Chapter 72: They Say When You Drink, You Become a Dog (3)
by AfuhfuihgsThey Say When You Drink, You Become a Dog (3)
Successfully managing to support Ariel and come outside, Reinhardt called for the Imperial Knights who were guarding inconspicuously. The Imperial Knights, who usually stand by in the imperial palace, were in charge of guarding with minimal personnel when royalty went out like this.
Currently, five members of the Knight Order responded to Reinhardt’s call. It was a rather small number for guarding the Crown Prince, but conversely, it meant they were all elites who could provide adequate protection even with this few members.
“She’s completely asleep.”
Fortunately, Ariel, who had been making a fuss earlier, seemed to have tired out and fallen into a deep sleep with her eyes closed. Thinking about her behavior before falling asleep still made his head spin.
[Ah, give me more!! Even if it wears out… it does decrease…]
[I’d rather be exiled abroad than be killed, please don’t try to kill me!]
Although she was drunk, her words, more incoherent than usual, made the listener’s mind confused. What was she so afraid of? He wanted to ask what she had seen, but since he wouldn’t get a proper answer even if he asked now, Reinhardt ended up not asking anything.
Drunk Ariel was invincible in many ways. She had even managed to shake the great Reinhardt like this. But at the same time, she showed behavior that would be unimaginable normally.
[Lord Reinhardt?]
Why was it that Reinhardt couldn’t forget the sight of her looking up at him with dazed, unfocused eyes? Not her usual tense appearance, nor her silly thoughts, but a face that was purely looking straight at him.
Fortunately, Ariel fell asleep right after that, but if she had stayed awake, he might have failed to manage his expression in many ways.
It might be stating the obvious, but Ariel was an extremely beautiful woman on the outside. Reinhardt fully acknowledged her abilities, but he wasn’t so stone-faced as to not care about appearance at all.
Ariel is a woman who meets his standards in many ways. Although she has a silly side, she’s highly capable and, frankly speaking, has a good personality. Moreover, she’s from the Walpurgis ducal family, so she’s not embarrassing to be with anywhere, and her face is also fine.
One might think, what does appearance matter in a political marriage? But Reinhardt is human too, and he couldn’t help but pay more attention to pretty women. Moreover, since outward image is also important for the imperial family, beauty adds that much more to her score. Appearance is a significant factor in many ways for an imperial consort.
‘I must have really gone strange too.’
Reinhardt was aware of what he was thinking right now. That’s why he couldn’t look straight at Ariel even more.
It’s still a small feeling. It’s just a small ripple like throwing a pebble into a calm lake. But Reinhardt knew well that if left alone, it could grow to an irreversible extent.
He couldn’t yet grasp how to think about this. Whether it was okay to leave it be, or if he should push it away.
“You called, Your Highness.”
The Imperial Knights appeared immediately at Reinhardt’s call. Reinhardt silently examined each of them for a moment. Fortunately, they weren’t all men, and there were female knights too. If they had all been men, he would have had to move himself. Even if they were engaged, wouldn’t that have been a bit problematic?
But for some reason, he was thinking it might not be bad on the other hand. This was a first.
‘This is not rational.’
Even Reinhardt himself thought he wasn’t being rational right now. But why? Usually, he would have thought coldly, but just this once, he thought it might be okay to move emotionally like this.
“May I have a moment?”
“Yes.”
Reinhardt called one female knight standing at attention and briefly examined her appearance. Short hair for a woman and a somewhat sturdy body. It was the appearance of someone who had given up femininity and worked hard to become a knight. As a reward for that effort, she had entered the Imperial Knights and established herself as a female knight, so she could be said to have received her due reward.
“Your name was Christina, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Take Ariel to her dormitory room. Since we can’t be sure, it would be better for you, a woman, to take her.”
“Understood.”
Fortunately, Christina nodded immediately without any further words. This settled things for now. Although Ariel had rambled on about various things while drunk, this could be discussed again when she returned to her senses. It was late tonight.
But then, something happened that no one could have imagined.
“Where are you goinggg…”
“Ariel?”
Reinhardt was momentarily speechless at the sight of Ariel tightly gripping his clothes while still asleep.
“Leaving without me…”
“It’s late. You should go back and rest.”
“Late? Now?”
“Yes.”
It was certainly late at this hour. Unless there was something particularly important, there was no reason to be out at this time. In fact, it wasn’t just Reinhardt’s opinion; the knights were also nodding as if they agreed.
But Ariel seemed to have a slightly different opinion.
“It’s not even 10 o’clock yet… We just came out to have fun. It’s a waste.”
“I don’t know what you mean by waste. If necessary, we can come out again tomorrow.”
As long as he was attending the academy, most of Reinhardt’s usual duties as Crown Prince had disappeared. It had originally started with taking on some of the Emperor’s work, and when Reinhardt entered the academy, it simply returned to its original owner.
In other words, it’s not very difficult to make time on weekends. Reinhardt could have a busy day if he decided to share the work again, but there was no need for that.
However, Ariel was not satisfied with that.
“Tomorrow is tomorrow! Today is today! There’s so much to enjoy at night!”
“Like what?”
Just in case, Reinhardt decided to listen to her thoughts first instead of just denying. Things to enjoy at night… Unfortunately, all Reinhardt knew were unwholesome things. Even those, he didn’t learn because he wanted to.
He didn’t think Ariel would mention such things, but he thought it wouldn’t hurt to listen anyway.
“At night… Ah.”
Ariel, who was about to say something excitedly, suddenly closed her mouth as if she had realized something.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, it’s nothing…”
There seemed to be signs that her slurred speech was starting to clear up. It seems the alcohol is gradually wearing off. After all, Ariel hadn’t even drunk a full bottle, so it’s natural for her to sober up quickly.
“Come to think of it, everything would be closed at night… There’s no way there would be places like PC cafes or bowling alleys or karaoke rooms here, and restaurants would all be closed… At most, there might be inns, but going to such places is a bit…”
Ariel suddenly lowered her head and muttered something. She spoke so quietly that not everyone here could understand, but it was clear enough that she was saying something strange.
“You must be tired. Let’s go in.”
“Ah…”
Ariel seemed to want to say something with regret, but in the end, the sentence was not completed in her mouth and scattered into the dark night sky.
“If necessary, we’ll go out together tomorrow too.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll send someone in the morning.”
“Whaaaat?”
“Then, return safely. I’m counting on you.”
“I swear on my life, I will certainly…”
Christina answered with more enthusiasm than necessary. Ariel still seemed a bit dazed, as if she didn’t understand the current situation. Taking advantage of this, Reinhardt detached Ariel, who was clinging to his clothes, and quickly retreated.
“Don’t give me away!! I’ll definitely help you!”
Reinhardt grabbed his forehead at her sudden shouting. The knights were all looking this way as if they didn’t understand what was going on.
‘How should I clean this up…’
Just thinking about having to go around making excuses already made his head throb. Earlier, it was inside the restaurant so he could somehow get past it, but here was in the middle of the road. Besides the Imperial Knights he had called, there were quite a few passing citizens. Among them were even fellow students from the academy.
And in the middle of such a road, she shouted loudly not to kill her, so how could it not attract attention? Even now, curious gazes were pouring in.
‘Sigh…’
Reinhardt let out a deep sigh inwardly. In a different sense from before, he felt like he was getting a headache because of Ariel.
“Let’s depart.”
“…Yes, Your Highness.”
Fortunately, the knights moved immediately without any particular words. This is probably due to their strong loyalty to the imperial family more than anything else. Usually, he would have been proud and grateful, but now, for some reason, a corner of his heart ached. It felt like receiving unnecessary pity.
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