Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

485 – Nearby Wife’s Estate – 4

It may be new, but not all nobles are the same. Where are you located among the Duke and Duchess of Baekjanam? In particular, is it a succession or a single succession? When it comes to succession, whether you have a fiefdom or not, and how rich that fiefdom is, etc. There are many, many factors that determine the prestige of nobles.

In that sense, the vassals of the Duke of Catovan are nobles who are considered the most influential among nobles. The earldom is classified as a high-ranking noble, the honor of serving the duke closely, and the practical authority to supervise the affairs of the duchy on behalf of the absent duke. If all of these things are combined, it will be difficult for even the Marquis to treat him like a subordinate. If you touch it by mistake and the duke clears his throat, you have to hit him in the head right away.

That is why, before coming to the Duchy of Servet, I tried to be as courteous as possible not only to the head butler but also to other vassals.

“It is truly an honor to meet you here, Your Excellency. I saw you from afar during the New Year’s wedding, but this is the first time I have greeted you. I am truly sorry.”

It was definitely like that until the head deacon claimed to be a subordinate.

“I’m sorry. I know that Count Sicilla works day and night for Servet. Of course, it’s right for me to come first. Rather, I’m sorry for only coming to see you now.”

I quickly grabbed hold of my fading concentration and finally opened my mouth. As the head of the house, I expected him to be polite since I am the husband of my superior, but I never imagined that he would bow down to this level.

I was foolish. He took the grudges and aspirations of his retainers too lightly. If you think about it, they would have watched their lord live without a family for 100 years, and they would have felt both regret as a human being and fear as a vassal. If Trixie stays single forever, the price of Catoban will be cut off.

“Your Excellency, please speak comfortably. How can you honor a mere vassal?”

When I saw the head deacon bowing even further in response to my answer, I felt like he was going to burst into laughter. At least the Northern Counts, members of my faction, do not show such a low attitude.

“It’s still a little awkward. I’ll talk more comfortably once I get used to it.”

“Is that so? Then I will gladly wait for that day.”

I returned a more formal and obvious statement. Since we are not officially husband and wife yet, we will continue to treat each other with respect.

Although the head deacon looked disappointed at those words, he did not protest. Anyway, an official relationship will be established in a few months. It doesn’t seem like he has any intention of bothering his future husband by waiting a few months.

“Well, I was embarrassed to come empty-handed, so I prepared a small gift.”

Anyway, since the head deacon took a step back, I mentioned the gift to change the topic. Should I at least give him a gift so that he knows that I am here as a guest and not as a husband? Only then will these berserker vassals calm down a little.

“A gift, you mean?”

But it was the wrong choice.

I have already been engraved in their minds as their husband. Therefore, no matter what item I give, it cannot be considered a sincerity from the customer.

“I will consider it an heirloom, Your Excellency!”

It is simply a gift from the highest-ranking consort that has appeared in 100 years.

Damn. Why are there so many people who consider fur and other items to be heirlooms?

“…I’m glad you like it.”

Still, I couldn’t bear to say anything bitter when I saw the retainers shedding tears of emotion while looking at the fur that Trixie took out.

I brought 100 sheets, so I guess I’ll share them out…

We moved to Trixie’s room, receiving enthusiastic support and cheers from our retainers. She was very happy when I told her I would go to Trixie’s room before I even unpacked. It’s just that I don’t have any luggage to unpack.

Instead, I was told that not only I would go, but Rize and Rin would also go, so they looked a little embarrassed, but they did not try to dissuade me, perhaps because they recognized them as Trixie’s family. A duke who lived without a family spends quality time with his new family? No one can stop this.

“He was a lord loved by his vassals. I should follow his example.”

As soon as I arrived at Trixie’s room, I made a light joke.

“That’s right. I saw them for the first time today, but I know that they truly respect you, Master.”

Rize, who was rolling her eyes here and there, also appropriately accepted my words. The more it happened, the more red Trixie’s face became.

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Of course, I pretended not to see it. As Trixie has slowly gotten used to skinship, it has become difficult to see her shy, but if an opportunity like this arises, he should enjoy it for as long as possible. That’s the right thing to do.

“It’s definitely fascinating. I once had a chance to meet His Excellency the Golden Ball and his vassals, and although they were united by trust, I could see a thorough hierarchical relationship between them.”

And Trixie’s ears perked up at Lynn’s innocent exclamation.

Lin is ‘a true lord whom his vassals regard as family!’ It may have been a compliment, but to Trixie’s ears, which were already bursting with shame, it would have sounded like ‘a piece of crap that was eaten by vassals.’ It is truly a pity.

“I don’t know where I will raise my child when he is born. If I raise him on the island or in Tylglehen, I think I will be resented.”

“That, that, that…”

When the future child was mentioned, Trixie, who had been silent, also opened her mouth.

However, she could not complete the sentence properly as she had not yet regained her senses.

This is truly a pity.

***

100 Pieces of northern fur, personally gifted by His Excellency.

After an agreement with all the vassals, it was decided that each family would take one piece of the glorious gift, and the remainder would be stored in the duke castle’s treasury. Your Excellency’s gift will forever shine with the name of Katoban.

“So what happens now?”

After storing the fur in the treasure chest with a pious heart, the guard captain spoke in the conference room where his vassals gathered.

“How often will His Excellency the Duke and His Excellency visit Servet? This is an opportunity you never know when it will come again, so shouldn’t you do something?”

It was a vague statement, but it resonated with me emotionally. Not only is His Excellency the Duke, the owner of the magic tower, but his Excellency is also the Minister of Inspection. There are not many opportunities for the two of you to come to the Duchy of Servet at the same time, which is not an island.

So, as a retainer, it is natural to want to do something for the two of you. If you do not agree with the guard captain’s words, you would be a fool who has forgotten the grace of Catoban.

The problem, however, is that it is too vague, as if the guard captain started off by asking what to do now.

“That’s right.”

“Well, you have to have this kind of experience to even have an opinion…”

Unfortunately, we have no knowledge or experience in this matter.

As a vassal, it is the duty of a vassal to help the lord and his wife lead a smooth marital life and to spread the blood of the family they serve. But I don’t know how to carry out that duty.

That is natural. Let alone us, our ancestors and their vassals have never served their lord ‘couple’. Since His Excellency the former Duke returned to heaven about 100 years ago, there has been no such thing as a married couple in the Catovan family.

‘I don’t know anything.’

It’s difficult. In fact, how to help the master and his wife live is information that must be passed down orally. Because it is embarrassing to mention the lord’s private life in official documents for duchy business.

The aftermath resulted in the ignorance we have today. Since life without a couple has continued for 100 years, the verbal communication is bound to end soon. How could it be that my father didn’t know anything?

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

There was an awkward silence. Because the motivation came first, but the knowledge did not follow.

It’s a shame. We are an empire—no, we are vassals of Katoban, the greatest magic family on the continent. We are nothing else and cannot move due to lack of knowledge. I can’t bear to raise my head in front of my ancestors.

While this shameful silence continued, the secretary spoke.

“…If we can’t do it, we have to hope that Your Excellency will move.”

“Your Excellency?”

A rebuttal came naturally to the secretary’s words.

I have to hope that Your Excellency will make a move. Aside from the fact that it may seem more difficult, in the end, doesn’t it mean that we can’t do anything?

“The forest park was created by His Excellency the previous Duke himself, and His Excellency the Duke was born in the villa within it.”

It was a somewhat unexpected comment, but I continued to listen. The scribe is not one to say strange things—

“Let’s put the two of you in there and lock the door.”

…

It seems that the secretary has gone crazy recently.

“Oh.”

“Just the two of us in a meaningful space.”

What’s even more terrifying is that other retainers nod their heads at those crazy remarks.

What is it? What on earth is going on? Did the retainers collectively take medicine without my knowledge? Or did I eat something wrong and ruin my ears?

“Secretary. Isn’t that too radical?”

First, I tried to calm my pounding head and opened my mouth.

You locked the door. With His Excellency the Duke’s ability, he could easily escape, and even excluding that, it is too extreme a method. What kind of vassal in this world would imprison his master? He is not a traitor from history.

At such a fair point, the secretary hesitated for a moment and then continued.

“I heard that your first wife has already given birth.”

“That’s true, but what does it matter now?”

“Your Excellency, even if you make an effort now, it will be too late. You may become pregnant later than your last wife.”

With those words, the atmosphere in the conference room, which had been engulfed in madness, quickly became cold. The secretary’s statement just mentioned both the current lord and the future lord. It should never be taken lightly.

“Secretary. Refrain from speaking. There is nothing wrong with Your Excellency’s health, and the relationship between the two of you is good. But how can you say something like that?”

“It’s not your Excellency’s problem. No, it’s true that it’s related to your Excellency, but… It’s something that can’t be helped.”

Then the secretary sighed softly. It’s as if he resents himself for having to say this.

“Your Excellency the Duke and your Excellency… Aren’t they of different races? Considering the example of the previous Duke, a reappointment may be possible, but it may take a considerable amount of time.”

There was silence again at the secretary’s words. Because he couldn’t deny it even if he wanted to.

‘It was like that.’

The races were different.

It took several years for His Excellency the Duke and his wife to get married and become pregnant.

‘…But you’re mixed race.’

Suddenly a thought occurred to me. The Duke is half human. So wouldn’t he be different from Sentai?

I want to believe that─

“Then I guess I’ll have to lock it up right away, even today.”

“Yes. I can’t waste a single day.”

No, please.

Why does the conclusion flow like that?