Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy

Chapter 243: A Duke Who Subjugates His Son-In-Law (3)

No, I wasn't alone. One by one, the members of Valenti began to appear around me, and the sound of applause started to echo.

"Congratulations."

"Congrats."

"Well done."

"You’ve worked hard."

"Congratulations."

A flood of applause and congratulations surrounded me.

Yes, I did it. I overcame pain and trials and reached the end.

So, I laughed. I threw off all the chains and burdens and laughed with these people, my new family, who were celebrating me.

"Brother-in-law?"

Ah.

The sudden voice brought me back to reality. My mind wandered for a moment.

When I finally opened my eyes, it wasn't the sky I saw but the Great Hall. I had just finished the truth game with the Iron-blooded Duke, and we were now seated for a meal. If I had zoned out at a moment like this, I must have really been exhausted.

It was exhausting.

I steadied my dizzy head and turned my gaze towards the voice, where Marghetta's 4th sister was.

“It’s not good if the main character spaces out.”

"Oh, I'm sorry."

I quickly extended my glass as she held out a wine bottle, and she smiled and poured the wine for me.

"Well, it's understandable. Everyone goes through it."

Then, 4th sister-in-law giggled and turned her gaze to the Iron-blooded Duke.

"Why did you push him so hard if you were going to approve of him anyway? Isn't it tiring to always do this?"

The Duke snorted at her teasing and replied curtly.

"Nothing happened."

"Yet he zoned out?"

I hurriedly spoke up at her skeptical reply. Even though it was just light-hearted teasing, the consequences could fall on me if the Iron-blooded Duke felt slighted.

And despite his reputation, nothing really happened. I needed to clear up any misunderstandings.

"It’s true. We just had a deep conversation and nothing more."

"Hmm. If you say so, brother-in-law."

Seeing her back down so easily made me even more sure that it was just playful teasing.

As she stepped back, Marghetta's only brother, now my brother-in-law, joined the conversation.

"It's still strange, though. It's the first time things went so smoothly."

What on earth did he do before?

At his words, I glanced at the Iron-blooded Duke. What kind of past deeds did he have for his children to react this way?

It had been like this ever since I first came out of the Room of Truth. They all looked at me with wide eyes even though I walked out normally. It made me seriously wonder if I should have crawled out on all fours. Judging by their reactions, even that might not have been enough.

There were some warning signs.

There were indeed signs that I might have come out with a broken bone.

"A husband’s important qualities are love for his wife and the strength to protect his family. Until now, I tested the latter myself, but—"

The Iron-blooded Duke had said this seriously as soon as I entered the Room of Truth.

"I don't think that'd be necessary for someone who killed a traitor."

At the time, I just brushed it off as nothing; thinking back, it was a chilling statement.

If I hadn't had any achievements, he would have sparred with me right then and there. What I had only imagined as getting my limbs crushed would have become a reality.

Just how much blood and tears must the sons-in-law of Valenti have shed in the process?

"Do you know how much Mar cried because of you?"

"I have no excuse..."

"At least you know you were wrong."

"Yes..."

“If you know then why did you do it?”

"…"

I got quite the verbal lashing, but that was preferable. Getting scolded with words was much better than getting into a physical fight with the Iron-blooded Duke, who was also my father-in-law.

“At least kneeling shows that you’re being sincere. The ones who prioritize their pride wouldn’t even do that.”

"Yes, of course."

"I didn't expect Mar to kneel with you, but... I'll let it slide because it shows the strength of your relationship."

Moreover, we were acknowledged as a couple. As long as the goal was achieved, then that was all that mattered.

As I was savoring this small victory, brother-in-law spoke up again.

"It seems father has taken a liking to his youngest son-in-law."

"He let it go because Mar likes me."

Seeing the Iron-blooded Duke snort again, brother-in-law smiled and continued.

"You can't deny it, can you?"

I glanced at the Duke, and our eyes met. His gaze seemed to ask, ‘What are you looking at?’ so I quickly looked away.

Even though I had been accepted, those eyes still scared me. After all, my status had merely shifted from ‘the bastard who made his daughter cry’ to ‘the raider who stole his youngest.’

Thankfully, I had a savior.

"Honey, don't be so harsh. Mar will be upset if you keep criticizing him like that."

"Hmph.”

The Iron-blooded Duke looked away as the previously silent woman spoke up.

"And you, son-in-law, don't take it to heart. He's just upset because his beloved youngest daughter is leaving the nest."

"Yes, I understand completely."

"It's good to see that my son-in-law has the generosity my husband lacks."

The woman, Big Marghetta—or more accurately, Marghetta was the smaller version of her—smiled gently.

Thanks to the silent support of mother-in-law, I was able to avoid the Iron-blooded Duke's harsh gaze.

I'm glad she’s on my side…

***As soon as the meal, which felt like eating through my nose, ended, I rushed to the back garden. Marghetta had signaled for me to come there, so I had to go right away.

"Carl, over here."

As I entered the garden, I saw Marghetta peeking out from behind a statue.

She looked like a celebrity trying to shake off a tail, but maybe that was just my imagination. After all, the castle staff would never lose track of their lady no matter how hard she tried.

Of course, I didn't mention it. She looked quite adorable like this.

"Phew, it's so much more comfortable out here. There were too many eyes inside."

"What a coincidence. I felt the same."

Marghetta quickly ran up and hugged me as I approached her with a slight smile. It was unfortunate that her body had gotten colder in the meantime, but as she said, there were too many prying eyes inside the castle.

"...Mar?"

Hugging me tightly, Marghetta started to quickly feel around my body.

Not to share warmth, but as if she were searching for something.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

She asked after thoroughly checking, worry evident in her voice.

Even Marghetta was this concerned?

"I'm fine. Like I said earlier, I only had a conversation with His Grace."

The Iron-blooded Duke had such a reputation that even his beloved youngest daughter saw him as a father who beat up his sons-in-law. It was almost pitiful.

"B-but... eldest brother-in-law once got thrown out of a window."

"What?"

What did she say? Thrown out of a window?

Granted, there were plenty of people who could get up unscathed after being thrown out of a window in this world. However, wasn’t tossing a prospective son-in-law out a window a bit much?

"And they said that when the other brothers-in-law were in that room... there were sounds of things breaking..."

"…"

I couldn't respond to that.

If I had heard this from Marghetta a day earlier, I would have dismissed it as her sisters teasing their youngest.

"A husband’s important qualities are love for his wife and the strength to protect his family."

Yet here I was, having nearly experienced being thrown. I almost had to prove my strength. This was no joke.

But it was strange. The Iron-blooded Duke, who had rigorously tested even the most flawless sons-in-law, let me off easily despite the fact that I had once kicked and made his daughter cry.

Maybe he's really getting old.

He used to play rough games with his sons-in-law, but perhaps he didn't have the energy for that anymore. If so, then it was a bit sad.

That’s right. Compared to the other dukes, he was indeed old. Most of his authority had been passed down to his son, and now he was leading a more relaxed life.

He's almost eighty.

A wave of self-reproach and guilt hit me. I was dreading being manhandled or suplexed by an eighty-year-old man...

And all that fear was in my head. The Iron-blooded Duke never said that he would resort to physical force. It was just my assumption because of who he was.

“It seems time has changed father-in-law’s thinking. Which is good for me, of course.”

"...Yes, it’s a good thing."

First, I reassured the worried Marghetta.

Fortunately, calling the Iron-blooded Duke ‘father-in-law’ to show some affection seemed to brighten her expression.

"So, Mar, try not to worry too much. If you keep worrying, father-in-law will feel hurt too."

“Y-yes, that’s true, isn’t it?”

Of course. How could he not be affected, especially since she knelt beside me?

"But, you know, he might like it if you thank him or tell him that you love him."

Marghetta looked a bit reluctant at my suggestion, but I convinced her firmly. It was my small way of repaying my first father-in-law.

First father-in-law...

It was a crazy term, but what could I do? Having multiple wives meant that the in-laws needed to be ranked in order...

At least I wouldn't have five fathers-in-law. The Mage Duchess—

You crazy...

I quickly shut down that train of thought. I almost made a terrible joke.

I’m sorry for thinking of something like this, Mage Duchess.

***I looked down at the back garden through the window. I figured Mar might be there since she had always loved the garden since she was a child, and sure enough, she was hiding there again.

And that damned guy was sticking close to her.

No, not damned.

I shook my head slightly. Now, he wasn't just a damned guy but my damned youngest son-in-law.

Even though I didn't want to admit it and didn't want to let it go easily, I had already acknowledged him as my son-in-law. So, I couldn't go back on my own words.

“Relax a little. It’s not like you’ll be living with Mar forever.”

My wife’s voice came from beside me, but I couldn’t bring myself to relax. Despite my resolve, I had let it go too easily.

From the moment Mar was born, I had vowed to thoroughly vet whoever would take her away, no matter who it was.

However, this youngest son-in-law had already been tested. Despite being unreliable enough to make her cry before marriage, his strength was undeniable. Testing someone like that was pointless.

"Father..."

And thinking of Mar kneeling next to him made it impossible to be harsh.

I was furious at first, but on second thought, it showed how much Mar, a noblewoman, loved him to the point of enduring such humiliation.

They say that parents can never win against their children.

And so, despite all the time I spent grinding my teeth, I accepted him much more easily than expected. Dragging it out would only make Mar sad.

"...It feels like just yesterday that she was toddling around."

"You're exaggerating. Mar would be angry if she heard that."

My wife's scolding drained my energy further.

Exaggerating? I could still picture that day clearly when I closed my eyes.

"Just make sure you prepare the dowry properly. You know that giving something strange would only trouble Mar, right?"

"Don't worry. I wouldn’t do something so petty."

The dowry was a father's final gift to his daughter. It must be grand regardless of whether I liked my son-in-law or not.

We had a barony near the capital and a few buildings in the city... Since he was the Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager, we should give them something near the center...

...

"...It feels like it was just yesterday when she turned over for the first time."

I heard my wife sigh beside me.