Evening crept in after we arrived at the mansion, unpacked, and finally got so rest on the bed. Then, we greeted the returning Patriarch.
“I hope the food is to your liking.”
Mother said gently at the dinner table where everyone had gathered.
“It’s perfect. I’ve never had such an enjoyable al.”
The 4th Manager, who had been tense as if on night watch, replied swiftly. Mother nodded with satisfaction, seemingly pleased with her answer.
Honestly, there was no way anyone could complain with the feast in front of us. It felt like the embodint of the phrase, ‘I didn’t know what you liked, so I prepared everything.’ I hadn’t been near the kitchen today, but I had a feeling the head chef was probably on the verge of collapse by now. Could we even eat all of this?
“If you need more, don’t hesitate to ask. We can prepare more.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
The 4th Manager answered without a mont’s hesitation once more.
Was it just my imagination? Her behavior reminded of a junior soldier ekly obeying a senior officer’s dining orders. It wouldn’t surprise if she forced herself to eat more just to be polite.
“Dear, let the children eat at their own pace. It’s better for them to enjoy their al comfortably.”
Then, the Patriarch quietly spoke from his seat at the head of the table.
It was a warm, considerate remark, likely ant to ease any pressure on the daughters-in-law. Still, I avoided looking at him, afraid I might burst out laughing if I did.
A treasure goblin…
I knew I shouldn’t, but the phrase had been stuck in my head all evening. The Patriarch was usually quite reserved, but he was draped in all kinds of gifts today. He looked so different from his usual self.
While Mother had only received matching necklaces, the Patriarch had been showered with an assortnt of gifts—brooches, handkerchiefs, scarves, bracelets, and more. The gifts had no consistency, yet he wore them all without complaint.
I couldn’t tell if this was his way of accepting gifts as a noble or if it was the reaction of a father-in-law delighted by the attention from his daughters-in-law. Either way, it was a strange sight.
It’s still better than Mother.
At least it was more normal than Mother, who had eagerly put on all six necklaces the mont she received them. The givers had been more shocked than pleased.
“How could I possibly choose between such precious gifts? I want to wear them all, at least for today.”
But still, it would’ve been better if they had convinced her to wear them in shifts. The different gemstones on each necklace made her look like she was wearing a rainbow around her neck.
“It’s not a problem, Father. We’re actually grateful that Mother is so thoughtful.”
Marghetta said, smiling warmly.
At her words, Mother, who had montarily faltered, smiled again. Her face brightened even more when her other daughters-in-law also nodded in agreent.
It might seem like she was overreacting to small things, but I understood why she was acting this way. The head maid had pulled aside for a quiet word after we arrived at the mansion.
“Madam never had a harmonious relationship with her in-laws. The forr lady of the house passed away early, and the previous Patriarch didn’t think highly of her. So, she likely hopes to experience the warm relationships she never had through her daughters-in-law.”
Since she had never received love from her in-laws, she wished to shower affection on her own daughters-in-law. Now, she wanted to create the loving relationship that she had never enjoyed.
Hearing this made see Mother’s actions in a whole new light.
She’s a person starved for affection.
I would’ve never guessed. I always thought of her as soone quiet and emotionally reserved. Who would’ve imagined that she was carrying such a longing? Thinking about it, even her lack of attention towards us when we were growing up might’ve been because she hadn’t received proper affection from the Krasius family herself.
Also, she’d been making efforts to improve her relationship with and Erich since last year. Maybe she wasn’t cold-hearted, just inexperienced in showing love.
At least her marriage is strong. That’s a relief.
I glanced toward the treasure gob—no, the Patriarch.
Despite her ssy relationship with her in-laws and her lack of emotional connection with her children, it was probably thanks to the Patriarch that she managed to hold on. Even if her other relationships weren’t great, having a husband she could trust must have given her so stability.
Wait, why am I finding this heartwarming?
Suddenly, a thought struck . If my inexperienced mother relied on the Patriarch for support, then did that an they had so sort of connection? Did the stern, chanical Patriarch really have that kind of bond with her? How did these two end up having such a good relationship?
That realization was a bit disorienting. Maybe the Patriarch was just as inexperienced as Mother and perhaps that was why they were so compatible. After all, he hadn’t done much to harm aside from that one ti he sold out to the Prosecutors’ Office. His indifference toward his children was also similar to Mother’s.
Ah, nevermind.
This was too complicated to think about while eating.
But since it wasn’t an urgent issue, I should take my ti thinking it over…
***Once the doubt took root, it poured out like a broken dam. I couldn’t shake the suspicion that perhaps the Patriarch wasn’t the strict, serious, chanical figure I had always thought him to be.
“Young master, I apologize, but could you approve these docunts for ?”
“I don’t mind, but isn’t the Patriarch around?”
That lingering suspicion was brought back to the surface the next morning thanks to the butler’s awkward visit.
“Well, my lord is having an important conversation with the lady…”
“A conversation?”
“Um…”
The butler hesitated for a mont, then dropped a bombshell.
“My lord said he was delayed by work matters yesterday, but I noticed his shoes had traces of dried grass and mud.”
“And?”
“Normally, there are similar traces when he returns from fishing.”
I was at a loss for words. In short, the butler was telling that the Patriarch had made an excuse about work only to sneak off for a fishing trip and that Mother had found out and was giving him an earful.
I was stunned. This was so different from the Patriarch I thought I knew. Even the butler didn’t seem particularly surprised—he just seed a bit sheepish, as if this sort of thing had happened before.
“It seems he did attend to work-related matters, but not alone. He went fishing with Count Vardon and the forr Count Horfeld.”
Maybe the look on my face made seem like a son shocked to find his father goofing off after bringing ho a new daughter-in-law, because the butler hastily continued to explain.
It was true that I was shocked, but not for the reason the butler thought. As soone who worked in a high-ranking position, I understood that spending personal ti with others could often be part of the job. I myself had been dragged on hunting trips with the Crown Prince before my academy deploynt.
The shock now simply ca from seeing an unexpected side of soone I thought I knew.
Having a ‘conversation’…
I nearly closed my eyes at the thought. They called it a conversation, but it was probably more like Mother giving Father an earful, and he had no idea how to respond. If it were a simple conversation, the butler wouldn’t have needed to co to for approval. He could have slipped in, gotten the signature, and left quietly.
The fact that Mother figured it out by looking at his shoes was also hilarious. You’d need so serious experience to catch soone with such a small detail.
So, he must be a repeat offender.
Impressive.
It sohow felt like I had uncovered a hidden family secret…
Not that it made particularly happy.
***I felt like I was sitting on a bed of thorns. I had never actually sat on one, but I was sure it would feel like this if I did. Why was I even here?
“I’m sorry, young master. This must have been quite sudden for you.”
“Oh, no. It’s fine.”
As I stared blankly at the dust floating in the air, Marghetta, who would soon beco my first sister-in-law, spoke up.
Honestly, I wasn’t okay. It was all too sudden. But how could I say no when not just Marghetta but also my other soon-to-be sisters-in-law were surrounding ? I was especially afraid of what might happen if I upset my second sister-in-law. There was no way it would end well.
At least Sarah was with nanny, so it should be fine to leave her for a short while.
“So, what’s this about?”
I asked directly, hoping to get to the point as quickly as possible. If the conversation dragged on, Sarah might start wandering around the mansion while looking for .
“We need your advice, young master.”
“My advice?”
I blinked in surprise. Advice? From ? Why ? They had the Mage Duchess, the greatest mage on the continent, and yet they wanted advice from an ordinary student like ?
…Why …?
“It’s sothing only you, as Carl’s family, can answer.”
Marghetta added carefully, as if she had read the confusion and doubt in my eyes.
“It’s Carl’s birthday soon, right?”
Ah, that explained it.
At the ntion of ‘birthday,’ I imdiately understood. Since hyung’s birthday was just around the corner, his fiancées were asking for advice.
It was obvious. They wanted to know what gift he would like. It did seem a bit late for them to be asking given that his birthday was just a few days away, but buying a gift doesn’t take that long.
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“I really don’t know his preferences. Hyung isn’t picky about anything.”
I decided to answer right away. This wasn’t the first ti I’d been asked this kind of question. But honestly, I had no idea.
Hyung had never been the type to show any particular preferences. He accepted whatever he was given, and he used it until it wore out. That was just the kind of easy-going person he was.
“As predictable as it sounds, I think he’d be happy with anything—“
The Mage Duchess waved her hand before I could finish my sentence, and boxes upon boxes suddenly started appearing out of thin air, piling up in the room.
There was one box, then two, then ten, and soon dozens until there were easily over a hundred of them stacked up. It was quite a sight.
“We’ve already prepared gifts. But the thing is, we might have prepared… too many.”
“Oh, I see.”
I stared in shock at the boxes that were still stacking up. What on earth was this? Did they just buy everything because they didn’t know what he liked? Were they hoping that one of the gifts would land on the mark?
Well, it was certainly a strategy. There had to be at least one thing in that pile that matched hyung’s tastes.
“I just want to give him sothing he’ll really love. If I give him too many gifts, it might seem like I didn’t put any thought into it.”
Actually, wasn’t it a kind thoughtfulness in itself when the number of gifts exceeded a certain threshold? How could anyone top the effort of preparing over a hundred gifts just to get it right?
Still, I couldn’t bring myself to outright refuse or dismiss the efforts of the six pairs of earnest eyes staring at .
Three of those pairs belonged to people I knew well, two belonged to seniors, and the last one was from soone so above that I couldn’t even dream of refusing.
“Well, maybe… sothing he doesn’t already have?”
Irina chid in as I mulled over the situation, glancing at the mountain of boxes.
That was a good approach. If we didn’t know what he liked, then maybe we could give him sothing he didn’t already have. After all, the best gifts were the ones you wouldn’t buy for yourself but would feel thrilled to receive from soone else.
What doesn’t he have?
But I couldn’t figure that out, either. I didn’t even know what he owned to begin with, so how could I know what he lacked?
…Wait.
“A vacation?”
I blurted out the first thing that ca to mind without thinking.
Or maybe… not just a vacation. How about retirent?
If we were looking for sothing hyung desperately wanted but didn’t have, then so ti off or retirent seed like the best bets.
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