Chapter 19
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: I Became the Black Curtain Controlling the Pope's Daughter (2)
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After splendidly chasing away Aselina, I finally savored the long-overdue vacation.
Before the succession ceremony, I'd been drilled relentlessly in preparation to become the Duke of the North, and afterward, I was buried under a mountain of work without a moment's rest.
Even after arriving at the assembly, I'd had no break from dealing with Aselina and attending banquets.
Only now, with just over a week left before the Holy Capital Assembly officially began, did I finally catch a breath.
First things first...
"Booze! I can't hold out without a drink!"
It was finally time to drink.
For years, there hadn't been a single day without alcohol.
But during preparations to become the Duke of the North,
-To maintain proper conduct, alcohol is prohibited until the succession ceremony.
Henriotte had issued a strict no-drinking order.
After the ceremony, once I officially became the Duke of the North,
-I'm sorry, but with the overwhelming workload the family head must handle, the head butler instructed us to prevent you from drinking for the time being...
Eline, who had become my maid and secretary, had marked me so tightly that I couldn't even get near a bottle.
I'd thought there might be a chance to sneak a drink on the way to the Holy Capital for the ceremony...
"Ugh... What the hell is this taste...?"
The moment I brought the glass of liquor to my lips at an inn we stopped at during the journey—filled with eager anticipation—I couldn't help but grimace.
It tasted awful.
If I exaggerated a bit, it felt like drinking alcohol mixed with muddy water.
"Why...? It's been so long since my last drink, so why can't I stomach it...?"
I stared blankly at the half-empty wooden cup on the table, pondering the reason.
"...Right. I'm not just an alcoholic."
From the moment I'd legally become an adult under Holy Kingdom law, I'd frequented salons daily.
Of course, as a son of the grand ducal family, I couldn't just hit up any roadside tavern.
Naturally, I'd made high-end salons catering to nobles and wealthy heirs my regulars.
Places serving the upper crust naturally stocked luxurious lineups of fine liquors.
And I had money to burn. The salons were more than willing to give VVIP treatment to Robertus of the Bilheim family.
The moment those two met,
"Drink up! It's on me again today!"
-Whoa... Dumping bottles worth dozens of gold like that...
The salons hosted mad booze-fueled parties every day, pouring out dozens of top-shelf bottles.
...Ah, those were the days.
Time to snap out of the reminiscing.
Those days won't return anytime soon, anyway.
The conclusion? I'm not just an alcoholic—I'm an alcoholic with an appallingly expensive palate, spoiled on only the finest ultra-premium liquors since my first sip.
Thus, the mediocre stuff available on the road to the Holy Capital couldn't quench my thirst for alcohol.
And now, at last, finally.
"Ooh. This is the Holy Capital specialty, Belle Atia 15-year vintage... said to carry the breath of the god of revelry, Artoi...! And this! The legendary whiskey aged in a 300-year-old oak barrel...!"
Today, I could finally welcome these lords of liquor that would satisfy me.
After tasting Noren Wine at the banquet, I'd been dying for more booze.
"...Just for today."
After begging Eline, I'd finally gotten permission to drink.
"Bring the most expensive stuff!"
And now, before my eyes, a lineup of all the exotic liquors available in the Holy Capital was arrayed.
The territory's broke— is it okay to guzzle this pricey booze?
Worry not. It's all free.
All expenses during our stay in the Holy Capital are covered by the Papal Court.
"As I've said many times, just today. And only enough to get moderately tipsy..."
Nagging again. So annoying.
I yanked the cork out of the wine bottle without a word.
"Wait, at least use a glass...!"
Gulp, gulp.
I chugged straight from the bottle.
"...Please, have a drink."
"Kha."
"Family head."
"...This, this isn't liquor—it's art. How can mere wine produce such complex flavors? A sweet floral note up front, followed by layers upon layers tickling the tongue endlessly. Truly worthy of invoking Artoi's name. Without divine will, how could such a masterpiece exist...!"
The moment I pulled the bottle from my lips, comic-book-level praise poured out unbidden.
"Haaah... You've finally reverted to the prodigal young master I know so well."
"Eline, you'll drink with me, right?"
"...Only on the condition that you return to your duties fully starting tomorrow."
"That's my Eline! Love you!"
"! ...Please refrain from such vulgar expressions."
And so, a cozy little banquet for two unfolded in my lodgings that night.
"Whew... The Holy Capital really is on another level. Nothing like the booze back in the northern territories. If I'd had stuff like this, I never would've developed alcohol tolerance issues..."
"From my perspective, that tolerance never getting cured was preferable..."
One bottle.
"A-again, straight from the bottle...!"
"You wouldn't get it, Eline! This is how true boozehounds enjoy their drinks!"
Two bottles.
"Hic... I've been through so much... Worked so hard... You get it, right, Eline?"
"Yes, yes. Here, have some water."
Three bottles.
"Whew. Finally... the buzz is... kicking in."
"Your eyes are completely shot, and you're still pretending?"
"Pretending... my ass. Back in my prime... I wrecked the salon's cellar, you know..."
"You're only 21 now, so your 'prime' was when you were under ten?"
Around the fourth bottle, I was utterly plastered.
The room spun, my stomach burned.
Ha... What a lightweight, booze whale Robert.
Passing out after this little?
"Alright, that's enough booze."
"Nooo..."
Eline pried the half-empty bottle from my hand.
I dazedly watched her bustle about, clearing and wiping the mess on the table.
"Eline."
"Yes, family head."
"Thanks."
"...For what?"
"Just... everything. Taking care of me even when I was playing the prodigal, doing maid duties through the frenzy before and after the succession, serving as my secretary too..."
"It's nothing."
"That's why. It just hit me how grateful I am. To Henriotte, to you... Knowing there was someone by my side even during my prodigal days."
"...You're drunk. Time for bed."
"Hmph... So heartless. Robert's sulking. Gonna sleep..."
"Wait, at least get to the bed..."
"Zzz..."
"Oh dear. Already asleep?"
The blue-haired maid gazed quietly down at her master, sprawled asleep on the sofa.
"What an odd person..."
Those who had witnessed Robertus's astonishing actions since becoming Duke of the North thought his prodigal days had all been an act.
Eline had thought the same...
"...But your love for alcohol was genuine, wasn't it?"
Muttering in disbelief, she sighed deeply, fetched a towel, and wiped Robertus's face.
"..."
But midway through, Eline's hand paused.
She stared fixedly at Robertus's face.
Her gaze held a tangle of complex emotions.
As Duke of the North, Robertus was the epitome of a ruler.
Charisma, political acumen, connections, eloquence...
The face he showed the world was one of overwhelming dignity that subdued all who beheld it.
Yet the face Eline saw now was just that of a handsome young man in his early twenties—dopey and ordinary.
"...This might be improper to say, but I feel relieved."
Eline's pale fingers gently caressed Robertus's cheek.
"You changed so abruptly around the succession ceremony that I thought the Robertus I knew was all pretense."
The Robertus who had been Duke of the North always wore a sharp, cold expression.
He was perfect as a ruler, but Eline, who served at his side, had felt a subtle distance.
"But... you can still make that dopey face. The prodigal young master I knew is still there..."
A prodigal who loved booze and hated work.
Yet he never crossed lines, always considerate of those beneath him—a humane boss.
The Robertus Eline remembered—not as Duke of Bilheim, but as himself—still lingered within.
"..."
Wearing a soft smile, Eline silently watched his sleeping face for a while, then murmured,
"...As long as my body allows, I'll stay by your side forever. Whether Duke of the North or prodigal young master."
Realizing what she'd said, her face flushed crimson. She hastily draped a blanket over him and fled the room.
And one more.
-Hmmm...
The Holy Sword Aurelion, leaning against the sofa, had watched the entire scene.
-Does master prefer booze over me? He barely responds when I call. And who is that woman? A mere maid... Master's side is mine...
She grumbled resentfully about her unresponsive master and the impudent maid eyeing him.
"...Mm."
Then, Robertus stirred.
-...Master?
"...Yeah?"
-Ah, master responds.
"What..."
Robertus seemed half-awake.
Not fully conscious, but drifting in a boozy haze between wakefulness and sleep.
-Master.
"Whyyy..."
-I've been wondering about this for a while.
"What about..."
-Why did you drink so much?
"Booze... is great. In my past life, no time for fun with studying and heir lessons... Always wanted to drink."
-Past life?
"..."
-...No clue. Anyway, why just booze? If you were gonna play prodigal, why not go all out properly?
"What're you..."
-You always said you lived like a prodigal, but it was too tame. Hugging hostesses at salons and drinking hardly counts as...
"...Hey. You bitch. Aurelion, you punk!"
-Why, what's wrong? Did I say something bad?
"Anything more... would've been truly evil..."
-...
"I'm a prodigal... not trash..."
-...
"...Zzz."
-...Aha.
-Ahahahaha!!! So, boozing with hostesses at salons was the peak of 'bad deeds' you could manage?
-Kyahaha! So silly! How can someone be this innocent?
-Haha, hahaha...
-...
-...Well, this kind of master is nice too. Hehe.
The Bilheim ancestors, who reveled in battle and slaughter, embodied social Darwinism in human form.
Having watched them for generations, this petit-bourgeois new master felt refreshingly novel to the holy sword.
Weak yet desperately scheming his way forward, inch by inch—Robertus.
-No helping it. I'll have to watch over him more closely. A naive, weak master like this...
The Holy Sword Aurelion, pleased at understanding her master better, silently watched over him through the night.
"Ow. My head."
And the rare drinking binge brought the rare hangover as payback.
The morning after downing all that booze.
Clutching my pounding skull, I staggered through the garden in front of my lodgings.
"Ha... If only I'd awakened a mana heart, I could've flushed this hangover with mana..."
-Master, you okay?
"Not okay. Gonna die... Hey, don't you have some healing function or whatever?"
-I do.
"Oh! Then use it quick."
-But you sure? Using my power might dry you out and make you collapse again.
"...Yeah, maybe not."
Trading a hangover for risking my life wasn't worth it.
-Sorry, master...
"Nah, it's fine... My weakness is the sin here."
As I seriously racked my brains for any original story knowledge to toughen up this frail body,
Thud thud thud—
Footsteps rapidly approaching from afar.
-Ah, that annoying girl master chased off before.
"...Dunno why, but bad vibes."
"Lord Robertus!"
Ah. Here we go.
Why's she here again... My head's killing me already.
And why's she in armor?
Don't tell me she's trying that performance from three days ago again?
"Huff, huff... Lord Robertus, there you are!"
"...What is it."
"I-it was true!"
"What was."
"What you said to me!"
"Speak clearly."
"There were traitors! For real! And they were working together as an organized group!"
"...Wait, hold on."
So, that wild guess I threw out just to mess with her...
Was actually true?
"I see. But so what? Knowing traitors exist changes nothing by itself..."
"And we just rooted them all out and expelled them!"
"...?"
My brain stalled.
"Wh-what..."
Oh no. I almost dropped the Duke of the North mask in shock.
"...Ahem. I see. Well... hm. That's admittedly beyond expectations. To complete the task I set in such a short time."
"No! You're the amazing one, Lord Robertus! How did you figure it out in just one day after arriving? Teach me too!"
"Calm down."
First, grasp what happened.
"Report the full details step by step. First, how did you uncover the traitors' identities?"
"Ferris!"
"?"
"Ferris Duke was the leader of the traitors!"
...Why the hell is he involved?