Chapter 30

Ren gave a small nod in response, then set out the newly brought bottles before offering me a glass filled with a chilled drink.

“We may have skipped introductions, but what harm in a toast? Especially since he went to the trouble of bringing the wine himself.”

For the first time, Diego lent his support.

The Emperor, clearly pleased with the suggestion, smiled and inclined his head.

“Indeed. Let us drink to the glory of the Empire and of Valentin.”

The table was far too large for our glasses to meet, so we made a token gesture instead. After enduring the emperor’s lengthy toast, I raised my glass and took a sip.

Something felt wrong.

A haze clouded my mind, and a strange, restless nausea began to coil in my stomach.

I cast a sidelong glance at Ren Reichsten. His eyes were fixed on the Emperor now, so different from earlier, when the weight of the gathering had kept his gaze lowered to his plate.

‘…Damn it.’

All that business about fetching the wine himself, he must have slipped something into my glass. The way shapes kept flickering at the edges of my vision, the way the world blurred, it could only be some sort of hallucinogen.

I considered what the gravest mistake I could make in this setting might be.

The answer came swiftly.

‘An insult to the imperial family or a remark that could spark a diplomatic incident. In that case…’

Whatever I had consumed was, in all likelihood, a truth serum. With that conclusion clear in my mind, I fixed my gaze on Ren Reichsten. When our eyes met, I shaped a silent curse with my lips. I hadn’t expected a royal aide to act with such reckless audacity.

Had he taken so many drugs that his brain had melted?

“It seems we’ve kept the conversation too much to ourselves.”

“….”

“What are your thoughts, Lady Leonia?”

Diego’s abrupt question confirmed my suspicion.

So, this was your doing?

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

“Lady Leonia. You are listening, aren’t you?”

Diego called to me again, his tone urging a reply. One glance at him showed a face alight with barely concealed amusement.

“Of course. I’ve been listening the entire time.”

In reality, truth serums couldn’t compel the immediate spilling of secrets the moment they enter the body. They merely induce a state much like intoxication. But here, in this novel’s world, such a serum possessed far more extraordinary effects. One was compelled to answer any question truthfully.

“It’s only… I feel a little lightheaded. Could you repeat the question?”

It was why I could make such a brazen request because it was, in truth, how I felt.

‘…This is bad.’

If the conversation turned to my opinions of those present, or to anything concerning Valentin, I was finished. Especially if it concerned the emperor, then my head would roll at once.

I longed to tell Louis and leave this place, but even that was impossible.

It seemed I couldn’t speak at all unless it was in answer to someone’s question.

“So you admit, without shame, that you weren’t listening.”

“Dizzy, you say?”

Unlike Diego, who openly chided me, Louis asked with a gentle air.

“Are you feeling very unwell?”

To my eyes, there was still no true warmth in him, yet with the distance between our seats, it would appear convincing enough to the others.

“…It feels as though my vision keeps turning upside down, and my stomach is unsettled.”

As I recited my symptoms as though speaking to a physician, Louis’s expression took on a curious shade.

“Shall I send for a physician?”

“No, I’m all right.”

I refused without hesitation, and Louis pressed the matter no further.

Instead, Diego spoke up.

“Since the prince of Valentin is with us, I will say this. The Empire is devoting considerable effort to its trade with Valentin.”

Thankfully, this time it wasn’t a topic likely to draw me suddenly into the conversation.

“Of course, we are well aware of that.”

“I’m glad to hear it, though it seems not every subject of the Empire is equally cooperative. For now, it is nothing more than a rumor.”

At his words, a flicker of puzzlement crossed Aaron’s face.

I had a sinking feeling about where this was headed.

“As you know, we built a bridge near the capital to ensure smooth trade.”

“Ah, that bridge. I saw it myself on the way here from Valentin. It seemed complete, but I was told it can’t yet be used.”

“Indeed. And the reason, it seems, is that the head of the house overseeing the construction was caught in corruption.”

As he spoke, Diego’s gaze flicked briefly toward me.

“I can’t quite recall which family was responsible, however.”

“….”

“Well, that’s what I heard.”

A lie. There was no way he could have forgotten.

After all, that bridge project had been granted to Count Bellasi by the emperor himself, as the price of my engagement to Diego.

“Hm. A curious rumor.”

Knowing the truth, the Emperor pressed no further. It seemed they meant to let the matter pass with nothing more than that. 

But then Ren, who had been silent all this time, spoke up.

“I have also heard something regarding that rumor.”

Catching the way Aaron’s expression hardened, I waited for what would come next.

“It was a project overseen by a certain count’s house, but there were irregularities in the ledgers—”

“Haha, what an amusing rumor.”

Aaron swiftly cut in.

“The Empire does seem to have an endless supply of such tales. Don’t you agree, Lady Leonia?”

It seemed he was desperately seeking anyone to agree with him… only, he had chosen the worst possible person. Under the influence of the truth serum, I could only give him an honest answer.

“I’m glad you find it amusing. I don’t find it the least bit entertaining.”