Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 994



994 – The New Century – 1

The second meeting of Crassius ended somewhat uneventfully.

The atmosphere was frozen like an ice age due to the intrusion and swearing of a certain yellow-haired man, but as Erich said, my ascension to the position of Duke Deputy was a cause for celebration, not a disaster. I was just surprised that a Duke who had reigned for over 100 years was stepping down and that a new Duke, not a Duke Deputy, was taking his place.

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Even more so if the Duke’s agent is their relative. Suddenly, they become relatives of the being called the “one man underground and ten thousand men above ground” in the empire. How embarrassing.

‘Even if it were me, I would think it was a dream.’

If you think about it from the other person’s perspective, you can understand it right away. Even if it were me, I would overlook Erich… because he’s such a close blood relative, and I’m sure I’d be shocked if I heard that Maurice was crowned the Duke of Deputy.

No. Maurice is going to be an Imperial Army soldier, so he should be called a Grand Marshal and Deputy Commander, not a Duke. Anyway, it’s natural to be surprised by the information being given. If he’s fine, you should be suspicious of where the information came from.

“Fortunately, everyone seems to have calmed down.”

“Is that so?”

After saying goodbye to my relatives and returning to the system, my father spoke calmly.

It is true that the relatives were confused by the emperor’s tirade and the relative’s surprise announcement. However, fortunately, their confused minds were calmed down thanks to various conversations since then.

‘Would it have been better if it had exploded in the middle?’

Soon, that thought occurred to me.

The original plan was to say it at the end of the banquet to set the mood properly, but now that I think about it, it would have been better to say it in the middle of the banquet. It would have been better to clean up the debris together rather than just detonate a bomb and run away.

Of course, he’s not grateful for the emperor who broke the bomb.

“However, it still seemed embarrassing that the retirement ceremony was in February. Isn’t it too tight to prepare a gift?”

“It’s a joy just to have relatives light up the place. Their presence itself is a gift, so how could I wish for any other gift?”

“I agree with that. But if you think about it from the other person’s perspective, you really can’t celebrate empty-handed. If your second aunt retired and Carolina became a countess, would you be able to celebrate empty-handed?”

I couldn’t say that even in empty words, so I smiled awkwardly.

No matter how sincerely the person involved says it’s okay, the listener’s position is bound to be different. How can you just let it go without applauding the relative’s good news? The first-generation and second-generation Krasius I’ve seen don’t have that kind of personality.

Even if you have that kind of personality, nobles are beings who value their appearance. If you come to a relative’s celebration empty-handed, rumors will spread quickly, and if rumors spread, you will be labeled as a shameless or poor noble. That is as shameful as dying.

‘I should have told you that last year.’

Thinking about the burden my relatives had placed on me, I felt a surge of guilt and regret.

Of course, the worst option would be to keep Tricky’s retirement and her rise to the Duke’s throne a secret from my relatives, and to proceed without them knowing. This would give the impression that I disregard and distrust my relatives, which would have a significant impact on their standing.

But sharing the information when the schedule was just around the corner was at best second-best. If I was going to talk about it anyway, I should have done it by the end of last year at the latest. I was so distracted by various things that I ended up missing out on the best opportunity.

“I feel embarrassed because I feel like I just gave you a lot of burdens and left you behind, even though we had a good meeting.”

“You should treat them better because they are embarrassed. Their worries can only last for a few weeks, but you can take care of your relatives for decades.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

I bowed my head slightly at my father’s words, patting my shoulder.

I didn’t necessarily say that I would be supporting the Krasius clan for hundreds if not decades.

When I say those words out loud, I feel like I’m a fairy or a dragon from a fairy tale.

“…Ah, hyung.”

“why.”

“Should I send a gift too?”

At those words, I turned my gaze towards Erich.

A gift, a gift. A gift from none other than Erich.

…

“Why?”

“yes?”

After a brief moment of deliberation, I firmly refused.

It’s okay to receive gifts from relatives who are relatively close but also relatively distant, but it’s a bit strange to receive gifts from family who live in the same neighborhood. Just like you don’t receive wedding congratulatory money from relatives who are far away, but from your parents or siblings.

“Just write a congratulatory speech with the members of the National Assembly right before the retirement ceremony. Don’t forget to keep it a secret.”

So that was all I asked of Erich.

A congratulatory speech containing the general will of the Imperial Diet. Praising Tricky for carrying the burden of the Duke for 100 years, and words of encouragement and support for me as I act as her proxy for the next several decades.

Just receiving that amount is enough.

As soon as the sun rose, I ran to the Sun Hall. I wanted to run to the Emperor and grab him by the collar right away, but he called me over to see his face first.

If you are a ruined baby, you can’t sell it?

“Hmm. Is the Count here?”

“His Majesty the Emperor.”

Of course I can’t. With just one punch, yellow hair can turn into red hair in an instant, but I’m also likely to regress from Karl Krasius to Karl/Krasius.

When the real opportunity comes, I want to take off my title and fight for it properly. They say that the emperor is like the sky, so wouldn’t I be qualified to defeat the emperor if I become a swordsman who can cut the sky?

No, not that.

“Thank you for coming so quickly. I see you liked Jim’s gift.”

“The gift Your Majesty has bestowed is not for me, but for Count Deast. How can I discuss whether I like it or not?”

“Haha, that’s right. Jim forgot for a moment.”

It was a face I hadn’t forgotten at all, but I couldn’t question it since he said so himself.

If I think about it, wasn’t the time when he was just a prince the last chance to beat him naturally? The only regret is that I was in the North at that time.

“Peak─”

“The tragedy of the Crassius family was truly heartbreaking.”

Soon, he tried to suppress his boiling anger and protest, saying, ‘Then why did you send my sentence to Count Deast?’, but the Emperor struck first.

“Count Jeonjeondae Teilglengen was truly a capable and loyal subject. As a warrior, he was renowned in his time, as a commander, he was capable of leading his troops, and as a lord, he was fair and just with his people. His Majesty also held Count Jeonjeondae Teilglengen in high esteem.”

I quickly shut my mouth at the sudden change of topic.

What the heck. Why is this guy suddenly mentioning someone else’s ancestors? This makes it hard for me to open my mouth.

“That’s why His Majesty didn’t say anything even though he knew about the circumstances of the Crassius family. What could be more ridiculous than saying something unnecessary to a subject who is devoted to the imperial family and the empire and causing a rift between them? In the first place, it is strange for even a noble emperor to interfere in the private lives of nobles.”

The emperor who said that remained silent for a moment.

It feels like I can hear a voice even though it’s clearly silent. It feels like the words are followed by a lament, ‘Even His Majesty is not the type to point out other people’s private lives.’

“Even when one of the thirty imperial families that protect the imperial family showed some strange behavior, and even when the children of the previous imperial family scattered and acted independently, no one said anything. What could be done if the shield protecting the imperial family became smaller because of that? His Majesty the Emperor accepted even that and remained silent, and I also inherited his will.”

“your majesty.”

“But the shield that had shrunk is returning to its original shape. The cracked shield is becoming as hard as a rock again.”

The emperor smiled slightly, got up from his seat, and came towards me.

“This is such a joyous thing. I’ve always been concerned that I turned a blind eye to the tragedy that happened so close to me for the sake of the royal family, the empire, the people, and the mandate of Heaven, but now that tragedy is finally ending in comedy. I don’t really like sudden genre changes, but I think a happy ending would be fine.”

Before I knew it, he had put his hand on my shoulder.

“That’s why Jim suddenly sent a gift. He informed the Krasius family of the good news at a place where all those with Krasius’ blood were gathered. It was the least he could do as a person responsible for watching a family’s tragedy unfold.”

At those words, I stared blankly at the emperor’s face.

That was unexpected. I thought that if I protested, he would either brazenly respond or, if not, make some bizarre excuse.

But that wasn’t the case. Before I could properly reason, he opened his mouth as if he was repenting. He said that the tragedy of the Crassius family had something to do with the situation and the Emperor’s share, and that he had once again conveyed the good news to Crassius, who had become one, in order to express his apology.

“I admit that Jim was hasty and reckless. The Count must have thought about it, but Jim was too careless.”

“Oh, no, Your Majesty. I am honored and deeply moved that Your Majesty is so concerned about my family.”

“Thank you for telling me so.”

I don’t remember what happened after that. I just nodded mechanically when the Emperor spoke, and occasionally when the Emperor patted my shoulder, I nodded again.

Then, as if possessed by something, he went out of the solar panel.

Without saying a word of protest.

“and…”

I looked up at the clear blue sky and let out a soft sigh. I am truly glad that I met that b*stard as an emperor and subject.

If I had met the victim as a voice phishing criminal, I would have lost everything.

‘What do I do now?’

Then an indescribable fear came over me.

He was already a tough guy to beat because he was a gangster, but what would I do if he started learning such crazy rhetoric and emotional appeal? How would a mere swindler of the Imperial Count Naburang be able to stand up to the Emperor?

The world is so cruel that I feel like crying.