Chapter 69 Late Night Talks
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“Would you like to pour me another drink?”
“…….”
Was it too bold? Alan looked at my complexion for a moment and soon burst into a chuckle. Soon a clear brown liquid filled the glass again.
“Shall we make a toast?”
“Huh…”
His glass came up to my glass, which had stopped in confusion, and struck it making a clear sound.
Sitting side by side with Alan Leopold in an old mansion in Lunoa, the capital of the Principality. I can’t believe this is real……. Everything was just dreamy.
I gulped down the wine he poured me without any bounds. The first glass was difficult, but the second was equally painful. Alan’s eyes were seen wide open with surprise.
At the same time, my heart beat so fast that I felt somewhat frightened and patted my chest. The reason why my heart is pounding hard as if it’s going to explode is because of the wine and not because of the man sitting next to me. That thought made me feel a little better.
Then Alan tilted his head slightly and made eye contact with me. Glassy, cold eyes like an ice pond were in front of me. It was an indescribable beauty.
If there was a dawn in the universe, I’m sure it would have these lights and patterns.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m a little dizzy…….”
It was only two drinks, but it was my first time drinking such a strong drink, and I drank quite a lot. It’s like alcohol running in through my blood vessels. My head and my vision became distant, and the fresh scent from Alan’s body became stronger.
But it’s not enough to let go of my consciousness. I comforted myself by taking a deep breath. I was going to slowly ask one by one.
“Sir Alan, the maids…….”
“You can call me by name.”
“Oh….”
Will I be able to tell him everything that I want to say? I stiffen at every word he says and every time he looks at me.
“Why the maids?”
“…….”
Whenever I look at him I can’t say anything because my head goes blank, he’s even trying to exhort me to say something. The gentle arrogance just made me feel despondent.
“Did they make a mistake?”
“Well, it’s not like that, but it’s a little weird. Like people who don’t have feelings……. Even if I ask, they didn’t even tell me their name, did you order it? That’s too bad.”
It was said that alcohol gives you liquid courage, and it gradually becomes easier for you to talk when you are relaxed. ‘Are you telling me to die from loneliness?” I barely held those words in.
At this rate, we may have a meaningful conversation tonight. My fist that clenched the hem of my dress naturally tightened.
“Of course not. They’re not my people, they work for my family. Father’s to be exact.”
“I don’t know what the difference is…….”
“If you are talking about unnecessary suspicions or excessive caution, it must be because they resemble their master.”
“…….”
Does that mean… that his son himself is, too?
Then Alan let out a low sigh.
“Ah… Did you need a companion? You’re an emotional person, so you might have felt lonely.”
It can’t be, but he was talking as if he had never felt lonely. At the same time, I was speechless when he got to the point exactly.
“I’m sorry that I’m too busy to take care of you.”
“…….”
“If necessary, I’ll put a maid next to you. so that she can be your companion.”
“Ah…! Is that okay?”
“Anything that you want.”
What, that’s sweet, isn’t it? Just imagining the idea of having a companion to share intimate stories with, I felt like I was going to fly away with joy just imagining it.
His more cooperative attitude made me rush to the next question.
“But why do you want me to write the novel? Was my manuscript provided by the Academy?”
“That,”
“And the academy I’m going to enroll in is trash. What does that mean?”
“Whoa.”
Alan filled my glass with a sigh of laughter. And he answered, giving me sweet-scented juice instead of alcohol.
“I love that novel so much that I want to own it. It’s a long story to tell, but I hope I’ll have a chance to give you enough answers someday.”
“Oh….”
“Similarly, I liked the novel and participated as a judge myself. Purely because I want to read the finished part.”
I had no idea whether to be surprised by his easy access to the Academy’s judgeship, or by his candid praise for my novel.
He wouldn’t have known that Troy in the novel resembled him as if it was his exact copy, but if he said it was good enough that he wanted to have it completely…… How am I supposed to interpret that….
“The two-year academy proposed by the royal family is not even close to the Sourne Royal Academy, where it is hard to find literature-related subjects. It is an insult to suggest a place like that.”
“I-I’ll still be a student there this coming fall. Healthy stimulation and motivation from interaction with students are just as valuable as the curriculum…….”
Alan frowned slightly at my words. He opened his mouth after emptying the glass in a simple manner.
“Think well, do you think such a noisy environment would suit you? It would be rather harmful.”
“Uh….”
“I don’t think my judgment was wrong.”
The situation in which Alan Leopold, who is a stranger, knows my personality was too unrealistic. I shuffled to get my act together and continued.
“……I know it’s hard for me to be in a crowded place, but being a student has been my dream for a long time. And it’s also an opportunity given to me by the royal family, so I’m grateful…”
“That’s a problem, too.”
“What?”
“You have a brilliant talent…… You shouldn’t be a puppet of the royal family.”
Saying that, Alan went back to drinking. I couldn’t understand what he said, so with a stunned face I waited for more words that would help me understand his intentions.
“It’s better not to owe the royal family. You’re free to write what you want, only with your own senses.”
“……Are you saying that the royal family won’t let me write what I want?”
“It may not stop there…….”
Alan was about to say something, but he quit. Eyelashes as dark as ebony hung under the waxy white eyelids.
“Listen to me. When there’s still a way to not to get involved.”
“…….”
I understand that the Leopold family has had a close relationship with the royal family.…. Surprisingly, the expression on his face as he spoke about the Sourne royal family was terribly cold.
It was only then that Prince Bentley came to mind. Surely he…… He is like that making me follow the advice to not to get involved. When I recalled his persistent gaze like a snake and his breath approaching me while holding my chin, I felt goosebumps all over my body.
But I’m sure both of them are close friends. Wasn’t it the Prince Bentley who imprinted my existence on Alan after all? If I think that way, everything Alan is telling me now loses credibility.
“……isn’t the prince your close friend?”
“No, he’s not.”
Alan answered immediately. The answer made me tilt my head. They’re known to be close friends for a long time.
But I didn’t want to ask about the prince’s story, and neither did Alan seem to want to talk about him. He had such a dark face that I suddenly thought the air was heavy.
Is he angry?
“……I don’t know much about the royal family. But I think Her Highness, Princess Cynthia, is undoubtedly a great person.”
“You mean the first princess.”
“Yes, she deserves to be the pride of the royal family. Decent, wise, benevolent…….”
She even came here to congratulate the winner of the Academy Award. She has always been regarded as an object of envy, but she was more elegant and impressive after I met her face-to-face.
I added quickly.
“Just by looking at her, she seems different from the rest of the royal family. I can’t wait for the princess to become the queen.”
“Certainly, she’s the most sane member of the royal family.”
Alan’s answer was absolutely dry.
“But the blood can’t be deceived, so the first princess isn’t much different either. The prince is nothing but an unprecedented fool.”
“What…”
I was astonished at his outspoken remarks about the royal family. How could that elegant Alan Leopold insult the royal family in this way! How arrogant and rude…….
“And to be straight-forward, when it comes to gossip, I have a lot on my side.”
“…….”
I almost spilled the juice. Isn’t this completely different from the perfect gentleman he’s seen in the social world? Wasn’t he so loyal to the royal family that he even forced himself to dance with me because of the prince’s orders?
So…… Is this the real Alan now? Then why is he showing his true face to me?
“I sent someone to help you, Melissa. He’d be much better off than taking low-quality classes at a noisy academy.”
“Mr. Maurice?”
“Yes, so listen to me.”
Obviously it was a soft tone, but the pressure in his breath was not something he could hide. When did he start to have this overwhelming energy all over his body?
However, it is true that Mr. Maurice is not a cool character. There is no way for me to confirm that his skills exceed the educational institutions of the Principality.
“What kind of person is Mr. Maurice? He rarely tells me anything about himself.”
“He is one of the employees of the family. He used to teach us when we were kids, but he was mainly in Lunoa, so with me—”
“‘Us’?”
Then there was a moment of silence.
Did he also have a brother he had hidden? Could it not be Alan who followed behind me on the street and came to my house?
“Do you have a brother?”
“Oh, I made a mistake.”
Too much alcohol. He murmured softly.
“Tell me, aren’t you a Leopold member?”
“It won’t be long before you know everything.”
“Why can’t you tell me now?”
“If you know too much at once, you’ll be the only one who’ll have a hard time.”
You’re just a scoundrel who kidnapped me… if you speak so kindly.….
“I mean it when I say you’ll find out soon, so forget about it now.”
“…….”
I don’t know if it’s because I’m drunk or because I want to be fooled, but I thought I should move on first.
But I can’t let it go when I ask about Maurice.
“No matter how much you say, Mr. Maurice is weird.”
“Why do you say that?”
“He says, we must complete the novel by all means. He said it’s hard to remember the sense of the time, and he said he’d be Troy, and he said to me…….”
It was such a strange thing to say on second thought.
Eventually, when I shook my shoulders, I could hear Alan’s whisper.
“He…”
“What? What did you say?”
As I turned my head to him, I saw my eyes twinkling like a cold flame.
He was stunned when he froze without even resisting the gusty wind.
“Did he touch you?”
