42. In Lilia

“It’s Chloe-gun. As you said, the Imperial Palace’s alcohol isn’t bad.”

Chloe took another step closer to me in the meantime, clinking the glass in her hand against mine.

“You were amazing today. You really gave that Cardinal Grius a good one, Count-nim.”

She spoke of her impressions of what had just happened, as if I was amazing.

“And the result of our two people working together. That ice crystal sculpture that we put so much care into, as if we were creating a child. Not only His Majesty, but the people here also seemed to be moved by its beauty and sophistication. Don’t you think? Heu-heut.”

As she said that, she subtly brought up the ice crystal sculpture. Her tone emphasized that ‘two people’ had created the sculpture together.

‘Actually, Aylin and Professor Elmire also collaborated on the sculpture.’

Also, the word ‘child’ mixed in with that statement seemed to have a deliberate intention. There was a reason why she was emphasizing her contribution.

Those eyes full of lust. Anyone could see that she was seducing me. However, she seemed to be refraining from getting too close to me at this moment.

This is the Imperial Palace, and the place where my fiancée, Princess Lilia, is. Chloe glanced at where Lilia was.

Lilia was busily moving around a little distance away.

It’s the Emperor’s birthday banquet. So, as his younger sister and a member of the Imperial Family, Lilia seemed to have many people to talk to.

“Heu-heum. It seems that Lilia Jeonha is busy. But to leave such a wonderful fiancé alone like this. Could it be… that she doesn’t think much of Yulian-nim?”

Saying that, she boldly brought her face even closer to mine.

“This collaboration on the ice crystal sculpture, and the fact that the Reinhardt family and our Aitehern family work together, it seems that many good things will happen in the future. Don’t you think?”

In fact, the delegations from the two families near me were busily exchanging conversations.

Looking at Viscount Mason’s expression, it seemed to be quite helpful to Essenmund.

“That wouldn’t be wrong. I also know that the Aitehern Merchant Association has outstanding financial resources.”

“You see it exactly. As expected of the insightful Count-nim. Heu-heut.”

That’s how a brief, ordinary conversation took place.

It felt like she was testing the waters in advance. It was like Chloe to not easily talk about the main point even if she wanted something.

Then, suddenly, the topic returned to the story from earlier.

“But, Count-nim. The reward you mentioned to His Majesty. Is that really all you want? To want to study with Lilia Jeonha. That’s an unexpected statement. Isn’t that too insignificant as a reward for offering such a carefully crafted tribute?”

As Chloe said, the only reward I asked the Emperor for was that.

“Lilia Jeonha is always busy. There’s nothing wrong with having time and space to quietly study together.”

“Heu-heum. You’re unexpectedly devoted to your fiancée. But Lilia Jeonha doesn’t seem to have any interest in Count-nim at all. She’s leaving Count-nim unattended like this.”

Chloe said with a listless expression. She sipped the wine in her glass, then her eyes sparkled again.

“I know all about Count-nim’s enthusiasm for learning. Alchemy, training, and so on. A desire for improvement is a desirable virtue for high-ranking nobles. But if you don’t rest when you need to, a person’s body can break down surprisingly quickly, you know?”

It was suspicious. I checked the system just in case. Sure enough, a drug had been added to my glass.

——-

[Passive has been activated.]

* Impervious to All Poisons

: Grants immunity to all poisons. Understands the effects of poisons, allowing identification of poison-related status ailments.

* List of Active Status Ailments

: Alchemist’s Enhanced Drug (Can be immediately detoxified)

: An extremely potent aphrodisiac. Can act as a deadly poison to ordinary people who cannot use Mana.

——-

‘Heu-heum…’

The potency of the drug seems to be stronger than last time. It seems she created a new drug because the old one didn’t work well on me.

I lightly drank the wine containing the drug. There was no sign of it in the taste at all. Her skills were amazing.

“And this banquet isn’t really that great. There are too many old nobles, so it’s incredibly boring for young people like us, right? So, I’ve talked to a few of the Pantheon’s noble students who are attending here. I told them to have a separate after-party in a different place than this stuffy banquet.”

Chloe said that there was a high-end restaurant operated by the Aitehern Merchant Association near the Imperial Palace, in that wealthy neighborhood.

Saying that, she breathed into my ear.

“So, Count-nim will attend too, right? It’s okay even if you’re tired. That place mainly caters to local nobles who come to the Imperial Capital. So, there are separate lodging facilities prepared. Taking a break there… wouldn’t be bad.”

“I see.”

In other words, it’s like a modern hotel. It seems that this villainous young lady has evaluated me more highly because of today’s events.

The greed in her eyes was a lustful gaze that was burning with desire, anyone could see it.

“You’ve been using alchemy so diligently at the atelier for the past few days. It would be fun to reminisce about that time together, right? Heu-heut. Even for me, it’s the first time I’ve calculated such a large amount of high-level formulas. Count-nim knows that too, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

She emphasized her contribution once again like that.

It wasn’t wrong.

Thanks to the sculpture I made with Chloe, I got the reward I wanted. And it’s also true that I was able to prevent the movements of the noble forces trying to defect to the South to some extent.

‘Well, should I just do what Chloe wants for today?’

I should pretend to be properly affected by the drug. It would be good to hide the effect of Impervious to All Poisons. It wouldn’t be bad to play with fire with her for a day or so.

Chloe’s expression became even more ecstatic as she realized that my expression was positive.

Just as I was about to answer that I understood. Suddenly, there was a voice calling me.

“Yulian-nim!”

A familiar voice. It was Lilia.

---

Lilia, wearing a pure white dress. She hurriedly approached the two of us.

“Yulian-nim! I’m sorry for coming to see you so late. Oh my. The Aitehern Marquis Young Lady is here too. Thank you for attending His Majesty’s birthday banquet.”

“Don’t mention it. Chloe greets Lilia Jeonha.”

Chloe slightly lifted the hem of her dress and paid her respects to Lilia. I saw her expression sour for a moment, but she quickly hid it.

Two beauties wearing pure white and red dresses. I felt like the table was shining brightly for a moment.

I could feel the gazes of the attendees reaching us from far away, but the owner of this table couldn’t easily approach us.

The two of them exchanged greetings with bright smiles. The conversation continued for a while.

“Chloe Young Lady seems to be getting prettier every time I see you. Ah, right! I heard that you ranked 2nd among the combatants in the recent Golden Light power evaluation. You defeated that famous witch, Rosette, right? As expected, the student representative of the Alchemy Order is different. You’re amazing!”

Lilia praised Chloe with a very benevolent expression.

Chloe, who had been answering mechanically while still smiling at those words, reacted.

“Jeonha also knew about that fact. It’s not something to make a fuss about just because I beat one commoner witch. Well, it’s true that I ranked 2nd. Of course, Yulian Count-nim, who is here, ranked 1st among them. So it’s not that great.”

As she said that, she wore an arrogant expression when Rosette’s name came up.

Lilia didn’t take that reaction seriously.

“That’s right! Yulian-nim ranked 1st. You’re really amazing! As your fiancée, I was so proud!”

Rather, she grabbed my hands tightly with a voice full of emotion. Chloe’s expression turned cold for a moment.

“Lilia Jeonha is right.”

She quickly created a bright smile again.

‘Women of noble status are amazing.’

For a moment, I almost recalled the battle of nerves between Lilia and Aylin. But it was clearly different from that.

When Lilia treated Aylin, she went far beyond the benevolent expression she had now. She showed a smile like the sun that seemed to brighten the surroundings, without stopping for a moment.

‘Aylin didn’t give in to that smile either.’

But now, Lilia’s expression was the same as the Maman Princess’s appearance that could usually be seen in the Medical Order or the Pantheon.

In other words, Lilia didn’t think of Chloe as a rival at all.

A great confidence that she would never have her fiancé stolen by someone like you.

If Chloe knew that inner meaning, she might have been overwhelmed with a tremendous sense of humiliation.

‘It doesn’t seem like Chloe evaluates Lilia highly.’

In the world’s evaluation, Lilia was still the image of a naive princess who didn’t know anything about the world.

It meant that Chloe was being careless.

“Then, it’s meaningful that the three of us from the Pantheon are here together. Let’s all have a drink together!”

Lilia proposed a toast to me and Chloe.

The three of us lightly clinked our glasses and drank the wine.

“I specially selected this wine for this banquet. It’s a tradition of the Medica Order to have excellent breweries in the monasteries of each region. I chose this one with even more care.”

“Oh my. Lilia Jeonha also has extensive knowledge of alcohol. As expected, the Princess Jeonha is different.”

Chloe looked at Lilia as if she was slightly surprised. It was actually delicious wine, so the three of them shared quite a bit of alcohol.

Especially Lilia. She poured even more wine into her glass and drank it, even though she had joined late. Wine is a drink with a subtle alcohol content.

Lilia’s cheeks quickly turned bright red as she drank it quickly in a short amount of time. Chloe’s expression became more listless.

“Lilia Jeonha is busy, so shouldn’t you talk to other tables? Could it be that we’re taking up too much of your time…”

“No. Chloe Young Lady. I’ve already talked to the other people.”

Chloe seemed to want Lilia to leave. But Lilia pretended not to know and continued to stay here.

Unfortunately, the Aitehern family’s delegation didn’t help Chloe either.

“Chloe Agassi. The story with the Essenmund delegation is all over. Then, we’re thinking of moving to another place. Would Agassi like to go with us?”

It was a situation where Chloe had to leave instead. Still, as if she had lingering feelings, just as Chloe was about to say something more.

Suddenly, Lilia staggered.

“Oh my… Why is this happening all of a sudden…”

“Are you alright!”

I hurriedly supported her. Lilia, who had briefly placed her hand on her forehead, said in a weak voice.

“I’m okay. I drank unfamiliar alcohol too quickly… I must have been a little dizzy.”

Lilia’s maids and Imperial Palace guards, who had been watching the scene, hurriedly approached.

“Are you alright! Lilia Jeonha!”

Lilia raised her hand to calm them down.

“You don’t have to worry too much… I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. So I feel like the alcohol is hitting me faster…”

“Lilia Jeonha! Then, I’ll take you to the West Palace quickly. You might hurt your body if you overdo it…”

The female knight of the guard and the maids tried to support Lilia instead of me. Lilia shook her head.

“His Majesty’s banquet is an important time for you too. I can’t take away that time.”

“But at this rate, Jeonha will…”

“Because I have my fiancé here to take me instead. Isn’t that right, Yulian-nim?”

At that moment, Lilia and I made eye contact. Her eyes were so pitiful that I immediately nodded.

“I’ll take you there.”

Chloe, who had been watching the scene, covered her face with a fan. She seemed annoyed.

---

I left Chloe behind and supported Lilia out of the banquet hall.

I unintentionally ended up abandoning Chloe.

‘Thinking about it, I didn’t give a definite answer that I would attend that after-party. So I didn’t exactly break a promise.’

It’s a shame for Chloe, but I’ll have to postpone playing with fire until next time. A little later. I arrived at the West Palace of the Imperial Palace with Lilia.

The West Palace is a palace where unmarried women of the Imperial Family reside. Like Lilia’s personality, the West Palace was full of neatness instead of luxury.

I sat Lilia down on a bench in the West Palace’s garden. The two of us sat side by side.

“Are you alright? Lilia Jeonha.”

For a moment, Lilia, who had been bowing her head as if she was weak, made eye contact with me. She smiled bashfully.

“Yulian-nim knows that I’m okay, right?”

“That’s true, but…”

It was as Lilia said. Her face was flushed red like before. But I didn’t feel even a little bit of drunkenness.

“If I don’t do this, I won’t have time to meet with Yulian-nim at all. I couldn’t stand it! Yulian-nim is so close to me like this… But I can’t have time alone!”

A little while ago. Chloe was full of pride for ranking 2nd in the Golden Light. But Lilia is an excellent healer who ranked 1st among the combat support students of the Golden Light.

‘So, if she’s determined, it means she’ll never get drunk on just alcohol.’

As expected, Lilia’s body was enveloped in light green divine power.

“I’d be embarrassed if I smelled like alcohol…”

Saying that, Lilia snuggled into my arms. A pair of benevolent breasts gently pressed against my upper body.

Lilia pressed her face close to mine. Lips touched. Lilia’s soft tongue came over from the gap in her quickly opening lips.