#martius marlon

[pricechecktranslations]

Hello! I know I am WAY out of touch with current news, but I am reading your translation of the Venomania novel, and there is one part that is giving me slight troubles. It is the interactions between Martius and his brother Janus, when Yufina visits the Beelezian court. I have a hard time understanding how their brotherly relationship works, or rather what kind of emotions Mothy tried to convey, what kind of power dynamic the two are supposed to have.

I'm sure I wrote it in a way that's a little obtuse (I suspect there might also be some politeness level stuff that went over my head while translating it--it's another work that could use some revision, I'm sure), but to try and explain in my own words:

This scene is meant to illustrate that Martius is a very weak ruler for Marlon, as he has no spine. Janus is the crown prince--his older brother, as well as next in line as Beelzenia's emperor. As such, Martius is acting extremely servile in his compliments, toadying up to him, despite the fact that it's clear Janus has little respect for him as a ruler in his own right. Shortly after their exchange, Martius' other siblings show up and similarly insult him without any backtalk from him to defend himself.

Yufina is concerned that her marriage to Martius--which was done to make an alliance with Beelzenia for their military aid--will ultimately result in Marlon being inducted into the Beelzenian empire, and lose their independence. This is contextualizing her affair with Karchess, who has a spine of steel.

[full-ofbeans]

evillious characters as unhinged tweets. you're welcome

[saragl728]

[incorrectevillious]

Maylis: Compliment her! Martius: You have eyes. Yufina: Thanks.

[redladydeath]

EC redesigned – Talkloids and V3

Martius Beelzenia Marlon – Minase Kou Shouta Freezis – Tsukuyomi Shouta Aile Freezis – Tsukuyomi Ai Yuzette Ora – Yuzuki Yukari Mira Yarera Marlon – Tohoku Zunko Talos “Sickle” – Yohioloid Marie Annette – Kanon Mayu (Bloodstained Switch) – MAYU Carol Shields – CUL Juno Beelzenia – Galaco

[astrainc]

Karchess Crim ・ Yufina Marlon ・ Martius Beelzenia ・ Maylis Beelzenia

Karchess Crim

A Count of the Kingdom of Marlon. Involved in a consensual three-way relationship with Yufina and Martius, Karchess nonetheless decided to keep their affair private from the Marlon public, not wanting to impugn on the royals’ honour. Karchess was later asked by “Sateriasis” to search for “Cherubim”.

Yufina Marlon

The Queen of the Kingdom of Marlon. Despite being Martius’s wife, she also loved Karchess, and the two of them often teased Martius on his unambitious nature. During a visit to Martius’s homeland, Yufina witnessed Maylis’s bizarre personality changes and came to fear her as a result.

Martius Beelzenia

The Marlon King. A gentle man, he consented to Yufina’s relationship with Karchess and found himself falling for the Count as well, admiring his headstrong personality. When Karchess began acting cold towards him and Yufina, Martius began to doubt himself and his inability to protect his loved ones.

Maylis Beelzenia

The Third Princess of the Beelzenian Empire. Due to her rebellious nature, Maylis was often at odds with her siblings, despising their pompousness. Her scorn was augmented by the Angel residing in the golden ring given to her on her 13th birthday, and she often fought for control over her own body.

[lunacyofdukevenomania]

Chapter 5-Maylis Beelzenia; Scene 8

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania, page 199-203

Despite Baron Conchita and Karchess' earnest investigation, in the end they were unable to find Princess Maylis.

They were able to track her down to Asmodean, but they were unable to glean any of her whereabouts after that.

As her subordinate Neruneru Nerune had gone missing at the same time, the administration concluded that she had been caught up in some case with her, or that Neruneru herself had some involvement in this crime.

In the imperial palace the imperial family's siblings, excluding Maylis who had gone missing and Martius who was in Marlon, were assembled at a round table.

"Now the situation has become urgent. First Lady Yufina, now Maylis…"

The oldest, Janus, knit his brow. Certainly what happened with Yufina had been a serious matter, but she was after all the queen of another country. Outside of Martius, her husband, there had undoubtedly been a "someone else's problem" kind of attitude regarding it.

However, this time the situation had grown dramatically more serious. Though she was fifth in line for succession, a princess who could inherit the throne had gone missing--and to speak of their own personal feelings on it, their sister who had been precious to them since childhood had vanished.

"Oh Maylis…how could this be?...This must be some conspiracy by the other countries around Elphegort. Brother Janus, make preparations for war immediately."

Febria, who had treasured Maylis the most out of all of her siblings, began to rattle off her absurd personal theory, likely having lost her head from grief. Of course Janus remonstrated her for it and told her to calm down. However, Janus himself was not particularly calm right then.

The calmest out of all of them was the second daughter, Aprilis. She began to tell her siblings the information she had obtained.

"According to a report from Maylis' subordinate Baron Conchita, for the time being he has his eyes on a certain figure that he holds as a suspect in this matter."

"In that case order him to arrest this person at once, Aprilis!"

"Sister Febria, you must calm down. It is only by suspicion, they apparently don't have any definite proof yet. Furthermore, this person is one of the 'Five Dukes'…If we aren't careful this could cause even more pandemonium in the country."

In actuality Baron Conchita and Karchess had visited the mansion of the man--Sateriasis Venomania--many times to try and see him. But each time they'd been turned away at the gate. They'd then told of the situation to Aprilis to try and get her to agree to settle the matter for them, however she had rejected their request, and instead ordered them not to act on their own until they were certain that Sateriasis was the culprit.

Someone who could bring about such a case as this…considering that he had been able to inflict such crimes on the skilled Marquis Donald and Marquis Ferdinand, it would be almost impossible for mere subordinates such as them to take him on by themselves.

--That was her reasoning.

"Now is not the time to take things leisurely! If we don't find Maylis soon, whoever's caught her may do something to her…She may even have been killed already…Oh Maylis, oh no…"

"Calm down, Febria."

"Please calm down, big sister."

"Yes, you must calm yourself."

The third "calm yourself" came from the entrance to the room. When the three of them all turned in that direction, they saw, having returned from Marlon, the second son Martius.

"Martius! You've come to Beelzenia!"

"I came here because I heard Maylis had been kidnapped. I couldn't just sit idly by and do nothing. …Things have gotten pretty bad, haven't they?"

Perhaps from his anxiety, Martius had grown considerably thinner. That being said, he still had a body type that would be considered "fat", generally speaking.

"Is it alright for you to leave Marlon, Martius?"

"I'll be heading back soon enough, brother Janus. I came this time to bring 'her' here….Please, come in."

When Martius spoke to someone outside the door, the door opened and a black robed woman entered the room.

"Brother Janus, I would like for you to entrust the case of disappearances, including Maylis and Yufina, to this woman."

"…Who is this?"

Janus looked doubtfully at the woman Martius had brought. She had long blonde hair with the ends in long coils, and her bangs cut short and even. She was beautiful…however, she had some sort of eccentric air about her that made him hesitate to simply evaluate her as such. It was a lifeless beauty somewhere between a person and a doll...that was the impression she gave off.

"Could this be…!?"

It seemed Aprilis recognized her. After looking astonished, she stood from her chair and approached the woman, bowing.

"I am…much obliged to you for back then."

"Oh? Have we met somewhere before?"        

The woman tilted her head in response to Aprilis' expression of gratitude, seeming to not remember her.

"Only once, five years ago, during the insurrection in Retasan--"

"Ahhh. Yes, there was that. You were the princess from back then. Now that you mention it I do recall having seen that figure of yours before."

After nonchalantly giving a remark that could very well be called blasphemous, the blonde woman grinned. She turned around to face Janus and the others, appearing not to pay any more attention to Aprilis.

"I requested she come here, Brother Janus. I am sure she will be able figure out this case for us."

"That's why I asked who she was from the very beginning!"

Sympathizing with Janus' irritation, the black robed woman quickly walked up to him and quietly bowed, beginning to introduce herself.

"Apologies for the late introduction. I am the sorceress who has come here on King Marlon's recommendation, Elluka Clockworker--"

.

Venomania Harem

Present number of members: 18

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[pricechecktranslations]

Thank you for your answer! Indeed, I didn't perceive very well the "insults" of Janus towards Martius, which is why I thought of the scene as a little strange (for Aprilis things are much more obvious)

Two more questions. 1) There is a mention of Martius always making sure to "not hurt" Yufina when he touches her. What do you actually mean by this? I have seen people presenting it under two different lights, some saying this is just meant to say he is a kind and not forceful person when it comes to physical contact ; other interpreting it as Martius being carefuly not to hurt her with his body weight, due to him being obese.

I personally see much more the first option, and believe the second one might be a extrapolation, but that's just me. It is just that while Martius and his siblings are described as large, fat and pig-like, I didn't see anything insisting on his body being so enormous it would actually harm Yufina. But at the same time, Japanese media is known to have some pretty... interesting views and perceptions of fat people so maybe that's what Mothy meant

And my second question (I know I am obsessing over little details, but they're always the thing that fascinate me with Mothy's work, and the more I'll get down the novel I'll probably have others just as silly questions). There is a line in the translation, after Martius shows his spinelessness, about Janus grinning (disdainfully I guess) to his brother and patting his belly which is "not to be outdone" by Martius' own gut. I had read somewhere (I guess it was more of a headcanon of someone, but I still think of it as an interesting interpretation) that this could be read as Janus not just imposing his superiority by his royal position and his status of older brother, but also by his largeness which, by outdoing Martius' own, shows him as more "powerful" or "important" than the Marlon king, in some sort of bizarre brotherly rivality "in the flesh", quite literaly. Is it that someone just massively over-interpreted this little line merely meant by Mothy to point out Janus was fat, or is there something to it that can be found in the original Japanese text?

To address things in order:

1)Yeah, in this case it's probably more the way he said things that was the insult, and not the words themselves. I've been meaning to go back and revise my older translations specifically to clean up scenes like this one, but I've struggled to maintain my focus when doing so. I've stalled halfway through revising Cloture at the moment.

2)At the risk of sounding indelicate, my interpretation of that part was that Yufina "likes it rough", as it were, and Martius is too kind to...behave...that way. Or at the very least, he's too gentle to put any passion into the "romantic" parts of their marriage. I don't think it's about his physical girth--again, the primary criticism of Martius in this scene is not that he's fat (though that is being criticized, of course), but that he's not manly enough for her. She views his kindness and gentleness as an extension of him being weak and servile.

3)The negative emphasis on them being fat in particular I view as being more of a comment on how Yufina sees them, as this scene is very strongly tied to her POV--she despises the Beelzenian royalty as being corrupt, overindulgent, and lazy, taking advantage of their vassal territories, and sees their bodies as a physical representation of that.

4) It's just a bit of narrative flourish explaining that Martius is roughly the same size as his brother (it's Martius' size it's commenting on, not Janus--Janus is already established as fat in an earlier line). That one I might just go and change now, if it's giving people the implication that they're actively competing to see who has the bigger gut. They're not.

[astrainc]

Chapter Index

(unposted chapters and titles subject to change at any moment)

Act 0: Original Virtue

1. Omnia Vincit Amor (Love Conquers All)

2. Deus Ex Machina (A God from a Machine)

3. Virtus Junxit, Mors Non Separabit (That Which Virtue Unites, Let Not Death Separate)

4. Perge Sequar (Advance, I Follow)

5. Finis Vitae, Sed Non Amoris (The End of Life, but Not of Love)

6. Rerum Cognoscere Causas (To Learn the Causes of Things)

Act 1: Castitas

7. Cherubim: Rice Lily

8. Irina Clockworker: Jasmine

9. Rajih Assad: Lotus

10. Earl Ferdinand: White Rose

11. Karchess Crim: Azalea

12. Martius Marlon: Red Camellia

13. Sateriasis Venomania: Aster Tataricus

Act 2: Temperantia

14. Digestif – Blood Grave

15. Hors d'Oeuvre – Bruschetta with Salted Baemu

16. Soup – Graveyard Fruit Borscht

17. Poisson – Aotakoyaki

18. Sorbet – Plateau Sherbet

19. Viande – Steak of XXXX

20. Dessert – Brioche à Tête

21. Aperitif – Lunar Udonge

Act 3: Humilitas

22. Praefacio of Blue

23. Handbeat Clocktower

24. Blink

25. Praeludium of Red

26. Daughter of White

27. Millennium Lullaby

28. Wiegenlied of Green

29. Regret Message

30. Twiright Prank

31. Cloture of Yellow

32. Servant of Evil

33. Daughter of Evil

Act 4: Industria

34. Front-Page Headline; The New Mayor of a Colourful Town

35. Political Events; Gift-Giving with Santa Claus

36. Business and Finance; Marquis Blankenheim’s New Deal

37. Featured Article; Poison, Cure, and the Sleeping Beauty

38. Weather Forecast; A Case of Divine Retribution?

39. Health and Medicine; Miraculous Hourai Elixir

40. Breaking News; Justice Never Sleeps

41. Entertainment; Cirque de Lune

Act 4.4: Iustitia

42. “Big Brother” Becomes President

43. The First “Heist”

44. Search for “Seventh, Magician”

45. The New “Pere Noel”

46. “Two-Faced” Double Agent

47. Escape of the “Shadow”, Blossom

48. To Merrigod Plateau, and “Sixth Venom”

49. Reunion, and the “Angel of Patience”

50. Gods and Demons, and “Her” Final Moments

51. The Hellish Yard, and “Malice”

Act 5: Humanitas

52. The Song of the Twin Needles

53. Intro; The Fire

54. Verse; Equal Exchange

55. Pre-Chorus; Their Reunion

56. Chorus; Public Unrest

57. Bridge; His Visit

58. Outro; Past Life

59. Elision; Her Fate

60. The Song of the Monk

61. The Song of the Cherry Blossom Princess

62. The Song of the Fox’s Wedding

63. The Song of Enbizaka

Act 6: Patientia

64. Episode 0; Beginning of the End

65. Episode 1; The Girl Embraces Her Dream

66. Episode 2; Meeting Grandmother

67. Episode 3; Playing in the Forest

68. Episode 4; Farewell My Friend

69. Episode 5; Their Relationship Chills

70. Episode 6; A Sinking Feeling

71. Episode 7; Your Father is Here

72. Episode 8; Bitter Sweets

73. Episode 9; Garden of Eden

74. Episode 10; The Court’s Beginning

75. Episode ZERO; End of the Beginning

Act 6.6: Caritas

76. 0th Memory; Mirror Image

77. 1st Memory; Justice

78. 2nd Memory; Forest

79. 3rd Memory; Seasons

80. 4th Memory; Delivery

81. 5th Memory; Shadows

82. 6th Memory; Master

83. 7th Memory; God

84. Lost Memory; If Only…

Act 6.6.6: The Four Last Things

85. Seven Blessings and Salvation

86. Astra Inclinant: Re_Load Act 6.6.6

87. Search for HER Vessels

88. His Sister Sets Out

89. Master of the Graveyard

90. The Villains of History

91. BLACKBOX

92. Not Her

93. Master of the Court

94. A Capricious Farce

95. Reunion

96. The Pure Evil

97. MotHER

98. Re_Birthday

99. Truth

100. Master of the Hellish and Heavenly Yard

101. Astra Inclinant: End of Act 6.6.6

[redladydeath]

EC characters whose faces we only see in the musicals

Yufina Marlon, Martius Beelzenia, Carol Shields, Classke Glassred, Witnis Truth, and Tette Cetera

[redladydeath]

Theoretical Vocaloid reps for EC characters

uh yeah I’ve got a lot of free time

Leon

Leuno Dino

Witnis Truth

Ron Grapple

Leonhart Avadonia

Lola

Lolan Eve

Miriam

Mirigan Adi

Mariam Futapie

Meiko

Lich Arklow

Eater Sabella

Meta Salmhofer

Jupitaire Beelzenia

Maylis Beelzenia

Tetippea Conchita

Banica Conchita

Germaine Avadonia

Mayrana Blossom

Mei Miroku

Mei’s father

The Master of the Graveyard

Kaito

Adam Moonlit

Karchess Crim

Carlos Marlon

Charon Marlon

Cult Marlon

Kirk Marlon

Joseph

Ildebrando

Kyle Marlon

Arkatoir Marlon

Kaspar Blankenheim

Kaidor Blankenheim

Bruno Marlon

Karl Blankenheim

Kai Miroku

Perrié Cutie Marlon

Penry Marlon

Gallerian Marlon

Gandalf Marlon

Gear

Adam

Sweet Ann

Annlee Sweets

Anne Swee

Miku

Michael Arklow

Held Yggdra

Eve Zvezda

Maria Moonlit

Raisia Netsuma

Mikulia Greeonio

Hakua Netsuma

Haru Netsuma

Mikulia Calgaround

Platonic

Michaela

Clarith

Ayn

Margaret

Jahime Hatsune

Margarita Felix

Chansaux

Marx Felix

Miku Miroku

The Master of the Court

Michelle Marlon

Shiro Netsuma

Eve

Rin

Levia Barisol

Mysterious Rin 

Gretel

Abel

Neruneru Nerune

Arte

Rindo Blum

Riliane Lucifen d’Autriche

Ney Marlon

Riliane Roses

Rin Chan

Rin Miroku

Lilith “Waiter” Balledold”

Sarvant

Rin

Len

Behemo Barisol

Hänsel

Vey Lucif

Cain

Pollo

Lucifenia I

Allen Lucifen d’Autriche

Arth Lucifen d’Autriche

Lemy Abelard

Ayn Anchor

Kokutan-douji

Inukichi

Ren Sudou

Feng Li

Sarvant

Punishment

Prima

Priema Soap

Prim Rogzé

Gakupo

Cherubim Venomania

Sateriasis Venomania

Gast Venom

Gaou Octo

Nobunaga Hatsune

Gatt Coulomb

Gakusha Octo

Anan Octo

Gato Octo

Giyara

Gammon Octo

Nyoze ”Shakusan” Octo

Luka

Rahab Barisol

Elluka Chirclatia

Lukana Octo

Elluka Clockworker

Kayo Sudou

Ma

Hel Jaakko

Gumi

Guumiria Matsumoto

Gumina Glassred

Gilbert Calgaround

Meogour Glassred

Gumillia

Yvette Yakobi

Sarah Octo

Gusuma Yarera

Nemesis Sudou

Sonika

Duchess Glassred

Sonika Sonic

Classke Glassred

Mira Yarera

Narcissus Kissos

Miki

Milky Eights

Mickina Olliba

Milkicent Marlon

Mikina Sfarz

Yuki

Yuki Kaina

Yukina Freezis

Aai Freezis

Kiyoteru

Seth Twright

Kiril Clockworker

Pale Noël

Keel Freezis

Loki Freezis

Bindi Freezis

Big Al

Vlad Tabelsh

Marquis Ferdinand

Muzuri Conchita

Xenos Jaakko

Beelzenia Emperor

Ton Corpa

Tonio

Ilotte Venomania

Tasute Conchita

Presi Rogzé

Plus Rogzé

Puerick Rogzé

Tony Ausdin

Bogaerts

Lily

Ly Li

Irta Li

Lilien Turner

Liliane Mouchet

Gaston Mouchet

VY1

Oyuka Musupi

Ryouto

Mikulia’s son

Kiji Yarera

Iroha

Irina Clockworker

Piko

Tae Conchita

Oruhari

Qyoichi

YV2

Aybee Cee

Zusco

Watchman

Zusco Jr.

Eikichi Akagi

Mew

Mewtant Lusha

Tone Rion

Rio Neja

Oliver

Asan

Dylan

Cul

Carol Shields

Yukari

Yuzette “Isabel Ismael” Ora

Bruno

Lionel Corpa

Bruno

Bruno Zero

Hanma Balledold

Lapis

Lazuli Blue

Galaco

Juno Beelzenia

Mayu

Blood-stained Mayu

Avanna

Josephine Francois

Kyo

Salem Danber

Yegor Asayev

Wil

Will Jaakko

Yarera

Willus Zorach

Yarera III

Willus’ grandfather

Yuu

Yocaski Ausdin

Daniel Ausdin

Yohioloid

Sickle Talos

Earl Ferdinand

Shalgham

Maika

Eleanor

Merli

Sanan Noi

Macne

Chelsea

Eugen

Minage

Anon

Marina Lucif

Kanon

Marie Anette

Zunko

Barbara

Earl Felix

Thorny Elphen

Brigitta

Ling

Lamia Asayev

Sachiko

Kinouna

Arsloid

Janus Beelzenia

Duke Sfarz

Mikhail Asayev

Ruby

Phoebe Aymieux

Dex

Genesia

Scherzer

Daina

Gerda

Fukase

Rajih Assad

Duke Oruhari

Xingchen

Luna Hazuki

Cyber Songman

Burglar Donald

George Ausdin

Hob Homer

Longya

Gilles Dorie

Sommy Hedgehog

Minis Stoup

Midas Touch

Matcha

Alma

Coachman

Jorm Zusco

Moke

Banica’s son

Hardy - White

Chris

Duke Donald

Corpa

Ken

Nob Nicole

Uibee Aoi

Kurookina

Shouta

Shaw Freezis

Dashaw Freezis

Ai

Aile Freezis

Maki

Nylpho Venomania

Kou

Phaser

Martius Beelzenia

Itako

Clarith’s Mother

Akikoloid

Rita Flohn

Anri Rune

Aprilis Beelzenia

Lui

Denis

Egmont

Lorra

Polina Marchef

Chuchu

Kagura Octo

Yuecheng

Marc

Nagare Sudou

Teto

Tette Cetera

Chartette Langley

Smith Langley

Saruteito Lang

Yufu

Yufina Marlon

Sekka Le Corbusier

Ruko

Clive

Hoor

Matsudappoiyo

York Le Corbusier

Heaven Jaakko

Ritsu

Marks Donald

The Fifth Pierrot

Defoko

Nagisa Coulomb

Akane

Febria Beelzenia

Tei

Barbara Barba

[lunacyofdukevenomania]

Chapter 4-Yufina Marlon; Scene 8

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania, page 165-168

When Sateriasis woke and rose from bed, he found himself gazing at Yufina's peacefully sleeping face beside him.

Whew, things were pretty hectic last night. She looks exhausted.

She probably had never been satisfied by a man up until this point. He figured he should let her sleep.

Sateriasis got out of bed and started getting dressed. The cloth chafed against wounds that were here and there on his body, and he faintly winced in pain.

…The Marlon soldiers weren't as tough as I thought…but to think that damned Marquis Donald would be so skilled...It was a failure on my part to be put off guard by his appearance.

Marquis Donald of Lisa-A was a figure well known for his eccentricities. He was the sort of person who would wear heavy makeup despite being a man, and have on his person at all times the scent of a strange perfume.

On the other hand, it seemed he wasn't a sexual pervert, and he apparently wore the makeup in a sort of so-called good-luck charm or prayer kind of thing. Sateriasis could count on one hand the amount of times he'd met with the man face to face, but due to the impact of his appearance, Sateriasis had seen Marquis Donald as nothing more than a weirdo.

Though it might have been easier for me if I hadn't been going easy on him as much as I could to avoid killing him…Oh well, in any case he won't be wielding a sword ever again….on account of me blowing off both his arms.

Marquis Donald no longer even remembered who it was who put him through something so traumatic.

Sateriasis left the room, and waiting for him outside was IR.

Today she was in her girl form.

"Hey, good morning IR."

In contrast to Sateriasis greeting her with a grin on his face, IR demanded with a thoroughly displeased expression, "Hand it over."

"Hm? Hand what over?"

"Don't joke around with me. The 'Vessel of Deadly Sin'. I know she had it."

IR spread her arms before him and pressed for him to give it to her.

But Sateriasis easily cut in, "Yufina didn't have any such thing on her."

"…That can't be. Couldn't she be hiding it?"

"Yufina wouldn't lie to me while under my 'Lust' spell. She told me that she'd never heard of nor even laid eyes on a 'Vessel of Deadly Sin'."

After IR glared at Sateriasis with a pointed look, she paced around the place as though in thought for a short while. Then she said, "Give me all of the clothes and ornaments that she had on her person. The 'Vessel of Deadly Sin' must be among them."

"In that case, they're all already gathered in the clothing room. They're on the closest shelf, so you should be able to see it immedi--"

IR ran for the clothing room before Sateriasis had finished speaking.

My my, she certainly seems to be in a rush.

Sateriasis then walked in the opposite direction, climbing up the stairs that led to the ground floor.

With Yufina having gone missing in Asmodean, the situation had become incredibly troublesome. Now that Marquis Glassred had no hope of recovery, Sateriasis was involved in politics despite his inexperience, and needed to complete the practical day to day to the best of his ability. As several of the close aids from his father's generation outside of Marquis Glassred were in good health it wasn't that hard at the present moment, but things had still gotten much busier than before.

Contrary to that mayhem, officially the fact that Yufina had been kidnapped had been kept hidden by instruction of the Marlon royalty. Martius Marlon, who was both the king of Marlon and the second son of Jupitaire Beelzenia, was likely afraid that this would lead to a crack between Marlon and Beelzenia. The country of Marlon couldn't afford to lose the backing of the Beelzenian Empire at this time.

As for the Beelzenian Empire, if it came out that a queen related to it had gone missing in one of its regions it would lead to international embarrassment. As a result, the imperial family had passed down a peremptory command for Sateriasis, as the lord of the Asmodean region, to clarify on the serial disappearance of women case that was connected to this incident, and to find Yufina at once.

Well, they're not going to find her by appointing me to it.

The people of the imperial family had no inkling that lord they had given their command to was in fact the culprit.

.

Venomania Harem

Present number of members: 8

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[lunacyofdukevenomania]

Chapter 4-Yufina Marlon; Scene 2

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania, page 130-139

It was two full days until the boat reached the mainland, and then from there one week by carriage until the king and queen of Marlon arrived in the capital of the Beelzenian Empire, Rucolebeni.

The Beelzenian Empire, ruled by Emperor Jupitaire Beelzenia, was an enormous nation that owned two thirds of the western half of the main continent, the Evillious region as it was called.

Emperor Jupitaire had little ambition for territorial expansion, and governed putting particular weight on the stabilization of the nation's domestic affairs inside its vast territory, and dealing with the revolts caused by the barbarians that dotted the various nations of the eastern area (the non-Evillious region).

The emperor was fairly old by now, and as he was often bedridden he rarely showed himself in public. For that reason, when Yufina and her husband arrived at the imperial castle the one to hold audience with them was not Emperor Jupitaire but Janus, the crown prince.

"Martius, I appreciate you coming all this way. Well, make yourselves comfortable," Prince Janus spoke up after sitting his large body down on the throne, looking down at his younger brother Martius, the king of Marlon.

"It's been a long time since you've been adopted into the country of Marlon. How is your birthplace, after so long away?"

"Well, it doesn't look to have changed much to me, for good or ill."

King Marlon showed no irritation towards Prince Janus' pompous attitude, merely replying to the question with a grin and patting his large stomach, which was roughly on par with that of his older brother.

"If you mean to say it hasn't changed, then I'll take that as evidence that my Beelzenia is peaceful."

"Then that means applause are in order for your rule, esteemed brother Janus."

"Oh lay off. I'm just acting as proxy for our father."

"But then in that case, even if our great father should meet his demise Beelzenia shall still have enduring peace."

"Don't speak something so thoughtless. Our father has to live quite a ways longer yet."

"That's true, hahaha."

"Hah hah hah."

An arrogant older brother and a servile younger brother.

While gazing at their exchange from behind, Yufina once more acutely felt the lowly status of her husband.

The country of Marlon was currently in the middle of warring with the country of Lioness regarding rulership over the island of Marlon. In order to win their conflict, the country of Marlon needed to strengthen their connections with Beelzenia, the large empire of the mainland.

Enacted as part of that was the marriage between Yufina, the eldest daughter of Marlon's former king, and Martius, second prince of Beelzenia.

The former king of Marlon had not been blessed with sons, and so after he'd died early, Marlon continued to be without a ruler. But that was resolved by Martius marrying into the Marlon royal family and inheriting the throne.

Right now they were still allowed their independence, but one day Marlon would probably be made into a vassal state of the Beelzenian Empire. Even so, her late father and his senior statesman had decided that it was better than the island of Marlon being unified by Lioness. Yufina privately felt sorry that Marlon's history as a country would end during her own time.

Though it was a political marriage, Martius was gentle, and a good husband.

But that gentleness was little more than a frivolity for being a strong king. It was extremely unlikely that he had the backbone to secure a promise to maintain Marlon's independence against his brother's wishes.

Incidentally, due to Martius' gentleness he had yet to grant Yufina pleasure as a woman. Out of concern for her he always took great care not to hurt her whenever he touched her. Perhaps as a woman that was a blessing for her. But a deep sense of dissatisfaction was smoldering in the bottom of Yufina's heart.

"Ah, so you've arrived, Martius."

The one who said so as she entered the audience hall was Janus' younger sister and Martius' older sister, the second child of the emperor, Beelzenia's eldest princess Febria.

And following behind her were two more women who were elegantly dressed.

"Heehee, brother Martius…Your face looks as boring as ever."

The one to shoot Martius an insult as the first thing out of her mouth was the emperor's fourth child and second eldest princess, Aprilis.

"Ah, dear sister in law Yufina. Long time no see!"

Finally, ignoring Martius to greet Yufina first was the youngest child and third daughter, Maylis.

And with that, all of the siblings of the Beelzenian imperial family had assembled in the audience hall.

So, we have the pig siblings all lined up…

In her mind Yufina muttered a rash remark that, if she'd carelessly said aloud, she would likely be executed immediately, queen of Marlon or no.

Janus, Febria, Martius, and Aprilis all varied in size, but each of them were plumply overweight.

The high-quality offerings sent to them from their vast territory must be pretty delicious.

The only exception was Maylis. She was slender in a way that had no resemblance at all to her brothers and sisters. And yet, she had a figure that could be called idealized for a woman, which clearly made her stick out from them. It was to the point where when Yufina had first laid eyes on the five siblings, she had suspected that Maylis alone must have been adopted from somewhere else.

"Dear sister-in-law, since you've come all the way down here I'll give you a tour of the castle. Let's gooo!" Maylis said, clinging to Yufina's arm.

"Uh, but…we're still in the middle of our reception..."

"That's alright. You don't need to keep up with this pig conference."

Wahh…She just plainly called them pigs just now…

When Yufina looked back to her husband in hesitation, he nodded, smiling, and said, "It's fine, go on. After all, it's more of a talk between siblings than a reception. No need to pay it any mind. …Is that alright with you, esteemed Janus?"

"Mhm. We've got quite a lot of things that we can only talk about amongst ourselves, after all. Look after Maylis, Queen Yufina."

"See, we have permission. Let's go."

"Yeah…Well then, lead the way."

Frankly, Yufina had been feeling a little bit uncomfortable, being in a reception in a land that she was unfamiliar with. Taking advantage of Maylis' kindness, she left.

.

"Well then, where shall we go first?~♪"

Maylis walked along with a rap-tap-tap in front of Yufina, with a nimble step.

"Maylis…Thank you."

Maylis stopped and turned around with a puzzled expression after Yufina gave her thanks.

"Hm? What for?"

"For…being considerate of me?"

"Ah…Well, I guess it was sort of like that?" Maylis walked up to Yufina and brought their faces closer without hesitation. "Whenever you're with brother Martius, sister Yufina, you never seem to enjoy yourself much."

"…I certainly don't hate him. But--"

"Ha ha, well well, you need say no more! Political marriages…It's an inevitability of women in our position, eh!"

Maylis turned around once more and headed forward.

"Aahh, I'll probably end up being forced to marry some low-bred bore someday too!"

"Maylis, do you…have anyone? Some person you like…"

Karchess' face crossed through Yufina's mind; he was likely waiting for her return back in Marlon.

"Nope, nope!" Maylis waved her arms to the side exaggeratedly, laughing. Then, messing with the end of her long hair that was nearly tied back, she said in an embarrassed tone, "Even if I did, I'm not popular with men at all."

…That's not true. She's much more attractive than her older sisters, at least.

Even looking at her from a female perspective as Yufina was, she could tell Maylis was a bewitching woman. She was still young at twenty two years old, but she had a very appealing glamorousness that the other noblewomen around her couldn't hope to compare to.

Furthermore, she was from an indisputably high-class family, the Beelzenian imperial line--if she fancied it, she could have her pick of men.

"Anyway. Come on--"

"Princess Maylis!"

A tall man wearing black ceremonial dress called out to Maylis as she started to walk once more.

"So this is where you were."

"What's wrong, Baron Conchita?"

"I have a report regarding the incident from before--"

Baron Conchita got up to that point before stopping and glancing at Yufina.

"Don't mind her, continue."

"…Alright, well then." Prompted by Maylis, Baron Conchita once more continued on the report.

"Marquis Glassred has gone mad."

"Huh!?"

"His entire family has been murdered, and his only daughter has gone missing…He wasn't that strong of constitution to start with, so it seems he was unable to handle it."

"Then, regarding the before-mentioned incident--"

"Continuing the investigation will be difficult. Now we'll need to look for someone else to collaborate with us in his stead."

"Marquis Glassred was entrusted with the governance of Asmodean, wasn’t he? What's going to happen there?"

"I think we'll be able to appoint a replacement there, as well…If Duke Venomania is back on his feet, then he will take over governance of Asmodean. That's how it should be, after all."

"Hmph…"

The conversation between the two of them was not something Yufina understood. They were passing back and forth some unsettling words, and it didn't have the kind of air that allowed for interjection, so she just remained quiet and watched them discuss.

"Princess Maylis. What should we do? Should we ask Duke Venomania for help? The incident is happening in his territory, after all. I think there's a high chance he'll cooperate."

"…Duke Venomania's family was killed too, weren't they? He's gotten better lately, but I don't think we should get him too worked up--"

"So this chain of events is related after all?"

"I think so. At least, that's what I've been considering." Maylis put a hand on her cheek, appearing to think about something with a serious expression.

"…Well then, another collaborator I can think of…How about Marquis Ferdinand of Mystica?"

"That creepy old man? I reeeally don't like him. He's always staring at me every time we meet."

"But he would surely promise to carry everything out in secret from his other siblings."

"…I guess I've no choice. Well then. I'll leave the arrangements to you."

"Very good, my lady. And so, I will take my leave."

After Baron Conchita bowed his head to both Maylis and Yufina, he left.

"…Esteemed sister-in-law, Yufina."

When Maylis looked towards Yufina, who turned around, her face was serious.

"What are your plans after tomorrow?"

"Lemme think…After we stay in Rucolebeni two or three days, I think I'll be touring various places in Beelzenia with my husband--with King Marlon for three weeks. To be introduced to the 'Five Dukes'."

Serving under the Beelzenian imperial family were five duke families called the "Five Dukes", and each served as lord for various regions like Asmodean and Lucifenia. During the ceremony for Yufina and Martius' engagement, all of them had hastened over, and,  after accepting the ceremonial program, they grandly congratulated them. This time they intended to go make their greetings in addition to repaying them for back then.

"Are you going to Asmodean too?"

"Yes, of course. It's the region belonging to Duke Venomania."

"And I suppose you can't just…cancel."

There was no way she'd be able to. It would be unbelievably insulting for her not to visit one among the "Five Dukes".

Maylis advised Yufina, expression worried, "Maybe you should try to keep your stay there brief, if you can. Lately it feels like some disturbing things have been happening there in succession…"

"Got it. I'll make the suggestion to King Marlon as well."

"…Okay! Then let's go this time!"

And then, being brought along by Maylis, Yufina toured the Beelzenian Imperial Palace, which was enormously larger than her own castle in Marlon.

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[redladydeath]

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania: Everlasting True Love

Imura Hyaku Nozomi as Martius Marlon

[redladydeath]

The Lunacy of Duke Venomania: Everlasting True Love

Imura Hyaku Nozomi as Martius Marlon

[redladydeath]

Lust Arc Nobility Characters

Martius Marlon, Jupitaire Beelzenia, Janus Beelzenia, Febria Beelzenia, Aprilis Beelzenia, Tae Conchita, and Gilbert Calgaround