She had something very important to ask him. Except for Duke Elgy, she had no one else to entrust this task to.

  “Miss Rashta?”
Duke Elgy raised an eyebrow, as if surprised by Rashta’s visit.

  “I thought you wouldn’t visit me for a while.”
“I’ve come to ask you a favor.”
Hearing this, Duke Elgy asked with a smile without any hint of annoyance,

  “What is it about? Since it is a request from Rashta, I will do whatever it takes to fulfill it.”
Rashta looked at the duke with trembling eyes and opened her mouth with difficulty.

  “Please…… kidnap Alan’s son.”
“You mean your first child?”
“He is not Rashta’s child!”
“.……”
“Rashta’s first child is dead. But his spirit clings to the princess and Rashta. If that child is still here, we will be lost.”
Duke Elgy looked at Rashta expressionless for a moment, then smiled and asked,

  “What do you want me to do after I kidnap him? Do you want me to kill him?”
Rashta hastily shook her head.

  “No, not that.”
“What then?”
“Leave him in a home…… a home that longs for a baby. Not in the Eastern Empire. In a distant country……”
“Do I have to go to a distant country?”
Duke Elgy frowned slightly,

  “This time it’s a complicated request.”
“I’ll give you anything in return……”
“Rashta, you have not even given me the port you promised me. I won’t pressure you to repay me for all the money I lent you or the many other favors, since I did it out of friendship. But I was a little disappointed that you wouldn’t keep your word with the port.”
Rashta bit her lower lip nervously.

  “I will definitely, definitely give it to you. But as the Duke knows, Rashta isn’t in a position to give something so valuable at the moment.”
“I know. However, I’m a little worried that Rashta will just use me, and then discard me as soon as I’m no longer useful.”
“That will never happen!”
“I want to believe it too, but there are always people who deceive.”
Duke Elgy nodded, approached Rashta with a devilish grin and asked.

  So, could you assure me in writing that you will give me the port in the future?”
***

  I left the matter of Sovieshu’s gift in Heinley’s hands, and the fear that he would start a war with my country also disappeared.

  But as soon as these two worries disappeared, a new one arose.

  Of course, unlike the previous ones, this worry was not so heavy as to oppress my heart.

  It was a lighter worry, but one that I wanted to address properly.

  It was about Heinley’s birthday gift.

  “Just take my advice.”
“Don’t you think it’s insincere?”
“Whether it’s made by a chef or made by yourself, the ingredients and time don’t change. Besides, you have to pay a little more for the chef. Why is it insincere?”
“.……”
What gift to give Heinley, that was the question.

  My mother was still inclined to, ‘If you want to give him a cake, hire a good chef and pretend you made it yourself.’
That way, I wouldn’t force Heinley to eat a cake that wasn’t delicious.

  “I’ll think about it some more.”
In the end, I decided to seek advice from people other than my mother.

  But the others weren’t much help either.

  “A birthday gift for your husband? There was never anything like that between my husband and me.”
Countess Jubel assured, and Laura added in bewilderment,

  “I’ve never had a relationship…… what I can tell you is what the gift my friends gave me was like. Over a year ago, I was surprised with a cake that came out of a stand that could rise……”
Mastas said, “The gift could be a sword or a spear. I’ve also heard of vases that have become popular recently.”
Later, my father’s next words made my mother wince,

  “Hmm, a birthday gift. I really like the special cake your mother makes for my birthday. Every year I eat it, it’s just as delicious.”
“It brings me to tears, I don’t know what to say, father.”
“Huh? Are you mocking me, Navier? I’m sorry. I still can’t understand your jokes.”
“.…… No.”
When I asked my brother, he said it would be better to give him clothes, hats and shoes……

  Rose preferred that we spend time together and Nian opted for sexy underwear.

  “You don’t think His Majesty would like you to give him sexy underwear.”
“Isn’t it more of a gift to me that Heinley wears sexy underwear?”
Nian sat cross-legged and chuckled softly.

  “It’s kind of a domino effect.”
“Domino effect?”
“I once gave my lover sexy underwear as a gift. I’ll keep it a secret who I gave it to. In any case, I was happy to see him with the sexy underwear on. Seeing me happy, made him feel happy too.”
“You don’t have to be so explicit, Lady Nian.”
“Didn’t I leave out a lot of details?”
It’s a problem, now I won’t be able to look Viscount Langdel in the eye for a while.

  First, I pretended not to care at all as I sipped my tea with an expressionless face.

  However, among the many recommendations, Nian’s recommendation was the one I liked the most.

  Of course, I wouldn’t give Heinley such a gift.

  Although Heinley would look great in sexy underwear, I had to take care of my image as empress.

  After I returned to my room, I thought about going to ask McKenna’s opinion.

  Luckily, McKenna came to see me first.

  “What? A birthday gift for His Majesty Heinley? There is a dance that His Majesty does when he is very happy. I think he’ll like it very much if you dance it with him.”
Naturally, he wasn’t much help either.

  “.……”
“It’s not a joke, I’m serious. His Majesty Heinley once told me, ‘a woman who can master this dance is my ideal type’.”
“.…… Really?”
“Yes, he told me when he was six years old. He’s a smart man, he must still remember it.”
I know what dance McKenna was talking about.

  When my pregnancy was confirmed by the palace doctor, he danced that way and turned into ‘Queen’.

  He looked cute, but I didn’t want to dance that way with him.

  It was cute because he danced and turned into a bird……

  Once I sighed, McKenna said, “I’d forgotten” he smacked his head and spoke earnestly,

  “I came because of the carriage incident. All the members of the Western Empire delegation were investigated.”
“What was the result?”
“As Your Majesty said, the person seated farthest from the wrecked side of the carriage was the culprit.”