Reincarned with a deities Harem (Tome 1)

Embarrassment

He turned to their father, who still wasn't looking at them, his nose buried in his papers, and Edward wondered if this man had ever loved them, so cold and indifferent was he toward them.

For as long as he could remember, their father had always acted towards them as if everything bored him, as if being in their presence was the most horrible thing that could happen to him.

At one point, he had believed—wrongly—that their father would love them and finally recognize their worth if they earned titles and honors, but that would require impressing a man whose skills were vaunted even beyond Garten.

It was so frustrating to live in the shadow of such a man; even at the academy, the other students mocked them, calling them worthless and a disgrace to their father.

They would have at least liked to see the pride in their father's eyes just once when the Duke of Venstein came to congratulate them, but that witch Mylène had to come and fuck all their hopes;  and now they had to start from scratch.

"Fine, I'm listening."

His father's cold, monotonous voice brought him back to reality, and he could see that his father was already losing patience, and unfortunately for him, Karl had been frozen to the spot, not a single word coming out of his mouth from the start.

It was frankly humiliating.

Edward decided to take matters into his own hands because Karl seemed terrified and spoke up.

“Father, there's an SS-rank mission we've accepted because our domain is also affected by this event.”

“What event is it?”

“Well, it seems there's a wild beast attacking and killing people in the city, and we have to get rid of it. There have already been several deaths in four days, and the strangest thing is that it just decapitates them without touching a single piece of their flesh.”

“Yes, Father, you'd think it was a carnivore, but it doesn't eat its victims, which is strange,” added Karl, who had just regained his courage.

Azef and his brothers looked at each other, which I noticed, even though I wasn't the only one doing it, because Claude did it too, and from their expressions, he already knew who it was.

“I see… And you're sure you can do something about it? If I were you, I'd refuse, especially since you don't even know what you're going to face.”

Karl and Edward were red with embarrassment. Their father had underestimated them once again, even if this time there was clearly a note of insult.
He was telling them there was nothing they could do against this unknown beast. It wasn't out of concern, but rather that he was looking down on them, despising them as if they were worthless.

“Father, we must hunt this thing down. We don't know if it's an animal from this cursed forest of nightmares. Imagine if it's a werewolf or a gorgon; I don't know, Father. We must protect our subjects as lords; it's our role. Father, what's happening in the city could be a prelude to many disasters. We've been lulled since our early childhood by stories about the monsters and sacred beasts that live in this forest, and we know how underestimating the problem will only make it worse.”

Edward had argued, hurt by their father's lack of support; he could try to show them an ounce of sympathy as his sons. Instead of encouraging them like a normal father, he was demonstrating a vice toward them that made them very sad.

“I see. So I'll put it this way. Karl, I received your scores from the academy, and you're not even ranked as an E-rank knight. Your swordsmanship is mediocre, strategy isn't your strong suit, and worse, you struggle to combine any technique with your movements, yet that's the foundation of all knightly training. There's no finesse in swordsmanship, all strength without a plan of attack; you're incapable of combining that strength of yours with any technique.”

Claude paused, now looking at Edward before speaking.  “As for you, Edward, you barely have the skills to advance to D-rank, so you're also E-rank. You're pathetic with a sword—those are the words of your instructors, I'm only reading them from your scores note; although from the little I've seen of your training sessions, I can assure you they're absolutely right. The only area you barely pass is military strategy, which makes you an average strategist. You don't have enough stamina, your combat stamina doesn't allow you to go on simple D-rank missions because your physical abilities are poor.
If you continue like this after graduating from the academy, you won't be eligible for any service other than retracting yourselves as Hosten's sons, because the only place you'll be stationed will be at the gates of the kingdom as smugglers. So, it's a good thing you're nobles, but even so, you could be if even our vassals find you incapable of succeeding me. My dear sons, how can you possibly fight an animal from the Nightmare Forest—especially if it turns out to be a werewolf with its regenerative abilities, strength, and speed? I wonder how many men you'll lose if you go there, and especially if you yourself won't be among the victims... I cannot allow my knights to embark on such a suicide mission."

I giggled, attracting my brothers' attention as Karl, tears in his eyes, threw daggers at me.
He could see I was trying to hold back my laughter but it was impossible—although, of course, I wasn't trying.

It was humiliating. Karl and Edward had never felt so ashamed, even though these words were part of their daily routine at the academy. But when their father said them, it hurt so much more.

It was awful to hear, and they couldn't imagine why they were being so vilified.

“Father... that's... SNIFF.”

For the first time, I felt a little compassion for one of my brothers. Edward had no longer held back and started to cry in front of Claude, who had stopped, a feeling of guilt assailing him.

He stood up, walked over to his sons before placing his hands on their shoulders.

“I just don't want you to die.”

Karl and Edward, who had never truly heard such gentleness in their father's voice, were touched by his words, and Edward quickly wiped his eyes.

“Leave it to me! Your time hasn't come yet, you still need to train, that's all.”

The two simply nodded and excused themselves before leaving the room. Claude turned and looked at Fancy. He needed to talk to the sacred beasts, but the girl's presence was somewhat awkward.

I understood this and decided to help him a little.

“My little Fancy, have you chosen a new maid for me?”

“No, my lady, I don't want anyone else to serve you, so I'll combine both positions. I hope you don't mind.”

“Not at all, I was hoping you'd think that way. I don't want a stranger around me.”

“Thank you, my lady... I have a lot to do, I'll have to go.”

“Thank you, Fancy, I'll see you later.”

Fancy bowed politely before leaving the room.