Emperor's Alternate - Chapter 31
As a leader, Lecan exuded a commanding presence. Despite the vastness of the grand ballroom filled with numerous people, just locking eyes with Lecan amidst the crowd made time stand still. Why does a second seem like a minute when I’m aware of him? It was a perplexing thought that lingered within me.
Around the image of Lecan etched in my retinas, there were easily more than five noble heiresses. Each one was accompanied by a representative of the ‘neutral’ faction, seemingly introducing their daughters. I didn’t have to hear them to infer what conversation they were having.
What kind of father entrusts his daughter to a man like that? Setting aside the nobles’ judgments towards Lecan, I was genuinely curious. If my mother hadn’t perished, would I have formed friendships solely with noble heiresses? I might have already been married to Lecan by now.
Instinctively, I turned my head to avoid Lecan’s gaze. The Empress was in front of me, and I had to be careful. I couldn’t focus on him, but what I’d just seen was still haunting me.
Each of the heiresses were stunning. They wore colorful dresses that emphasized their best features, and yet they all seemed shy.
The Empress looked at me with a proud smile. Lecan was far away enough that she hadn’t noticed that I had briefly locked eyes with him.
“If you can drink so well, why did you refuse every time?”
“…Intoxication might disrupt my duties…”
“Sometimes, you need to be a little rowdy.”
Listening or perhaps only pretending to listen, the Empress stroked my head gently with her long jeweled nails. Reflexively, I tensed at the memories of the time we made the ‘Imprint of the Heart’ resurfacing. However, the warmth of someone stroking my hair was something I’d only felt as a child, so I quickly relaxed.
‘I wonder what expression I’m making right now.’
As I am not someone else, I can’t see what my face looks like at this moment.
A protector I had chosen to survive unjustly losing my parents at a young age. Even though I doubted whether the Empress was truly a protector… Even assuming she was, forcing alcohol on me didn’t make the Empress a good guardian. Yet, I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.
“Drink. Have another.”
One after another, I reluctantly drank the alcohol forced upon me. Even when I coughed from drinking, I thought the Empress might be venting her frustrations onto me. There was no one to oppose this. The country was now under her rule, and I was her chief handmaiden, so there was no reason for anyone to intervene.
“You know how unfortunate it is that I should be the only one to know how beautiful you are.”
“Thank you for always looking out for me, Your Majesty.”
“That’s your punishment. For tarnishing your appearance, you must drink one more glass.”
My head was spinning.
I didn’t precisely know my alcohol tolerance, but I could tell I had already had too much. At the very least, I was strongly intoxicated and shouldn’t be riding a horse in this condition.I was certain that I had more than nine glasses of this exceptionally strong drink. Despite my fading consciousness, I tried my best to remain alert.
My legs began to tremble, and the hand holding the glass shook. I tried not to let it show. I slurred my words and tried to maintain a clear gaze, but the Empress seemed to think I wasn’t drunk. I had yet to learn the art of politely refusing alcohol, but that would be a task for another time.
At the ball, I was as foolishly innocent as to drink whatever was handed to me.I felt disoriented and realized I shouldn’t be walking. Even if someone were to guide me to sit down, I felt too nauseous to respond properly. It seemed I had briefly heard the Empress saying she would go outside to get some fresh air.
“What’s your name?”
The one inquiring with hesitant pronunciation was a diplomat from the Abel Empire. I recognized the distinctive clothing of the Abel Empire right away. Why am I here? And where is the Empress? I glanced around, but she was nowhere to be seen. Did I miss something?
I couldn’t make out much of anything. Only things very close by were distinguishable. The diplomat prodded with a question.
“Name.”
“Leyesha… Leyesha…”
“What about your surname?”
I had no surname to speak of—the proud and beloved House of Rotea, which I couldn’t claim.
“You’re just a common maid.”
“I am the chief maid under Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress.”
“I know. You’re famous.”
Famous…? That couldn’t possibly be true.
Where on earth was the interpreter? The Abelian emissaries, speaking in stilted accents, soon began to chatter in a foreign tongue. Since I knew Abelian, understanding them wasn’t an issue. I began failing at maintaining my composure as the diplomats were insulting me in their language.
[Isn’t the Empress a courtesan?]
[I heard they’re distantly related, so maybe they’re from the same place].
[She’s much prettier than the rumors.]
[Why wasn’t her great figure mentioned in the rumors? Hehehe.]
“Pour us a drink.”
“Ha…”
I surprised myself by restraining myself from swearing. Where on earth had the Empress gone? How could I have foolishly missed her? How did I end up seated with these people?
