First of All, I’m Drinking - Chapter 24

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 24

It wasn’t that I hadn’t considered telling the Emperor the truth.

If I reported that I was nearly assassinated by the Demon Cult, the Imperial House would launch an investigation, making it much safer to track them down.

However, since there was no clear physical evidence that could help with the investigation, there was a high chance they’d slip away once they saw the situation escalating.

Even if we succeeded in catching them, ownership of that bastard would transfer to the Imperial House.

I don’t want that.

“Caeeeeel!”

Ilmbo Mac embraced me and wailed at the top of his lungs.

“I was so worried! You almost died! Waaaah!”

My clothes were getting completely soaked from Mac’s tears.

I appreciate the concern, but I really hate this sticky feeling.

The snot-nosed brat Kal went even further.

“Cael! I’m so glad you’re safe! Sniff!”

One was dripping tears, the other snot, both smearing it all over my clothes.

Honestly, I’d rather they kept their distance than feel grateful.

“Sniff.”

I heard a sniffling sound and looked over, surprised to find the culprit wasn’t Kal.

Seria was standing some distance away with her arms crossed.

Tears were slightly welling up in the corners of her eyes, and her face was flushed red.

Seria was looking elsewhere but seemed to sense my gaze and glanced over.

“What, what!”

I hadn’t said anything, yet she bristled and shouted on her own.

“I wasn’t crying! I wasn’t crying!”

With that face, her words had no credibility whatsoever, but I decided to let it slide.

News of my mishap during practical training must have already spread.

Judging by how the kids came looking for me first thing after returning from their training.

‘This is actually kind of touching.’

I can’t even remember the last time someone worried about me this intensely.

Actually, has that ever happened before?

I’m not sure.

I felt secretly proud that I seemed to be successfully adapting to my new life in the Intermediate Realm.

‘Good kids.’

Swoosh.

I patted Mac and Kal’s heads.

Feeling my touch, the twins seemed to find peace of mind and burst into even louder tears.

Seria stood primly with her arms crossed as if to say she was different from those idiots, but her expression clearly showed her concern for me.

It made my heart feel ticklish.

“Cael!”

Slam-!

“You’re safe! Are you hurt anywhere?”

And there was another person who worried excessively about anything related to me.

The children bowed when they saw Ellia.

She didn’t even acknowledge them and frantically felt around every part of my body.

“I’m fine, Mother. Thanks to the knights’ sacrifice, I escaped without a single scratch.”

“Still! You might have developed some kind of trauma! Shouldn’t you see a priest just in case?”

“Actually, I already went.”

The priest of Gabriel stationed at the Imperial Palace had cast healing spells several times.

My physical condition was naturally perfectly normal.

Despite my repeated explanations, Ellia showed no signs of listening.

“Let’s go just one more time. Just in case. Please?”

In the end, I had to go back and forth to the priest’s chamber several times despite not being hurt.

During this, I encountered someone I never expected to see.

A young man with silver hair, blue eyes, and a cold face.

“Are you feeling alright?”

Second Prince Killian de Argent came to ask about my well-being.

He hadn’t brought along his usual escort knights.

“What brings you to see me, brother?”

At my question, Killian answered with a sour expression.

“Well, I came because I was worried about my little brother. What other reason would there be?”

My jaw dropped at those words.

I never expected to hear such words from that bastard’s mouth.

Has he finally become human?

Or does he have some other ulterior motive?

I exchanged a few words with him.

“How is academy life?”

There’s an educational institution called Millennium Academy in the Imperial Capital.

It’s called one of the world’s three great academies, along with Olympus of the Western Alliance and Byeolmaseong of the Holy Kingdom.

Twenty-year-old Killian is a fourth-year student.

He’s close to graduation.

Normally everyone lives in dormitories, but since it was the weekend, he had apparently returned home briefly.

“Academy is, well…”

Killian trailed off.

His gaze turned toward me.

“It’s only fun at first, then it becomes shitty later. You’ll understand when you go.”

“Do I have to go too?”

“Imperial family members are required to enroll. At thirteen, you don’t have much time left. You enter at seventeen. Four years go by quickly.”

We talked about several other topics besides that.

It felt strange to be chatting with this guy.

“Five years ago-“

Killian even brought up a topic I never thought he’d mention first.

“I’m sorry. I’m only apologizing now.”

When I was eight, I had a duel that wasn’t really a duel with Killian, who had been tormenting Seria.

As a result, Ellia was slapped by Second Empress Fiore, who came all the way to our residence.

“It’s fine.”

I looked into Killian’s eyes.

It seemed like there was something more he wanted from me, rather than this being purely from remorse and guilt.

But the fact that he was apologizing at all was significant progress.

I suppose this guy is growing too.

Humans can change rapidly even in short periods of time.

“It’s all in the past anyway.”

* * *

Splendid carriages passed through the city gate and entered in a procession.

The rattling noise from the smoothly rolling wheels spread on the wind.

The exterior walls of the carriages, engraved with various patterns and family crests, revealed how high the status of their passengers was.

The Empire’s nobles.

Among them, it was a procession of great nobles with enough influence to be invited to the Empress’s birthday banquet.

While every carriage had its own characteristics.

There was one carriage that particularly stood out among them.

Among the carriages that were obviously very splendid and showed signs of elaborate decoration, there was one with a uniquely modest and plain exterior.

However, none of the onlookers and guards gathered in front of the city gate to watch the procession dared to disregard the carriage’s owner.

Because I saw the emblem carved on the outer wall of the carriage.

House of Garnian.

A prestigious merchant family that started from commoners in the distant past, and was considered to have the greatest influence in terms of financial power not only in the Empire but throughout the entire continent.

The carriage needed no decoration or luxury.

It was an expression of House of Garnian’s confidence that everyone would recognize it with just the emblem, even without embellishment.

“….”

Inside the carriage.

Count Gamillan, wearing a bowler hat and sporting a neatly groomed beard, looked at the girl sitting across from him.

“…Daughter.”

Purple hair and eyes that reached down to her waist.

The girl with a straight nose and beautiful eyes silently gazed out the window despite the Count’s call.

“You’re thirteen years old now. I don’t want to say it’s late, but it’s about time we should decide on a marriage prospect for our daughter.”

“….”

“The daughters of other ducal houses have already arranged good marriage prospects and completed their engagements early. You might think it’s fine to delay further, but then you’ll have to choose from the unattractive men left behind after all the other daughters have been taken, won’t you?”

“….”

“Please, my daughter. Your father is saying this much, so couldn’t you at least pretend to listen?”

Only then did the girl turn her head.

Count Gamillan cleared his throat awkwardly upon meeting his daughter’s indifferent gaze.

“This banquet could be an opportunity. Three of the princes are the same age as you. I’ll try to arrange the opportunity, so please do your best. This father believes in our daughter.”

House of Garnian had plenty of money, but their origins as commoner merchants was an obstacle due to their lack of legitimacy as nobility.

While no one openly disrespected them to their faces, the Count knew that some political enemies used this as an excuse to criticize them behind their backs.

If they could form a connection with the royal family through this opportunity, such gossip would subside to some extent.

“….”

The girl only gazed out the window indifferently, as if uninterested.

The Count covered his face with both hands.

* * *

“Your Highness, it’s time to prepare.”

Late afternoon, with the sun still up.

I nodded at the Adjutant’s words. Then attendants came in carrying clothes and makeup tools.

The thought of being buried in all that and sitting motionless for several hours made me feel dizzy.

Unpleasant memories from the baptism ceremony came flooding back.

‘Tonight, then.’

Befitting the birthday of the First Empress, the Empire’s second-in-command, the banquet would be held grandly.

Sabina would not leave the main hall of Taeyang Palace until at least past midnight tonight.

While everyone was celebrating her birthday, I would infiltrate the Empress’s Palace to search for evidence that Sabina had colluded with the Demon Cult.

‘I’ve already prepared an escape route, so there’s nothing to worry about.’

In preparation for any emergency, I had secretly arranged a way to slip out around the Empress’s Palace.

Even in the worst-case scenario, I could get myself out safely.

The attendant applied slick gel to my hair, slicking it back, and said:

“Don’t be nervous, just act as you normally do and you’ll be fine.”

Act as I normally do.

There was something reassuring about those words.

“Right, that’s what I should do. Act normally.”

Even if the intention was different, it was quite encouraging.

By the way, when is this going to end?

“The banquet doesn’t start until after the sun has completely set, so is it really necessary to prepare this early?”

“Your Highness gets off easy because you’re male. Princess Seria probably started preparing from lunchtime.”

With that troublesome temperament of hers, there’s no way she’d sit still without moving.

She’s probably throwing every tantrum imaginable right now.

I quietly expressed my sympathy for Seria’s attendants.

* * *

The main hall of Taeyang Palace was already bustling with people dressed in splendid formal wear and dresses.

It was night.

Beautiful melodies played by court musicians tickled the ears, cutting through the murmur of conversations.

The chandeliers on the ceiling emitted brilliant light, and the sweet aroma from dishes prepared by first-class chefs and aged wine filled the vast venue.

I walked past the hall toward a room in the back.

It was customary for the royal family, who were essentially the stars of the banquet, to appear when the atmosphere had ripened.

Mac and Kal from the branch family weren’t there.

Only the direct line was in this room.

The Emperor and Empress used a different room.

“Try eating this.”

When I opened the door and entered, Second Prince Killian was sitting with his legs crossed, offering something like a pastry to Seria.

“I don’t want it.”

Seria brushed away Killian’s hand and rolled her eyes.

Her attitude said not to bother her.

Seria, who had been groomed for over six hours since lunchtime, was predictably in a very low mood.

Killian couldn’t decide what to do in response to his sister’s prickly reaction and rolled his eyes.

‘What’s this?’

It seems like their relationship has completely reversed from five years ago.

Back then, it felt like Killian was unilaterally bullying Seria.

When did he become a big brother who gets flustered by his little sister?

“That’s enough, Killian.”

Merry’s voice interjected between the two.

“Seria says she doesn’t like it. How long are you going to keep bothering the kids? Don’t you ever grow up?”

“When did I ever bother Seria?”

“She’s cried because of you at least fifty times. With a goldfish-level memory, how are you going to handle imperial duties? Why don’t you just give up.”

“Shut up. What I mean is, I’m not bothering her now.”

The blonde, blue-eyed young man openly provoking Killian was naturally First Prince Arthur de Argent.

When he was younger, he had a more gentle and friendly impression.

Well, that grinning face is still the same though.

“It’s been a while, Cael.”

Arthur noticed me standing at the door while they were bickering and smiled with his eyes.

“Have you been well?”

“I’m always the same as usual.”

“I heard you had an accident during practical training. Have you recovered well?”

“It was mentally difficult rather than physically. I’m fine now.”

“I see. I’m glad you’re safe.”

Arthur, Sabina’s biological son, couldn’t be ruled out as possibly being in league with her.

I hid my rising suspicion and gave a casual response before sitting next to Seria.

“Oh, Cael.”

“Hello.”

Seria uncrossed her legs and moved slightly to the side to make more room.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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