Chapter 3 (Part 7)

“Earl Loengrin.”

“Yes, Duke.”

“I will take the utmost revenge on those who speak ill of Lady Yuliana. I am confident I can do that.”

“I just don’t want my Lia to get hurt.”

Matthias spoke earnestly to Anthus.

“Since the breakup, Lia hasn’t shown it, but she has been deeply hurt. Can you win the heart of such a wounded girl? I acknowledge your wealth, power, and authority. But none of that is necessary to win someone’s heart.”

Anthus listened quietly and nodded seriously.

“I will not use my power, authority, or wealth to win her heart. I will use them only to protect the one I love.”

Anthus looked directly at Matthias and spoke earnestly.

“I will take my time and make every effort to win her heart. I would appreciate it if you could recognize my efforts and sincerity, even a little. Earl Loengrin.”

“You are sincere.”

“I have always been sincere.”

Cloud left to catch up on his backlog of work. Anthus followed Matthias.

“May I visit Earl Loengrin’s residence today? I left something in the guest room last time.”

“I’ll have someone find it and send it to you.”

“The cleaning staff probably didn’t find it. It’s a very small item, so it’s hard to find. I need to visit and look for it myself.”

“Lia is not at home.”

“I am only going to the Earl’s residence to find my item. It’s very important…”

“Why did you leave such an important item in the room…”

“I took it off because it felt uncomfortable to wear.”

Matthias looked at Anthus, who was clearly lying, and lowered his head. They stood where the carriages were waiting.

“Let’s ride the carriage together, Earl Loengrin.”

“Yes.”

Matthias was growing tired of being wary of Anthus’s actions, not knowing what he was planning. He couldn’t predict what Anthus would do or say.

“Please wait a moment. I need to get something from the Rockbellion carriage.”

“Understood, Duke. I’ll wait in the carriage.”

Matthias clicked his tongue and got into the carriage. After a short while, Anthus boarded the Loengrin carriage.

“Duke, what is that?”

Blonde hair, red eyes. A beautiful appearance more angelic than an angel, but his nickname was the war-crazed devil. He was known for his cruel nature. But…

“What is that cute picnic basket?”

The cute picnic basket decorated with frills and ribbons, which didn’t match Anthus at all, caught Matthias’s attention.

“It’s a snack I made.”

Matthias was shocked. It was unbelievable. A nobleman cooking? It didn’t make sense.

“Did you cook it yourself, Duke?”

“It’s a family tradition of the Rockbellion family.”

“Cooking is a family tradition?”

“Yes, it is.”

Matthias tilted his head in confusion.

“When my mother was pregnant with me, she couldn’t eat because of morning sickness.”

“When women are pregnant, they suffer from morning sickness. Rosaline also suffered greatly from it.”

“So my father started from gathering ingredients and made food with love. My mother’s morning sickness disappeared after eating it.”

“That’s amazing. To gather ingredients and cook himself!”

“My grandfather also cooked for my grandmother. My father remembered that and followed suit.”

Anthus continued with an innocent smile.

“My father taught me that when I get married, I should cook three meals a day and serve my wife with devotion. I agreed with him, so I learned to cook from my father.”

Among Anthus’s words, the phrase ‘serve my wife with devotion’ echoed in Matthias’s mind. The idea of a nobleman cooking was unimaginable, and the thought of him serving his wife with devotion made Matthias snap back to reality. He told himself not to be swayed.

“I am very different from Young Lord Beonar, Earl.”

“Haha. Of course, you’re different from that trash, Duke. But I don’t think you understand the feelings of a father with a daughter. No matter how great a person is, a father never wants to let go of his daughter.”

“And I don’t think you, Earl Loengrin, understands the desperate feelings of a man trying to impress the father of the woman he loves.”

Their gazes clashed. Anthus maintained a poker face with a constant smile. Before long, the carriage arrived at the Loengrin residence.

The coachman knocked, and the door opened. Butler Leijin, who came out to greet them, saw Matthias get off and then noticed Anthus following him, and greeted him.

“Duke, please find your item and leave.”

Matthias turned and walked toward the mansion entrance, bidding farewell to Anthus.

“M-Master?”

Leijin called out to Matthias in surprise. Turning his back on a guest who arrived with him was against etiquette. But from Matthias’s perspective, Anthus was someone who had followed him forcibly. Since he had visited without an appointment, Matthias thought it wouldn’t be a big issue not to entertain him.

Anthus, with a relaxed smile as if expecting Matthias to walk away, casually said,

“Do you like wine made from Rudevian red berries?”

Earl Loengrin stopped in his tracks. No wine enthusiast would be unaware of Rudevian red berry wine.

“It is one of my favorite wines.”

Ludvian Red Berry Wine is one of those rare drinks that is hard to come by. The transparent whale whisker wine that Anthus brought as a gift last time was excellent, but the wine made from Ludvian Red Berries is on another level.

“How about trying the snacks I made with Ludvian Red Berry Wine?”

At his words, Matthias stopped walking and turned to look at Anthus. And he saw it. Anthus taking out a bottle of wine made from Ludvian Red Berries from a cute basket with one hand!

“It’s Ludvian Red Berry Wine, Earl Loengrin.”

“That… Where did you get that!”

Anthus knew that Matthias, a wine lover, had five favorite wines, and one of them was the Ludvian Red Berry Wine in his hand. It’s hard to find and not something money can easily buy.

“There are two bottles.”

“Two bottles!”

Saliva began to pool in the corners of Matthias’s mouth.

Anthus had successfully bid on all the Ludvian Red Berry Wine that came up for auction this time. He also meticulously prepared delicious snacks that paired well with the wine. With such thorough preparation, Anthus was confident he wouldn’t be kicked out of the Earl’s residence.

“Earl, how about discussing the teleportation installation while enjoying a glass of Ludvian Red Berry Wine? If you refuse now… I will have to present this wine to His Majesty the Emperor.”

Anthus showed Matthias the opal-glowing bottle of Ludvian Red Berry Wine with the most amiable smile in the world. Matthias’s eyes wavered intensely upon seeing the wine bottle.

“I wanted to discuss the teleportation installation anyway.”

Matthias cleared his throat and approached Anthus.

“And it doesn’t seem right to send a guest away from the residence just like that.”

With that one sentence, Anthus confidently entered the Earl’s residence, holding the cute picnic basket with the most beautiful smile in the world. Butler Leijin, who had been flustered, sighed in relief and followed them inside.

* * *

Not long after they started drinking, both men quickly became intoxicated. To be precise, only Matthias got drunk. Anthus, having taken the ‘Strawberry Nose No More’ potion beforehand, did not get drunk no matter how much he drank.

“Yuli is not only beautiful. She is kind and gentle.”

“You are absolutely right, Duke. Our Lia has been like that since she was a baby.”

“I am curious about Lia’s childhood. Please tell me about it. And feel free to speak comfortably.”

“How can I speak comfortably to the Duke of the great Sirius Empire’s Rockbellion family!”

“I dislike my position at times like this.”

Anthus slightly lowered his head with a sorrowful look and then looked at Matthias with a face full of longing.

“Duke, have another drink. I’ve noticed since last time that you handle your liquor very well.”

Matthias quickly poured more wine into Anthus’s empty glass, steering the conversation away.

“I do feel a bit tipsy. When I feel like I might get drunk, I stop drinking no matter how much I like the wine.”

At Anthus’s words, Matthias couldn’t help but laugh.

“Hahaha. A true wine lover knows their limits and controls themselves.”

Among those who indulge in alcohol, most who drink beyond their capacity are classified as drunkards. Matthias doesn’t consider such people true wine lovers.

“I enjoy drinking with good company. Like now.”

Seeing Matthias laugh, Anthus continued to pour wine into his glass with a friendly smile.

“Yuli is so radiant, intelligent, beautiful, kind, and just an angel. Earl, how did you bring an angel down from the heavens?”

Matthias’s mood improved as he drank Ludvian Red Berry Wine. Anthus kept praising Yuliana, and the snacks were excellent and delicious.

“Our Rosaline was an angel, so she gave birth to an angel! Hiccup!”

Anthus continued to smile brightly and didn’t stop praising Yuliana. Matthias’s mood kept improving.