Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 279

Chapter 279: Let’s Go Home (4)

When I mentioned the word ‘vacation,’ the expressions on the faces of my six sisters-in-law subtly changed. Each of them had titles so complex that they made my head spin every time I spoke to them.

One of them widened her eyes as if I’d just revealed the most groundbreaking idea, while another wore a clear expression of regret and sadness. The third seemed to be deep in thought, as if she were seriously considering my words. Meanwhile, one of hyung’s subordinates bit her lip, shoulders shaking— she was probably trying to hold back laughter.

It’s not going to happen, is it?

Given that even hyung’s own subordinate was reacting like this, I could tell. The chances of hyung getting a vacation as a birthday gift were pretty much nonexistent.

After all, there was always a reason when something didn’t exist or wasn’t possible. If it were that easy to give, then it wouldn’t even be considered a gift worth mentioning.

“Honestly, just spending time with loved ones on your birthday is a gift in itself. Besides, he’s technically here on vacation right now, isn’t he?”

I cautiously added that after thinking for a moment. To be honest, I wasn’t sure about the others, but seeing the deeply contemplative look on the Mage Duchess’s face made me feel like I had to say something.

My instincts were sounding loud alarms. If I didn’t step in now, the Mage Duchess would soon be sending an official petition to the Imperial Palace, and that petition would likely be a bizarre request for her fiancé to be granted some time off. I could already imagine hyung burying his face in the ground out of shame if such rumors spread through the social circles.

If it were me, I’d bite my tongue.

No, I wouldn’t just bite my tongue—I’d hold my breath until I passed out.

The image of his much older fiancée publicly demanding rest for her significantly younger fiancé... the thought alone was terrifying. The Mage Duchess even called hyung ‘baby’ sometimes. If that ever happened, he wouldn’t just be a kept man—he’d become a literal baby.

...Maybe he’d actually like that?

For a brief moment, I lost my conviction. Although it would be terrifying for me, maybe hyung would actually welcome it. Wouldn’t he be willing to endure humiliation and shame just to get that vacation?

Of course, I kept that sad speculation to myself. Even if hyung didn’t mind, I wasn’t sure I could handle witnessing it. The idea of hyung becoming the Mage Duchess’s little baby in exchange for rest... that was the kind of nightmare that would keep me up at night.

Well, he’s bound to get plenty of rest once they’re married anyway.

I forced myself to think optimistically. Yeah, there was always the marriage leave and parental leave in the empire. And with six wives, that’d be six times the marriage leave and six times the parental leave. Maybe even more if they had a lot of kids.

“Or maybe you could give him the first thing you bought when you thought of him. That could have a lot of meaning.”

I hurriedly steered the conversation back to the subject of gifts before things took a strange turn. If giving everything was too much and a vacation was impossible, then this seemed like a decent middle ground.

The first instinct was usually the best. Overthinking it would just lead to odd results.

Since they seemed satisfied with the resolution, I finally managed to escape from the circle of my sisters-in-law. Though I still felt uneasy seeing the Mage Duchess deep in thought until the last moment, I trusted that I had done all I could. If anything happens, hyung can deal with it. I was just a powerless student; there was nothing more I could do. So, that wasn’t my problem anymore.

Damn it.

The moment I saw Sarah anxiously pacing the hallway, my thoughts of hyung vanished. I wanted to finish quickly and wait for her in the room, but it looked like Sarah had come looking for me first.

This was embarrassing. I had promised to stick close to her in case anything happened. I had even told her confidently to rely on me when she said I was her only support. And yet, I ended up leaving her alone. It was really shameful.

“Sarah.”

“Oh, Erich.”

Sarah, who had been nervously looking around, greeted me with a smile when she heard my voice.

“There you are. I was wondering where you’d gone since you weren’t in the room.”

“Sorry, I had someone I needed to meet for a moment.”

“Hehe, it’s fine. I just finished talking with my mother, too.”

Though she smiled as she spoke, anyone could see that Sarah’s hands were trembling and her breathing was slightly off, faster than normal. She was putting on a brave face, but she was clearly shaken deep down.

However, that was a good thing and not a bad one. After all, opening presents was like a gacha game: the thrill came not from the results, but from the anticipation. And with this many gifts, it was like pulling a dozen gacha tickets at once. I couldn’t be happier...

The wrapping paper colors are all different, too.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that the wrapping paper was divided into six distinct colors. They really put thought into this. With the colors, I could even tell who gave which gift.

“Thank you. I feel like I’ve received a lifetime’s worth of gifts today.”

“From now on, we’ll continue to—“

“Your feelings alone are enough.”

I decided to accept their gratitude in my heart. If I received gifts like this every year, I’d need a ten-story warehouse to store everything. One grand event like this was enough for a lifetime.

My firm refusal made Marghetta smile awkwardly as she quietly stepped aside. Surprisingly, there were still more people waiting to give me presents.

“I imagine one of our gifts might be in that pile too.”

Mother approached next, smiling deeply as she handed me a box.

I wasn’t quite sure how to react, given the tricky nature of her words. Whatever the Patriarch and my mother prepared, I had a feeling it might overlap with something already in that mountain of gifts.

“Even if it’s the same, I’ll be sure to use this one.”

“There’s no need for that. I’m sure the younger ones picked something better than us old folks.”

That felt like a bit of a rash comment. If their gift ended up matching one from the Mage Duchess, I didn’t know how I’d survive the awkwardness.

***

After that, there were more gifts from Erich, Sarah, the head butler, the head maid, the valet, and so on. I received countless congratulations and gifts from everyone attending the banquet.

Yet, even when all those gifts were combined, they still didn’t surpass what Marghetta alone had prepared.

After the banquet ended, I locked myself in my room and began to go through the gifts one by one—

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

The words slipped out the moment I saw what Erich had given me.

“I figured you’d really need this, so I got you the best one I could find. I hope you use it well.”

Erich had scratched his head sheepishly as he handed me the small box, saying it was something I absolutely needed. I had thought it might be a nice fountain pen or something along those lines.

But no.

A folding bed?

When I opened the box, I found a magical version of a folding bed, the kind that transformed from the size of a baseball to something large enough for a person to lie on with just the press of a button. It was the magical equivalent of a foldable cot, an essential item for every government office, and also something already stored in the corners of my office and the on-call room.

My hand trembled as I gripped the bed. Of all things, he had to get me this.

...Maybe I’ll leave it in the club room.

To be fair, it was practical and useful, just like Erich said. That was why I already had them stashed in so many places.

Yeah... I should just leave this one in the club room. Sleeping in the corner there doesn’t sound too bad.

Damn it.