Hello, Readers! I am celebrating my birthday with extra chapter updates, so please enjoy this special chapter release of 4 bonus chapters! 🥳

(Lurelia’s Birthday Bonus – Update 1/4 🎉)

♡ To all readers who purchased these chapters before my Birthday: I can’t express this enough – Thank you for your support. (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

“What do you mean you have something to say…! Do you think our family is easy to trifle with?”

“…Follow me, Arinel.”

But at Duke Matzert’s words, who simply ignored his daughter’s words with furrowed brows, Lariel’s eyes widened.

“Father!”

And Lariel immediately raised her voice.

“You’re going to talk with Arinel Mylar?”

She was looking at Duke Matzert with eyes that seemed unable to comprehend the situation.

Duke Matzert frowned and instructed Lariel.

“Arinel came to see me today. I have matters to discuss with her, so you should focus on your etiquette studies in your room.”

“But…”

“Hush. Don’t cause a commotion.”

As Duke Matzert sternly rebuked her with an even deeper frown, Lariel stared at me for a long while with trembling eyes before biting her lip.

Her gaze was mixed with confusion and shock.

“…Why on earth…”

I gave Lariel a slight smile before following Duke Matzert up to his study.

I could feel Lariel’s gaze on the back of my head for a very long time.

Upon reaching the study, Duke Matzert sat down across from me with a rather displeased expression.

The maids brought tea and poured it into my cup.

“Well. Judging by your expression… you have a favor to ask of me.”

Duke Matzert spoke with an unwilling face.

“Considering what I heard this morning about yesterday’s events, it must be related to the great famine you’re claiming.”

Though he hadn’t attended my birthday party, he must have heard about yesterday’s events through other nobles.

Moreover, the news about the great famine had been published in the newspapers.

I nodded and smiled slightly.

It would be better to get straight to the point.

“Your Grace needs to open the trade route with the Elvis Kingdom.”

At my words, Duke Matzert’s eyebrows shot up.

His face showed he hadn’t expected me to bring this up at all.

“But Elvis is…!”

“The Duchess Matzert was a princess from Elvis, wasn’t she? The protagonist of the century’s greatest love story… Your Grace.”

I saw him flinch at my words.

***

15 years ago, when Parmes was the Fourth Prince, the King of Elvis sent his daughter Ivia to be Emperor Albreon’s second wife.

This was a promised arrangement from long ago before magic stone mines were discovered in Albreon, when they made a magic stone trade agreement with Elvis.

It wasn’t uncommon for countries to form blood ties while engaging in economic trade.

The first person to receive Ivia after her long journey was Rodkeeper Matzert, the son of the previous Duke Matzert, who was then the Minister of Foreign Affairs but was unable to move due to his age-related illness.

The current Duke Matzert, that is.

At that time, he was eighteen and Ivia was twenty.

And after about three days of the two exchanging passionate glances, an unprecedented incident occurred – Rodkeeper and Ivia suddenly disappeared.

Both Albreon and Elvis were turned upside down.

Stealing a woman who was sent to the Emperor was tantamount to harboring treasonous thoughts.

But fortunately for House Matzert, the Emperor laughed it off.

In truth, the Emperor at that time had no desire to take the Elvis Kingdom’s princess as his second wife.

He already had other lovers, and if he took the princess of Elvis as his second wife, he would have had to treat Elvis, a minor kingdom of little use, as an in-law nation.

Previously, they had made such a promise because they needed Elvis’s magic stones, but after magic stone mines were discovered in Albreon, Elvis’s magic stones were no longer necessary.

In this situation, the Foreign Minister’s son disappearing with the princess was actually a welcome event for the Emperor.

The then-Duke Matzert, despite his illness, came to earnestly apologize to the Emperor for his son’s wrongdoing, and the Emperor ordered their marriage instead of punishing the duke’s son for eloping with the princess.

That was the story of Duke and Duchess Matzert’s marriage.

Of course, the King of Elvis was furious.

For a princess who should have become the Empress of the great nation Albreon and helped Elvis to marry merely the son of a Foreign Minister – it was unacceptable.

The King of Elvis demanded severe punishment for the couple and the return of the princess from the Albreon Empire, but the Emperor refused.

Thanks to Matzert, he had avoided an unwanted marriage with the Elvis princess, and House Matzert was one of his most trusted families.

Albreon’s response was that the Elvis princess was now a married woman, and as Matzert was one of Albreon’s four most powerful families, they could not return her.

The King of Elvis was greatly angered and cut off trade with Albreon.

And declared eternal severance of relations.

During this process, the couple nearly died from assassins sent by the King of Elvis, and it was by chance that Parmes killed the assassins and saved their lives – this is the debt Duke Matzert owes to the current Emperor Parmes.

That was the hushed-up incident from 15 years ago.

“Did you come to see me knowing even that? Just who are you…”

Duke Matzert looked at me with disgruntled eyes and moved his lips.

“…I cannot fathom what’s inside your head.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“The King of Elvis who hated the Duchess is dead. And the Duchess’s brother, born from the same mother, has become the King of Elvis.”

“….”

If the King of Elvis hadn’t died, trade with them would still be difficult.

“But she doesn’t communicate with her brother who became king. She couldn’t even attend her father’s funeral.”

“It’s time to take steps toward a new relationship. That’s why I came to see you, Your Grace.”

I spoke confidently while clenching my small fist.

Unlike the monogamous Albreon Empire, Elvis practices polygamy where one king has many consorts.

At that time, Princess Ivia’s mother was the king’s second consort, and the king who ascended to the throne two years ago was also born from the second consort.

Children from the same mother would have formed their own brotherhood against their half-siblings.

“….”

“In Elvis, ‘Matzert’ is still used as a terrible insult, meaning someone who stole their princess. I understand why you don’t want to contact them again. After all, you didn’t obtain the Duchess through proper means.”

In Elvis, when children’s fights get heated, they attack each other saying ‘you Matzert-like bastard.’

There have even been people taken to court for defamation after cursing others as ‘Matzert’ when accusing them of overcharging at the market.

“Ahem!!”

“But Your Grace, you are this country’s only Foreign Minister. When the country faces difficulties, and there’s a very suitable country for livestock feed and materials supply, staying inactive because of past events… It goes against House Matzert’s principle of returning what is received. You should consider the grace shown by the late Emperor and the current Emperor.”

Flinch, his eyebrows moved once again.

He stood up from his seat and slowly crossed his arms while looking down at me.

He seemed to realize that I was now demanding payment for having lifted Lariel’s palace entry ban.

‘That was for today, heheh.’

Soon he opened his lips with an irritated expression.

“This is why I hate the Mylars. Whether big or small… I detest them.”

It was inappropriate language to use with a young girl his daughter’s age, but he wasn’t the type of man to mind such manners.

And I didn’t care about his attitude either.

“If you hadn’t helped me before, I wouldn’t have listened to your smooth talk.”

He twisted his mouth as if chewing gum while speaking.

Inwardly, I threw my arms up and shouted ‘Yahoo!’

While in Elvis they use ‘Matzert’ to mean con artist or thief, the Duke Matzert I’ve experienced is twisted and quite prickly, but not vile.

He’s passionate about things he truly cares about.

He turned his head sharply and went to his desk.

The Elvis Kingdom has a vast territory with a mild climate year-round. They have plenty of pasture for animals and sturdy timber that’s hard to obtain during famines.

“Now get out.”

Having repaid his previous debt, Matzert wouldn’t even meet my eyes anymore.

Though his face showed extreme displeasure, he will definitely do what he agreed to.

I got up with a slight smile and gave Duke Matzert a proper curtsy.

It’s hard to imagine how this ill-tempered old man was swept up in such a passionate love with the Duchess 15 years ago that they even eloped…

Pfft, I couldn’t help but laugh.

I opened the door and left his study.

One major plan, was completed.