Chapter 526
It was just a few days ago that I asked the Minister to be Feddy’s godfather, but strangely enough, the news spread like wildfire.
It’s odd. I didn’t impose any information control or deliberately spread it, yet somehow, it got out there. It’s amazing how quickly something shared between just me, Mar, the Minister, and his wife got around.
– Turns out the Minister had casually dropped the word to other officials.
I figured this out during a conversation with the Vice Captain. Apparently, since the day after the Minister proposed the godfather role to me, he’s been stopping random Ministers in the halls to boast about it in detail.
– He’s probably still doing it right now. It’s not like he’s a chatterbox, but it seems he’s got high hopes about this.
I awkwardly smiled at the Vice Captain, who chuckled lightly. That was genuinely unexpected. The Minister, who usually kept everything in check when talking to me, is supposed to be a heavy-hitter in the political scene as a Count and head of the Ministry. By my personal assessment, he’s generally tight-lipped.
So, how did he suddenly become a high-performance megaphone?
‘Is he just confirmed not to crack under pressure?’
He’s not even considering breaking under any circumstances—what a show!
To be honest, thinking about the Minister’s character still gives me the creeps, but he is genuinely the only one I can trust for this godfather role. Given that we made a promise years ago and are friendly, no one else comes to mind as someone I’d trust with such a responsibility.
And honestly, I can’t even picture my child having anyone other than the Minister as a godfather. It’s almost as if I’m brainwashed into thinking he’s the only one fit for the job.
– Anyway, it’s a bit of a letdown. If Kal wasn’t already the Crown Princess’s godfather, I would’ve made him the godfather to Kal’s son.
“That’s too much praise.”
– Saying something like that is just silly. I mean it, though.
Thanks to the Vice Captain’s words, I traded in my awkward smile for a genuine grin.
He’s practically a second father to me, and yet, he’s still so greedy for more.
The venue for Feddy’s baptism was decided to be St. Paronas Cathedral.
Originally, I planned to invite a priest from the Dawn Sect to the mansion to conduct the ceremony, but then the Ausen Archdiocese mentioned wanting to use St. Paronas Cathedral instead.
“There’s nothing more meaningful than having the first child baptized in the same place where two blessed were wed.”
Just hearing that made my heart swell with grandeur.
Yeah, it certainly sounds meaningful. But isn’t that a bit too over the top? It’s crazy enough that a mere noble held a wedding where the Emperor was crowned; now they’re doing a baptism there? It’s like we’re slapping extra nobility and prestige on the Krasius name and the title of the Count of Tailglehen!
“That sounds wonderful. The Lord blessed the Minister’s wedding, and the child came right after the ceremony. It’s only fitting to hold the baptism in such a sacred place.”
And the Emperor, who you’d think would be the one to pull back on this insanity, supported it in a calm voice as if choosing dinner from the menu.
At that moment, I was certain the world had gone mad. Well, I’ve known that for a while, but it really hit home. An official already overflowing with honor and power is being encouraged by the Emperor himself? It’s like he’s inviting a coup!
Of course, I have no intention of being the instigator of a revolution. What kind of lunatic would volunteer to overthrow an Emperor?
‘Life, seriously.’
And so, here I was, returning to St. Paronas Cathedral for the first time since the wedding. I can’t let myself be the kind of miserable father who skips out on his own son’s baptism.
“Honestly, I’ve never seen anyone hold a family event here. Are you plotting treachery?”
“Please, be quiet.”
I sighed in response to the Minister, who approached me with a smirk. I never imagined I’d be holding events for the Krasius family at this cathedral either.
Though if I’m a traitor, then he’s my traitor pal. Should they decide to punish treachery, we’d be sharing the gallows!
‘At least I won’t be dying alone.’
Thinking like that suddenly made me feel at ease. There’s no way I would be the one to go before that guy.
“Auw─”
Just as the Minister was about to say something, Feddy, who had been sleeping in my arms, babbled at him.
“Oh, he woke up.”
The Minister’s expression softened instantly at Feddy’s sudden noise.
I get that feeling. I felt it with the Crown Princess as well as with Feddy. The pure voices and gestures of babies make all the heavy feelings of the mundane world feel worthless.
“Hmm.”
The Minister, now smiling, bent slightly at the knees to look at Feddy.
“Thank goodness he doesn’t take after his father.”
With words that made one question his aging.
Everyone else says he resembles me, but with the godfather’s eyes looking like that, what can I do?
Now that we’re at the cathedral, should I suggest he try getting some healing from the priest?
*
Since the godfather proposal, I’ve been visiting Kal’s mansion whenever I had the time. To see the child who’s supposed to be my godson, Ferdinand Krasius—Feddy.
As pure as a baby might be, a child can be shy around new faces. Actually, it’s often the more clueless babies that are shy; hence, for the baptism, I need to gradually let him get familiar with my face, or else I might end up with a crying baby when he sees his godfather.
Fortunately, Kal was smart enough to understand this need, so he didn’t mind or kick me out for frequently visiting their newlywed home.
I spent my time watching Feddy sleep, getting my finger grabbed by him, calming him down when he cried, and locking eyes with him until today, the baptism day.
‘Kal’s kid.’
I listened to the Cardinal’s blessing while also letting the sound go in one ear and out the other as I gazed at Feddy.
The little child that Kal had passed to me represented a promise that had been buried in the past, now brought back into the world.
‘…Yeah, he definitely doesn’t take after his father.’
As I stared blankly at Feddy, the corners of my mouth turned up slightly. Before I arrived, he had been quietly sleeping in Kal’s arms, and even now, cradled in mine, he remained calm without a fuss.
No matter how you slice it, while I can’t judge appearances, it seems his temperament takes after his mother, not his father. Talk about the best outcome possible!
‘Having another one like that in this world would be a real problem.’
One is already dizzying enough; two? That would be a catastrophe for the Empire and the Continent!
“I’m Kal Krasius! I will dedicate myself wholeheartedly for the Imperial Family and the Empire!”
As everyone else wore gloomy faces, jammed with work, here’s this clueless kid yelling a hearty greeting like he’s got the world in his hands.
“Boss, is there anything I can help with?”
Once again showing odd respect to a superior from a lesser family, despite being the heir to the Imperial Count title.
“No way! My department!”
That brat’s head of the 4th team in the Inspectorate got wiped out, and he’s still trying to steer the ship with that stubbornness.
“Can a single team handle this task? We’re not just one department, you know?”
“Did that kid team leader get a bit too full of himself? If one department is called in, it’s typically ten times more than this.”
“Life, seriously…”
No matter how you look at it, he came to a department where he could ride the coattails of his family to gain some experience, yet even when things got murky, he stuck around, not knowing when to quit.
“What do you mean conscription? What are you talking about? The 4th team has just begun to take its first steps! Even simple missions come with risks, and asking us to fight a war would be like asking us to commit suicide!”
“Sir, if I had done a bit better, could I have lived longer?”
“…Oddly enough, knowing it’s a lie makes me feel a little better.”
He even showed interest in the subordinates collapsing like disposable items, treating them as comrades rather than mere subordinates—a sensitive kid.
“Where did they gather such ridiculous people?”
“A ridiculous captain sure is chatty.”
“Honestly, if they’re all a bunch of fools, shouldn’t the top fool be the biggest issue?”
“Damned brats.”
Still, he shared camaraderie with other team leaders from common backgrounds—a truly unique character.
He was bizarre beyond words. Not just mismatched by age, but also by status and experience, he was a peculiar one. When he went one-on-one with Sarey Dobratala, it truly made one wonder what he was doing.
And yet, I didn’t dislike him. Here’s a kid who could easily escape the Inspectorate but stubbornly stuck through thick and thin, advancing on ability rather than connections, treating others’ statuses like they were nothing to worry about—an impressive sight.
That’s probably why I kept an eye on him. Having him around kept things lively. Seeing him bicker with other team leaders, it felt like I suddenly had seven more mischievous kids on my hands.
“I just don’t understand why I’m the last one standing! What does God intend to use me for after taking everyone else away?”
But that satisfaction didn’t last long. Out of seven honorary kids, six had disappeared.
“What the heck happened! We specifically knew this was a problem that was resolved!”
Having lost his mind upon discovering the inspection chief’s connection to Hecate’s death, that kid had confronted the manager directly with his title as team leader.
Afterwards, Kal couldn’t revert to the past version of himself. He paid back his grudges, earned his honors, and grasped at power, but he never returned to those times again.
After wandering through chaos, he eventually found new happiness. He acknowledged his past but wasn’t shackled by it anymore.
‘…You ought to take after your mother.’
That’s why Feddy doesn’t take after Kal. He shouldn’t take after him at all.
This child shouldn’t need to wander through darkness like Kal did—he should be walking gloriously from the start. Sure, it may seem like a boring tale with no real crises, but that’s the sort of story I wish to create.
Having lost six children already, I can’t afford to not cradle the only one left properly. I must do it, without fail.
‘You’re my grandchild.’
In this world, they’ll see our connection as that of a godfather and godson.
But I see you as my grandchild. You’re the child of my beloved son.
This is the lone result that emerged from the promise I’ve harbored alone.
‘It’s different from the first promise, though.’
I always thought you’d come into this world as Hecate’s child. But instead, you’re the child of another woman? What a twist of fate this promise has taken.
Yet, I don’t care. Like Kal said, no one remains to criticize the promise gone awry. It’s something to be commended, at least, to have sought remnants of a shattered promise and rebuilt it.
So, I’m going to treat you as my promise.
No matter what anyone says, even if the six departed before me scold me.
From now on, I will carry this out without fail.
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