By Zephyria 
“Y-Your Highness!”
The moment Tristan saw the dazzling hair, he realized his identity and hurriedly knelt on one knee. In an instant, those who heard Tristan’s voice turned their heads. With the Crown Prince’s appearance, everyone dropped what they were doing and began to show their respects.
“I am honored to see the great star of the Empire!”
Greetings came in waves. While everyone lay flat on the ground, only Alexis looked on with a cold gaze.
In the distance, Claude could be seen sighing. He was hurriedly making his way through the crowd.
Ignoring him, Alexis moved forward. He approached the velvet sofa and effortlessly draped the unconscious Cecile over his shoulder.
“I’ll take care of Cecile Adrian. You don’t need to worry about him.”
“I apologize for my ignorance. I have committed a great offense.”
Cecile, draped over Alexis’s shoulder, was completely passed out, his limbs hanging limply. Tristan glanced up at the swaying white arm. He could only hope that Cecile would wake up soon to defend himself.
Alexis did not miss this. His cold blue eyes flashed like sharp blades.
“I’ve heard you are quite clever, but you have a habit that needs correcting. Is it difficult for you to control your gaze?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
Alexis continued to watch Tristan’s bowed head, which was nearly touching the ground, and added one more remark.
“Tristan Dyke, you are to enter the palace soon. I have something to say to you personally, so keep that in mind.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Alexis briefly glanced at the bowing Tristan before turning away.
With each long stride he took, Cecile’s body swayed like a pendulum over his shoulder. For someone who was personally taking care of him, Alexis was surprisingly careless.
“Your Highness, please let me take him. I’ll carry him.”
Claude rushed over and extended his arms. With so many eyes watching, it was unthinkable to make the Crown Prince do such labor.
However, Alexis tightened his grip on Cecile once more. He firmly held the heavier body, now weighed down by alcohol, and nonchalantly gestured.
“Enough, go prepare the carriage outside.”
Claude immediately obeyed the dry command. As he hurriedly walked out, Alexis also took his leave. His glacier-like cold eyes no longer paid attention to the crowd. He walked steadily, focused only on the path ahead.
The hall, swept away by their presence, fell into a long silence. Everyone remained dumbfounded, staring only at the open door.
One thing was certain: it seemed unlikely that Cecile Adrian would be seen in social clubs again.
In front of the mansion, unlike before, a carriage sent from the palace was waiting. The black exterior, with a roof, trim, and wheels all adorned in gold, sparkled even in the night. Even the person sitting on the driver’s seat was a member of the royal guard.
The Count Alfonso family and the mansion’s servants all rushed out to see off the Crown Prince. Alexis boarded the carriage without even glancing at those who bowed to him.
Soon, with the sound of hooves, the carriage began to move. Alexis leaned back against the comfortable seat and let out a sigh of relief.
As he brushed his tousled bangs, his gaze fell on Cecile, who was crumpled in a corner of the carriage, fast asleep.
With every breath Cecile took, his half-open mouth exhaled a stronger scent of alcohol.
Alexis reached for the window but stopped, resting his chin on his hand instead. His tilted head was preoccupied with examining Cecile’s sleeping face.
Cecile’s pale face looked calm as usual, but his ears and neck were flushed. With his arms sprawled out and his body sagging like melted jelly in the heat, he was unmistakably drunk.
Suddenly, Cecile furrowed his brows and groaned. Perhaps uncomfortable in his cramped position, he looked distressed, like someone having a bad dream. Alexis, watching this with displeasure, clicked his tongue.
The carriage seat was spacious enough for a person to lie down comfortably. It would take quite a while to reach the palace, so he could lend his knee to Cecile and let him rest, but Alexis was not generous enough to offer even that much kindness.
Just as he was about to reach out to adjust Cecile’s awkwardly bent head, the carriage jolted over a rough patch of road, causing Cecile to wake up.
“Ugh, huh?”
“Oh dear.”
Seeing him slowly sit up, Alexis withdrew his hand and let out a small lament.
He absolutely detested dealing with drunkenness and had hoped Cecile would stay asleep, but it seemed that would not be the case. His gaze toward Cecile sharpened even more.
Cecile blinked, still dazed.
“…Where, where am I?”
“Just go back to sleep. Don’t cause any unnecessary trouble.”
Alexis warned sharply. As he heard the familiar voice beside him, Cecile turned his head slowly.
“……”
With half-lidded eyes, he looked at Alexis. His face seemed to be soaked in some vague nostalgia, and Alexis couldn’t help but smile wryly at the sight.
“Could it be that crying is your drinking habit? That would be the worst.”
He was already frowning at the thought of Cecile’s behavior.
“Alexis.”
But contrary to his expectations, what came from Cecile’s lips was a soft voice. Though he had never called him by name before, Cecile spoke it slowly and calmly, as if he had done so many times.
“Are you… happy right now?”
“……”
“I hope you are happy. I will… do whatever it takes to make that happen.”
Cecile was clearly drunk. He gazed at Alexis with bleary eyes, and despite his weak smile, his eyes were glistening as if he were about to cry.
“I’ll do my best. So this time, live a long time.”
“Why do you think I’m going to die early? Who said such a thing?”
Alexis asked casually, crossing his legs. Whether it was nonsense or sincerity, it seemed that Cecile would spill his inner thoughts if coaxed just right.
Cecile twisted his waist. He leaned his upper body against the corner where the carriage wall met the backrest and tilted his dizzy head back.
He faced Alexis, who was sitting apart from him in an uncomfortable position.
“Everyone around me is nothing but traitors.”
“What?”
“What good is being meticulous? I have no friends and keep getting stabbed in the back.”
“Your drinking habits are terrible. I shouldn’t have brought you along.”
“Don’t drink. Don’t just accept whatever others give you. Especially don’t even touch wine.”
“Keep babbling nonsense. I’ll just leave you on the street.”
Cecile pouted. He was upset that Alexis wasn’t listening to him.
“You bad guy, you’ve never said anything nice to me.”
He muttered complaints as if to himself. Of course, Alexis heard every word.
Suddenly, Alexis closed the distance between them. He blocked Cecile’s path, who was barely able to keep himself upright due to the alcohol, and pressed him with questions.
“What did the Empress order you? Did she instruct you to interfere with what I’m doing?”
“Am I a hindrance?”
“Cecile Adrian, answer the question. Do you want the position of Crown Prince?”
Since Cecile kept talking nonsense, Alexis grabbed his chin to make him look at him. The rough grip on his face was weak, but it pulled him forward.
In that moment, an odd sense of déjà vu washed over him. Just locking eyes with Cecile sent chills down his spine, as if he had seen this scene somewhere before.
Alexis clenched his jaw. To shake off the strange sensation he had never felt before, he glared at Cecile even more coldly.
“Even if you’re a hindrance, just bear with it a little longer. I won’t be by your side for long anyway.”
Cecile raised his hand and touched Alexis’s right cheek.
“Clumsily, the Crown Prince goes around with a woman’s lipstick mark on him….”
He carefully wiped away the traces of makeup that did not suit his noble face.
After that, Cecile let his hand drop and closed his eyes. The effects of the alcohol had once again clouded his mind, leaving him too drained to speak.
“I’m sleepy… I need to sleep.”
“You really are something else.”
“If you’re going to scold me… do it tomorrow. There’s still plenty of time.”
Cecile began to pat his chest. His heart felt heavy, but perhaps due to the alcohol, it was something he could easily overlook. Soon, his consciousness faded completely, and darkness enveloped his mind.
As Cecile’s face drooped weakly, Alexis hurriedly caught his leaning body.
Unconsciously, he placed his index finger under Cecile’s nose to check if he was breathing. Even knowing he was drunk and asleep, he treated him strangely as if he were someone on the verge of death.
As the warm breath dampened his finger, a sense of relief washed over him.
“Ha…”
It was something that shouldn’t be happening. Why did he feel at ease, and why did Cecile seem so pitiful to him?
Alexis leaned Cecile back against the seat and then sat a distance away. He deliberately avoided looking in Cecile’s direction and cast his gaze out the window.
Talking to a drunk was making him act foolishly too.
‘I hope you are happy. I will… do whatever it takes to make that happen.’
As Alexis stared into the pitch-black scenery outside, he struggled to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.
However, the more he mulled over Cecile’s drunken ramblings, the more troubled he felt. It seemed that bringing him along had been a big mistake.