Chapter 19

I watch her closely.

When I asked about the bottle she held in her hand,

She—

Did not meet my gaze, looking uneasy instead.

Her emerald eyes, trembling like they had no place to go, met mine.

“It might be better to put that down on the table rather than hold it.”

“What do you mean? There’s nothing in my hands.”

I observed her hide the bottle behind her back, fearing I would take it from her.

Even though her movements were so careless, unlike when she wields a sword, I couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh.

But cute as it was, it wasn’t enough to make me overlook the fact that she was drinking liquor under some pretext.

Ignoring her protest,

“I find it strange that you’d drink liquor when you can’t even sleep properly and your body isn’t fully recovered.”

I kept pressuring her, even as I thought about how this day took such a turn.

I hadn’t expected today to end like this when I first woke up, thinking it would be peaceful.

When I saw trays of light meals brought to her as she lay on the bed, and witnessed her blood color returning as she ate,

I was sure this day would be better than the previous ones.

The first day when she pointed a sword at me right after entering the bridal chamber,

And the second day when we fought a monster right after breakfast only to face an assassin—

Today seemed far better, despite the commotion in the morning.

But what’s going on?

Why should someone destined to lead the Northern Region of the Empire be told to drink liquor when she can’t sleep?

It’s not a bad suggestion, but why teach her that?

Why?

No matter how much I rack my brain, I never imagined she would suddenly appear with more liquor in her room.

But just being surprised by the unexpected won’t solve anything.

So, I tried to handle it diplomatically.

“Maybe you could give the glass back? Even if you enjoy liquor, it’s not ideal to drink from the bottle.”

After fixing our gazes on each other, I spoke again.

“Asulin,”

“Why are you doing this?”

“I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

“And?”

“Who taught you that drinking liquor helps you sleep?”

I asked who had instructed her to drink liquor when she couldn’t sleep, even though I didn’t think many people would be so familiar with her to teach her such things.

But it’s better to hear it directly from the source.

However, even after my plea,

“…”

Asulin’s lips twitched slightly, but she didn’t provide the answer I wanted.

Instead, she seemed to question why she needed to reveal who had taught her.

Yes, yes, I know that drinking too much will eventually make you sleepy.

But drinking excessively can damage your liver and internal organs, leading to serious health issues.

I’ve seen people from back alleys end up in trouble because of this.

I’ve seen people waste their lives chasing after liquor, women, and gambling, leaving them to perish far away.

Even though I’ve given them love lessons with fists and kicks, they never listened and ended up far away.

This made me feel gloomy.

Now is not the time to think about such things.

Not from someone who has received proper education in the Duke’s residence.

“Why are you asking about that? Isn’t that common sense…?”

How can she say something so confidently?

Who could have taught her such a thing?

Unlike me, who grew up in an orphanage and wandered through the alleys of the Central Region without proper education,

Asulin, the successor of the Duke’s family, raised in the best environment, shouldn’t have said something like that.

I needed to know who had influenced her values.

Of course, confronting her aggressively wouldn’t be productive.

“So, I’m curious who taught you that common sense.”

While trying to show respect for Asulin, I asked who had instilled such beliefs.

Finally fixing her gaze, Asulin took a deep breath before answering.

“The princess… no, His Majesty taught me.”

Her immediate response surprised me.

“Yes, His Majesty taught me a great deal.”

…

I forgot about my initial questioning and ended the conversation with praise for the emperor.

What else could I do? The person responsible for the crime couldn’t do much.

Seeing the change in her expression, Asulin must have felt relieved that I wasn’t going to press further.

“That’s right.”

She shrugged and her voice regained confidence.

Though it annoyed me somewhat, I didn’t feel any stronger emotions.

Being aware of the value of life, I understood the gravity of the situation.

Even if the culprit was Asulin’s father, the current Duke Caladborg, I wouldn’t be too angry.

The emperor, however, is another matter.

If I insulted the emperor, not only would I be in danger, but the Sword Mansion and its reputation would also suffer.

I had to consider the lives I was responsible for.

If I acted on my anger and faced execution for disrespect, the Sword Mansion and its legacy would be destroyed.

That would be like spilling ink on my brother’s memory.

Therefore, I erased all thoughts of punishment once I knew the culprit.

While the emperor’s authority intimidated me,

Because he inherited the most talent from the late emperor,

He led the empire to victory and ascended to the throne with the legendary Dragon Slayer Sword, Ascalon, in hand.

Even though I had envisioned various punishments for the culprit,

Knowing the emperor’s power, those plans became irrelevant.

Without any other means to pressure Asulin peacefully,

“I think it’s risky to follow what the emperor said without considering your condition. You should be more cautious.”

I carefully suggested, hoping she would understand.

Do you think she’ll listen and return the liquor, then lie down and sleep?

But despite my request, Asulin didn’t seem to change her mind about drinking the liquor.

“…Gr…Gr…”

She retracted her confident attitude and ended her sentence incompletely, but she didn’t stop hiding the bottle from my reach.

I knew she enjoyed liquor, but I didn’t realize she would drink it recklessly while sick.

If the people I had seen in the back alleys behaved like this, they’d have big bumps on their heads.

Instead of hitting Asulin, I decided to offer a compromise.

“Once you’re fully recovered, we can share a drink. For now, please consider my face and don’t drink tonight.”

My words lacked conviction, but—

“…”

Her eyes widened, and after a long silence, she softened her expression.

She placed the bottle lightly on the table and clapped her hands to call the servants to collect it.

Why does this work?

Despite my doubts, I realized that my words had an effect.

“Not that I wouldn’t listen to anyone, but since it’s you asking, I’ll follow your advice today.”

Asulin blushed slightly and reluctantly agreed.

Anyway, as long as we reach the Central Region, everything will work out.

—

Although we managed to prevent Asulin from drinking, it didn’t lead to us sleeping together.

After the servants collected the bottle, Asulin, who had not yet entered the bedroom,

“I still want to talk with you until I go to sleep.”

Her hesitant tone made me hesitate to refuse.

Even though we had deep conversations during battles, seeing her struggle to speak confidently made me want to listen.

Such a scene is rare.

Even though she had been bold enough to speak frankly to the emperor when he was still the prince, now she hesitated.

“Th…That is… Th… Th…”

She lowered her head and avoided my gaze, struggling to speak.

“Why don’t we call it a discussion?”

I tried to soften the request.

“…”

She didn’t respond, but her smile, softer than when I placed a cold compress on her forehead that morning, reassured me.

“Before we discuss, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Asulin, with a serious expression, began to speak.

“What is it? Her seriousness reminds me of a knight receiving a final order.”

A mysterious unease rose within me as I looked at Asulin’s determined face.

“Mi… I’m sorry. I’m sorry for bringing you here and for everything that happened today.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she bowed her head in apology.

The unease vanished, replaced by confusion.

“Why is she apologizing to me?”

I felt puzzled, standing there as someone who hadn’t done much wrong.

In addition, my intuition told me it was best to go to bed early.