“My throat... is dry.”
The water was clearly touching her lips, but it didn’t enter, so she kept getting more and more anxious.
He hesitated as if he was troubled by Sepia’s whining.
She tried to snatch the glass away from him in her thirst, but fortunately, it didn’t spill.
She saw him washing his face dry.
It seemed as if she could hear him mumbling some rituals for the empire.
“Why...”
“Please, Sepia.”
Roxanne’s voice suddenly turned into a plea, but Sepia didn’t know why.
Rather, she was the one begging for water.
Now, she couldn’t even use her strength in her hands, so all she could do was shake her head. The overly hard pillow became even harder with every movement she made.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Roxanne finally made up his mind after much agony.
“Listen to what I say, Sepia. This won’t be treated as a kiss. Do you understand?”
A growling sob was heard through her teeth.
Sepia don’t know what he’s saying, but it felt like he’d give her water if she answered.
“...Ugh.”
Sepia nodded, and something cool covered her lips. Finally, cold liquid flowed into her throat.
Sepia accepted him without stopping, like the rain she had been longing for.
Continuously, and continuously.
It was clearly just what she wanted, but this time she couldn’t breathe.
And the cold that had suddenly come.
“Hold me.”
Sepia hugged Roxanne’s waist and dug into his warm embrace.
The more she was hugged by him, the more her fear and trembling seemed to melt away like snow that had touched the warmth.
She laughed without realizing it.
“It would have been nice if Roxanne had been...”
The bright spring sunlight was encroaching on the bed.
Sepia crouched down to avoid the sun that was bothering her eyes.
Ugh...
The water was clearly touching her lips, but it didn’t enter, so she kept getting more and more anxious.
He hesitated as if he was troubled by Sepia’s whining.
She tried to snatch the glass away from him in her thirst, but fortunately, it didn’t spill.
She saw him washing his face dry.
It seemed as if she could hear him mumbling some rituals for the empire.
“Why...”
“Please, Sepia.”
Roxanne’s voice suddenly turned into a plea, but Sepia didn’t know why.
Rather, she was the one begging for water.
Now, she couldn’t even use her strength in her hands, so all she could do was shake her head. The overly hard pillow became even harder with every movement she made.
“This is driving me crazy.”
Roxanne finally made up his mind after much agony.
“Listen to what I say, Sepia. This won’t be treated as a kiss. Do you understand?”
A growling sob was heard through her teeth.
Sepia don’t know what he’s saying, but it felt like he’d give her water if she answered.
“...Ugh.”
Sepia nodded, and something cool covered her lips. Finally, cold liquid flowed into her throat.
Sepia accepted him without stopping, like the rain she had been longing for.
Continuously, and continuously.
It was clearly just what she wanted, but this time she couldn’t breathe.
And the cold that had suddenly come.
“Hold me.”
Sepia hugged Roxanne’s waist and dug into his warm embrace.
The more she was hugged by him, the more her fear and trembling seemed to melt away like snow that had touched the warmth.
She laughed without realizing it.
“It would have been nice if Roxanne had been...”
Before she knew it, the hand that was sweeping her back had stopped, and she heard the sound of pulling back the curtains.
***
The bright spring sunlight was encroaching on the bed.
Sepia crouched down to avoid the sun that was bothering her eyes.
Ugh...
‘My head hurts.’
Her eyes, which couldn’t open, furrowed involuntarily.
It had been so long since she had a headache that felt like it was going to split, it was rather unfamiliar.
Betty, who had been pulling back the curtains, came to the bed, knowing that Sepia had woken up.
“Your Majesty, are you okay?”
“...Can I get you some water?”
Her eyes, which couldn’t open, furrowed involuntarily.
It had been so long since she had a headache that felt like it was going to split, it was rather unfamiliar.
Betty, who had been pulling back the curtains, came to the bed, knowing that Sepia had woken up.
“Your Majesty, are you okay?”
“...Can I get you some water?”
It was up to her neck.
What was this?
Sepia barely managed to get up and received a glass of water.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
The cold water calmed her rumbling stomach.
After coming to her senses a little, it felt like yesterday when she had received the glass of water.
‘Is this déjà vu?’
It felt a little different, but it felt like something similar had happened.
Above all, the person who had given her the water back then wasn’t a maid.
‘Who was it?’
Her head was throbbing, and she couldn’t quite remember.
Sepia watched Betty’s back as she finished pulling back the curtains.
After Demios left, she took out some alcohol from the display case.
She had no memory of what happened after she had put it in her mouth.
She thought it was just ordinary cognac, but it was a stronger alcohol than she had thought.
It was when Sepia was trying to recall her memories from yesterday. The maid who opened the window approached and put her hand on her waist.
“Oh my, what kind of alcohol did you drink? Why did you choose poison?”
“Poison?”
Sepia asked in surprise, and Betty sighed instead.
“As expected, you didn’t know. How did you choose Calixus? It’s a poison that people enjoy, but even if you drink it wrong, it can make you sick for days.”
Calixus is a plant that only grows in the Aquarian Empire and produces a fruit that has fatal poison. If you brew alcohol with the fruit and let it age for a long time, it becomes a drinkable poison.
It is mainly enjoyed by those of the beast family, and even if they are Aquarians, if they drink it, they will become poisoned by the remaining poison.
“I was really surprised. I checked the alcohol and thought that something bad had happened, so everyone was going to call the palace doctor.”
The maid’s sigh left her speechless.
She thought it was just a strong drink, but it turned out to be poison.
Sepia was at a loss for words.
Betty continued to groan, unable to express how worried she had been.
“I’m so glad that the Duke happened to know how to make an antidote.”
“...Roxanne?”
Why is Roxanne here all of a sudden?
Betty was surprised when she asked.
“Do you really not remember anything? He came to the Empress’s palace last night to tell you something urgent. The mood was not good yesterday... But I felt I had to ask you, so I went to where the Empress was and found you collapsed. Naturally, the palace was in chaos, and the Duke came running because of the commotion.”
Last night’s events were roughly as follows.
Roxanne, who immediately recognized the poison, ordered the necessary ingredients to be brought and personally took care of Sepia.
“So you’re saying that it was Roxanne who gave me water yesterday?”
She vaguely remembered the feel of the glass cup that had touched her lips.
She only now realized that the liquid she had been drinking was not water but medicine.
“Fortunately, your breathing stabilized after taking the medicine. The Duke moved the Empress to the bedroom.”
It was also thanks to Roxanne’s help that she opened her eyes in the bedroom instead of the reception room.
Even after hearing Betty’s explanation, she still didn’t fully understand the situation.
Above all, she didn’t remember.
“...Did Roxanne go back?”
“No. He was worried, so he stayed in the VIP room for a night. Since it’s just before breakfast, how about having breakfast together?”
Sepia nodded at Betty’s suggestion.
Maybe it was because she had experienced the afterimage of violence. Even when she opened her eyes, she still felt a slight sense of anxiety.
However, when she heard that Roxanne was staying in the same residence, she strangely felt relieved.
“Please.”
“Yes. I’ll tell him to get ready right away.”
Betty hummed and left the bedroom.
Soon, another maid and Madam Remody came in and helped Sepia get ready.
The two maids were only concerned about her health, and no one brought up the issue of the government’s child.
“It’s all over.”
“Do you like it?”
Her blonde hair was elegantly braided to the side.
A neatly dressed woman was reflected in the mirror.
Thanks to the skilled maids, Sepia had become the beautiful Empress again.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, the events of last night seemed even more unfamiliar.
'I did something embarrassing.'
No matter how much she drank, her memory was cut off.
She nodded, thinking that it was fortunate that there was no trace of her being drunk.
"Yes. Let's go eat."
Her head still hurt, but she came to her senses when she thought of meeting Roxanne.
'...Now that I think about it, this is my first time having breakfast.'
This was the first time she had breakfast with someone other than the maids and Demios.
Not remembering was more unsettling than she thought.
She had to hear about what she had done through someone else's mouth.
'I hope I didn't make a mistake yesterday.'
As she walked down the hallway, she tried to think back on yesterday, but she had already arrived at the banquet hall.
Roxanne was standing in front of the entrance.
"Are you feeling okay?"
He asked Sepia as he faced her.
As she looked at his neat face as before, the situation itself didn't feel real.
Yesterday’s events, and the fact that Roxanne was in front of her now.
“Yes. I heard you made me some medicine yesterday... Actually, I was so drunk that I don’t remember. But thank you for helping me.”
Roxanne’s pupils shook at the confession that was too embarrassing to say.
Even the corners of his ears, visible through his black hair, were red.
She felt sorry as she watched him, who rarely met her eyes.
‘I might have made a mistake.’
The maids might have kept quiet for Sepia’s sake.
Or was it only Roxanne who knew?
Various worries crossed her mind.
“Do you enjoy drinking often?”
“No. Yesterday... I felt a little like that.”
It wasn’t like she was planning on drinking alcohol.
She only found out this morning why she got drunk, even though she hadn’t had much to drink.
As time passed, her anxiety grew more and more abhorrent. Sepia couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked,
“Could it be that I made a mistake?”
It seemed like it would be better if she knew.
She felt like a criminal waiting to be sentenced.
But contrary to her expectations, Roxanne merely shook his head.
“There was no problem. It’s just... I think you should stay away from alcohol from now on. It was poisonous, even if it was only a small amount. The bodies of humans and beasts are different, so if I hadn’t detoxified it, something might have gone wrong.”
He was more worried about Sepia than what happened last night.
She wanted to ask again if she really hadn’t made a mistake.
However, Roxanne’s expression was so serious that she could only nod.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Thank goodness.”
Roxanne nodded as if he was relieved.
Well, it seemed dangerous to drink alone when you can’t tell the difference between strong liquor and alcohol.
Silence fell between the two again.
The maid, who saw the Empress and the Duke standing in front of the entrance, asked in a puzzled voice.
“Why aren’t you going in? The meal is ready.”
It was ridiculous to just stand there like that.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
Sepia nodded at his invitation.
The two of them entered the banquet hall together.
Still unable to meet each other’s eyes, she suddenly wanted to look at him.
Were the tips of Roxanne’s ears still red?
The reason she couldn’t look Roxanne in the eye might not be because of a mistake she didn’t remember, but because his shyness had taken over.
Deep in the garden of the Empress’s Palace.
Demios stood beneath the lush trees.
With sunken cheeks and shadowed eyes, the Emperor with his decadent beauty was piercing through the invisible beyond.
Crunch. A bird with a broken neck fell to the ground.
The grass where he stood was already filled with dead birds.
“...Empress. Sepia. Star of Ishtar.”
All the nouns refer to just one person.
“It was the Empress who chose me first.”
When Sepia reached out from the depths of despair, it was he who grabbed her hand.
That day was salvation for each other, and also love.
Another bird fell to the ground.
Burning hatred.
Longing for someone he already considered to have.
Betrayal of a lover.
His throat continued to burn.
It was a thirst that even the blood of innocent lives could not quench.
“You seem deeply troubled. May I help you?”
In the darkness, an unfamiliar presence raised its head.
Black, pitch-black eyes.
A snake in the shadows flickered its tongue.
What was this?
Sepia barely managed to get up and received a glass of water.
“Here it is.”
“Thank you.”
The cold water calmed her rumbling stomach.
After coming to her senses a little, it felt like yesterday when she had received the glass of water.
‘Is this déjà vu?’
It felt a little different, but it felt like something similar had happened.
Above all, the person who had given her the water back then wasn’t a maid.
‘Who was it?’
Her head was throbbing, and she couldn’t quite remember.
Sepia watched Betty’s back as she finished pulling back the curtains.
After Demios left, she took out some alcohol from the display case.
She had no memory of what happened after she had put it in her mouth.
She thought it was just ordinary cognac, but it was a stronger alcohol than she had thought.
It was when Sepia was trying to recall her memories from yesterday. The maid who opened the window approached and put her hand on her waist.
“Oh my, what kind of alcohol did you drink? Why did you choose poison?”
“Poison?”
Sepia asked in surprise, and Betty sighed instead.
“As expected, you didn’t know. How did you choose Calixus? It’s a poison that people enjoy, but even if you drink it wrong, it can make you sick for days.”
Calixus is a plant that only grows in the Aquarian Empire and produces a fruit that has fatal poison. If you brew alcohol with the fruit and let it age for a long time, it becomes a drinkable poison.
It is mainly enjoyed by those of the beast family, and even if they are Aquarians, if they drink it, they will become poisoned by the remaining poison.
“I was really surprised. I checked the alcohol and thought that something bad had happened, so everyone was going to call the palace doctor.”
The maid’s sigh left her speechless.
She thought it was just a strong drink, but it turned out to be poison.
Sepia was at a loss for words.
Betty continued to groan, unable to express how worried she had been.
“I’m so glad that the Duke happened to know how to make an antidote.”
“...Roxanne?”
Why is Roxanne here all of a sudden?
Betty was surprised when she asked.
“Do you really not remember anything? He came to the Empress’s palace last night to tell you something urgent. The mood was not good yesterday... But I felt I had to ask you, so I went to where the Empress was and found you collapsed. Naturally, the palace was in chaos, and the Duke came running because of the commotion.”
Last night’s events were roughly as follows.
Roxanne, who immediately recognized the poison, ordered the necessary ingredients to be brought and personally took care of Sepia.
“So you’re saying that it was Roxanne who gave me water yesterday?”
She vaguely remembered the feel of the glass cup that had touched her lips.
She only now realized that the liquid she had been drinking was not water but medicine.
“Fortunately, your breathing stabilized after taking the medicine. The Duke moved the Empress to the bedroom.”
It was also thanks to Roxanne’s help that she opened her eyes in the bedroom instead of the reception room.
Even after hearing Betty’s explanation, she still didn’t fully understand the situation.
Above all, she didn’t remember.
“...Did Roxanne go back?”
“No. He was worried, so he stayed in the VIP room for a night. Since it’s just before breakfast, how about having breakfast together?”
Sepia nodded at Betty’s suggestion.
Maybe it was because she had experienced the afterimage of violence. Even when she opened her eyes, she still felt a slight sense of anxiety.
However, when she heard that Roxanne was staying in the same residence, she strangely felt relieved.
“Please.”
“Yes. I’ll tell him to get ready right away.”
Betty hummed and left the bedroom.
Soon, another maid and Madam Remody came in and helped Sepia get ready.
The two maids were only concerned about her health, and no one brought up the issue of the government’s child.
“It’s all over.”
“Do you like it?”
Her blonde hair was elegantly braided to the side.
A neatly dressed woman was reflected in the mirror.
Thanks to the skilled maids, Sepia had become the beautiful Empress again.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, the events of last night seemed even more unfamiliar.
'I did something embarrassing.'
No matter how much she drank, her memory was cut off.
She nodded, thinking that it was fortunate that there was no trace of her being drunk.
"Yes. Let's go eat."
Her head still hurt, but she came to her senses when she thought of meeting Roxanne.
'...Now that I think about it, this is my first time having breakfast.'
This was the first time she had breakfast with someone other than the maids and Demios.
Not remembering was more unsettling than she thought.
She had to hear about what she had done through someone else's mouth.
'I hope I didn't make a mistake yesterday.'
As she walked down the hallway, she tried to think back on yesterday, but she had already arrived at the banquet hall.
Roxanne was standing in front of the entrance.
"Are you feeling okay?"
He asked Sepia as he faced her.
As she looked at his neat face as before, the situation itself didn't feel real.
Yesterday’s events, and the fact that Roxanne was in front of her now.
“Yes. I heard you made me some medicine yesterday... Actually, I was so drunk that I don’t remember. But thank you for helping me.”
Roxanne’s pupils shook at the confession that was too embarrassing to say.
Even the corners of his ears, visible through his black hair, were red.
She felt sorry as she watched him, who rarely met her eyes.
‘I might have made a mistake.’
The maids might have kept quiet for Sepia’s sake.
Or was it only Roxanne who knew?
Various worries crossed her mind.
“Do you enjoy drinking often?”
“No. Yesterday... I felt a little like that.”
It wasn’t like she was planning on drinking alcohol.
She only found out this morning why she got drunk, even though she hadn’t had much to drink.
As time passed, her anxiety grew more and more abhorrent. Sepia couldn’t hold it in any longer and asked,
“Could it be that I made a mistake?”
It seemed like it would be better if she knew.
She felt like a criminal waiting to be sentenced.
But contrary to her expectations, Roxanne merely shook his head.
“There was no problem. It’s just... I think you should stay away from alcohol from now on. It was poisonous, even if it was only a small amount. The bodies of humans and beasts are different, so if I hadn’t detoxified it, something might have gone wrong.”
He was more worried about Sepia than what happened last night.
She wanted to ask again if she really hadn’t made a mistake.
However, Roxanne’s expression was so serious that she could only nod.
“I’ll be careful.”
“Thank goodness.”
Roxanne nodded as if he was relieved.
Well, it seemed dangerous to drink alone when you can’t tell the difference between strong liquor and alcohol.
Silence fell between the two again.
The maid, who saw the Empress and the Duke standing in front of the entrance, asked in a puzzled voice.
“Why aren’t you going in? The meal is ready.”
It was ridiculous to just stand there like that.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
Sepia nodded at his invitation.
The two of them entered the banquet hall together.
Still unable to meet each other’s eyes, she suddenly wanted to look at him.
Were the tips of Roxanne’s ears still red?
The reason she couldn’t look Roxanne in the eye might not be because of a mistake she didn’t remember, but because his shyness had taken over.
***
Deep in the garden of the Empress’s Palace.
Demios stood beneath the lush trees.
With sunken cheeks and shadowed eyes, the Emperor with his decadent beauty was piercing through the invisible beyond.
Crunch. A bird with a broken neck fell to the ground.
The grass where he stood was already filled with dead birds.
“...Empress. Sepia. Star of Ishtar.”
All the nouns refer to just one person.
“It was the Empress who chose me first.”
When Sepia reached out from the depths of despair, it was he who grabbed her hand.
That day was salvation for each other, and also love.
Another bird fell to the ground.
Burning hatred.
Longing for someone he already considered to have.
Betrayal of a lover.
His throat continued to burn.
It was a thirst that even the blood of innocent lives could not quench.
“You seem deeply troubled. May I help you?”
In the darkness, an unfamiliar presence raised its head.
Black, pitch-black eyes.
A snake in the shadows flickered its tongue.
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