220. Qualifications of a husband (4)
It was a very ordinary night.
After washing the kids and putting them to bed as usual, I head to the kitchen alone.
While eating the food the guys left behind, I read a newspaper that said Bale was active.
I didn’t feel particularly unhappy about my situation.
Children leaving food behind is not a common occurrence in orphanages.
To that extent, we became financially well-off, and we also repaired the building so that it was comparable to that of a private academy.
However, there was something else that made me the happiest.
My son was featured in the newspaper.
「Bail Mikhail, a knight born as a commoner. He is crowned as the greatest sword of the empire.”
This was Bale’s performance.
“It split the sky…” . “It’s such an incredible talent that I don’t think it’s someone’s child!!”
I enjoyed it so much that I never got tired of reading it again and again.
Until an old lady suddenly came to visit.
After meeting him, I experienced the incredible magic of ‘teleportation’ for the first time in my life.
What is the world that unfolds afterward?
It was an extravagant space that could not be compared to the family mansion that I had served my entire life.
The central imperial palace is called ‘Cheongung’ because it boasts a ceiling as high as the sky.
He entered the largest banquet hall there.
But once we entered, something even more surprising happened.
The beautiful women in front of me were calling themselves ‘father’.
“Father, it was hard for you to come, right? “Please sit over here.”
Irina, a woman who suits this brilliant place and atmosphere very well.
She shows off her dizzying shoulders and feminine, voluptuous breasts in her platinum-colored dress.
She guided Hans with her innocent eyes and genuine expression.
“I…. Thank you, but isn’t that the saint I met before…? ?”
She clearly had a beautiful body even when she was wearing a nun’s uniform.
However, when he put on her dress, Hans was quite taken aback by Irina’s noble appearance beyond her simple beauty.
“Yes. Sometimes she would disguise herself as a nun when she volunteered. However, her real position is the princess of the empire.”
The princess of the empire.
Hans’s lips parted at the high title that took his breath away just by hearing it.
“Uhuhu….”
A mysterious laugh could also be heard right behind him.
As she turned her head, a cute female student who had previously come for volunteer work caught her eye.
However, she has completely changed from her simple academy attire.
Dressed in a black silk dress that looks as beautiful as a goblin.
It was so beautiful that the pelvic line stood out and it hugged the body perfectly.
“Welcome, Father Hans.”
Unlike her usual arrogant appearance, Lydia had a very humble and reserved expression.
“I am Lydia, the third princess of the empire. “I never thought I would see her like this.”
The youngest princess bows gracefully, gently lifting the hem of her dress.
Irina and Leah, who were watching next to her, were shocked by her appearance.
“Waiter, would you please prepare a dinner for my father and sister-in-law here?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Your Majesty.
At those words, the underside of Hans’ eyes fluttered.
It was only then that he realized that the women he encountered were all members of the royal family.
“Oh, no… !! How can I sit with the princesses… !!”
“Oh my, there is no need to humble yourself like that in front of us.”
Leah smiled and gently patted Hans’ shoulder.
Margot looked very upset as she watched the young woman touch her father’s body.
Like a growling cat.
“Aren’t you a great person who devotes yourself to the empire?”
“That’s right, you are a saint who takes care of the children of our empire.”
Hans felt strange after hearing Leah and Irina’s skillful praise.
It feels like being praised by the emperor.
He calmed his mind and quenched his thirst by sipping the wine in front of him.
“Now, let’s eat first. “I asked him to bring the highest quality food for my father.”
Lydia spoke as if she was serving the food she cooked herself to her father-in-law.
However, Hans, who felt burdened, waved his hand and tried to dissuade him.
“Oh, no…. How can I accept something like this without anything in return? “I will pay!”
Hans was now receiving considerable support from Cornell.
Thanks to this, his wallet became well-off and he was confident that he would pay the price with confidence.
But, at that moment.
“I will prepare the dishes.”
When the waiter lifted the tin cover, a golden-covered steak unfolded.
In addition, there are several mushrooms that are said to be the most expensive in the world.
“Huh… !!”
His hand flinched as he tried to take out his wallet.
Then, this time, a waiter specially ordered by Leah approached carrying a bottle of alcohol.
“I will follow.”
――――――.
Cold alcohol is poured into an empty glass.
Leah explained her drink in an elegant voice, as befits the eldest daughter of the Empire.
“It is a liquor made by extracting honey collected by elves, snow from the snowy mountains, and green rose leaves.”
Margot’s lips parted as if she knew about that drink.
Although the price of alcohol was high, the other big meaning was ‘intention.’
The name of this liquor is ‘Wedding Spirit.’
It is a liquor that is given as a gift to the royal family of the empire to her father-in-law or her father-in-law when she marries another family.
After drinking, there is a custom to celebrate the couple’s eternity.
In other words, the princesses are now treating their adoptive father as their father-in-law.
“Don’t worry about the price. “It’s all served by us.”
A whopping 500 gold per drink.
This is the price of one luxury carriage.
However, seeing such luxury items being served as a welcome drink left Hans speechless.
I just take a sip of the mead I received from Leah.
Finally, that moment.
“… !!”
The focus disappeared from Hans’ black eyes.
Seeing that, Margo was nervous that the 1st princess with that obscene body might have used her magic on her father.
However, soon all the worries and concerns melted away with an ecstatic expression on the orphanage director’s face.
“How can alcohol taste like this?” !”
A sweet drink that gently pours over your tongue.
As I passed it down my throat, a taste as clear and clean as snow on a snowy mountain filled my body.
Afterwards, the lingering scent of blue roses coming out of my nose.
It was so great that it made all the burdensome and uncomfortable atmosphere melt away.
“hehehe…. “I heard that the director usually drinks a glass of whiskey before going to bed.”
Leah had already researched everything about her future father-in-law.
But now Irina was no longer suffering.
“Humm….”
Irina called the waiter and whispered secretly.
Afterwards, while Hans was savoring a piece of steak.
I received a cute, adorable cookie box and gently set it down next to him.
“Hey, father.”
“Yes….”
An innocent silver-haired princess came to the side of Hans, who had already relaxed.
She spoke with a white smile, like a wise mother and good wife.
“These are our ‘babies’. “Take it with you when you return.”
“Oh…. As expected, you are a princess who also engages in saintly activities. I’m sure the kids will love it too….”
Hans nodded as if he was impressed by Irina’s kind heart that even thought about her children.
Then, she placed it on the thigh of Margo, who had a sullen expression on her face.
With the princess’s onslaught of affection, he gradually began to feel relieved of the burden and fear he had felt at first.
After that, his expression softened as if he was looking at his young daughters-in-law.
However, that didn’t mean he had lost all of his feelings yet.
Kindness is just kindness.
Because children like Veil and Margo came first to him.
Soon, he returned with the stern gaze of his days as a knight and asked the women, who were as ecstatic as their goddesses.
“But…. So, are the people who called me here the princesses…? ?”
“That’s right, even with the sudden use of large-scale magic.”
Margo also helped.
At this, the princesses all tilted their heads.
“Uh, no… ? That wasn’t it….”
Leah and Irina looked at each other.
As if they were asking each other who called.
Lydia and Miya also look like they don’t understand the English language.
“It’s strange. There’s no way there’s anyone else in the royal family who knows about your father’s existence other than us…” .”
As if to answer this, the Imperial Prime Minister returned to the banquet hall.
He first approached the princesses who were entertaining Hans, looking happily at them.
“You are here.”
After finishing her business, Mosian said she was sorry and bowed her head to the plain middle-aged man.
Even though he was the most powerful person in the empire, excluding the royal family, he was treated with courtesy.
That is how important ‘Hans’ was to everyone here.
“Let’s go up, I will now guide you to the ‘caller’.”
Hans cleared his voice and stood up.
Margot also followed suit.
“Mo Xian, the person who called your father….”
Irina asked him on her behalf.
Then, Nobu nodded with a humble expression.
“Yes, your abdication.”
“… !!”
The princesses have always been relaxed.
Everyone was nervous when they heard that the emperor had personally summoned Bale’s father.
They silently watched Margot and Hans climbing the stairs.
“W-what did you call me for?” ?”
Lydia asked with nervous eyes.
Then, Irina put her own finger to her lips and muttered.
“I don’t know. I hope we meet….”
“… !!”
The princesses’ lips twitched in unison at Irina’s sweet three letters.
Each of them smiled mischievously and was lost in delusion.
「―――――」
“Your Majesty, the director of Cornell’s orphanage. I have brought you Sir Hans Cleverley.”
Mosian bowed his head first, and Hans and Margo followed suit.
The young archwitch rolled her eyes and looked up at the emperor.
And then, he swallowed deeply at the magnificent aura residing in her body and his overwhelming force.
「….」
Leonhard was sitting on the throne and deep in thought.
As if he was reminiscing about the past, he didn’t even notice them coming, and finally opened his eyes.
「So, are you Hans, Bale’s adoptive father…? ?」
Leonhard stood up from the throne.
The emperor of an empire stood up for the father of a man.
“Yes, but…. “I don’t know how you asked me to look at someone as lowly as me.”
As a knight who served a nobleman, Hans was polite.
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However, Leonhard did not want to worry about such formal procedures right now.
I just wanted to quickly ask the ‘things’ I was curious about.
「The reason I called you here is because I want to know about a man.」
“Please feel free to ask me anything….”
Hans got down on one knee and struck a knightly pose.
Then, the emperor came closer to him.
「I’m talking about your son Bale….」
Afterwards, we knelt down together and quietly asked.
「I would like to know where that child came from and how he was received.」
“… !”
When Hans heard the emperor’s question, his tightly closed eyes began to flash.
Then, he looked at Leonhard with dilated pupils.
As if there is something to hide.
“You mean the veil…? ?”
「Yes, I have absolutely no intention of interrogating or harming that child, so please answer honestly.」
Mosian, who was listening next to him, also looked at Hans and asked.
The old man bowed silently as if he were a superior and asked for help.
“….”
No matter how loud-mouthed and child-loving Hans was, he seemed troubled by the emperor’s request.
He cleared his voice, avoided the emperor’s gaze, and quietly opened his mouth.
“Your Majesty.”
「Okay, tell me.」
The emperor in a white uniform looked at him and asked.
At this moment, his blue eyes were full of passion.
“Well, before you tell me, please confirm one thing first.”
Hans looked around the emperor.
There is a seat for the empress next to the throne.
And then, before we knew it, Rosanna, the first empress of the empire, had returned and was sitting there.
“In order to tell this story, there must be no ‘Epi Nine’ around here before.”
Epi Nine.
Rosanna and Mosian were both taken aback by those words.
「Why?」
The emperor also asked back with anxiety.
Then, Hans looked at Rosanna with solemn eyes and answered.
“Because her man, who was Veil’s biological father, told her to keep her son’s origins a secret from the Epi Nine people.”
「….」
The emperor wondered for a moment whether he should lie to him.
However, he answered honestly, probably because he was aware of the strange look in Margot’s eyes who accompanied Hans.
「Rosanna and Mosian are Epinine, but they are all safe people. “As the head of this country, I can guarantee you.”
A guarantee given by the emperor himself.
Hans took a deep breath for a moment and nodded slowly.
“Okay…. Then….”
Finally he opened his mouth.
Afterwards, he began to tell the story of how he met Bale.
“Actually, I was not a Connell, but a knight on the Western Front, which was the border area of Epina.”
「… !!」
When the emperor heard those words, his white eyebrows flashed.
That was the hometown of a man for whom he always felt sorry and was grateful.
“He was serving the margrave of that place.”
Hans raised his head.
And then, he stared at the emperor with sincere eyes.
“Of course Your Majesty will remember. “Twenty years ago, there was a revolt by the Epina people, who were angry because of the executed royal family.”
「I know…. It was a large-scale rebellion that the Margrave could not handle alone….」
“That’s right. So my lord also had a hard time dealing with the numerous remnants of the defeated soldiers and citizens who came.”
The Epina people were such a great mercenary nation that each and every citizen was called a mercenary.
Therefore, the power of the citizens who rebelled was considerable.
“Even though my lord at the time was a sword master who rose to the rank of sword master at a young age, in the end he couldn’t defeat me….”
Hans closed his eyes tightly, as if remembering his end.
Afterwards, he continued speaking in a trembling voice.
“The mansion was engulfed in flames, and the lord’s relatives were scattered or missing.”
The Emperor and Rosanna were listening to this miserable situation.
The two people’s lips began to gradually part.
Because the situation between the article they remembered seeing and the person Hans was talking about was very similar.
“I tried to buy as much time as possible in the chaos. Then, my lord called me from the burning garden.”
Hans must have been overcome with emotion for a moment, and his fingers trembled.
Then, Margot held his hand tightly.
“My lord, your injuries were serious. He had many stab marks all over his body. “It seemed like survival would be difficult for him, no matter how much he was a sword master.”
Thanks to his daughter’s touch, his father finally calmed down.
“But there was a newborn baby in his arms.”
Hans seemed to remember that moment clearly and pretended to hold the child with both hands.
“My lord asked me to take him and run away because he is his eldest son. And, he spoke at the same time.”
Vail’s adoptive father instinctively looked at Rosanna, the Epinine.
And, she responded with a cold gaze.
“Never tell the Epinin people that he is your son.”
At the time, the Margrave was the top target that the Epinaites wanted to kill.
That’s why he asked his subordinate.
Even though he is called an orphan, he hopes that his son will survive.
“That’s how I followed my lord’s last command and escaped my hometown.”
Rosanna pursed her lips.
Her black dots also flinched as if they were intimidated.
“Afterwards, we wandered around looking for places where Epinites could not be found and settled in Cornell, a place with few people.”
Hans looked strangely at Margot, who was holding his hand.
“And, that child was Bale Mikhail.”
She answered, giving her a kind smile like her father.
“There were many kids at Cornell who had special circumstances other than Bale. That’s why he opened an orphanage for several children, including Bale, and lived quietly like this.”
Hans raised his head, thinking of Veil and Margo, who had grown up well.
Then, he spoke to the emperor with a dependable expression befitting a parent.
“Then at least there will be little chance of suspicion from the Epina people.”
If he was the son of a margrave, he would certainly live as a nobleman even if he were adopted or entrusted somewhere else, so it was easy for him to be tracked down by persistent Epina assassins.
So Hans raised Veil disguised as her orphan.
「….」
The emperor pursed his lips at the expression on Hans’s face, who looked more like his parents than himself, even though he was not his bloodline.
After that, he took a deep breath and had a faint look in his eyes.
「I guess you haven’t heard any news from the Margrave since then… ?」
“….”
Hans could not easily open his mouth to his question.
Then, he nodded his head.
“I lived cut off from the world and couldn’t hear it. But he passed away….”
「I see…. Yeah, I guess so….」
The emperor closed his eyes tightly, saying he had said something pointless.
And then he muttered in an apologetic and distraught voice as if the world was collapsing.
「Perhaps…. Were there any last words left by the Margrave? .」
The emperor obviously thought that everyone would resent him for executing all of Epina’s royal family.
He let out a rough breath as if he was overcome with guilt.
「You mean something like a will….」
This is my first time seeing the emperor in a weakened state.
Both Mosian and Rosanna were quite embarrassed by this.
“Yes, there is.”
However, Hans standing face to face was different.
He confessed his master’s death very boldly and confidently.
“The Emperor said he would put this civil war to rest.”
「What… ?」
Even in that situation, the Margrave left words of reassurance to his subordinates and the baby.
His will….
“He says he trusts His Majesty.”
Believe in yourself.
At those words, Leonhard made a dumbfounded expression.
And then, I remembered the face of a man who had advised me that the only person who could protect this country was the emperor.
He gave advice while smiling with his fox-like eyes.
「Berti…. Yes, it was you….」
In the past, the emperor awarded him the title of hero of national salvation for the deceased.
However, it was reported that all of his relatives were dead, so he had no chance to repay his debt.
I finally met his son.