Obviously, It’s My Child - Chapter 235

She found his eyes deeper than usual, and her heart skipped a little, but she didn’t let it show on her face.

She tapped his thigh instead. The gesture was meant to encourage him to lie down and use him as a body pillow, but she couldn’t make Erich bend his stiff back.

In fact, it wasn’t easy to get him to lie down on the bed during the day. Dragging him into the blanket was easier than undressing him.

Instead, Claire turned her head and rubbed her forehead against him.

The more she did that, the harder his muscles became, so to ease him, she tapped his thigh again.

“Claire.”

Erich pushed her head away with a sharp motion. She couldn’t help but laugh.

“You’ve grown up a lot.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ten years ago, you would have gotten angry if I even said the word ‘menstruation’.”

“… I was just advising you that a young lady shouldn’t be saying things like that to a man.”

“It’s not like I did something embarrassing. It’s just a natural bodily function, so what’s there to hide?”

“…”

“And did I say that because I wanted to? You were the one poking at me all day saying I shouldn’t just lie on the sofa pretending to be sick without telling you what hurt.”

“…”

“I guess it’s okay to say it now.”

As if to silence her, another piece of chocolate was gently pushed into her mouth. And then one more right after.

How long does it take to eat these?

“Now it’s fine for you to say.”

Erich said softly after a while. Claire rolled over and looked up at him again.

“Hmm?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Erich glared at her.

But unfortunately, the stern look that worked on others never affected Claire, and now, even trying to deceive her rarely worked.

“Hmmm?”

“Well, you certainly weren’t thinking much. Saying things like ‘menstruation’ to a man who isn’t even your husband…”

“Well, what could I do? I’m from the past, so I have to endure.”

Erich shot her a look as if to ask what she meant.

Claire calmly avoided his gaze and turned her body again, this time burying her face in his abs.

It didn’t really matter what she said. The main point was that she had chocolates, a warm water bottle, and a soft body pillow that turned firm when touched.

And, of course, the fact that she wasn’t going to work.

“Claire.”

Erich sighed and called her name. Claire rolled around on the bed indifferently.

A little while later, the butler entered holding a silver tray with a stack of letters.

Erich gestured for him to leave it where he could reach and then gently stroked Claire’s forehead. He pulled the pile of letters toward him.

Claire heard the sound of the envelope being turned over, and slowly opened her eyes again.

“Just sleep. I’ll wake you up if there’s any news.”

“Read my letter to me.”

“Now you’re really confident.”

“You were the one who wanted to read my letters.”

“I didn’t mean I’d read it like fairy tales.”

Even as he said this, Erich casually tore open the letter that had arrived for Claire.

“It seems there’s news from County Krozik. It looks like an agreement was made with Marquisate Ludendorff regarding the 15% share in the Gagern mine.”

“Hmm.”

“Are you going to invest more?”

“Of course. Since I opened the tunnel, I need to ensure that at least that part of the business continues.”

“If Old Count Crozik manages it directly, it should be handled well without causing a loss.”

Erich tore open the second letter.

“From the Ernst branch of the Weaving Guild. It says that Marquisate Ludendorff has gathered the outstanding debts from the fabric and tailor shops, and consolidated them into one bond, extending the payment deadline.”

“Hmm. Does it have the name of the person responsible on the envelope?”

“It came under the representative’s name, but inside the branch, there should be a record of who’s handling it.”

“Please make a note on the envelope to check later.”

“Are you planning to use me as your secretary now?”

Erich looked at her with narrowed eyes. Claire responded, keeping her eyes closed.

“Well, having a competent and handsome male secretary was one of my dreams.”

“….”

“I’m a bit disappointed. I thought you’d be some crazed extremist with a mustache.”

“Mustache?”

Erich asked, but Claire didn’t seem inclined to clear up his curiosity.

“I don’t doubt your judgment, but when you said the Empress was a skilled politician, I was a little confused. But if it’s all just a means to an end, then I suppose you could say she’s skilled at getting the results she wants.”

Divide and rule.

The old adage is generally quite valid.

It’s an era where voting rights are based on wealth. The areas with the most voters were the capital and its surroundings, followed by the cities in the northern Rommel region, which had developed industrially.

Considering that the capital itself, Rothenburg, had long been the capital of Rommel, practically, the overwhelming majority of those with voting rights were Rommel citizens.

As political power shifted from the monarchy to the cabinet, the fastest way to gain power was to win over the Rommel citizens.

So, the argument that Rommel citizens are superior must have been quite useful.

“Well, now we have Sir Hermann.”