HP - Shadow Monarch - Chapter 227 - An Alliance with Multiple Engagements.

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.] Third Person POV Prince Manor. ... ... No surprise, the atmosphere felt tense. On one side sat Rosaria Valenstei

[Chapter Size: 2000 Words.]
Third Person POV

Prince Manor.
...

...

No surprise, the atmosphere felt tense. On one side sat Rosaria Valenstein, a 200-year-old half-vampire with the air of an aristocrat, worthy of a millennia-old family considered one of the most powerful in the world.

The same could be said of Bellatrix Black, who came from another Ancient family of Great Britain. Though she wore more modern noble clothes, she still carried the trained posture to behave properly in any setting.

There was a third person there, with platinum hair and eyes that were curious and cheerful on their own. Unlike the attitudes of the other two around the table, Pandora was sitting there between the two storms forming at that table.

It was no wonder the house-elves were so afraid of a fight—one that was just about to start when Rosaria and Bellatrix met.

Not that this was anything unusual. Severus knew very well it would happen. It was just that the red portal caught him off guard, and the meeting between the two happened before he could calm them down.

Severus wouldn’t say he was dealing with water and fire, but rather that both women were fires competing to see what they could burn. Although Rosaria had a far more sensible personality, when she stood against something—like the first time they met, or even the first meeting where these two started their rivalry—she was just as stubborn as Bellatrix.

Pandora's gaze soon found him approaching with Clarisse clinging to his arm, her face lighting up with joy at the sight of him.

“Severus!” Pandora exclaimed, prompting both women to stand at the sight of him.

While they seemed to narrow their eyes at the two, Severus ignored it, and Clarisse raised her head with pride, pleased with her position at his side.

“Hello, Severus... Clarisse Greengrass,” Rosaria said in a dissatisfied tone.

“You...” Bellatrix muttered in her usual bad mood, though both directed their anger at Clarisse rather than each other, while the blonde seemed to be enjoying it.

“Hello, everyone, ladies,” Severus approached with a gentle smile, which seemed to enchant the girls.

He acted like a true gentleman at that moment, approaching each of them, taking their hands, and kissing the tops of their hands in greeting.

“Rosaria.”
“Bellatrix.”
“Pandora.”

“How are you, Severus?!” Pandora asked with a playful giggle.

“I’m feeling a bit lighter after all this madness, but let’s talk about it over tea. Let’s sit.” Severus spoke in a calm, controlled tone, leading the four girls after settling Clarisse into one of the seats, then sitting in his place as well.

“I’m surprised by your invitation... I just wasn’t expecting to find other acquaintances of yours,” Bellatrix remarked carefully, almost growling as always.

“Friends! We’re friends,” Pandora corrected Bellatrix.

“Associates?” Clarisse added, speaking like a true Slytherin.

“No, you’re my closest friends,” Severus corrected Clarisse—he disliked the term "associates" used in Slytherin to describe friends.

“So... now you really are a Prince? I was surprised when I saw the news—we were just about to attack the Ministry,” Rosaria commented.

“You could say so. I’m the only one in the family still able to have children and continue the lineage. My great-uncle even had a son, but he died along with his wife and never remarried, only helping my grandfather.

Now, I’m taking on the name and the family’s business,” Severus said.

“You’ll keep going to Hogwarts? I wanted to ask that as soon as I saw you,” Clarisse commented with a serious tone.

“You know that’ll be impossible. I no longer have any reason to attend the school of magic...” Severus said.

“That...” Both Clarisse and Pandora looked saddened by that.

“That’s common after what happened. I won’t be returning to Hogwarts either...” Rosaria said.

“What will you do with your things from the Room of Requirement?” Clarisse asked—Severus had a lot stored there.

“I was about to go there, if I hadn’t been pulled into a painting. I’ll get my things later. I’ll leave some items behind so you and Pandora can still use them, but I’ll be taking Dobby and her Genini. I have a lot of business to handle now,” Severus said. It wouldn’t be ideal to leave the shadows behind, and he intended to use them elsewhere—maybe, if he could replicate the Room’s magic, he could create one of his own.

“You fought the headmaster and beat him? Why did he show up now and act friendly with you?” Bellatrix asked.

“A long story...” Severus said with a sigh. “A story I’d rather leave for another day, if you allow me, Bellatrix.”

“And you’re not going to talk about the paintings either, are you?” she asked curiously, almost demanding Severus to speak of it, but he shook his head.

“I won’t speak of the paintings either,” Severus said.

The two house-elves appeared at that moment and quickly served everyone before leaving the room.

“Since I won’t be staying at Hogwarts, I’d still like to remain in England. Would you offer me a place to stay here, Severus?” Rosaria asked, sipping her cup of tea.

“You’re quite bold, aren’t you?” Bellatrix couldn’t help but growl.

“Severus and I have that level of intimacy, Bellatrix. You should know that—he even stayed at my house when all this chaos began,” Rosaria said, flashing a triumphant smile at her rival.

“Tsk. Now that you’re no longer at Hogwarts, how about continuing my training? We still have the rest of the year, as we agreed. I hope your word still stands, Severus,” Bellatrix said after glaring at Rosaria. She was also challenging Severus—if he refused her now, it would crush her pride as a woman.

“It’s all right, Bellatrix. You can come train here every day I’m available,” Severus said, sipping his tea as well.

“That’s good. I hope you won’t get in the way,” Bellatrix demanded with a triumphant smile of her own.

“You think I need to get in the way? I could be more useful than you. Didn’t you know we always trained in the Princess Room?!”

An argument began between the two women, while Severus sighed.

They were always at each other’s throats—and not just them. Clarisse seemed very bothered by the whole conversation.

Severus’s gaze turned to Pandora, who was smiling, finding everything amusing like an innocent girl, as if she were enjoying every second of it.

She was the only one there not showing any signs of jealousy.

“So, Severus... My father mentioned our engagement,” Clarisse said beside him, her cheeks slightly flushed.

That comment made Rosaria and Bellatrix, who had been about to argue, freeze and look stunned at Severus and Clarisse.

“What do you mean, engagement, Severus?!” Rosaria asked in a careful tone, her eyes intensely awaiting Severus’s response.

“Wait! You’re engaged? My grandmother offered our engagement—why do you have one with the Greengrass family?!” Bellatrix growled.

“Is there a problem with my family, Miss Black?” Clarisse growled back, not liking Bellatrix’s tone.

Severus merely sighed—Clarisse was clearly stirring up a misunderstanding on purpose.

“Your father had proposed an engagement, as long as I took on the Prince name from my family to become a pureblood,” Severus said.

“And now that you’re heir to a pureblood family, does that mean we’re engaged?” Clarisse asked with a mischievous smile, ignoring the looks from Bellatrix and Rosaria.

“There’s nothing official. I’m not engaged to anyone, Clarisse...” Severus said calmly, though a glint of disappointment flickered in her eyes—while a spark lit up in Rosaria’s, Bellatrix’s, and even Pandora’s.

There was no doubt—he was bound to these four women.

No wonder he’d invited them all today. If he were to have a future and a family in this world, it would be with one—or more—of them. But would they accept that?

“I’m not engaged to anyone, but I invited all of you here today for a reason,” Severus began. He now had certain responsibilities to fulfill as heir to his house, responsibilities to society.

Still, he felt a connection with each of them, so this wasn’t something cold or forced—it would depend on them.

All four looked at him with curiosity, eager to hear his next words.

“I need a fiancée now, that’s certain. I wanted to choose you.”

They went quiet for a moment, absorbing his words before looking at him a bit oddly.

“Wait... you mean all four of us?” Rosaria murmured.

“Yes, he wants a polygamous marriage... Looks like he doesn’t know which of us would be best,” Pandora answered with a little giggle, not grasping the gravity the others were feeling.

“A polygamous marriage... That’s unprecedented, Severus... You really want this? To marry four women?!” Clarisse asked in mild horror.

“It’s not an official marriage... I want to choose someone, but I just can’t... honestly,” Severus said, a bit embarrassed.

In truth, there had been more women—Lily Evans, Andromeda Black, Narcissa Black before she committed to Lucius, and even Lucinda. Those were romantic relationships that had been broken across a year and a half.

Severus couldn’t claim he was proud of narrowing things down from eight—or more—women. After his transformation from a skinny, ugly, hook-nosed boy into what he was today thanks to the system, he’d rejected most of those who tried to approach him, leaving only four—these four—before him now.

He no longer believed anything could happen with Lily, and it was better to keep his distance from her for now.

“You’re really serious about this, Severus?” Rosaria asked, looking at each of them in turn.

“It’s nothing official, but I’d like to try,” Severus said.

‘Severus... I know you wish to leave this world, but facing your enemies unprepared will be your downfall. Besides, this world is already marked for war. You must protect it if you want any chance...’

Someone had said that to him recently...

He was torn, not having truly planned to remain here, but maybe... if he could recreate the Order...

His gaze fell on the four women.

‘Your bloodline is powerful, Severus. Your children will be just as powerful... If you want strength, you’ll have no better allies.’

That same person had said it.

Severus had never thought about marriage—let alone children... But maybe that was the answer to saving the universe from its imminent destruction at the hands of the Monarchs.

Maybe this was a chance to rebuild the Order.

“That...” The women seemed torn upon hearing this.

“I accept. I want to be your fiancée!” Pandora was the first to speak, making everyone look at her in surprise.

“You know I come from a Muggle family. Do you really want that?” Pandora asked, looking shyly at Severus.

“You know that’s not a problem. I remember a girl who danced with me among ghosts and asked to be kissed—why would I deny that to you?” Severus said, as Pandora blushed deeply at the comment.

“She kissed you!” Clarisse growled with jealousy.

“I accept too... Even if I’d prefer you to marry only me!” Rosaria murmured between anger and stubbornness, looking at Snape as if she couldn’t bear to lose him. “We’ve already kissed and made vows of love,” she added.

“I don’t remember making vows of love... but you certainly love smelling me,” Severus laughed.

“She kissed you too?! Wait—you smelled him?!” Clarisse looked horrified.

“That’s so weird. Are you some kind of pervert?” Bellatrix mocked.

“Shut up! His scent is the best I’ve ever smelled. He doesn’t disgust me like everyone else... like you do,” Rosaria growled at Bellatrix.

“Who are you telling to shut up!” Bellatrix bared her teeth before turning to Severus again. “But I accept! I’ll marry you. Since you kissed me too,” she said, like it was a family obligation, but her blush showed she was happy.

“I’m flattered, my little fox,” Severus teased her, after all, she was an Animagus no one there knew much about.

“Who are you calling little fox?” Severus saw her gritting her teeth, her face red.

“Wait!” Clarisse stood up in anger. “All three of you kissed him?!” She looked outraged.

“Yes...”
“It’s true.”
“It was lovely.”

They answered.

“Damn it, this is way too unfair!” Clarisse growled, storming over to Severus and grabbing him in front of the other three, kissing him while he remained seated and she leaned over him.

Severus was surprised, but let the girl’s lips press against his, as the entire table fell silent.

“There!” Clarisse said, completely red, not letting anyone say a word about it yet. “That’s my answer. I accept being your fiancée and future wife,” she declared.