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Normally, such distinguished guests wouldn’t even have to visit the County of Tailglehen. If they did, it should have been at my invitation. The burden and responsibility of being the host fell on my wife, which didn’t sit well with me.

Fortunately, His Majesty had now instructed me to send them back at an appropriate time. I’m sure my wife would feel relieved.

“You’re going to send them back?”

“Yes. It’s impolite to detain such esteemed guests for too long. They’re better off in the capital than in a mere county.”

So, I personally conveyed it to my wife. Perhaps surprised by the sudden news, her eyes widened.

“You’ve had a hard time, wife.”

“Billy… Are Carl and Erich also returning?”

“Yes. Erich is a companion of the guests, and Carl is too busy with work.”

It was an obvious statement. After all, Carl wasn’t just in any department but the Prosecutors’ Office, and was trusted by both His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince. I almost felt guilty for having kept him in the territory for this long.

Moreover, the Count of Horfeld changed just the other day. When such a significant event like the change of an Imperial Council member occurred, the Prosecutors’ Office inevitably had to act. In fact, it was no different from having them sent back to the capital even before they began packing their bags.

“Carl could leave even today—”

“No.”

My wife interrupted me.

I was somewhat surprised that a lady like her, who valued dignity and decorum, would cut off someone’s words. Of course, she must’ve had her reasons.

“No, not yet. We can’t send him back yet.”

“The Emperor and the Empire have high expectations for him. He’s our child, but he’s also a subject of the Empire. We need to send him back to where he belongs.”

“Carl belongs here.”

“Wife.”

It was unusual and somewhat endearing to see her being so stubborn, reminding me of how she was before our marriage.

However, it couldn’t be helped. I couldn’t let my personal feelings compromise the affairs of the Empire. I had no choice but to persuade my wife.

“I’ve only just found a child for Carl to be with.”

However, I couldn’t ignore what she just said.

“Wife, what do you mean?”

“It’s exactly as I said. I’ve found a suitable match for Carl.”

“Send them back immediately.”

It seemed that my wife had been up to something strange in the meantime. A suitable match? What did that even mean?

I firmly shook my head and stopped her. This was something we shouldn’t meddle in.

I didn’t blame my wife, though. It was my fault for not fully understanding what she was doing and for not explaining things to her properly.

“Billy!”

Thinking it would be quicker to speak to Carl myself, I turned around, only to be tugged back as my wife let out a loud cry.

When I turned back, I was stunned. My wife, her face flushed red and tears in her eyes, was glaring at me.

“Are you going to take my child away from me again, just when I can finally see his smile once more after all this time!?”

“Wife, what are—”

I wasn’t able to finish my sentence as she grabbed me by the collar.

***

Only after promising to send the guests, including Carl, in a few days was I released from her grip. Besides, His Majesty had said ‘at an appropriate time’, not ‘immediately’.

“My Lord.”

“I’m fine.”

I encountered the head butler on my way back to the office, who looked at me awkwardly. I must look like a mess right now.

“I won’t give in this time! If you send Carl back without telling me, I’m going to return to my family’s home!”

I hadn’t realized my wife could be so assertive. Even though I retired from the military and became a Count of the Empire, I was still active in the war until just two years ago. I shouldn’t have been so easily overpowered by her.

I waved the head butler off and entered my office.

‘A match.’

That was an unexpected development. Ever since I told her to handle the marriage discussions herself, my wife hadn’t been involved in Carl’s marital affairs. But now, she suddenly found a ‘match’?

How could that child possibly have the leisure of finding a match? He had lost someone he cherished. After sending him away…

“Where did it all go wrong?”

I sighed in frustration. To be honest, I knew where things started to go wrong. How could I not know?

It began four years ago during the Great War.

“The Prosecutors’ Office also participated in the war. The 4th Division came.”

“What are you talking about? The Prosecutors’ Office is supposed to handle domestic affairs.”

The Prosecutors’ Office, the Emperor’s sword, was meant for domestic and not foreign affairs. That was why I placed my eldest son, Carl, in that department and went to war myself. It was the most efficient, safe, and sure way.

But the war took a strange turn, and the Prosecutors’s Office got involved. Carl, who was newly appointed there, ended up in the North. It was maddening. I wanted a son who lived to serve the Empire, not a hero who died for glory.

If someone had to die, it should’ve been me, his father, to sacrifice for the future generation. That was the Krasius way. That was why I placed him in a somewhat safer position.

Thankfully, the training paid off. Carl not only survived the war but also achieved great feats.

Training the children thoroughly without letting my emotions interfere was the right decision.

I grew up disappointing my father. I experienced his expectations turn into disappointment, then anger, and finally, indifference. The feelings of powerlessness and self-loathing I felt back then were by no means light.

So, I didn’t put emotional pressure on my children. I raised them with sufficient and thorough training, not wanting them to end up as failures like me. I had no doubt that it was the best path for them.

I never expected that the proof of their thorough training would come in the form of the war.

‘At least he survived.’

Truly, it was fortunate that he survived. The Prosecutors’ Office was a place for proving one’s ability and loyalty, and for gaining experience. Who could have known it would turn out like this?

That’s why I sent Erich to the Academy and not to a government position. There was no guarantee that the same thing wouldn’t happen to him, as it did to Carl. Risking my child’s life once in such a gamble was more than enough.

Moreover, my wife wouldn’t be able to endure it if Erich went off to war or faced a similar crisis. She had fainted upon hearing that Carl and I had both gone to war.

‘Erich, at least…’

Carl and I had already rolled through the mud, but Erich had to stay unscathed. He mustn’t experience the tragedies that Carl did.

Carl found his match in a place where anyone could die at any time, leading to a tragedy. Living at the Academy, Erich shouldn’t face such events.

‘My wife is being unreasonable.’

Thinking along these lines, I recalled what my wife had said. A suitable match for Carl? It wasn’t something we should interfere in.

It was up to the child to heal his wounds and make his own decisions. There shouldn’t be any artificial interference in that process. After all, Krasius’s ancestors were meant to be mentors who trained the next generation, not meddlers interfering in the younger people’s lives.

“Are you going to take my child away from me again, just when I can finally see his smile once more after all this time?!”

But recalling my wife’s tearful outcry, I couldn’t bring myself to impose Krasius’s ways on her.

Although my wife now bore the Krasius name, she originally came from the Aras family. It would be difficult to force the ways of Krasius on her too much.

She already followed Krasius’s method in raising our children. And now that the children were grown, it was over. Asking for more would be greedy.

Yes, it was only right to let her do things her way now.

***

I was summoned by Mother again. It was unusual for her to call me twice in one day.

‘What’s going on?’

Mother usually preferred to keep to herself and didn’t engage in meaningless talk or actions. If she was suddenly calling me, then there had to be a good reason.

But wouldn’t it be better for her to call me once and Erich once as well, instead of calling just me twice? Mother, aren’t you interested in Erich?

‘Is this the curse of being the eldest son?’

It felt similar to family gatherings during holidays where the eldest grandchild was bombarded with questions about marriage. As long as I was single, Mother’s attention wouldn’t drift to Erich.

Erich should be grateful to me. I was cheering him on in his unlikely battle for love, and also drawing all of Mother’s aggro during that battle. Where else would he find a brother like me?

If he couldn’t make it work with Louise, then it must be fate.

“Mother.”

“Have you arrived? Sorry for calling you again.”

“It’s okay. I didn’t have much to do, anyway.”

I had just been playing with paperwork with the head butler, but I didn’t mention that.

As I sat down, I noticed Mother looking around uneasily. She seemed anxious and worried.

Glancing to the side, I saw the head maid. Judging by the subtle tightening of her lips, she didn’t feel at ease, either.

‘What’s this about?’

If they had been like this since my first day at the territory, I’d understand. But why were they suddenly acting like this now?

“Carl.”

“Yes, Mother.”

After fidgeting with her teacup for a moment, Mother finally spoke.

“I believe you’ll do well on your own, but you’re over twenty now… don’t you think it’s time to at least get engaged?”

Ah. So this was why.

Since I didn’t budge even when pressured with Marghetta’s presence, it seemed that Mother had switched to directly addressing the matter.

It was moments like these that I felt sad for being the eldest son. It would have been nice if I had an older sibling or two.

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