For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 76
[In a year, will they still be suitable to remain as husbands? Or should you give an appropriate ‘reward’ and end the marriage…?
But no matter who you live with… I just hope that this family won’t disappoint you.
It would be even better if you’re not lonely.]
Family. After her mother’s death and her estrangement from her father, Eugenie hadn’t really given much thought to the concept of family.
Peter’s idealized image of married life didn’t resonate with her, and she didn’t have any expectations that her loneliness would be filled through marriage.
But the idea of creating her own family gave her a strange sense of comfort, like a small light in the darkness. As her mother had said, living with these five men would certainly be different from her past—no longer a quiet life but one filled with noise.
‘It’s probably better than coming back to an empty apartment after being crushed by the professor in the lab.’
With that self-deprecating thought, she read the last paragraph of the letter again, and her gaze darkened.
The letter from Theodora Norton ended with a cautious warning.
[…But Eugenie, there is one thing I’m worried about.
Your mother once found one of your ‘husband’ candidates in a deep cave. At first, I thought they were just a dark magic family who had destroyed themselves fighting among themselves.
But if that’s not the case… Could there be others who use magic still left in this world?
I hope this is just a worry, but Eugenie, please be careful.]
The danger had already arrived.
As soon as Cassius became her husband, an unknown presence had begun following him. She remembered how, while she was with Cassius at Hotel Mercedes, a strange presence had been approaching.
If she were to awaken her own powers, like her mother, and be able to use magic, it would be ideal. That way, she could protect not just herself but also the safety of her husbands.
However, since she wasn’t sure how to use it yet, she needed to find another way.
“Carter. Let’s hold our first family meeting.”
* * *
Eugenie Norton prided herself on being someone who took swift action.
After shaking off the lingering feeling of melancholy, she quickly obtained a movable whiteboard and dragged it into the dining hall.
Thus, to commemorate the official start of her married life, she kicked off the grand inaugural speech of the ‘Norton-Wilberforce-Troys-Livingston-Napier-Lysander’ family.
“Everyone, thank you for agreeing to have the meeting right after our move.”
In an era where magic had disappeared, mysterious beings were appearing once again.
Before identifying the nature of this threat, wouldn’t it be urgent for everyone to cooperate and ensure each other’s safety?
Realistically, with five powerful men now bound by a common factor, how much suspicion and scrutiny would they attract from those around them? For now, the focus was on Eugenie’s reckless actions, but soon, people’s vigilance would escalate.
“So, there’s no need to force friendships when the personalities don’t match. But, if we build at least some rapport, we could be seen as ‘an unusual but fairly well-mannered family,’ which would benefit all of us, don’t you think?”
However, despite Eugenie’s intentions for her speech, Alfred laughed with a half-joking, half-serious expression as he looked at Cassius.
“There’s a way to get rid of him, you know. If it’s because of dark magic and he’s not safe, that is.”
“Oh no! The Southern hero is really ruthless?”
“The easiest and quickest way is to remove the one who’s putting Eugenie in danger.”
Cassius narrowed his red eyes and, undeterred by the larger and stronger man in front of him, responded firmly.
“Mrs. Norton included me for a reason. Dark magic is compatible with the Lady’s constitution, after all, isn’t it, Lady?”
“Alright, everyone, let’s stop fighting.”
Eugenie thought she only needed to stop Napier and Carter, but unexpectedly, other combinations were starting to clash as well.
Despite his cheerful appearance, Alfred came from a military family through and through, and the combination of him with the free-spirited and somewhat dismissive youngest husband, who didn’t take Eugenie seriously, was bound to be a clash of opposites.
But then, Percival, who had been silently observing, spoke up.
“Lady’s words are correct.”
“Percival…!”
“The most important duty of a ‘husband’ is to build a harmonious family.”
Percival nodded as he looked at his four husbands, each of whom had shown some degree of dissatisfaction.
“There may be some discomfort now, but since the Lady also needs to engage in social activities, we must not cause any disruptions among ourselves.”
“Percival, truly thank you…”
Eugenie felt grateful towards the husband who had distracted everyone with lewd jokes in bed but was now the one stepping up to smooth over the family conflicts during the day.
But before she could express her full thanks, a servant from the mansion quietly approached her.
“Madam, excuse me, but there’s an urgent invitation letter for you.”
“Ah, thank you…?”
An invitation letter so urgent that it interrupted a crucial family meeting?
However, as soon as Eugenie saw the golden envelope, she instinctively sensed that disaster was approaching.
“Everyone, we have a problem.”
Eugenie grabbed the letter from the tray as if it were a filthy rag used to wipe food scraps, glaring at it.
“The Empress sent an invitation to the birthday party of Crown Prince Tristan!”
The first social event for Eugenie and her five husbands had just turned into an emergency.
