problem.
"Marcus, what do I do?"
"About the three women who are clearly in love with you?"
"Yes!"
"Well..." Marcus sat down, looking thoughtful. "You could talk to them? Individually? Like they asked?"
"But what do I SAY?!"
**[MARCUS]: He's panicking. The legendary Lord Henderson who defeated Duke Blackwood is panicking over ROMANCE. This is incredible.
"The truth?" Marcus suggested. "Do you... have feelings for any of them?"
I thought about it.
Sera, who'd gone from trying to kill me to protecting me with her life. Whose chatbox showed constant worry about my safety mixed with genuine affection.
Aria, who'd questioned her entire purpose for me. Whose faith was now split between the Goddess and... me, apparently.
Eliza, who'd been alone for ten years and found companionship again. Who understood Earth, understood me, in ways nobody else could.
"All of them," I admitted quietly. "I have feelings for all of them."
**[MARCUS]: ...HAREM ROUTE CONFIRMED. This is either the best or worst decision ever. Possibly both.
"Then tell them that," Marcus said simply.
"I can't just—that's not—how do I—"
"My lord, with respect, you faced down assassins, corrupt nobles, and a literal Lich. Three confessions shouldn't be scarier."
"Assassins are EASIER! They just want to kill me! These three want to... to..."
"Love you?"
"EXACTLY! That's terrifying!"
**[MARCUS]: He's more afraid of love than death. That's either really sad or really funny. Both. Definitely both.
Before I could spiral further into panic, the library door opened.
Sera stood there, arms crossed.
"Found you."
**[SERA]: He's been hiding for TWO HOURS. In the LIBRARY. He hates reading! This is serious avoidance!
"I wasn't hiding—"
"You were absolutely hiding." She walked in, closing the door. "Marcus, out."
"Yes ma'am!" Marcus fled immediately.
**[MARCUS]: I'M NOT GETTING INVOLVED. Spy lady is SCARY when determined.
Now it was just me and Sera in the library.
Alone.
With feelings.
Oh no.
**[SERA]: Okay. Deep breath. You've infiltrated enemy fortresses. Assassinated targets. Survived torture training. You can handle one confession. Just... say the words.
"Kyle," she started, then stopped. Tried again. "I need to tell you something."
"You don't have to—"
"Yes, I do. Before I lose my nerve."
**[SERA]: Courage. Where's my courage? I've faced DEATH without flinching. Why are FEELINGS harder?!
She took a deep breath.
"When I first met you, you were a mission. A target. Someone to eliminate."
"Great start," I muttered.
"But then you SMILED at Granite. You gave your food to that old prisoner. You caught Aria during the dungeon fight even though it left you vulnerable."
**[SERA]: He was GOOD. Is good. In a world that taught me everyone is disposable, he treated people like they MATTERED.
"And I realized... you're not like anyone I've ever met. You're KIND without being weak. You're brave without being reckless. You... you make me want to be better."
My heart was pounding.
"Sera—"
"I'm not done!" She was blushing furiously now. "I know I'm not good at this. I'm a spy. I lie for a living. But with you, I can't lie. I don't WANT to lie."
**[SERA]: Just say it. SAY IT. Three words. Simple words. WHY ARE THEY SO HARD?!
"Kyle Henderson, I... I..."
The door burst open.
"SERA, HAVE YOU SEEN—oh."
Aria stood in the doorway, taking in the scene.
Sera, clearly in the middle of a confession.
Me, looking like a deer in headlights.
**[SISTER ARIA]: Oh no. OH NO. She's confessing FIRST. I left to get flowers and she BETRAYED ME by confessing FIRST!
"Am I... interrupting?" Aria asked with dangerous sweetness.
"YES!" Sera shouted.
"No!" I said at the same time.
**[SERA]: I WAS SO CLOSE. I was LITERALLY about to say it and the NUN INTERRUPTED!
**[SISTER ARIA]: She was confessing. I interrupted a confession. The Goddess teaches patience but ALSO teaches seizing opportunities. This is a moral dilemma!
"I can come back—" Aria started.
"Don't you DARE," Sera growled.
"I wasn't going to leave anyway," Aria said, stepping inside and closing the door. "If we're doing this, we're ALL doing this."
"That's not how confessions WORK!"
"Well maybe we should INVENT a new way!"
**[SERA]: This is a disaster. My carefully planned romantic confession is becoming a GROUP EVENT.
**[SISTER ARIA]: This is divine intervention. The Goddess wants honesty. Full honesty. From everyone.
They both turned to me.
"Kyle," Aria said, "I also have feelings for you."
"I KNOW," Sera said. "We ALL have feelings! That's why we're doing this!"
"Then let's ALL confess together!"
"That's INSANE!"
"So is fighting over WHO confesses first!"
**[BOTH]: ...She has a point.
Before they could continue arguing, the door opened AGAIN.
Eliza walked in, took one look at the situation, and sighed.
"You're all confessing without me, aren't you."
**[ELIZA]: ████ KNEW IT ██████ I SHOULD'VE ████ STAYED OUTSIDE ██████ HIS DOOR ████ BUT NO ██████ I WAS ████ BEING MATURE ██████ AND PATIENT ████
"We haven't actually CONFESSED yet," Sera said. "The nun keeps interrupting!"
"I'M interrupting?! YOU started early!"
"I found him first!"
"That's not a RULE!"
"Ladies," Eliza said, walking in and closing the door with finality. "Since we're apparently doing this as a group now, let's be adults about it."
She turned to me.
"Kyle. I'm also in love with you."
**[ELIZA]: ████ THERE ██████ I SAID ████ IT ██████ OUT LOUD ████ NO TAKING ██████ IT BACK ████ NOW ██████
Sera and Aria's mouths dropped open.
"You just—you SAID it?!" Sera sputtered.
"Just like that?!" Aria added.
"Why are we dancing around it?" Eliza said calmly, though her chatbox showed internal screaming. "Kyle can read our chatboxes anyway. He probably already knows."
All three turned to stare at me.
**[ALL THREE]: ...He knew?! This whole time?!
"I mean..." I hedged. "I had suspicions?"
"SUSPICIONS?!" Sera shouted.
"Our chatboxes literally say we love you!" Aria added.
"You could've MENTIONED that!"
**[SERA]: I've been AGONIZING over this confession and he KNEW THE WHOLE TIME?!
**[SISTER ARIA]: I PRAYED for guidance and he ALREADY KNEW?!
**[ELIZA]: ████ THAT'S ██████ ACTUALLY HILARIOUS ████ IN RETROSPECT ██████
"I didn't want to assume!" I defended. "Chatboxes can be... misleading?"
"How is 'I LOVE HIM' misleading?!" all three shouted.
I had no defense for that.
There was a long silence.
Then Aria started laughing.
Not her usual polite laughter. Full, genuine, slightly hysterical laughter.
"This is... this is ridiculous," she gasped between laughs. "We've been competing and plotting and he KNEW!"
Sera started laughing too.
"I practiced my confession for HOURS!"
"I got FLOWERS!" Aria wheezed.
Even Eliza cracked a smile.
**[ELIZA]: ████ THIS IS ██████ ABSURD ████ COMPLETELY ABSURD ██████ AND I'M ████ SOMEHOW OKAY ██████ WITH IT ████
Soon all three were laughing, and I couldn't help but join in.
The tension evaporated, replaced by something... lighter.
"Okay," Sera said, wiping tears from her eyes. "Since Kyle already knows we love him—"
"Which is CHEATING by the way—"
"—The question is: Kyle, how do YOU feel?"
Three pairs of eyes focused on me.
Expectant. Hopeful. Terrified.
And I realized: this was it.
The moment.
No more running. No more hiding in libraries.
**[SERA]: Please please please—
**[SISTER ARIA]: Goddess, I've never asked for much—
**[ELIZA]: ████ DON'T BREAK ██████ THEIR HEARTS ████ OR MINE ██████
I took a deep breath.
"I... have feelings for all of you."
Silence.
**[ALL THREE]: ...ALL of us?!
"Sera, you're brave and loyal and you make me feel safe even when assassins are literally trying to kill me."
**[SERA]: He—he feels safe with ME. ME. The former assassin.
"Aria, you're kind and strong and you showed me that faith and goodness can exist even in the darkest places."
**[SISTER ARIA]: Kind. Strong. He thinks I'm STRONG. Not just a weapon. STRONG.
"And Eliza... you understand me in ways nobody else can. You made this world feel less lonely. Less foreign."
**[ELIZA]: ████ LONELY ██████ HE GETS ████ IT ██████ HE UNDERSTANDS ████ THE LONELINESS ██████
"So yes. I have feelings for all of you. I don't know how that works. I don't know what that means. But it's the truth."
Another silence.
Then Sera said: "So... harem route?"
"SERA!" Aria gasped.
"What?! I'm being practical! We ALL love him. He loves ALL of us. Math checks out!"
**[SERA]: Is this allowed? Can we DO this? ...Do I WANT to do this? ...Yes. Yes I do. Sharing is better than losing.
"The Church would NEVER approve—" Aria started.
"The Church tried to have him KILLED," Sera pointed out. "I don't think we're taking their relationship advice."
**[SISTER ARIA]: ...That's a valid point. A VERY valid point. The Goddess teaches love. She didn't specify EXCLUSIVE love. Maybe? This is interpretive theology!
"This is insane," Eliza said.
"You literally said you loved him two minutes ago!" Sera countered.
"I know! And now we're discussing SHARING him like he's a timeshare!"
**[ELIZA]: ████ BUT WOULD ██████ I RATHER ████ SHARE HIM ██████ OR LOSE ████ HIM COMPLETELY? ██████ ...SHARING ████ DEFINITELY SHARING ██████
"I'm right here," I said weakly.
"We know," all three said in unison.
They looked at each other.
Some kind of unspoken communication happened.
Finally, Aria said: "I... suppose if we're ALL involved, it's more... fair?"
"Fair is good," Sera agreed cautiously.
"This is the most unconventional solution ever," Eliza said. "But... I'm not opposed?"
**[ALL THREE]: Are we really doing this? REALLY? ...Yes. Yes we are.
They turned to me.
"Kyle," Eliza said, "we're proposing a... collaborative arrangement."
"A three-way protection detail!" Sera added.
"A spiritual... partnership?" Aria tried.
**[ALL THREE]: We're so bad at this.
"You're asking if I want to date all three of you," I translated.
"Yes!" they said, relieved I understood.
"Even though you all argued about breakfast."
"That was different!"
"And fought over who confessed first."
"Also different!"
"And literally just competed over everything for weeks."
**[ALL THREE]: ...He has a point.
"We'll be BETTER," Sera promised. "More cooperative!"
"We already work well together when protecting you!" Aria added.
"We just need to apply that cooperation to... relationship dynamics," Eliza finished.
**[SERA]: Can we do this? Can we REALLY share him without killing each other?
**[SISTER ARIA]: The Goddess teaches cooperation. And love. And... creative problem-solving?
**[ELIZA]: ████ THIS IS ██████ EITHER BRILLIANT ████ OR CATASTROPHIC ██████ NO MIDDLE ████ GROUND ██████
I looked at three incredible women.
Who'd protected me. Supported me. Made this crazy isekai world feel like home.
Who were now proposing the most chaotic relationship arrangement possible.
"Okay," I said.
"Okay?!" they repeated.
"Okay. Let's try it."
**[ALL THREE]: HE SAID YES?! HE ACTUALLY SAID YES?!
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Sera tackled me in a hug.
"You said yes!"
Aria joined the hug. "He said yes!"
Eliza, maintaining slightly more dignity, also joined. "He actually said yes."
**[SERA]: This is happening. REALLY happening!
**[SISTER ARIA]: I have a BOYFRIEND. Multiple people have a boyfriend. WE have a boyfriend. This is grammatically confusing!
**[ELIZA]: ████ TRANSMIGRATOR ██████ BOYFRIEND ████ ACQUIRED ██████ SOMEHOW ████
I was buried under three women, all laughing and slightly crying and completely happy.
"Can't breathe," I wheezed.
They didn't let go.
From outside the library, I heard Marcus's voice:
**[MARCUS]: Are they... is that LAUGHTER? Did the confession go WELL?! I need details. For my memoir. 'Life with the Legendary Lord Henderson.'
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: RELATIONSHIP MILESTONE ACHIEVED!]
[SERA: AFFECTION 100/100 - STATUS: GIRLFRIEND (1 of 3)]
[ARIA: AFFECTION 100/100 - STATUS: GIRLFRIEND (2 of 3)]
[ELIZA: AFFECTION 100/100 - STATUS: GIRLFRIEND (3 of 3)]
[SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED: HAREM ROUTE CONFIRMED]
[WARNING: RELATIONSHIP COMPLEXITY INCREASED EXPONENTIALLY]
[PREPARE FOR MAXIMUM ROMANTIC CHAOS]
[ALSO PREPARE FOR JUDGMENTAL NOBLES]
[GOOD LUCK! YOU'LL NEED IT! ♡♡♡]
As we finally untangled ourselves, all three women were beaming.
"So," Sera said, trying to sound casual, "who gets the first official date?"
"I think we should rotate—" Aria started.
"Or we could ALL go on dates together?" Eliza suggested.
And just like that, the arguing started again.
But this time, it was different.
This time, they were arguing as girlfriends.
My girlfriends.
All three of them.
"I've made a terrible mistake," I muttered in English.
"Probably," Eliza agreed in the same language, grinning. "But at least it'll be entertaining."
Yeah.
Entertaining was one word for it.