Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 219

Chapter 219: A Day to Remember (3)

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.

"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 /genesisforsaken