Drink Up (3)
***
Though momentarily forgotten due to the alcohol, Ellie is constantly at risk the moment she lets her guard down.
race nearly experienced.
With her innocent looks and a figure that attracts attention, it’s hard to resist her. As a noble lady, she’d be untouchable, but Ellie is a commoner.
As evidenced by the men who approach her, she’s always the object of unwanted advances.
She always politely declines, but lunatics like Delphoi are bound to appear. This makes her vulnerable in many ways.
Unlike Grace, who exiue and take her own life immediately.
Despite being intoxicated, this is why I was suddenly alert. I worried something might happen to Ellie while I was at the restroom.
‘Where did she go?’Arriving near the restroom, I looked for Ellie. I thought I’d run into her, but that wasn’t the case.
I considered heading back, thinking we might have crossed paths. After all, I needed to go to the restroom anyway.
“Let go of me! Aren’t you ashamed to act like this, claiming you’re a prince?!”
I heard a faint but familiar voice before that.
Being a banquet, there were quite a few people coming and going near the restroom, but I could barely make it out.
Having lived in a forest filled with insects and animals, my hearing was excellent. I could distinguish sounds clearly.
‘Is it there?’
Even if it wasn’t Ellie, someone seemed to be in danger. My instincts told me so.
I then moved to a spot slightly away from the restroom. It was an isolated area, perfect for nefarious deeds.
“Sivar! Where are you! Help me!”
This time, I heard it clearly. It was Ellie calling for me.
Her voice was urgent, suggesting she was in a dangerous situation. I immediately moved, holding a bottle in one hand.
I soon reached an even more secluded alley and saw a familiar face.
“Nobody will come here. So obey me quietly. Okay?”
And there was a man threatening Ellie. He was forcibly holding her arms up to prevent her from moving.
Seeing his gray hair reminded me of someone, but that wasn’t important now. As soon as I saw the scene, I moved without hesitation.
“If you become my concubine, you, a commoner, will…”
That’s as far as he got. I silently approached and swung the bottle in my hand strongly.
So much so that he deserved to die for touching Ellie.
Crash!!
With the distinctive sound of shattering glass, the bottle broke into pieces. Simultaneously, the man staggered and cringed.
Whether his head was surprisingly sturdy, or if my drunken state caused me to misjudge my strength, he didn’t immediately pass out.
“You… who the hell…”
The staggering man turned to look at me. His snakelike slitted eyes were remarkable rather than sharp.
I briefly considered stabbing him with the broken glass bottle, but soon his body collapsed, exuding a slight wine scent.
‘I recall someone with gray hair, but who was it?’
No matter how hard I thought, I couldn’t remember. I may need to refrain from drinking in the future.
Anyway, since I saved Ellie, it didn’t matter. I turned to look at her.
She seemed relieved by my presence. She didn’t seem to care that I had smashed someone’s head with a bottle.
I wanted to comfort her, but fearing the smell of alcohol, I just stood still.
“Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine.”
Anyway, with this,
“You should explain why my brother is lying here.”
I was promptly interrogated at the scene of the prince’s assault.
The absurd part was how the fallen man was discarded like baggage. The guard with the man questioning me cleaned up instead.
The half-broken bottle was still in my hand, and the shattered glass scattered around the man’s head.
With no way out, it was better to comply with the questioning. Ellie would vouch for me.
“Hmm. So my brother tried to force himself on you, and this happened. Is that correct?”
“Yes, that’s accurate.”
“Then it’s settled. We’ll let this incident go.”
“…What?”
It ended too easily. Even I was baffled, let alone others.
It was so generous that it felt almost cold. It was hard to grasp what was happening.
“My twin brothers are notorious for their escapades. I expected something like this to happen eventually.”
“But he claimed to be a prince…”
“He is a prince. And I am the crown prince.”
“…?”
Following the prince, even the crown prince appeared. Seeing their identical hair color, I had a rough idea.
Then, as if he forgot something, the crown prince exclaimed “Ah” and introduced himself to us.
“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Karas, the rightful heir of the Matra Empire. And your names?”
“I-I’m Luna Estelle.”
“I’m Ellie.”
“And you, who broke my brother’s head?”
Karas asked me for my name. It seemed I’d left quite an impression from the start.
I met his eyes, which were lively yet carried a hint of madness.
His eyes were those of a so-called clear-eyed lunatic. Even his smiling face seemed peculiar.
“Sivar.”
“Sivar… so you are the famous wildling. I’ve heard the rumors.”
Probably not good ones. I almost said that but held my tongue.
If this man was the crown prince, as I suspected, it was best to avoid excessive conversation.
His nonchalant attitude towards his brother, whose head was busted open, spoke volumes.
‘The rumors about him being a lunatic aren’t unfounded.’
In the Soul World, there are many who have lost their minds. Chaos tends to pick those who are moderately unhinged.
The crown prince falls into this category. The issue is that he is the next emperor.
‘Apart from everything else, his favorability is really…’
The crown prince, Karas, is one of those in the Soul World whose favorability is hard to increase.
Not because he’s difficult, but because he’s too chaotic. He enjoys crazy things a lot.
Just the fact that he let it slide when I broke the prince’s head with a bottle shows what kind of person he is.
“Umm… Crown Prince.”
“Feel free to call me by name. Anyway, what’s up?”
“Is Sivar really going to be okay? No matter how wrong the prince was…”
“Don’t worry. It wouldn’t be bad if he just died.”
“…What?”
Karas spoke with a smile, but the words were chilling.
As Luna widened her eyes in shock, Karas, still smiling, continued.
“A prince who dies after trying to force himself on someone with a partner. How amusing is that? He’ll make history in a different way.”
“…”
Karas made statements only a true psychopath might.
He chuckled it off even though his brother was hurt. In reality, it’s not so much leniency as it is indifference.
But, does that make the crown prince a true psychopath? No. He had minimum boundaries.
These boundaries were clear enough that unless pushed intentionally, a normal relationship could be maintained.
‘There’s no harm in befriending him.’
I dislike political entanglements, but after breaking the prince’s head, I’m already involved.
Karas is likely to offer some support. Or he might ensure I can’t speak about it at all.
After chatting about various things, we arrived at the banquet hall. As soon as we entered, countless eyes turned our way.
It seemed it was because I returned with Karas. His reputation in the Matra Empire was well-known.
“…Karas?”
“Hmm? Ah, Lady Berche. What’s the matter?”
“Not that… but why did you return with Sivar…”
Coincidentally, we ran into Grace. She examined us one by one and asked.
Her surprise was evident, as returning with Karas was unexpected. It was too sudden.
“There was a bit of a commotion. We happened to meet in that commotion.”
“A commotion…”
“I believe this one’s name is Sivar? He broke my brother’s head with a bottle.”
“…What?”
An unadulterated truth. Yet that truth caused great confusion for Grace.
Her violet eyes trembled like an earthquake, and her gaze wandered aimlessly.
She was struggling to understand the situation.
“What happened was, do you see the bottle this one is holding? The half-broken bottle. It’s the evidence.”
“Oh.”
I forgot to get rid of it. I looked at the bottle Karas pointed at.
The broken bottle still clutched in my hand. I forgot to let go of it in my drunken state.
“It’s nothing to worry about. My brother tried to harm a woman with a partner.”
“A woman with a partner?”
“That would be me.”
Ellie raised her hand and answered, smiling brightly.
Grace’s eyes twitched slightly. She seemed displeased.
She thought for a moment, chose her words, and sincerely apologized.
“I’m sorry. I will handle this matter somehow.”
“Hmm? Why would you handle it?”
“If it were the usual Sivar, he would have stopped at knocking him out. However, I offered him a drink, and he overreacted.”
Half right, half wrong.
It’s true my judgment was clouded by alcohol. But even without drinking, I would have smashed his head.
“There’s no need to worry. I’ll handle it.”
“No, Crown Prince Karas, you don’t understand. Sivar is currently my bodyguard. According to what I’ve learned from my family, the responsibility of a bodyguard falls on the master.”
“I said it’s alright.”
“But…”
For some reason, a battle between spear and shield began.
One side claimed there was no need to take responsibility, while the other insisted on it.
The exchange between the crown prince and the duke’s daughter drew plenty of attention.
‘Is there any more wine?’
Amidst the situation, I searched for more wine. Conveniently, there was some at an appropriate distance.
I immediately went to fetch it. Luna called after me, but I ignored her.
‘No glasses.’
I found wine but no glasses. I started looking for a glass.
I should have brought a glass earlier. What a shame.
‘Would I have broken his head with the glass if I had?’
I wasn’t sure. Anyway, the glass was important now.
I wanted to chug from the bottle, but that would be crossing a line.
I would drink it all myself… though I shouldn’t.
Eventually, I found a glass and returned to the group. But a new face was among them.
“Oh my, who is this handsome gentleman?”
With gray hair similar to Karas and blue eyes, her gaze was sharp, almost sinister.
If Grace exuded an imposing presence, this woman had a more menacing aura.
Moreover, her gray dress with a deep neckline, like Grace’s, gave off a toxic rose vibe.
Her hair was styled in waves, enhancing her elegant image.
“Let me introduce you. This is my sister, Diana. She’s the twin sister of my brother you encountered earlier.”
“I’m Diana. What’s your name?”
So this was Diana. I thought.
Compared to the prince whose head I broke, her personality was notorious.
Her relationships with men were many. In other words, her private life was scandalous.
“Sivar.”
“Sivar… what a cute name. I heard you lived in the Forest of Chaos?”
“Yeah.”
With my brief reply, Diana looked me up and down. It was more of an evaluation than observation.
Once her scrutiny ended, she smiled. A smile full of curiosity.
“Would it be possible to have a private chat with this gentleman, brother?”
Just as I suspected. Diana asked Karas for permission with a coquettish smile.
With her rumored promiscuity, she seemed eager to get involved with me.
Maybe it was a misunderstanding, but her following words made me certain.
“I’d love to hear firsthand how you survived in that wild place. Just the two of us.”
“…Just the two of us?”
Grace frowned at the word “two.” She was probably familiar with Diana’s reputation.
Naturally, she wouldn’t like this situation. She’d likely try to stop it.
“I don’t mind, but… Sivar, could you pass me that wine bottle?”
Following Karas’s request, I handed the bottle over.
He then filled a glass to the brim with wine. It emptied the bottle quickly.
“Hmm. This should do. Let’s see…”
After filling the glass, Karas looked around. No one grasped his intention.
He then looked at Grace, then at Ellie, and handed her the empty bottle.
“Here. Take this and give it a try.”
“…Try what?”
Ellie blinked and asked. Then Karas responded with a cool smile.
“My brother who tried to touch someone with a partner. You can bash his head like before. I’ll allow it.”
“…”
Indeed, this guy is a lunatic.
“…Really?”
Why do you look excited?
End of Chapter
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