Civil Servant in a Romance Fantasy

974 – As delicate as snow – 3

All sorts of gifts came from the Empress’s Palace.

It was a gift made up of practical and cute items, such as a good car for a mother who just gave birth, a good blanket for a newborn, or a cold protection item that even a child with sensitive skin can use without any worries. The Empress is also a mother of three, so her gifts were full of maternal love.

“Senior, you too. Instead of something like this, give me money instead.”

Eridu, as if embarrassed by the special attention and affection shown by the Empress, grumbled and handled the gifts.

He must be acting like that because he is embarrassed. Is there really a noble who thinks of money before the Empress’s gifts? Even I, who has experienced the taste of another world for about 20 years, find it difficult.

“Minister! Please make me some tea!”

After looking through the gifts for a while, Eri handed me a container filled with tea leaves.

“I’ll be worried right away─”

“Minister, please do it!”

The maid who had been waiting in the room quickly approached me, but Eri stubbornly pointed at me.

Because of this, only the maid in the middle was in trouble. If she moved forward again, it would be like ignoring her wife’s orders, and if she stayed still, it would be like the servant passing the work to her master.

“Don’t expect any taste.”

It was such a sad sight that I just accepted it.

Of course, the tea ceremony skills of my servants are overwhelmingly better than mine. I sometimes make tea myself, but it is literally so rare that my skills do not improve. I can barely make the scent pass through my throat.

But how could he turn down a request from his wife? And a request from her who had just given birth.

“Love is three spoons! Sincerity is a lot!”

“This isn’t coffee.”

I chuckled at Eri’s words. She’s asking for something so weird, like putting sugar and cream in her coffee.

I wonder if he did something like that to his subordinates during his time in the Inspectorate. If he did, there would have been some saliva mixed in Eri’s coffee or tea.

‘No way.’

But fortunately, or perhaps surprisingly, Eri was the type to take care of her own food. She even bought bread to eat as a snack on her way to work.

“Okay, I’ll be back. If you need anything, let the servants know.”

“Okay! Oh, and Ferenc is coming too!”

He waved his hand in a frenzy as the requirements became more and more specific.

It’s just about time for the kids to finish their breakfast. After we finish the tea, the kids who are stuck in the restaurant will disperse, so it’ll be a good idea to pick up Ferenc then.

‘Let’s just take Ferenc secretly.’

I would like to take them all, but if 11 people rush in, Veronica, who is sleeping soundly, might wake up. A newborn who needs to sleep more than anyone else, being woken up by a noise? That would be quite a problem.

So let’s take the other kids after Veronica wakes up. It should be after lunch, roughly.

“Excuse me, boss. I clearly ordered Ferenc.”

“Split orders are not allowed. If you order one, you have to take care of the other ten.”

And when I make plans, nine times out of ten they go wrong like a dog. This is a terrible jinx that has been branded on me since the moment I was born.

“Eri’s mom! We’re here too!”

“It’s you! Our youngest!”

“I came to see my little brother!”

Children running towards Eri, crawling, or moving in my arms.

Eri blinked blankly at this cute yet powerful charge, then soon smiled brightly and spread her arms.

“Veronica isn’t with Mom! She’s over there!”

However, it was not an action to hug the children, but an action to divert the direction of the rush.

It may seem a bit cowardly, but I understand. Eri is from the Inspectorate, but strangely, her physical abilities are among the lowest among the women, and she hasn’t completely recovered from the aftereffects of giving birth. In such a situation, if she gets body-slammed by the children, she might faint.

“Guys, it’s nice to play with Veronica, but you have to be quiet when she’s sleeping.”

That’s why I gently comforted the children who were running to the cradle.

It’s good to look at Veronica. It’s good to love the youngest as an older brother and sister. However, it’s difficult to raise your voice or poke Veronica so much that she wakes up when she’s sleeping.

“Ugh.”

“Quiet, quiet.”

Fortunately, at my request, the children kept their mouths shut and quietly walked to the cradle.

Looking at it this way, it seems that the children have learned the basics of behavior immediately after birth. They just forgot about it for a moment because they were so happy to see their youngest child, but they followed right away when the adults told them.

‘I was the only one who couldn’t grow.’

Maybe that’s why I felt bitter.

As Eri began to have labor pains, the ladies and servants quickly moved, Titi ran to my room, and the saints caught the attention of the children. Now that I look at it, the children are also faithfully following the behavioral guidelines that their mothers follow after giving birth.

Am I the only one who hasn’t changed since Pedi was born? Am I worse than an animal or a child?

“But Minister, I’m thirsty. Where is the tea?”

‘ah.’

But the bitter feeling in Eri’s voice quickly disappeared.

You too. You haven’t changed much since then. I wasn’t the only one standing still.

“I left Leon with the butler while I was carrying him. He’ll be back soon.”

A surprisingly gentle voice came out of his mouth, even to my surprise.

It was a great comfort to know that there was someone like me. Being alone and being with someone else were two completely different things.

…

‘I’m on the same level as him.’

For a moment, I had a bad thought, ‘If I’m going to be in the same class as him, wouldn’t it be better to be alone?’, but I quickly shook it off.

What are you thinking, you loser? A husband and wife are of course equal. If I’m like Eri, it’s not something to be afraid of, it’s something to be happy about.

Even though Eri is far from being an ordinary person, I love her and hold her in my arms as my husband.

“Ah, dad.”

“huh?”

As I was about to sit up on the bed with those thoughts in mind, Ferenc opened his mouth in a slightly urgent voice.

“Because it’s a boat, it’s a sesame seed.”

“already?”

I was surprised by the earlier-than-expected wake-up call.

These are the children who kept their mouths shut at my request and suppressed their noise to the point where they walked slowly instead of running towards the cradle. It was quiet enough to put a crying baby to sleep, but you woke up in this situation?

I hurriedly walked away, wondering if he was hungry or if he had done something rude. That was the only reason a sleeping child would wake up.

‘Isn’t it?’

However, Veronica opened her small eyes and stared blankly at me and the children without crying.

No, I don’t even know if I’m looking at it right. It’s not even in focus yet, so I don’t even know where I’m looking.

“veronica?”

When I called his name carefully, his head moved slightly.

Of course, it is very possible that I am mistaken. How can a child who is only 2 or 3 days old know his father, respond to his name, and even turn his head? This father sees him with his mind’s eye.

But if you have an adult mind, wouldn’t you be able to see things that others can’t? So let’s just say you turned your head.

“Are you hungry? Or did you rest?”

Veronica remained silent to my question.

That’s strange. It doesn’t seem like anything is uncomfortable.

“Daddy, daddy.”

“Yeah. Why is that?”

“Let’s take a closer look.”

I hesitated for a moment about Ferenc’s request. Since Veronica was already awake, should I hold her in my arms for a moment?

Of course, it would be easier for the children to see Veronica in my arms than to see her squirming in her cradle. If I just sit on the floor for a little while, we can get to eye level.

“Our Veronica. Let’s move to Daddy’s arms for a while.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, I held Veronica in my arms and carefully sat down on the floor.

“Your eyes are red, just like mine and your mom’s. You’re pretty.”

And Ferenc, whose eyes met Veronica’s, giggled and came up to my lap.

Is it because of my mood? Of course, Fedy is the leader among the children, but Ferenc seems to have a particularly strong voice these days. Normally, Fedy or the triplets would have been the ones making demands.

‘Is it because you’re my older brother in uniform?’

Just as Fedi would never yield to the Crown Princess when it came to his half-sister Julia, is there some kind of subtle rule between our children regarding full and half-sister relations?

Even though Veronica is the youngest of all, let’s leave the initiative to Ferenc, the only sibling – something like that.

‘That’s amazing.’

If that’s really the case, it’s a miracle that can’t even be described with words.

It’s amazing that such a rule was born among children whose oldest is 5 years old. It’s clear that the children grew up wisely because their father was an honorary teacher.

‘hmm?’

While I was wondering if I should hire a tutor for this genius, I felt something stirring in my arms.

It was Veronica. Veronica, who suddenly made eye contact with her older brothers and sisters, moved her small body here and there and pressed her face as close to her father’s chest as possible.

What the heck? Are you embarrassed?

‘Eri’s daughter?’

I looked at Eri, who was sitting on the bed without realizing it.

A child with half of Eri’s blood… is embarrassed? Is this genetically possible?

‘…The crown princess is also the emperor’s daughter.’

But the confusion soon subsided.

Since a crown princess was born under the Emperor, it is not strange that a shameful daughter was born under Eri.

Another gift arrived from the Empress’s Palace. This time, it was not a gift for the mother and child, but rather a simple outfit that looked like something a maid might wear.

It was also a maid’s uniform with the golden lion emblem symbolizing Livnoman on the chest. It was an outfit that even maids from noble families could never wear or obtain unless they were serving the imperial family.

‘Why this?’

It was such an embarrassing gift that I was speechless.

I appreciate the gifts you sent me one after another, but why did you send them to Eri? If you had sent the Empress’s maid for a close junior, I would have understood. Why did you only send clothes and not people?

‘letter.’

Fortunately, there was something enclosed that seemed to answer this question. The details were probably written in that letter.

That’s why I carefully checked the letter that came with the maid’s uniform,

[Contact the communication center immediately after confirmation.]

A very short and powerful sentence caught my eye.

Are you sure this is what you’re saying to Eri?

Surely the Empress isn’t talking to me?