Chapter 25: Naïve Father (5)

This was not the first time that Joachim and I had met. As I said in a previous meeting with Elena, I had met him once before.

However, because I was not in a normal state at the time of our first meeting, if my memory was not wrong, I remember that we had a very short conversation and parted ways soon after.

So, meeting him now was practically the first time.

Moreover, unlike two years ago, even though we did not meet in person because of Elena, a big change occurred in the relationship between me and Joachim. And It was an unexpected surprise for me, who had previously aimed for a breakup.

Although I could see that he was not as uptight as I had previously thought, given that he was my father’s friend and what happened today, it was challenging for me to behave towards him as I do with my father.

It was a completely different feeling from being nervous when standing in front of your friend’s parents.

In the past, I had thought of Joachim only as my father’s friend and someone I would never cross paths with again after breaking up with Elena, but now I think that the situation had drastically changed.

Although the engagement ceremony had not been formally announced yet, I continue to be engaged to Elena, which means that the man in front of me would become my father-in-law.

In other words, my meeting with Joachim was a nerve-wracking meeting between a soon-to-be son-in-law and father-in-law, which I was not prepared for in terms of thoughts and readiness.

More than anything, it was hard not to worry about what Father had done to him just a few hours ago. 

From a broader perspective, Elena and I could be considered accomplices in my father’s mischievous pranks, but as an eccentric father, Joachim wouldn’t scold Elena. So it was time to only worry about myself and face the consequences alone.

Fortunately, unlike my unpredictable father, Joachim seemed to have a personality that did not dwell on the past, and he never mentioned my father’s mischief. Instead, he quietly spoke to me as he looked out the window I had opened.

“The snowy scenery of Merohim has a different charm from the flowers of the south. Although the land looks barren, there are several stunning landscapes that are no less beautiful than Sarham. It would be good to take a look around while you’re here.”

I nodded my head in agreement with Duke Joachim’s advice. It seemed like he was strangely conscious of Sarham and aware of the barrenness of the landscape, but that was probably just my imagination.

Even after that, our conversation continued, but the atmosphere was not as heavy as I thought would be.

I was able to answer Joachim’s questions without difficulty because they were very simple questions, such as how I have been for the past two years, whether I have behaved badly like back then, and whether I’ll be enrolled in the academy next year.

For me, who had been expecting questions like “Can you make our daughter happy?” Joachim’s questions felt like a father asking his long-lost son how he was doing. It was comfortable talking to him again.

“To tell you the truth, I had a brief conversation with my daughter yesterday.”

No, but why bring up such a topic all of a sudden?

Suddenly, when Joachim told me that he and Elena were talking, it felt like I was back to our first conversation. Although I know that she wouldn’t have spoken ill of me to him, I still felt a sense of unease about what he might say.

Even though I knew it was an unnecessary worry, anyone would have felt tense when such a topic came up in the presence of the father of one’s fiancé, alone. 

Of course, there may be people who wouldn’t feel that way, but I, at least, was not that kind of great person.

Above all, Joachim’s face, as he brought up the topic, looked somewhat lonely, and that was enough to heighten the already-building sense of tension.

“I’ve never seen Elena smile so brightly in my life.”

“Yes?”

“That child likes flowers a lot. So, at first, I thought it might be because there are many different flowers blooming in the south. You, who live there, would know better than anyone, and the flower garden at Lord Kraus Castle is one of the most famous sights in the empire. But it wasn’t that.”

He immediately gave me an envious look and said.

“Damian. The reason Elena was able to talk to me with a smile was none other than you. What on earth happened in those short ten days to make that child fall for you? I’m really curious about that.”

‘Well, that’s what I’m curious about too.’

This time, I couldn’t find the right words to answer Joachim’s question.

She had been kind to me since the first time we met. The answer to Joachim’s question was something that I could never find within myself, and it was an answer only Elena knew in this world.

However, Joachim stood up from his seat with a thin smile on his face, as if he never intended to hear my answer from the beginning.

“If by any chance you ever want to live here after wandering around Merohim, just tell me. There are many empty rooms in the Winter Castle, you know.”

“You’re kidding, right? I’m Kraus’s heir-“

“Don’t you have a younger brother? How about passing on the heir position to him? And top of that Arthur seems like he’ll live for over 100 years.”

Afterward, Joachim said it was a joke as he opened the door and left, but his face when he said it was so serious that it was hard to believe it was just a joke.

This father who seemed to be overflowing with energy would have even created a new room in the Winter Castle if I had even joked about wanting to live here.

“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. Now that you’ve come to Merohim, I’m thinking of holding a banquet two days later to introduce you to my vassals.”

“I am…”

“I know. I heard from Arthur that you have never been to a social scene before. Your head seems to be filled with nothing but swords and fencing. Still, why not try attending this time? And If you’re going to live under the name Edelweiss from now on, you can’t avoid a banquet.”

“I’ll say it again, I’m Kraus’s heir. As for the banquet… Yes, as you said,I’ll try attending this time.”

“Whether it’s Kraus or Edelweiss, you made a good choice. The owner of the famous boutique in the capital is currently in Merohim, so it would be wise to commission her for a new dress for Elena. You’re lucky, you know.”

He said that, but the dress must have already been completed. Because according to my common sense, no beautiful dress could be made in two just days.

It wasn’t too hard for me to notice that Joachim had been planning this in advance. Perhaps the purpose of this banquet was not simply to see  Elena in her new dress, but to announce my engagement with Elena to others.

Knowing that fact, I accepted his offer without saying anything else. If I had turned down Joachim’s offer here, my father would have been notified soon enough.

After sending Johann away, I sat back down in my seat, feeling uneasy as if I had missed something. I reconsidered the conversation we had and soon found the cause of that uncomfortable feeling.

“Speaking of banquets, do we have to dance?”

Come to think of it, I was a guy who had never danced even a regular dance in my previous or current life, the only thing I could perform was swordsmanship.

It would be better to put aside the idea of ​​asking Elena to guide Merohim.

***

After possessing Damian’s body, I devoted myself diligently to my studies and training with the determination to survive.

My education included the basic etiquette and manners that were necessary for a noble, but dancing was still one of the unfamiliar things to me, despite being a part of my education.

Why? Because dancing wasn’t essential!

Dancing wasn’t included in my survival plan, and I didn’t feel the need to learn it just because I was supposed to attend parties. If I ever had to attend one, I planned to sit quietly in a corner or on the balcony and drink.

However, this time was different.

Although dancing wasn’t essential, I was the host of the upcoming party in two days. In romance fantasies, the party host always danced. 

Even though I had questioned if this world truly fit the romance fantasy genre during my five years as Damian, I was convinced that I would dance with Elena, the heroine, at this party.

Joachim knew that it was my first time going out into the social scene.

Although he suggested it was just for practice, I didn’t need to think too hard about how showing my shortcomings in front of the vassals of Count Edelweiss could affect me, especially since I was engaged to Elena.

‘At the very least, I have to meet the minimum standards.’

But no matter how much I thought about it, I just didn’t know what to do about dancing.

If I say I can’t dance, there would definitely be guys who would ask Elena to dance even though they know that her fiancé is by her side. Would an engaged man who can’t dance catch the eye of a beautiful woman right in front of him?

It would be quite entertaining to see men approaching her and getting rejected, but I didn’t like relying solely on her.

However, depending on her was enough to alleviate my anxiety about the future.

“If it’s Ken, he must have plenty of experience.”

Right now, there were only two people in this castle who could help me: Elena and Ken.

As much as I tried to muster the courage to ask her for help, my pride won’t let me. I decided to handle it on my own, so asking Elena for help was currently on hold.

In that respect, Ken had been Kraus’s butler for a long time, and when I listen to the stories he had told me so far, I remembered that he had many experiences participating in banquets with my father in his youth.

If Ken had a lot of experience, he could surely give me some meaningful advice.

“Yes, I should talk to him… Where is the bell…?”

I looked for the bell to call Ken, but I soon realized that this was not Kraus’s castle where I always stayed. I tried to go out to look for him, but new guests had already come to my room before I had a chance.

The guest who came this time was someone who could solve my problem at once, but at the same time, she was someone I didn’t want to meet right now. It was Elena. Through the conversation we had yesterday, I could infer why she came to my room.

“I’m sorry Elena, but can I ask you to guide me to the winter castle later? I have something I need to do with Ken right now.”

After saying this to Elena, I tried to leave. However, Elena was blocking the door for some reason, looking at me with a smile that showed confidence and mischievousness that I couldn’t usually see in her.

“Do you look troubled, Damian?”

I was surprised and took a step back when Elena spoke to me. It wasn’t particularly shocking that she could read my emotions from my face, but it seemed like she knew exactly what was bothering me.

She smiled at me, which was identical to the one Joachim had given me when he left me earlier.

“May I help you?”

Without even thinking, I unconsciously nodded my head and said yes to her offer, without considering rejecting it.

‘Does the winter castle have a device that gives buffs to the Edelweiss family?’

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