He gave you an opportunity? I tilted my head, and Theo added an explanation.
"The Emperor never gives anyone true power, but he sometimes acts like this, testing them. When opinions are gathered based on the results, he will follow them."
"Why? Even if it's about the Crown Prince, when you think about it, it's ultimately about his own son."
"Because he's the Emperor. If he were just a father, his opinion would inevitably vary depending on how much he loves the Empress or Consort, or which son he loved more. But the Emperor tries to exclude any personal feelings and judge solely on ability."
The First Prince, who was born with the imperial color but was weak, and the Second Prince, who wasn't born with the imperial color but possessed the best martial prowess among the imperial grandchildren.
It wasn't just about that, but about how they used and overcame the given environment, and how they attracted and subjugated the people around them. Like an 'Emperor,' not a father.
"Then does that mean the current Emperor is that responsible?"
"No, it means he doesn't love anyone."
I widened my eyes at Theo's unexpected answer. I didn't think it was an appropriate way to describe a man with two wives and two sons, but Theo seemed to have no doubt about what he said.
"For a human with emotions to be perfectly objective, it ultimately means they don't give affection to anything."
Even if the Emperor was equally ruthless to everyone, it was still upsetting. I knew it all, but I still felt a little hurt.
"...Should I peck him?"
"Cough, I'm okay."
Liam, who had been blinking and watching us, cautiously raised his hand.
"Um... everyone seems to be in a bad mood... How about we all go for a beer while we're resting?"
"At this hour?"
"If you go down towards the fortress, there are quite a few pubs that stay open until dawn for mercenaries or knights who return late."
Oh, so maybe there are places open 24 hours?
"Shuian-nim, have you ever had beer?"
"I haven't had it here."
I didn't particularly like alcohol, so I didn't drink it often, but I had drunk it occasionally since I became an adult. Still, I had never had alcohol sold in the Empire, so I suddenly became curious.
"What's it like? What does it taste like?"
"It's cheap, but if you go to a big place, it comes out cold, so it's not bad."
I quickly looked up at Theo and said,
"Let's go. It'll be fun."
Theo, who never refused my requests, readily agreed as always.
With Theo's permission, we really went out on the spur of the moment. While Orca and Liam arranged a common carriage, Theo and I changed our hair and eye colors with magic potions, and even pulled up our hoods just in case. It wasn't so much to completely hide our identities as it was to avoid troublesome situations.
We took the carriage only to near the fortress and then decided to walk. It was out of consideration for me, who hadn't been out much. I was amazed that there were still so many people on the streets even though it was quite late, so I looked around and asked.
"Is there a festival or something today? There are so many people."
"I think it's because it's the Imperial City. In villages outside the city or territories where agriculture is important, people often stop their activities and return home as soon as the sun sets."
"Wow, amazing."
Liam led us to the largest building. The interior was spacious and there were quite a few tables, but even considering that it was quite late, there were so many people that it felt like midday. It reminded me of the pubs I used to go to when I was human. This is really amazing... Did everyone come to drink?
Orca and Theo were just as unfamiliar with this kind of place as I was, so Liam took charge of ordering. Orca pretended not to be, but he was subtly looking around, and Theo didn't seem to care about his surroundings. Maybe it would have been the same even if there wasn't a single person in the store.
The food we ordered was things like bread and jam or roasted chicken, and it came out faster than I expected. I carefully examined the food and alcohol that the waiter brought, smelled them, and only after thoroughly checking them did I push them towards Theo.
"Don't force yourself to eat it. If you're worried, I'll try it first."
Even at my worried words, Theo smiled and popped a piece of bread into his mouth. Here we go again... Orca frowned and grumbled as if annoyed, but Theo, as always, didn't even pretend to hear.
"Um... what did Shuian-nim do?"
"I was checking for poison."
"Wow, as a Divine Beast, do you have special abilities?"
"I don't know if other Divine Beasts have this ability. I haven't asked."
"I see. Either way, you're really amazing!"
At Liam's admiration, Theo proudly added as if he was the one being praised.
"Shuian has saved me several times with this ability."
"Yeah, Theo can't tell the difference, so he keeps trying to eat poisonous plants."
Actually, I found out later that the descendants of Artes, especially the imperial grandchildren blessed by Ignis, were naturally resistant to poison thanks to their strong bodies and special mana.
Especially Theo, who had built up his resistance by eating poison since he was young, wouldn't be harmed by eating some poisonous plants, so he was just trying to eat them without particularly distinguishing them.
However, I was upset about that in itself, and I often teased him because his embarrassed appearance was cute.
"It's a good thing I have Shuian."
"Yup, Theo can't live without me."
I smiled and took a sip of beer. As Liam said, it wasn't exactly delicious, but it was cool and the light atmosphere made it easy to drink, which wasn't bad.
Perhaps because we ordered the strongest alcohol in the store, thinking of the three of us who had better detoxification abilities than ordinary humans, Liam, who was an ordinary human, quickly became drunk.
At first, he seemed to be trying not to get drunk, but after a certain point, he couldn't hold on with his willpower. Soon, he became unconscious.
The problem was that the drunkard suddenly started crying.
"Sniff... hic... Thank you all so much... Your Highness... who accepted me...!"
Orca hurriedly reached out and covered Liam's mouth.
"Are you crazy...?!"
"Mmph, thangk yoo..."
"Where are you rubbing your mouth!"
Orca, who had taken his hand away from Liam who was still trying to talk with his crushed mouth, was horrified and wiped his palm with a tissue. To be exact, it wasn't like he deliberately rubbed his lips, but I decided not to say anything unnecessary seeing Orca's face contorted as if he was very unpleasant.
"Shuian-nim, who found me and helped my sister, and even wrote me a letter... And my senior who works hard for me and my sister and always takes care of my lacking self... Thank you all so much...! I think the greatest blessing is that there are so many people I have to repay...!"
Orca, feeling sorry for him crying, patted Liam's shoulder gently as if to comfort him.
"Liam, I know, so..."
But that wasn't the end of it. Liam suddenly slammed his head on the table and began to wail as if the store would collapse.
"Waaaaah-! Because of one bad father, my beautiful sister-!"
The gazes of the many people in the store gathered on our table, and my face turned red because of it. Orca covered Liam's mouth and repeatedly apologized to the people.
"Your Highness, Shuian-nim. Please eat slowly and come back. I'll take care of this one."
Orca, who said urgently, quickly carried Liam on his shoulder like when he was subjugating monsters and ran out of the store. Seeing him running away, Theo pinched his forehead. I laughed hollowly.
"Haha... Liam is always energetic..."
Anyway, if Liam was in pain tomorrow, it was certain that it wouldn't be just because of a hangover.
Feeling awkward about staying long in the place where we had caused a commotion, Theo and I simply finished the remaining food and left the store.
It was a bit of a distance from the store to where the carriage was waiting, so Theo and I held hands and walked as if taking a walk.
Although not much time had passed, quite a few stores had closed in the meantime, and the streets were dark. It wasn't as lively as before, but it had its own charm and wasn't bad for a walk.
Theo seemed to have similar thoughts as he looked around and started talking.
"I've never experienced this kind of daily life, so it's amazing. I never thought it would be possible for me to spend time comfortably with someone without having to doubt them."
I stared at him quietly. The way his lips were gently raised resembled the kindness he showed when he looked at me, but it was even better because it was closer to something he had unconsciously made.
"If I hadn't met you, I would never have been able to trust anyone, no matter who I met. Even Orca, who shares my goals. I thought that leading me on the right path was the path to becoming the Crown Prince, but in fact, it was just about living a normal life. To have as much as others have."
Even living as normally as others is not easy for some people. That would be even more true for Theo, but what I truly wanted wasn't just that.
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