episode_0191

“Job 31:10, 11.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t know it? Then read it again.”

The ‘simple’ problem that my sister prepared was reciting Bible verses that she randomly picked and asked about.

“Still, humans can’t memorize every single Bible verse, can they?”

I could understand key contents or summaries, but how could a human memorize every single detail of a thick book that’s almost 2,000 pages long?

“I memorize them all, though?”

“What? Th, then what is Proverbs 6:23?”

“‘For these commands are a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life.’”

My sister really did memorize everything.

“Genesis 17:29?”

“Doesn’t exist, Genesis 17 ends at verse 27.”

No matter which verse I asked, she recited it all, and even when I deliberately said strange numbers to ask about non-existent verses, she knew which chapter ended on which verse.

“No way…”

“What do you mean no way? I showed you that it’s possible, you can do it too, you’re smart.”

I realized then that things were turning out strangely.

And with a look of dismay, I hurriedly read the Bible.

“Romans 13:13.”

“Er… Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.”

“Well read.”

“Phew…”

And the Bible memorization, which started in the evening under the name of a simple problem, barely ended the next morning.

It ended quickly compared to my fuss, but it was only possible because my sister was lenient.

She didn’t say it outright to me, but she deliberately limited the verses she asked to topics related to conduct or behavior.

If I hadn’t noticed the strangeness and analyzed it while listening to the questions, I would have spent days memorizing the Bible.

“Be careful with your behavior in the future, unless you want to experience the tragedy of your sister directly punishing her prodigal brother.”

“Yes…”

After scraping up every last bit of my sister’s lecture, I was able to escape the room.

As I came out, dragging my stiff body, I was greeted by Emily,

“Oh.”

“Wow.”

But rather, it was my father and older brother, watching the room where my sister and I had been with curiosity-filled faces.

“Is it finally over?”

“Yes.”

“Good, you’ve suffered, so live carefully from now on.”

“Yeees…”

First, my father looked at me with pitiful eyes and patted my shoulder.

“You survived well, I thought we’d have to cancel Hayes’ engagement ceremony because of the funeral.”

My brother rattled off terrible things and lightly tapped my back.

It was just a joke to my brother, but it didn’t sound like a joke to me because I almost died for real.

“Father? Edward? What are you all doing here?”

As I felt a chill and received plenty of affection from my father and brother, my sister, who came out of the room a beat late, looked at us with puzzled eyes.

“I was waiting to see when you’d come out since you showed your face for the first time in a while, but as soon as you came, you were catching William like a rat…”

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t just stand by since my brother, whom I’ve seen in a long time, is living such a dissolute life.”

“Well, you might have been surprised, it’s like the kid changed completely in a few months.”

At my sister’s appearance, my father immediately distanced himself from me and showed a subtly disappointed atmosphere towards my sister, but strangely, the arrow of conversation suddenly turned to me.

I was clearly scolded for everything already, so why is a second round opening?

Ugh… please stop now… my life is already at zero…

“But doesn’t he look better now?”

“Looks better? Haa… Father and Mother have always been too lenient with William, you should scold him sharply for things like this.”

“I can’t help it with problems involving the imperial family.”

“Even if it’s related to the imperial family, treating women like a prodigal son is a different matter.”

“That’s true, but… isn’t this better than when he had no interest in women at all? I thought William would never get married until last year.”

“Guh… Haa…”

My sister, speechless at the terrible either-or choice that my father threw – ‘lazy bum vs. philandering playboy’ – tapped her chest lightly as if frustrated, then glanced at me.

“He certainly seems more vibrant now.”

“……”

If a priest, who should be saying ‘neither is okay,’ admits that a playboy is better than a bum, what kind of life did I live in the past…

Well, if it’s a choice between a life with 0 friends and a life with 2 women, the latter is definitely better.

“There were some mistakes in the process of him changing, so he’ll gradually get better, everyone is eager at first and then makes mistakes.”

“Yes… William said he’ll be careful in the future, so I’m sure he will.”

Thanks to my father’s desperate cover and my terrible past conduct, the second round ended vaguely.

World War II was more terrible than the first, but fortunately this second round is tame.

“Edward, you’ve become much more dignified since you got married and are about to take over your father’s position, it feels like just yesterday you were more immature than William.”

Father, next up was naturally my older brother, about whom nothing has been said yet.

Unlike me, who had done all sorts of things, my brother hadn’t done anything wrong except for being extremely devoted to his wife, so my sister spoke to him in a somewhat gentle tone.

“Oh, are you still talking about things from years ago? I was just going through puberty back then.”

“Heh, Dorothy behaved quietly and well, don’t make excuses.”

“That’s because Dorothy was pretending to be innocent in front of you, do you know how mischievous she was in front of us?”

“Why couldn’t you pretend to be innocent?”

“How could I lie in front of my sister, always showing my true self is what makes a true brother.”

“You haven’t become more dignified, you’ve become craftier, you look like you’re about to die from being so sly.”

“Kkeuaek…!”

My brother jokingly acted like he did back when my sister hadn’t left for the Holy Nation, which led to the unfortunate event of him getting his nose pinched, but compared to having the Bible stuck in my head, that was a light prank.

“Evelyn, how long are you planning to stay in the Imperial Capital?”

“I’ll show my face at the coronation ceremony, and then I have to see my mother and sister-in-law and go back.”

“Hmm… I guess it’ll be difficult to stay until Hayes’ engagement ceremony?”

“That’s right, I was originally too busy to come, but William got caught up in a very noisy incident, so I came urgently.”

“That, well, it was tough, but he’s lucky with people, so there were surprisingly many people who helped him, so he was able to resolve it quickly.”

“But why doesn’t he have any friends?”

“That’s what I’m saying…”

“Why do you two keep poking at me whenever you’re bored?”

I felt like three times was too much, so I pouted and grumbled to my father and sister.

“You’ve caused our family so much trouble, what else would we do?”

“William, how dare you pout and grumble in front of your father?”

“Heeng…”

But seeing signs that I’d be beaten to a pulp with no bones left to bury, I immediately lowered my head.

The world is too harsh on me alone.

“More than that, we’ve kept the kids who must be tired from talking all night for too long, they need a lot of energy since they have to attend the coronation anniversary event tomorrow, so you two should rest quickly.”

As I was feeling resentful about the world’s irrationality, my father, who glanced at his pocket watch, gave off the nuance that he wanted to end the conversation.

I thought we were ending the conversation too quickly considering we met my sister after a long time, but my sister came, and going to work is going to work, so I couldn’t help it.

“That’s right, Father and Edward have to go to work, right?”

“Yes, let’s continue the conversation in the evening.”

“Yes, let’s continue in the evening.”

My sister knew that well, so she didn’t hold us back and smiled brightly as she sent my father and brother off.

My sister and I waved our hands at my father and brother’s departing figures and then.

“Let’s go to sleep now.”

“Yes.”

As soon as the two people’s figures disappeared, we turned around and headed to the room.

Today was a weekday, so I was originally supposed to go to work, but going to work on a day like this would only make me a burden, so I coolly threw myself onto the bed and closed my eyes.

Emily or Charles will tell me the news, I guess…

_

As I deleted a day by sleeping, I, who greeted a new day, moved my steps to the Imperial Palace with my father, brother, and sister to commemorate the very glorious and great day when His Majesty the Emperor was enthroned.

Unlike before, when I had to tank everything alone due to my brother’s devotion to his wife, there were three people above me this time, and to top it off, my older sister, who is an even rarer species than me, appeared, so I was able to enjoy a comfortable and pleasant event where not a single gaze was directed at me for the first time in a long time.

“It has been 21 years since I wore the imperial crown, there have been so many things that have happened during that time, and I was able to overcome the numerous hardships and adversities that occurred in the process thanks to my loyal subjects and citizens.”

His Majesty the Emperor smiled meaningfully as he brought up very meaningful words.

“So, in addition to celebrating the moment I ascended the throne, it would be impossible to leave out from this place those who have greatly helped in leading the empire.”

Until the chamberlain began to move busily around His Majesty the Emperor.

I’ve seen that kind of atmosphere a few times, and one of them was when His Majesty threw me the baronetcy.

My legs trembled and I sweated profusely at the very similar atmosphere to then.

I couldn’t forget the words he said when he gave me the title, ‘Up to a marquis…’

“God Father, please let it not be me this time…”

So I clasped my hands tightly and prayed to the sky.

What was even sadder was that even though I was suddenly reciting a prayer like this, my father and brother weren’t looking at me like I was crazy, but shaking their heads and patting my back.

It meant that even my father and brother thought that His Majesty the Emperor’s secret offering would be directed at me.

“Earl of Suffolk, Baron Dudley…”

After a bit of silence, the nobles who were surprised to receive gifts at the end are called out one by one from His Majesty the Emperor’s lips.

The tension that tightens the heart sweeps through each time one person is called out because he doesn’t say the exact number of people.

“Baron Latimer, Marquis Bute, and lastly.”

After the ninth person passed by like that, when the tenth person came, His Majesty the Emperor, who announced that the tenth person was the last one, looked at us intently with the brightest smile he had shown today on his face.

“Ah…”

There was no hope.

His Majesty was deliberately waiting until the very end.

To focus the gaze and watch me dry up and die.

“Damn it…”

I sensed my fate and closed my eyes.

Now the words ‘Baron Howard’ will come out of His Majesty the Emperor’s mouth…

“Earl Hume.”

“Huh?”

It’s not me?