Chapter 298
Chapter 298
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: A Splendid Vacation (2)
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The day after my audience with His Majesty, just as I'd been forewarned, I was handed down a three-month suspension.
I'd known it was coming, so I figured this was as good a chance as any for an unpaid family vacation and suggested we all head somewhere a bit farther out.
But Louise insisted on writing a letter of protest to the Emperor, demanding to know what I'd done wrong, while Laura and Anya argued it wasn't right and talked about appealing to the Noble Council.
It was touching that my wives were so fired up on my behalf when I, the one in question, was fine with it—but it was also a little overwhelming.
I managed to convince everyone that I'd climbed this high by age thirty, so if I wanted a long career in the military, days like this—getting knocked down a peg—were bound to happen.
Friedrich had just gotten home from school, and when I told him we were going to the river with Dad, he let out an enormous cheer. I used that as leverage to shut down any more protests from the wives.
What I really wanted was to take him hunting or to a city festival—manly stuff like that...
But hunting meant riding horseback and killing live animals with a bow or sword, which was way too dangerous for a six-year-old, not to mention bad for his young mind.
A city festival sounded fun, with all the food stalls, eye-catching circus acts, and bards drawing crowds. But with the prostitutes, booze peddlers, and drunks looking to make a quick buck off the seasonal rush, I decided it wasn't good for Friedrich's emotional health either.
After weighing all that, I ended up heading to the Venner Marquis family's Elbe River villa with my father-in-law.
Lost in thought with my eyes closed for a moment, I heard Friedrich stirring awake in the carriage, rubbing his eyes as he spoke.
"Dad, is that Grandpa's villa out there?"
I looked where Friedrich was pointing, and there it was—a beautiful mansion with a blue roof.
My father-in-law had said the only villa with a blue roof among those upstream on the Elbe was the Venner family's.
That had to be our destination for this trip.
"That's the one. Rough ride getting here, huh?"
"No way! I'm thrilled to be going to Great-Grandpa's villa with you—when you're always so busy and never have time to play with me—plus Anya Mom, Laura Mom, and Charlotte Mom! And that fried rice with egg you made outdoors on the way here? It was so good!"
Carriage rides were boring as hell, so I'd either nap or tell Friedrich fun stories from the battlefield.
Stuff like how one guy in the platoon next to mine was so fed up with rock-hard hardtack that he used it as a hammer to nail something into a wall, or how I fell off my horse during my first riding lesson at the academy.
Friedrich cracked up at every one, giggling nonstop like it was the funniest thing ever.
It had been over fifteen years since I transmigrated to this world, and even I was exhausted from days in the carriage, but seeing my son so consistently bright and bubbly—whether he was just putting on a brave face for me or not—made the trip far less tiring.
Laura must have woken up at the sound of Friedrich's voice because she sat up and gently scolded him.
"Friedrich, you need to speak properly to your father—use respectful language."
"Yes, Mom."
"Like you do with your teachers at school. Add the polite ending properly."
Before she had my child, Laura had been like a loyal puppy following her master around, but every time she acted like a proper mom in front of Friedrich, it stirred something exciting in me.
Probably because it was such a rare side of her usual self—refreshing, you know?
Soon after, the carriage came to a stop, and an elderly butler stepped out.
"Are you Marquis Venner, Marquis Jaeger, and family?"
I nodded affirmatively to the formal question.
"We've prepared everything for fishing right upon your arrival. And as requested, we've got pork and beef ready too—our maids and butlers can cook them up whenever you'd like."
Back home, everything was handled by servants anyway, but we didn't need that here.
This was the countryside—you had to cook and eat it yourself for the real fun.
"We'll call if we need you. No need to help out."
"Ah! Understood, sirs. In that case, we'll station a servant nearby in case you call. The rods and bait are set up by the riverbank—please enjoy."
Following the butler's lead to the fishing spot, we baited up the primitive reels on the rods and cast out.
The wives wanted some girl talk for once, so they sat a little apart from me and Friedrich to start fishing.
"Lately, these floaty dresses and skirts are all the rage. Think the Major General would like them? I heard other officers' wives at social gatherings say their husbands hate it when they wear stuff like that..."
"Laura sis, we're a Major General's family. How old do you think the officers' wives around us are?"
"From what I heard, most guys love it when young ladies wear those. So why not give it a try, Anya sis? Tonight, after putting Friedrich to bed, slip into something like that, blush a little, and ask him to hold you..."
"Your Highness Louise, even that's a bit much."
"Better than that time Laura sis tempted him in that sheer, floaty outfit from the pagan dancers..."
"......Please forget about that."
Anya and Charlotte were creeping up on the age where, by this era's standards, they 'should' be having kids, so the wives' conversation was getting pretty steamy.
Sometimes I cursed my sharp ears for overhearing this stuff next to my son and father-in-law, but honestly? It didn't feel half bad.
Those four were all stunning beauties who'd turn heads anywhere in Reichburg, if not the whole Europan continent.
How could any man not get a thrill watching flowers like that—perched high on a cliff—making such efforts to please him?
"Son-in-law, what's got you so lost in thought?"
His words snapped me back to reality.
"Nothing, Father-in-law."
"You're one of a kind—treating a suspension like a vacation, unprecedented in Imperial Army history—but here, focus on fishing and your boy. Look at Friedrich. He likes this grandpa fine, but he wants to play with Dad more, don't you think?"
Sure enough, Friedrich—who'd been chatting with my father-in-law—had grabbed his rod and was gazing at me expectantly.
"Dad, when the float goes down and then back up, that's a bite, right?"
"Yep. You wait for that, chatting with Dad in the meantime."
Hearing that, Friedrich stared at me, ignoring his rod, and launched into lively chatter.
I kept an eye on both our rods while he talked.
Now that we were here, it'd be great if he caught at least one fish himself.
"......Dad! Last month, I was in an archery contest with His Highness the Crown Prince and other kids. I came in first! I shot about twenty arrows and hit twelve."
"Twelve? That's impressive shooting."
He couldn't handle the heavy war bows adults used, so it must've been a kids' bow for the contest.
Shorter range, weaker draw—easier to hit, sure.
But for a kid not even seven to beat a ten-year-old Crown Prince? He might just be a future archery prodigy.
Bowmaster Friedrich von Jaeger. Sounded pretty good already.
"Then someday, Friedrich, you'll master the bow and go down in Imperial history as a legendary archer..."
My father-in-law cut in with a stern, serious tone.
"Archery... archery's fine, but wouldn't it be cooler to become a splendid swordsman like your dad? If you're interested, this grandpa will buy you a fine sword when we get home."
True to form as a six-year-old boy, Friedrich's eyes lit up.
"A sword? You're buying me a sword, Grandpa?"
"Of course. Our grandson took first in archery—we can swing that much. I'll even have it engraved with your name."
......Even with just one grandkid like Laura, an engraved sword wasn't cheap, and here he was trying to steer the boy away from archery just in case.
No different from your typical rich, doting grandpa.
As I chuckled dryly at Marquis Venner pushing the sword path, a tug hit my line.
A ticklish yet heavy, contradictory sensation.
Didn't know what fish, but definitely a big one.
I yanked the rod up hard, and the weight surged from my wrist to my shoulder.
"Got a keeper!"
I whooped without thinking, drawing everyone's eyes.
If it turned out to be the riverbed instead of a fish, I'd die of embarrassment—but reeling in, it felt real. Expectations soared.
After five minutes of give and take, a monster at least a meter long broke the surface.
One of these, plus the salmon we'd snag, would be plenty for everyone.
"Let's wrap up fishing and grab lunch. Father-in-law, join us. I'll show off my skills with some delicious grilled salmon."
And so, I spent five relaxing, peaceful days at the villa with my father-in-law and family before heading home.