Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

960 – Become the Heart of the Continent – 1

Since visiting the elven residential district, there has been a minor issue with the triplets avoiding food.

They were kids who ate diligently, regardless of whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It was like a disaster caused by their grandmother cramming in all the food they would eat in a few weeks in one day.

Still, they ate simple snacks like cookies, chocolate, and candy as usual. Perhaps snacks were not among the food bombs that their grandmother dropped on the triplets. At least that was fortunate.

‘It would have been difficult if I had avoided snacks as well.’

To be honest, snacks can’t replace meals, but there’s a difference between eating nothing and eating something.

“I, master.”

“Uh. Why?”

Today, while I was putting cookies on a plate for the triplets to eat with Lize, Kindness approached me cautiously and opened her mouth.

“What happened to the white ladies?”

“huh?”

And then he said something quite unexpected.

Something happened. I had to endure my grandmother’s infinite and enormous love without any filter, so I can’t say that nothing happened, even in vain.

But it’s not like Kindness would notice that. Even though Kindness is a famous horse that carries all kinds of children, including Pedi, she doesn’t escort them so closely that she even notices when the children are reluctant to eat.

“Well, well, it could be just my mood.”

As I and Lize stared at each other, Kindness tapped the ground with her hoof,

“It seems like the ladies have grown a little, just a little bit, compared to before.”

‘ah.’

I couldn’t help but laugh at those words.

Kind words do not mean that the children grew up normally. They mean that the children who encountered their grandmother’s love grew up well both upward and sideways.

I tried to soften that to make it easier for me, as a father, to hear. It’s a very considerate thing to say.

‘It’s gotten a bit bigger.’

Soon, the laughter turned into bitter smiles. Fortunately, the front seats weren’t so big that they had to change, but it’s true that the triplets’ weight had increased somewhat.

Of course, it is a range that can be increased as much as a growing child wants. The problem is that it was increased in a matter of days, not weeks or months.

‘If he reacts at all.’

By the way, even the kind Seongsu reacted by saying, “This is a bit heavy.” This is such a rapid bulking up. I wonder if the triplets’ desire for snacks instead of meals is not an instinct to lose weight.

“At that age, sometimes they grow a lot in a day, and sometimes they don’t grow at all. Don’t be surprised and just play like you normally would.”

“Of course! Even if the number of white ladies doubles, no! even triples, I will always carry them around!”

In the meantime, Kindness nodded furiously to Lize’s request, which wasn’t a request.

Kindness is Pedi’s loyalty and savior. That’s why Pedi is passionately devoted to his beloved younger siblings. As he said, even if the number of triplets increases threefold, there’s a high chance that he’ll grit his teeth and carry them around.

‘Should we at least erect a statue of Chungma?’

I was thinking about putting up a new sculpture in the garden of the mansion. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to put up a statue of the Crassius family’s loyal horse, Kindness.

No. If we only set up the Chungma statue, Charity will be upset, so let’s also set up the Chungrok statue. It will be nice to see the horse on the left and the deer on the right.

“By the way. While you’re here, why don’t you give this to the triplets?”

“Leave it to me!”

“You eat one too.”

“thank you!”

While he was alone and thinking about such things, Lize placed a plate on Kindness’s head and put a cookie in his mouth.

A pet that transports things quickly and safely. Whoever picked it up, it’s such a handy guy.

‘It runs well.’

I looked at the back of Kindness running with its tail wagging.

Even though she had a plate full of cookies on her head, not a single cookie, not even a crumb, fell to the floor.

“Oh, should I have brought milk with me too?”

“Let’s take that. It’s a little narrow to even put milk in it.”

I shook my head slightly at Lize’s words.

Kindness is still closer to a calf than a horse. It may be big enough for children to ride on, but it is not big enough to hold three plates and cups on its head. If you try to force it, only poor Kindness will end up taking a milk bath.

“Haha, that’s true.”

Lize, perhaps just saying that, poured some warm milk into a glass.

“I’ll move that!”

“Would you like that?”

And the glass of milk was secured by Charity, who ran out from somewhere.

It seems like the competitive spirit is burning as they discover the kindness of carrying cookies.

***

Lately, I’ve been seeing my wife smile more often than before.

“Youngest, where are you? I can’t find you, so come out now.”

-Wow!

“Oh my. You were hiding there.”

The wife who is looking for her youngest child in a tone that makes it seem like she is acting, and the youngest child who jumps out brightly from under the wife’s skirt.

As soon as I got home from work, the corners of my mouth went up at the heartwarming sight I saw.

‘You brought me well.’

As soon as I heard that Carl Gnom had sent Titi’s youngling to the country, I ran there. It was the best thing I’ve done in recent times.

If I hadn’t moved quickly, if I hadn’t persuaded Titi, I wouldn’t have seen that smile from my wife. I would have spent my days chatting with the women of other families, looking at the garden or backyard, and checking on the children as usual.

That kind of daily life has its own kind of joy, but if it’s a routine that’s repeated for decades, it’s bound to get boring. That guy is a ray of light in that boredom.

‘the youngest…’

One of the evidences is the boy’s name. I’m not used to naming him, so I left it to my wife, but who would have thought that I would name him Youngest?

This is proof that he will be treated as a family member, not just a pet. He will be cared for with love, like a late child born in his old age. This proves how precious and great that guy is to his wife.

– Woof woof!

Of course, my youngest brother has a huge presence in my life. He is my wife’s good friend, and he is the guy who greets me with his tail wagging when I come home from work. How can I take him lightly?

“Oh, you’re here?”

“Um. I’m a little late today because I had a lot of work to do. Have you eaten?”

“I haven’t eaten yet because I’m playing with the youngest. Would you like to eat with me?”

I nodded willingly to my wife’s suggestion. I did eat a few pieces of bread before leaving work, but that didn’t even fill 10% of my stomach.

“dismissal.”

The butler came down hurriedly from the second floor.

“What’s going on? I just got off work, so I hope it’s not something bothersome.”

“That is, His Excellency the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ butler has contacted me. He says that he would like to visit your mansion for a moment, if it is convenient for you. What should I say in response?”

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs?”

I was a little surprised by the unexpected contact.

The Minister of Finance and the Minister of Foreign Affairs were the second and third most powerful officials in the executive branch, so they often drank together, but from the moment the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared the creation of a continent-spanning treaty organization, it became difficult to see the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

He stays in the office and won’t come out, and even if he does, he goes straight back to his mansion and gets a good night’s sleep. I thought he’d live like that for a while, so I didn’t bother approaching him.

‘He said he wanted to meet first.’

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was busy with work, approached me first.

To me, the Minister of Finance.

‘Ugh.’

Instinct is screaming. No, in fact, even a little intelligence can make you feel uncomfortable, without even going as far as instinct.

This is definitely not an ordinary encounter. There is a high chance that something quite troublesome and annoying will happen.

“ma’am.”

“I’ll have him prepare the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ share as well.”

“Thank you.”

When I glanced at my wife, she nodded readily.

Meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs can be a nerve-racking experience. But if you refuse to meet with the Minister in person because of personal anxiety or annoyance, that can be problematic in its own right.

I’d rather be tired in public than have my relationship with the Foreign Minister fall out because of my own negligence.

“Tell the minister that we should have dinner together.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

At my words, the butler quickly went up to the second floor.

I was planning to throw a bone to the youngest and have a cozy meal. If I’m unlucky, I might have to brace myself for a disaster.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs arrived exactly one hour later.

“I apologize for coming so suddenly, Minister of Finance.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just glad to see you after such a long time.”

I smiled as naturally as I could at the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who was laughing awkwardly.

As expected of a bureaucrat who has recently taken root in the government building, his face was filled with fatigue. Even the reason he is suffering from fatigue is for the sake of the empire’s hegemony and the peace of the continent. We should encourage each other as fellow bureaucrats.

“Oh, is this the kid?”

After exchanging greetings, the Minister of Foreign Affairs lowered his gaze and bowed with a small exclamation.

-Wow!

Towards the youngest who was standing next to me and wagging his tail.

“What a cute guy. If I hadn’t been so busy lately, I would have taken one from the Inspector General. It’s such a shame.”

“Don’t worry. There’s still plenty left. Plus, I heard she got pregnant again recently.”

“Huh. You gave birth to 14 puppies and now you’re saying this? I didn’t know that dogs resemble their owners.”

At those words, both I and the Minister of Foreign Affairs burst into laughter.

The youngest one seemed to understand that his father was talking about his master, and he started wagging his tail even more fiercely.

“Ah. You’ve kept our distinguished guest standing. Let’s eat first.”

“Haha, thank you. I was planning on just having oatmeal for dinner tonight, but thanks to you, I’ll be able to enjoy it.”

A feeling of compassion that is hard to describe in words came over me. People usually relieve stress by overeating or eating delicious food, but when stress exceeds a certain level, even their appetite disappears. Sadly, the Minister of Foreign Affairs seems to have reached that stage.

At the same time, I was afraid. Why would the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had lost his appetite, want to see me? What kind of budget was he trying to get?

And that doubt didn’t last long.

“I wonder if we should develop Danis again.”

“yes?”

During the meal, the Minister of Foreign Affairs brought up the subject first.

That too, with the enormous task of wanting to develop Danis.

‘Danis?’

Danis. The capital of the Muno Empire, the first empire in the history of the continent. However, thousands of years after the fall of the Muno Empire, it has practically become a ruin.

Redevelop that place? A place that can’t even function as a town, let alone a city, where no one lives?

‘why?’

Why on earth are you there?