Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 236

Chapter 236: My Boss Isn’t Sick (4)Erich's words caught me off guard for a moment.

However, I quickly regained my composure. After all, Erich was still a budding student who was engrossed in his studies at the academy. He was already overwhelmed with learning the established truths, so it was only natural that he would find the new and radical ones hard to grasp.

So, it was no surprise that he thought I was crazy. How could he not be confused when confronted with a truth so different from what he'd been taught?

"You'll understand what I'm saying someday."

I spoke calmly, trying to reassure him.

Learning was all about acquiring knowledge, breaking it down, and finding your own truth. That was the essence of learning.

With that in mind, I patted Erich's shoulder. He was only 17, so he still had a long, long way to go.

"There will come a time when you won't be so bound by what you've been taught."

"You never learned any of this, though."

Damn it.

His quick and sharp retort left me speechless. It felt like a cheap shot.

"And isn't having just one first wife common sense?"

His look of pity rendered me speechless.

But I had to argue. Setting limits in the name of common sense only hindered human progress.

"And what about the ladies? What kind of misfortune are they in for?"

"What?"

His low mutter struck a nerve. Was he suggesting that I was imposing my will on others?

I would never do that. I would never force my standards on those who cared for me. That was why I spoke up so that everyone would be happy being the first wife.

Even though only Marghetta spoke directly, Louise and Irina, who heard from her, didn't object.

So it's not coercion.

Everyone would agree once I informed the Patriarch and the Minister. It wasn’t just my unilateral decision. I had never coerced anyone.

"...They all said they're okay with it. They might find it strange now, but they didn't say no."

"How could they say no? What if you called off the wedding if they did?"

His words silenced me. If that was the reason, then was it really my unilateral decision—?

No, it wasn’t. I tried to create a gentle atmosphere. I wanted to make it easy for them to refuse if they didn't like my proposal.

"If they truly didn't like it, they would have refused."

"To a lunatic spouting nonsense?"

No.

Was he seriously calling me a lunatic so casually? I was still his brother.

"They were probably worried that you would exclude them if they said no, or that you'd become even weirder if they spoke out."

Erich sighed deeply, pulled a chair over, and sat down.

It reminded me of a weary civil servant who was resigned to a long report session.

"Louise thinks you're not feeling well."

My eyes widened at the unexpected words.

I knew that she was concerned about me, but I didn't realize that she thought that way. For Louise, of all people, to say I was unwell—

"She must have been desperate to ask for my help."

Erich sighed again, roughly scratching his head. Then, he sighed again, wiped his face dry, and gave another sigh.

He was showing with every fiber of his being that he had no idea how to continue the conversation.

"Hyung."

"...Yeah."

"Are you crazy?"

In the end, the same conversation repeated itself.

"Everyone becoming the first sounds nice. But..."

Erich sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time, his face seemingly worn with fatigue.

"If everyone is first, then doesn't that also mean that everyone is last?"

I hadn't thought of it that way. Could it really be interpreted like that...?

Sure, if you think there's no one above you, it's like being tied for first place. But if there's no one below, then it's like being tied for last place, too.

"Plus, there are multiple brides who are supposed to be the main focus. Do they really have to share the spotlight on their one special day?"

It was a harsh but accurate observation. Hearing it made me realize how critical the issue was.

Why hadn't I seen it before? Or had I been intentionally ignoring it all along?

"Even during the wedding, the order of giving rings, kissing, and walking out hand in hand... All of it has to be in some sequence."

"..."

"You can't avoid setting an order. You're just forcibly denying it."

Erich leaned back in his chair after saying that, looking like he had nothing more to say.

But his gaze stayed on me, and it felt like it was saying, ‘You're an idiot if you’re still going to deny it,.’

That gaze made my emotions surge again. It was all too easy to lecture someone, wasn't it?

"Maybe you're right."

This time, it was my turn to sigh.

Yes, Erich might be right. Perhaps this method of making everyone first wasn't suitable for this time. Marghetta, Louise, Irina—maybe they were all putting up with it because they didn't want to upset me.

These jerks really didn't care at all.

"Well, you came back just in time."

Rutis said with a grin as he tossed me the ball.

I caught it, but something felt off. The ball was fully inflated, but it was patched up like an old rag.

"We're going back to foot volleyball. This time, it's three on three!"

"Three on three?"

There were five of us. Was one of us going to be the referee?

I looked around while thinking that and saw someone standing there who definitely shouldn't have been.

...Sir Villar?

Why was he here?

Sir Villar gave me a slightly bitter nod when our eyes met.

"We need even numbers for Lather to accept his defeat."

Rutis spoke with a laugh as he noticed our exchange.

Lather, surprisingly, never admitted to being the weakest. He always claimed the games weren't fair because the numbers were uneven or that such abnormal conditions couldn't measure his skills. It was disgraceful and something you'd never expect from him normally.

So, Rutis brought Sir Villar to make it a fair three-on-three.

You madman.

Calling a royal knight for a game of foot volleyball?

Sounds like it’ll be fun.

Crazy as it was, I liked it.

I suppressed my excitement and stepped onto the field. My lingering worries about hyung also vanished completely.

Yes, I had done all that I could. If things didn't change after everything I said, then it was beyond my control. Besides, I believe that hyung would be fine.

"We'll play best two out of three."

"Shouldn't it be a single match if you wanted to make it simple?"

I steadied myself, watching the club members and Sir Villar take their positions.

Our game of foot volleyball was about to begin!

***I had been crazy.

That was my conclusion after careful consideration. I had truly lost my mind.

Damn it.

I buried my face in my hands in embarrassment. Thinking about the ridiculous logic I had proudly stated in front of Marghetta, the 2nd Manager, and Erich made me want to die.

Marghetta, Louise, and Irina had also been incredibly kind to me despite hearing my nonsense. I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.

"Just thinking about it makes me happy. Thank you."

Marghetta's gentle voice echoed in my mind as she patted my back. Remembering it made me cringe all over again.

I instinctively looked out the window. Would I get amnesia if I fell headfirst?

This is insane.

However, running away by losing my memory would be cowardly. I had already acted cowardly by succumbing to madness; I couldn't do that twice.

I sighed and picked up the communication crystal. There were things I needed to fix immediately.

— Executive Manager?

"Yes, it's me."

Seeing the nervous face of the 2nd Manager made me avert my eyes. Had I ever felt this embarrassed in front of this jerk?

"About what I said earlier..."

— Ah, yes.

Also, had he ever looked this stiff in front of me?

"...Did you tell anyone else?"

— Uh, yes. I informed the Minister.

"Anyone else?"

— No.

I breathed a sigh of relief; it was just as I expected, and within a manageable range.

Thank goodness. It was fine as long as only the Minister knew. It would have been disastrous if it had spread to the other Managers.

— Executive Manager.

However, my relief was premature.

— Are you back to your senses?

His face, which had been tense a moment ago, was now cracking into a grin as he noticed my relieved sigh.

"Hey, wait—"

— Hey, 3rd Manager! I've got an amazing story for you!

Before I could stop him, he threw the communication crystal and disappeared.

It'd be hard to talk about a crazy Executive Manager, but sharing the embarrassing history of a sane Executive Manager would be fun.

"Damn it."

I want to die.