The Dead Setting Suddenly Attacks Me

“Oh, how boring it is to just drink coffee,” Wei’er exclaimed. “I just remembered that the palace sent over some pastries earlier. Let’s have some together!”

Wei’er produced an exquisite gift box.

“Pastries?”

“Indeed. It seems to be chocolate specially made by the imperial pastry chef. You couldn’t buy it for any amount of money outside,” she explained. “His Majesty personally sent them over, saying they were a reward for the President’s recent hard work.”

Wei’er secretly clenched her fist.

‘Given the President’s love for sweets, upon seeing chocolate, how could she possibly pay any attention to you, Ewan Campbell?’

‘Especially with the added prestige of being personally sent by His Majesty.’

“Chocolate? Then let’s eat them together.”

As expected, upon hearing the word “chocolate,” Celicia’s eyes flickered. She stopped pressing Ewan and took a step back, appearing quite eager.

‘Hmph, when it comes to understanding the President, I, Wei’er, am clearly superior.’

Seeing the two of them create some distance, Wei’er contentedly opened the gift box.

Exquisitely shaped chocolates lay nestled in individual compartments.

Each one had been specially crafted into a charming heart shape, appearing delicate and lovely.

Celicia extended a slender finger, picked up a piece, and placed it into her small, cherry-red mouth. A look of pure satisfaction immediately spread across her usually serene face.

‘Truly, in certain moments, you can be quite adorable.’

Ewan smiled faintly, watching Celicia’s profile.

He then didn’t stand on ceremony, picking up a piece of chocolate and putting it into his mouth.

A blend of bitterness and sweetness, infused with a unique aroma, instantly melted upon his lips and tongue.

As his teeth gently bit down, a rich, potent scent of alcohol, mixed with the delicate fragrance of chocolate, surged directly to Ewan’s head, causing him to feel a jolt of clarity.

‘It’s even liquor-filled?’

The combination of the melting chocolate and the liquor on his tongue was not cloyingly sweet; instead, it offered a refreshingly crisp sensation.

Guided by his body’s instinctive experience, Ewan almost immediately recognized it as an expensive, high-grade alcohol.

It was the kind that cost over a hundred thousand Emil per bottle. Just one piece ignited a warmth in Ewan’s throat, tongue, and stomach.

‘Could this truly be the work of the imperial pastry chef?’ While chocolate was considered a relatively expensive, high-end dessert in this world, using such premium liquor as an accent was a blatant display of luxury.

“The taste is exquisite,” Ewan praised sincerely.

“The liquor pairing is absolutely perfect. One doesn’t feel like they’re merely eating chocolate, but rather savoring a work of art. It would be flawless if paired with Westton’s finest coffee.”

“…”

“…” ‘Hmm?’

Ewan frowned, a hint of confusion crossing his face.

‘My insightful evaluation, and no one even responded?’

‘At least there should be some reaction.’

*Clatter.*

Indeed, there was a reaction.

However, it was not the reaction Ewan had anticipated.

Wei’er’s hand trembled, causing the chocolate—expensive enough to bring tears to some impoverished protagonist’s eyes—to fall to the floor. Her pretty face gradually stiffened.

“Ew-Ewan Campbell, what did you say? Th-This is liquor-filled?”

“Yes, it is.”

Wei’er’s strange reaction only deepened Ewan’s confusion.

‘It’s just liquor-filled chocolate; what’s there to make such a fuss about?’

But then, Ewan noticed Wei’er’s gaze suddenly bypass him, landing instead on Celicia. Her expression… was slowly turning to one of horror.

Ewan paused, then immediately turned his head to look at Celicia.

In his line of sight, Celicia still held the posture of having just placed the chocolate into her mouth, delicately sucking on her fingertips, appearing graceful and serene.

Yet, through the flickering candlelight, Ewan could clearly see a faint blush beginning to spread across Celicia’s fair, lovely face.

Not just her face, but every inch of her exposed skin was tinged with a delicate pink, transforming the ice-cold beauty. Like a peach blossom blooming in early spring, she now appeared… exceptionally tender.

Most importantly, Celicia’s eyes, which Ewan remembered as always being cool and rational, gradually thawed like melting snow, then… stared blankly, her gaze unfocused.

“Is she… drunk?”

‘What the hell? Drunk from just one liquor-filled chocolate?’

‘Even a breathalyzer wouldn’t detect that amount!’

“The President… she can’t touch alcohol…” Wei’er said, her voice trembling.

Ewan froze again at her words. A flash of lightning seemed to strike his mind, and a long-forgotten memory resurfaced.

The fundamental reason he had been forced to use tea in their initial plan.

[My constitution can’t handle alcohol, not even a drop.]

‘That’s right, Celicia had said that back then.’

‘But this is far too long ago! You can’t lay a foreshadowing so early; readers will be completely bewildered!’

‘The dead setting is suddenly attacking me?’

Ewan turned to Wei’er, whose round face had gone pale, and asked in shock, “Since Celicia has dietary restrictions, didn’t you check beforehand?”

“This came from the palace! How could I dare open it privately before giving it to the President?”

“…Does His Majesty know that Celicia can’t drink alcohol?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never stayed in the palace, so how would I know about that?”

Ewan looked at Wei’er, who claimed ignorance to every question, feeling utterly helpless.

The most likely scenario was a misunderstanding: His Majesty might know Celicia couldn’t drink, but the imperial pastry chefs were unaware, leading them to send these meticulously crafted liquor-filled chocolates.

As for the other possibility… ‘What would be the point? His Majesty intentionally setting up his daughter, specifically to get Celicia drunk?’

“One last question.”

Ewan swallowed hard, his gaze fixed on Wei’er with a grave expression. “Even if Celicia is drunk, she’ll still maintain her princess-like aloofness and elegance. A mere intoxication will just mean she sleeps it off, and nothing unexpected will happen, right?”

“…”

“Right?!”

“…” After a heart-stopping silence, Wei’er’s expression also grew solemn. She gave Ewan a deep look, and then…

She turned and ran!

At a speed so lightning-fast that Ewan was left dumbfounded and ashamed of his own pace, she dashed out the door.

Ewan froze for a moment, then snapped back to reality, sprinting after Wei’er like a hundred-meter dash.

But.

With a bang, the room door suddenly slammed shut, nearly making Ewan crash into it!

Ewan pounded on the door in terror, only to find magical energy surging from it.

Wei’er had even casually activated what seemed to be the magic array protecting the room.

“Wei’er, what are you doing? I’m still in here! Open the door and let me out!”

“…I’m sorry, Ewan Campbell, I can’t open the door.”

Wei’er’s apologetic voice came from outside the door.

“The President is a terrible drunk, so…”

“What the hell…”

Ewan almost spat out another mouthful of old blood. “Is it that serious? It’s just being drunk, no matter how bad her drinking habits are…”

*Zhengg—*

A piercing clang ripped through the air, interrupting Ewan’s words.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on Ewan’s forehead. He slowly turned his head to the side.

At that moment, an ice-blue blade grazed his cheek, piercing through the room’s heavy door.

The seemingly indestructible defensive array, beneath the ice-blue longsword, was as fragile as paper.

“Ew-Ewan Campbell… why… why are you trying to escape?”

Celicia’s voice echoed from behind him, no longer possessing its usual coolness, but instead filled with an extraordinary, childlike playfulness.

Yet, hearing that voice, Ewan couldn’t help but feel his legs tremble, almost rendering him speechless.

“Wei’er, open the door, please, open the door!”

“I already told you, I can’t.”

“For the peace of the world, for Belrand’s safety, so tomorrow’s newspaper headlines aren’t about three surrounding city blocks being leveled by a sentient tyrannosaurus…

Someone has to keep the President occupied inside.

So…”

Wei’er, standing outside the door with tears in her eyes, forcibly turned her head away and said, “Ewan Campbell, don’t die.”