Surviving marriage in yandere world

The Royal Magic Academy's Grand Tournament was supposed to be a celebration of unity, growth, and the bright future of the kingdom's finest youth.

Instead, it looked more like the prelude to a particularly bloody gladiator spectacle, with Rei as the unwilling centerpiece goat about to be sacrificed.

Banners of every noble house flapped proudly in the morning breeze. Magical fireworks burst above the colossal arena, exploding into shapes of doves and hearts—a glaring contradiction to the vibes radiating off the wives beside Rei.

Because while the announcers chirped things like:

"Let us welcome the new dawn of unity!"

And:

"This is a contest of friendship, skill, and mutual respect!"

…Rei sat at the front row dais, twitching, as his five fiancées sized each other up with the intensity of apex predators circling the last piece of meat in the world.

Correction: he was the meat.

"Why are they staring at each other like that?" Rei whispered, tugging on his collar. "This is supposed to be about peace!"

Beside him, Seraphina—the angel princess herself—folded her hands demurely, wearing her holy academy uniform like she was at mass. Her serene smile could have fooled anyone, but Rei knew that behind those calm eyes she was reciting six different ways to smite her rivals with holy lightning the moment the whistle blew.

Drakana, meanwhile, was not bothering to hide it. The dragon girl sat with her arms crossed, muscles bulging in her tournament-ready battle gear, glaring at Seraphina like she was mentally sharpening her claws. "Peace? Hah. The only unity I want is my fist uniting with her smug face."

Lilia twirled her parasol, a deceptively graceful motion for someone who had spent last night slipping tracking runes into Rei's socks. "Peace, yes. After I win, Rei will finally belong only to me. That is very peaceful, wouldn't you agree?"

Rosette, sitting silently behind Rei like a shadow, adjusted his collar with assassin-like precision. Her voice was quiet, but every syllable carried a threat. "Peace is achieved through elimination."

Emilia, the outlier, was waving excitedly at the snack stand, holding two corndogs. "Rei! Do you want mustard or ketchup?!"

The other four turned their heads toward her in unison.

Rei sweat-bulleted so hard he almost drowned in his own panic.

[System Notification: Current Location – Royal Magic Academy Arena.]

[Status: User is Surrounded by Five Imminent Threats. Recommended Action: Dig Own Grave Preemptively.]

"Not helping!" Rei hissed at the hovering blue text.

[System Comment: Not trying to help. Just doing commentary while you suffer. Carry on.]

The trumpets blared, and the academy headmaster—an elderly man with a beard so long it had its own chair—rose to give the opening speech.

"Students, nobles, and honored guests! Today we gather not to fight, but to grow closer through competition! May this tournament remind us all that unity is the foundation of peace!"

Cue polite applause. Cue Rei trying not to scream as Drakana cracked her knuckles, Seraphina's halo glowed brighter with holy menace, and Rosette licked the edge of a dagger for no good reason except to terrify everyone within sight.

Even the audience started shifting nervously. They'd seen enough of Rei's wives to know: "unity" was code for "who gets custody of Rei's lungs."

"Ladies and gentlemen," the announcer bellowed, "the prize for this grand tournament is—ONE WISH, granted by the royal crown itself!"

Cheers thundered across the stadium.

Meanwhile Rei's internal organs shriveled up like raisins.

He could already hear his wives plotting.

Drakana: "My wish will be for Rei to become my eternal dragonmate."

Seraphina: "Incorrect. My wish will sanctify our union under divine law."

Lilia: "You both are wrong. My wish will make Rei's surname legally mine forever."

Rosette: "…I don't need a wish. But I'll use it to erase the other four."

Emilia: "I'll wish for unlimited corndogs!"

The other four wives snapped their gazes at her again.

Rei whispered desperately, "Emilia, for the love of all that is holy, don't say things that keep painting targets on your back!"

[System Alert: Warning – Emilia's Affection Level is rising uncontrollably.]

[Current Level: 75%.]

[New Sub-Trait: Blissfully Oblivious to Mortal Danger.]

[System Comment: I genuinely don't know how she's survived this long. I'm starting to think she's some kind of cosmic glitch.]

Rei buried his face in his hands. "She's going to get me killed. Or worse—they're going to fight over me on live broadcast!"

He peeked out between his fingers at the roaring crowd. Nobles, commoners, foreign dignitaries, even the king and queen themselves were present. This wasn't just a school event—it was a full-on international spectacle.

And everyone knew Rei as "the duke's son engaged to five terrifying prodigies."

Meaning? If the wives went full yandere in the middle of the tournament, it wouldn't just be his funeral—it would be a diplomatic crisis.

The headmaster continued his rambling speech about peace and progress, blissfully unaware of the murder aura radiating from Rei's row of fiancées.

"Blissfully unaware" might have been generous, actually. At one point the old man's beard twitched nervously as though it sensed the impending chaos.

Finally, the speech ended.

"Let the Royal Magic Academy Tournament—BEGIN!"

The arena shook as magic arrays lit up, unleashing colorful fireworks and a chorus of summoned doves.

And at the exact same time, Rei's wives leaned forward, eyes glowing, their combined killing intent thick enough to suffocate the first five rows of spectators.

Rei whispered a single desperate prayer.

"Dear Goddess Eris… if you're listening… smite me. Smite me right now. Please, take me out with lightning, meteor, anything. I'll even take reincarnation as a worm. Anything but this."

[System Notification: Prayer detected.]

[Divine Response: Goddess Eris is currently busy eating instant noodles and laughing at your misery. Try again later.]

"DAMN IT, ERIS!" Rei screamed, clutching his head.

The crowd thought he was cheering for the opening ceremony and applauded.

The wives thought he was calling their names and their eyes lit up.

Rei's heart dropped into his stomach.

The bloodbath hadn't even started yet, and he was already the most hunted prey in the arena.

And thus, with cheers shaking the sky, with doves fluttering over the stadium, and with Rei praying for divine smiting that would never come…

The tournament officially began. And so did Rei's descent into an even deeper level of hell.

[System Announcement: Welcome to Arc 5 – The Tournament of Death (And Love).]

[Main Mission: Survive Until Finals Without Becoming a Widow(er).]

[Failure Consequence: Just… don't ask. You won't like it.]

The fanfare settled, the crowd roared, and the announcer's voice boomed across the magically amplified arena:

"First up—preliminary matches! A test of skill, honor, and—"

"Survival," Rei muttered under his breath.

Because in his line of sight, Drakana had already cracked the stone railing with one fist, Seraphina's halo was glowing dangerously like it was on "holy smite preheat mode," and Rosette had unfolded a little notebook labeled Elimination Priority Order.

Rei leaned back so hard in his chair he nearly tipped over. "Yup. I'm doomed, I am so doomed."

[System Advisory: Emotional State = 89% Terror, 7% Resignation, 4% Corn Dog Craving.]

[Recommended Coping Mechanism: Panic Screaming.]

Rei: "…I'm already doing that inside!"

Emilia, blissfully unaware of the death stares around her, had returned with a mountain of snacks piled in her arms. She plopped down beside Rei and offered him a roasted squid skewer.

"Rei, say ahhh!" she beamed.

Rei hesitated, glancing nervously at his other fiancées. "If I eat this, they're going to take it as a symbolic marriage vow, you know that, right?"

Emilia tilted her head. "Eh? Really? I just thought you looked hungry."

Lilia's parasol snapped open with a thwip, hiding her expression—but not the vein pulsing on her temple. "Symbolic or not, I don't recall authorizing public feeding rituals."

Seraphina chimed in sweetly, her smile sharp enough to slice diamonds. "In angelic tradition, feeding one's beloved is a vow of eternal union. Perhaps Emilia should be… educated."

Drakana slammed a fist against her palm. "Good. Then we can settle this by force already."

Rosette didn't say a word—she just pulled out a crossbow from nowhere and began silently adjusting its sights toward the skewer.

Rei clutched his head. "Why?! It's just grilled squid! Why are you turning seafood into a declaration of war?!"

[System Update: Warning – Rei's snack consumption has escalated to Level 3 International Crisis.]

[System Comment: Honestly, impressive. You've managed to weaponize street food.]

The announcer, oblivious to the domestic cold war brewing on the dais, continued his cheerful spiel.

"Ah yes, let us not forget—today's matches will be broadcast live across the kingdom! Every town square, tavern, and noble estate will be watching! Let us all set aside differences and celebrate our youth!"

Rei felt his soul leave his body.

"They're going to massacre each other on live national television! I'll be known as the guy whose harem destabilized the entire kingdom!" He slumped forward onto the railing. "I'm going to be exiled, aren't I? Or executed, or married. Maybe all three."

[System Notification: Public Reputation Meter Activated.]

[Current Status: "Duke's Charming Son."]

[Predicted Future Status: "The Man Who Broke Civilization."]

The crowd, unaware of the growing storm, was chanting and waving banners. Merchants hawked "Team Seraphina" badges and "Drakana #1" flags. In fact, the entire arena looked more like a sports coliseum than a school tournament.

Rei stared bleakly at a stall selling "Official Husband Plushies." Each one was a poorly stitched stuffed doll of himself in a tuxedo. One particularly enthusiastic merchant was yelling: "Buy two and you get a free dagger accessory, just like Miss Rosette uses!"

Rosette's lips twitched. "Acceptable."

"Not acceptable!" Rei shot back.

And then, as if to hammer the nail deeper into his coffin, the announcer's voice echoed again:

"And as an added twist this year… contestants are encouraged to dedicate their victories to someone special!"

The wives all turned their heads toward Rei in perfect synchronization.

Rei's soul shriveled. "Oh no. Oh no. This is going to turn into a live competition of who screams 'for my beloved husband!' the loudest, isn't it?"

The audience leaned forward eagerly, already salivating at the promise of scandal. Betting booths magically opened in the stands, odds being scribbled for "Which Fiancée Eliminates the Others First?"

Rei whimpered.

"Dear Goddess Eris… smite me harder and please make it quick. I beg you."

[System Response: Divine Connection Established.]

[Divine Message: Goddess Eris says, and I quote, 'Lol. No.']

Rei screamed into his hands as the crowd erupted in cheer again, the first fighters stepping into the arena.

The bloodbath had officially begun. And Rei was still very much alive to witness it.

To be continued…