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Chapter : 31
Remains of the Deposed Empress
“There are feelings inside that are hard to explain in words.”
If everything could be explained with just a few words, how simple would the human heart be?
“I just don’t show it outwardly.”
Charlophe took out more spirits. Thanks to Benjamin showing him where they were kept, it was easy enough to find them.
Rather than stirring those feelings with a long conversation, this small comfort was enough.
“Are you good with alcohol?”
“Are you asking me?”
“You can’t complain about a stomachache the next day.”
The two of them held their bottles side by side.
“I heard Windsor doesn’t face people through drinking.”
“Who would have dared offer such nonsense to Your Majesty?”
As Charlophe smiled faintly, Benjamin shook his head as well.
“Drinking straight from the bottle goes against imperial etiquette.”
Charlophe cast his cool gaze out the window.
“But won’t Your Majesty soon be the law of the empire?”
After all, we still have to pass through tomorrow as if nothing’s wrong.
Even if it’s a little lonely, washing it away with alcohol isn’t so bad, is it?
The strong liquor scorched its way down his throat. By now, all of this felt familiar.
Things that should never have become familiar were slowly becoming so.
“I’m getting sleepy now.”
Charlophe trailed off, speaking in fits and starts.
It was late. The moonlit bedroom was tranquil. As if time itself had stopped, everything felt slow.
It would be nice if everything just stopped like this.
Ah—was this avoidance?
With that thought, he gazed vacantly out the window. The night felt unusually long.
At dawn, the imperial palace was especially quiet.
Charlophe woke slowly in bed. As he blinked languidly, his blurry vision gradually sharpened.
The space beside him was empty. When he brushed it with his hand, a faint warmth still lingered.
Charlophe slowly curled his fingers. It felt as though the warmth left in the sheets was being captured in his grasp.
“Has Her Majesty the Empress awakened?”
The head maid made her presence known from outside.
“I will come in.”
The head maid’s eyes widened at the scene shimmering beyond the canopy.
A woman with dark crimson hair cascading down sat languidly beneath the covers. The way she brushed her hair behind her ear and blinked slowly was strangely mesmerizing.
When the head maid stood there blankly, Charlophe turned his head.
“Are you planning to keep standing there like that?”
“I—I apologize.”
“Prepare some warm bathwater. I need to soak.”
Charlophe immersed himself in the bath, easing his stiff muscles. The throbbing headache from the hangover cleared as well.
“Where is His Majesty the Emperor?”
“He rose early and headed to the training grounds. By now, he should have finished morning drills and gone to his office.”
Before being emperor, Benjamin was one of the most distinguished knights in the palace.
The position of crown prince had shaped him that way. The habit of driving himself relentlessly for survival, which he had cultivated since his days as crown prince, remained unchanged even now.
Training at the grounds from early dawn and overseeing morning affairs—that was Benjamin’s daily routine.
“He is strict with others, but even stricter with himself. Though his aides often groan, that is why they respect His Majesty.”
Charlophe replied, sweeping back his hair.
“That’s enough bathing. Help me get ready.”
“Yes. I’ll bring your bathrobe.”
The maids gathered around, wiping the water from his body and busily beginning to dress him.
The head maid clapped her hands to draw their attention.
“Bring the hair tie. Tie it with a ribbon—”
