Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 895



895 – Dazzling Dawn – 4

As I said at the Marne Mansion, I was busy acting as the superstar of the banquet hall.

The youngest daughter, who was called ‘Valenti’s treasure’ by the previous Duke, the Iron Blood Duke, and the youngest sister who is very beloved by the current Duke, the Dawn Duke. Thanks to this splendid title, Marda is someone that no noble with ties to the Valenti Dukes can ever ignore. There is nothing more fearsome than a youngest child who is originally low in the line of succession but receives a lot of love from the family.

Even Mar, who married me, became the wife of the real power of the Empire and the mistress of the Imperial Household. Although her authority within Valenti is small, her authority outside of Valenti is considerable, so even nobles who have no connection to Valenti cannot help but be respectful to Mar.

‘You look crazy.’

As a result, I was in a position to greet guests along with the Duke, Duchess, and Little Duke.

A position that is proudly placed among the Duke’s family. The older brother has five younger sisters, but she is the only one who has the authority to serve the Duke closely. Just looking at her makes you smile.

However, apart from the joy, it is a pity to see Marga focusing on socializing and not enjoying the banquet. I wish I could have made a toast with Mar and shared some snacks.

“Pediya. Let’s work hard to eat Mom’s share too.”

“yes!”

That’s why I gave a chocolate cookie to Pedi, who was sticking close to me.

If you can’t have a good time with Marwa, just spend it with Pedi. Luckily, our Pedi doesn’t get caught up in the crowds like his mom did.

“Ah- uh-“

Meanwhile, Julia was flailing her arms and babbling, as if she was craving the cookies that Pedi was eating.

“Our Julia. If you eat something like this, your stomach will hurt. Should you hold back?”

“Ugh…”

Of course, Julia’s greed was easily blocked. Something hard and stimulating like a cookie was still not allowed into Julia’s precious mouth.

I, too, would like to feed Julia lots of delicious food. As a parent, I feel full just by watching my child eat, so why should I be any different?

However, Julia is a fragile child who has just been weaned from breast milk. She cannot even crawl on her own, so she is held in the arms of adults. Feeding her ordinary food is like abuse.

“Brother-in-law.”

“Ah, execution.”

While I was comforting Julia with tears in my eyes, I heard the voice of the fourth executioner and turned my head.

“You seem to be very busy taking care of the kids all by yourself. Can I help you?”

“No. They are such gentle and kind children that I can take care of them by myself without any problems.”

“Really? That’s good.”

The fourth executioner, who let out a small laugh, quickly picked up Pedi, who was chewing on the cookies.

“Actually, I didn’t come here to ask for permission. My nephews and nieces are rare to see on a regular basis, so when else would I be able to show them affection?”

I just laughed out loud because I thought she said she came just to hug Pedi.

The youngest sister’s child. Thanks to this, the nieces and nephews are overwhelmingly young compared to the other nieces and nephews. For a middle-aged lady, there is nothing more cute and lovable than this. Furthermore, the Valenti family values ​​family love thanks to the principles set by their father-in-law.

“Our Pedi. Are you happy to see your aunt?”

Even in response to the fourth sister-in-law’s affectionate questions, Pedi just blinked.

“Oh, aren’t you happy?”

Was it an unexpected reaction? The fourth executioner seemed a little flustered.

“That’s because the executioner and Marga look so much alike. Their mother is clearly there, but it’s confusing when they’re being held by another mother.”

Of course, Pedi’s reaction is not because he dislikes his fourth aunt. He just stares at her because he is curious about her, since she looks exactly like his mother.

Even the first execution went through the same process thanks to Valenti’s thick genes. Naturally, the second and third executions went through the same process.

‘You’ve been scammed three times, and you’re not sharing the information.’

From noble mtl dot com

If you think about it, it’s a strange thing. If the same thing happened three times, wouldn’t it be worth telling the fourth sister-in-law, “Pedi will be surprised when he sees you.” Is she keeping quiet because she wants her siblings to experience the same shock she experienced?

If that’s the case, the bond between the sisters is truly deep and amazing. It’s as if the three of them can understand each other without even saying anything.

“Haha, so that’s what it was.”

Anyway, when the fourth executioner found out the truth, a deep smile began to appear on his face instead of embarrassment.

A child who mistakes his mother’s older sister for his mother. What a cute child. It must be even more delightful for his sister-in-law, who is already extremely fond of Pedi.

‘They do look alike.’

To be honest, even from my perspective as a husband, Mar and my fourth sister-in-law look so much alike that it feels like I’m looking at Big Mar and Small Mar. The other sisters-in-law also look like Mar, but it’s not enough to say that my fourth sister-in-law looks like her.

Mardo knows that too, and as a joke, he tells her to look at his fourth sister if she wants to see her future. But it’s a very plausible thing to say as a joke, so it’s just mysterious.

“Our Pedi. Is your aunt really like your mother?”

“yes!”

“I like Pedi too because he’s like a son to me!”

The fourth executioner, who had said so, quickly took out his wallet as if possessed by something.

This is the sixth allowance I’ve received, following my father-in-law and brother. For the time being, I’ll be able to rely on the palace confectioner to provide me with enough snacks.

‘How much is your annual salary?’

Before I knew it, I was looking at the gold coins in my fourth wife’s hand and smiling bitterly.

My nephew’s power is truly amazing, as he becomes a black hole that sweeps up gold coins just by existing.

‘When Robert and Eduard grow up, I will be like them.’

My two nephews are probably crawling around next to Erich right now.

When those kids are old enough to talk, my wallet will be miserably lighter. I don’t have any foresight, but I can see the future with eerily clear clarity.

‘ah.’

As I turned my head with that thought, I met eyes with Marwa, who had just finished greeting the guests.

It was as if Pedi’s eyes were telling him to quickly refuse, since his sense of money would become strange if he got a taste for gold.

Mardo, who had been busy exchanging greetings, returned to us again.

“How much did you get?”

Then he spoke a strange sentence with both the beginning and end sentences cut off.

“18 gold coins…”

However, we were close enough to communicate just by looking at each other’s eyes. Even though the sentences were cut off, I could clearly understand what he was asking, and when I told him the truth, Mar let out a small sigh.

The fourth executioner’s gold coin allowance was not paid, but even so, a whopping 18 gold coins were deposited under the name of Peddy’s allowance. Even though Peddy was of the Imperial Count family and the Duke’s blood, it was an excessive amount.

“They were all too much. No matter how much I love my nephew, gold coins? What if Pedi’s sense of finances goes awry?”

At the sight of Marr touching his forehead, I tried hard to swallow the words, ‘My father-in-law gave me ten of them.’

He is already a craftsman whose authority has declined due to retirement. If he were to be caught in this situation of having been in charge of 10 out of 18 alone, I don’t even want to imagine how much Mar would persecute him.

It’s the son-in-law’s job to protect his father-in-law. So let’s keep the details of our share to ourselves.

“The knife. Give it to me. I’ll exchange it for silver.”

“Is the silver okay…?”

“Considering Pedi’s age, even a silver coin is excessive, but considering his status, it’s an acceptable figure.”

It was an irrefutable statement, so he carefully handed the gold coin to Mar.

“Mom, mom.”

“Why is that?”

“I like yellow.”

At Pedi’s words, even Mardo flinched in surprise.

Could it be that Pedi has already tasted the taste of gold? Could it be that the economic collapse that Mar was worried about has already occurred?

“The yellow one. It’s good because it looks like a titi. Titi sings like that too.”

‘ah.’

But I was relieved by the words that followed.

Fortunately, it wasn’t that he coveted the gold coins because he knew their value, but simply because their fur color was similar to Titi’s.

“Pediya. The yellow one is nice, but the coin Mommy brings is also pretty. It’s white and shiny, just like our Maria, Cecilia, and Cattleya.”

“Really?”

“Then. Oh, the Crown Princess looks like her too.”

Then Pedi blinked for a moment, then nodded willingly.

“Okay then! Give me something else!”

‘good.’

I was proud of myself for being able to convince Pedi so quickly.

Do you like gold coins because they resemble Titi? Then you can name people who resemble silver coins. The triplets who are just below Pedi, the crown princess who has been playing with them since birth, are similar in color to silver coins.

“Okay, say goodbye to your mom.”

“Mom! Have a nice trip!”

“elegance-“

“Okay. I’ll be back soon.”

Pedi flaps his arms and Julia follows her brother. Marne smiles faintly at the brotherly love and walks towards her father-in-law.

And soon after, I could see the craftsman exchanging gold coins for silver coins with his shoulders hunched─

“Ah, Your Majesty the Emperor!”

“His Majesty the Emperor!”

‘what.’

I quickly turned my head at the sudden noise.

A hideous yellow head like a gold coin was approaching me slowly.

***

The Duke of Wolken Castle looked like the imperial palace during the New Year’s ceremony.

Of course, the scale of the New Year’s greetings ceremony was overwhelming, but the high-ranking officials who attended the banquet were no less than those of the New Year’s greetings ceremony. This was only natural, since it was a banquet celebrating the birth of a new duke.

“Your Majesty, I am truly honored and humbled that you have come to this shabby place in the remotest region.”

Anyway, as soon as I showed my face, Yeomyeong-gong hurriedly ran over and bowed his head.

“Shabby. Isn’t Wolken the shield that protects the eastern part of the empire and the pillar that supports the mandate of heaven? It is also the excellent ground that the ancestors of the public have cultivated for the royal family and the empire, so don’t say such things.”

“I will keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”

He patted the shoulder of the young man who was about to bend down and stopped him.

This is enough courtesy towards the Emperor. This seat is for the Duke of Yeomyeong, so it is not good to bow too much.

“Ah, Peddie!”

‘hmm?’

The next moment, just as I was about to greet the Duchess, the Crown Princess next to the Empress pointed somewhere and shouted.

“Sister!”

It was Pedi.

It’s not a strange sight. Pedi is the nephew of the Dawn Lord and the grandson of the Iron Lord. If anything, it would be stranger if he wasn’t here.

So, it is normal and natural for Pedi and the Crown Princess to meet,

‘Why… do I feel uneasy?’

It’s strange. Over the years, the two of us have met and played together several times. I’ve never felt this uneasy or uncomfortable, but why today?

“Sister! This is it!”

“Huh?”

“This! It’s so cute and looks just like its older sister!”

“Yes, pretty?”

‘Eeeeeeeeeee…’

Peddie runs towards the crown princess and shows her the silver coin. The crown princess laughs at Peddie’s words.

It must be a heartwarming sight. It must be a satisfying sight.

‘Why do I feel uneasy?’

This strange sense of discomfort that has been weighing on my heart since the palace.

I’m so frustrated I think I’m going crazy.