Sidrion slowly stepped closer to Liliana, who was like a frozen marionette whose strings were cut off. Then, he put his finger under her nose.
She was breathing.
‘…Well, of course she is.’
It wasn’t like she was going to suddenly die from passing out after drinking a little alcohol. Why had Sidrion been startled, when he knew that? Sidrion himself thought he was acting weird.
After lowering his hand, he looked down at Liliana, who was presumably asleep.
With a peek, he could see that the room Liliana had fallen asleep in wasn’t her bedroom, but a study or a storage room. He could see an empty glass and wine bottle on the table she was sitting on.
She must have had a drink by herself after drinking with everyone else at the feast.
‘More like a whole bottle…’
Anyhow, Sidrion wondered if he should take Liliana to her room, since leaving her in this state didn’t seem right.
Sidrion used magic to lift the sleeping Liliana up and take her to her room. He hesitated.
There was a problem.
He didn’t know where her room was, nor how to get there.
“…”
After contemplating briefly, Sidrion climbed through the window and entered the room. He picked Liliana up in his arms and went out to the corridor.
He was able to come across a maid without wandering for too long.
“Oh my, Miss Liliana.”
“I happened to find her sleeping in a room without a bed. Where is her room?”
“Ah, it’s this way…”
The maid stole glances at Sidrion as they made their way to Liliana’s room.
When they reached Liliana’s bedroom door, the maid took Liliana from Sidrion and guided her inside.
Before leaving, Sidrion briefly wondered if Liliana would remember what had happened. Then he turned around.
It didn’t really matter if she remembered or not.
***
Yelena witnessed a rare sight first thing in the morning: none other than her older sister Liliana red as a tomato.
‘Am I seeing correctly?’
Yelena rubbed her eyes.
‘…Have I not completely sobered up?’
Next, she suspected her mind.
But after looking several times, Liliana’s face was still red. In front of Sidrion, at that!
Yelena wondered what the two were talking about. She ducked her head when Sidrion shook his head.
‘What the heck.’
Yelena unintentionally hid around the corner of the corridor and watched the rest of Sidrion and Liliana’s interaction. After Liliana left, Yelena approached Sidrion.
“Black Tower Owner.”
“Ah, Duchess.”
“What was that just now? Did something happen with my sister?”
Yelena had abstained from cutting in on their conversation, in case it put her sister in an awkward position.
“It was nothing much. I helped Lady Sorte with something last night and I received an apology… ahem, a thank you from her.”
“You helped my sister?”
“I found her sleeping in an uncomfortable place, so I brought her to her room with a maid.”
“Aha.”
Yelena remembered all the drinking that had transpired at last night’s feast. Sidrion’s explanation was understandable.
‘She must have been embarrassed about receiving help.’
It was quite possible, given Liliana’s personality.
While Yelena thought this to herself, Sidrion’s gaze remained on her.
“What?”
“I didn’t think there’d be a nickname more shocking than ‘Black Tower Owner…’”
“Huh?”
“Like I thought, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I learned something.”
“What are you talking about?”
Sidrion only chuckled after saying such incomprehensible things.
Yelena considered pressing Sidrion about it, but she just left him be.
***
After a simple breakfast—the chef’s special hangover cure—Yelena headed over to the Marquis Linden household.
There, she was able to get clear confirmation about a problem that had been on her mind.
“…Yeah, you’re right.”
“…”
“It was all a lie. I didn’t mean any of it! This is all that jerk Amber’s fault… Wahh.”
Mielle had said that she would take Yelena’s place if Yelena ever went back home. She had said this out of anger, without an ounce of truth to it. Her reason for it was simple: a lovers’ quarrel.
Mielle ended up saying those things because of an argument she got into with her lover Amber.
“Listen to me, Yelena. Do you know how infuriating Amber, that punk, was being? Saying that he’d step back for my happiness anytime…”
“Yes, yes.”
“Telling me I could throw him away whenever I wanted to if I didn’t need him anymore… He kept saying things like that, so I…”
“Mhm, mhm.”
Regardless of the reason, Yelena was relieved. It was a relief that her cousin hadn’t gone crazy.
While Yelena was at the marquis household, she had a private meal with her uncle, Marquis Linden. The marquis was the one who insisted on eating with her privately, and it was during their meal that he revealed the reason for it.
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