A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night-Chapter 48: Laura’s frustrations

In the living room, Laura was seated on a couch, visibly restless. She cast a glance at Melissa, who was sipping tea while reading a book. The maids were busy with their duties but seemed to notice the fifth princess’ sour mood.

Laura huffed impatiently. "Two hours. Two hours! And she’s still in there with him."

Melissa, looking up from her book, smiled gently. "Jealousy doesn’t suit someone of our status, Laura. It’s unbecoming for a lady of nobility, and even more so for royalty."

Laura pouted, clearly frustrated. "You all had political marriages, arranged for you. It’s not the same for me. I’ve loved him long before even our marriage. It’s already hard for me to share him like this. And ever since Eldest Sister intruded in my married life, it became frustrating. I don’t want to fight with my own sister, and yet, I couldn’t help but… sigh…"

Melissa, setting down her tea, raised an eyebrow. "I understand how you feel, Laura. But despite all of our different circumstances, we’re all married to Kael now. And whether some of us like it or not, this is a fact that we have to get used to."

Laura crossed her arms, clearly torn. "I know, but it isn’t easy. Everything was fine until a few weeks. I want happiness for Eldest Sister but I’m not happy that she was taking his attention whenever she feels like it and I become a second fiddle."

Laura felt the sting of frustration grow deeper as she sat on the couch, contemplating her thoughts.

It was around she was nine years old when she developed a crush on Kael. Even during the dinner conversations with her mom, since she was young, she always declared that after growing up, she would marry Kael Moonstone.

She had always believed her imperial status would be enough to keep other women at bay, confident that she would be Kael’s only wife. Adam, her older brother, always rooted for her love, trying to make sure Laura held enough conversations with his best friend whenever they met in formal events. She rejected many nobles who showed their interest in her.

Eventually, she married the love of her life.

However, she had never imagined she would have to share her husband with others. Yet, her mother had made a decision that threw everything into disarray—Kael was also now married to four of her own sisters.

Despite her initial bitterness, Laura had made peace with it.

Amanda was often at the palace, Shiera stayed far in the wilderness, Seraphina had always been celibate, and Melissa... well, Melissa had never been as intimate with Kael as the others had. It was a wife’s obligated duty for her, not love. Laura had convinced herself it was fine, that she was still the favorite in Kael’s eyes, that he still devoted the most attention to her.

But now, everything has changed. Their eldest sister, Amanda, who had once been a distant, cold figure ever since she lost her previous husband, had started to grow closer to Kael. It seemed she had moved on from her past, and now, she claimed Kael as her own whenever she wished, using her status as the eldest sibling. The fact that Amanda had become so possessive, almost controlling in her relationship with Kael, was frustrating to Laura beyond words.

Melissa, sensing Laura’s agitation, her gaze calm but knowing. "I can offer you sympathy, Laura, but the reality is something you can’t avoid. We all find ourselves in this situation, and we must adapt to it, whether we like it or not."

Laura shook her head vehemently, her fists clenched. "No," she said, her voice unwavering. "I won’t let things get worse. I refuse to just sit here and let them control the situation. The only way I can fix this—truly fix this—is by helping Shiera get what she wants... the throne."

Melissa blinked, slightly surprised by Laura’s sudden declaration. "The throne?" she asked softly.

"Yes," Laura replied, her determination palpable. "Once Shiera takes the throne, she’ll annul her marriage to Kael. And when that happens, I’m certain Seraphina will follow suit. She’s celibate, and though her behavior has been changing lately, I’ll make sure she stays true to herself—unmoved, as always."

Melissa remained silent for a moment, weighing Laura’s words. It was clear that the path Laura envisioned was one of immense change, a delicate game of power, manipulation, and control. But in the end, Laura has every right to fight for her place too.

Melissa smiled, her expression calm yet tinged with a hint of amusement as she set down her teacup. "I won’t get myself involved in whatever you’re planning, Laura," she said, her voice soft but firm. "But I do have one piece of advice for you."

Laura, who had been lost in her own thoughts, turned her attention back to Melissa, listening intently.

"You need to make sure your actions," Melissa continued, her eyes narrowing just slightly, "only work to prevent the scenario you’re afraid of—don’t let your frustration or ambition lead you to hurt your sisters in the process." Her tone was gentle but carried a weight of caution as if warning Laura of the potential consequences of letting her emotions take the reins. An obsessed woman’s jealousy is dangerous enough to ruin her life and everyone around her. Melissa only hoped that Laura wouldn’t take such measures against her sisters, trying to hurt their relationships with their shared husband, but only compete against others to gain their husband’s attention and affection.

"I know," Laura said quietly. "I love my siblings. I won’t jeopardize their relationship with mine or Kael. I will merely try to prevent a possible scenario of drastically changing their attitude toward Kael. Back then, when Eldest Sister took Kael with her to Ikaris, had I followed suit, right now, the situation would have been better. I will not make that mistake again."

Melissa smiled, shaking her head before taking the teacup into her hand once again.

*

Later that noon, Kael and Laura walked into the bustling merchant guild after sending the supplies to the House of Sinclair and getting the seal from the client.

The guild was filled with merchants discussing trade, adventurers exchanging tales of their quests, and the faint scent of parchment and ink in the air. Both of them made their way to the receptionist’s desk, where the female clerk greeted them with a smile.

"I’m here to submit the results of my quests," Kael said, placing the four parchments on the desk in front of her.

The clerk glanced at the parchments and then looked back at him with a raised eyebrow. Three of the parchments bore official seals—proof of completion of the quests he had accepted. The fourth parchment, however, was empty, with a bold stroke drawn through it. Kael had decided to withdraw from the haunted mansion quest, as he had no intention of pursuing it further.

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The clerk didn’t seem surprised.

The haunted mansion quest was notorious for being difficult to handle, and many merchants, like Kael, often returned it in failure. Kael was the seventh one to return. She nodded understandingly, not questioning the reason.

"Completing three quests is still impressive," she said. She quickly tallied up the numbers through an abacus, adjusting her glasses as she worked through the calculations.

"You’ve earned 570 merits for completing the quests. As for your payment," she paused to double-check, "Deducting the advanced payment we have provided for you, your earnings would be 4700 gold coins in total. Give me a second."

She left for the money storage room, where the reward for each quest, noted by their unique number, would be stored in a pouch placed on the shelves separately.

Soon, she returned with three pouches of gold and handed it over to Kael. The latter threw all of them directly into the storage ring and smiled. "Thank you."

From his advance, there’s an additional 524 gold coins saved, so that gives him a grand total of 5,224 gold coins for the day. Of course, he pledged supplies and 1000 gold coins every quarter for the orphanage, but that’s ok. If he could earn thousands of gold coins every month, that charity wouldn’t put a dent in his savings.

Kael smiled slightly, satisfied with the result.

Laura, standing beside him, watched with a hint of amusement. "Not bad, huh?" she teased lightly.

Kael gave a small chuckle. "Not bad at all," he agreed, taking a note in his head that he should indeed focus more on those Banquet quests until he reaches the Gold Tier.

Without taking any more quests, Kael left the guild and hit the streets.

As Kael and Laura’s horse carriage walked through the bustling streets of the city, they soon found themselves stopping outside Velvet & Gold, the city’s most luxurious restaurant. Its tall, polished doors gleamed in the sunlight, and the elegant marble exterior promised the finest experience.

Kael gave Laura a soft smile as they entered, the sound of their footsteps echoing through the refined interior.

Inside, the ambiance was warm and inviting, with golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, their soft glow casting a lavish hue across the room. Velvet curtains hung from the windows, and the scent of freshly prepared gourmet dishes wafted through the air. Kael was glad to be away from the hectic pace of the merchant guild and had been looking forward to spending a peaceful afternoon with Laura.

The floor manager, Nyssa, immediately recognized Laura as they walked in. With a polite smile, she greeted them, "Your Highness, it’s been a while! It’s a pleasure to have you back. And this must be your... husband?" Her eyes lingered on Kael for a brief moment, though her tone remained professional.