Chapter: 116
Even aside from the suspicion of being spies, the guests are figures of no small importance, being foreign princes and candidates for sainthood. With even the Third Prince residing in the lord’s mansion, I can only imagine the immense burden this places on my wife.
Normally, such distinguished guests wouldn’t even visit the County of Tailglehen. If they did come, it was my duty to invite them as the owner of the territory. My wife, bearing the weight of the host’s responsibilities, must have been feeling quite uneasy all this time.
Fortunately, His Majesty instructed me to send them back at an appropriate time, so I believe my wife will feel a bit more at ease now.
“You’re sending them back, right?”
“Yes. It’s impolite to hold esteemed guests for too long, after all. They’d be better off in the capital than in a mere county.”
Thus, I delivered the news directly to my wife, who seemed taken aback by the sudden development, her eyes widening in surprise.
“You’ve been through a lot, my dear wife.”
“Billy… Are Carl and Erich also returning?”
“Indeed. Erich is a companion of the esteemed guests; as for Carl, he’s busy with work.”
I nodded at the obvious statement. After all, Carl wasn’t just any worker; he held a position in the Prosecutor’s Office, trusted by both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince. I felt a pang of guilt for keeping him here in the territory for so long.
Moreover, just the other day, the Count of Horfeld changed. When such a significant event like a member of the Imperial Council is swapped out, the Prosecutor’s Office inevitably has to take action. Really, we should be sending them back even before they start packing their bags!
“Carl could leave today—”
“No.”
My wife interrupted me.
I was a bit shocked. My wife, who valued dignity and decorum over all else, was cutting me off! But I suppose she had her reasons for that.
“No, not yet. We can’t send him back yet.”
“The Emperor and the Empire have high hopes for him. He’s our son, but he’s also a subject of the Empire! We need to send him back to where he truly belongs!”
“Carl belongs here.”
“Wife.”
It was a rare sight to see my wife being so stubborn, yet it oddly reminded me of how she used to be before our marriage, with that sharp glint in her eye.
Still, I couldn’t give in. I couldn’t be swayed by my personal feelings; I had the affairs of the nation to consider! I had no choice but to persuade her.
“I’ve only just found someone suitable for Carl to be matched with.”
But her previous words couldn’t just pass by unnoticed.
“Wife, what do you mean by that?”
“Just as I said. I’ve found a fitting partner for Carl!”
“Send them back immediately!”
It seemed my wife had been up to something quite peculiar during this time. A partner? What on earth did that even mean?
I shook my head defiantly and halted her progress. This was something we shouldn’t meddle in.
Of course, it wasn’t that I intended to blame her. It was my fault for not properly understanding what she was up to and not giving her a fuller explanation.
“Billy!”
Thinking it would be faster to talk to Carl myself, I turned around, but suddenly my wife gave an ear-piercing shriek and tugged at me. Gwaaaah!
When I turned back, my expression froze. My wife, blushing furiously with tears welling in her eyes, was glaring at me like I had just committed a heinous crime.
“Are you seriously going to rip my child away from me again, just when I can finally see him smile after all this time!?”
“Wife, what—”
I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence, as she had grabbed me by the collar in a surprising show of strength.
*
After I promised to send the esteemed guests back, including Carl, in a few days, I finally escaped her vice-like grip. After all, His Majesty had specified ‘at an appropriate time,’ not that we needed to do it immediately!
“My lord.”
“I’m fine.”
I ran into the head butler on my way back, who was gawking at me with awkward eyes. I must look quite a sight at the moment.
“This time, I won’t budge! If you send Carl back without even telling me, I’ll just go back to my family’s house!”
I hadn’t realized my wife was this assertive! Even though I’d stepped down from the military and was now a count, I was still involved in war efforts until just two years ago. To be overpowered like this felt odd!
I waved the head butler away and stepped into my office.
‘A partner, huh?’
Unexpectedly, it seemed there were developments I hadn’t anticipated. Ever since I told my wife to take care of the matchmaking herself, she hadn’t been involved in Carl’s marital affairs. But suddenly—A MATCH?!
How on earth could that child even think about dating? He had just lost someone dear to him. I sent him away to a nice place to heal and look after his heart…
“Where did it all begin to unravel?”
With a sigh of frustration, I acknowledged that I actually understood how it all got tangled. I mean, how could I not?
Four years back, during the Great War, that’s where it all started going haywire!
“The Prosecutor’s Office even participated in the war. The Fourth Division came.”
“What? Isn’t the Prosecutor’s Office supposed to manage domestic issues?”
The Emperor’s sword, the Prosecutor’s Office, was meant for internal affairs, not foreign ones. That’s why I assigned my eldest son, Carl, to that division while I went off to fight. It seemed like the most efficient, safe, and certain choice.
But the war took unexpected turns, and the Prosecutor’s Office got dragged into the battlefield. Poor Carl, just assigned there, ended up in the North! How maddening! I wanted my son to survive while working for the Empire, not some hero dying for glory!
If anyone had to die, it should’ve been me. A father sacrificing himself for his children’s future—that’s the Krasius way! That’s why I placed him in a role that was somewhat safer.
Thank goodness, training had paid off well. Miraculously, he not only survived but also made some significant achievements!
It was right to train the children comprehensively, without letting any emotions cloud the process.
I grew up receiving disappointment from my father. I witnessed his hopes spiral into frustration, then rage, and eventually indifference. It was a tough struggle, filled with feelings of helplessness and shame.
So I didn’t want my kids to feel that emotional pressure. Instead of raising them to be failures like myself, I trained them thoroughly; I believed it was the best road for them—no doubts about it.
But never would I have imagined the proof of their training would come on the battlefield!
“At least he survived.”
Truly, I was glad he did. The Prosecutor’s Office was a place for proving abilities and gathering experiences. Who could have foreseen it turning out like this?
That’s why I sent Erich to the Academy instead of placing him in a government position. There was no guarantee that he wouldn’t end up in a mess like Carl. I had already rolled those dice once—once was enough!
Besides, could my wife even handle it if Erich had to face a war or some similar crisis? She almost fainted just hearing that Carl and I had gone to war together!
“Erich must be safe.”
Carl and I had already been through the muck, but Erich… he must stay untouched! He shouldn’t endure the tragedies Carl faced!
Carl had found himself a partner in a place where death could always lurk – the battlefield. But living in the Academy, Erich should be far away from such horrors!
“Wife, you really ought to calm down.”
Then my thoughts drifted back to what my wife had said earlier. A match for Carl? That’s not something we should get involved in!
It was up to Carl to overcome his heartbreak and make his own choices. No outside interference should taint that process!
After all, the Krasius line has always aimed to be mentors who help guide the next generation, not intruding meddling in their lives.
“Are you seriously going to take my child away from me just when I can finally see him smile after all this time?”
Yet, recalling my wife’s pained cry, I found it hard to impose the Krasius ideology too harshly on her.
Even though she now shared the Krasius name, she originally came from the Aras family. Pushing Krasius’s methods on her too forcefully might cause more harm than good.
She had already raised our children with the Krasius approach, and with them growing up, that chapter seemed to have closed. Asking for more would be pure greed.
Yes, it was only fair to let her proceed the way she wanted now.
*
I found myself summoned by my mother once again. It was unusual for her to call me twice in a single day.
“What could it be this time?”
Mother typically preferred quiet, not engaging in pointless chatter. If she called me out of the blue, there had to be a solid reason behind it.
But wouldn’t it make more sense for her to call me once and Erich once separately instead of calling me twice? Mother, don’t you care about Erich?!
“Is this the curse of being the eldest son?”
It felt similar to family gatherings during holidays, where the eldest grandchild is bombarded with questions about marriage. As long as I remained single, Mother’s focus wouldn’t drift to Erich.
Erich should be grateful. I was cheering him on in his difficult hunt for love, being the shield from Mother’s attention fervor during this time. What other brother would do that?
If he can’t score with Louise, then that must be fate written in the stars!
“Mother.”
“Have you arrived? I’m sorry for calling you again.”
“It’s quite alright. I don’t really have much to do anyway.”
I had been busy playing paperwork with the head butler just a moment ago, but I figured it was better to keep that to myself.
Once settled, I saw Mother glancing around nervously. A look of unease and anxiety clouded her expression.
Throwing a discreet glance, I noticed the head maid also seemed quite tense. By the subtly tightened corners of her mouth, she appeared equally unsettled.
“What’s going on here?”
If they had been acting like this since my first day in the territory, perhaps it would make more sense. But why the sudden change in demeanor now?
“Carl.”
“Yes, Mother.”
After fiddling with her teacup for a moment, Mother finally mustered the courage to speak.
“I trust you’ll handle things well, but since you’re over twenty now… don’t you think it’s time to at least get engaged?”
Ah. I see; this is why.
With Margeetta present and my refusal to budge, it seemed Mother had opted for a direct approach.
In times like these, I truly lament being the eldest son. Wouldn’t it be nice to have at least one or two older siblings to share this pressure?
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