TOPWL 41

“Welcome, Sonia.”

“I’m sorry I’m late, Your Highness.”

“I’m just grateful you came at all. This way, I’ll show you to your seat.”

Yudit led Sonia to her seat. She was placed at the same table as Yasin, and by coincidence, the seat next to Sonia was occupied by Wadiram. Wadiram gazed at Sonia with a look of rapture.

“Hello, I’m Sonia.”

“Nice to, meet you.”

People eagerly took turns greeting Sonia. Although she was a commoner, she was a dominant Omega and the leading singer of the most famous troupe in Adanauer. There were even rumors circulating that she would soon marry Reginald. Even putting that aside, Sonia was beautiful. Not just in appearance—her calm expression and upright posture added to her charm.

Yudit asked the attendants to bring Sonia’s share of the meal. Until then, Wadiram hadn’t taken his eyes off her. Noticing his gaze, Sonia met his eyes. Wadiram quickly looked away and muttered,

“Damn, she’s too beautiful.”

It was clearly meant to be a private comment, but since he was drunk, it came out far too loud. When Yudit turned to look at him, Wadiram turned pale, realizing what he’d done. With a playful smile, Sonia turned to Yasin, who sat at the same table, and asked,

“What did this gentleman just say?”

“P-Pardon?”

Suddenly forced to translate the muttered words, Yasin’s face turned bright red. Amused, Sonia gently urged him on. Wadiram looked flustered, seemingly unaware that the two knew each other.

“You didn’t insult me, did you?”

“Well, it could technically be taken as an insult… but… he said you’re just… too beautiful…”

Yasin mumbled, barely audible. Wadiram glared at him with resentment. Yasin cleared his throat and looked away.

“My apologies. You’re so beautiful, I lost control of myself.”

Wadiram bowed his head in apology, then glanced up, gauging her reaction. Sonia was smiling.

“No need to apologize—it’s something I hear often.”

At the sound of Sonia’s honeyed voice, Wadiram froze.

“Even… her voice…”

Yudit, who had only ever seen Wadiram bright and confident, found this side of him unfamiliar and amusing. Leaving them to talk, Yudit rose from the table.

He walked around the banquet hall, observing whether the guests were enjoying themselves, when he spotted Khalid. Empty fruit wine bottles were piled up around Khalid’s table, and most of the people seated with him had already collapsed. A drinking contest, it seemed. The flushed faces of the remaining drinkers still showed signs of delight.

“Your Grace… truly impressive…”

What was more surprising was that, despite the mountain of bottles, Khalid’s complexion hadn’t changed one bit. Yudit knew Khalid could hold his liquor, but not to this extent. At his signal, the attendants hurried over to clear the bottles and replenish the table with more food. Fortunately, they had prepared plenty of alcohol.

“Ah! If it isn’t His Highness!”

A nobleman seated at the same table as Khalid greeted him with delight. Yudit had never seen the man before, but he acted as though greeting a lifelong friend. Slightly at a loss, Yudit nonetheless took a seat at the table.

“Are you enjoying the banquet?”

“Of course! Never in my life have I attended a banquet like this. The tapestries are magnificent, the food and drink exotic and delicious—everything is perfect!”

The man’s voice was so loud that it drew the attention of nearby guests. Yudit had the urge to shut his mouth himself. Thankfully, the quick-witted conductor raised the volume of the music.

“No, no, this won’t do! Your Highness must have a drink as well!”

The man tipped his fruit wine bottle into Yudit’s glass. It was a rude gesture, but he was far too drunk to realize it. After pouring until the glass nearly overflowed, he filled his own and raised it with a shaky hand. The way he tried to drink despite barely keeping upright was ridiculous. Yudit was certain this whole situation was Khalid’s doing. He must have challenged these gullible nobles to a drinking game. Yudit glared at Khalid while lifting his glass. Khalid, wearing an innocent expression, simply shrugged.

“Your Grace should have a drink too,” Yudit said.

Khalid, who had just rinsed his mouth with water, raised his eyes with a glint and said with his cup to his lips,

“If it’s from Your Highness, then gladly.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Yudit filled Khalid’s cup to the brim with fruit wine. One of the drunk nobles, slightly unnerved, looked at Khalid.

“You’re drinking that much… again…”

Yudit, satisfied with having filled Khalid’s glass nearly to the brim, smiled. The noble clinked glasses with the two and shouted,

“To the eternal glory of the Adanauer Empire!”

Drink or not? Yudit hesitated. A sip or two wouldn’t hurt. Maybe it’d ease his nerves. He glanced around at the flushed, slumped guests, then brought the glass to his lips.

“…?”

But he couldn’t drink. Khalid had lifted Yudit’s glass and whisked it away. After finishing his own drink, Khalid promptly downed Yudit’s as well.

The nobleman’s jaw dropped as he stared at Khalid.

“Truly… remarkable…”

The man who had insisted Yudit drink barely managed a few sips before collapsing onto the table. And with that, Khalid’s table was completely wiped out—except for him.

Yudit looked at Khalid with curiosity.

“You shouldn’t be drinking if you’re overseeing the banquet.”

“I hadn’t meant to drink that much.”

“Is that so? Then I apologize for assuming.”

Khalid answered smoothly. Yudit stared at him for a moment, then spoke.

“Still, thank you.”

At that, Khalid chuckled softly.

“It’s a splendid banquet.”

“…What?”

“You’ve worked hard.”

For some reason, Khalid’s words stirred something in Yudit’s chest.

“…I should be going.”

He stared at his now-empty glass, then rose. Khalid didn’t stop him.

The next table belonged to Huyan. Oddly enough, it was in a similar state. Surrounded by the “bodies” of the defeated, Huyan sat alone. Yudit gave him a bemused look.

“They insisted on a drinking contest…”

Huyan mumbled defensively. Yudit sat down and poured him a glass of water. Huyan’s face was redder than usual—it seemed he hadn’t escaped intoxication entirely.

“How do you find the banquet?” Yudit asked.

The Adanauer guests were clearly pleased. The banquet was lavish, yes, but more than that, it catered perfectly to their taste for the exotic.

This was an age where spices from across the sea were traded for the price of gold. Nobles would drink dog piss if it came from far enough. So anything from beyond the desert must have seemed especially rare and precious.

In truth, the items used in the banquet weren’t so hard to obtain. The liquor from Herut was acquired through Lyett’s merchant husband connections, but most of the food and ingredients were common both in Herut and Adanauer. The atmosphere and romance—like bringing the desert night itself—added a sense of wonder.

The food, too, was genuinely delicious. Like the bustles they all loathed but still wore, nobles had recently been enduring dishes drowned in expensive spices despite growing weary of them. In contrast, Yudit’s banquet offered dishes that felt exotic yet tasted wonderful. It was only natural that the nobles of Adanauer were pleased.

What Yudit was more curious about was how the people of Herut felt. He worried that, perhaps, imitating their ways might be taken as offensive.