564 – Our Hawthorn Tree – 1

If a man and a woman are lying in the same bed, waking up chirping in the morning is the rule.

– Good morning, Minister.

Of course, I had no idea that the chirp would not be that of a local sparrow, but that of a golden ball. A wake-up call from the Duke himself is too much.

– Did you have a good time yesterday?

“Thanks to Your Excellency’s consideration, it couldn’t have been better.”

– That’s a good thing. Only then will it be worthwhile to rent the beach.

I quietly got out of bed after seeing the golden ball nodding its head in satisfaction. The sound of the conversation may wake Rin, who is sleeping soundly, and if the angle is off, Rin’s appearance may be captured by her communication device her her her her.

“I don’t know how I can repay the consideration I received from Your Excellency.”

– Don’t sound burdensome. This is not consideration, but fair compensation.

It was such a golden answer that the corners of my mouth went up without me realizing it. I draw the line that renting the beach this time is in return for the money I received through my wedding, and is by no means consideration out of good intentions.

It may seem like a somewhat sensitive reaction, but it can’t be helped since he is a man who is thorough in his transactions. If I pretend to be considerate and actually repay the favor, the reward I have to give from the golden ball is doubled.

‘It’s a place where I can wipe my mouth.’

It’s amazing every time I see it. Since he is a duke and a giant of the empire’s economy, no one will say anything if he just eats up trivial things and gets away with it. On the contrary, there are many people who are anxious to feed the golden ball something.

Nevertheless, the Golden Ball pays thoroughly for even the smallest things, and never gives or receives something in return. Perhaps the gold in the golden ball does not mean that he likes money, but rather expresses his golden personality?

However, as sensitive as it is to giving and receiving, it is also certain to receive damage. So much so that if he takes 1 damage, he returns 100.

‘Avoid…’

I inadvertently looked at Rin on the bed. When Section 3, who is currently working hard as the head of the executive department, mistakenly shot the Yorun family, the inspection department would have been completely destroyed if she had not taken action quickly.

But that incident led to a relationship with Lynn. There is nothing wrong with what the old people said.

– Oh my, it’s been a long time since I only talk about business.

“Speak at ease, Your Excellency.”

At the words of the Golden Ball, I turned my attention back to the communication port.

If the duke contacted me directly in the morning, there must be a good reason. It may not be an unreasonable request since he knows that I am here with his wife-to-be, but it is not a simple task either—

– The beach was rented out only yesterday. If you’re going to have fun today, you’ll have to share it with other tourists.

“Oh, yes. I will keep that in mind.”

-Okay. Well then, good work. I’ll see you at the wedding next time.

With those words, communication was cut off.

…

‘It was a check-out guide.’

Wake-up call given by the Duke himself followed by check-out instructions.

The service is so undeserved that it makes me laugh.

After making an ocean in the sea, Rin’s expression she became as bright as the midsummer sun.

This is indeed a fortunate thing. This prevented a disaster where the new bride had a dark expression throughout the wedding. If a person who marries a current Minister of Inspector General shows signs of depression, it seems like an unfortunate heroine who has been sold to someone in power. We call it a love marriage.

“If you have six wives, it’s normal to think of it as politics rather than love.”

I was moved to tears for a moment by the emperor’s indifferent argument.

I admit that our love started out a little strangely, but it was a love that started purely out of our own will, without any external pressure. Even the emperor cannot forgive anyone for daring to call it political strategy.

“There are twelve golden balls, aren’t there?”

Besides, there are people who have twice as many wives as me, so why do they only do this to me?

“Well, the Golden Duke is a duke, isn’t he? Does anyone think that the duke would increase his wives for political purposes?”

The emperor who said that looked at me and muttered quietly.

“If the minister were a duke, the whole continent would recognize the minister’s love affair.”

“No matter how imperial a hundred, they cannot compare to a duke who supports a thousand people.”

It hurriedly curled its tail as its eyes seemed to be targeting a desirable prey.

I know, the emperor knows, and my family Titi knows that I have no chance of becoming a duke. The reason the emperor mutters like that is because it is unlikely, so he is comfortable saying it. If there was even a 1% chance, he would have prepared quietly.

But even though I knew in my head that it couldn’t happen, an instinctive fear came over me.

‘Damn.’

It’s sad. I wonder how much the emperor has been tormenting him for so long that something like this will scare him. It’s like my dad said, ‘If I don’t listen to you, a Tyrannosaurus will bite me?’ I feel like a child who cowered at the threatening words.

“By the way, Minister, did you say that this wedding will also be held in the bride’s hometown?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. It will be held in the County of Planvell.”

Still, he struggled to come to his senses and answer the emperor’s questions.

Mar somehow ended up getting married on the island, but Trixie and Lise are getting married at the bride’s estate. Since this tradition is building up, it would be better to do it at Planvel without any problems. When she does with Eri, she plans to do so in the territory of the Marquis of Iones.

“Minister. I’m asking this because I’m really curious, so I hope you don’t misunderstand and listen to me.”

“Is it because of the last wedding location?”

The emperor, who flinched for a moment at those words, nodded silently.

Unlike the other wives, who are clearly all nobles, Fine is still an ordinary knight and an orphan whose homeland has burned down. Since there is no place that can be called the bride’s territory, she was probably curious about where the wedding with Fine would be held.

‘A b*stard who keeps the minimum line.’

I looked at the emperor with complicated emotions. When people make fun of me or make fun of me, each hit is a fatal blow, and since it is a family-related issue, I am paying attention and being mindful.

“I’m thinking about the County of Wiridia because it’s the northern part of the country where I first met my sixth wife.”

“Wiridia? Not Tyglehen?”

“I’m going to give it up so my younger brother can use it.”

Then the emperor, who was looking embarrassed, also burst into laughter.

“You have a big heart. Baron Hardin will be happy.”

After saying that, the emperor took something out of his pocket and handed it to me.

“This is a gift for my older brother who knows how to give in to his younger brother.”

‘Holy shit.’

What the emperor handed over was a seal.

This time it was that damned seal.

“Oh, I’m not giving it to the minister. I’m giving it to my sixth wife.”

The trauma that had been squirming subsided thanks to the words that followed.

“Lord Fenelia is now a vice-chancellor-level official, isn’t she? It doesn’t make sense for such a high-ranking official to still be a knight, and she has accumulated quite a bit of merit over the years. A succession to the baronetcy is a gift that can be bestowed.”

“…It’s a sad thing to say, but why can’t you give me something that should have been given to you by His Majesty himself…”

“Wouldn’t you be happier to be given something by your husband than an emperor who you rarely see?”

He looked at the emperor, who shrugged his shoulders, then lowered his gaze to the seal.

For my son, I received the Marquis’ seal, which was used by the Aesilon family in the past, and for my eldest father-in-law, I received the seal of the Duke of Riesanstadt. There was a strange jinx that a seal given to someone else came with troublesome work.

The jinx has finally been broken. For the first time, he received a seal of pure joy.

“The territory is close to the County of Wiridia, so it will be easy to manage.”

I was even more satisfied because the location was appropriate.

***

Yeongju Castle became busier day by day, and the communication port radiated light continuously.

– In just a few days, you will have a great son-in-law. Congratulations.

-I have only seen Lady Irina a few times, but every time I see her, I am amazed at her intelligence.

– Haha, the future of the already strong Count Yorun family has become even brighter!

Close friends I met frequently, close business partners, and even acquaintances I only exchanged greetings with occasionally. They were busy contacting me regardless.

This situation was just mind-boggling. Although he was treated as a high-ranking noble and a mid-ranking member of His Excellency the Golden Duke’s faction, his attitude now seems to be that of a core leader rather than a mid-ranking official.

‘I did enter that fence.’

I put the communication device down on the table and looked out the window. Even now, numerous carriages were passing through the main gate of the castle.

Yes, with my daughter’s marriage, my family’s status has risen to several levels. Thanks to having the current imperial power as my son-in-law, the families connected to my son-in-law will also be connected to our Yorun family.

‘Varenti, Catovan, Salon.’

Thinking about the duke’s family entangled with my son-in-law, I burst into laughter. The husband of two dukes and the maternal nephew of one duke. Does this mean that this is a blood relationship that one person can have? To put it mildly, the Marquis de Massallo, who is competing for first and second place among the marquis, seems ordinary.

And our Count Yorun family became entangled with those families. It is natural for my position to change rapidly.

‘I’m still, but the world moves so fast.’

It was bitter. If you are a merchant who deals with money, it may be impossible to move faster than the world, but you must at least keep up with it. Only then can you obtain gold in the wide world.

But what about me now? It’s not that I’m moving, but my location is changing because the world has changed.

Of course, it doesn’t mean I don’t like it. A precious daughter meets the man she loves, and that man is her best-selling son-in-law in the empire. The family that has been passed down since our ancestors was able to fly to even higher heights. There is no one who doesn’t like this kind of slope.

‘If it had been the other way around, it would have been a disaster.’

However, just as the world has changed rapidly and my position has expanded, the world may suddenly persecute me. If I didn’t get the power, it wouldn’t be surprising if someone else took it.

‘…I can’t just back down.’

So let’s pull ourselves together. Even if you get to a position by luck, you have to protect it with your own skills. Be it to avoid being called a father-in-law who benefited from his son-in-law, or to avoid being called a man who gained glory by selling his daughter.

That would be a father’s natural duty to his daughter.