The two continued toward Augustine’s main castle. Along the way, little Silva stayed quiet and well-behaved—no fuss, no noise—and kept a careful distance from Roland. Clearly, his inappropriate words had shaken her.
Roland felt a tiny flicker of satisfaction. *If only she carries this aversion back with her… maybe we won’t have to marry after all.*
Silva was the perfect rich, beautiful young lady. Marrying her meant a life of spending lavishly and… well, *you know*. But that glittering, decadent existence wasn’t what he wanted. As an adventurer for whom “death is like the wind, always by my side,” his path was freedom until the very end. Marriage? A shackle. A grave. The ultimate cage. Knowing that, how could he willingly walk into the line of fire?
Roland’s one true goal in this new world? To gather several lovely wives. Seriously—*not* building a harem here would be a crime against nature! Marrying Silva now would shackle his entire plan. No way. As long as they didn’t tie the knot, all was still possible.
“So, Silva,” Roland broke the silence, “do you still want to marry me?”
Little Silva blinked in confusion. *Why does Big Brother seem to be trying to make me dislike him? Is he avoiding marriage?*
*Does he think I’m too clumsy? But he said I’ll become strong and beautiful… Then he should like me, right?*
*Wait… is this a test?!*
*Yes! Of course!*
*He’s giving me a goal—marrying him—to push me to train harder. By pretending he doesn’t want me, he’s lighting my fighting spirit!*
*Mmm… Big Brother’s so thoughtful. He must care about me.*
*I’ll work my hardest to catch up to him!*
*And acting lecherous? That’s just another layer of the test—to see if my feelings are real!*
Since Big Brother is testing my sincerity…
“Yes!” little Silva clenched her tiny fists, lifted her chin with fiery resolve. “No matter what you become, Big Brother, I still want to marry you. I’ll grow stronger and earn your approval—soon!”
Roland: “???”
*Why the sudden motivation?! Did my lewd talk hype her up?! Is this even the real Silva?!*
“Ahem.” Roland pressed on, voice dripping with false sincerity. “Think carefully. I’m a lecherous, lustful man. Marry me, and I’ll exhaust you nightly—leaving zero energy for state affairs. Neglect the empire, and it could collapse. You’ve always put the empire first… Can you really watch it fall?”
But little Silva’s conviction only deepened. *He’s sacrificing his own image to fuel my drive. I won’t fail him.*
“I’m not afraid!” she declared, eyes blazing. “When I’m strong enough, I’ll protect both Big Brother *and* the empire!”
Roland’s forehead practically sprouted a black line. *Again?!* He’d used these exact words before. And her reply then? Blushing fiercely: *“If I work hard enough, I can satisfy you and serve the empire—because you’re both my number one.”*
Seeing Roland fall silent, little Silva’s gloom vanished. Beaming, she happily slipped her small hand into his.
Now *he* was the one feeling utterly gloomy.
