When I was working as a civil servant, I was found out to be a muscle-brained knight by the princess knight and got sent to the front lines - Episode 185

Episode 185

On the night they arrived in the northern core city of Foresval, the key members of the 11th Legion were invited to the Norman family’s main residence. Among those present were Jez, René, Elin, Lilly, as well as Lucretia, Edelmar, Jamil, and Fatima. In addition, the Holy Knights’ Captain Alexia Gray and Vice-Captain Katrina Rivera were also in attendance. Of course, Victor was there too, as if it were only natural.

Welcoming them was Felicia Norman, Gerald’s wife and Jez’s stepmother, as well as the biological mother of Luca and Lucia. Felicia was widely recognized as a virtuous and wise woman, but her profession was that of the kingdom’s foremost archaeologist. She had been the one who, along with Gerald, had quickly recognized the danger of the disappearance of the Izmirnaia Autonomous Zone and rushed to protect Jez. She had also been sounding the alarm about the abnormal activation of ancient ruins in recent times.

After giving birth to Luca and Lucia, Felicia had mainly focused on raising them in Foresval. But once the twins left home to enroll in and live at the Royal Academy, she resumed her activities as an archaeologist in earnest. Over the past few years, she had been rapidly exploring ancient ruins within and around the kingdom. Felicia was an active scholar who believed in hands-on archaeology, personally visiting sites in all kinds of natural environments. She had earned the nickname “The Survivor” because she always returned alive, bringing valuable information back to the Kingdom of Tashman, no matter how perilous the situation.

Felicia Norman, the wife of the strongest human, Gerald Norman, was also an extraordinary person in her own right. However, despite having overcome numerous challenges and dangerous situations, the current situation unfolding before her was proving to be quite difficult to handle. 

The truth was that Felicia hadn’t realized how oblivious and indifferent her stepson could be until now, which was causing her some trouble.

“This is Erin Saylor. I’m thinking of marrying her soon.”

“Nice to meet you, Gerald, Felicia. I’m Erin Saylor. As Jez mentioned, I hope to marry him. Please take care of me.”

After a small impromptu home party at the Norman family’s main residence, Jez brought a certain woman to meet Gerald and Felicia during the after-dinner conversation among the 30 or so key members of the 11th Legion and the 2nd Legion.

Jez introduced Erin Saylor to Gerald and Felicia. Gerald, standing beside Felicia, beamed with a broad smile. He engaged cheerfully in conversation with Erin and Jez. Felicia, too, appeared to be pleasantly participating in the conversation, nodding along with a gentle expression. Elin Saylor—just from a brief exchange, Felicia could tell that she was well-raised and had a sincere personality. She seemed to care deeply for Jez, making her an excellent match. Felicia had also heard of Erin’s commendable work as the personal knight of the third princess.

To be honest, Felicia’s first impression of Elin was perfect. On a personal level, she felt she could get along well with this girl and genuinely wanted to congratulate the couple. However, there were several women who kept casting intense glances at Erin and Jez as they talked with Gerald. They might think they were hiding it, but it was clear to anyone paying attention.

While Felicia didn’t mind that her son was popular, she wasn’t thrilled about any potential complications regarding his marriage. Especially if those complications involved a princess or a saintess. What on earth had her son gotten himself into?

Jez had always been a smart, diligent, and mature child. After Luca and Lucia were born, Felicia had been surprised to discover just how demanding children could be, as Jez had never been any trouble at all. He had grown into an exemplary young man whom she was immensely proud of. Though he was her stepson, Felicia loved Jez just as much as she loved Luca and Lucia.

However, there had always been one flaw in her otherwise perfect son: Jez had always been remarkably oblivious, particularly to the affections of women. When he was younger, Felicia had assumed he simply wasn’t interested in the feelings of the opposite sex. But even after he turned ten, and then twelve or thirteen, and finally fifteen. And just before he entered the Royal Academy, nothing seemed to change.

By then, it was apparent that Jez was quite popular. Especially with his attendant, Linnea Haugen, at the forefront. Yet, Jez seemed to be completely unaware of this, ignoring all the attention he received. Felicia still remembered being amazed at her son’s extreme obliviousness. 

But when she thought about her husband Gerald’s younger days, she realized that he too had been somewhat similar, so she couldn’t entirely blame Jez. Nevertheless, this was one of the few shortcomings of her otherwise exceptional son: his inability to notice, or perhaps his lack of interest in, the affections of women.

That said, in most cases, this wouldn’t normally be a problem. However, this time, Jez has unwittingly attracted the attention of not just any woman, but a princess and a saintess.

My son, what exactly have you been doing in the capital? Didn’t you write in your letters that you were working as a civil servant?

As Gerald, Erin, and Jez continued their cheerful conversation, Felicia found herself again musing internally about what to do. 

Even if the issue of the princess and the saintess weren’t present, Erin Saylor is the daughter of Prime Minister William Saylor. Although Jez has abandoned his claim to the title, he is still the son of the Norman Margrave and a legion commander. 

Wouldn’t the strong connection between the influential Saylor and Norman families raise concerns among the royalty and nobility about the potential impact on current national politics?

Certainly, if we consider only the pure military power, an alliance between the Norman and Saylor families could potentially spark a revolution. Even if we have no intention of such a thing, there are bound to be those who view it that way.

While considering such thoughts at the back of her mind, Felicia had hoped that once Lucia graduated from the Royal Academy, her daughter’s love for her “big brother” would lead to a happy marriage with Jez. As a mother and the wife of the Norman Margrave, she would have been delighted. However, matters of the heart are not easily managed.