Ch.233Chapter 233. Flowing Sincerity

Swen and Lady Serpina headed to the familiar annex.

“It’s been a while since we came here together.”

From the day Serpina challenged me to a duel to test my abilities.

To the first time we drank together—we had spent quite a lot of time here.

Looking back, so much had happened.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll bring out some wine.”

One fact I learned recently:

This annex was once used as a storage building during the time of the Einhart mansion, which had burned down during the “Crown Prince Conflict.”

Now it was the only space that hadn’t been destroyed, and Serpina still maintained it, tending to the surrounding garden.

What must it feel like to spend time alone in a place where your siblings died?

Suddenly, her abrupt confession came to mind.

‘I didn’t kill anyone… huh.’

I was about to get lost in my thoughts.

But Serpina’s voice quickly brought me back to reality.

“I wish I had some food to go with this.”

She held wine and two glasses in her hands.

They looked incredibly expensive at a glance. Of course, someone of Serpina’s stature wouldn’t drink cheap liquor.

“That’s fine. I like drinking straight.”

“Straight?”

“Um… it’s a term for drinking alcohol without any side dishes.”

She sat down and handed me a glass.

As I took it, I heard her voice.

“That’s a term I haven’t heard before.”

“It was commonly used where I was from.”

“Where you were from? Do you mean your hometown?”

“Hometown…”

Serpina skillfully uncorked the wine, took my glass, and filled it with ruby-colored liquid.

The glug-glug sound echoed through the desolate room.

“I suppose it was my hometown.”

“Come to think of it, Swen. I don’t believe I’ve ever asked where you’re from.”

I accepted the wine glass Serpina handed me.

Just holding it close, an indescribably luxurious aroma sharply hit my nose. It seemed slightly sweet… Was this Lady Serpina’s preference?

“Are you from the central region?”

Where I’m from.

I didn’t need to be honest, but…

As if drunk before even taking a sip, I felt a stubborn desire not to lie to her.

“I’m from somewhere a bit different.”

“Different?”

“Yes. A place unrelated to this continent, somewhere a bit further away…”

She might have thought I was talking nonsense.

But instead of prying into my circumstances, Serpina filled her own glass with wine and then slightly aimed it toward me.

I tilted my glass lightly in response.

“It must be difficult for you in a foreign land, Swen.”

“Not really. Humans are destined to endure hardship no matter where they live.”

After saying that, I took a sip of wine.

Indeed, it wasn’t just the aroma—it was sweeter than most red wines.

Come to think of it, the wine I drank when serving her last time was also on the sweeter side.

Lady Serpina seems to prefer sweet alcohol.

“Hardships come in different forms. Nothing could be as difficult as enduring day by day at her side, right? As you know, she’s the continent’s worst witch… a tyrant.”

She said this with a smile.

I didn’t bother to correct her words.

The cross of Einhart that she chose to bear, whether willingly or not—the mask of a tyrant would certainly help her carry that burden.

So we shared our drinks in silence.

Refilling each other’s glasses when they emptied, taking sip after sip.

When I came to my senses, I could feel my face growing hot.

I could also see that her face had turned red.

“Swen.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“I want to hear about your lord.”

“Pardon? By lord, do you mean yourself, Lady Serpina?”

Serpina chuckled amusedly at my words.

“Huhuhuh, Swen. I’ve thought this before, but despite your brilliant wit, you’re quite poor at deflecting questions.”

“…”

Well.

There would be no need for her to ask about herself. She wasn’t the type of person who sought validation in such ways.

My lord… Lady Lunarian.

After briefly considering where to begin, I parted my lips.

“…She is a person of integrity.”

She didn’t respond but looked straight into my eyes.

I could easily tell this was a signal for me to continue.

“She’s someone who genuinely loves her territory’s people. Someone who knows when to make decisions… someone with an aura different from others.”

As I talked about Lunarian, I naturally realized something.

It was surprisingly difficult to describe her in detail.

And that a very long time had passed since we parted.

Though we spent time together, it wasn’t particularly long, and the harsh situation Lunarian’s army faced at the time made it difficult to learn more about her human side.

Certainly, I felt something in her that other rulers like Lynn or Yurie didn’t have—

But truthfully, my judgment of Lunarian was based more than 90% on my Intelligence 100 predictions.

[Can Lunarian Ineanne become the ruler who unifies the continent?]

[Yes.]

These two questions and answers were, in a way, almost the entirety of my image of Lunarian.

But that wasn’t all there was to it.

There was something even more important.

“And… she believed in me.”

“Believed in you?”

Lady Serpina, who had been listening silently, finally spoke up with a question.

“Yes. She listened to everything I said, no matter how absurd. Without demanding any evidence, she simply believed my words at face value. Looking back, I think that’s what stands out most in my memory.”

“Believing in someone… I see.”

After finishing her words, Serpina quietly looked at me, then filled her glass again with the glug-glug sound.

“…!”

She downed it in one go.

“…Swen.”

“Yes?”

“Someday… you plan to return to your lord, don’t you?”

Lady Serpina’s voice trembled slightly at the end.

Her reddened face was now staring at the table rather than my eyes.

It was a demeanor unlike the charismatic ruler who always spoke with a confident tone while looking people straight in the eye—more like that of a young girl.

“Someday, when the time comes… you will… return to the lord who believes in you, won’t you?”

“…”

When the time comes…

That was my plan, Lady Serpina.

And truthfully, the time has already come. Because Lunarian has raised her army. Because she has revealed herself. So I was planning to return, but…

I’m concerned about you, Lady Serpina.

Your golden eyes and citrus scent. The way you sobbed before me. Your profile as you paid respects at the grave. How you risked your life for Lady Irene…

I’m worried about all of it, and I simply can’t leave you alone.

These sentences wandered near my tongue without escaping my mouth.

I didn’t speak. No, I couldn’t possibly speak. I couldn’t burden her any further.

Serpina was about to say something more but hesitated—

Then after drinking more wine, she sighed briefly and said:

“…You don’t have to answer, Swen.”

Serpina, who had been staring at the table, slowly raised her head to meet my eyes again.

…Her golden eyes were wavering.

“I’m just… envious. The very fact that someone could have you as their lord… I truly envy that.”

I didn’t think it would comfort her, but seeing that expression, I couldn’t stay silent.

“But I’m serving you now, Lady Serpina.”

“You were merely taken from Yurie through a bet.”

“Even so, you are special to me, Lady Serpina.”

“What…?”

…Perhaps I’m a bit drunk too.

Words I should have kept hidden flow from my mouth like items spilling from an overstuffed, tightly closed storage room.

“Lynn Brans and Baranga Yurie Aeshus. They were people I once served. Each had their strengths and weaknesses. Lynn was arrogant but certainly capable. In her prime, she could match our Serpina army, couldn’t she? Yurie maintains stronger bonds with her comrades than any other ruler. Of course, she may have been led around because of that, but having friends who would never betray you no matter what happens in these times is certainly a great asset. But—”

“—Beyond all that, I never gave my heart to any of them. To be honest, I didn’t consider them my lords. Just people I was passing through with, people I’d eventually have no business with. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they were people I’d turn my back on once I’d done my duty.”

Why am I telling her this now?

Perhaps because of Serpina’s expression that looked like she might cry at any moment, or maybe because I’m truly a bit drunk.

“Lady Serpina is different.”

I confess the truth that bloomed in my heart.

“I truly thought… Lady Serpina was a ruler worth serving.”

“Swen…”

Only after saying that much was I able to put the brakes on my tongue.

I couldn’t give her false hope that I couldn’t fulfill.

It wasn’t a lie… she was closer to the word “ruler” than any lord I had served before.

“…”

Serpina silently looked into my eyes.

She’s beautiful.

Like a sculpture.

Judging solely by appearance, I had never seen a woman more beautiful than her.

We stared at each other in silence for a long time—

“…Really?”

Finally, Serpina broke the long silence.

“That’s… enough.”

Instead of adding more words, I slowly picked up my wine and offered it to her.

She smiled, extended her glass, and filled the empty glass again.

“For now, this is sufficient.”

And once again, she moistened her throat with wine.

…Indeed.

I find myself thinking again that I want both this person and Lady Lunarian to be happy.

Can I make that happen?

I can’t be certain of anything, but…

For now, I was just enjoying this time sharing drinks with her.