810 – Blood Is Eternal – 7

I was not a good father. He was a bad father who failed to give his children proper love during the important period when they were growing up.

He wasn’t a good husband either. He was a terrible husband who ignored his wife’s demands to be affectionate with their children and insisted on Crasius’ policy. Even though I myself suffered because of that policy.

However, he was not a good son, or even a good older brother or brother. What may have been like about Count Wilhelm of Tyglechen, Wilhelm of the Crasius family could not be said to be a good person.

‘If only I had been more capable.’

If I were competent, if I was competent enough to meet my father’s expectations, everyone would be happy.

If I were a capable guy, my father would have been happy that he had created a great successor. Because my father was displeased and displeased with me until the day he closed his eyes.

If he had fully met his father’s expectations, his younger siblings would not have had his father’s attention. Because I, the eldest son, was a mess, he even thought about making his younger siblings successors.

But unfortunately, or fortunately. Of the seven siblings, I was the one chosen by my father. My father, who was testing various things with his younger siblings, eventually focused on me.

‘If it was going to happen anyway, I should have shouldered it from the beginning.’

My younger siblings suffered things they should not have to experience due to my shortcomings. As the oldest child, I was in a situation where I couldn’t raise my head.

So when I took up the name of Crasius. He couldn’t stop his younger brothers from leaving Crasius. I couldn’t shout that my family would change now and that I would be able to live comfortably as a member of the imperial family from now on.

Even though the younger brothers knew that, they chose a different path than Crasius. Because the terrible pain you have accumulated while living will be more intense than the happy memories you will build in Crasius.

So after I became the head of the Crasius family, I couldn’t meet my younger siblings. Just news that the husband or wife’s family is doing well and that they even saw their children. I was just satisfied hearing such news.

“I’m talking about Count Narzen. There was a small commotion there, so I think we need to conduct an inspection.”

And Carl, who succeeded me as the head of the Crasius family. At the same time, Karl is carrying out the important role of Minister of Inspector General.

I heard from Karl that his youngest sister’s family would be caught up in the investigation. If Carl, who is on vacation, says it himself, it won’t be a small inspection.

It was a complicated feeling. I wanted to ask Karl if he could turn a blind eye just once. If it were Karl, he would probably have been reluctant to listen to this ugly father’s request.

But I couldn’t. I tried to repay the debt I owed to his younger siblings in my own way. On the other hand, the debt I owe to Carl is a debt that cannot be repaid even after a lifetime.

‘So I couldn’t stop it.’

She can’t put her son in trouble for the sake of her father’s peace of mind. In response to his son her’s her high her honor her her,’a soft inspector who looks down on blood relatives’. I couldn’t add that sarcastic comment.

So I left everything to Carl. Don’t worry about this father. Follow the path you think is right.

“We will handle it fairly and ensure that no one is wrong.”

I hope that Elin is an innocent person despite the fair judgment, and I leave everything to Karl’s judgment.

– My youngest aunt and all my cousins were released. No matter how many times the intelligence department checked, there were no even minor suspicions. It seems that only those who held public office within Narzen were involved in this matter.

Fortunately, that faith and hope saw the light.

It’s embarrassing, but my hands started shaking as soon as I heard from Karl. He was afraid that something might go wrong with Elin and that he might cross an irreversible river with our father.

How could I not be happy that those concerns disappeared in an instant? Isn’t it wonderful that my younger brother and nephews are clean?

– That’s what I’m talking about. Would you like to go to Narzen Mansion for a moment?

“Me?”

– All the vassals and servants in the mansion have been taken away, so there is no one there. There will be only the youngest aunt and cousins, so if you want to meet secretly, now is your chance.

However, the joy was short-lived, and I felt like my hair turned white at Carl’s suggestion.

Can I go see Elin? Is it okay to finally go see a child I haven’t seen in almost 20 years? And at a time when your family is shaken and your mind is complicated?

I hesitated. The feeling that it was a crisis for the family and that I should comfort her at this time coexisted with the feeling that I was wondering what kind of face I should go to see Elin.

– Listening to what the intelligence department said, my aunt was very worried that I and Crasius would be tarnished. In some ways, this can be seen as drawing a line between us, but if you think of it the other way around, it means that you have affection and interest enough to think about our honor.

“…”

– Take advantage of this opportunity. If you miss this opportunity, you won’t have it again.

Still, I became more and more inclined to Carl’s persuasion. His heart, which he had held back for about 20 years, stirred.

Because I really thought that if I missed this moment, I would never be able to meet again until someone dies.

So I went. I put my face down for a moment, threw away my embarrassment, and headed to the Narzen family’s mansion.

“Big Oh, Laverni…?”

“It’s been a long time since I heard that.”

And indeed, I was able to meet Elin for the first time in a long time.

With my family. With my brother. I ended up having a conversation with my nephews behind him.

“I came here carefully so as not to be noticed by others. The thought of going back is already too far away, so could you talk to me instead of chasing me away?”

At her cautious request, Elin looked at me silently.

“…I have to brew the tea myself because there are no employees.”

“It’s rather good.” I wonder how long it’s been since you last had tea.”

With those words, Elin saw her nieces behind her, and her nephews flinched and quietly lowered their heads.

Appears somewhat younger than our children. In reality, I remember those children as being younger than our children. I can’t believe that such children have the experience of being taken to Gamchalseong. I felt a little resentful of the Narzen Count family.

“This is your first time seeing him in person. His name is Wilhelm. He is your great uncle.”

“Jo, I have heard of your name well. You are a master general who played a major role in two wars…”

The child who seemed to be the eldest among the children opened his mouth stuttering.

It’s amazing. If you see him somehow saying hello even in this situation, he’s a strong-hearted child.

“I will send the children up to their rooms.”

“That’s right. You must have been very surprised, so you should let him rest.”

She nodded at Elin’s words. She actually wanted to talk to her nephews too, but she shouldn’t be greedy for too many things at once. For now, I have to be satisfied with just meeting Elin.

***

In the quiet reception room, my older brother and I sat alone and looked at each other.

“Do you like tea?”

“It’s good. It tastes like what I drank when I was young.”

After hearing those words, she quietly adjusted her teacup. The only hobby I enjoyed in the Crasius family was collecting tea leaves and brewing tea. The idea was to brew tea for the family and have the taste evaluated.

“It was a lot of hardship.”

I was wondering what to say to my family whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. The older brother opened his mouth first.

“It was a price worth paying. How can you call something so obvious a hardship?”

“I heard that you were innocent. You did not benefit because you were Crasius, but rather you suffered because you were Crasius. If you had no connection with Karl, you would not have been detained for show.”

I did not open my mouth because it was similar to what I heard from the Deputy Director of Information.

Actually, I was a little, just a little glad to hear that. It means that I have done something for the current head of the Crasius family. Rather than being the incompetent and useless that my father had told me to be, I became a sacrificial lamb for Crasius.

“Your nephew said he was sorry. At the same time, he also thanked me for saving Crasius’ honor and the reputation of the Inspector General.”

“I am Narzen, not Crasius. I have no connection with him, so how could I expect to be treated differently from others? “I just followed the natural course of things.”

“Your stubbornness is still the same.”

I was surprised to see my older brother smiling.

My older brother has never smiled in the past either. She always suppressed her emotions as her father demanded her. When he had time to laugh, he would swing his sword a little and read one more book.

“Are you surprised?”

“I would have been very surprised if it had been other brothers and sisters instead of me.”

“That’s a sad thing to say. A family’s laughter is amazing.”

After saying that, the older brother drank tea again.

Still with a smile on my face. With warm eyes that were difficult to see before.

“I was just as stubborn as you. Crasius’s blood was truly rich.”

A gentle voice as if comforting a younger sibling.

Strange. I know that my eldest brother tried to protect us from his father. I know that even after we left Crasius, we worked hard to secure our position.

However, it was far from this gentle appearance. Even though his heart did not resemble his father, he was a great older brother who was more like a father than anyone else.

“That stubbornness only broke when I was on the verge of losing something precious. It only broke when my child was in danger of death.”

I felt like I knew who he was talking about. You’re probably referring to the Minister of Inspection and Inspection. He served in the military twice like his older brother.

“However, the stubbornness that I thought had been broken back then was still strong. Although the strange stubbornness towards my children was broken, the stubbornness towards my younger siblings still remained.”

The big brother’s hand suddenly wrapped around my hand.

This too is surprising. I wonder if his older brother his his, who did not even smile, would have held his hand his his. If other brothers and sisters see this scene, they will be scared.

“I have lived in silence for you until now. Since you hate Crasius, I hoped that you would be happy in your new home.”

“I know well how consider my elder brother is.”

“Thank you. But I shouldn’t have done that. As your older brother and brother, I should have taken care of you. I should have comforted you, not neglected you.”

“There’s no need for that—”

“Kal, when my son told me about his inspection of the Narzen family. I was worried that I might lose you, that you might do something wrong. I was afraid that I wouldn’t hear any news about you in the future.”

I couldn’t say for sure that I was worried too much.

Although I am proud of myself, inspection is not something that goes smoothly just because I am confident. I could have been wrong for reasons I don’t know.

“Elin. I almost lost my brother just as I almost lost my son. “I regretted not seeing you for 20 years.”

My older brother’s hand holding my hand became even stronger.

“I don’t want to feel that regret again. I don’t want to just watch from afar like I did for the past 20 years.”

“Big brother.”

“Yes. I am your brother. We are a family that can never be separated.”

The older brother closed his eyes for a moment and opened them, smiling even brighter.

“Of course, I’m not saying we should live like a normal family right away. Just share letters, keep in touch through communication channels, meet face-to-face when the opportunity arises, and have meals together. I want to get closer to you little by little.”

Five other people too.

After adding that, the older brother withdrew his hands and cleared his throat awkwardly.

“For 20 years, I failed to fulfill my duty as the eldest child and neglected you. So, I will wait for you even if it is 40 years, not 20 years. The day when you can meet me with a smile.”

“After 40 years… I might not have a great brother.”

“So, it would be good if you open your mind a little early. If that day comes, I will come and visit you with a lot of the cheesecake you like.”

I ended up laughing inadvertently at those words.

“Brother.”

“What do you want to say?”

“It was my second sister who liked cheesecake.”

“What?”

“I liked cheese cookies.”

When I saw my brother’s big eyes shaking from side to side, I couldn’t stop laughing.

Should I say I’m sad that I got the cake wrong? Should I say it’s amazing that I guessed at least cheese?

“…Does your eldest brother still like cognac?”

“That’s second. “I drank whiskey often.”

“Ah.”

I was no different.

***

Although 14 families were to be inspected simultaneously, thanks to the emperor’s approval and the active support of the Minister of Justice, the inspection quickly entered its final stage.

“The property that 14 families had unjustly accumulated was returned to the national treasury, and they were dismissed from all public positions.”

“I finished it faster than expected. It was a lot of hard work.”

“I am so sorry.”

He bowed his head calmly under the emperor’s rule. This inspection was carried out easily thanks to the Emperor’s consideration.

“We will take measures to prevent those who were dismissed this time from advancing to government positions for five years. However, this does not apply to other family members other than those who were dismissed, so do not intentionally block them.”

“This is indeed a wise decision.”

“Then let’s go out.” I’ll see you again at the New Year’s wedding.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

He quickly retreated at the Emperor’s order to congratulate him. It seemed like if I messed around for no reason, the emperor would give me another quest,

“Father, it’s me.”

I was curious about my father’s current status after he went to Narzen Mansion.

– Knife? I’m sorry. I’m a little busy right now, so I’ll contact you later.

“Yes?”

– I went out for a while with your youngest aunt. I have to stop by the cafe and then go to the bar, so I have to move quickly.

“Yes?”

He couldn’t say anything while his father cut off contact first.

‘What is it?’

What on earth happened while reporting to the emperor?