SLDS 23

When he opened his eyes the next day, Cecil experienced firsthand what hell was.

A terrible hangover had set in.

It felt like someone was repeatedly striking his head with an axe blade, and his stomach churned and lurched as if he were seasick. Nausea rose in him even when he was lying still; he was clearly unwell.

“Ugh… Leo. Help me.”

Unable to even pull the servant’s bell cord, he let out only a faint moan, but his loyal head chamberlain, as if he somehow knew, opened the door and appeared.

“Yes, yes, I’m coming! Goodness, the smell of alcohol.”

Leo threw open the windows to let in a cool breeze, then came to the head of the bed and stacked several fluffy cushions one on top of another.

After that, he quickly raised the half-dead Cecil and made him lean comfortably against the pillow mound he had created.

Next, he thoroughly wiped Cecil’s face with a washcloth that had been soaked in cold lemon water and wrung out.

By the time the oily face, unwashed from the previous night, was regaining its original cleanliness, he put down the washcloth and presented honey tea. As he gently stirred the teacup with a silver spoon, the honey that had settled at the bottom began to swirl and dissolve.

For a moment, Cecil saw what looked like a halo shining from Leo as he deftly did everything he wanted. In this moment, Leo was no different from a god.

“First, drink all of this down.”

Cecil gulped down the honey tea greedily.

His throat was so dry, it felt like his esophagus was about to crack like parched land in a drought. After draining the teacup in one go, he dry-heaved again, and Leo inwardly clicked his tongue.

“…How did I get back yesterday? Did you take care of me, Leo?”

“Pardon? You don’t remember?”

“Not at all.”

The last thing Cecil remembered was talking with Tristan.

It had been too long since he had drunk so heavily, so it seemed he had fallen asleep in the middle of it. It was a relief that he had returned safely to the imperial palace, but… he had a very uneasy feeling.

“His Highness the Crown Prince brought you back, Mr. Cecil.”

“What?”

Cecil was stunned and then dry-heaved again, retch.

Saying that he was going to throw up the honey tea he just drank, Leo pushed his shoulder to lay him down on the cushions. Cecil obediently lay down, but his face still looked as if he couldn’t believe it.

“His Highness brought me? Why? How?”

“I wouldn’t know the circumstances. Didn’t you tell me not to follow you under any circumstances, Mr. Cecil? I heard you visited Count Alfonso’s social club with the Vandel Knight Commander yesterday. Everyone in that mansion was shocked and in an uproar. And you, Mr. Cecil, were completely drunk and out of your mind…. His Highness personally carried you on his shoulder, and it was so embarrassing.”

Leo shook his head, recalling the moment he had witnessed yesterday.

Cecil, pale as a sheet, only moved his lips. The horrible story was simply hard to believe.

“Did I… Did I do anything? I didn’t cause a drunken scene, did I? Please tell me I didn’t.”

“I do not know. The two of you rode in the carriage alone. His Highness Alexis didn’t say anything in particular either.”

Even after hearing Leo’s words, he didn’t feel relieved. Cecil couldn’t believe how much he resented his own memory gap.

“Haa, damn it.”

Cecil rubbed his swollen face. He had a bad feeling that he had definitely caused some trouble.

Breakfast was scheduled for today. It was a meal with the Emperor, so it was an occasion that could not be missed unless there were exceptional circumstances.

Cecil also attended, having completely erased the traces of the previous day’s heavy drinking.

He looked fine on the outside, but his complexion, ashen like wax, revealed that his current state was not normal.

On the dining table, covered with a pearly tablecloth, silver cutlery, crystal glasses, and an elegant candelabra added to the splendor. The food, prepared according to each person’s tastes, looked nothing short of delicious.

Cecil also moved his fork and knife diligently.

The perfectly cooked roasted chicken’s skin cut crisply with every slice of the knife, and greasy juices flowed out.

It was a dish that would make anyone’s mouth water, but Cecil only cut the chicken into small pieces with vacant eyes. It was a dish that offered no help for a hangover.

Still, in front of the Emperor, he had to make a show of eating. While he forced it into his mouth and down his throat, affectionate conversations flowed at the table.

“Alexis, you look particularly tired today. Is it because of all the work you’ve taken on recently? I heard you don’t even have enough time to sleep… I am deeply concerned you might harm your health. If the work is ever too much, please feel free to say so.”

“Hearing Her Majesty the Empress worry about me like this makes me think I must work with even more devotion to repay your kindness. Fortunately, there is no problem. Compared to when I was in the Black Forest, my mind and body are at ease now.”

Elizabeth and Alexis, as always, conversed while hiding their true feelings. Within the dialogue, filled with benevolence and courtesy, sharp claws glinted.

Cecil focused on his plate in silence. He was already going crazy from being conscious of Alexis sitting next to him. He couldn’t control his gaze, which kept darting sideways.

For someone who had taken care of a drunken him last night, Alexis wore the same indifferent expression as usual. As if truly nothing had happened.

“Alexis and Cecil, have you two become a little closer now?”

The Emperor asked in the middle of the meal. At his dignified voice, both Alexis and Cecil put down their cutlery.

Alexis’s cold gaze turned to the side. He glanced once at Cecil’s rigidly stiffened profile before turning his head straight again.

“We are in the process of getting closer.”

“That is good to see. Seeing you boys, all grown up now, together is truly gratifying.”

The Emperor lightly rinsed his mouth with wine. His gaze upon his grown sons was, as always, gentle.

“In the future, you two will have to lead the Empire, so the deeper the bond between brothers, the greater a help it will be to the Empire, will it not? Is that not so, Empress?”

“…Yes, of course. Your Majesty is correct.”

The Empress answered as if she couldn’t refuse. A lovely smile hung on her lips, but her eyes were sharp. Her gaze, like a honed blade, was fixed on her pale son.

After breakfast, Cecil was immediately dragged to the chapel. The priests who should have been guarding the interior were nowhere to be seen; only the Empress and her attendants were present. Judging by how they were bolting the windows shut, it seemed she was about to unleash a lecture.

“You still haven’t come to your senses! What in the world is your problem!”

As expected, a piercing scolding rang out.

“First you go off to learn swordsmanship that doesn’t even suit your station, then you barely pay attention in your lessons. Hah, and now you’re even loitering around social clubs? You’re single-handedly doing everything to disgrace the Imperial Family!”

“Yes.”

“Do not answer me!”

The Empress shrieked in agitation. Cecil sighed and shut his mouth. If he didn’t talk back, it was actually easier for him.

He naturally clasped his hands behind his back. As he lowered his gaze to the floor, the Empress’s stinging nagging began in earnest.

“His Majesty even gave you a chance to step up yourself, and you foolishly let it go? What are you doing in Alexis’s office! Do you think His Majesty sent you there just to waste time? You useless thing!”

“……”

“Even the food that goes into your mouth is a waste! I can’t even stand the sight of you!”

Cecil rubbed his forehead as if in pain. It wasn’t because of the Empress’s verbal abuse, but because his hangover was hard to endure. He almost wished she would just slap him once like last time and send him on his way.

But the Empress’s anger did not subside easily.

After being this angry, he should either be on his knees begging or at least show some sign of fear, but it was obvious that the Cecil before her was letting her words go in one ear and out the other.

Just how on earth did her son, who used to hang on his mother’s every word, end up like this?

The Empress, desperately suppressing her boiling anger, snapped her head to the side.

“Head Chamberlain!”

“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

“Lock Cecil in the confessional. Guard it at all times so he cannot take a single step out, and do not give him a sip of water until my order is given!”

The confessional was a place where only one person could barely sit. One couldn’t lie down comfortably, couldn’t get any sunlight, and there was only a single uncomfortable wooden chair. It was closed off on all sides like a coffin, making it an incredibly stifling place, as much as a prison cell.

The head chamberlain quickly followed the Empress’s command. When he gave a signal with his eyes, several large attendants grabbed Cecil’s arms and led him to a place deep inside the chapel.

For an arrest, it was a considerably courteous gesture. Cecil, being led away, also moved as if resigned, so there was no commotion.

While the busy movements continued, the Empress gathered the hem of her dress and walked quickly. The remaining attendants were hurrying to follow her when it happened.

The heavy, firmly locked door opened, revealing the Crown Prince standing there, blocking the way.

At the unexpected encounter, the Empress flinched, and the attendants stepped back in fright.

Unlike the startled people, Alexis’s face remained impassive. With his arms crossed, he surveyed the chapel where the commotion had just taken place. In the distance, he could see Cecil being weakly dragged away. He must have been so surprised to see him that his knees had given way, and the attendants were supporting him.

Alexis studied Cecil intently before turning his gaze to the Empress. A sharp voice, as if questioning her, came out.

“What is going on?”

“Do not concern yourself. This is a matter between Cecil and me.”

“Among family, there’s no such thing as my problem, your problem.”

It sounded like he was talking to himself, but the words were clearly directed at the Empress. Alexis tilted his head to the side and said.

“Cecil is an adult now. Isn’t he past the age for discipline?”

“It is not discipline, but an attempt to offer a prayer. Cecil must atone to God. His conduct has not been proper lately.”

“Since when did locking someone in a confessional become a prayer? It seems a rule I was unaware of has been established in my absence.”