Chapter 70: It’s All the King’s Fault
“Ah, right! Miss, there’s something I almost forgot to ask.”
Arthur slapped his forehead, realizing his memory was getting worse. How could he almost forget what Yake had tasked him with?
“Huh? What is it?”
“Actually, when I went out earlier, I ran into Aierjisi and the others. They also wanted to see the circus performance.”
“And then?”
“Well, we couldn’t find the circus, and in the end, we learned from a notice on the tent that it had already moved. If we had gone from that location, we definitely wouldn’t have made it today.”
“Seems like that circus moved quite far then.”
“Yeah. So, we didn’t go there but just found a place to chat for a bit.”
“What did you guys talk about?”
“Oh, not much. I just told them how I ended up meeting you.”
“Mm… so you really asked them that? I expected it. You told them the truth, right?”
“Of course! There’s no need to lie in this situation.”
“Good. Please, continue.”
“Then I talked to them about the contract business. It seems Mr. Yake doesn’t have access to the powers of the contract yet. They’re just in a simple contractual relationship.”
“I noticed that too. They both haven’t tapped into the true power of the contract. Maybe they haven’t spent enough time in this region. Didn’t it take you a year to master the powers of the contract?”
Arthur recalled the time he barely managed to wield the flames of the contract, nearly burning his clothes off. Weirafiya had a grand time laughing at him back then.
“Right… Anyway, after I explained the contract, he asked if we wanted to stay at the Royal Palace. It would definitely be more convenient.”
“And how did you respond?”
“I didn’t reply. I told him I am just a servant, and whether we should stay at the Royal Palace depends on my lady’s decision. That’s why I came to ask for your opinion.”
“Oh ho ho, not bad! You even remember to consult me first. Hmm… let me think. Staying at the Royal Palace isn’t a bad idea, but I wonder what the conditions are like there.”
“It’s definitely better than the inn we’re staying in. No need to worry about that; it’s the Royal Palace after all.”
“Then let’s do it! When are we moving?”
“Tomorrow. I’ve arranged to meet Yake and the others at the bar. If everything goes smoothly, we can move to the Royal Palace tomorrow.”
“That’s fine. I was getting a bit tired of the inn anyway. I hope I won’t feel bored at the Royal Palace. By the way, do they have any fine wines there?”
Weirafiya pondered a moment, figuring that there should be lots of top-shelf wines in the palace that she couldn’t get in the bar. If she moved to the palace, it would be a waste not to sample some!
“Miss… could you not think about drinking all the time? If we do move into the palace, there are many things to pay attention to—don’t want to rile up the palace residents.”
Seeing Weirafiya still daydreaming about wine, Arthur felt a headache coming on. He realized he needed to teach her some etiquette soon; otherwise, one day she’d cause trouble and he wouldn’t even know where things went wrong.
“But thinking about those fine wines in the palace is just too tempting!”
Weirafiya had grown addicted to drinking, and getting her to quit would be a tall order.
“Ah… this is really giving me a headache.”
Arthur rubbed his temples, already imagining Weirafiya wandering around the palace with a drink in hand while he had to smile apologetically to the palace folks. Just thinking about it raised his blood pressure.
What on earth did I do to deserve this? Why is the Phoenix I’ve contracted with such a drunkard? And to make matters worse, I still have to serve her! Even if I wanted to cut ties with her, it would be impossible. It feels like my life has completely lost its color.
“Arthur, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing, nothing at all. Let’s keep walking for a bit. We’ll head back after dinner.”
Noticing that Arthur seemed a bit off, Weirafiya thought he might be feeling unwell. However, she didn’t realize he was actually feeling this way because of her.
“Are you really okay? You look uncomfortable.”
“I’m fine. Don’t mind me. Didn’t we do this before?”
“Don’t say that! I care about my servant.”
That much was true. In this world, Weirafiya had only Arthur to rely on. If something happened to him, she’d be utterly alone. So she genuinely cared about his well-being.
“If you really care about me, please drink less. At least stop thinking about those fine wines.”
Before coming to this country, Weirafiya had seemed quite normal. But ever since arriving here, she’d been either drinking at the bar or drinking at the bar. Arthur couldn’t take it anymore!
“Sigh… if it’s that, fine. I promise I won’t think about drinking anymore. But in return, you also need to make sure I don’t get bored. I drink because I’m so bored here—there’s nothing to do!”
Weirafiya was equally frustrated. This city, buried in snow and wind, was not a good fit for a Flame Phoenix like her. Plus, it had no entertainment at all! She spent all her time at the inn, doing nothing but sleeping. Arthur got to go out daily for info; whenever he mentioned the palace was recruiting some so-called heroes, she thought she could get in and have some fun. Instead, she got stuck with some ridiculous secret code that barred her. No wonder she ended up hitting the bar hard that night!
Thinking about it, maybe the king should take some responsibility for her drinking problem. If he hadn’t put out those absurd codes, she certainly wouldn’t have fallen to this state!
