Chapter 533
I jolted a bit from the sudden emotional attack but quickly steadied my resolve.
I have to admit, the Emperor lives a life far from relaxation. As he said himself, when the Crown Princess was born, he probably didn’t get a second to breathe, considering the situation was about to make him abdicate. And when he married the Empress, he was probably bogged down by the shenanigans of the Second Prince. Besides those two instances, I’ve never heard of the Emperor actually taking a break.
But just because the Emperor doesn’t get a vacation doesn’t mean I have to tumble down that path too. The newlywed and parental leave for Imperial civil servants is a right protected by law and custom. Everyone needs to protect their rights!
“If you have no rights, you’re just a slave.”
This is about my future and dignity. One little slip-up, and I might not just be jokingly calling myself a slave—I could end up genuinely introducing myself that way!
So I cooled my heated heart and began to think. If the Emperor wanted to attack with feelings, then I needed to respond with emotional tactics too—
“Of course, my inability to rest and the Minister’s inability to rest are two different matters.”
Before I could sort through my thoughts, the Emperor opened his mouth first.
Anxiety crept in. Instead of lamenting his own struggles, he acknowledges my pain? What kind of setup is he planning with this?
“You are the one responsible for the Empire. A unique and irreplaceable being, so you can hardly imagine a peaceful rest. If I were to indulge my personal desires and put aside the paperwork, everyone else would suffer in my place.”
Saying this, the Emperor gave a grim look at the mountain of paperwork piled on his desk.
As a fellow civil servant, I felt my heart ache for him, biting my lip. This damn guy is really good at those non-verbal signs too!
“However, the Minister can be replaced. While it’s hard to find someone as competent as the Minister, the tasks he performs can be delegated.”
Instinctively, I nodded. Unlike the Emperor, who is the ultimate command, the ministers might be valuable, but they’re not unique. The Empire’s talent pool and bureaucracy could easily fill a vacant spot.
But soon after, a wave of irritation washed over me.
‘That bastard knows it.’
He knows that I can be replaced, yet he was still pushing me around during this whole time.
My previously calmed heart started to burn again. I won’t forgive him for being a clueless jerk, but hearing that he knows better just made it feel more unforgivable.
“That’s why I wanted to guarantee the Minister’s leave. Even during the Academy deployment, I wanted you to rest as much as possible during breaks and kept summons to a minimum after your wedding.”
I just quietly listened, thinking, “Let’s see how far he’ll go with this nonsense.”
Guaranteeing leave? Bullcrap! It’s not like this is the first time work popped up while I was supposed to be on vacation.
‘Does he have short-term memory loss?’
Did he eat something bad while dealing with the Second Prince’s chariot terrace wine set? If that’s the case, I could understand a bit.
Of course, understanding doesn’t equate to forgiving.
“It’s sad that I couldn’t guarantee it every time.”
‘Ah, never mind.’
I scrapped my theory about the young emperor having dementia with his next words.
“However, Minister.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Have I ever disturbed your leave for personal or trivial reasons?”
“That is…”
I was momentarily at a loss for words. Sure, I knew I often had my vacation interrupted, and the Emperor was acknowledging that fact, but had there been any petty whims of his that ruined my time off?
‘Nope.’
I racked my brain quickly, but no info was forthcoming.
‘Why not?’
Damn it, this can’t be right. There must have been at least one instance!
I was confused. The most recent incident with the Council was due to a papal invitation, which I had to attend regardless— the Emperor even suggested I enjoy my honeymoon and told me to take it easy. He never made a concerted effort to screw me over.
After returning, I even got to have my properly delayed honeymoon! There were no “You’re already delayed, so can you work just a bit more?” moments to dread.
“With Enen and His Majesty’s name as my witness, I assure you that I have never called upon you for matters that didn’t need your presence. After much deliberation, it was only when there was no other option that I had to deem that it was necessary for you to attend.”
The Emperor dropped this bombshell while using Enen and the Emperor as his alibi.
“Minister. Earlier, I mentioned that the Emperor is an irreplaceable being, unable to take a break.”
“Yes. You did say that, Your Majesty.”
“Indeed. An irreplaceable being. It’s only in such cases that I summoned the Minister. The Minister was only called when the Empire and its people faced distress.”
I felt my eyelids twitching as his words sank in. What’s this guy doing claiming my pain and his failure as if it were a story to spin?
“I’m not saying I did the right thing. Transferring the responsibilities of the Emperor to the Minister is no small feat—how can I have the audacity to stand tall as an Emperor? No matter how positively I spin it, I’ve crushed the rightful claims of a loyal minister for the good of the Empire.”
‘Stop it.’
Now even my hands were trembling.
Please, shut up, you evil bastard. What kind of dagger are you preparing for me with this line of reasoning?
“Still, I cannot fully guarantee the Minister’s leave. For the sake of the Imperial family and the Empire. For the tranquility of our people and the continent.”
The Emperor’s hands naturally rose to rest on my shoulders.
Chills ran down my spine. The touch of the Emperor was as if a farmer was placing a yoke on a bull.
“Today may be tough. You might ache from missing out on the joyful coos of your children for a year. You might suffer from not hearing the delightful sounds of your kids.”
But then, the Emperor continued with a resolute gaze, “But we must endure now so our children can be happy in the future. If Armein solidifies control over Leon, Armein will challenge the Empire again in the future, and if Leon is unstable, the Eastern borders will be thrown into chaos. Our indulgence in current peace and happiness means our children must bear future hardships.”
After hearing that, I no longer had the will to argue. What the Emperor said wasn’t just for his convenience or to mess with me; he meant for the happiness and peace of future generations, that we—the parents—should make sacrifices. How could I counter such noble reasoning?
No matter how novice a parent might be, once you bear the name of a parent, your children come first. With the mention of the children’s future, no one, not even a monster, would say, “I don’t care about that, just give me my vacation, you bastard.”
“I can’t promise you vacation, but I can at least swear this: I will ensure the Crown Princess inherits a peaceful Empire, and I swear your children will serve in the headquarters, not on the front lines. We’ll make it happen.”
“Truly, I am deeply grateful for your words, Your Majesty…”
Damn it. And now my children’s fate seems sealed to a desk job.
Furthermore, this jerk keeps framing himself not as a burden, but as me. Now that I think about it, he was appealing to me as a fellow father!
‘Clever little brat…’
This guy who survived against the Second Prince even in times when there was no backing…
It looks like I’ll never win against this brat in terms of cunning or articulateness.
*
The Minister, who arrived here filled with grievances, left with weary steps.
‘Done.’
I sighed in relief as the Minister’s footsteps faded away.
I succeeded. It got a bit lengthy, but I managed to persuade the Minister and send him back safely.
‘This was definitely the right approach.’
The Minister has often lost his vacation, but I’ve never seen him express anger quite like today. That means he wasn’t just angry about losing his leave.
And figuring out why he was angry was easy enough. For a man enjoying his honeymoon, expecting a child, and looking forward to a third wedding ceremony, the only thing he could react so sensitively to was… family.
‘I completely get where he’s coming from.’
What husband, what father would want to toil away at work while missing their family? I understood the Minister’s heart because I was in the same boat.
That’s why I spoke with the sense of duty I felt, the same sentiment I recalled whenever I wished to spend a cozy day with my wife, strolling while holding the Crown Princess.
We labor now so that our children can have happiness in the future.
‘Good thing the Minister is a family man.’
If he were unmarried, that rationale wouldn’t have hit home at all.
No, if the Minister were unmarried, he probably wouldn’t have even needed to ask for a vacation in the first place.
‘…Once you get married, responsibilities multiply.’
Especially when you have six wives weighing down on you with six times the obligations.
But since this was all of his own making, I’m sure he’ll find a way to cope.
*
I was crammed into a corner of the banquet hall, guzzling wine. At this point, I felt like I’d reached the level of a 0.05 Wise Duke.
This is maddening. I was ready to turn everything upside down this time, but instead, I’m just stuffed under a perfect justification!
‘What a nightmare.’
Even right before sneaking out of the Sun Palace, the Emperor handed me a medal as a “take it with you” gesture.
Just a few hours earlier, I was one of only four people in the Empire to possess that medal—a symbol of honor that less than 100 people can hold throughout the Empire’s 300-year history.
‘Risiragui Knight Order.’
Holding it felt overly lavish and I let out a chuckle.
No matter how much I was at the top of the game now, this medal wasn’t something only the powerful could receive. Joining the Risiragui Knight Order is akin to a ceremonial homage, perhaps comparable to a commemorative pillar, right?
No, since I am a martial artist, it would be more like a tribute to martial artists, wouldn’t it? But does such a thing even exist?
‘Who cares.’
At any rate, the chaos of my life remains unchanged.
‘…What should I tell Rizie?’
I suppressed a sigh about to escape and opened a new wine bottle.
How in the world do I approach this? What kind of courage must I muster to say to my wife, who is about to marry me, “Hey, I’m heading off abroad after our wedding. Not sure when I’ll be back.”?
‘Life is a bitch.’
Making my current wife cry for the future of my children! Life is cruel beyond measure!
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