Drunk

“To friendship!”

Alexis raised his silver goblet and said to Yalen.

“Thank you…”

Yalen raised her cup in response, speaking a little nervously.

For a brief moment, she thought she had been exposed.

Just that single sentence felt as if she had been thrown into an icy abyss.

All she wanted was to hurry back to the basement of her library and sleep peacefully.

She simply could not cope with an atmosphere crowded with people like this.

She lifted the silver goblet high, responding with a standard ceremonial gesture.

Raising the cup above her head was the proper etiquette for a guest returning a toast.

Yalen could not afford to be careless about this.

She returned the courtesy respectfully.

After all, this was something she had learned long ago.

“Were you born into a noble family?”

Alexis asked.

“…Yes, yes.”

“I come from a fallen minor noble family of the Delah Duchy.”

“I no longer have any living relatives.”

“I recently fled to the Duchy of Bordeaux as a refugee.”

“And I was fortunate to receive help from the steward and Ken…”

Yalen said this nonsense using a backstory she had prepared long ago.

The gesture of raising the cup above the head was precisely the noble etiquette of Bordeaux.

“Oh, is that so.”

“I have brought up painful memories.”

“Please accept my condolences.”

Alexis said with a sorrowful expression.

She was lying.

Alexis thought to himself quietly.

This gesture had been personally reformed by his father years ago.

Originally, one only needed to hold the cup at chest level in thanks.

But his father changed it so that the guest’s cup should be slightly higher than the host’s.

Yet she had followed the Bordeaux noble standard perfectly.

This made it clear that she was lying.

Alexis noted it silently and did not expose her.

Yalen had never attended a banquet before.

This was also the first time she had ever used a ritual she had practiced thousands of times but never actually performed.

She had never seen the etiquette of other duchies.

Naturally, she could not know where the differences lay.

Yalen drained the cup in one go.

The sweet fruit juice carried a taste that only alcohol should have.

She felt her face growing warm.

This drink was clearly fruit juice.

So why did it feel like alcohol going down?

Yalen wondered to herself.

Had her sense of taste gone wrong?

Alexis smiled and drank the contents of his cup in one gulp.

He did it without panting or blushing.

Kallianna smiled as she watched the two of them, completely unaware of Yalen’s discomfort.

Afraid of speaking any more with Alexis, Yalen hastily sat back down.

She propped her head up with one hand.

Right now, she only wanted the banquet to end.

Seeing her sit down, Alexis casually pulled over an empty chair.

He moved it next to Kallianna.

Without asking, he sat down.

He really did have some nerve…

So troublesome.

Yalen thought to herself.

Of course, she did not dare say it out loud.

She felt absolutely no familial affection toward Alexis.

Even though she once died in his place, she could not explain that herself.

She still did not understand whether she hated her brother or not.

Even now, she could not figure out why.

“Little Kalli, long time no see.”

“Did you miss me?”

“You know, I’ve been thinking about you all the time.”

Alexis said with a smile.

His formal attire made him look even more upright.

The decorative trims added to his heroic presence.

The gold-and-white garments made him look as magnificent as the protagonist of a noble romance novel.

Yet he was not like the arrogant noble youths of such stories.

He seemed gentler.

More approachable.

In everyday life, he was like a proud lion.

He carried an unfathomable presence that felt like an irresistible command.

This was the innate charisma of a leader.

“I didn’t miss you.”

“You didn’t even write me a letter for so long.”

Kallianna complained with mild dissatisfaction.

But that complaint only revealed her desire for him to stay by her side.

Of course she wanted that.

Yalen pressed her forehead and continued to remain silent.

This girl talked about Alexis all the time.

How could that not be love?

Why say you don’t like him when you clearly do?

Aren’t you afraid of being misunderstood?

Yalen thought hazily.

Her mind felt like a noisy little party had started inside it.

Messy.

Buzzing nonstop.

“Don’t be angry.”

“I just had too many things to deal with.”

“In the imperial capital, I finally finished this year’s reports.”

“Before I could even rest, I returned to the grand duke’s estate.”

“I had to deal with the accumulated documents from the past few days.”

“Only after finishing all of that did I rush back with Father.”

“As soon as I arrived, I went looking for you.”

“But no matter what, I couldn’t find you.”

“I spotted you from afar just now.”

“So here I am.”

Alexis pleaded apologetically.

No matter how fierce a lion is, there will always be something that makes it put down its claws.

That something might be its offspring.

Alexis, this golden-haired lion, was no exception.

His younger brother Charlotte.

His father Mana.

And Kallianna.

All of them could make him shed that fierce exterior.

“Hmph.”

“I’ll forgive you.”

“Take me and Sister Lian out tomorrow.”

Kallianna said with a giggle.

“Huh.”

“You called me?”

Yalen asked nervously when she heard her name.

She still did not quite understand these matters.

If she knew what a “third wheel” was, she would probably sneak away like Charlotte had.

This foolish couple had completely left Yalen aside, immersing themselves in their own world.

“Sister Lian…”

“Your face is so red…”

For the first time, a blush appeared on Yalen’s pale face.

It was also the first time Kallianna had ever seen it.

Yalen’s complexion had always been as white as porcelain.

She rarely showed any color.

At this moment, Yalen’s head felt dizzy and uncomfortable.

Alexis and Kallianna seemed to blur and overlap before her eyes.

They pointed at her and said something in shock.

But she could not hear anything clearly.

Their lips moved up and down.

Yet it was impossible to tell what they were saying.

They stared at her in astonishment, as if the world had lost its sound.

“Thump…”

A dull sound rang out.

Yalen’s face slammed straight onto the table.

Her face hit the steak in an instant.

Fortunately, the steak cushioned the blow.

If she had struck the stone table directly, she might have cracked her head.

Alexis helped Yalen up and touched her cheek.

“It’s burning hot.”

“She’s probably drunk.”

Alexis said.

Kallianna picked up the cup Yalen had used.

She looked inside it and smelled it.

A rich fragrance of plums wafted out.

“But this is clearly plum juice.”

“She didn’t drink alcohol at all…”

Kallianna looked at Alexis in confusion.

“I don’t know either.”

“Let’s send her back first.”

Alexis said.

The two exchanged looks and stood up together.

Alexis lifted Yalen in his arms.

The three of them quietly left the bustling crowd.

…………

The march of the demon race never stopped.

Compared to the so-called one hundred thousand human troops, the demon race was different.

They had only twenty thousand elite soldiers.

Compared to a hundred thousand refugees in rags wielding wooden clubs, the demon race was clad entirely in black iron armor.

They wielded standardized yet finely crafted spears.

Every one of them even carried a hunting knife for close combat.

“They’re coming.”

“Luna, you should leave too.”

Lilith said.

She was uncharacteristic, a trace of reluctance visible in her eyes.

“Master.”

“I won’t leave.”

“Luna wants to stay with you.”

“I’ve already reached the Saint level.”

“I don’t care.”

“Even if I die, I’ll stay with you.”

Luna cried out tearfully.

“Be good.”

“After I finish this battle.”

“I’ll make you roasted meat.”

“I’ll cook it myself.”

Lilith forced a smile and stroked Luna’s fiery red hair.

She could not really smile, so she pretended to.

But her expressions were too few.

She was expressionless by nature.

When she forced a smile, baring her teeth, it looked more like a grimace.

Even so, she had wracked her brain for it.

She truly did not know how to fake a smile.

Something that did not come from the heart was completely beyond her.

The only times she had ever smiled sincerely were during those not-so-long yet fulfilling days with Yalen.

“Be good.”

“Go and wait for me.”

“Don’t be too sad.”

“When I come back.”

“No matter where you are, I’ll come and take you back.”

“Believe in me this time.”

Lilith said with a bitter smile.

She did not want Luna to leave.

But for Luna’s safety, she had no choice.

To be honest, she herself was not even sure she could hold the Demon Castle.

“Be good.”

“Wait for me to come back…”

“Go find Yalen…”

“Protect her…”

Luna read Lilith’s lips and understood the final sentence.

Then a wave of dizziness surged into her mind.

It spread gradually.

Her vision went black.

And Luna lost consciousness.

………………

Yalen felt a splitting headache.

She was woken groggily by the sunlight outside the window.

“I clearly drank plum juice.”

“Did I drink fake plum juice?”

Yalen muttered to herself.

She did not understand why.

It felt as if she had consumed a large amount of alcohol and gotten drunk immediately.

By all logic, plum juice should not make someone drunk.

Yalen held her head, feeling helpless.

Looking around at the familiar room, she realized she was back in the library bedroom.

Yesterday’s dress was neatly placed on the rack.

She checked her own clothes.

She had been changed into a nightdress.

It seemed Kallianna had helped her back to her room last night.

She should thank her another day.

Yalen thought to herself.

She got out of bed and opened the wardrobe to look for a shirt.

“Huh?”

Every shirt and pair of trousers inside had been replaced with dresses.

“W… what is this…”

Yalen was at a loss.

That girl must have swapped out all her clothes while she was asleep.

This was something Kallianna had mentioned long ago.

Even though she had insisted repeatedly, Yalen had firmly refused.

This time, she had taken the opportunity to prepare everything.

Yalen helplessly took a dress from the hanger.

She could not exactly go out wearing only a nightdress.

After tidying up, Yalen reached into her pocket and took out a note.

“Since you refused to wear skirts.”

“If you still won’t wear them now, that’s fine.”

“Just run around naked in your nightdress.”

Yalen smiled bitterly.