Chapter: 277
It seemed that the reason I was given a heads-up about the arrival was because a crowd had gathered at the castle gates to welcome guests. However, the figure I should be seeing among the crowd was nowhere to be found.
‘Where’s the Patriarch?’
No matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t spot the Patriarch. It was quite a bizarre situation for the head of the family to be missing while welcoming his son and daughter-in-law.
How strange. If he hadn’t shown up during last summer’s break, I could’ve thought he’d left all the welcoming duties to Mother, but to just vanish at this moment?
Even during the formal introductions at the New Year’s Ball, the Patriarch had shown a rather calm demeanor. He didn’t seem to harbor any complaints about my lovers, and even if he did have some grievances, he wouldn’t be the type to make such a no-show.
“I’ve got a meeting with the Executive Manager. He’ll be back today at the latest.”
Seemingly sensing my confusion, Mother gently spoke up.
‘Oh.’
Knowing the situation made me feel a bit disappointed. He was just busy with work, after all.
“He must be quite busy.”
“What can you do? It’s not the first time the legislators are busy in the new year.”
Saying that made the civil servant who took a vacation feel a bit awkward.
However, in our Empire, legislators working during the New Year’s are clearly more overwhelmed than administrative civil servants. I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut.
‘My future.’
It felt a bit complicated. Being a Duke comes with a legislative seat by default, so when I inherit the title, I automatically become a legislator.
Of course, to prevent excessive workload concentration, if you reach a certain level like an administrative manager or a senior military officer, you can send a relative as a representative. However, sending a proxy would mean I failed to retire until then, wouldn’t it?
That’s downright terrifying. Is my fate truly to work until I drop dead?
‘Black Cow Carl Krasius…’
I can guess that the Yellow Cow who goes with the Black Cow must be the Crown Prince. No wonder that brat is blonde.
“Come on in! Was your trip uncomfortable?”
Putting aside my bitterness, I exchanged greetings with some casual small talk, and then Mother approached Marghetta with gleaming eyes.
“Yes, traveling via teleport was comfortable.”
As Marghetta smiled and responded, Mother’s gaze shifted to Marcilio. That look directed at Marcilio was filled with affection and warmth rather than awkwardness.
“Thanks to Beatrix, I could see the daughters-in-law sooner. I’m grateful.”
“I wanted to see you too, so no need for thanks.”
Wow, the Countess boldly called the Duke by his first name. But the exchange itself was quite friendly. After all, both parties had agreed to it.
Mother, who accepted that the Duke should be welcomed as a son-in-law, proposed a compromise during the introductions. Although she couldn’t call him by his first name outright, she promised to speak comfortably with him. The Duke, perhaps not wanting to claim everything at once, readily agreed.
‘That’s how you get familiar, huh.’
Once you start calling someone by their original name, it’s like you’ve passed the halfway mark. Using the first name makes you familiar and gets you closer. It’s like when you start calling your senior by their name in the army, and suddenly everyone feels like equals.
With Mother now greeting the daughters-in-law, I approached Erich.
“Have you been well?”
“Yeah, can’t say I’ve had anything to complain about.”
I simply nodded at Erich’s nonchalant reply. Nothing particularly eventful happens when you’re stuck in the territory.
“It’s been a long time since I last saw Sara. Almost three years, right?”
While patting Erich’s shoulder, I turned my gaze to the woman beside him. It had been so long that my memory was a bit fuzzy, but with her blonde hair and wall-like eyes, it had to be Sara.
Moreover, her face from our last encounter vaguely overlapped with this one, so it must be her. Fortunately, she hadn’t suddenly changed; she had grown up beautifully, but of course, being the daughter of the Head Maid, that was expected.
“Yes, I think it’s been that long.”
“I’m sorry! I should’ve shown my face a bit more, but I’ve been careless.”
“It’s okay. Erich made up for your absence.”
Sara gently shook her head, smiled, and grabbed Erich’s hand. On the surface, it looked casual, but if you looked closely, there was a peculiar tremble in her hand.
‘Oh.’
I instinctively sensed something. Sara had a crush on Erich.
Though I wasn’t sure if it was a like or love kind of crush, what girl would just hold the hand of a guy she had no interest in? If I, who hadn’t seen Sara in three years, could pick up on it, then the people nearby must have figured it out long ago.
Yeah, if you don’t notice something that obvious, it’s not a lack of perception; it’s just a lack of brains.
‘…Actually doesn’t have any brains.’
And upon seeing Erich’s expression, I realized he really did have a screw loose.
How odd. There seemed to be an invisible wall between Erich and Sara. Sara was clearly filled with shyness and innocence, yet Erich was calmly holding her hand with a blank expression, as if nothing significant was happening.
What a madman, smile already. If he keeps that face up, Sara will break down.
‘He’s always been like this.’
Frustration mixed with a subtle resignation washed over me. Ever since being dumped by Louise, I had forgotten how normal he could be, but it turned out he was still as clueless when it came to relationships.
And that cluelessness wasn’t limited to just Louise…
‘At least there are no competitors.’
If there’s one thing to be relieved about, it’s that unlike with Louise, the current situation was a 1:1 situation without any rivals. So this lack of awareness and intelligence might not be a total loss.
It was just that Sara’s insides might catch fire from it. I had heard she was just recovering her health, but I worried she wouldn’t faint from heartache.
“I’m glad to see you two getting along.”
“Well, we’re childhood friends, so it’s only natural.”
Erich’s words brought a blend of joy and disappointment to Sara’s expression. While it did show he valued her, that statement also drew a line, putting her firmly in the friend zone.
“What if Sara gets bored once school starts? We should spend more time together until then.”
I commented as I watched Sara’s complex expression. Being the one who accidentally took Erich’s first love, I figured I should help a bit.
With no competitors and shared memories as childhood friends, there was no need for urgency. Just spending time together at every opportunity and letting Erich bump into Sara until he notices her feelings—
“Oh, and Sara will be joining the Academy.”
Wait, what?
“Joining?”
“I’m enrolling as a second-year student this time.”
Sara’s surprising statement caught me off guard, and I nodded absentmindedly.
‘Is she really well enough?’
That was a bit shocking. She had been practically bedridden since birth, yet now she was well enough to participate in Academy activities? I had only thought she could manage short outings at best.
“I guess we’ll see each other often at the Academy. I look forward to it, big brother.”
“Uh, yeah.”
“I heard you’re the advisor for the pastry club, so I’d like to see you there.”
“Sure…”
At least it’s not bad news to hear a friend’s health has improved.
Looks like I’ll be updating the club roster after a long while…
*
By the lake near the Capital. A hidden gem only known to a few; I visited with some fellow council members to enjoy a peaceful retreat.
“Looks like today’s not our day.”
“Seems like even the fish are hibernating.”
The legislators unanimously praised this premier fishing spot. Today, the three of us gathered here to enjoy winter fishing.
Of course, the day was a bit odd since it was the day Carl was visiting the territory with the daughters-in-law. Yet, the problem was that this fishing trip had already been set long before.
Sure, I could explain the situation and postpone our outing, but one of my companions, Count Bardon, notoriously held grudges whenever an appointment was pushed back. He had mellowed out with age, but that personality was still a problem for me as a friend.
So, I told my wife I’d be a bit late due to work and came to the lake.
‘I guess this is technically work.’
Socializing with Count Bardon, the Executive Manager, was part of my duty as a legislator. It’s undoubtedly part of what I call work. I believe my wife would understand.
“I didn’t want to bring this up.”
Count Bardon stared at his empty fishing rod and pulled something from his pocket.
“What’s that?”
“It’s an artifact filled with Thunderbolt magic. If you throw this into the lake—”
“Don’t even think about it, put it away. Are you going to fish today or not?”
At those words, Bardon clicked his tongue in disappointment and returned the artifact to his pocket.
“Seems like you’ve gone crazy since we last met. Clearly, the legislative chamber is not a healthy place to be.”
As he witnessed that, former Count Horfelt, Georg, burst into laughter. His laughter came with a hint of disdain, not just a casual chuckle.
“A bit embarrassing, isn’t it, to have fallen to a backseat after your prime?”
“Shameful to burden a twenty-year-old daughter with your title. There isn’t a low enough type than this.”
Bardon seemed to sense the irritating tone in his own words, and he joined in with me to attack Georg fiercely—
“If you want to live an unashamed life, then maybe you should start behaving yourself.”
With just a word from the winner, Bardon fell silent.
It was still surprising. I never expected that guy, who was at the height of his youth, would hand over his title to his nineteen-year-old daughter and retire. The sudden retirement of my colleague had sent shockwaves through the council, but it was at the Emperor’s behest, so what could we do?
“Feeling envious?”
“Shut it before I unleash my gavel on you.”
“Ouch, that’s scary.”
Georg taunted as Bardon trembled in fright and pulled out the thunderbolt artifact again.
Well, using it on the lake would be less entertaining than tossing it at that guy.
“By the way, Wilhelm, are you okay being here?”
But seeing that scene, Georg hurriedly changed the subject. It was a blatant tactic to distract, but since dealing with a fried friend and then going home was a bother, I just went along with it.
“I do feel guilty for not greeting them upon arrival, but that’s not something to be upset over.”
“Unlike someone else.”
As both Georg and I turned our gazes toward Bardon, his voice grew anxious, like his foot had fallen asleep.
“No, if I’d known my son was coming, I would’ve postponed this meeting!”
“Of course, everyone says that.”
Nodding without thought to Georg’s words, Bardon’s face turned red. In the midst of that, his refusal to deny it showed he might actually feel that way.
“Anyway, congratulations. I was worried that kid wouldn’t ever want to marry, but who knew he’d secretly gather six candidates?”
After laughing for a while, Georg finally composed his expression and spoke seriously.
“Now it’s time for Erich to find his partner.”
“That’s something for him to decide.”
I replied firmly, and Georg let out an unsatisfied grunt.
This guy is persistent. A partner will naturally appear in time. Parents trying to force connections typically end up with the opposite results.
‘How busy that kid must be.’
Moreover, the child Georg wants to connect to Erich is his own daughter. The girl who’s already an Imperial Count and a member of the council at the mere age of nineteen, talking about how busy she is.
Certainly, while she and Erich have known each other since childhood, it’s an overly hasty thought to try to turn that friendship into marriage. If you force a simple friendship into a marriage, what kind of karma do you think you’ll end up with?
“No, Zenobia also said she’d like Erich…”
“Then let the two figure it out themselves. Don’t meddle unnecessarily.”
“Geez, you’re strict.”
And just like that, the conversation about Erich came to a natural close. Just as I was about to wrap things up, Bardon almost threw the artifact into the lake.
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