After three years of socializing, I realized the Emperor was no ordinary man; moreover, he was quite unlikeable. As soon as the Orca brothers rose to prominence, he began to use them evenly in various capacities.

Sending Damian, a key soldier, to the North every year does nothing but build goodwill towards the Emperor.

“The Lenti Empire will be establishing diplomatic relations with the Zerglin Kingdom starting this year, and of course, we will be accepting immigrants into the Empire, so please pay special attention.”

The Emperor seems intent on increasing the power of the Empire.

The Zerglin Kingdom is a warm place to the south, rich in resources, from food to fuel. But their lack of military might make them vulnerable to plundering by other nations, which was a huge problem. It would be a win-win situation if they gained the power of the Empire and offered their resources as tribute.

“Then, I’ll end my speech here, and since the Zerglin Princess is new to the Empire, she’ll need someone to dance with… Perhaps the Duke of Orca could be that partner.”

My ears perked up at the sudden invocation of my family name. Why mess with the firstborn of my house?

At the Emperor’s command, Bellamy, his face as stony as it had been when he met Ashik, briefly clicked his tongue, then gently pressed my shoulder.

“Rose, I’ll be right back.”

Still, the Emperor’s orders are orders, and even if we don’t like them, we can’t refuse. This will be the first time he’s ever danced with a woman other than me.

I stare at his back, bewildered and slightly upset. I turned my head when I saw him holding hands with another woman, tapping his foot to the music.

At that moment, an Imperial maid suddenly approached us, and when I looked at her questioningly, she bowed her head.

“His Majesty, the Emperor, had requested to see you, Lord Damian.”

The Emperor was pissing me off in many ways today.

Damian met my gaze and I nodded as if to indicate he should go.

Damian left to talk to the Emperor, and I was alone. Bellamy told me to wait, so I sipped champagne, alone, in the corner of the ballroom.

Perhaps it was because Bellamy was stolen by the Princess of the Zerglin Kingdom, but I didn’t feel good. Actually, stealing wasn’t the right term since it was the Emperor’s order, and whether she laid eyes on or touched another in the first place wasn’t my business.

Rather, in Bellamy’s case, it was unheard of for a duke to be so far into his adult life and not be engaged to someone. As long as they’re someone from a good family, it would be great to see them end their unhappy childhoods and start a happy life with another.

However, the thought of Bellamy or Damian sleeping with a woman other than me, whispering their love to her, lit a green fire inside of me. They were no longer just family to me. How could my feelings for them be just that of siblings? It was just as Ashik had said.

I wished Aria or Ashik were here to talk to me about my problem, but Aria was with the Crown Prince, and Ashik was nowhere in sight.

Today, I have to face the Orca brothers, and it feels like I have already lost. When I think about Bellamy dancing with the princess, I feel that hollow feeling inside once again.

I put my now empty glass away and took another flute of champagne from the tray the servant was holding.

“Um, Princess, this is quite strong…”

“It’s not strong enough, please bring me another.”

I used to drink soju in Korea.

Compared to the bitter taste of soju, this was soda. I liked the soda-flavored champagne quite a bit, so when I asked the servant for it, he looked like he wanted to stop me, but because of the difference in our statuses he was forced to comply.

“Woah… drunk.”

I don’t know how many more glasses I had, but I could feel the alcohol kicking in. I think I’ve had too much to drink. My vision is blurry… and the dancers seem to be superimposed on each other, like they’re blending into one, then splitting into multiples…

Bellamy said he would come back quickly, but I was already drunk. My bad mood finally improved, but if I drank more, I thought the pleasantness I felt would disappear.

The moment I stood up to go to the terrace, I swayed back and forth and lost my footing.

It would be shameful to have a hard fall at the New Year’s party… If I’m going to fall ugly, let’s just take a seat.

At least my butt didn’t hit the ground because someone caught me.

“… How much have you been drinking?”

Ah, it’s Belle.

I looked up at him, my eyes glassy from the alcohol. There’s that handsome scowl again. I don’t remember him looking this dark when he was dancing with that Juggernaut Princess… I don’t know why he always looks at me like that.

“I don’t know… I don’t remember…”

I must have had quite a bit to drink because I told the servant to keep bringing me alcohol until I cried…

That servant… I think he was pretty cute, but he won’t be able to be with his beloved… Why don’t I flirt with him?

“Brother… Why are there two of you?”

“Hah…”

“Oh, hold still. I’m dizzy.”

Sighing, I squeezed his cheeks with both hands, and it smushed into a cute face. I was a little bit disappointed though that they weren’t chubbier.

I wonder how my brother is handsome even when he looks like this. I’ll have to try it on Damian later, too.

“Rose, can you move?”

At Bellamy’s question, I removed my hands from his cheeks and wiggled my foot in place. I felt more stable than before. Well, I could walk, I was going to get some fresh air on the terrace anyway.

“I’m not drunk.”

With that, I staggered past Bellamy and onto the terrace. When he saw that I was in danger, he put my arm around his shoulders to support me.

Whenever I see him like this, I wonder if I should have asked the Orca brothers to sleep separately. Another selfish thought. I have a lot of things to be greedy about.

“What is it, sister? Why are you so drunk?”

Damian’s face finally appeared after what must have been a long conversation with the Emperor. I don’t know why I’m drunk.

On the day Damian was to become the Crown Prince’s personal escort, on the day he was to enter adulthood, on this fine day, why was I drinking so much that I could barely contain myself?

“Um… I was feeling brave.”

Before they could question what I meant, I opened the terrace door and walked out, followed by the two of them. The men hung a sign on the door, indicated it was in use, and closed it so no one could enter. While they did that, I plopped myself down on a plush couch decorating the terrace. The breeze from the open space, with a view of the night sky, sobered me up a bit.

As he watched me close my eyes and breathe in the cool air Bellamy took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. Damian took off my shoes when he realized I was uncomfortable after wearing heels all day. If they keep being so sweet, my temporary courage will fly away.

“What do you mean, brave?”

“…”

The bravery to run away.

My feelings for them had grown so big, I couldn’t bear them… So, I chose to run away.

“You know, Bellamy, Dami.”

“Yes?”

“I want to go to the south.”

 I hadn’t realized how much I felt for them, and I was so scared of this feeling that I wanted to beg them for a hug and ignore the situation.

I’m not sure when I will return, but it will be when the Orca brothers are at least married to someone.

“We’ll have to vacate the manor for at least a month once we get to the south.”

“I’m new here, anyways. I’m sure Prince Kane will grant me some kind of vacancy.”

At the mention of my departure to the south, they were already making plans to go with me. Bellamy must have taken it as a sign that I wanted to travel.

Looking at them, I pushed myself up from the couch, placed my hands on the terrace railing, and looked up at the sky.

“No, I’m going south by myself.”

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