Chapter 57. Have You Lost Your Mind? My Past Self?
“Ugh… my head.”
As soon as I woke up, a dull headache came crashing down.
From the brightness outside the window, it seemed to be morning…
But why does my head hurt so much?
“Ah… the alcohol.”
Memories of drinking at last night’s festival came flooding back.
I hadn’t planned to drink at all, but Karsen kept pouring glass after glass, and before I knew it, I’d ended up drinking a few.
It was strong liquor.
I usually can’t handle alcohol well, and with how strong this country’s liquor is, I must have blacked out after just a few glasses.
“Ugh, my head. Why did I even drink when I can’t handle it…”
It was probably the atmosphere.
The cheerful festival vibes that made everyone feel like one, and the relief of everything having ended well.
Yeah. The fireworks that painted the night sky also added to that mood.
“So I drank a few glasses that Karsen handed me. And then…”
…And then what?
My memory was fuzzy.
Who did I drink with?
I remember Karsen’s cheerful laughter… Leonard was probably there, and Cedric too?
Everything was hazy, as if shrouded in fog.
When did I get back to this room?
I couldn’t remember clearly.
Only my pounding headache remained.
Just then—
Knock knock.
“Your Majesty the Empress. Are you awake?”
A voice I didn’t recognize came from outside.
Where are Countess Chloe and Marie?
Oh! Right, I’m not in the Empress’ Palace.
I’m in the Kingdom of Kalus.
The place I came to in order to resolve the drought.
Maybe it was the hangover, but my memory flickered and reality felt all jumbled.
Why do people drink when it makes them feel this awful?
If I ever drink again to the point of being drunk, I’m no longer human.
That’s what I swore to myself.
The voice called again from outside the door.
“May I come in?”
“Yes, come in.”
A middle-aged woman entered, dressed in traditional clothing from the Kingdom of Kalus.
“This tea is good for hangovers.”
The tea she brought resembled honey tea. Sweeter than usual, but with a clean aftertaste.
It soothed my stomach, and despite myself, I drank several cups.
“You must have had a hard time yesterday.”
The maid gently smiled, covering her mouth with her hand.
Every time our eyes met, she smiled brightly—leaving quite an impression.
It felt like she was almost too welcoming.
Yesterday she seemed much more stoic…
“Breakfast has been prepared.”
At the mention of food, my stomach suddenly growled.
Even with a hangover, my stomach felt fine and was begging for food.
What a sturdy stomach I must have.
After washing up, I changed into fresh clothes.
The outfit seemed to be traditional attire from the Kingdom of Kalus, far more ornate than what the maid wore.
“Please lead me to the dining hall.”
“Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”
Once again, the maid smiled brightly.
And she wasn’t the only one.
On the way to the dining hall, every maid and knight I passed greeted me warmly.
“You’ve awakened, Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Good morning, Your Majesty.”
“Your Majesty the Empress, you were truly amazing yesterday.”
I couldn’t hide the bewildered look on my face as I passed all these unusually warm welcomes.
Why is everyone acting like we’re so close?
Was it because we enjoyed the festival together?
Is there some kind of tradition here, like “those who share a drink under the torchlight become siblings”?
Even so, this friendliness was a bit much.
‘What on earth happened yesterday?’
Something felt oddly unsettling.
＊ ＊ ＊
In the dining hall where the maid led me, familiar faces were waiting.
“Your Majesty the Empress.”
“Welcome.”
It was Leonard and Cedric.
They politely greeted me with a bow.
Surely… they weren’t waiting for me, were they?
From the lack of food on the table—just teacups—it seemed like they had been.
“I’m sorry. Did I keep you waiting long?”
“Not at all. We just arrived as well.”
“Then let’s sit.”
I took a seat between them.
Steam rose from the dishes arranged on the table.
They must have prepared the meal in time for my arrival.
The sight of the food only made me hungrier.
“How much did I drink yesterday?”
“Pardon?”
“I remember drinking a few glasses, but… I can’t recall anything after that. I don’t even remember how I got back to my room.”
“You don’t… remember?”
“No. I didn’t… say anything weird or act out, did I?”
“Well…”
Leonard and Cedric’s expressions twisted ever so slightly.
What’s with those faces?
“Did I… drink that much?”
Just then—
“Haha! The brave warriors of yesterday have all gathered here.”
With a hearty laugh, a tall man entered the room.
A man with striking red hair.
It was Karsen.
He strode in and sat across from me.
“Hooh, to think you could get up so early after drinking that much. Your Majesty the Empress always exceeds expectations.”
Exceeds expectations?
No, wait. There was something more concerning in what he said.
“Did I drink a lot yesterday?”
At my question, Karsen instead wore a baffled expression.
“You don’t remember?”
“No. I remember having a couple of drinks you handed me, but…”
“A couple of drinks?”
Karsen turned to look at Leonard and Cedric. The two men nodded with solemn expressions.
Soon, as if contagious, Karsen’s expression hardened too.
What is going on here?
Did they secretly learn to communicate through expressions without me knowing?
“Just to be sure… You’re not seriously saying you think you only had a couple of drinks, right?”
“Did I drink more?”
Karsen nodded.
I only remember two glasses, but I had more?
Wait, Leonard and Cedric—why are you both nodding too?
What’s with those serious faces?!
A creeping sense of dread began to rise.
“How much… did I drink?”
Karsen held up his fingers.
“Six glasses?”
“Six bottles.”
…My god.
“You mean that strong liquor? Not six glasses, but six bottles?”
I deliberately turned to Leonard instead of Karsen.
Karsen was a mischievous one—he might’ve been joking.
Nod.
You too?!
Even Leonard, whom I trusted, nodded.
Wait—now that I think about it, Leonard is just as bad—if not worse—than Karsen.
He is the mastermind, after all.
Say something, Cedric.
It’s not true, right? You’re all just messing with me because I said I don’t remember, right?
“It was… six bottles.”
Even Cedric, whom I counted on, nodded up and down.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I had really drunk six bottles of that deadly liquor.
Unbelievable. I only remember up to two drinks…
And after that, I drank that much?
“To think you don’t remember yesterday. What a shame. Everyone was applauding Your Majesty’s unexpected side.”
“Unexpected side…?”
Wait. Did I… did I start babbling while drunk?
“Everyone said they fell for Your Majesty’s cheerful side last night.”
I recalled the affectionate glances the maids and knights gave me this morning.
So the reason they were welcoming me wasn’t because of custom— But because of my drunken antics?
“In our country, heavy drinkers are always welcome. So seeing Your Majesty chugging straight from the bottle left quite the impression.”
I drank from the bottle?
And chugged it?
“Ah……”
How embarrassing.
I wanted to crawl into a rat hole and disappear.
From the bottle?!
I could practically hear my dignity shattering in my ears.
“There’s no need to be so ashamed. You didn’t do anything Your Majesty should worry about. In fact, everyone now looks up to you.”
Karsen, who had laughed heartily, suddenly made a slightly awkward face.
“But if you don’t remember anything… Surely you haven’t forgotten yesterday’s proposal too, have you?”
Proposal?
“There was a proposal yesterday?”
“Oh dear. You really don’t remember?”
“Not at all.”
I shook my head.
What on earth happened?
What could’ve happened to make not only Karsen but also Leonard and Cedric look so serious?
I furrowed my brows and tried my hardest, but nothing came back.
Karsen, seeing my flustered expression, slowly drew a long arc with his lips.
And then—he dropped a bombshell.
“You asked me to become your lover.”
“…!”
I doubted my ears.
“Your… lover?”
Me? To him?
Karsen nodded.
My eyes widened in disbelief.
I was too shocked to speak.
“It was the first time someone confessed to me so directly. I was quite taken aback.”
“……”
That’s your surprised face?
Why does your mouth keep curving up like that?
Anyway, that wasn’t the problem.
I asked Karsen to be my lover?
This was absolutely insane.
No way.
This wasn’t just a matter of national dignity.
How could I have said something so outrageous…
And then— A blurry scene slowly surfaced through the fog in my head.
— So, have you thought about it?
— Hic… Thought about what?
— The proposal to come to our country.
I seemed to have crossed my arms and made a serious face at Karsen’s absurd suggestion.
Of course, I’d been drunk.
Completely drunk, where everything felt like a joke…
— No.
I got rude…
— No?
— There’s national dignity, you know. How could the Empress of the Empire move to a kingdom? Not that I care about that kind of stuff, but everyone else would make such a fuss. I hate noisy things.
— What does reputation matter?
— Exactly. Then why should I be the one to come here? Why don’t you come instead?
— What?
— You come.
— You want me to go to the Empire? Me, the King of a nation?
— The Empress comes and goes—what’s stopping a King? Just come.
— Are you… serious?
— Why? You don’t like it? Or do you need a title? Then be my lover. Just come as my lover. Hehehe.
Karsen’s stiff expression.
Leonard and Cedric’s shocked faces.
The strange cheers from the surroundings—all of it came flooding back.
Have you lost your mind, past me?
What on earth did you do?
You suggested to the King of Kalus that he become your lover?!
There was no way someone in their right mind could say that.
Honestly, not even being drunk was an excuse.
My head went blank.
I was just starting to wonder how I could clean up this mess when—
“How unfortunate… that you don’t remember.”
Karsen said, lifting one corner of his mouth.
“It was quite an interesting proposal, you know.”
—
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