Side story 01. Ice Festival
The train ran through the snow, honking its horn loudly. Chloe, sitting in the front car of the Royal Express, couldn't take her eyes off the window. The lights from the villages along the railroad that passed through the rugged mountains were brightly illuminating the dark night like stars.
“Chloe.”
"Yes."
Damien raised an eyebrow at Chloe, who was still absorbed in the scenery outside the window without even turning her face.
“It’s boring.”
“Get some sleep. You must be very tired from all the work that has piled up.”
Damien swirled his glass as he listened to Chloe's affectionate response. It was true that he had been busy clearing his schedule for the next ten days for the winter festival in Tisse. The ink on the document he had signed just before boarding the train must not have completely dried yet. He had worked hard to exhaust himself to spend full time with her as soon as he left Swanton, but when the person in question didn't even pay attention to him, Damien was secretly seething.
Bam.
A tiny strawberry flew in from the opposite direction, drawing a parabolic curve, and disappeared inside Chloe's dress. Only then did Chloe turn her head with a surprised, rabbit-like expression.
“Sorry. My hand slipped.”
Her cheeks were red as she glared at Damien, who raised his hand calmly, and took the strawberry out from between her breastbone.
“Your Majesty, there is no word for shame in your dictionary?”
“It was just a momentary mistake, so it’s embarrassing to be criticized so sharply.”
Chloe frowned as she watched the man keep saying 'mistake' without changing his expression.
“Since I apologized, I would appreciate it if you could give me back my strawberries.”
Chloe snickered slightly as she watched Damien wiggling his fingers with a solemn kingly expression, and then put the strawberry that had touched her body temperature into her mouth. The corners of Damien’s arrogant lips twitched imperceptibly.
“That’s rude, Chloe.”
Damien's blue eyes were filled with a light that wanted to tease her. Chloe, who was willing to accept any prank, lifted her face and gestured to the table.
“Your Majesty’s strawberries?”
On the card with the small ribbon attached, the words were clearly written: 'Her Royal Majesty the Queen is very much welcomed to Tisse.'
“Strictly speaking, this is my strawberry.”
When the royal couple decided to visit, the people of Tisse sent many gifts. Among them was a gift from a mother and daughter who had won the honor of best strawberry by Chloe’s choice several years ago. Judging from the words on the card, Chloe’s words were not wrong.
“There is nothing in the Queen’s clothes that is not mine.”
“That is sophistry.”
Damien tilted his glass as he watched Chloe cut him off. It couldn't be because of the sweet wine that his lips kept getting dry.
“Would you like one?”
His wife, who knew his heart or not, was the cause of his thirst as she lifted a strawberry from the silver plate, dipped it in cream, and raised her neat eyebrows.
“I would appreciate it if you would do that.”
“Um... I still don’t like it.”
Chloe pretended to think for a moment, then licked her lips with her small tongue and put the second strawberry in her mouth. At that moment, Damien’s face came close to hers. His shadow, standing up and leaning forward, facing the small table, covering her. The train was passing through a tunnel in the snowy mountains. Clank, clank. In the darkness where only the sound of the train could be heard, Chloe’s eyelashes fluttered silently and finally opened slowly. The robber who had stolen both her lips and her strawberries throughout the tunnel was shamelessly whispering right in front of her nose.
“Is it delicious?”
“A scoundrel.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
“Damien.”
Chloe eventually stopped him by placing a hand on Damien's chest as he walked around the table next to her. She didn't want to make him even more tired after being busy with work.
“You’d better get some sleep. There’s still a lot of work to be done once you get to Tisse.”
“You can sleep as much as you want after you die.”
Chloe sighed faintly at the answer that didn't hesitate an inch. Damien shamelessly grabbed the front of her dress where her strawberry had been just a moment ago and whispered lewdly.
“I’m not sleepy, and I don’t have any work to do on the way to Tisse. Besides, my companion is so cruel that she won’t even give me strawberries.”
“So that’s why you’re talking to me.”
“What nonsense, Chloe.”
Damien smiled weakly and captured her lips again before letting go.
“It’s courtship.”
Chloe tried to keep her composure even as he touched her wet lips with the tip of his nose, a gesture full of affection. The Royal Express train to Tisse was not scheduled to go straight to its destination as usual, but to make stops here and there throughout the kingdom. It was a consideration for the country people who had deep affection for the royal couple but who rarely got to see them in their lifetimes. It would probably be a meaningful event for them.
“The train will stop soon. I’m sure everyone in town will be waiting.”
"However?"
There was less than an hour left until they arrived at the next station, a small mountain village. Of course, Damien was the kind of person who could smile calmly at them no matter what hot things were going on here. Chloe's face, on the other hand, was not thick enough to hide her heat.
“Your Majesty.”
“My dear wife.”
Chloe swallowed hard as she watched Damien gently kiss her upper chest, which was exposed through her dress. It had been several days since she had last had sex with the King, who had been a workaholic for several days. If she left him alone, he would surely run wild like a broken-down train, and she would show herself flustered and disheveled in front of strangers, rather than being polite.
“Want to bet?”
Chloe suddenly blurted out. An intriguing light flashed through his blue eyes, filled with desire, and then quickly disappeared.
“No matter what game we play, it’s sure to be dull compared to what you and I are going to do from now on.”
Damien was originally a man who instinctively reacted to the word bet. Chloe, who intuitively felt that she had caught his attention, could not miss the opportunity.
“If you don’t do it, I guarantee you’ll regret it later.”
“Haha. Why are you so confident?”
Chloe's hazel eyes sparkled.
“A game where you die if you don’t tell the truth.”
As expected, Damien couldn't refuse her offer. Chloe inwardly praised herself for thinking of a game that was popular in the streets, and opened her mouth to the man in front of her, who couldn't easily hide his excitement even though he was crossing his arms and wiggling his fingers.
“The rules are simple. The question is, who spins the bottle and comes out first? But if you ask me a question, you have to answer the same question.”
If you just keep having small talk until the next stop, time will pass quickly. At least you won't ask questions that will make people feel awkward, since you'll have to answer the same questions yourself.
“How can you trust that the other person is telling the truth?”
Assuming he plays the game fairly, though.
“I told you that if you lie, you will die.”
“Is lightning falling from the sky?”
Chloe answered with a serious expression towards the spinning Damien.
“Death will separate us.”
"Haha."
Chloe gave up the first turn with an elegant wave, smiling and teasing Damien as he teased her.
“Turn it around.”
An empty bottle with a famous vineyard's label spun around on the table. The mouth of the wine bottle, which had been spinning like a top for dozens of times, stopped, pointing directly at Damien. Chloe's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Did you cheat?”
“I’m not God, Chloe.”
Damien smiled faintly and secretly bragged about his luck. Chloe looked at him, suppressing her resentment.
“Can I start first?”
“You have to make an oath first.”
Chloe said solemnly, looking at Damien, who was showing his impatience.
“What oath?”
“If we lie, we say out loud that death will separate us.”
“... Yes. I swear.”
Damien, who had been raising his well-drawn eyebrows, finally nodded. Chloe also put her hand on her chest to show that she was swearing. Damien was a man of his own accord, but he was not the type of person to treat the oath he had uttered casually. Chloe, who was feeling relieved at the thought that she had completely sworn off the drain, heard the first question.
“Who was the first person you ever wanted to kiss in your life?”
As Chloe's eyes widened in confusion, Damien added, driving a wedge in.
“In the sense of sexuality.”
Chloe was about to answer that she had hoped for her mother's affectionate goodnight kiss, but her words were cut off. She swallowed with an embarrassed expression, but Damien simply tapped his chest with his long fingers, reminding her of the oath she had made earlier.
“That, that...”
“You’re not trying to lie, are you?”
Chloe's fist clenched as Damien provoked her.
“This is my neighbor George, who often came to my house to play when I was little.”
“Ah, George.”
Damien rolled the name George around in his mouth with completely unreadable eyes. Chloe blushed and quickly added an explanation.
“We were both ten years old. When he was twelve, he left for another country with his father.”
“Well, it must have been a shame to have to say goodbye without a kiss. Twelve-year-old Chloe Verdier.”
When she heard that, shr felt a little annoyed. What on earth makes him so confident?
“Could have done it?”
“I didn’t do it.”
As Damien snickered, Chloe's face turned even redder. Of course, she couldn't even kiss George, who was kind to her, so she just waved at him. But for some reason, she didn't want to say anything about it.
“I guess I should try to keep my mouth shut about my first kiss.”
“The first person to touch your lips was someone other than Tisse?”
Chloe tried to hide her embarrassment. It occurred to her belatedly that if Damien, with his rascally grin, hadn't been certain of the fact, he would have asked her point-blank who her first kiss had been.
“The questions are already over, so I won’t answer.”
Chloe reached for her glass, feeling a burning sensation in her throat. It would be even more embarrassing to show her agitation here, Chloe. She drank her wine as calmly as she could. Her heart pounded as if it were nothing.
“I answered, now it’s your turn. Please answer the same question.”
“Yeah. I swore an oath to death, so I guess I can’t lie.”
“That... is right.”
“Are you sure you won’t regret listening to it?”
“Ahem...! Of course.”
Chloe raised her voice, pretending to be relaxed, but seeing Damien smiling with an unfamiliar face, she felt a little uneasy for some reason. It was because she was afraid of the truth that would come out of his mouth. She's never heard of a story where lovers dig up each other’s pasts and the results are good.
The train ran through the snow, honking its horn loudly. Chloe, sitting in the front car of the Royal Express, couldn't take her eyes off the window. The lights from the villages along the railroad that passed through the rugged mountains were brightly illuminating the dark night like stars.
“Chloe.”
"Yes."
Damien raised an eyebrow at Chloe, who was still absorbed in the scenery outside the window without even turning her face.
“It’s boring.”
“Get some sleep. You must be very tired from all the work that has piled up.”
Damien swirled his glass as he listened to Chloe's affectionate response. It was true that he had been busy clearing his schedule for the next ten days for the winter festival in Tisse. The ink on the document he had signed just before boarding the train must not have completely dried yet. He had worked hard to exhaust himself to spend full time with her as soon as he left Swanton, but when the person in question didn't even pay attention to him, Damien was secretly seething.
Bam.
A tiny strawberry flew in from the opposite direction, drawing a parabolic curve, and disappeared inside Chloe's dress. Only then did Chloe turn her head with a surprised, rabbit-like expression.
“Sorry. My hand slipped.”
Her cheeks were red as she glared at Damien, who raised his hand calmly, and took the strawberry out from between her breastbone.
“Your Majesty, there is no word for shame in your dictionary?”
“It was just a momentary mistake, so it’s embarrassing to be criticized so sharply.”
Chloe frowned as she watched the man keep saying 'mistake' without changing his expression.
“Since I apologized, I would appreciate it if you could give me back my strawberries.”
Chloe snickered slightly as she watched Damien wiggling his fingers with a solemn kingly expression, and then put the strawberry that had touched her body temperature into her mouth. The corners of Damien’s arrogant lips twitched imperceptibly.
“That’s rude, Chloe.”
Damien's blue eyes were filled with a light that wanted to tease her. Chloe, who was willing to accept any prank, lifted her face and gestured to the table.
“Your Majesty’s strawberries?”
On the card with the small ribbon attached, the words were clearly written: 'Her Royal Majesty the Queen is very much welcomed to Tisse.'
“Strictly speaking, this is my strawberry.”
When the royal couple decided to visit, the people of Tisse sent many gifts. Among them was a gift from a mother and daughter who had won the honor of best strawberry by Chloe’s choice several years ago. Judging from the words on the card, Chloe’s words were not wrong.
“There is nothing in the Queen’s clothes that is not mine.”
“That is sophistry.”
Damien tilted his glass as he watched Chloe cut him off. It couldn't be because of the sweet wine that his lips kept getting dry.
“Would you like one?”
His wife, who knew his heart or not, was the cause of his thirst as she lifted a strawberry from the silver plate, dipped it in cream, and raised her neat eyebrows.
“I would appreciate it if you would do that.”
“Um... I still don’t like it.”
Chloe pretended to think for a moment, then licked her lips with her small tongue and put the second strawberry in her mouth. At that moment, Damien’s face came close to hers. His shadow, standing up and leaning forward, facing the small table, covering her. The train was passing through a tunnel in the snowy mountains. Clank, clank. In the darkness where only the sound of the train could be heard, Chloe’s eyelashes fluttered silently and finally opened slowly. The robber who had stolen both her lips and her strawberries throughout the tunnel was shamelessly whispering right in front of her nose.
“Is it delicious?”
“A scoundrel.”
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”
“Damien.”
Chloe eventually stopped him by placing a hand on Damien's chest as he walked around the table next to her. She didn't want to make him even more tired after being busy with work.
“You’d better get some sleep. There’s still a lot of work to be done once you get to Tisse.”
“You can sleep as much as you want after you die.”
Chloe sighed faintly at the answer that didn't hesitate an inch. Damien shamelessly grabbed the front of her dress where her strawberry had been just a moment ago and whispered lewdly.
“I’m not sleepy, and I don’t have any work to do on the way to Tisse. Besides, my companion is so cruel that she won’t even give me strawberries.”
“So that’s why you’re talking to me.”
“What nonsense, Chloe.”
Damien smiled weakly and captured her lips again before letting go.
“It’s courtship.”
Chloe tried to keep her composure even as he touched her wet lips with the tip of his nose, a gesture full of affection. The Royal Express train to Tisse was not scheduled to go straight to its destination as usual, but to make stops here and there throughout the kingdom. It was a consideration for the country people who had deep affection for the royal couple but who rarely got to see them in their lifetimes. It would probably be a meaningful event for them.
“The train will stop soon. I’m sure everyone in town will be waiting.”
"However?"
There was less than an hour left until they arrived at the next station, a small mountain village. Of course, Damien was the kind of person who could smile calmly at them no matter what hot things were going on here. Chloe's face, on the other hand, was not thick enough to hide her heat.
“Your Majesty.”
“My dear wife.”
Chloe swallowed hard as she watched Damien gently kiss her upper chest, which was exposed through her dress. It had been several days since she had last had sex with the King, who had been a workaholic for several days. If she left him alone, he would surely run wild like a broken-down train, and she would show herself flustered and disheveled in front of strangers, rather than being polite.
“Want to bet?”
Chloe suddenly blurted out. An intriguing light flashed through his blue eyes, filled with desire, and then quickly disappeared.
“No matter what game we play, it’s sure to be dull compared to what you and I are going to do from now on.”
Damien was originally a man who instinctively reacted to the word bet. Chloe, who intuitively felt that she had caught his attention, could not miss the opportunity.
“If you don’t do it, I guarantee you’ll regret it later.”
“Haha. Why are you so confident?”
Chloe's hazel eyes sparkled.
“A game where you die if you don’t tell the truth.”
***
As expected, Damien couldn't refuse her offer. Chloe inwardly praised herself for thinking of a game that was popular in the streets, and opened her mouth to the man in front of her, who couldn't easily hide his excitement even though he was crossing his arms and wiggling his fingers.
“The rules are simple. The question is, who spins the bottle and comes out first? But if you ask me a question, you have to answer the same question.”
If you just keep having small talk until the next stop, time will pass quickly. At least you won't ask questions that will make people feel awkward, since you'll have to answer the same questions yourself.
“How can you trust that the other person is telling the truth?”
Assuming he plays the game fairly, though.
“I told you that if you lie, you will die.”
“Is lightning falling from the sky?”
Chloe answered with a serious expression towards the spinning Damien.
“Death will separate us.”
"Haha."
Chloe gave up the first turn with an elegant wave, smiling and teasing Damien as he teased her.
“Turn it around.”
An empty bottle with a famous vineyard's label spun around on the table. The mouth of the wine bottle, which had been spinning like a top for dozens of times, stopped, pointing directly at Damien. Chloe's eyebrows furrowed slightly.
“Did you cheat?”
“I’m not God, Chloe.”
Damien smiled faintly and secretly bragged about his luck. Chloe looked at him, suppressing her resentment.
“Can I start first?”
“You have to make an oath first.”
Chloe said solemnly, looking at Damien, who was showing his impatience.
“What oath?”
“If we lie, we say out loud that death will separate us.”
“... Yes. I swear.”
Damien, who had been raising his well-drawn eyebrows, finally nodded. Chloe also put her hand on her chest to show that she was swearing. Damien was a man of his own accord, but he was not the type of person to treat the oath he had uttered casually. Chloe, who was feeling relieved at the thought that she had completely sworn off the drain, heard the first question.
“Who was the first person you ever wanted to kiss in your life?”
As Chloe's eyes widened in confusion, Damien added, driving a wedge in.
“In the sense of sexuality.”
Chloe was about to answer that she had hoped for her mother's affectionate goodnight kiss, but her words were cut off. She swallowed with an embarrassed expression, but Damien simply tapped his chest with his long fingers, reminding her of the oath she had made earlier.
“That, that...”
“You’re not trying to lie, are you?”
Chloe's fist clenched as Damien provoked her.
“This is my neighbor George, who often came to my house to play when I was little.”
“Ah, George.”
Damien rolled the name George around in his mouth with completely unreadable eyes. Chloe blushed and quickly added an explanation.
“We were both ten years old. When he was twelve, he left for another country with his father.”
“Well, it must have been a shame to have to say goodbye without a kiss. Twelve-year-old Chloe Verdier.”
When she heard that, shr felt a little annoyed. What on earth makes him so confident?
“Could have done it?”
“I didn’t do it.”
As Damien snickered, Chloe's face turned even redder. Of course, she couldn't even kiss George, who was kind to her, so she just waved at him. But for some reason, she didn't want to say anything about it.
“I guess I should try to keep my mouth shut about my first kiss.”
“The first person to touch your lips was someone other than Tisse?”
Chloe tried to hide her embarrassment. It occurred to her belatedly that if Damien, with his rascally grin, hadn't been certain of the fact, he would have asked her point-blank who her first kiss had been.
“The questions are already over, so I won’t answer.”
Chloe reached for her glass, feeling a burning sensation in her throat. It would be even more embarrassing to show her agitation here, Chloe. She drank her wine as calmly as she could. Her heart pounded as if it were nothing.
“I answered, now it’s your turn. Please answer the same question.”
“Yeah. I swore an oath to death, so I guess I can’t lie.”
“That... is right.”
“Are you sure you won’t regret listening to it?”
“Ahem...! Of course.”
Chloe raised her voice, pretending to be relaxed, but seeing Damien smiling with an unfamiliar face, she felt a little uneasy for some reason. It was because she was afraid of the truth that would come out of his mouth. She's never heard of a story where lovers dig up each other’s pasts and the results are good.
Damien opened his mouth heavily, feeling resentful of the intention of asking each other questions that were like cutting each other’s flesh in the first place.
“The first person I felt like giving my whole being to was...”
Ah. I really don't want to know. Before Chloe, who thought it was impossible, could open her mouth to stop him, Damien opened his mouth.
“It was the goddess of victory in the ceiling painting of the Royal Museum.”
"...Yes?"
“Don’t you know who it is?”
No way. Chloe drank her wine again as she looked into his staring blue eyes. He probably wasn't lying. Chloe could picture the boy Damien standing tall, staring at the ceiling, as if she were seeing it with her own eyes.
Only those kissed by the goddess of victory are worthy of becoming the King of this country. It was a proverb passed down through the kingdom a long time ago. Damien gently pushed the empty bottle towards her as a strong feeling of being... beaten crept in.
“It's your turn.”
“Ah... yes.”
Even though the contents were gone, the empty bottle was still quite heavy. The bottle, which had been drawing circles at a noticeably different speed than before, slowly stopped.
"This."
Damien glanced down at the bottle of wine pointed at him and clicked his tongue slightly. He must have kissed the goddess of victory properly. The train, which was running excitedly through the snowfield, still didn't know how to slow down.
“What is the most shameful and degrading lie you have ever told in your life?”
"Yes?"
Chloe's hazel eyes shone dazzlingly. Damien simply crossed his long legs and sat back in his chair, looking at her with an amused expression.
“I want you to put your hand on your heart and answer honestly.”
Chloe thought she was screwed. Unlike the shameless Damien, Chloe was not the type to take this kind of question lightly and give a vague answer. Chloe's glass was completely empty.
“When I was... very, young... hmm.”
"Yes."
“At home, there’s a vase that my mother really cherished... hmmm...!”
As Chloe coughed, her throat getting sore, Damien calmly poured her a new glass of wine. Chloe stared at Damien filling her glass red, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth.
“I tried to put flowers in there without my mother knowing, but I ended up breaking it.”
“Oh, like that.”
“My mother scolded her a lot because she thought it was Alice’s doing. Alice had been in trouble before. But she scolded her even more because Alice said it wasn’t her doing....”
Chloe's voice, continuing to speak, became increasingly quieter as she continued.
“I... couldn’t say anything until the very end.”
"Ha ha ha!!!"
Damien burst into a loud laugh. His eyes, darkened by his excitement, were filled with a playful glint.
“Oh, oh, oh. You just stood by and watched your poor sister get scolded by your parents for something she didn’t do? Chloe. That’s cruel.”
It was an incident that made her painfully realize how difficult it is to be honest once you miss the chance to speak. Damien poked at her conscience.
“I finally understand why you love and cherish your thoughtless and immature sister so much. Haha. You’ve lived your whole life feeling indebted to her, Chloe.”
Chloe, who had no words, shut her hot eyes tightly. Rather than feeling relieved, she felt embarrassed and wanted to disappear into the ground after spilling the shameful secret that she would take to the grave.
“It’s your turn now. Speak quickly.”
Chloe felt like she wanted to crush the afterglow of Damien's pleasure with her fist, and she just clutched at the hem of his dress.
“What was the question?”
“That’s the lowest lie you’ve ever told!”
“There are so many that it’s hard to count them on one hand...”
Damien frowned slightly as if he was going through his memories. It really seemed like he was going over all the lies he had told. Chloe lowered her voice a little, promising to laugh at him to her heart’s content.
“I’m just listing the worst of the worst.”
“Hmm... I guess it was the lowest of the low to propose to another woman when you have the woman you want to hug in front of you.”
When he brought up the past when he proposed to Alice in front of Chloe, Chloe was once again speechless. Thinking back on that time made her feel like she was boiling inside.
“Tell the truth.”
“...Who said what?”
“If I had known in advance that Alice Verdier was pregnant, I wouldn’t have had to tell such a lie.”
“It’s really annoying that you say that when you haven’t even reflected on it until the end.”
“I’ll apologize properly to Alice later. And for your sister, too.”
Chloe fanned herself with her hands as she felt the alcohol kicking in. She was especially happy to hear the announcement that the train would be stopping for a moment soon.
“I think it’s time to stop now...”
The mouth of the bottle Damien had turned stopped right there, pointing at Chloe. Chloe blinked and hesitated for a moment before looking up.
“Game over?”
“I have to ask one last question, and then I’ll be done.”
Damien looked at her with a grin as if telling her to give it a try. Chloe swallowed dryly and parted her lips.
“A game where you die if you don’t tell the truth. This is the last question.”
The red train pulled into a station deep in the mountains. Through the window, she could see a cheering crowd. Each of them was holding a candle and standing with red faces, all of them smiling broadly as they shouted out the King and Queen one after another.
“If Damien Ernst von Tisse could ask God for just one wish, what would it be?”
Damien, smiling, faced her across the table and held her hands. The cheers grew louder as they saw the royal couple looking at each other. His pulse pounded in his tightly held hands. If there was one thing Chloe was curious about, it was this. What would a man who seemed to have everything ask of God?
“Even if I’m born again, I’ll meet you.”
Damien whispered in a lower voice as he kissed the back of her hand. As the warmth that had settled on her hand spread, her whole body felt like a butterfly had landed on her. The resentment she had felt toward him a moment ago disappeared like smoke, and in its place was a pleasant heat that made her heart beat faster.
"You?"
Chloe met Damien's blue eyes, urging her to respond briefly. Her trembling voice flowed out cautiously.
“Remembering your love every moment.”
Boom! The flash went off. The people of the small mountain village could long remember the photograph of the King showing respect by kissing the back of the hand of the Queen. And they could long say that this was the train station where the young royal couple had a romantic night.
“The first person I felt like giving my whole being to was...”
Ah. I really don't want to know. Before Chloe, who thought it was impossible, could open her mouth to stop him, Damien opened his mouth.
“It was the goddess of victory in the ceiling painting of the Royal Museum.”
"...Yes?"
“Don’t you know who it is?”
No way. Chloe drank her wine again as she looked into his staring blue eyes. He probably wasn't lying. Chloe could picture the boy Damien standing tall, staring at the ceiling, as if she were seeing it with her own eyes.
Only those kissed by the goddess of victory are worthy of becoming the King of this country. It was a proverb passed down through the kingdom a long time ago. Damien gently pushed the empty bottle towards her as a strong feeling of being... beaten crept in.
“It's your turn.”
“Ah... yes.”
Even though the contents were gone, the empty bottle was still quite heavy. The bottle, which had been drawing circles at a noticeably different speed than before, slowly stopped.
"This."
Damien glanced down at the bottle of wine pointed at him and clicked his tongue slightly. He must have kissed the goddess of victory properly. The train, which was running excitedly through the snowfield, still didn't know how to slow down.
“What is the most shameful and degrading lie you have ever told in your life?”
"Yes?"
Chloe's hazel eyes shone dazzlingly. Damien simply crossed his long legs and sat back in his chair, looking at her with an amused expression.
“I want you to put your hand on your heart and answer honestly.”
Chloe thought she was screwed. Unlike the shameless Damien, Chloe was not the type to take this kind of question lightly and give a vague answer. Chloe's glass was completely empty.
“When I was... very, young... hmm.”
"Yes."
“At home, there’s a vase that my mother really cherished... hmmm...!”
As Chloe coughed, her throat getting sore, Damien calmly poured her a new glass of wine. Chloe stared at Damien filling her glass red, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth.
“I tried to put flowers in there without my mother knowing, but I ended up breaking it.”
“Oh, like that.”
“My mother scolded her a lot because she thought it was Alice’s doing. Alice had been in trouble before. But she scolded her even more because Alice said it wasn’t her doing....”
Chloe's voice, continuing to speak, became increasingly quieter as she continued.
“I... couldn’t say anything until the very end.”
"Ha ha ha!!!"
Damien burst into a loud laugh. His eyes, darkened by his excitement, were filled with a playful glint.
“Oh, oh, oh. You just stood by and watched your poor sister get scolded by your parents for something she didn’t do? Chloe. That’s cruel.”
It was an incident that made her painfully realize how difficult it is to be honest once you miss the chance to speak. Damien poked at her conscience.
“I finally understand why you love and cherish your thoughtless and immature sister so much. Haha. You’ve lived your whole life feeling indebted to her, Chloe.”
Chloe, who had no words, shut her hot eyes tightly. Rather than feeling relieved, she felt embarrassed and wanted to disappear into the ground after spilling the shameful secret that she would take to the grave.
“It’s your turn now. Speak quickly.”
Chloe felt like she wanted to crush the afterglow of Damien's pleasure with her fist, and she just clutched at the hem of his dress.
“What was the question?”
“That’s the lowest lie you’ve ever told!”
“There are so many that it’s hard to count them on one hand...”
Damien frowned slightly as if he was going through his memories. It really seemed like he was going over all the lies he had told. Chloe lowered her voice a little, promising to laugh at him to her heart’s content.
“I’m just listing the worst of the worst.”
“Hmm... I guess it was the lowest of the low to propose to another woman when you have the woman you want to hug in front of you.”
When he brought up the past when he proposed to Alice in front of Chloe, Chloe was once again speechless. Thinking back on that time made her feel like she was boiling inside.
“Tell the truth.”
“...Who said what?”
“If I had known in advance that Alice Verdier was pregnant, I wouldn’t have had to tell such a lie.”
“It’s really annoying that you say that when you haven’t even reflected on it until the end.”
“I’ll apologize properly to Alice later. And for your sister, too.”
Chloe fanned herself with her hands as she felt the alcohol kicking in. She was especially happy to hear the announcement that the train would be stopping for a moment soon.
“I think it’s time to stop now...”
The mouth of the bottle Damien had turned stopped right there, pointing at Chloe. Chloe blinked and hesitated for a moment before looking up.
“Game over?”
“I have to ask one last question, and then I’ll be done.”
Damien looked at her with a grin as if telling her to give it a try. Chloe swallowed dryly and parted her lips.
“A game where you die if you don’t tell the truth. This is the last question.”
The red train pulled into a station deep in the mountains. Through the window, she could see a cheering crowd. Each of them was holding a candle and standing with red faces, all of them smiling broadly as they shouted out the King and Queen one after another.
“If Damien Ernst von Tisse could ask God for just one wish, what would it be?”
Damien, smiling, faced her across the table and held her hands. The cheers grew louder as they saw the royal couple looking at each other. His pulse pounded in his tightly held hands. If there was one thing Chloe was curious about, it was this. What would a man who seemed to have everything ask of God?
“Even if I’m born again, I’ll meet you.”
Damien whispered in a lower voice as he kissed the back of her hand. As the warmth that had settled on her hand spread, her whole body felt like a butterfly had landed on her. The resentment she had felt toward him a moment ago disappeared like smoke, and in its place was a pleasant heat that made her heart beat faster.
"You?"
Chloe met Damien's blue eyes, urging her to respond briefly. Her trembling voice flowed out cautiously.
“Remembering your love every moment.”
Boom! The flash went off. The people of the small mountain village could long remember the photograph of the King showing respect by kissing the back of the hand of the Queen. And they could long say that this was the train station where the young royal couple had a romantic night.
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