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Chapter 279: Let’s Go Home (4)

It’s not going to happen, is it?

Given that even hyung’s own subordinate was reacting like this, I could tell. The chances of hyung getting a vacation as a birthday gift were pretty much nonexistent.

After all, there was always a reason when something didn’t exist or wasn’t possible. If it were that easy to give, then it wouldn’t even be considered a gift worth mentioning.

“Honestly, just spending time with loved ones on your birthday is a gift in itself. Besides, he’s technically here on vacation right now, isn’t he?”

I cautiously added that after thinking for a moment. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about the others, but seeing the deeply contemplative look on the Mage Duchess’s face made me feel like I had to say something.

My instincts were sounding loud alarms. If I didn’t step in now, the Mage Duchess would soon be sending an official petition to the Imperial Palace, and that petition would likely be a bizarre request for her fiancé to be granted some time off. I could already imagine hyung burying his face in the ground out of shame if such rumors spread through the social circles.

If it were me, I’d bite my tongue.

No, I wouldn’t just bite my tongue—I’d hold my breath until I passed out.

The image of his much older fiancée publicly demanding rest for her significantly younger fiancé… the thought alone was terrifying. The Mage Duchess even called hyung ‘baby’ sometimes. If that ever happened, he wouldn’t just be a kept man—he’d become a literal baby.

…Maybe he’d actually like that?

For a brief moment, I lost my conviction. Although it would be terrifying for me, maybe hyung would actually welcome it. Wouldn’t he be willing to endure humiliation and shame just to get that vacation?

Of course, I kept that sad speculation to myself. Even if hyung didn’t mind, I wasn’t sure I could handle witnessing it. The idea of hyung becoming the Mage Duchess’s little baby in exchange for rest… that was the kind of nightmare that would keep me up at night.

Well, he’s bound to get plenty of rest once they’re married anyway.

I forced myself to think optimistically. Yeah, there was always the marriage leave and parental leave in the empire. And with six wives, that’d be six times the marriage leave and six times the parental leave. Maybe even more if they had a lot of kids.

“Or maybe you could give him the first thing you bought when you thought of him. That could have a lot of meaning.”

I hurriedly steered the conversation back to the subject of gifts before things took a strange turn. If giving everything was too much and a vacation was impossible, then this seemed like a decent middle ground.

The first instinct was usually the best. Overthinking it would just lead to odd results.

Since they seemed satisfied with the resolution, I finally managed to escape from the circle of my sisters-in-law. Though I still felt uneasy seeing the Mage Duchess deep in thought until the last moment, I trusted that I had done all I could. If anything happens, hyung can deal with it. I was just a powerless student; there was nothing more I could do. So, that wasn’t my problem anymore.

Damn it.

The moment I saw Sarah anxiously pacing the hallway, my thoughts of hyung vanished. I wanted to finish quickly and wait for her in the room, but it looked like Sarah had come looking for me first.

This was embarrassing. I had promised to stick close to her in case anything happened. I had even told her confidently to rely on me when she said I was her only support. And yet, I ended up leaving her alone. It was really shameful.

“Sarah.”

“Oh, Erich.”

Sarah, who had been nervously looking around, greeted me with a smile when she heard my voice.

“There you are. I was wondering where you’d gone since you weren’t in the room.”

“Sorry, I had someone I needed to meet for a moment.”

“Hehe, it’s fine. I just finished talking with my mother, too.”

Though she smiled as she spoke, anyone could see that Sarah’s hands were trembling and her breathing was slightly off, faster than normal. She was putting on a brave face, but she was clearly shaken deep down.

Of course, it made sense. No matter how much she tried to act fine, for Sarah, this was her first time out in the world, her first real adventure. Everything she saw must have been unfamiliar, and every person she passed was likely a stranger. Given how isolated her life had been, it was only natural that she felt afraid.

She must have trusted me and relied on me enough to come all the way to the mansion. However, the person she was counting on had disappeared. The shock Sarah must have felt was likely beyond my imagination. If she was wandering around looking for me instead of just waiting in the room, I could only guess how deep that impact was.

“Still, leaving a lady waiting… You’re a terrible knight.”

Sarah’s playful words brought a wry smile to my face. She must have been quite shaken, yet she was pretending like nothing had happened. That only made me feel more guilty.

“Then, may I ask for a chance to make it up to you?”

I gently extended my hand and kissed the back of Sarah’s right hand as soon as she placed it in mine.

Sarah had always enjoyed playing the role of the lady, with me as the knight. Whether she was upset or feeling down, this act would usually cheer her up.

“I’ll let it slide this time, just for you.”

Thankfully, it seemed to work again. Her trembling had stopped.

“Thank you, my lady.”

Honestly, continuing this little knight-and-lady act even as adults felt a bit embarrassing. But what could I do? Sarah liked it, so of course I went along with it.

Besides, after nearly ten years of this, it was a little late to start complaining now.

***

I repent. I repent for the disrespectful thoughts I had and for daring to think of the Patriarch as a treasure goblin and imagining Mother wearing a rainbow. Please forgive me if you’re watching, Enen. What was I supposed to do when they made a person look like the unique-rank monster in the world?

A rainbow treasure goblin.

I never imagined I’d become the complete package—a combination of both. They did say that children resembled their parents, but I didn’t think I’d inherit everything.

“Ca-Carl… Do you like it…?”

It was already my birthday, and from the moment the morning celebration started, gifts—no, an avalanche of gifts—rained down on me. Marghetta, who was standing nearby, cautiously asked as I stared blankly at the colorful mountain of presents.

“I-I was going to choose just one really good gift, but they all seemed to suit you, so…”

Her words, spoken as if in defense, made me chuckle softly. From the embarrassed glances around me, it seemed like the other five had also gone overboard, not just Marghetta.

“I did say just one, didn’t I?”

Erich mumbled under his breath, his voice tinged with frustration as he surveyed the mountain of gift boxes. Meanwhile, Marghetta, who was acting as their spokesperson, hung her head in shame.

Amazing. Was this the result after they asked for advice? I can’t even imagine what they would’ve given me if they hadn’t asked for any.

I guess I should be thankful they didn’t give me an entire store.

Considering their families’s wealth, it was probably a miracle they didn’t bombard me with properties. If things had gone worse, I might’ve been smacked in the face with a deed. In comparison, this pile of gifts seemed almost cute.

Thank you, Erich. You really saved my sanity.

“I love it. Honestly, it’s more than I deserve.”

I stroked Marghetta’s head gently as I said this. Sure, the sheer quantity of gifts was a bit shocking, but they had clearly chosen them with me in mind. It was always better to be loved than unloved. Who would hate receiving too many gifts? Only someone with a truly twisted personality would.

“It looks like I’ll be spending the whole day just going through all these wonderful presents.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. I had the feeling that simply unwrapping each gift would take the entire day. To be honest, one day might not even be enough.

However, that was a good thing and not a bad one. After all, opening presents was like a gacha game: the thrill came not from the results, but from the anticipation. And with this many gifts, it was like pulling a dozen gacha tickets at once. I couldn’t be happier…

The wrapping paper colors are all different, too.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the wrapping paper was divided into six distinct colors. They really put thought into this. With the colors, I could even tell who gave which gift.

“Thank you. I feel like I’ve received a lifetime’s worth of gifts today.”

“From now on, we’ll continue to—“

“Your feelings alone are enough.”

I decided to accept their gratitude in my heart. If I received gifts like this every year, I’d need a ten-story warehouse to store everything. One grand event like this was enough for a lifetime.

My firm refusal made Marghetta smile awkwardly as she quietly stepped aside. Surprisingly, there were still more people waiting to give me presents.

“I imagine one of our gifts might be in that pile too.”Nôv(el)B\\\\jnn

Mother approached next, smiling deeply as she handed me a box.

I wasn’t quite sure how to react, given the tricky nature of her words. Whatever the Patriarch and my mother prepared, I had a feeling it might overlap with something already in that mountain of gifts.

“Even if it’s the same, I’ll be sure to use this one.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m sure the younger ones picked something better than us old folks.”

That felt like a bit of a rash comment. If their gift ended up matching one from the Mage Duchess, I didn’t know how I’d survive the awkwardness.

***

After that, there were more gifts from Erich, Sarah, the head butler, the head maid, the valet, and so on. I received countless congratulations and gifts from everyone attending the banquet.

Yet, even when all those gifts were combined, they still didn’t surpass what Marghetta alone had prepared.

After the banquet ended, I locked myself in my room and began to go through the gifts one by one—

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The words slipped out the moment I saw what Erich had given me.

“I figured you’d really need this, so I got you the best one I could find. I hope you use it well.”

Erich had scratched his head sheepishly as he handed me the small box, saying it was something I absolutely needed. I had thought it might be a nice fountain pen or something along those lines.

But no.

A folding bed?

When I opened the box, I found a magical version of a folding bed, the kind that transformed from the size of a baseball to something large enough for a person to lie on with just the press of a button. It was the magical equivalent of a foldable cot, an essential item for every government office, and also something already stored in the corners of my office and the on-call room.

My hand trembled as I gripped the bed. Of all things, he had to get me this.

…Maybe I’ll leave it in the club room.

To be fair, it was practical and useful, just like Erich said. That was why I already had them stashed in so many places.

Yeah… I should just leave this one in the club room. Sleeping in the corner there doesn’t sound too bad.

Damn it.