70. A Night Drunk on Wine

Sasha hurriedly interrupted Larael. Ever since the day Larael had changed so drastically, there were times when she didn’t seem like a rational person. This was one of those moments.

Sasha couldn’t understand why Larael was being so kind to a boy she had just met on the street and didn’t know at all.

“Your Highness, you must go now.”

Joanna added her voice to Sasha’s. Having come out to browse the antique shop, Sasha and Joanna were now completely drained by the unexpected incident.

Although they couldn’t be sure if Joy’s story was true, Larael believed he had done the right thing. She had intended to give him an errand job at the office in the city center if he wanted, since he’d lost his previous work.

But before she could say any of that, she was pushed into the antique shop by Sasha and Joanna.

After spending a long time browsing in the shop, they came back outside, only to find that Joy had already disappeared. Joanna sighed deeply as she looked down at their empty hands.

“We couldn’t buy anything since we have no gold coins left.”

“My heart is always in my throat when I go out with Your Highness.”

Sasha agreed with Joanna’s words.

“We had a look around today, so we can come again next time. For now, let’s return to the palace.”

Larael smiled at their pouting lips and tried to cheer them up.

Joy, meanwhile, was hiding and watching as Larael left the antique shop. He had clearly heard her maid call her “Your Highness.” As he secretly followed them, he noticed the imperial seal on the carriage Larael boarded.

Recalling her silver hair and red eyes, Joy easily realized that she was the “famous” empress consort.

He stared for a long while at the pouch of gold coins Larael had given him. Then, stretching his arms wide, he looked up and stretched.

“I could have just let myself get dragged away and killed all those slave traders, but because of our empress consort, my plan’s been ruined.”

Joy tucked the pouch of gold into his clothes and looked in the direction of the slave traders’ hideout.

Before the empress consort’s knight could catch them, he would kill them himself. Joy swept his shaggy hair back and looked up at the roof of a building much taller than himself. Then, with a powerful leap, he sprang up in an instant.

***

The Marquis Argen poured more wine into the empty glass in front of Edward.

“Your Majesty, please drink slowly.”

Edward, who had hardly drunk before, had recently begun to share drinks with Marquis Argen more often.

It had started after they discovered that the Duke of Anderman was behind Fenrir’s attack while investigating the incident.

This fact was kept strictly secret. Edward had secretly ordered Marquis Argen, his closest confidant, to investigate the Duke of Anderman.

“Jayden, do you think my mother and Herwen are involved in this?”

Whenever Edward was tipsy, he would ask Marquis Argen the same question—a question he already knew the answer to. Marquis Argen had heard it dozens of times.

Each time, Marquis Argen kept his lips tightly sealed. He had always been wary of the Empress Dowager and Grand Duke Vellaus. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they tried to take Edward’s throne at any time.

Until now, Edward had hated talking about them so much that Argen had hardly ever brought them up. But could he really uncover the plot they were weaving just by investigating them?

Even as the chief investigator, he doubted whether it would be possible to properly investigate people so deeply rooted in the Kazel Empire.

Just look at Edward—he was suffering so much. Edward seemed deeply shaken as the truths he had wanted to believe in wavered.

“I always expected something like this would happen one day.”

Marquis Argen spoke calmly.

“I want to let go of everything and live an ordinary life with Larael.”

Edward exhaled deeply, leaned back on the sofa, and closed his eyes. He couldn’t help but feel drowsy from the alcohol.

Lost in thought, Marquis Argen stared at his wine glass with unfocused eyes, but at the mention of “Larael,” he looked up at Edward.

He sometimes wondered when the empress consort had become such an irreplaceable presence to Edward. Was it because she was Larael that she was special to him, or was it simply because she filled the role Edward had always wanted filled?

“Call Larael for me.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. I’m serious.”

Marquis Argen lifted the wine glass in front of him and took a drink.

Before they started drinking, Edward had told him not to let him go to Abella Palace if he got drunk. But now that Edward was saying something different, Marquis Argen hesitated for a moment.

“Will you regret this when you sober up?”

Edward slowly nodded.

Seeing this, Marquis Argen stood up without further hesitation. He called for Trix, who was waiting outside the door.

When Trix entered, Marquis Argen told him to send someone to Abella Palace to bring the empress consort.

Trix looked troubled. He hated unplanned events more than anything. Dealing with the complaints of Anais, the head maid at Abella Palace, always fell to Trix.

Trix glanced at Edward, who was leaning on the sofa with his eyes closed.

After Trix left, Marquis Argen returned to the sofa and sat in front of Edward.

“Your Majesty.”

Marquis Argen called him quietly.

“I’m not asleep.”

Edward replied in a hoarse voice, as if he’d read Marquis Argen’s mind.

“Give me the bouquet for Larael.”

“Where am I supposed to get a bouquet all of a sudden…”

At Edward’s nonsense, Marquis Argen realized it had been a mistake to think he was still sober.

Edward let out a faint groan and leaned his head back.

Marquis Argen studied Edward’s face closely. He remembered once being jealous of that handsome, sculpted face.

Noticing Marquis Argen’s gaze, Edward opened one eye slightly. Even half-closed, his eyes looked noble, thanks to his flawless face.

“You must be very happy.”

Marquis Argen muttered, not realizing his words were tinged with jealousy.

He glanced at the bedroom door. He wished Larael would arrive soon so he could go home early and rub Beatrice’s rounded belly.

“Marquis Argen.”

“Ah! Sh—…”

He almost cursed at the empress consort. Barely holding it in, he hurriedly stood up from the sofa.

“Greetings to Your Highness the Empress Consort.”

“I seem to have startled you, Marquis Argen.”

“N-no, not at all.”

He’d forgotten for a moment that the empress consort had a teleportation bracelet. Even if he had remembered, he never would have guessed Larael would use it for something like this.

“I’ll be going, then. I’ll let Trix know that Your Highness has arrived in the bedroom.”

“Yes. Please also give my regards to Beatrice.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Marquis Argen replied in a much gentler voice at the mention of Beatrice. He greeted Larael and left for home.

Once Marquis Argen had gone, Larael walked over to Edward, who was sitting slumped on the sofa.

“Your Majesty.”

Larael called him softly.

“Why did you drink?”

She sat down beside him. Edward turned his head, opened his eyes, and looked at Larael. In response to her question, he merely smiled.

“I didn’t want you to see me like this.”

He didn’t want Larael to see him drunk. After all, it was because he had been drunk that he’d taken her, Herwen’s fiancée, as his empress consort.

Even after that, he’d once gotten drunk and upset Larael. But he simply couldn’t bear not seeing her.

“Didn’t Your Majesty once say that married couples should share their burdens? Please don’t suffer alone—let me share it too.”

At Larael’s words, Edward straightened up.

“Larael, this is a problem of my own heart.”

Larael felt hurt by Edward’s attitude—he wanted to take away her pain, but insisted on bearing his own alone.

“Even if you don’t say it, I know exactly why you’re troubled.”

At her words, Edward began to laugh aloud.

He stroked her soft cheek.

‘I wonder what my life would have been like without Larael? If she had become a duchess, would I have felt this way about her?’

Edward shook his head at the thought. Such meaningless speculation was no help. What mattered was that she was by his side now.

“Larael, if anyone tries to harm you, I won’t let them go unpunished.”

Larael took hold of Edward’s hand as he stroked her cheek.

“If anyone tries to take Your Majesty’s place, I won’t let them go unpunished either.”

Edward found her eyes, shining with firm resolve, so lovely that he pulled her into his arms with all his strength.

No one could ever take Larael away. She had to be Edward’s woman forever.