Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy
chapter-219

What made a good birthday gift? Surprisingly, the answer was closer than I thought.

Advice from someone with experience is the best.

Mother. She had already married the Patriarch and had maintained a marriage of over 20 years.

In that time, they must have exchanged countless gifts. No matter how stern and serious the Patriarch was, he would have given his wife some gifts.

By referring to what Mother received, choosing a gift should be simple. I wonder why I agonized over such an easy issue.

— A gift...

But seeing Mother’s serious expression filled me with unease.

Did he really not give her any gifts? Seriously? If he neglected his wife, then her family would never stand for it. Did he make such a mistake?

Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

Sweat trickled down my back. It felt like I had stirred up a grievance from someone who hadn’t received a gift in over 20 years.

— The young lady will like anything she receives. I loved everything Billy gave me, too.

"Is that so?"

Fortunately, her answer was very reassuring. So she wasn’t worried because she didn’t receive anything; she was worried because choosing something specific proved difficult.

— Yes. Billy gave me so many things, but each one was incredibly precious.

Seeing Mother smile gently made me curious. She must have received quite a lot for her to speak like that. It was rather surprising that the Patriarch was so generous with gifts.

I couldn't imagine it. It was as if he brought a gem from a mine and said, 'I just picked this up on the way.'

I asked, pushing aside my thoughts about the Patriarch.

"Still, there must have been one that stood out, right?"

— Hmm.

I didn’t contact her for such generic advice like 'she'll like anything.' Of course, Marghetta would probably be pleased with whatever she got. After all, she still carried around the fan I gave her last year.

But since it was my first birthday gift to her, I wanted it to be truly memorable and unforgettable.

— Well, there was one.

My body naturally leaned toward the communication crystal.

Yes, there had to be something. No matter how much she liked everything, there would be something that stood out.

"On our first anniversary, Billy suddenly took me somewhere."

As if recalling the moment, Mother closed her eyes briefly. There was a faint smile on her lips.

— He gave me a small hill filled with my favorite flowers as a gift.

"Pardon?"

What did I just hear?

— And on my fifth birthday after our marriage, he bought me an entire shop established by a fairly famous designer.

"Oh, wow..."

It was another unbelievable statement. I had heard of the cliche of buying 'everything from here to there,' but it was my first time hearing of buying an entire shop out.

Wait, did that mean that the designer closed their shop as soon as they opened it?

— The designer signed a lifetime contract with house Krasius. He still designs clothes for Billy and me, so it was a lasting gift.

That's a relief...

Nodding absentmindedly, I watched Mother as she continued to share her memories with a warm smile.

— And the most recent gift was—

There's more??

Strangely, the image of the Patriarch in my mind was becoming more and more bizarre.

I thought that he was the kind of person who would bleed molten metal if stabbed, but he was doing things you wouldn't see even in the most extravagant dramas.

— Madam.

— Ah.

The longer Mother spoke, the more my mind drifted. Fortunately, the head maid intervened, wrapping up the endless stream of memories.

Mother, realizing she might have embarrassed herself in front of her son by boasting about her strong marital bond, coughed lightly. Honestly, though, I didn't remember half of what she said.

"...You must have been very happy."

There was a brief silence after that, and I was the one who broke it. It was Mother who went off the rails, but I was the one who had initiated the conversation.

And with my words, Mother smiled again.

— It was a bit embarrassing.

"Pardon?"

Saying it so confidently, and then suddenly...

— At the time, I was really embarrassed. Even a simple bouquet of flowers would have been enough, but he suddenly came up with a whole hill and a shop.

Contrary to her words, Mother's voice was calm.

— But if I was embarrassed to receive it, then imagine how Billy felt giving it. Carl, do you think Billy is a warm person?

"No."

At my firm answer, Mother gave a bittersweet smile and then nodded in agreement.

— Exactly. But despite that, he thought about me, overcame his embarrassment, and gave me those gifts. I didn't just receive material things from Billy; I received his time and effort.

"...."

Not just material things, but his time and effort.

In other words, knowing that the other person put thought into it made the gift all the more precious.

— Did that help you a little?

"Of course."

Mother asked cautiously when I didn't say anything.

Honestly, her advice wasn’t incredibly helpful. In the end, it was just another way of saying, 'If you choose it with care, she'll love anything.'

Still, it was sincere advice from a mother to her son who reached out unexpectedly. I couldn’t dismiss it as useless. After all, Mother seemed happier about the effort the Patriarch put into his gifts than the gifts themselves.

"I will prepare it with all my heart as well."

— Yes. She will surely be delighted.

I hope so.

***

I went back to pondering after finishing the call. In the end, I was back where I started. The gift was something I had to decide on my own.

But unlike before, I felt more at ease. I also let go of the obsession that the gift had to be particularly special and impressive.

Should I go buy a hill, too?

A crazy thought crossed my mind for a moment. The Patriarch's extravagant antics were so striking that I instinctively thought of it.

Then, I thought about my financial situation.

...I could afford a few.

Thanks to the miraculous nature of a civil servant's life, where income rose but expenses stayed low, my wealth had been growing like crazy.

Although I couldn't touch the true assets of the count's estate yet as the heir of the family, the money I earned as the Executive Manager of the Prosecutor's Office was substantial.

However, it was just a fleeting thought. Even if I gifted a hill to Marghetta, who was at the academy, she wouldn't see it until after graduation.

Besides, there was a more crucial issue.

She probably already owns several of them.

The sad reality was that Marghetta was wealthier than I was.

No matter how high a civil servant’s salary was, it couldn't compare to a duchy. Moreover, Marghetta was adored by her family regardless of her rank in succession. She might even have played with gold coins for marbles when she was little.

Gifting a hill to Marghetta? She would probably find it cute. If that happened, I would die of shame.

A kept man.

I even thought of that. A wealthy wife and a less accomplished husband.

Yes. Maybe I was destined to be a kept man. No wonder being the Executive Manager of the Prosecutor's Office felt burdensome. It was because I was living beyond my destiny.

...Was that it?

Damn it.

My head ached again. Giving a gift to someone who grew up without lacking anything was tough.

Should I just present myself as the gift? Should I name it a 'one-day pass to use Carl however you want'?

"Can I only have you for a day? Are you planning to leave me after this?"

No, that would backfire.

Then, should I give her a blank check that could fulfill any wish?

"I just wanted a single flower from Carl. Is that too much to ask?"

Damn, that wouldn’t work either.

This was making me go crazy. Everything seemed doomed to fail.

Rather, was that a relief? At least I had a guess how things would go before it blew up.

— There will be a bloodbath if the first wife goes mad with jealousy. Don’t think of her as a done deal; treat her with love.

Suddenly, I recalled what the 2nd Manager had said. This was the advice that sparked my current dilemma.

First wife, jealousy, and love...

Ah.

A pretty decent gift idea came to mind.

It was both a gift that could ease Marghetta’s insecurities and the best thing I could offer.

I had been making it unnecessarily complicated.

***

I was both surprised and pleased when my fourth sister suddenly contacted me. She had given me lots of advice about relationships, which had been very helpful.

Of course, Carl and I had a strong bond without such advice, but it was always nice to deepen our relationship, right?

However, I immediately regretted receiving her call with such a light heart.

— Mar, are you okay?

My fourth sister asked worriedly. However, I couldn’t respond right away and just stared blankly at the communication crystal.

I couldn’t understand what I had heard. I even hoped that sister was just playing a bad joke. If that was the case, then I would pout for a bit before forgiving her.

But I knew she wouldn’t joke about something like this. That was why I was at a loss for words.

"Sister..."

— Yes, Mar. Tell me.

Sister hurriedly nodded when I finally managed to speak.

"What should I do in a situation like this...?"

My mind was completely blank. I had no idea how to deal with this situation.

I didn't even know that Carl had gone to the capital. That didn’t matter much. He might’ve kept it from me because it simply had something to do with work.

However, I couldn’t just overlook what happened in the capital.

At the cemetery...

My tears suddenly fell. I saw sister panicking, but I couldn’t respond.

If Carl went to the cemetery, then it was pretty obvious who he met. They were friends he said goodbye to long ago, and his former lover.

It wasn’t jealousy. I regretted not being his first love, but I couldn’t be jealous of someone who wasn’t around anymore. And even if I were jealous, would I forbid him from visiting the cemetery? That would only hurt Carl.

It just pained me that Carl collapsed at the cemetery and that he drank enough to get drunk when he didn’t enjoy drinking.

He must have been more confused than anyone.

I came to my senses. I had been feeling extremely anxious after the Crown Princess's birthday banquet. So, I hastily pushed Lady Louise and Lady Irina towards him.

And though I didn’t show it, I resented Carl a little. If we had been engaged earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t have had to worry so much.

How selfish of me.

It was an incredibly selfish thought. Carl had only been smiling and hugging me and loving me, and that made me forget that he had only recently opened up about his inner conflicts.

His past memories and relationships still lingered. He was still healing from his wounds.

And yet...

And yet, I resented him. Instead of being thankful for his attention, I wanted more.

I couldn't comfort and console Carl, who must’ve been more conflicted than anyone else.

I only blamed him...

Why was I so short-sighted?

***

That day, Carl didn’t come to the Vice President's office.

I cried silently in bed that night.

It was a sad day. No day would probably be sadder than this.

***