"Princess, don't be disheartened. After all, this is my territory. My land will bless my people, so learning things will be a bit quicker. It's actually normal to learn slowly."
Romon walked toward the two of them. Many lords often mumble about the relationship between land and people, and it's true: each region nurtures its own kind.
"You mean to say your land doesn't welcome me?" Angelia countered.
"I..."
Before Romon could respond, a swift figure suddenly appeared in the council hall.
The newcomer was none other than his slave, the cat-eared Nini. She was holding a special letter and walking toward him.
It was a type of letter Romon had seen when he was a child—an invitation to a noble's ball. However, the Thune family hadn't received such an invitation in many years. Now, someone had sent him an invitation, which likely meant that the visitor's intentions weren't good.
"Master."
Ignoring both the princess and Talia, Nini quietly approached Romon and presented the letter with both hands.
It was a deep wine-red invitation, sealed with a wax emblem of a camellia flower.
"An invitation from the Matthews family?" Romon hadn't even spoken yet when Princess Angelia, noticing the shape of the wax seal, asked.
"Yes, Your Highness. This is the first invitation I've received since inheriting the Thune family," Romon replied.
With that, Romon cracked the wax seal and opened the envelope. Inside, there was a string of formal greetings and an invitation to a certain event at a particular time and place.
He continued, "The daughter of Lord Matthews is holding a coming-of-age ceremony and has invited me to attend."
"Judging by your expression, it seems like you don't want to go?" Angelia asked, retracting the sword she had been holding.
"If you were in my shoes, would you want to go?" Romon replied.
"If it were me, I definitely wouldn't go."
Romon could already imagine that Lord Matthews had no real interest in the event itself but rather in the Great Forest land.
Originally, he had wanted to seize the last piece of Thune family land, but Romon had discovered the mineral resources.
When he learned about the magic crystal mines, he nearly exploded. Not only had he lost the last piece of Thune family land, but he also hadn't received the annual interest on the debt agreement!
Now that the magic crystal veins were discovered, the Matthews family could only regret not having acted sooner.
The Matthews family did not have the privilege of privately expanding their territory, but the Thune family still held the king's debt redemption privilege.
So, if Romon loosened his grip, Matthews would still have a chance to take back the land.
"Do you think Matthews is interested in you, trying to marry his daughter to you?" Angelia suddenly said. "After all, you're the youngest lord of your generation and have just discovered the magic crystal mine. More importantly, among all the lords in the Sionnas Empire, you're the only one who's still unmarried."
Romon looked at Angelia in surprise. This person had just mentioned that the king wanted to marry her off yesterday, and today she was suggesting that Lord Matthews wanted to marry his daughter off to him. Was she reaching an age where her desires were beginning to surface?
"Isn't it still about my land?" Romon replied.
If Lord Matthews truly wanted to arrange a marriage for his daughter, it would be the easiest way for the Matthews family. In a noble family, how much is a daughter worth?
But buying back the Great Forest—now that was no small matter.
As soon as Romon thought of this, he activated his mental simulator and spent some time admiring the Great Forest, the source of his wealth.
As he stared, his attention gradually shifted, landing on Princess Angelia's estate. According to the layout of the estate's foundation, the outer regions were already at the edge of the Great Forest. Beyond that, it was someone else's territory.
For a royal estate, there should always be enough space left for a buffer zone in all directions.
So...
Was it time to expand the territory of the Thune land once again?
Once this idea took root, it spread through his mind like an uncontrollable obsession. Right next to the Great Forest was a vast plain. Compared to the land Thune currently owned, this plain was outrageously fertile. If it were converted into farmland, the harvest in the future would be unimaginable!
He quickly calculated in his mind that the ownership of that land still likely belonged to Lord Matthews.
Unfortunately, most of Matthews' people were clustered on the northwest side, and the vast plain remained undeveloped.
Romon's mind raced, and he snapped back to reality, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Princess Angelia.
He now had a way to defeat his enemies without a fight.
Did the royal estate need to be grand? If it did, then a sufficient buffer zone was essential.
If Angelia spoke up, Matthews would have no choice but to back down. Money was no longer an issue for Romon.
"Princess, have you ever been to Matthews' estate?" Romon asked.
"No, why?" Angelia said, eyeing Romon with a look that suggested she was beginning to understand his intentions.
"How about we visit Matthews' estate together? Don't refuse just yet. Hear me out. I've observed your royal estate. The front design is quite good, but the back half feels lacking. This is mainly due to the interference from the terrain of the Great Forest and the maze location. If you want to build a perfect royal estate, you need to work on the land at the back."
"I thought something felt off about the design," Angelia said, nodding in realization.
"Exactly. So here's the idea: you come with me to Matthews' estate, and we'll ask Lord Matthews to leave some land behind your estate for you," Romon suggested. "After all, the land behind your estate belongs to Lord Matthews."
Princess Angelia finally understood what Romon was really after.
He wanted to expand his land!
But then again, expanding land didn't really concern her. What did concern her was the lack of a buffer zone behind the estate. It did look a bit off.
"Hmm..." Angelia fell into deep thought.
At that moment, Talia made a crucial suggestion: "Princess, this would be the perfect time for you to practice basic magic. From here to Matthews' estate, there will be plenty of low-level magical beasts. It would be a great opportunity to practice magic and gain experience. This is the fastest way to learn magic."
Romon glanced at Talia and silently gave her a mental thumbs up. This mercenary was worth every coin he paid her!
Sure enough, after hearing this, Angelia's last bit of hesitation vanished. She immediately decided, "Fine. I'll accompany you. When do we leave?"
"After lunch," Romon answered.
...
After lunch.
The group of five arrived at the village entrance.
The royal knights' honor guard had already disappeared. Romon guessed they couldn't have simply returned. They were most likely stationed somewhere nearby, ready to carry out the king's orders at any time.
To leave a princess with a demon sealed inside her body in a land with little military defense—if things went wrong, it would be like throwing a nuclear bomb into his territory.
Although the royal knights had hidden themselves, the princess's luxurious carriage was still being tended to at the village entrance.
Romon had planned to use his own carriage, but Princess Angelia spoke up, saying, "I won't ride in such a small carriage. Come aboard, I grant you the right to take a seat."
Romon was more than tired of the bumpy ride in carriages. He wasn't sure how smooth the ground dragon carriage would be, but after all, it was used by the royal family.
The ground dragon was massive, with immense endurance and strength. Even though the royal carriages were as large as small houses, no matter how many horses were added, the ground dragon could still pull it with ease.
"Lord Romon..."
Lornis called to him softly from behind. He turned around and reassured her, "Don't worry. I won't stay over there long. I'll be back soon."
With that.
He looked at Nini, who understood immediately and jumped up to the driver's seat.
As for Talia, she would remain behind to keep watch. With her here, Romon felt completely at ease.
Romon climbed aboard the princess's carriage. The carpet inside was soft and clean, as though it had never been used. The space inside the carriage was several times larger than his own, though the overly pink decor made him, as a grown man, feel slightly out of place.
"This carriage base is equipped with levitation stones, so it remains very stable even on mountain roads. Also, these blankets and furs are made from the hides of high-level magical beasts. They will automatically clean themselves after losing pressure," Angelia explained.
"Well, I'm lucky to benefit from your fancy carriage. The last time I went to Matthews' estate, riding in a regular carriage completely wore me out."
"Hmph, that's what happens when you're doing things for me, Princess."
Dealing with a princess's matters was certainly straightforward, but dealing with a lord's affairs wasn't always so simple.
Lord Matthews probably never expected this. Romon had accepted the invitation, but he was bringing along a very important guest—the Third Princess of the Sionnas Empire!
What would his reaction be when he saw this? Was he planning to host a grand banquet under the guise of his daughter's coming-of-age ceremony?