Chapter 35

Biting his lip and letting out a small sigh, Lionel looked down at his attire. Having hastily thrown on a robe, he stepped out onto the terrace, where the empress was already gazing at him as if she had been waiting. Lionel bowed respectfully. After a moment, he raised his head and waited for the empress to speak. She must have called him for a reason, he thought. As expected, the empress took a deep breath and whispered, her mouth forming the words clearly:

"Alcohol. Where. Is. It?"

"..."

Losing the timing to respond, the empress leaned against the railing, tilting her upper body toward him, and spoke in a slightly louder voice:

"Alcohol! Alcohol. Where. Is. It. Tell me!"

* * *

"Why weren't you sleeping at this hour?"

It seemed like a question someone who was also awake should ask. As they walked side by side down the dim corridor, Adel and Lionel exchanged words.

"By the way, why are you suddenly looking for alcohol?"

"Because I can't sleep."

"Relying on alcohol isn't good."

"Not always. Only on nights when I can't sleep."

When Adel asked Lionel to just tell her where the alcohol was, he replied, "Please wait a moment," and went to find the room where she was staying. Lionel offered to bring the alcohol, but Adel asked to be taken to where it was, reasoning that the butler would find it strange if a bottle he hadn't brought before was lying around. It was a strangely plausible reason, so after a moment's thought, Lionel led the way, and the empress followed with a very satisfied look on her face. Lionel guided her to the family room on the fifth floor of the main building. It was a space often used by the previous duke and duchess, but now, with only the two siblings left, it was only used when they drank together. Lionel asked for a moment and began to light the lamps around the room.

"Ah, that's enough light. Just get the alcohol and go. I'll drink it and clean up before returning to my room."

Unlike the heavy and dignified corridor, the family room felt cozy even in the dim light. While Adel stood on one side, slowly looking around and admiring the room, Lionel approached the display cabinet and selected a bottle of alcohol suitable for the empress.

"What kind of alcohol do you want?"

"Hmm... that one. Moonshine."

The empress was looking for a drink known for its strong and bitter taste.

"You don't need ice or water to dilute it. Just give it to me. I don't need any snacks either."

As Lionel took out the bottle of moonshine, he frowned and turned to the empress.

"Your Majesty, that's too strong."

"I'm fine."

"It will upset your stomach."

"I'm fine, Lionel. I've had it before."

"This alcohol is meant to be diluted."

"Oh, really. Isn't it the assistant's job to just bring it? Just bring it."

"..."

At the empress's repeated urging, Lionel shook his head slightly and brought the bottle and a glass. Placing them on the table, Adel, who had been pacing around, sat on the sofa and skillfully opened the bottle before Lionel could. The empress inhaled the scent of the alcohol deeply and smiled contentedly, looking up at Lionel.

"It's very good."

Why would you dilute something this good? It was a typical drunkard's remark, so he left out the rest.

"Thank you. I'll drink it and clean up before returning to my room, so you can go ahead."

As she poured the alcohol into the glass, she said this, and Lionel, feeling very uneasy, let out a small sigh and sat opposite her. Adel, who had been admiring the amber-colored alcohol with sparkling eyes, raised her glass and laughed.

"Are you going to stay here? That's fine too. Would you like to have a drink with me?"

"…No, that's fine."

"Really? Then I'll drink alone. Here's to our successful cooperation."

The empress raised her glass slightly and drank it in one gulp. Lionel couldn't help but frown. It must be incredibly bitter and strong. Adel, who had closed her eyes tightly and swallowed the alcohol, eventually let out a short breath.

"Ah. It's good."

The burning sensation in her throat and the warmth that spread through her body after drinking were both pleasant. Enjoying the buzz for a moment, Adel opened her eyes and poured another glass.

"Are you going to drink one after another?"

"Oh, really. You don't know the joy of drinking, do you?"

Despite the empress's feigned scolding, the assistant didn't flinch.

"I'm just pouring another glass because I have another toast to make."

"What…?"

The empress laughed, stopping the assistant from speaking. The pale cheeks that had been drained of color were now flushed from the strong drink. Her long, golden eyes sparkled like the glass of alcohol, filled with light.

"Here, even though I look like this, I am the empress. To the prosperity of Echmont."

With that, the empress drank the next glass in one gulp. Without a break, and such a strong drink! As the second glass was also quickly finished, Lionel hurriedly got up to bring water. Adel rinsed her mouth with the water Lionel offered and poured another glass.

"Your Majesty!"

"Everything must be done three times."

"Then wait a bit. This alcohol is not an ordinary strong drink."

At Lionel's strong objection, Adel thought for a moment, then nodded and put down the glass. As the drowsy buzz set in, she felt very good. She couldn't help but feel her lips curling upward. Adel pointed to a frame she had been eyeing with a smile.

"Lionel. That painting. Is it a portrait of the Baldr family?"

Lionel looked at the large framed painting Adel was pointing to and then back at her.

"Yes, it is."

"How old were you in that painting? Is that you, the cute and small child? The mischief in the painting is very clear."

In the painting, a boy was sitting in front of the duchess, grinning.

"…I think I was around ten years old."

The empress smiled like a blooming flower and looked at the painting.

"It looks so harmonious. Indeed, the duchess was a remarkable beauty. No wonder her sons are all handsome!"

As the compliments flowed, Lionel bit his lip and cleared his throat softly. Adel chuckled and raised her glass again. Before Lionel could say anything, she swallowed it in one gulp. With a slightly furrowed brow, she held out the empty glass and said in a pleasant tone:

"This glass was, 'To the glory of the Baldr family.'"

Lionel took the empty glass from the empress and placed it on the table.

"Thank you."

"There are still many toasts to make, but if I start again, you'll have to match me. Seven glasses, nine glasses, eleven glasses, like that."

"What's the significance of that?"

"It's my mother's influence. She's a believer in superstitions."

"Superstitions?"

"Yes. I guess I've picked up on it because I've heard so much of it. Matching numbers, aligning directions when sleeping. It just feels uncomfortable otherwise."

After saying this, Adel looked at the large framed painting again. Originally, such paintings are meant to depict the ideal family, so even families that are not harmonious in reality appear harmonious in the painting. Her own family would be smiling in the central wall frame of the Gotrope palace, looking as harmonious as any. She had no complaints. Why would they frown in a painting if they didn't get along? Lionel, noticing the empress's prolonged gaze, looked at the painting again, feeling curious. Just as he turned his head, his eyes met the empress's, who was looking at him.

* * *

In the dark of the night, the black tresses that had been let down were scattered, and a light flush of red appeared on her alcohol-flushed face, giving it a mysterious vitality. Her bright red lips glistened with the alcohol, and her long, golden eyes, trapped in her slanted gaze, seemed to have lost their usual coldness. Was the buzz from the strong moonshine affecting him even though he hadn't drunk it? The heat spreading from his neck made Lionel quickly avert his gaze.

"Lionel."

At that moment, the empress called his name again, and Lionel had no choice but to look up. Adel slowly blinked and met his gaze, then pointed to the glass and said:

"If you have a question, ask it now. Even a question you think you can't ask the empress, I'll answer one. For the price of this alcohol."

Her golden eyes, which seemed to pierce through Lionel's heart, asked. He hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"May I ask why, despite being the head of the Gotrope Tower Resistance, Your Majesty agreed to the royal marriage with Echmont?"

It was certainly a rude question. But Adel, as if she had expected it, narrowed her eyes and tilted her head.

"Oh, you're getting your money's worth?"

"If it's difficult to answer, you don't have to. Please forgive me."

Adel smiled and shook her head.

"Well, it doesn't matter. We're not in Gotrope here."

She pointed to the painting and said:

"There's a painting of my family in the Gotrope palace, just like this one. It can't look any more harmonious."

Adel thought of Lucio as she looked at the painting.

'Lucio. Have you received my letter by now?'

She had sent it through a cowardly method because she couldn't face him.

"My father's illness worsened, and he passed away suddenly. Amid the chaos in Gotrope, my mother suddenly showed me a proposal and told me to go to Echmont. The Tower Resistance couldn't provide a reason to refuse. And I, in fact, couldn't refuse."

"Why not?"

"This is my apology."

Lionel couldn't understand the meaning of those words but couldn't ask further because Adel's face was filled with sorrow. Adel was pleased with Lionel's silence.

"Alright, I've had three glasses of alcohol, so the price is paid. Let's go back, Lionel."

Lionel also got up to follow her.

"Leave the bottle and glass. I'll have someone clean it up tomorrow."

"Thank you."

In the deep night, Adel led the way this time. Having been there before, she found her way without getting lost, and Lionel followed her. In the darkness, her dark hair swayed slowly. Lionel realized again how small the empress was.

* * *

At that time, Karl Ulrich was also sitting alone in his bedroom, drinking. He didn't know why he had taken out the alcohol or what he was trying to relieve by drinking. His heart was always hollow. Strange things often emerged from the large, unfillable hole. Mostly, they were remnants of the past. On the days when these remnants emerged, the deep, dark sea would always surge, and Karl had to struggle to breathe. He suddenly remembered that day. The day he ascended the throne, holding his uncle, Duke Despone's hand, he stood next to the throne and whispered:

'Now you are the most noble person in the world. I will bring you the world. Take it as you please.'

Karl Ulrich was ten years old that day. The day was vaguely frightening and cold, and he desperately wished for the ceremony to end quickly. Another memory surfaced. Why were the vague childhood memories of others so vivid to him, driving him mad? Wandering through these memories, Karl Ulrich eventually returned to the present.

"Where did she go?"

It was a growl like a wild beast's. When ordered to find out where the empress had gone, everyone shook their heads. They didn't know. The emperor's roar, angry at the disappearance of the empire's empress, made the attendants tremble as they explained the situation.

'The budget and personnel for the empress's palace are non-existent, so there are currently no bodyguards or personal maids to assist Her Majesty. Lady Hannah Gix also doesn't know, and the maids in the empress's palace were all busy with their own tasks when the empress left...'

The reason for not knowing the empress's whereabouts was due to a lack of personnel! The emperor, enraged by this absurdity, could only suppress his anger since he was the one who had given all the orders. But where could she have gone? As a foreigner, where else could she go in Echmont besides the palace?

"..."

The empress must be at the Baldr family's. His mood worsened to the worst.

* * *

Because he had arranged the empress's drinking session in the middle of the night, Lionel couldn't sleep and finally fell asleep just as dawn was breaking. Waking up a little later than usual, he stood dazed around his bed and cautiously turned his head to look at the transparent window where sunlight was seeping in. The sunlight, hitting the curtains, broke into tiny pieces like a cluster of stars, but Lionel wasn't looking at that. He bit his lip slightly and, as if under a spell, slowly approached the terrace. He carefully pulled back the curtains and poked his head out. His eyes, turned green by the sunlight, were fixed on a tightly closed window and the curtain hanging down. After holding his breath and watching for a moment, he was startled by his own actions and took a step back. Lionel, breathing heavily, pressed his dark, sunken eyes and ran his fingers through his hair.