Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 210

Chapter 210: 6 O'Clock Routine (2)

I slowly opened my eyes again. I was always tired lately, so I might have seen it wrong.

[Are youuuu really going to marry the Mage Duchesssss?]

Nope, I saw it right.

Dear God.

A sense of dismay washed over me once again. I had heard that the Emperor gave the Dukes their title, but what was he thinking when he named someone like this ‘the Wise Duchess’?

If the Emperor had any sense, he might have wanted to call her ‘the Drunkard Duchess’ or ‘Boozer Duchess’ instead. Perhaps he fought that urge and settled on the ‘Wise Duchess’ to encourage her to live up to the name.

She does live up to it, though...

Thinking about the Wise Duchess, or rather, the Drunkard's abilities, I sighed again. Unfortunately for the Emperor, the Wise Duchess was a monster who possessed both intelligence and a fondness for alcohol.

Maybe her tendency towards alcoholism was a way to balance things out. It seemed like Enen overdid adding the intelligence stat when creating the Wise Duchess, so he had to add the constant drunkenness as a passive trait to keep things balanced.

"This child will surprise the Empire when she grows up."

When the Wise Duchess was just a little kid in the past, a visiting cardinal at the Duke's household said those words upon seeing her.

Of course, it could have been mere lip service to the Wise Duchess's devout father, who was a staunch believer in the Dawn Sect. But, in the end, the Wise Duchess did astonish the Empire, albeit for reasons other than her abilities.

It was indeed a bit strange but surprising nonetheless. The cardinal truly had a way with predictions.

[Are you going to answer me or nottt?]

Damn it.

I was trying to take a moment to clear my mind, but the Wise Duchess wasn't about to let this weary civil servant off the hook. She just had to hound me for a reply as soon as I allowed myself a brief distraction.

Moreover, it seemed like she was sobering up, judging by how her texts were becoming more coherent. This meant that she would keep pestering me until I replied.

I guess I have no choice.

If I had to choose between being briefly annoyed now and being harassed for days, then I’d obviously pick the former.

I activated the communication crystal with a small sigh. Since I couldn't decipher a drunk person's text messages, I figured I might as well see her face.

— My dearrrr~ nephewww!

A voice loud enough to haunt my dreams greeted me as soon as the call connected.

Her dear nephew?

But I was her husband's nephew and not her nephew.

"Successor of the Krasius family, Executive—"

— Oh, come on! Why are you using that kind of formality between us?!

The Wise Duchess laughed heartily and took a swig straight from a wine bottle.

I thought she was sobering up, but she was actually drinking more. How she managed to send a coherent message was a miracle.

I lowered my gaze slightly, unable to bear looking at that mad spectacle.

Between us?

And now, she was talking nonsense. I didn't want to have anything to do with her. I hope she didn't go around claiming we were family.T/his chapter is updat/ed by nov(ê(l)biin.c/o/m

...Not that she had anyone to tell since she rarely left her territory.

— Hey, nephew, nephew!

"Yes, Your Grace. I'm listening."

— Oh, enough. Don't call me that!

"...Yes, Auntie."

The Wise Duchess nodded quickly in satisfaction.

What a pity. She was young and good-looking, but why did she have such a cursed personality?

Long, green hair and golden eyes. She honestly had the makings of a mystical beauty, but alas, she was an alcoholic.

— My dear nephew. It's so hard to see you, so I reached out to you first.

"The last time we met was at the New Year's Ball, so it has been a while."

I politely phrased my words to imply that she rarely left her territory except for the New Year's Ball.

However, it didn't get through to the invincible drunkard. Maybe she was too drunk to understand, or maybe she was pretending not to.

— Right, right, I thought I wouldn't see you until next year—but your name's been all over the news lately, you know?

I couldn't respond to that. If even a reclusive drunkard like her had heard the gossip, it meant that the entire empire was buzzing with the news.

It was something I had never considered. So, was she saying that the Mage Duchess made an excuse to buy time to run away?

— Nephew, if you feel like Mage Duchess is hesitating, then make the first move. She’ll be caught off guard.

_ Have you ever met an elf before?_

The Wise Duchess's additional comment left me staring blankly at the communication crystal.

***

The chaotic and maddening conversation ended with the Wise Duchess opening a new bottle of whiskey.

— Then, to my nephew's brilliant marriage!

She drank half the new whiskey without stopping then poured the rest over the communication crystal, ending the call.

Is this really a wise person?

It was genuinely puzzling, but glimpses of her actual wisdom made me tolerate her more.

Even now, her perspective and thoughts could only possibly come from a drunken madman.

The Mage Duchess is hesitating.

Summarizing and organizing the information, that was the gist. The confident Mage Duchess was also in a state of confusion just like me and was taking a moment to gather herself.

Is that really it?

It was plausible assuming that the Wise Duchess’s words were true.

There had been no contact since the confession. I thought it meant that she was giving me time to prepare for the New Year's Ball, but there was no reason for Mage Duchess to wait for me. Was that time for her to gather her own thoughts?

She also spread rumors around me. She could be placing pressure on the other ladies not to outbid her claim. If so, then Marghetta had bid first, but still.

— She’s probably rationalizing it as giving you time to prepare. Since she’s an elf and a mage, she can fool herself quite well.

And if the Mage Duchess herself was pretending to be calm, rationalizing her actions...

— Nephew, if you feel like Mage Duchess is hesitating, then make the first move. She’ll be caught off guard.

She would be thrown into confusion if I approached her first.

Could that be true?

I felt conflicted. It seemed both plausible and ridiculous.

The way to confirm it was simple. I could go to the Magic Tower and meet the Mage Duchess directly.

If the Wise Duchess's words were true, then the Mage Duchess wouldn’t be able to react.

If not...

Then I'd be walking into the tiger's den. The Mage Duchess might think that I voluntarily came because I liked her too.

I needed to think about this more. No matter how reliable the Wise Duchess's words might seem, this was by no means an easy decision.

...Besides, going to the capital anytime soon was a bit frightening.

***

I looked away as I felt an intense gaze.

How strange. I shouldn't be feeling her stare through the communication crystal.

— Eli.

“Yes, yes, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

— Stop speaking so formally.

“...Okay, senior.”

Senior Aria sighed deeply when I answered sullenly, and my shoulders instinctively shrank.

— Eli, are you not thinking about marriage?

My head dropped at her words.

I expected this.

I had once borrowed Senior Aria's help to form a beautiful love story with the Executive Manager.

From that moment on, this situation was inevitable.

— Are you going to just work in the Prosecutors’ Office? Are you planning to stay as the 1st Manager for the rest of your life? Don’t you want to become a countess?

I couldn't lift my head at Senior Aria's slightly angry voice.

Senior... you're scary when you're /genesisforsaken