When Werner couldn’t answer, Margo told him about what happened during the dinner.

“I admit I was rude. But isn’t that the privilege of an old person who has lived a long time? Even though it’s someone else’s family matter, being able to criticize what’s wrong is one of my life’s pleasures.”

Apparently, Daphne hadn’t cared at all and had only bragged about Zenos throughout the dinner.

Honestly, if Werner hadn’t heard that Christine was at a salon, he might not have paid attention even if it was Margo speaking.

The Emperor clicked her tongue as she watched Werner’s eyes growing wider in surprise.

“So you must have been excited to set sail, not even knowing this voyage was a journey to drown in the sea.”

The Emperor revealed that she had saved Werner’s life by negotiating with Gustav based on information she had accidentally obtained.

The Emperor was quite proud of having threatened Gustav with this information for the first time in her life. Meanwhile, Margo and Kartun’s expressions darkened.

She spoke with an angry voice.

“I always thought you were a rather lacking subordinate, but I didn’t realize you were still like this.”

“I am deeply ashamed.”

Werner’s voice was extremely hoarse.

Honestly, he barely had the strength to stand.

Sailors usually get land sickness when they step on solid ground after becoming accustomed to a rocking ship.

Werner felt as if he was experiencing land sickness for the first time in his life, all at once.

But the Emperor and Margo didn’t stop.

Their criticism, disguised as concern and advice, continued. Kartun occasionally looked at him with sympathy, but would glare fiercely whenever he heard something he hadn’t known before.

⁕⁕⁕

Upon hearing that Werner would be arriving home, all the mansion’s servants, led by Anton, had come out to welcome him.

When the carriage finally stopped, Christine, standing at the front, approached with a picture-perfect smile.

As always, Werner would surely embrace her with a broad smile.

Christine’s face was full of joy and vitality.

At first, she had been terribly embarrassed by such behavior in front of the servants. Now, even though Ludwig was married and old enough to have grandchildren, she was grateful that her husband still acted this way.

Though she welcomed him every time, it remained an exciting moment.

But this time was different.

Werner, after stepping out of the carriage, merely looked at Christine without opening his arms. His face showed something akin to disappointment.

Christine was confused but, conscious of the servants watching, greeted him with all the affection she could muster.

“Welcome home. You must be very tired?”

Werner reluctantly patted her shoulder.

‘Is he just too exhausted?’

Christine deliberately suppressed the worry that was creeping up. With an awkward smile, she asked him:

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you? I’ve prepared everything with care…”

“Isn’t that the cook’s job?”

A moment of silence followed his unexpected response.

As Werner passed by her, he noticed Daphne standing to one side, her head slightly bowed.

‘Yes, she was always like that.’

Whenever Werner arrived home and embraced Christine with overwhelming emotion, Ludwig and Zenos would frown as if they’re witnessing something unseemly. And little Fabian would come running to cling to Werner’s leg.

He would carry Fabian with one arm while ruffling Ludwig and Zenos’s hair with his other hand as he headed inside. Christine would follow behind and…

Daphne always stood in that spot, trying earnestly to make eye contact with him before finally bowing her head deeply and following last.

Of course, he had sometimes considered acknowledging her.

But if he did, Zenos would openly show his displeasure and throw a tantrum. In the end, it was easier for the family’s peace to pretend not to see Daphne, so that’s what he chose.

Daphne’s eyes, which had sparkled brightly whenever she saw off or welcomed her father, had lost their light at some point, and her once-expectant face now only looked at the ground.

‘I made her that way.’

Werner sighed briefly before approaching Daphne and raising his hand.

It was extremely awkward, but he wanted to pat her head. Somehow, the feeling that he absolutely had to do this overcame his embarrassment.

However, Daphne slightly furrowed her brow and turned her head. Her puzzled expression seemed to ask:

‘Do you want to try being a father now, after all this time?’

As his embarrassed empty hand lingered in the air before coming down, Daphne slightly bowed her head and turned away. Werner could only watch his daughter walk away with small steps, unable to say anything.

⁕⁕⁕

Though they welcomed the head of the family as usual, the atmosphere in the house was like walking on thin ice.

The same was true for the Empire’s political situation.

Werner and Gustav severely punished those who had taken out maritime insurance and thoroughly investigated evidence of their collusion with pirates.

If they handled this matter carelessly, the leadership positions of both factions could be seriously threatened.

In this matter, they worked together perfectly, like the old friends they were.

However, when discussing Daphne and Leonhardt’s engagement, they were as distant as the horizon. No agreement could be reached.

Werner wanted to grant Daphne’s request this time. He was determined because it was the first time his daughter had asked him for something.

Honestly, Gustav also wanted to agree to breaking the engagement. Leonhardt claimed he was wronged, saying he had been bewitched by the magic stone, but Gustav didn’t care either way.

He even felt sorry about marrying Daphne to such a person.

However, the aristocratic faction had suffered a greater blow than expected. All the nobles who were punished for insurance fraud belonged to the aristocratic faction. The same was true for those suspected of colluding with pirates.

During the meeting to devise countermeasures, some even questioned his leadership abilities.

In short, they couldn’t afford any additional crisis that might shake the leader’s position. In this defensive situation, it would be dangerous if an important connection with the imperial faction was severed.

Gustav seemed to have aged drastically in just a few days. He spoke in a deeply dejected voice.

“Werner, I fully understand how you feel. I’ll do anything, but please, just don’t break the engagement…”

But before he could finish, Werner stood up abruptly. Gustav called out urgently.

“Werner, haven’t we maintained stability for many years!”

“Should my daughter endure a miserable life for the sake of this so-called stability?”

Gustav’s eyes widened at his words. He could hardly believe his ears.

“Surely… are you really doing this because of Daphne?”

“And aren’t you trying to prevent the broken engagement for Leonhardt’s sake?”

Gustav was speechless.

As a father, Werner was doing the right thing. How could he not understand that?

But the Armin and Mücke families weren’t ordinary families. Aside from how many mouths they had to feed, it was no exaggeration to say that the Empire’s stability rested in the hands of these two families.

But what surprised Gustav most was that Werner mentioned Daphne.

‘Since when has he been so affectionate…’

It was hard to determine which of them was more neglectful as a father.

“Gustav, if you insist on this, I won’t hesitate to take legal action.”

Werner left, abandoning Gustav who stared at him as if something unbelievable had happened.

⁕⁕⁕

Ludwig was too busy returning goods to their owners and arranging resale channels for them.

Even with the Emperor’s orders, business was business. Losing trust was like losing everything. He hadn’t even been able to go home yet because he was minimizing investors’ losses.

Eventually, his wife Stephanie came to the port to meet him.

“Father is too much. Isn’t he overworking my husband?”

Stephanie mumbled while nestled in his arms. Ludwig stroked his wife’s noticeably swollen belly.

“Have you been uncomfortable anywhere?”

“Both I and our child are healthy.”

Ludwig smiled as he rubbed his nose against hers. Anyone would see them as a deeply loving couple.

But they didn’t view each other romantically or feel any attraction. That’s why they were more satisfied.

They shared the same desire to possess more and climb higher. They also equally disregarded morality if it stood in the way of their goals.

Their reverence for the child in the womb wasn’t particularly due to parental love. It was solely because of the child’s value as a candidate for the next head of the family.

Some might ask if they were being too anxious. After all, among Werner’s children, Ludwig was the most established successor.

Zenos aiming for the family head position? Anyone who knew him would laugh at this suggestion. But Ludwig and Stephanie thought differently.

Currently, Zenos was enjoying his reputation and had no complaints as people eagerly invested in him.

But even geniuses are human. If his intellectual abilities ran dry or he fell from grace as a scholar, wouldn’t he also covet the position of family head?

The youngest, Fabian, was no pushover either.