MTDL 36

Chapter 36

“……What is it that you want?”

Duke Machert, who had come out of the Emperor’s safety, asked me with a stiff expression.

When Parmes said he would grant me a wish, I had told him this.

“Please lift Lariel’s ban from entering the Imperial Palace.”

Ever since hearing those words, Machert had clearly been thinking.

There had to be a reason why I had made such a ridiculous wish.

“What I want is, Duke Machert’s…….”

I looked up at Duke Machert with my innocent green eyes and continued.

“Debt of gratitude.”

At those words, Machert’s brows stiffened.

“……!”

He probably hadn’t expected those words to come out of my mouth.

Looking at Machert’s hardened expression, I continued.

“I heard that the reason the Machert Ducal Family wasn’t purged even though they supported the Second Prince instead of His Majesty is because of the principles upheld by the Dukes of Machert throughout the generations.”

Machert’s eyes wavered in confusion.

“…….”

It would have been easier if I had acted like an ordinary child and asked for money, jewels, or something else from the Machert Ducal Family.

He could simply give me those things.

But that wasn’t what I wanted.

“Machert always returns exactly what they receive.”

“……!”

“That’s the principle your ducal family has upheld for a long time. You received a favor from His Highness the Second Prince, but you repaid that debt with sufficient material support. That’s why, when His Majesty rebelled, you didn’t continue helping His Highness the Second Prince.”

Duke Machert’s brows twitched once again.

“On the other hand, you owe His Majesty a debt. Such as what happened when you met your wife.”

“How did you……!”

There had been a special incident involving Parmes surrounding Duke Machert’s meeting with his wife.

Although it was an openly known fact among the nobles, he clearly couldn’t have imagined such insight coming from an eleven-year-old little girl.

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

“Am I wrong?”

Duke Machert stared at me with a sharp gaze for a long while.

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

Then he scolded me as if lecturing a child.

“Do you think I’ll be grateful to you? I know that the reason Lariel had to go through such things was ultimately because you two didn’t get along.”

There was one thing I needed to make absolutely clear here.

“But if I hadn’t made that wish, Lariel’s ban from entering the Imperial Palace wouldn’t have been lifted, would it?”

At my words, Duke Machert’s hand twitched.

I struck the nail on the head once more.

“I could have used my wish for something else for myself, but I used it for you, Duke.”

“…….”

I could almost see what Duke Machert was thinking.

‘Just what is this little brat……?’

His eyes were filled with a mixture of confusion and shock.

“So today, Duke, you became indebted to me.”

I drove the point home, and Duke Machert looked at me with a serious expression.

Only after a long while did he finally speak.

“When Lady Allens said she had chosen you, I thought she had lost her mind despite her young age…….”

His voice was slightly hoarse, as if he had resigned himself to the situation.

“……But it seems her eyes are still as accurate as ever. Damn it.”

His gaze was still filled with irritation, but Duke Machert’s momentum had weakened considerably. He no longer looked like he was about to point a finger at me and berate me.

He looked down at me with a crumpled expression before speaking again.

“Fine. You’re right. You have made a debt to be owed by me, Locke Machert, today.”

Success!

I inwardly cheered.

Back at the ballroom, when Parmes had looked at me as if asking what punishment he should give Lariel, I had only had a vague plan.

But I had succeeded in getting the most difficult of the four chancellors, Machert, on my side!

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

Duke Machert spoke with his brows furrowed.

His calculations were precise.

Just as he had given the Second Prince exactly as much help as he had received, before ruthlessly cutting ties with him.

I smiled brightly and answered.

“Yes. I don’t expect anything more than what I gave you, either.”

At my words, the corner of Duke Machert’s eye twitched again.

His lips parted.

“Maila gave birth to a sly little fox.”

He clearly didn’t like the situation.

Then he brushed off his collar as if something filthy had gotten on it.

And with that, he abruptly turned around and began walking away.

By the time Duke Machert’s back disappeared from sight, droplets of rain began falling from the sky.

‘I should go home now, too.’

The coachman should be waiting in front of the Imperial Palace.

“…….”

But suddenly, the sky grew dark, and the rain began pouring heavily.

Of course, I hadn’t brought an umbrella, and I had wandered quite far toward the edge of the garden while talking to Duke Machert.

‘I should get out of the rain first.’

I hurried toward the Imperial Palace building.

By now, Parmes should have returned to his office.

Splash— Splash—

Every time my little feet stepped into puddles filled with rainwater, water splashed everywhere.

Ugh, my clothes are going to get covered in mud.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

I finally reached the shelter beneath a roof.

Then I breathed heavily.

The timing really couldn’t have been worse.

“…….”

From far away, I heard the sound of a carriage departing.

Duke Machert was probably inside.

‘The Machert young lady will be hearing good news today.’

Even if the ban from entering the Imperial Palace was lifted, however, it was already widely known that she had committed the crime of insulting the Imperial Family before Parmes. There was no choice but to place restrictions on her behavior going forward.

‘Still, considering what she gained, it isn’t too bad.’

“Oh my, Lady Maila!”

I was thinking for a moment while watching the heavy rain when someone called out to me from behind.

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

When I looked at her uncertainly, she introduced herself.

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

“Ah……!”

Only then did I remember the face of the maid who had diligently peeled beetroot skins according to my request.

“But, my lady, why are your clothes so wet? Goodness, you’re completely soaked! Did you get caught in the rain?”

Only after hearing the maid’s words did I look down at my clothes.

The sky-blue dress, which had only a small amount of lace, was completely soaked and had almost turned blue.

The sleeves were damp, too…… and the hem was a mess from the muddy water splashing onto it.

“Oh my, you’ll catch a cold. Please, come with me. I’ll help you change your clothes.”

The kind maid hurriedly led me away.

I was about to say, It’s all right. I’ll just go home.

But I felt a chill running through my body.

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

“Are you really sure this is all right?”

“Yes. It’s nice and dry.”

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

The maids spoke with troubled expressions.

“It’s fine! The maid’s uniform is more than enough!”

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

“No. If you do that, it’ll get too late. And it seems like the rain is getting heavier, too…….”

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

“I’ll just go like this.”

Besides, there were only two members of the Imperial Family residing in the Imperial Palace: Parmes, the Emperor, and Britton, the Crown Prince.

Even if there were dresses left in the Imperial Palace, with no female members of the Imperial Family currently living there…… I had a feeling they would belong to someone who had been purged, so I stopped them.

The maids wore white one-piece dresses with black aprons, but I wore only the dress without the apron.

But this…… is really huge…….

As an eleven-year-old wearing an adult-sized dress, the hem of the skirt reached all the way to my feet.

Still, it wasn’t difficult to move in, and the dress was actually quite thick, so I didn’t think I would be cold.

I was only wearing it on my way home, so what did it matter?

“Just a moment, my lady.”

One of the maids, who still looked worried that I was wearing their clothes despite them being beneath my station, brought over a golden cord, wrapped it around my waist, and tied it into a ribbon.

“But…… she’s so cute…….”

“She’s incredibly cute…….”

“Is it really okay to be this cute……?”

The maids’ cheeks flushed as they finally voiced the thoughts they had been holding back.

I probably did look pretty cute, like a child who had stolen her mother’s clothes and put them on.

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

I intended to leave the Imperial Palace before it grew any darker.

I pulled myself away from the maids fussing over how cute I was and hurried toward where my carriage was waiting.

The clothes were too big for me, but they had clearly been well maintained, making them warm and comfortable.

Tap, tap.

After walking briskly and turning around a corner, I suddenly saw a flash of light and closed my eyes.

Then came the sound of thunder.

Rumble—

Scary!

Was there going to be lightning and thunder, too?!

But when I raised my head, I could no longer move my feet.

Because my eyes met those of someone leaning against the window frame and polishing a sword.

Whoosh—

Heavy rain poured down behind the window, and in the dim hallway, the man who had been looking outside turned his gaze toward me.

Lightning flashed again. In the brilliant light, his silver hair took on a faint yellow hue, while his bright red eyes, which had briefly become more vivid, sank back into darkness in an instant.

His eyes, filled with complicated emotions—sorrow, longing, and something like madness—instinctively made the person looking at him feel afraid.

Rumble—

With the continuing thunder, my body stiffened in surprise, and my hand instinctively rose to my chest.

The golden cord the maid had tied around my waist scratched lightly against my hand.

For an instant, his voice reached me.

“Haizen…….”

Why…… are his eyes unfocused?

Crash— Boom—

At that moment, I remembered that the clothes I was wearing looked exactly like the clothes my father had worn as a Great Spirit Mage.

A loose white one-piece dress with a golden sash…….

And once again, a passage from the novel resurfaced like a nightmare.

Parmes had completely lost his mind and danced with a sword simply because Amelia had worn my father’s clothes.