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Only a painful silence remained after we exchanged the sharp verbal blows of ‘You’re going to have three wives,’ and ‘You're going to get married soon’.

Teasing me about having three wives was pointless since the 2nd Manager was closer to getting married compared to me. Meanwhile, making fun of him for getting married soon was futile because I might end up marrying multiple times.

In the end, we realized the miracle formula of arguments: to hurt the other, you must hurt yourself. It was a verbal battle where only losers would remain.

— Should we stop?

"Yeah."

The 2nd Manager's suggestion for a ceasefire broke the sorrowful silence. He looked deeply troubled. Perhaps he was imagining the Minister attending his wedding as a guest.

Seeing the guy who started the taunt fall like that felt good, but my mood soured when I realized that my face probably looked the same.

What was the point of our fight, anyway?

After a brief hesitation, I spoke cautiously.

"Hey, but marrying Christina isn't bad for you, right? Don't take it too harshly."

It wouldn’t be good if the groom-to-be’s mood hit rock bottom like this. Although I wasn’t sure when exactly they would marry, knowing the Minister’s personality, it’d probably be early next year at the latest.

Licking the wounds I inflicted felt weird, but I guess some consolation was necessary.

"For a newly minted noble, there’s no better way to join high society than marriage. You liked her from the start anyway, didn’t you?"

The 2nd Manager’s family, the house of Varon, was a new noble family who had just been awarded their title. Unfortunately, the old nobility wasn’t too fond of newcomers, so breaking into their social circles was tough.

However, nobles would rush to make connections with the Varon family if this newbie was connected to the current Minister of the Ministry of Finance.

Despite my valuable advice, the 2nd Manager’s expression remained grim.

— I'm already popular. Is there a young lady in the capital who doesn’t know me?

"Brag as much as you want, you crazy guy."

I shouldn't have worried. After all, the most useless concerns in the world were those about the Minister and the Managers, and I forgot that.

...Why did he agree?

The 2nd Manager’s words made me puzzled. The Minister must’ve known about his flashy, romantic history. So why would he set the 2nd Manager up with his niece?

Though their relationship started without the Minister’s involvement, he endorsed the marriage. If it were me, I'd have ended it immediately.

There were two possibilities: it was either the Minister disliked his niece, or she was head over heels for the 2nd Manager.

Since the Minister was known for cherishing his family, it was probably the latter.

— Why are you looking at me like that?

"Just because."

I studied the 2nd Manager briefly and concluded.

She must have unique tastes.

His niece must simply have an unconventional taste.

Well, she was from a good family and chose to be a master’s student in a non-mainstream field. She was definitely not someone ordinary.

"Have a wonderful marriage."

An extraordinary groom and an extraordinary bride, with extraordinary guests. What a perfect match.

— You hang in there too, Executive Manager. Juggling multiple women isn't easy.

"Are you speaking from experience?"

— Yes, from experience.

As soon as he said that, we both nodded.

I’d have to remember what he just said and pass it on to the Minister or his niece.

***

I ended the call but couldn't wash up and just fiddled with the communication crystal; the 2nd Manager’s bombshell at the end stuck in my head.

— Come to think of it, the Lady must be stressed, too. Are you dating her?

"What?"

— Judging by your reaction, you haven’t even thought about it.

Seeing the 2nd Manager shake his head in pity made me want to snap, but I stayed quiet since it was about Marghetta.

—The only person as troubled as you is the lady. She has to share her husband with more women now; who would be able to stay calm in that situation?

That comment hit me hard. I hadn’t thought about it because my own mental state was barely holding up.

Yeah, she definitely wouldn’t be at peace. Even in a world where polygamy was normal, human emotions were a different matter. Only a madman like the Gold Duke could perfectly control those feelings.

Of course, Marghetta was probably used to polygamy, given that even the Iron-blooded Duke himself had multiple wives. Louise and Irina also said that they got Marghetta’s permission.

But this latest confession was beyond Marghetta’s control. She must be confused.

— There will be a bloodbath if the first wife goes mad with jealousy. Don’t think of her as a done deal; treat her with love.

His words were harsh but not wrong, so I didn’t deny them.

"Your advice is eerily persuasive."

— Well, unlike someone, I’ve never been caught.

It would have been better if he hadn’t said that. Damn it.

Anyway, the 2nd Manager’s advice left me with a lot to think about. Marghetta must be as mentally exhausted as I was because of this unexpected confession. Yet, she hadn’t complained at all.

Maybe, just as the 2nd Manager suggested, I unconsciously thought of Marghetta as a done deal or a caught fish by simply assuming that she would understand and that she would be fine with everything.

I couldn’t blame her even if she cursed me out. If someone was precious to you, then you were supposed to treat them well, not neglect them.

This is the perfect timing.

I glanced at the calendar on the table. It was almost the end of November.

And Marghetta’s birthday was at the end of November. No matter how careless I was, I at least remembered that.

...What should I do?

Remembering her birthday was the bare minimum. The real issue was what I should do for her birthday.

Both Marghetta and I were stuck at the academy, so my options were limited. Even a simple outing to the city surrounding the academy would make her happy.

The problem was the gift.

I have no idea.

I couldn’t come up with an answer no matter how much I thought. Sadly, I had never given or received a birthday gift.

Before I possessed this body, I didn’t know my own birthday and used the day I was abandoned at the orphanage instead.

It wasn’t exactly a day worth celebrating and the orphanage couldn’t afford gifts, so I neither received nor gave any.

And nothing changed.

The meaninglessness of my birthday continued after the possession. After all, this body’s birthday wasn’t mine.

So, when people tried to give me something, I usually refused or shoved it somewhere. Honestly, I couldn’t even remember what I had received.

My first gift, huh.

Despite my tangled thoughts, I couldn’t help but smile. It was my first time giving someone a birthday gift, and it was for Marghetta.

Yes. It was my first time, so I needed to think about it seriously. If needed, I should ask others for advice.

Others.

A gift suitable for a noble lady of Marghetta’s age. Asking Louise would be the easiest, but—

“Oppa. I’m sorry, but could you hold your breath for three minutes? Five would be even better.”

I quickly abandoned that idea after the image of Louise’s stern face popped up in my mind. Asking a girl who confessed to you what to get for another woman? Even the kind-hearted Louise would get angry. Irina was out for the same reason.

If I were to ignore gender and focus on age, then there was Erich. He was involved in social circles unlike me, so he probably had experience with gifts.

“Hyung, are you crazy?”

Of course, asking Erich would also be insane. Consulting him about romance, especially when he was already irritated by our family’s situation, would be asking for trouble.

So, I couldn’t even get proper advice from anyone. Was my social circle really this small—?

“Ah.”

Just then, a good idea struck me.

***

I kept wiping my eyes with the handkerchief Laura gave me.

"Stop crying. You'll make yourself sick."

Laura’s eyes were red too, so she wasn’t exactly in a position to tell me to stop crying.

She awkwardly looked away when I just stared at her without saying anything. She had been crying, too.

Of course, I understood. Crying in this situation was normal, but I just hoped that Laura could understand me, too.

Carl...

I carefully wiped away the forming tears again. The news we received this morning made it feel like the sky was falling.

— Madam, I thought you should know.

It was a message from the Countess, with whom I had a close relationship and often exchanged news.

She looked unusually uneasy, but I asked for her to go ahead since she wasn’t one for idle chatter. Besides, she lived in the capital, so it might be important information.

— The Executive Manager...

However, the news wasn’t easy to hear.

"Is it true?"

— It was hard for me to believe too, but it seems to be.

Her hesitant yet firm words made my mind go blank. If someone as prominent as the Countess said that it was true, then it must already be a fact among the social circles.

My mind went white. The news was so unbelievable and heartbreaking.

Carl, that child, was found asleep and drunk at the Imperial Cemetery where his old comrades were buried.

— I’m sorry to bring you such sad news, but I thought you should know.

"...Thank you, Countess."

I nodded slightly to the Countess, who looked at a loss for words, as if she were guilty.

Yes, it was indeed sad news—but all the more why I needed to know. I needed to understand his sadness and pain even a little.

So, I kept a composed expression until the call ended. As soon as I put down the communication crystal, my tears flowed uncontrollably.

"Why don’t you try contacting him?"

Laura’s cautious suggestion made me shake my head.

"Will he... even answer?"

Laura fell silent at that.

Carl had never shown weakness, even as a child. Even as an adult, he had shown a rather cold side.

Such a person let himself get drunk and collapsed in front of a grave—would he respond if I contacted him now? Wouldn't it just provoke him more?

"Let's wait for now."

That was all I could say.

I hate myself for this. If I were a normal mother, then I would have had the courage to call Carl right away.

If I was, Carl would have opened up to me more.

We still have a long way to go.

I felt happy while thinking that our relationship was finally getting better, but this reminded me that we still had a long way to go.

***

The communication crystal lit up.