Chapter 27: Let’s Chat in the Room
But I just couldn’t sleep.
Quietly, I slipped out of Mother’s embrace and tossed and turned in bed, replaying her words in my mind. I hesitated, wondering if I should wait until morning to tell her a few things, just to ease her worries a little. But if I did tell her, how would I even say it? And then my thoughts drifted to Viki. Is Her Majesty the Queen also lying awake, all alone somewhere, drowning her sorrows in some booze…?
The more I thought, the more awake I became. I originally needed way less sleep than normal people, and after throwing up earlier, the drunkenness had mostly faded away, making my head clear as a bell.
This was not normal. Even the Pope Knight would need until morning to sober up after a real bender.
But…
At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if my body sprouted another head.
About half an hour passed. As Mother slept soundly, I quietly got out of bed, tiptoed into some casual clothes, tied my hair up haphazardly, threw on my cloak, and slipped out.
I gently closed the door and looked around. When I arrived, I had been half-asleep and hadn’t even realized where I was. Now, looking around, I figured I was in some bedroom of the suite; it was probably not Keynes’ room, but more likely a concubine’s chamber. I knew that the Empress… the late Empress, had passed away years ago during childbirth, and Keynes hadn’t formally taken another wife since. So, this was likely a concubine’s room — nice and secluded, with no other doors nearby.
In the dimly lit hallway, candles flickered and the atmosphere was far from bright. After wandering around for a while and seeing no signs of any maids—maybe they were all in dreamland—I started feeling around for the suite’s dining room. No one was around, of course; the dining table was already cleared, and a half-empty barrel of sweet wine sat in the corner of the kitchen, while the good red wine seemed to have been polished off. Viki was likely nowhere near here.
Honestly, I didn’t even know where I wanted to go…
But instinctively, I felt this urge to find her—just to see what she was up to, whether she was awake or asleep. I worried Viki might have really tied one on again. She had a habit of drowning her sorrows in booze when she was in a bad mood, and she had already drunk quite a bit at the banquet. I feared if she kept drinking, she’d be tempted to fly up into the sky again. This wasn’t the first time she’d done something that ridiculous!
But with no one around to ask, and my father and Uncle Hoover seemingly MIA, I wandered over to the window, opened it, and leaned out to take a look.
The night sky was spectacular, with snow-covered peaks rising majestically in the distance. Above, the moonlight shone so brightly it almost hurt my eyes. From here, I could see almost half of Chielis City, with countless flickering torchlights dancing between the intersecting streets and buildings, making it look like a sprinkling of stars on a snowy canvas.
But I couldn’t spot Viki anywhere.
However, after a moment of peering about, I unexpectedly noticed a figure on a large terrace extending from the palace walls, not more than a hundred meters away. It looked a bit like Viki, wrapped up in a thick white nightgown and with a furry blanket draped over her, lounging on a deck chair, golden hair splayed out, holding a goblet aloft while gazing at the stars, enjoying a solitary nightcap.
…What was her name again?
Anyway, she was a real piece of work.
I didn’t intend to bother her, but since I couldn’t find anyone else to ask, I thought maybe those guards outside the “Adelina” hall didn’t know where Her Majesty had gone after dinner. So I tilted my head and, after giving it a second thought, jumped right out of the window. A couple of Moon Steps later, I glided through the chilly air and landed softly on the terrace railing.
Clang—
My foot hit the iron railing with a loud bang, startling the woman, who let out a small yelp and nearly sent her goblet flying, spilling wine all over her pristine nightgown. Startled, she quickly threw off the blanket and staggered to her feet, “Who…”
“Fake Viki” almost instinctively whipped her goblet behind her back in a gesture that screamed “caught red-handed,” looking like a child caught doing something naughty. But once our eyes met and she realized it was just me, she rolled her eyes and sighed in relief.
“Oh, it’s you… Trying to scare me, huh?”
Her tongue was twisted…
Her face was quite flushed, even her eyes had a slight redness about them. She wobbled a bit as she spoke, clearly smashed.
And yet here she was, hiding away to keep drinking… Why are all the women in the Ethanbel royal family such alcoholics?
“Where’s Viki?”
With a graceful leap, I hopped off the railing, approaching her while looking around. The terrace was lush with beautiful, rare plants. The room behind the heavy curtain was probably a bedroom—?? it had to be right next to the “Adelina” hall; what was its name again? Did this woman sleep here tonight?
“Viki, Viki, and now you suddenly remember to look for her, huh?”
The woman didn’t seem to know what kind of madness struck her; she rolled her eyes again, then plopped back onto her seat, comfortably reclining, taking a fresh bottle of wine from the side and pouring herself another glass.
I frowned.
After a moment’s contemplation, I decided not to say much—whether she drank or made a fool of herself was her business, as long as she didn’t d*e of a hangover here, it was no skin off my nose.
“Where’s Viki?” I repeated, stopping before her. “Did you not see her?”
“I saw her, so what?!”
She tilted her head back and gulped down the wine in her goblet, a few drops trickling down her chin as she wiped them away with the back of her hand. “Why are you looking for her? She’s drunk, and you should just go to bed. She doesn’t want to deal with you… and neither do I, burp.”
She let out a tiny drunken burp and managed to pour herself more wine.
My brows knitted tighter. “What do you mean? Did you overhear something?”
She was clearly emotional.
Did she eavesdrop on Viki’s conversation with Mother later… or had Viki told her something when she came back?
“Oh come on, what could I possibly hear?!”
“Fake Viki” played it up, “About the banquet? I didn’t understand a thing. I was drunk, just a nobody, right? I couldn’t catch what you were saying at all.”
…Oh.
Sounded like she knew more than she let on.
She didn’t seem to know about later events, though, just an ordinary drunken rant.
What a waste of time.
Not wanting to waste any more on such a drunken fool, I turned to leave. Then I thought better of it and said, “She’s not still drinking, is she?”
As long as I could confirm that, I’d feel better.
Everything else… could wait ’til later; I hadn’t even figured out what to say to her yet.
“Oh, you do care about her… not bad,” Fake Viki said, emphasizing her words with some sarcasm. “You came all the way just to see her, huh? Realizing you’ve hurt her, eh? Tsk tsk… What are you planning to do to make it up to her?”
Her annoying tone made me frown; seriously, what right did she have to b*tt in? I could hardly remember ever seeing her when Viki was in trouble. Now she was acting like a concerned sister. Just as I hesitated about whether to punch her in the nose, she suddenly said, “Don’t worry, don’t worry! She’s with your father and Uncle Ta, having a little meeting. Probably chatting about Saint George and the Church, waiting for you to fall asleep to slip away. They’re probably in the King’s Reception Room now, so she definitely won’t be drinking anymore.”
…Oh.
Alright then.
I thought for a moment and guessed what they’d be discussing—most likely trying to win over Father to join some “Anti-Church Alliance.” Before, they hadn’t agreed solely because the Northern Region wasn’t ready, and didn’t want to burn bridges completely with the Church. But now that things had escalated to this point, might as well flip the table together.
So, that left this pitiful, lonely, drunkard here, drowning her sorrows in whatever booze she had left… Sigh.
Time to go.
Might as well find Anna—
“Hey~”
Just as I was about to leap off the terrace and go wherever for some fresh air, “Fake Viki” suddenly called out to me: “The long night stretches ahead and there’s nothing to do. You’re not sleeping anyway, right? Let’s head inside and have a proper chat~”
