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I walked towards the Minister’s office to pick up the 2nd Manager. Just hearing about it drained my mental energy. Was this guy acting recklessly because he was now related to the Minister through marriage?

If so, then what a shameless jerk. Was he already using his connections even before the wedding? If he was going to play the connection game, I might just have to pull out my own cards.

“I’m here.”

“Oh, you’ve arrived.”

I knocked and entered quickly, suppressing my complicated thoughts. This wasn’t the time for a battle of connections—first, I needed to deal with this out-of-control subordinate.

I scanned the room as soon as I stepped into the office and immediately spotted the 2nd Manager sprawled out on the sofa like it was his bed.

This crazy…

What an idiot. In the Minister’s office of all places…

The Minister spoke up in a low voice while I was glaring at the 2nd Manager (who was better described as an idiot at this point).

“He had a bit too much to drink. It’s surprising that this young guy can’t even outdrink me.”

There was a faint hint of awkwardness in the Minister’s voice.

…He’s just going to let this slide?

My brain finally started catching up to the situation. Now that I thought about it, something felt off. The Minister wasn’t the type to let his relatives get special treatment. Sure, he cared for his nephew-in-laws, but that affection didn’t extend to the man who ‘stole’ his niece.

And yet here was that very person, sleeping peacefully in the Minister’s office? The Minister wasn’t one to tolerate that. If he had the time to call me, then he would have thrown the 2nd Manager out by now.

“Why is he here?”

So, I asked the obvious question. Why had the 2nd Manager come to the Minister’s office instead of the Prosecutors’ Office? And why was he passed out on the couch?

“We had a drink last night.”

“A drink?”

“A whole crate, actually.”

Hearing that, I looked at the 2nd Manager again, noticing that his face was still flushed and that his body occasionally twitched.

Well, that explained it. The guy was completely wasted.

“It’s his last free weekend before the wedding, you know? We didn’t drink that much, but he still hasn’t recovered.”

The Minister added ‘Lightweight,’ but it was hard to agree. The 2nd Manager usually had a strong tolerance. If he was in such a pitiful state, then how much had they drunk?

He did mention a crate, so the 2nd Manager probably drank more than his body could handle. If someone stuck a needle in him, booze might come out instead of blood.

He didn’t come here willingly.

I started to feel a little sorry for the 2nd Manager who lay there twitching now that I had a grasp of the situation. It wasn’t like the guy had fled to the Minister’s office—he’d been dragged into an alcohol battle with the Minister and lost. Unconscious, he had been hauled into the office like a piece of luggage. He hadn’t reported for duty of his own free will…

“If you’re here, take him with you. He reeks of alcohol.”

“Well, whose fault do you think that is?”

I shuddered at the Minister’s cold words and obediently lifted the passed-out 2nd Manager.

As unfortunate as it was to deal with this mess first thing in the morning, the celebration had to go on. It was our duty to honor him even if he was unconscious. Nothing could stop our celebration.

“Urgh…”

I heard a groaning sound beside me as I carried the 2nd Manager back to the office.

“You’re awake?”

“Urgh… yeah…”

The 2nd Manager mumbled incoherently, his voice strange and slurred, but at least he seemed to have regained some awareness.

“You know, you’re the first person to ever sleep in the Minister’s office. We’re on our way back to the office, so hang in there a little longer.”

“Yeah…”

His response was a bit clearer this time. He seemed relieved to be heading back to familiar territory rather than the intimidating Minister’s office.

Of course, he’d probably be even happier when he heard what came next.

“We’ve prepared a little wedding celebration for you. It’s time to go for some hangover drinks.”

“…”

Just as I expected, he was thrilled. In fact, he was so thrilled that he couldn’t even bring himself to talk.

Ah, the warm camaraderie of the Prosecutors’ Office. It really warmed my heart.

***

Two days after throwing a wild celebration in honor of the second 2nd Manager and placing him in the Executive Manager’s chair, the day had finally arrived—the day when the casanova of the department would meet his ‘grave,’ or rather, his life partner.

It was an emotional day. To our dear sister-in-law, please keep this casanova on a short leash and live a long, happy life together. You’ve saved countless young ladies from this man’s clutches…

“I told you, sending a wedding gift was enough. Don’t you have anything better to do?”

And just like that, all my sentiment vanished as soon as the Minister made a snide remark to the guest who had actually made the effort to show up.

“If I don’t show my face at my subordinate’s wedding, people will talk.”

“Then you’ll also see me at your six weddings.”

Damn. I hadn’t thought of that.

I froze for a moment, realizing the horror. He was right. If I attended six weddings, then every guest who knew me could also attend all six.

I briefly imagined a future where not only the Minister but also the Crown Prince attended every single one.

Wow.

But I quickly cut off that line of thinking. There are some things in life you shouldn’t even imagine, and I’d just learned that the hard way.

“…I made sure to be generous.”

With a slightly heavy heart, I handed over the envelope filled with wedding money to the Minister.

And I wasn’t kidding—it really was generous. After all, I knew both the groom, the 2nd Manager, and the bride, Christina. Giving to just one of them felt awkward, so I doubled the usual amount.

“It’s heavy.”

Thankfully, it was a satisfying sum even by the Minister’s standards. He nodded lightly as he placed it into the box for wedding gifts.

Of course it was satisfying. I’d followed the Gold Duke’s wisdom, after all: if you’re stressed about money, it just means you didn’t give enough. It was a smart approach to social life—half the battle was just knowing how much to give.

“…But where is your wife, sir?”

As I looked around, I noticed something off. Why was the Minister standing here and greeting the guests all alone?

Actually, why was the patriarch of the Iris family not here to greet guests himself? It would’ve at least made sense if the Minister’s wife were here, working alongside him as a couple.

“They haven’t seen each other in a while, so I told her to go catch up with family. It doesn’t really matter who stands here, does it?”

His nonchalant response made me feel like my common sense was crumbling. No, it absolutely matters, didn’t it? This wasn’t just any event—it was a wedding!

Still, I couldn’t exactly tell him to call her back now, so I just nodded. And to be fair, having the current Minister of Finance greet the guests might leave quite an impression. The guests would feel honored.

“Well, then, I’ll go see the groom.”

“Stop blocking the way and go.”

With the Minister’s dismissive wave, I made my way to where the groom was waiting.

I could already feel the corners of my mouth twitching. This was going to be a problem. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep a straight face when I see the 2nd Manager in his wedding suit.

***

Sitting in the waiting room, I tried to keep smiling. My father’s voice rang out with joy, saying how proud he was that his son had finally turned from a ‘good-for-nothing’ into a proper man. Mother added how relieved she was that I was getting married before I hit thirty. Their words echoed around the room, but honestly, they barely registered.

It all felt strange and surreal. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to get married, but just being here, in this moment, felt awkward and bizarre. I couldn’t quite find the words to describe it.

It felt like I was transforming into someone else and stepping into a different world from the one I’d known. No, maybe that one was too dramatic. Still, I couldn’t think of a better way to put it…

“Why do you look like that? Didn’t you sleep well?”

The Executive Manager approached from the entrance as I tried to sort out my jumbled thoughts, wearing a smile that he couldn’t hide even if he tried.

“Prosecutors’ Office’s Executive Manager.”

“Ah, it’s been a while. It’s nice to see you again for such a happy occasion.”

Father greeted the Executive Manager first when he spotted him, shaking his hand with a smile. Watching my father thank him with a smile almost made me chuckle. What exactly did the Executive Manager do to make my father so grateful? If anyone had played a major role in this, it was the Minister, not him.

…Well, maybe he did help.

Then again, my father wasn’t entirely wrong when I thought about how I met Christina. If the Executive Manager hadn’t been at the academy, I wouldn’t have been assigned there to support him, and I might never have met her. In a way, he was the starting point of it all.

After exchanging pleasantries with my father and mother, the Executive Manager finally turned his attention to me.

“Congratulations. Honestly, I thought you’d stay single forever.”

“So did I.”

My mother’s face fell at those words, but it was fine now that the wedding was happening. It would have been a cruel joke if I were still single, but today it was just another laugh.

The Executive Manager must have thought the same thing because he gave a soft chuckle and patted me on the shoulder.

“Now, you’ve got to continue the Baron family line. Don’t worry—I won’t bother you during your honeymoon. Take your time and relax.”

“Is it even your place as my boss to be pressuring me about heirs?”

It felt like the world was upside down. Here was my boss, who was younger than me and still single, applying the kind of pressure my father should have been giving me.

“If you don’t like it, then get promoted.”

And with that unbeatable response, all I could do was laugh.

My parents seemed a bit taken aback by the Executive Manager’s bluntness, but this was just how he was. Despite being from a noble family, he acted more like a commoner.

And that’s why we get along so well.

Having a stiff, authoritarian boss would’ve been exhausting. The previous Executive Manager, for example, was an absolute pain to deal with.

But the current Executive Manager was different. Despite being a pure-blooded noble like his predecessor, his attitude toward us couldn’t have been more different. Maybe it was because he’d spent so much time with the Six Swords, or maybe it was just his personality.

Either way, I was confident he’d appreciate the small gift I had prepared for him.

It’s only right to celebrate him after he celebrated me.

In my inside pocket was a single flower I had carefully saved, one I had taken from Christina’s bouquet.

The guest who catches the bride’s bouquet is the next to be married.

Thinking of that tradition—a mix of custom and superstition—made the corners of my mouth lift slightly. I wasn’t planning on stealing the bride’s gift to the guests, of course. I’d just prepared a little something extra.

After the ceremony, I would approach the Executive Manager and give him this flower, once a part of the bouquet. After all, he was bound to be the next one to get married.

I’m sure he’ll be delighted.

Not every subordinate was as thoughtful as I was, after all.

***

What a cheeky little brat.

“It’s a flower from the bouquet. Since you’ll be the next one to get married, I figured you should have one.”

The 2nd Manager approached me after the ceremony, spouting nonsense while offering the flower.

For a split second, I remembered the saying, ‘Don’t hit someone with a flower,’ but I felt like today might be the perfect time to break that rule.