diff --git a/src/etl/LoadBalancer.cpp b/src/etl/LoadBalancer.cpp
index f16c5b98..213f7ffa 100644
--- a/src/etl/LoadBalancer.cpp
+++ b/src/etl/LoadBalancer.cpp
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ LoadBalancer::forwardToRippled(
     if (response and forwardingCache_ and not response->contains("error"))
         forwardingCache_->put(request, *response);
 
-    return {};
+    return response;
 }
 
 boost::json::value
diff --git a/src/util/config/Config.hpp b/src/util/config/Config.hpp
index 74480954..9521e86d 100644
--- a/src/util/config/Config.hpp
+++ b/src/util/config/Config.hpp
@@ -369,26 +369,23 @@ private:
     {
         using boost::json::value_to;
 
-        auto has_error = false;
-        if constexpr (std::is_same_v<Return, bool>) {
-            if (not value.is_bool())
-                has_error = true;
-        } else if constexpr (std::is_same_v<Return, std::string>) {
-            if (not value.is_string())
-                has_error = true;
-        } else if constexpr (std::is_same_v<Return, double>) {
-            if (not value.is_number())
-                has_error = true;
-        } else if constexpr (std::is_convertible_v<Return, uint64_t> || std::is_convertible_v<Return, int64_t>) {
-            if (not value.is_int64() && not value.is_uint64())
-                has_error = true;
-        }
+        auto error_if = [&key, &value](bool condition) {
+            if (condition) {
+                throw std::runtime_error(
+                    "Type for key '" + key + "' is '" + std::string{to_string(value.kind())} +
+                    "' in JSON but requested '" + impl::typeName<Return>() + "'"
+                );
+            }
+        };
 
-        if (has_error) {
-            throw std::runtime_error(
-                "Type for key '" + key + "' is '" + std::string{to_string(value.kind())} + "' in JSON but requested '" +
-                impl::typeName<Return>() + "'"
-            );
+        if constexpr (std::is_same_v<Return, bool>) {
+            error_if(not value.is_bool());
+        } else if constexpr (std::is_same_v<Return, std::string>) {
+            error_if(not value.is_string());
+        } else if constexpr (std::is_same_v<Return, double> or std::is_same_v<Return, float>) {
+            error_if(not value.is_number());
+        } else if constexpr (std::is_convertible_v<Return, uint64_t> || std::is_convertible_v<Return, int64_t>) {
+            error_if(not value.is_int64() && not value.is_uint64());
         }
 
         return value_to<Return>(value);
diff --git a/src/util/config/impl/Helpers.hpp b/src/util/config/impl/Helpers.hpp
index 0987578e..19cc2140 100644
--- a/src/util/config/impl/Helpers.hpp
+++ b/src/util/config/impl/Helpers.hpp
@@ -159,4 +159,11 @@ typeName<double>()
     return "double";
 }
 
+template <>
+constexpr char const*
+typeName<float>()
+{
+    return "float";
+}
+
 };  // namespace util::impl
diff --git a/unittests/ConfigTests.cpp b/unittests/ConfigTests.cpp
index 7189a995..acc16b31 100644
--- a/unittests/ConfigTests.cpp
+++ b/unittests/ConfigTests.cpp
@@ -53,7 +53,9 @@ constexpr static auto JSONData = R"JSON(
             "test": {
                 "str": "hello",
                 "int": 9042,
-                "bool": true
+                "bool": true,
+                "double": 3.14,
+                "float": 42.0
             }
         },
         "top": 420
@@ -107,6 +109,10 @@ TEST_F(ConfigTest, Access)
     ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr<string>("section.test.str", "fallback"), "hello");
     ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr<string>("section.test.nonexistent", "fallback"), "fallback");
     ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr("section.test.bool", false), true);
+    ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr("section.test.double", 0.42), 3.14);
+    ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr<float>("section.test.double", 0.42f), 3.14f);
+    ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr("section.test.float", 0.42f), 42.0f);
+    ASSERT_EQ(cfg.valueOr<double>("section.test.float", 0.42), 42.0);
 
     ASSERT_ANY_THROW((void)cfg.valueOr("section.test.bool", 1234));  // wrong type requested
 }