90 – Father-in-law, give me your daughter – 8
After dinner, I followed the Count to his study. The library door closed with a heavy thud. Even after arriving at the study, the count’s expression did not improve. In fact, he had that expression on his face throughout the meal.
It is a face that is very embarrassed by my bold attitude and the changed appearance of the people around me. To be honest, it was refreshing. It was the same with Nilvas, the younger brother of the Count, but understanding and empathy are completely different matters. I could understand the Count’s hatred for me, but it wasn’t very pleasant to be accused of something I didn’t do after all.
The Count gestured toward an empty chair.
“Sit there.”
“Yes.”
I went to the chair he beckoned and sat down. The soft stuff seemed like a pretty good thing. It seems that he put a lot of effort into his study. The count seemed deeply troubled, so he stood and stared out the window while leaving me seated. Occasionally, sighing for the ground to disappear is expressing disquiet with the whole body.
In the meantime, I looked through his library. There was not a speck of dust to be found in his study. It was a very neat and tidy feeling, and the appearance of the room was like a sample of the saying that it follows its owner.
A rug that looks pretty expensive, flower pots placed here and there, a table that looks like a place for the Count himself to work and a few chairs for guests, bookshelves filled with all sorts of books, and a display case with pretty rare drinks lined up. . Other than that, I didn’t see a single useless thing.
“I have something to think about. Excuse me.”
“No.”
While I was admiring the Count’s room, he came and sat down in front of me as if he had finished organizing his thoughts before he knew it. He had a casual expression and tone, as if the serious atmosphere until now was a lie. He asked me if he had seen me browsing the books around me.
“Do you like books?”
“Oh, I don’t enjoy it very much.”
I was vague at his question. Actually, if you ask me whether I like books or not, I like them. Because it was one of my favorite hobbies in the original world. Of course, I liked genre literature like fantasy, but basically, I was an omnivore, so I tended to watch everything.
But what about Mikhail? Come to think of it, I haven’t read a single book since I came to this world. No, I did read it. The romance novel that Cordelia recommended. However, it seems to be quite a distance from the book that this picky middle-aged man asks if he likes books right in front of his eyes. I didn’t even read it to the end.
The count frowned as if he was puzzled by my answer.
“I see, you seemed quite interested in books.”
“The library is very good. I was watching for a while.”
“That’s right. It’s one of my few things to be proud of.”
He led the conversation pretty smoothly. The hostility towards me that had been revealed just a moment ago seemed like a lie. For a while, we had a fairly peaceful conversation. Mainly he talked and I was the one who chimed in. He had a knack for turning small personal details into quite interesting stories, and he also had a knack for putting listeners at ease.
Like that, the Count went on and on for a long time about his trivial stories, such as complaining about his exclusive chef, and cleared his throat as if his throat was burning. He got up and headed for the liquor display case he had seen earlier.
“My throat burned after I talked about it. Would you like a drink too?”
“No, alcohol….”
“You’re not going to refuse, are you? It’s a pretty expensive drink.”
“I like it. Give it to me.”
The Count pressed in a quiet voice. How can you say no when you say that? I closed my eyes tightly and nodded.
To be honest, I didn’t really want to drink. Of course, under normal circumstances, I don’t hate alcohol enough to refuse a drink from my father-in-law, and I’m not fearless. But isn’t the situation different now? In a situation where everyone was obviously hated, and at the opportunity to have a conversation that was barely caught, they were talking in circles while talking nonsense, and then suddenly offered a drink. If you drink alcohol and say something strange because your mind is relaxed, the opportunity you barely seized will be in vain.
The Count took out from the display case two glasses and a dark brown, I’m a very strong drink, advertised as such. As he sat down, he pulled out the cork, and the very strong smell of alcohol hit his nose. The count poured me a drink with his familiar hand and poured it into his own glass.
I slipped my nose into the glass and hurriedly fell. If you smell it up close, it smells like alcohol. It must be strong alcohol. Seeing my confused expression, the count laughed. Contrary to me, he sniffed the scent of alcohol and put on an ecstatic expression.
He started chanting about alcohol. It seems that he is really quite a lover.
“You stopped by Duke Deneb’s estate before you came here, right?”
“Yes. Thankfully, I was taken care of for a while.”
“Good wine comes from good grain. The Deneb estate has good crops and a good climate. It’s perfect for making great drinks.”
“Is that so? The duke didn’t say anything like that, so I didn’t know.”
“Surprisingly, he doesn’t like alcohol very much.”
“Really?”
I was horrified. To be honest, I was most surprised today. A person who seemed like he would put alcohol in a box and eat it dislikes alcohol. The Count responded by shrugging his eyebrows.
The Count raised the glass in front of him and lightly swallowed a sip. After closing his eyes for a while and savoring it, he offered me a drink as well.
“It has been aged for as much as 16 years in oak barrels. It’s a pretty valuable item. I take it out only when guests come over, and I don’t usually drink it because I love it.”
“Is that so?”
I guess I should stop thinking about going over Eoyeongbuyeong. After hearing this, the option of not drinking has completely disappeared. I had no idea it was so precious. You’re not a very special guest, but I brought you a precious drink. I stared at my glass. I’m a bit worried because I’m not used to Yangju. I’ve always drank beer, but I’ve hardly ever drank liquor.
The count asked me, who couldn’t do this or that.
“Are you good at drinking?”
“I just do as much as everyone else.”
“In my experience, all the people who say that are weekly.”
He chuckled. No, I’m really doing just as much as everyone else. I wish I could stop talking a little bit. I asked him back.
“Father… , How are you?”
I even talked to my father and looked at him for a moment. Fortunately, the count didn’t seem to want to tackle the title of father. At my question, the count made a strange expression. A mocking expression, with only the corner of the mouth slightly raised.
“Why, are you thinking of trying to beat me with alcohol?”
“No, how could I even think of that?”
“I’m sure there are quite a few people who don’t agree, but at least in my opinion alcohol is a must for anyone in the business. To be honest, I think it’s pretty strong. I’ve yet to meet anyone who has done a great job with me and has endured to the end.”
I was pretty surprised. Certainly, to run the guild, you will have to meet a lot of people and drink a lot. What was even more surprising was his drinking capacity. He laughed at my surprised expression. Where does that slender body have such ability? Seeing my expression, he seemed to be in a good mood.
“Why are you surprised?”
“Yes. I was a little surprised that Hestia is weak in alcohol.”
“Alcohol? Did you drink with Hestia?”
At my words, the Count’s expression instantly distorted as if he were going through a bad fight. I was startled and covered my mouth, but I couldn’t pick up what I had already said. The atmosphere that I thought was okay was gone in an instant. When I was at a loss for an answer, he asked me again.
“Don’t you ask? Did you drink with Hestia?”
“Yes, yes. Drank.”
He pondered for a long time, frowning at my answer, and then poured all the alcohol that was placed in front of him into it. He chinned the glass in front of me.
“You should drink too.”
I didn’t bother to answer and put the drink to my mouth. As soon as I entered my mouth, the strong smell of alcohol hit my head. I closed my throat tightly and pretended to drink, then tried to put the glass down again. Until I found the Count glaring at me with a hawk’s eye.
I didn’t mean to lay the bottom glass, I opened my throat and swallowed it all. The hot liquid travels down my gullet as if it had swallowed fire. The tingling in the throat and stomach is a taste that clearly recognizes where my esophagus is and where my stomach is. I think it smells a little like a weird disinfectant.
The Count saw me putting down the empty glass and started talking in a slightly different tone than before.
“Hu, I shouldn’t have gone round and round because it would end like this anyway. I only consumed expensive alcohol and emotions for no reason.”
You are finally showing your true colors. As expected, all of the kindness up until now was a smoke screen.
The count tilted his upper body towards me and asked in a low voice.
“Before that, let me ask you one thing. Surely you didn’t do something strange with Hestia?”
“I didn’t.”
“Thank God. If I did, you don’t know what I would have done.”
How overprotective are you? Like the Duke of Deneb, whom I saw before, all the dads in this neighborhood seem to have a screw in their head.
I proudly said I didn’t do anything. I don’t know what the standard for doing weird things is, but I’m proud of myself. You haven’t crossed the line yet. You can even do some skinship with your fiancé. The Count stared into my eyes as if to ascertain the authenticity of my answer, then pulled back his upper body.
He paused in that state for a while before opening his mouth.
“Tell me directly. I hate you You know that, right?”
“Yes, what. I knew.”
I’m not an idiot, of course I know.
“I can’t easily believe that a person who ignores my favor, makes my daughter cry, and shows no interest in engagement suddenly changes. Even if you believe it, whether you like it or not is a completely different matter.”
“I understand.”
“As you know, I also hold the position of a tradesman. The calculation is clear. What is once remembered is never forgotten.”
As I said before, I could understand him. Even if it’s like me, I won’t forgive you. But that’s his business and I need to change his mind somehow. And I can’t reveal the truth, but I’m not the mean bastard who made Hestia cry by ignoring the count’s favor he said.
In that sense, I decided to take out what I had prepared. When I stood up, the Count, who had been saying something, got flustered and cut off his words.
“Of course, I respect Hestia’s will, so I won’t tell her not to marry… , What are you doing?”
Now is the right time. I decided to use the special move I had prepared in advance. He knelt down, put his upper body on the floor, and lowered his head. I couldn’t see the Count’s expression because he had his head down, but it was good to see that he was at a loss.
“Father! Give me your daughter!”
“Are you crazy?! Wake up soon! What are you doing now!”
Big bow, Ochetuji, Dogeja. I don’t know the exact difference between the three, but I do know what they have in common. The fact that the body is prostrated on the floor and that it makes the other person extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed. Moreover, it is all the more so because there is no such culture in this world. Pride? For me, I honestly don’t mind bowing down to my father-in-law because I want to know what’s wrong. Anyway, when you get married later, you should do something in advance.
“Give me your daughter!”
I shouted again at the bewildered count.