Chapter: 115
Perhaps due to the rainy season, it poured down for several days. As a result, our activities were restricted to inside the lord’s mansion, and in the meantime, chess was elevated to the official board game of the pastry club, being played more than ten times a day.
Watching the true madness of Rutis, who insists on promoting his pawns to knights and operates with five knights, and the fake madness of Tannian, who tossed aside the bishop strategy for queens, was surprisingly entertaining. It seemed they both played quite well—true veterans relishing in eccentric plays.
“A knight killing a priest? Truly a sign of the end times.”
“A fair and square victory is the true virtue of a knight, is it not?”
It was regrettable that they were still stuck in their silly character roles, though.
And every time they caused a ruckus, Lather looked at them with a subtly twisted expression on his usually expressionless face, as if asking, “What on earth is going on here?”
‘Definitely not normal.’
But from my perspective, Lather was just as strange as they were. How did this gaggle of fools end up gathered? It would be hard to collect such a group even if you tried.
I turned away from those embarrassing club members, worried about being late for the tea party.
‘It feels like I’m drinking more tea than water these days.’
These days, tea was beginning to taste like my regular beverage. Today was no different, as Mother called for me again. A little rain wouldn’t dampen Mother’s enthusiasm, after all.
Of course, there was no need to head to the back garden. Why add rainwater to our tea? The real issue was that the tea parties held within the mansion were becoming increasingly extravagant.
The larger the event, the longer I had to sit through it. It would be easier to slip away unnoticed if there were more people, but it was always the same three: me, Mother, and Marghetta. That was it.
Initially, all the guests were invited to these tea parties. It’s one thing for a small gathering, but it’s tricky to invite some and ignore others when it’s a grand event in the mansion. After making an appearance once or twice, they began skipping out altogether.
“The prosperity of the Krasius family is a blessing to the Empire.”
When I asked if something was off, Ainter explained their reasoning, roughly translating to, “The atmosphere seems nice, so we’ll excuse ourselves as uninvited guests.”
‘Why the tact only in situations like this?’
Why were they so perceptive of others’ matters when their own love lives were in tatters?
I understood Irina’s absence since she was a third party, and Louise was sharp enough to notice. But damn, they shouldn’t behave this way! Think about the hell I’m going through because of you guys!
No matter how positively I tried to view it, it was infuriating. If they had that level of insight, they should have stopped their foolishness by now.
“Hyung, I’m not that clueless.”
And the most infuriating brat—I mean, the most troublesome one—was Erich. How dare he say something like that in front of me?
Does he really think he’s not clueless? So, he’s just shy when it comes to his own love life? How did FIVE idiots like them even get together?
‘Damned fools.’
But what was the point of getting mad? The fact that I had to attend the tea party alone didn’t change.
“Sir Carl, welcome.”
“Ah, you’ve made it. Please have a seat.”
At least there were two, or maybe three if we counted the head maid, who were happy to see me. The head maid’s smile was exceptionally warm today.
“I apologize for being late.”
Attending the tea party was a bit awkward, but it wasn’t unwelcome.
It was certainly better than being summoned by the Crown Prince while working. That bastard would do nothing but mumble to himself while drinking wine.
For a moment, I imagined Marghetta drunkenly whining. The same action felt entirely different depending on who performed it.
“Sir Carl?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
I quickly averted my gaze from Marghetta, who blinked innocently. It felt rude to entertain those thoughts about her, considering her noble upbringing.
After that, the tea party proceeded rather smoothly, aside from the incident where the head maid commented, “It seems the young master has become shy because of the young lady’s beauty.”
*
I was sure of one thing: I couldn’t let go of the pen in my life.
If that were the case, I wouldn’t be here. Did I grab a pencil during my first birthday party, or what? What was wrong with me?
“The work gets done quickly with the Young Master’s help.”
“That’s because the head butler had almost finished it.”
I handed over a document to the head butler while rubbing the back of my neck. I hadn’t imagined I’d be working even after arriving at the territory.
Or rather, was it because I was here in the territory? It was natural for the heir of the family to oversee the work, but honestly, I hadn’t been performing my duties properly until now.
‘This feels strange.’
Working in the territory, rather than the capital, felt foreign.
And it felt disheartening that I had just finished a task in the Prosecutor’s Office only to be assigned another.
But what could I do? I couldn’t ignore the visibly overworked head butler. His dark circles seemed to drag down further every time I laid eyes on him.
“I’ll be able to sleep soundly tonight.”
See, even he felt joy over such trivial matters.
‘Poor guy.’
If the head butler had any fault, it was merely being saddled with the wrong superior. The patriarch left everything but military and diplomatic affairs to him.
Given that the patriarch was also a member of the imperial council, the head butler being overwhelmed was unavoidable. But unavoidable didn’t mean the work was any less exhausting.
‘He should be healthy.’
He needed to be so he could keep working hard when I became the Count.
I briefly considered sharing the potion I received from the Mage Duchess with the head butler, but then dismissed the idea. Didn’t they say health drinks lose their effectiveness when shared? It would be better to find something else.
“Young Master, could you take care of this too?”
“Sure.”
I took the document handed to me by the head butler and swiftly glanced through it.
They say a chicken fed with ginseng tastes better, so a well-fed head butler must be more capable, right?
But if the head butler heard that, he’d likely try to escape, so I decided to keep that thought to myself. Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss.
“Oh, by the way, Young Master.”
For a moment, I panicked, thinking he had caught on to my train of thought.
“The Count of Horfeld has changed just recently.”
“The Count of Horfeld?”
It was such an unexpected piece of news that my anxious heart began to calm down. The Count of Horfeld was one of the empire’s nobility and typically a subject of my attention. Why such a sudden change?
“People come and go so swiftly.”
I also knew him personally, as we interacted with other imperial families. I should at least offer my condolences—
“He has retired.”
“Oh.”
That explained it. He had seemed perfectly fine in the last report.
“The title has been passed on to their young master. Though the reason wasn’t disclosed, a record-breaking youngest count of the empire has emerged.”
“Ah, so he’s younger than me?”
“He’s two years older than Young Master Erich.”
That would make him 19. Being a count at an age when he hasn’t even graduated from the academy seemed quite heavy a burden.
“He’s still young; he must have it tough.”
The head butler’s expression shifted slightly at my words, but I brushed it aside.
I was the exception. Wartime and peacetime shouldn’t be compared like that.
In any case, the change in the Count of Horfeld would make the imperial council lively for a while. It was still uncertain how much of the previous Count Horfeld’s influence the new count would inherit.
‘Looks like it’s going to be busy for a while.’
And whenever such incidents arose, it was the Prosecutor’s Office that kicked into gear. We had to thoroughly investigate the background of the new count, reassess his associates, and monitor the justice scales.
Damn it, looks like I’ll have to return to the capital and start working again. Why does a well-respected gentleman have to retire and complicate things for everyone?
*
The Count’s office, which no one could access without permission, was an ideal place for secretive conversations.
— No suspicious movements here.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It was also a fitting environment for reporting to the Emperor.
— The report from the Intelligence Department matches that of the Count. There has been complete calm, without any activity.
I nodded silently at His Majesty’s words. Indeed, the guests in the territory had shown no unusual behaviors.
They stayed indoors when it rained and strolled about when it was clear, occasionally attending my wife’s tea parties like guests at a friend’s house.
Their calmness made me suspect whether they were acting subtly to avoid my vigilant eyes, but if the Intelligence Department reported the same, it meant they were genuinely cautious.
— Perhaps I was mistaken.
“How could you say such a thing? It’s purely due to the shortcomings on our end.”
His Majesty expressed doubt regarding his own wise judgment, but it wasn’t true. His Majesty was indeed correct. It was merely because we hadn’t reached the same insight as he possessed.
— Those who boldly enrolled in the Academy have committed to a three-year stay.
Still, His Majesty continued without a hint of agitation.
— They are not ones to act carelessly, given the chance.
I couldn’t dispute His Majesty’s words. Indeed, considering they intended to stay in the empire for three years, they would act cautiously. They would be careful if they didn’t want to be forcefully returned after a semester.
Yes, His Majesty was right. If they were the type to reveal their true nature the moment there was no one looking, they wouldn’t have had the audacity to arrive in the empire so boldly.
— Keeping them in your territory longer might invite suspicion. Send them back at the proper time.
“As you command, Your Majesty.”
Even if their arrival was sudden, they were still royalty and guests of the empire. Leaving them unattended in a foreign land for too long would be inarguably suspect.
— It is fortunate that we have the head of the Prosecutor’s Office with us.
“I am grateful for your words.”
I could not raise my head after hearing the trust placed in the head of the Prosecutor’s Office, Carl. That meant His Majesty’s confidence extended not just to me but also to my son, representing the future of the Krasius family.
Indeed, he was a testament to the Krasius lineage—a truly excellent and remarkable son.
With those gracious words, His Majesty ended the communication.
Following His Majesty’s orders, it was time to send them back at the right moment. I owed that much to my wife, after all.
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