KR Translators:
・StarrySkySailor
・KawaiiKage
・ImmortalInk
・KingPotato
・SugoiSenpai
Chapter 27: First Come, First Served (2)
I touched my slightly numb nose and chuckled. When she came to get married, she was the perfect picture of a well-mannered young lady, but was it all an act? Or a change of heart?
Aila nudged my shoulder and said,
“It doesn’t matter if it’s known. This isn’t near the royal palace.”
“It’s not? Did we come that far out?”
“No. It’s a gift from a great Archmage who will go down in history.”
“Ah, Magnolia Beming.”
Magnolia, who made a name for herself as a great Archmage 300 years ago, was the Court Mage of the Azot Kingdom. She continued to be active for another 30 years after that, and then disappeared somewhere.
If this is her gift, this place is likely underground somewhere on the continent. It would mean that she used magic to spatially leap somewhere along the passage.
“Come this way!”
Princess Mideijel waved her hand from ahead, and Aila and I moved forward. Before we even got close to the door, the aroma that stimulated my nose made me smile involuntarily.
What made me smile was the smell of things I like far more than anything else.
“Wow, this is amazing.”
“It’s magnificent.”
At Aila’s and my admiration, Princess Mideijel smiled lightly. She spread her arms out to the sides, then stepped back with her left foot, put her right hand behind her back, and placed her left hand on her chest. She greeted us elegantly and gracefully, yet playfully.
“Welcome. To the Royal Warehouse, steeped in long history.”
I smiled, looking at the various aged foods that looked like nothing but ‘long history.’ Ham, cheese, and most importantly, ‘alcohol (!)’ seemed to be smiling at me.
Princess Mideijel took out three small bottles from her pocket and said,
“Here, I have sobering potions, so drink until you die.”
“Hurray!”
“Hehe, nice.”
Aila and I laughed and entered the treasure trove of food and alcohol.
By the way, is it okay to do this inside a great Archmage’s creation?
It’s a little late to ask, but why are two maidens suddenly coming to drink in the middle of the night?
Even excluding the fact that it’s not at all aristocratic, there are more than enough questions. I filled my glass with brandy and picked up a canapé made with ham, cheese, and crackers, and asked,
“So, why are we drinking in the middle of the night?”
“Because I couldn’t drink at the banquet.”
Straightforward. Princess Mideijel was showing that even the act of picking up ham with her hand could be done gracefully. In a way, it made me think that there might be many people in the world like my brother.
I asked out of curiosity,
“Do you like alcohol?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Very much.”
And Princess Mideijel downed a glass of rum in one gulp.
Leaving aside the question of why a low-grade alcohol like rum is in the royal food storage, the fact that she downed a glass of undiluted rum at her age means she has an unusual tolerance.
Just how long has she been drinking?
“It’s been 3 years this year.”
“Huh?”
“I thought you might be curious.”
“For the record, it’s been 4 years for me. Hehe.”
Aila fluttered a thinly sliced piece of ham and brought it to her mouth. Princess Mideijel is also 16 years old this year. In the end, the two girls, the same age as me, started drinking at the ages of thirteen and fourteen.
My past life, where I had never tasted alcohol until I was 18 and thought it was something I shouldn’t drink, felt foolish.
“What about Risel?”
“That’s right. I’m curious. When did the Knight of Peace start drinking?”
“It’s similar for me. And that title is a bit uncomfortable.”
Actually, I have 10 years of experience. I vaguely glossed over it. Princess Mideijel smiled softly and said,
“Oh? You don’t like the title bestowed upon you by my father?”
“No. It’s more that it’s burdensome.”
Princess Mideijel’s father, the King of Azot, bestowed an honorary title upon me. The extremely burdensome title of Knight of Peace, bestowed for my efforts in maintaining peace between the Empire and Azot.
If I refused, the goodwill would be like a glass jar under a falling hammer. In the end, I had to accept the honorary title. It was at the banquet that I learned Crown Prince Orange had a hand in it.
‘You did a good job stopping Damachi.’
I hate myself for being convinced after hearing the reason.
“Alright. Then I’ll call you Risel. You can call me Daisy too.”
“Huh? But how dare I……”
“Dare? Hmm, well?”
She pointed at Aila and tilted her head, and Aila waved her hand playfully. I held my throbbing temples, probably due to the alcohol, and shook my head. I asked,
“More importantly, when did you two become so close?”
“3 hours ago.”
“No, it was 3 hours and 30 minutes ago.”
“Oh, is that so?”
The two girls, conversing casually, really hit it off. Come to think of it, even here, the friendship wasn’t just budding, it was blooming and bearing fruit.
“Anyway, call me Daisy in private. Got it, Risel?”
“Pfft!”
I almost spat out half of the drink I was drinking at the sudden informality.
“Oh my!”
“Messy……”
How should I treat this tough and blunt young lady who suddenly speaks informally? After thinking for a bit, I soon realized there was no way.
Sigh, I surrender.
“Alright, Daisy.”
“Hmm. Good. Now, cheers to our friendship!”
“Woo-! Cheers!”
“Woo……”
I responded halfheartedly and clinked glasses. It seems like it would be difficult to get along with these two, but at the same time, it feels like I will.
“But Princess……”
“Ahem!”
“Daisy.”
“What, Risel?”
She cut the ham, rolled it up in cheese, and put it in her mouth. I’m sure these two girls will be worrying about their bloated faces from the alcohol tomorrow morning. I looked at what was spread out before us and said,
“This, is it okay to eat this like this?”
“Yes.”
“This is for emergencies, right?”
“That emergency doesn’t seem like it’ll ever come, and anyway, the things here are replenished about once every three weeks. The person who manages this is my uncle, the Chief Attendant.”
“Ah, so this is why the King’s brother is the King’s Chief Attendant.”
One of the mysteries of the Azot Royal Family has been solved. It’s none other than to manage this shelter. Thinking that, I put a well-aged piece of cheese on a cracker and chewed.
As I savored the taste of the cheese and the texture of the crumbling cracker, and let the brandy flow through it, I suddenly had a thought.
Wait, Daisy’s uncle, the Chief Attendant, manages this?
“Don’t tell me, you knew?”
“Yes, of course. That’s why this is here. Alcohol that doesn’t suit royalty. But I like it. It’s sweet.”
She proudly held up the rum and said. And I sighed and said to Aila,
“She really is your friend……”
“What do you mean by that? Anyway, it’s good. We can drink freely like this and don’t have to worry about cleaning up. That sobering potion, is it something that was presented to His Majesty the King?”
“Yes! But my dad doesn’t drink that much. There are always leftover tributes. So it’s no problem if a few go missing.”
Well, it’s an attitude of ‘no problem if you don’t get caught.’
I wondered how this straightforward princess would end up marrying into the Empire 7 years later due to complicated circumstances. However, I couldn’t ask her why she was getting married in 7 years, so I decided to ask something else.
“Daisy, does your family know you play like this?”
“Only Dad doesn’t know. He’s busy. Sometimes I drink with my family. It feels like it strengthens family bonds. But at banquets like today, I have to be careful about what I eat, let alone drink. Who said a lady has to eat less to be beautiful? You can eat a lot and exercise to get a sleek figure. Don’t you think so?”
“Right. But having to eat only a bird’s portion and withdraw is considered good manners. This is why people gain weight after marriage. Those kinds of ladylike rules were all made by men anyway! To create women who are pleasing to the eye!”
Suddenly, the conversation turned into a session of expressing dissatisfaction with the discriminatory customs of the aristocracy. And as always, the man who benefits from those customs has nothing to say.
And as always, the arrow turns back on that person. Ugh.
“Risel, what do you think?”
“What do you think?”
I brought the glass to my lips and took a small sip. The strong brandy went down my throat, leaving a tingling sensation as if a fire was rising along my esophagus.
“Ah, I have no complaints. Why, it’s good to look good if you have a good figure.”
“Kyaa! See! This is what I mean by lack of interest!”
“Do you think we’re doing this just to look good?”
I scratched my cheek and fiddled with the cheese and crackers with my hand and said. It’s not just about looking good.
“No, there’s no one who dislikes a beautiful woman……but in a way, isn’t emphasizing eating less also a result of emphasizing self-management?”
“Self-management?”
“Explain.”
I took a bite of the cheese sandwiched between two crackers and had another drink. Whoa, this is good alcohol.
“Well, let’s say there’s a person who dresses beautifully and constantly maintains their figure. Honestly, that takes a lot of effort, right?”
My younger sister, Sera, is also very conscious of many things at that age. And my mother, due to her position, can’t help but be conscious. And all the famous noblewomen I’ve seen until my death were like that.
“So, liking a woman with a good figure and beauty means that she’s good at self-management. It’s also pleasing to the eye, but even natural beauty becomes more beautiful when adorned. And the best way to maintain a figure is to eat less. I think it became like that because of the emphasis on that.”
“So you’re saying women should maintain their figures to look good to men?”
“No. Men just look. Women just need to work on their self-management. Anyway, coming out after doing that means they’re already prepared to be seen. It’s not bad to show off that you’re good at managing yourself. Everyone lives their own life as they see fit.”
“Hmm, that’s difficult.”
Aila tilted her head with a flushed face, and Daisy crossed her arms and fell into thought.
I shrugged and picked up a piece of ham and said,
“That’s how social customs are, but it doesn’t mean people don’t eat, right? There’s even a princess here raiding the royal secret warehouse. Whatever you do, the point is self-management. The reason it’s emphasized is because someone who has honed themselves always shines and attracts attention. That’s all.”
I ate the ham, and the two girls seemed lost in thought.
“It’s a general statement, a righteous argument. There’s nothing to attack.”
Aila nodded and concluded. Daisy also sighed and nodded.
“That’s right. But withdraw the expression ‘raiding the royal warehouse’. This is strictly post-authorization.”
“Ah, that’s what robbers say too, post-authorization.”
“Pfft! You, aren’t you being too bold? To dare compare a princess of a nation to a robber.”
“You told me to call you Daisy in private. Or make this a public setting. What do you think, Princess?”
Daisy looked at me and then chuckled, raising her bottle. Then she poured it into my half-empty glass and said,
“Impudent noble. Here, drink! What’s with the deep talk while drinking? Just drink and enjoy. I was dying to drink all throughout the banquet today. Hmph, some of what’s in here is mine anyway. What’s wrong with eating first? If it’s already decided to be mine, it’s common courtesy in the world to quickly eat it before others do.”
I looked at the glass where rum and brandy were suddenly mixed and chuckled. If it’s decided to be mine, I should eat it first before others do?
I raised my glass and said,
“I like that saying.”
I clinked glasses with her. And emptied the glass in one go with a refreshing motion.
“Risel, you’re a good drinker? Here, take this glass.”
“Oh, thanks, Aila.”
Aila poured alcohol into my glass and filled her own glass as well. Naturally, the atmosphere became one of a toast, and this time Aila said,
“Who can say anything about using what’s yours in the future now? Moreover, if you can share it with others, it’s even more valuable. In that sense, cheers to our Princess Mideijel who shared her daily bread with us!”
“Cheers!”
“Cheers! I’ll pay today, so drink as much as you want! It’s free anyway!”
Daisy excitedly raised her glass and shouted in a cheerful voice.
Thus, in a place where no one knew, the drinking party of three young boys and girls, whose alcohol tolerance was no less than that of adults, continued even more excitedly.
Imperial Year 372, July 18th.
The sobering potion was truly a magical drink.
As soon as I drank it before going to bed, the alcohol wore off and I fell asleep soundly. Even after a deep sleep, I didn’t feel tired. However, my stomach felt a bit bloated due to the snacks I had with the alcohol.
Yesterday’s gathering was truly a friendship meeting.
Although I didn’t have much of a friendship to build with Daisy in the first place, it strangely felt like drinking with my junior soldiers during my military days.
The feeling of ‘This person is truly a friend!’
To think I’d feel something I hadn’t properly felt from a man from a woman, I wonder if my senses have really dulled. However, I decided to trust it for now.
Because I heard good stories.
I woke up early, lightly washed my face, and skimmed through the information booklet I received earlier. First, I read the parts I needed, then carefully examined the rest during the remaining time.
Even if the entire Azot Kingdom welcomes the goodwill with the Empire, there’s no guarantee that the nobles will do the same. We’ve steadily built up a long-standing feud, so there will be those with old grudges.
Especially since I’m the son of one of the three Grand Dukes of the Empire. ‘Orknesia’, the territory ruled by the Duke’s name, is in the northeastern region of the Empire. Although my father and our family have no reason to clash with Azot, which is in the southwestern part of the Empire, over territory issues, my father is a key figure in the Imperial government. There will be at least three nobles in Azot who have a grudge against my father.
I racked my brain, trying to remember if there was anyone from the Azot Kingdom who had ties to us.
And I clutched my head and despaired.
“There’s no way there would be.”
After the Azot goodwill mission ended in failure, and Damachi became the High Priest, relations with Azot went downhill every day. The relationship that was trying to improve with Daisy’s marriage would be shattered three years later.
So, in the timeline I knew, there’s no way to find out who did what in Azot. That’s why I even bought information in Edikinz.
They say you have to button the first button right, so at today’s breakfast meeting, I have to act like a dignified, polite, and intelligent noble’s son. I don’t even have to think too hard, just imitate my brother a little.
Knock, knock.
“Sir Arisein Pen Herduke, it’s time for breakfast.”
“Alright, I’ll be right out.”
Today, I am a noble of the Empire who has also received a knighthood from Azot. I must act in a manner befitting that name. So that I won’t be dragged into war and experience that death again.
Now, let’s go.
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