Chapter 121: No Count
Back and forth, the shots were exchanged, and several rounds had already been emptied.
Seven and a half soju shots make up one bottle.
There was one empty bottle of soju in front of Astrid.
Two empty bottles in front of Leopold.
“Ehh… ssii… ing.”
Leopold simply watched Astrid.
Her snow-white face had flushed red.
Her cheeks were burning with a bright blush, and Astrid was giggling nonstop as though everything was just so amusing.
‘She’s still weak to alcohol.’
Was she always this weak? On second thought, maybe so.
And yet, considering how that one glass of champagne during mealtime had knocked her out cold—compared to that, this soju didn’t seem any weaker. Even so, she had managed to down an entire bottle of this.
‘Still, this stuff tastes absolutely awful… Is this cheap liquor really something Astie used to drink often in her world?’
He wondered—was this really considered alcohol?
At first, he had been impressed when he saw the bottle.
A clear glass bottle wasn’t something you’d easily find.
Sure, they were commonplace in the palace, but such a perfectly transparent bottle, almost tinted with a bluish sheen, was something he’d never seen before.
And then there was the liquid inside.
A clear liquid with not a single speck of impurity—so beautiful it was almost mesmerizing just to look at.
Until he opened it.
The moment the cap came off, a sharp, unpleasant smell stabbed at his nose.
When poured into a glass—also clear—it left him no time to admire it, because Astrid had already handed him a glass, clinked it lightly with his own, and then—down the hatch.
Alcohol was meant to be enjoyed pleasantly, in a good place, with good company. But this drink shattered all three principles at once.
The smell was foul. At first, there was a hint of sweetness—but as it went down his throat, a fishy stench rose up and lingered.
“Kyaah…!”
For whatever reason, Astrid kept downing glass after glass with those little krrh sounds of satisfaction.
Her face was turning redder and redder, spreading like wildfire, and yet she remained blissfully unaware.
Normally, he would’ve stopped her—
But Leopold didn’t.
Maybe, just maybe, this cheap, bitter-tasting liquor was the one small comfort Astrid had in the world she’d lived in.
The thought made his heart ache.
Whether or not this even qualified as "alcohol" was a discussion for later. First, he needed to figure out how to get Astrid out of here.
The problem was—Leopold had no money.
Nor did he have any idea how things worked here.
“Excuse me, how does one… pay here?”
He called out to the young woman who had brought their food, and laughter erupted around them.
Was it necessary to mock someone just for asking something they didn’t know?
A sudden surge of anger rose in Leopold.
He was, after all, the Crown Prince of the Einthafen Empire.
When had he ever been treated like this?
Nowhere. Ever.
No matter where he went, it was always Your Highness, Your Grace, Your Majesty—yet now, he was being laughed at like this.
But this was a dream.
Astrid’s dream.
In this world she had lived in, no one recognized him.
So, he decided to let it go.
“Are you ready to pay?”
“…Yes.”
“Okay~ Let’s see… That’ll be 43,000 won. Would you like to pay by card?”
He had no idea what that meant.
Leopold was completely at a loss.
“I-I… I’ll… payyy…”
Half-asleep, Astrid suddenly perked up and opened her eyes.
A stroke of luck for Leopold.
“W-With… card…”
Astrid fumbled inside her training suit and pulled out a small wallet. She tried to stand but swayed unsteadily.
Seeing how drunk she was, Leopold quickly stood up to support her.
“Hehe, our prince… so sweet and gentle…”
Her voice was as sugary as honey.
Leopold felt a strange tickle in his chest.
“Heehee…”
Using a thin item barely bigger than a palm, she completed what they called payment, and with Leopold supporting her, they left the restaurant.
It was deep into the night.
It had already been dark when they went out for dinner, and now that they’d had drinks too, time had melted away with the liquor.
“Your Hiiighness… hihihi…”
Astrid’s voice was laced with sweetness.
Leopold was doing everything he could to suppress the surge of heat rising from his chest.
“Astie, try to pull yourself together.”
“I am perfectly fine, thank youu.”
…In what world?
He held his tongue.
But there was something else he had to endure as well.
The feel of Astrid’s skin beneath his hand as he supported her.
Her chest bumping against him with every unsteady sway, its weight unmistakable.
The sweet breath escaping her lips every time she exhaled.
All of this was pushing Leopold to the very edge of his patience.
He already knew the way from the restaurant to the house.
With his keen mind, he had memorized the exact route they had taken on the way to dinner, every turn and every step.
The alleyway was narrow and pitiful.
It was so shabby, so desolate, that it was hard to believe a girl who was to become the Crown Princess—no, the future Empress—had once lived here.
— “She’s stubborn and doesn’t easily listen to others. She won’t believe anything unless she sees it with her own eyes, which means she won’t be swayed by flatterers’ deceit. Her direct sense of right and wrong will guide you to be a just ruler. Isn’t she the perfect match for you, as someone destined to be emperor?”
Suddenly, the words of his father, Kreutz—the current emperor—floated to mind.
Perhaps… Perhaps he was right.
No, Leopold was now convinced he was right.
Having lived in a place like this, she would understand the hardship of the common people.
Having endured such a life, she would not fear the emperor, and she’d speak her mind without hesitation.
Having lived without losing her center in such a place, she wouldn’t be easily swayed by sweet, tempting words from schemers.
‘…My father’s wisdom is truly not to be underestimated.’
Though the path had been unclear, the conclusion was right.
Leopold, cherishing the warmth of Astrid’s body in his arms, supported her as they slowly but steadily made their way home.
—Clunk…
With a low metallic sound, the door to what could barely be called a “home” opened.
What lay beyond it was a space even smaller than the Crown Prince’s palace shower.
In that tiny space, Astrid must have eaten, slept, washed, and lived—all by herself.
“Heehee, home…”
Astrid stumbled forward and flopped onto the bed.
Leopold simply stood over her and looked down quietly.
To be honest… he was reaching his limit.
Slowly, Leopold stepped forward and leaned over Astrid.
Bracing himself on his arms, he looked down at her—and in those mint-colored eyes, his own reflection was so vividly mirrored.
There are things only a man could understand.
Astrid knew exactly what kind of feelings Leopold held in his gaze as he looked down at her.
His reason dulled by alcohol. His instincts sharpened by it.
And Astrid, lying there on the mattress, simply stared back up at him.
Leopold.
Leopold von Einthafen.
From the moment they first met, they had been at each other’s throats. A man she once couldn’t stand.
But now, that same man was so close—looking down at her like this.
Possessiveness. Desire. The urge to conquer.
With those three emotions swirling inside him, Astrid didn’t know what she should say.
Up close, his face was ridiculously handsome.
Unbelievably so.
Just the tickle of his breath brushing her nose made her heart pound involuntarily.
Then—
Wasn’t it okay?
Wouldn’t it be fine?
Honestly—
Yes. Right now, she is a woman.
She had become a woman.
The reality she had once considered returning to—that world she originally came from—was nothing compared to the life she had in Einthafen.
Did she really need to go back to that place?
It didn’t seem so.
She didn’t want to.
Maybe it was the alcohol talking. Maybe she was just drunk.
But even so.
“…Leopold…”
She reached out her hand.
As she did, the image of Leopold—standing beside the mattress with his flushed face—drew closer and closer.
And his face, as if she had been waiting for it—
Astrid’s long, pale fingers gently brushed across his cheek.
So soft… too soft for a man.
The smoothness of his skin glided under her fingers without resistance.
“Since this is a dream…”
Wouldn’t it be okay?
“Since it’s ‘no count’…”
She reached out again, this time wrapping her arms around Leopold’s neck.
“Since it doesn’t count…”
I’m sorry, real Astie.
I’m truly sorry.
But this is a dream.
So… won’t you let this one be a ‘no count’?