6.5 Silent Night, Holy Night (3)
“You are a really bad baby… … .”
A drunken, weeping sound leaked out.
The sun was still in mid-sky, but the person sitting across from me had already melted away from the high-alcohol alcohol. Even this place is just the two of us indoors.
If the other person had been a lovely woman, it would have been a perfect situation.
I had to swallow a sigh in deplorable heart.
It was because I was already acquainted with the man who was acting rudely in front of me.
lupine rhinella.
He was my dear colleague, and the younger brother of the woman I might be engaged to. Rather, if it was Elsie-senpai, it would be cute to see her crying while drunk.
However, it was not possible to kick out the future brother-in-law blindly.
I was hearing Lupin’s lament in one ear and letting it out in the other. Even my glass was dripping with poisoned liquor, but I was already on the verge of being able to drive away any amount of drunkenness.
As proof of that, I couldn’t even feel a drop of incense in my breath.
The only one drunk at this place was Lupine.
And one-sided drunkenness was irritating.
In my heart, I wanted to get up right away, but there were circumstances that made it impossible.
Because the guilty one was on my side.
I averted my gaze and swallowed my saliva.
“how… How could I abandon my sister?!”
“Well, I never threw it away.”
“Then what are those rumors!”
Tuck, Tuck.
Lupine’s thin arm thumped and hit the desk. He probably wanted to make a ‘bang’ sound, but the drunken wizard didn’t have the strength to do so.
“I heard you wrote a romantic novel in Seongguk?! A false saint, a knight who came to save her… And until the heavenly god, moved by that dedication, performs a miracle?”
“It’s a great story, even from my point of view.”
“The rumor has already spread all over the continent!”
Lupin, who had been fuming for a while, then fell over on the desk, probably losing his strength.
A helpless lament followed.
“The appearance of our Rainella family has become ridiculous… At best, they pushed for an engagement, but what is this… … !”
My gaze slipped to the bosom. There was a letter from the Rainella family that hadn’t been opened yet.
In fact, it was embarrassing for Countess Rainella.
One of the family’s great wizards died out of nowhere, and the person who was trying to get engaged spread rumors of love in the Holy Land.
It wouldn’t be strange if he grabbed the back of his neck right away and collapsed.
No, I had no choice but to lean on the backrest while letting out a light moan.
I had to find a way out.
“What are you going to do? The other person is a saint… No matter how high-ranking the nobility of the Rainella family is, they are too low even if their ranks are low. Even bigamy is unreasonable… … .”
“… … yes!”
It was right after hearing Lupin’s complaint.
Unintentionally clapping hands. I burst out in exclamation.
Lupine’s puzzled eyes turned to me. But I was already deeply immersed in the night vision that flashed in my mind.
“That’s fine, bigamy!”
Of course, Lupine only returned a dumbfounded response.
“Are you crazy? didn’t you hear me? Even if you want to marry bigamy, do you think the castle or the people won’t accept it? Now, plays based on your story are popular all over the place… … .”
“What if the 5 noble families of the empire are the opponents? Or, what about the imperial family?”
Lupine’s mouth fell shut at my question.
Instead, he put on a look of astonishment.
“… … Are there any more?”
Like it or not, I just nodded my head in admiration again.
It felt like a problem that had troubled me so far was resolved at once.
“Once bigamy is recognized, he won’t care too much whether he has two or three wives. Lupine, you’re quite smart… … !”
“Die, you playboy!”
Lupin’s eyes went round and he tried to swing the bottle at me.
Of course, Lupin’s rebellion was quickly suppressed.
It was the magician’s sorrow.
I left the room, leaving behind Lupin, who had fallen asleep from drunkenness and shock. Looking back, I thought it was time to go find it.
Exactly, senior Elsie.
It has been over ten days since I lost contact with her. Also, it happened that there were things I had to return.
A pitch-black stick was humming in its arms.
**
Emma inadvertently gulped and swallowed dry saliva.
It was because the person sitting across the table was too big. My heart still trembled whenever I dealt with nobles, but I never dreamed that the imperial family would ask for a private meeting.
Shien, the 5th Princess of the Empire.
Although the line of succession to the throne is said to be far behind, she was definitely a girl with dragon blood. Not to mention commoners, even high-ranking nobles were watching the existence that they deserved to look up to, just the two of them.
If it wasn’t tense, that side was even weirder.
In fact, it wasn’t until the first meeting.
The two had already gotten acquainted with each other in the North. But it was the first time we had such a serious conversation.
I never thought we would even be able to talk through a heavy bag of gold coins.
Unable to overcome the confusion, Emma’s pupils began to shake slightly.
On the other hand, the complexion of the princess was calm.
“I heard that your spending has improved recently… I heard that senior Rainella helped me, is that correct?”
“Yes Yes… Yes, Your Highness… … .”
For now, Emma meekly recited the truth and looked at her eyes.
It was because it was difficult to guess what the princess meant. I got a rough idea, but I needed to figure out more precise intentions.
It was the common people’s sorrow.
If you offend the eyes of the nobles, it will be difficult for you to survive.
So, the princess deliberately gave a harmless smile. It seems that he has already guessed Emma’s feelings.
“But lately life has been in need again? Do you really eat your meals with the mushrooms in that basket?”
The princess’s light gray eyes glided somewhere. A basket was placed there.
Mushrooms piled high above it were exposed. It was an edible mushroom that Emma had picked from the forest.
The magic-rich forest of the academy used to grow mushrooms rich in nutrients all year round. There was no way Emma, who lived in poverty, would miss such good ingredients.
In addition, if you are lucky, you can pick mushrooms that can be used as alchemy ingredients.
It was an act motivated by a reasonable motive. Even so, Emma couldn’t overcome her shame and had to hang her head.
Even for this reason, it will look rotten.
Because the princess was a resident of a world far away from Emma.
As if to prove this, the princess’s face was tinged with compassion.
“Anyway, it seems that senior Rainella didn’t provide enough gold coins.”
“Oh no!”
Emma raised her voice in case there was any misunderstanding.
The princess’s longing gaze turned to Emma. Only then did Emma come to her senses, read her frozen heart, and carefully choose her vocabulary.
“It was just that my wastefulness was too much. Lady Rainella gave me an overflowing amount of gold coins, but there are alchemy materials and expenses that I need to remit to my family… … .”
“Yes, it is not enough.”
Emma’s words were not yet finished.
As if it was trivial, the princess said that and turned the teacup in front of me.
Even the fragrant tea incense did not stir up a stir in the princess’s face. It was as if he was trying to let people know that the worlds the princess and Emma live in are different.
“To be generous is to say, senpai… It means that no matter how much you spend, you must have gold coins left over. How much more alchemy materials and living expenses to send to the family? How can you call that a waste?”
Then, the princess pointed at the bag of gold coins on the table with a wink.
Emma’s blank gaze was fixed on the heavy pouch.
“5,000 gold.”
Emma’s breath stopped at the unexpected amount.
It was an amount that most commoners could not squeeze even if they earned a lifetime. It was a large sum of money that even a decent number of nobles could not readily offer.
Unless you were a high-ranking aristocrat, it was extremely rare for an individual to carry this amount of money.
Even in front of that amount of cash, the princess remained calm.
“It is a small gift. Please accept it.”
There was not the slightest calculation or conspiracy to be found in the fresh, smiling face of the princess. It was literally an amount paid out of pure goodwill.
Still, Emma’s troubles did not last long.
“Me, Her Highness the Princess? Maybe this amount is too much for me… … .”
Shaking her head like that, the moment Emma tried to push the gold coin pouch back toward the princess.
“… … senior.”
A polite tone escaped from the princess’s mouth.
It was clear and pure, but on the other hand, it was a voice with dignity that could not be disobeyed.
“Of course, it is important to know the subject. But, you don’t have to be an idiot.”
“What are you talking about… … .”
“I’m telling you to take it quietly.”
That one word was a signal.
The atmosphere of the princess changed drastically. The corners of his mouth were still drawing arcs, but not as much as those eyes.
More than anything else, that sharp gaze that seemed like it could pierce the brain.
Suddenly, the girl’s light gray pupils were torn vertically.
“Is it too much? Why do seniors judge that? I was of dragon’s blood. If you are truly wise, you should also know how to use the strong person’s misjudgment.”
“Ha, but… … .”
“If it’s really burdensome, it’s okay to give a little help. This is also a virtue of those who have it.”
Emma had no way to hide her confusion.
After the last homecoming festival, did the princess choose to live quietly while hiding her toenails? But now that you’ve come back and revealed your true colors again.
The sudden change of heart was embarrassing.
In the end, Emma had to ask again with a pale complexion.
“Because of my humble background, it is difficult to guess His Highness’ intentions. What the hell do you want… … .”
It was then that the princess cleared her throat cutely.
Once again the atmosphere changed completely.
The snake, whose intentions were unknown, went somewhere, and there was only one cute girl who was flustered and kept an eye on her surroundings. Emma couldn’t help but look even more puzzled at the dramatic change.
After hesitating for a long time, the princess whispered as if she had made up her mind.
“Stop, Holy Night Festival… … .”
It was a mosquito-like voice. As Emma tilted her head, the princess shouted with her face burning even more red.
“At the Holy Night Festival, I want to pair up with An-Kyung Lee!”
It was such a small wind.
It was something Emma could never have imagined. The woman was stunned, and had to listen to the princess’s excuses for a while.
“Isn’t it that Rainella sunbaenim or the saintess are scary? Not really, I didn’t feel discouraged because I was scolded in the past… Because I have the blood of a dragon! It’s just that senior Emma looks kind, and Sir Ian seems close… Also, aren’t you nervous about being engaged again? No, not jealous. Yes, never jealous… … .”
Before long, the princess, who could not overcome her shame, lowered her head.
Then, while glancing at Emma’s eyes, she squeezed out a pathetic voice and said a word.
“Can you help me too… … ?”
Emma unknowingly said “Pick” and let out a shallow laugh.
Only now did the princess look like a human. A girl of that age is no different, Emma sighed in relief.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know the princess’ heart.
Emma was also yearning for a man like the princess.
So Emma said with a more relaxed smile.
“… … First, ask Miss Rainella.”
Unexpectedly, Emma was a loyal woman.
Enough to stop moving while the princess offered 20,000 gold in cash.
In the end, the princess had to cry and hang on all day.
**
Before the holy night festival, while each character crosses over.
Another guest came to the academy.
Every time the girl took a step, many eyes naturally flocked to her. Against the backdrop of flowing gray hair, white skin that seemed to be made of snow and blue eyes resembling ice lakes were revealed.
Some passers-by who saw that haughty and cold expression whispered.
“It’s Yurdina’s pettiness… When did you come back?”
“When is it a nickname? Now I should call her ‘Ice Princess’, she’s one of the real powers of the Yurdina family…”
The girl’s name was ‘Seria Yurdina’.
She was once living in contempt and cold treatment. However, public opinion reversed in just a few months, and some students at the academy even looked up to Seria with longing eyes.
Isn’t it one of the party that fights against the darkness of the continent?
Most of the responses said that they could not even guess how great the agony would be hidden behind that cold face.
There was only one thought in Seria’s head.
‘I miss senior Lee An.’
As she walked away, Seria thought blankly with her desire-stained mind.
‘I want to be held in the arms of senior Lee Ahn. I want to smell senior Lee Ahn. I want to hit senior Ian… … .’
The series of battles with Delphine gave Seria great fatigue and stress. Even without that, Seria, who was obsessed with it, was enough to let go of reason.
The girl’s blue eyes scattered a bleak light.
What if someone gets in the way?
‘I have to kill him.’
As Delphine taught Seria herself.
One such broken girl arrives at the academy.
It was the forerunner of the storm.