Marked as the Tyrant's Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 36

***

“……What is it that you wish for?”

Matzert, who had just come out of the emperor’s chamber, asked me with a stern face.

In response to Parmes’ offer to grant a wish, I had said this:

“Please lift the ban on Lariel’s entry to the imperial palace.”

Since hearing those words, Matzert must have been thinking:

There must be a reason why she made such an outrageous wish.

“What I want is Your Grace Duke Matzert’s……”

I continued, looking up at Duke Matzert with clear green eyes.

“Debt of gratitude.”

At those words, Matzert’s eyebrows stiffened.

“……!”

He wouldn’t have expected such words to come out of my mouth.

Looking at Matzert’s rigid expression, I continued.

“I heard that the reason the Matzert ducal family wasn’t purged despite supporting the Second Prince instead of His Majesty is because of the principle that the Matzert dukes have maintained for generations.”

Matzert’s eyes wavered as if flustered.

“……”

It would have been easier if I had asked for money or jewels like a child, or asked for something else from the Matzert ducal family.

Because those things could be given away easily.

But I didn’t wish for such things.

“Matzert returns exactly what they receive.”

“……!”

“It’s the principle that the ducal family has maintained for a long time. Your Grace received favors from His Highness the Second Prince, but you repaid that debt with sufficient material support. That’s why you didn’t help His Highness the Second Prince further when His Majesty rebelled.”

Duke Matzert’s eyebrows twitched once again.

“On the other hand, you owe a debt to His Majesty the Emperor. Like the incident when you met your wife.”

“How did you…!”

There was a special incident involving Parmes in the meeting between Duke Matzert and his wife.

Although it was a well-known fact among the nobles, his face showed that he couldn’t have imagined such insight coming from the mouth of a tiny eleven-year-old child.

If Adam hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known, but I had prepared quite diligently for today.

“Am I wrong?”

Duke Matzert stared at me with a strong gaze for a long time, as if glaring.

“But there’s something you haven’t considered!”

Then he scolded me as if lecturing.

“Do you think I would be grateful to you? Knowing that Lariel ended up in this situation because she wasn’t on good terms with you in the first place.”

There’s something I need to make clear here.

“But if I hadn’t made that wish, the ban on Lariel’s entry to the imperial palace wouldn’t have been lifted, right?”

At my words, Duke Matzert’s hand twitched.

I hit the nail on the head once again.

“I could have made a different wish for myself, but I used that wish for Your Grace’s sake.”

“……”

I think I can see what Duke Matzert is thinking.

‘What on earth is this little brat……?’

A gaze mixed with bewilderment and shock.

“So today, Your Grace has incurred a debt of gratitude to me.”

I delivered my words with finality, like hammering in a nail, and Duke Matzert looked at me with a serious expression.

And only after a long while did he open his mouth.

“When Lady Alens said she had chosen you, I thought she had gone senile at a young age……”

“His voice came out hoarse, tinged with resignation.

“……I guess her eyes are still accurate. Damn it.”

Although his gaze still seemed resentful, Duke Matzert’s momentum had been broken, and it didn’t seem like he would point his finger at me and scold me right away.

He looked down at me with a crumpled face and opened his mouth again.

“Fine. You’re right. You’ve made Rockwood Matzert indebted to you today.”

I did it! I inwardly rejoiced.

When Parmes gave me a look in the ballroom as if asking what punishment to give Lariel, I only had a vague plan.

But I’ve succeeded in conquering Matzert, who would be the most difficult of the four ministers!

“But only once. And I won’t help more than what I’ve received.”

Duke Matzert said with furrowed brows.

His calculation was accurate.

Enough to have helped the Second Prince only as much as he had received and cut ties mercilessly.

I smiled brightly and replied.

“Yes. I don’t expect more than what I’ve given either.”

At my words, Duke Matzert’s eyes twitched again.

His lips parted.

“The Mylar family has given birth to a cunning fox.”

His expression was utterly displeased.

Soon, he brushed off his collar as if something dirty had gotten on it.

Then he turned around abruptly and started walking away.

***

Just as Duke Matzert’s back was disappearing, droplets of water started falling from the sky with a pitter-patter.

‘Now I should go home too.’

The coachman should be waiting in front of the imperial palace.

“……”

But suddenly the sky darkened, and the raindrops intensified.

Of course, I wasn’t carrying an umbrella, and I had come quite far to the edge of the garden while talking with Duke Matzert.

‘I should find shelter from the rain first.’

I ran towards the imperial palace building with small steps.

By now, Parmes would have returned to his office.

Splash- Splash-

Every time my small feet sank into puddles of rainwater, water splashed.

Ugh, my clothes will get all dirty with muddy water.

“Oh my, this is tough.”

I finally arrived at a building with a roof.

And let out a heavy breath.

The timing is bad too.

“……”

I heard the sound of a carriage departing in the distance.

It’s probably carrying Duke Matzert.

‘Today, the Matzert duchess will hear good news.’

However, even with the ban on entering the imperial palace lifted, it’s already common knowledge that she committed the offense of insulting Parmes and the imperial family. As a result, her actions will undoubtedly face restrictions from this point forward.

‘To that extent, it’s not bad compared to what she’s gained.’

“Oh my, Miss Mylar!”

As I was thinking for a moment, watching the heavy raindrops, someone called me from behind.

When I turned around, there was a maid standing there who looked somewhat familiar.

Seeing my uncertain gaze, she introduced herself.

“Ah, I’m… the maid who was in the kitchen at the ballroom.”

“Ah……!”

Now her face overlapped with the one who had been diligently peeling sugar beet skins at my request.

“But Miss, why are your clothes so wet? Oh my, you’re soaked through! Did you get caught in the rain?”

At the maid’s words, I looked down at my clothes.

The light blue dress with little lace had become completely wet, turning almost blue.

The sleeves were damp too… and the hem was a mess with splashed muddy water.

“Oh dear, you’ll catch a cold. Please follow me quickly. I’ll help you change clothes.”

The kind maid hurriedly guided me.

I was about to say, “It’s okay, I’ll just go home,” but I felt a chill in my body.

Thinking that I might catch a cold like Briton if I went like this, I decided to follow the maid’s words.

***

“Are you really okay with this?”

“Yes, it’s nice and fluffy.”

“You look cute, but for a noble young lady to wear a maid’s uniform…”

The maids said with troubled faces.

“It’s fine! A maid’s uniform is enough!”

“I’ll go upstairs and bring a nice dress. If you could just wait a little…”

“No, it’s okay. It would take too long then. And the rain seems to be getting heavier…”

There was no way the maids’ room would have any proper dresses.

“I’ll just go like this.”

And there are only two members of the imperial family residing in the palace: Emperor Parmes and Crown Prince Briton.

Even if there were any dresses left in the palace, with no female imperial family members now… I had a feeling they would be dresses of someone who had been purged, so I dissuaded them.

The maids wore a white dress with a black apron as their uniform, but I wore only the dress without the apron.

But this… is really big…

When I, an eleven-year-old, put on an adult dress, the hem of the skirt reached my feet.

Still, it’s not difficult to move, and it’s quite thick so I don’t think I’ll be cold.

It’s just for wearing briefly on the way home, so what does it matter.

“Just a moment, Miss.”

One of the maids who had been looking worried about me wearing their unsuitable clothes brought a golden ribbon and tied it around my waist in a bow.

“But… so cute…”

“She’s too cute…”

“How can she be this cute…?”

The maids’ cheeks were flushed as they expressed thoughts they had been holding back.

Well, I must look quite cute, like a child who has stolen her mother’s clothes.

“Anyway, I have to go now. I’ll return the clothes next time!”

I was planning to leave the palace before it got darker.

I shook off the maids who were making a fuss about how cute I was and trotted to where my carriage should be waiting.

Although the clothes were big for my body, they were cozy and felt good, probably because they were well-maintained.

Tap tap.

When I turned the corner while walking diligently, I suddenly closed my eyes at the sight of a flash of light.

And then came the sound of thunder.

Boom-

How scary!

It’s even thundering and lightning?!

But when I raised my head, I couldn’t move my feet any further.

Because I made eye contact with someone leaning against the window frame, polishing a sword.

Whoosh-

Heavy raindrops were pouring behind the window, and in the dim corridor, a man who had been looking out the window was now looking at me.

Lightning flashed again. In the flashing light, silver hair took on a pale yellow hue, and the red eyes that had brightened for a moment sank back into darkness in an instant.

Two eyes mixed with complex emotions like sadness, longing, and madness, instinctively made the viewer afraid.

Boom-

With the following thunder, my body stiffened involuntarily, and my hand unconsciously rose to my chest.

The golden ribbon that the maid had tied around my waist brushed roughly against my hand.

At that moment, his voice was heard.

“Heisen……”

Why… are his eyes unfocused?

Rumble crash-

At that moment, I realized that the clothes I was wearing looked exactly like the Elementalist’s clothes that Dad had worn.

A loose white dress with a golden sash…

And then, like a nightmare, a passage from the novel came back to me.

Parmes, who went mad and danced with a sword just because Amelia wore my Dad’s clothes.