687 – How Dare You Compare – 4
It looks like only good things will come from next year.
Otherwise, there is no way we would face such a disaster now that the year is coming to an end.
“Long live your Majesty! Erich Crasius of Hardiner, member of the Crasius family and representative of the House of Lords, meets your majesty, the Emperor!”
He bowed down to the floor and praised the emperor.
In fact, my hair is still pure white. While I was working as usual at the National Assembly, I suddenly received a call from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was also a communication from the head of the Imperial Household Ministry, who was not just an official of the Imperial Household Ministry but was no different from the second in command of the Imperial Household Ministry.
Notification to enter the palace as quickly as possible as His Majesty the Emperor is looking for you. At first, the news was so dizzying that I thought it was a bad joke. No, more accurately, it would be correct to say that it was a notification that was hoped to be a joke.
But unfortunately it was real. His Majesty the Emperor was looking for me, and as soon as I received the call, I ran like crazy to Taeyangjeon.
“Welcome, Baron Hardiner. I think this is my first time seeing you this close.”
Soon, His Majesty’s voice was heard overhead.
It may be that I just passed by from afar, but this is my first time seeing His Majesty so close. Of course, this is my first time having a one-on-one meeting.
“Get up first. I know full well that members of the National Assembly are devoted to the Empire and the Assembly, but I don’t feel at peace when the members lie down like this.”
“Woe to you, Your Majesty.”
I hurriedly got up at the gentle command.
“Hehe.”
Then, upon seeing my face, His Majesty the Emperor burst into laughter.
“Your Majesty…?”
I instinctively recoiled from that laughter.
I was already quite anxious because the call came out of the blue, but His Majesty the Emperor smiled as soon as he saw me. I can’t help but feel anxious, wondering if I’ve made a mistake.
“I thought brothers were brothers. You definitely look a lot like the minister.”
I sighed inwardly in relief. Fortunately, it wasn’t a mistake but a reason other than that.
“I think it’s because my brother inherited his father’s blood.”
“Hmm, hearing that, I see a lot of the former Earl of Tilglehen.”
His Majesty the Emperor nodded slightly, sat down at the head table, and extended his hand to offer me a seat.
I sat down, trying to comfort my heart that was pounding like crazy. As I am also a member of the National Assembly and a noble by title, I have seen His Majesty’s face many times. However, it was just that Your Majesty and I happened to be in the same space, not because Your Majesty had business with me.
That’s why my palms became damp. For what reason was he called? Is there any reason why I deserve His Majesty’s attention?
‘Is it because of the territory on the Leon side?’
Eventually, I thought of the most plausible possibility.
The Marquisate of Melsina, which my brother entrusted to me, is a territory of an size that cannot be ignored, as befits its name, and is a strategic point located in the western part of the Kingdom of Leon. This is an area that must be controlled in order to maintain influence over the Kingdom of Leon and keep the border calm.
So, are you looking for me, who is also the Marquis of Melcina? To give advice on the direction or method of ruling the Marquis of Melsina?
‘Or is it because of Laterer?’
The next possibility is Later’s marriage. Since I told my brother about Later’s marriage, the news must have reached His Majesty’s ears. You may have come to me to get a more detailed explanation.
After thinking about my reasons, I felt at ease. Talking without knowing anything and talking with even a little bit of knowledge are two completely different things.
“Baron.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give your name.”
“The Crasius family is a family of loyalists who have devoted themselves to the imperial family and the empire for 300 years. Crasius was Livnoman’s sword and shield, eyes and ears.”
“These are truly praiseworthy words, Your Majesty.”
As I bowed my head towards His Majesty again, something came to rest on my shoulder.
“There is no need to show humility. Not only the Baron, but also his father and the Minister have dedicated themselves to the Empire. No, you and the Minister are still devoted.”
It was His Majesty’s hand
Thanks to this, my body became stiff. The emperor, a distant being, pats a mere baron on the shoulder and congratulates him? It is an enormous event that no one can imagine.
“People in the world only praise and pay attention to the Minister, but Jim believes that the Baron is also a great member of Crasius. Didn’t he play the role of a member perfectly since he just graduated from the Academy?”
“Wow, that’s too much praise. It’s all thanks to the advice and teachings of senior advisor…”
“It is also an ability to fully accept advice and teachings.”
I bowed my head even more at those words.
Slowly, I felt more than just sadness, I felt fear for no reason. As a noble of the empire, it is certainly a pleasure to be under His Majesty’s admiration, so why are you reluctant? Shouldn’t this be considered the honor of a lifetime?
“I even heard that the Baron boasted of an excellent friendship during his time at the Academy. Even the Emperor, Marquis Idrafen, considers the Baron a good friend.”
As compliments were piled upon compliments, I rolled my eyes back and forth without realizing it.
Even though I can only see the floor with my head down, I don’t think I can suppress this nervousness without desperately searching for something.
“Oh. And you were also friendly with Prince Later of the United Kingdom of Juven, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That is so.”
“Then you probably know about Prince Later’s marriage. It will be even more exciting since it is the wedding of a close friend.”
‘Ah.’
At that moment, I felt like my heart dropped.
This, this was the business. This is why you called me.
It was not because of the Marquis of Melesina, but because of Laterer’s marriage. Moreover, rather than asking for a detailed explanation, there is a tendency to order more than that.
“Baron. I’d like to make a suggestion.”
Before I knew it, my hands and feet began to tremble.
“Do you have any intention of attending your friend’s wedding to brighten the occasion?”
“That thing…”
“Of course, it is only a suggestion. The United Kingdom of Yuven is not a neighboring country, but a country on the other side of the continent. No matter how much you use the power of teleportation, it is not a country you can go to lightly.”
A little hope rose up in a voice that seemed to understand everything.
“So, if the Baron accepts Jim’s offer, he intends to support the imperial Baron’s travel.”
I bowed my head again.
A proposal… A proposal… Is this really a proposal… The emperor himself said, ‘The imperial family will support you, would you like to go?’ I said that, but you refused? Then, ‘Oh, you’re a loyalist who doesn’t want to receive money from the imperial family. Then you have to go at your own expense.’ Wouldn’t the saying go on?
“Of course, it doesn’t matter if she refuses. By the time the Baroness Prince Later gets married, she will be enjoying her honeymoon. It is right for the parties to decide on the honeymoon destination.”
It was definitely a gentle consideration, but it did not feel gentle at all.
It is difficult to stoically refuse even when a higher-ranking person gives such consideration.
***
He smiled bitterly as he saw Baron Hardiner retreating pitifully.
I made a mistake. It was just an offer to accept or not, but it was too complacent.
‘He treated me like a minister because he was the minister’s younger brother.’
The minister would have shook his head as soon as he heard my suggestion. They probably ignored it because they knew I was making a genuine suggestion, not an order, and that there would be no harm in refusing it. Because the minister has enough sense and courage to do so.
However, it is not Baron Hardiner. The Baron has not been a bureaucrat since the age of 17 like the Minister, and he has never experienced various positions and events. Of course, he has no experience talking to me.
Could such a baron have accepted my offer as a genuine suggestion? It is obvious that he accepted it as an order in the name of a suggestion.
‘I’m sorry about this.’
I never make this mistake with other subjects.
However, since the Baron was the minister’s blood relative and looked strangely similar to the minister, I ended up treating him like the minister without realizing it. It’s a disaster that even if you have ten mouths, you have nothing to say.
‘Will I get bitten right now?’
I thought about it for a moment, but shook my head and shook off my thoughts.
I am sorry for being harsh on a subject who should be enjoying his newlywed life, but honestly, nothing would be more convenient than if the Baron were to go to Juven. Although the process was strange, he also received an answer from the Baron that he would go to Juven.
If your conscience hurts once, and only once, you can be diplomatically at ease. You can easily celebrate the wedding of a royal family from another country.
‘We need to provide sufficient support.’
Of course, since the order in the name of a proposal was given to a subject who was on honeymoon vacation, compensation must be given that far exceeds the burden.
First of all, it is right to provide travel expenses supported by the imperial family dozens of times the original plan. The sweet time of a newlywed cannot be bought with money, but there is still no clearer reward than money.
And Baron Hardiner is going to Juven in his personal capacity. Rather than a subject receiving official work and working for the friendship between the two countries, it is an individual enjoying a trip and willingly devoting time for the friendship of the two countries.
If you use that as an excuse and give away a little bit of directly territory under the imperial family—
‘Do you like Yeongji?’
A question suddenly occurred to me. The more money you have, the better, so you can accept it without any burden, but wouldn’t you be reluctant to manage your estate because it’s cumbersome? The minister has a strong tendency to do that, right?
…No. It is rude to compare him to the minister. Didn’t this disaster happen just now when the Baron was treated like a minister? Common sense tells us that there is no way a noble would turn down a fiefdom. Just because the minister is strange does not mean his younger brother should be strange as well.
Good. Let’s set aside one territory the size of a baronial territory. As a bonus, they gave me a position as an honorary advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and raised my salary.
‘I guess I’ll somehow save face.’
Money, territory, honor and position. Even though this isn’t perfect, it should be enough to appease the Baron.
***
Erich contacted me.
– I opened a Juven store.
“…What?”
– I’m going to Juven.
After saying that, Erich put the wine bottle to his mouth and drank it roughly.
It was a scene where I had to scold him for drinking while daring to talk to his brother, but Erich’s expression and voice were so filled with deep sadness that I couldn’t bear to open my mouth.
“No, how did it happen like that?”
All I could do was express sympathy and ask for an explanation of the situation.
– That is─
And as soon as I heard the situation explained, my pity grew even greater.
Emperor, that b*stard. The idea was to try stabbing a persimmon that he couldn’t eat, but it turned out that the persimmon he stabbed was Erichira, who was just starting out in society, so he seemed to be freaked out and upset.
‘What if I treat Erich like I do?’
I touched my forehead without realizing it.
Rejecting the emperor’s proposal is something that even I can only do if I have justification and circumstances to support it. Since the emperor has a record of selling me out for Leon, he has the right to legally punish me, so I can hold out even if my stomach is cut open.
But you want such a sophisticated act from Erich? Are you ignoring the experience I gained by giving up going to the academy?
‘You have to compare what needs to be compared.’
I just feel sorry for Erich, who was overrated for the crime of being my younger brother.