Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy - Chapter 918



918 – Congratulations are congratulations and this is this – 5

As the mother and daughter gradually got closer, the corners of their lips trembled.

The Crown Princess is now six years old. I have been watching her since she was born, when I couldn’t focus properly, so I have watched her six-year life right next to me. I have played with her many times, and I have welcomed her like this many times. There is no need to be nervous.

Even though I am a father, I am still a father. Which father in this world would be afraid when his daughter comes to visit?

‘Here it is.’

Surprisingly, no father can be this afraid of the Crown Princess coming.

Ever since I found out that the Crown Princess had feelings for Pedi, I have been avoiding their meetings as much as possible. At first, it was somewhat intentional, but at some point, the canonization ceremony and the expedition to Atini overlapped, and I ended up blocking their meetings for longer than I had planned.

It was really difficult. Appropriate distance cools down emotions, but excessive suppression makes them burn hotter. Why would you make a hole for air to escape when you cook rice?

‘If it didn’t work out today either.’

When that thought occurred to me belatedly, goosebumps ran down my entire body.

Although he called the Emperor an incompetent father, it was an inevitable choice. The Empress went to see me, ‘Pedi’s father’, while the Crown Princess stayed in the palace? The Crown Princess must have burst into tears filled with anger and sorrow.

Sorry, Nureongi. I guess you too were caught up in your own quandary.

But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s incompetent. If he were truly competent, he wouldn’t have created a situation where he couldn’t pay.

‘It was a good decision to call you.’

Soon, he let out a sigh of relief as he recalled Pedi, who had been urgently summoned to Count Tilglehen’s castle.

As soon as the Empress heard that the Crown Princess was coming, she hurriedly called Peddie and Titi to the castle. The Crown Princess was excited to see Peddie, but instead of the cute little Peddie, there was only the big and uncute godfather. It was a very sad situation for the Crown Princess.

It seems like I’m using my son as a tool, but I can’t help it. It’s much more beneficial to annoy Pedi a little than to anger the Crown Princess…

‘Is this right?’

The sense of relief was followed by a feeling of confusion. Considering the Emperor’s anger, Pedi and the Crown Princess must be separated, but if they are separated too much, the Crown Princess will cry and cause a disaster that will overthrow the Emperor. What kind of terrible choice is this?

“What time!”

As I was looking at the Crown Princess with such a bitter look, the Crown Princess came up close to me and waved her hand brightly.

“Time! Long time no see! Where did you come from to play?”

“Yes? Oh, yes. That’s right.”

“Everyone except me is dead! I can’t even meet my siblings because I’m sick and tired of it!”

I was convinced by the sight of the Crown Princess flapping her arms and throwing a tantrum.

If I hadn’t called Pedi, there would have been chaos. I would have seen the Crown Princess sweeping the hallways of the Count’s Castle with her back to me.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. I will be careful not to let this happen again.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Has this lord ever lied to Your Majesty?”

Actually, I may have done it a few times, but I can’t think of anything right now. If that’s the case, then it means that there was no incident that made the crown princess feel betrayed.

In fact, in the Crown Princess’s memory, I was a symbol of trust, and she nodded her head repeatedly with a bright expression.

‘Okay.’

The result was satisfactory and raised the corners of her mouth. Now, even if a sudden variable arises and the Crown Princess has to be separated from Pedi, she can rest assured.

The Crown Princess’s resentment will be directed not at her godfather, who never tells lies, but at the Emperor, who was just scratching his stomach. Wouldn’t it be easier to make a way out like this in advance?

And to be honest, the Emperor is the culprit. Children’s emotions are inevitable, but the reason I’m so cautious and irritable is because of the Emperor’s anger. If he had just laughed it off, I wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.

So if something happens, you take responsibility for it. That will be the karma your biological father will have to bear.

“Haha, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, but the Crown Princess follows her godfather very well.”

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

He immediately lowered his head towards the empress who was quietly opening her mouth.

“I was so moved by Your Majesty’s favor that I did not dare to even greet Your Majesty the Empress. I apologize.”

“It’s okay. Isn’t the child’s happiness more important than the adults’ manners?”

The empress smiled faintly and gently stroked the crown princess’s head.

“Besides, today I have not come to see the nobles as the empress, but as a believer to hear the words of Saint Charles.”

He threw the knife in a gentle tone.

A visit to hear the worship of an adult as a believer. It was a well-expected reason, but hearing it from the Empress’s own mouth was extremely bitter.

“I am truly a blessed believer. Who on this continent can hear the words of a saint? Even His Holiness the Pope does not have this luxury.”

“I am concerned that a lackey may defile Your Majesty’s ears.”

Despite my concerns, the Empress simply smiled.

Because of that, I felt burdened. I was just trying to read the Bible moderately, but should I be more sincere…?

“When the time comes, when the time comes!”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This is also the house of the time! Pedi is here too!?”

The Crown Princess’s direct question made him barely manage to smile at her bright eyes.

“Pedi and Titi are waiting for your highness. Unfortunately, the other siblings are in the system, but I will see you later, so is that okay?”

“Yeah! It’s okay!”

For a moment, a question crossed my mind: would it have been okay if it had been another younger sibling instead of Pedi?

Our crown princess. She’s still young, so she’s very honest about her feelings. If she were a little older, she would have responded with something like, ‘It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing I can do.’

‘Isn’t it better to be young?’

Let’s think positively. If the Crown Princess had been more mature and had been more skilled in controlling her emotions when she fell in love with Pedi, it would have been difficult for the adults to deal with it. No one would have known about the Crown Princess’s feelings, and she would have been surprised by the unexpected confession.

It’s dizzying to even think about. It’s better for everyone to go through this chaos now.

“Ah, Your Majesty.”

“yes?”

“I don’t have any other siblings, but I do have Teresa.”

“Teresa?”

The Crown Princess’s eyes sparkled at my words.

Thank goodness. I was worried that he might get upset because he was interrupted while he was alone with Pedi, but fortunately, it seems like he didn’t have such heavy feelings.

“Oh, it’s been a while since I’ve seen Teresa?”

“Wow! Long time no see!”

“Then Teresa will also welcome you. I believe she will play well with you as your older sister.”

“Yeah! I’m done!”

The Crown Princess nodded vigorously.

Sister. An all-purpose word that rapidly increases the fighting spirit of the Crown Princess. To be honest, Teresa, who is in the same line as me, is in a more dangerous situation than the Crown Princess and Pedi, but what does the lineage mean in front of age?

An aunt who is younger than them has no meaning in front of children. They are just playmates.

A party of four consisting of Peddie, the Crown Princess, Teresa, and Titi.

One of the four had the intelligence and wit of a beast or a human, so the four children formed a party and roamed around the castle.

Pedi, who was happy to see her aunt and older sister after a long time, the crown princess who was happy to be reunited with Pedi, Teresa who met the crown princess after a long time even longer than Pedi, and even the cheerful Titi were all very lively.

“The first Pope returned to the Lord with his heart pierced by the hands of a pagan. However, before he went to the Lord, he embraced the pagan who pierced his heart and said to him, ‘What you pierced is a shell that can be thrown away someday, but my soul has not changed. Your sins are also just a shell that can be thrown away someday.’”

Of course, whether the children were energetic or not, the adults were busy quietly worshipping.

“Everything we enjoy in the human world will eventually change and disappear, and it is not eternal but exists for a moment. The first pope regarded his own death and the sins of pagans as temporary traces, not eternal stigmata.”

In that quiet scene, I read the Bible and opened my mouth as I pleased.

The early popes’ mercy is famous. They mentioned human mortality and the immortality of God, and connected this with mercy and tolerance for sinners, which was like a ray of light in the hellish times of religious wars.

If you make up your mind, you can change. Even if life ends with death, there is a longer journey waiting for you. These were the most beautiful words to those who had turned away from their conscience in a society full of fear and confusion about the afterlife.

In fact, the pagan who killed the first pope was not executed according to the pope’s will, but instead repented, converted, and was martyred as an apostle and saint of the Dawn Church. It is truly a beautiful story.

‘I can’t do that, though.’

As the founder of a religion, he is a very generous gentleman. If there was a b*stard who stabbed my heart, I would have chased him to the ends of the continent and taken revenge.

“What can we learn from this anecdote? We would usually think of mercy and tolerance, forgiveness and repentance.”

But now I am a living adult. I must only make thoroughly religious statements, not worldly, personal judgments.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s wrong. The beautiful end of the first pope, Saint Litan, who went from being a pagan assassin to a martyr, apostle and saint. It would not have been possible without mercy, tolerance, forgiveness and repentance.”

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After a brief cough, he looked at the Empress and the ladies of the Imperial Household, who were sitting in a reverent posture.

“But I think we should also note another thing: God is watching over the world, but he is not ruling it. That’s the point.”

My words caused a very slight stir.

A god who does not intervene in the world? Although Enen does not actively reveal his presence, he exerts influence through the religious order that serves him. To say that he “does not interfere with the world” is an expression of lack of conscience.

Still, the reason I brought that up is simple.

“The Lord had the power to prevent the death of the first pope. At the same time, He also had the power to lead Saint Litan to the right path of faith from the beginning. Nevertheless, the first pope was martyred, and Saint Litan went through many twists and turns to become a servant of Enen. Doesn’t this mean that the Lord wants His followers to carve out their own lives? He does not force them to follow a set path, but wants them to go their own way.”

After saying that, I made the sign of the cross. I didn’t know what I was saying either, but I continued to speak as plausibly as I could.

“The Lord looks down from heaven, but the way to Him has not been determined. So do not forget that the Lord watches over us at all times and in all places, but also look to yourself…?”

As I continued speaking, I felt a subtle sense of discomfort behind my back.

The Empress and her ladies who were watching me also looked behind me with surprised eyes.

‘What is it?’

Let’s look back with an anxious mind,

‘ah.’

The cross hanging on the wall sparkled.

This damn god. He said he was watching me everywhere, but he didn’t need to prove it like this.