Since it would mean nothing if Alferen didn’t see, I waved my hand to refuse.
“No, I can go by myself—”
At that moment, as I swayed unsteadily, Nanael linked her arm with mine, beaming brightly.
“How could I let a stumbling lady like you go alone? What if something dangerous happens?”
No, being with you, Princess, feels like the scariest thing in the world right now.
But my body was already half-swayed by the haze of alcohol.
Unable to shake off her grip, I staggered alongside her toward the garden.
Then, all of a sudden, I rubbed my eyes at the sight of the staircase stretching before me.
It looked like there were twice as many steps as usual.
‘Were there always this many stairs?’
For a moment, the ground seemed to ripple beneath me, an illusion that made my head spin.
If I tried to descend like this, I’d surely trip and fall, so I halted in my tracks.
That’s when I spotted Alferen and Adrian approaching from a distance.
The moment I saw them, my heart leaped with relief, and I started to wave.
But then, in a low voice, Nanael said, “You can manage from here on your own, right?”
With that, she gave my back a light push.
“Huh?”
It was a gentle nudge, but my drunken body lurched forward all too easily.
It happened in the blink of an eye.
“Eek! Lady Rodellia!”
Nanael’s shrill scream rang out belatedly.
Only then did I realize I was tumbling down the stairs, and I squeezed my eyes shut.
‘She definitely pushed me on purpose!’
Wearing high heels and a cumbersome dress made it even harder to steady myself.
Caught off guard, I was utterly helpless.
‘I’m going to crash!’
I’d been suspicious from the moment Nanael insisted on accompanying me, but to think she’d push me down the stairs!
She’d probably claim it was an accident afterward.
Since everyone had seen me drinking heavily, it would only make it easier to pin the blame on me.
Meanwhile, Nanael, who’d plied me with alcohol, would slip away unscathed.
Bracing for the inevitable pain, I clutched my head.
“Deli!”
“No!”
Adrian and Alferen’s shouts echoed in unison.
Thud, thud, crash!
With a deafening clatter, my body rolled down the stairs.
I came to a stop at the landing, gasping for breath.
“Ugh.”
The relentless tumbling left my stomach churning. But strangely, I didn’t feel any pain.
‘What’s going on?’
Bewildered by the absence of the expected agony, I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes upon realizing someone was holding me.
And there he was.
“Ren-oppa?”
Alferen, his neatly styled hair now a tangled mess, was looking down at me.
His face seemed tinged with anger.
Swallowing something down, he composed himself and asked, “Are you okay?”
I stared blankly as he checked me over, inspecting my body for injuries.
‘Did he really throw himself down the stairs from that distance?’
He’d been so far away.
Even Nanael hadn’t seemed to notice the two of them approaching…
Too dazed to recall that he was a mage, I blinked up at him, still cradled in his arms.
I couldn’t tell whose heart was pounding—mine or his.
Our bodies, pressed so close, trembled as if caught in an earthquake.
The alcohol’s haze seemed to clear in an instant, and I stammered as I pulled away from him.
“Uh, y-yeah. I’m f-fine.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
As Alferen continued to check on me, Adrian rushed over, making a frantic fuss.
“Deli, are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“I’m fine. But Ren-oppa took the brunt of the fall down the stairs…”
I was about to check on Alferen’s condition when—
“Sir Alferen!”
Nanael’s high-pitched voice cut through as she hurried toward us, like an actress in a melodrama.
Rushing down the stairs, she pushed past me to fuss over Alferen.
“Are you okay? Oh no, your wrist is swollen!”
Stunned by her Oscar-worthy performance, I stared at Nanael with an incredulous expression, momentarily at a loss for words.
His expression, as if he had nothing to do with the whole affair, was something to behold.
“It’s fine.”
Alferen’s face hardened as he brushed off Nanael’s hand.
I went pale at his claim of being hurt.
“Brother, are you okay? Because of me…”
At that moment, Nanael stepped between me and Alferen, feigning concern with crocodile tears.
“Are you hurt anywhere, my lady? It’s a good thing Sir Alferen was nearby.”
“Yeah, sure,” I replied, my tone flat.
Nanael let out a dramatic sigh of relief.
“That could’ve been a disaster. I told you we should go together, but you rushed ahead. I knew you were impulsive from the way you downed those drinks, but…”
“Excuse me?”
“Thank goodness it wasn’t worse, right?”
Her brazen smile left me momentarily speechless.
Was she really going to gloss over it like that?
I wanted to snap back, but my stomach churned too much to form words.
Probably the hangover.
Noticing my poor state, Adrian muttered in confusion.
“How much did you drink?”
“Well, Her Highness kept pushing drinks on me…”
“What?”
Adrian’s gaze turned icy as he fixed it on Nanael.
Startled, she played innocent.
“She kept accepting the drinks I offered, so I thought she could handle her liquor.”
“And yet Your Highness seems perfectly fine,” Adrian shot back.
“No way! I’m tipsy too, you know.”
Nanael swayed deliberately, pretending to be drunk, then leaned toward Alferen.
“Speaking of which, could you escort me to my carriage? I’m so shaken, my legs are trembling.”
The real person who should be shaken was me, yet her audacity knew no bounds.
Her obvious scheming made me glare at Alferen, hoping he wouldn’t fall for it.
Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go.
I sent desperate telepathic signals with my eyes, but—
“Let’s go.”
To my surprise, Alferen agreed readily to Nanael’s request.
He stood, offering his hand like a proper escort.
Nanael, flashing a victorious smile, took it as if to rub it in my face.
“Delly, be careful on your way back. Make sure to treat that scratch on your hand.”
With a fleeting glance at me, Alferen bid farewell and left with Nanael.
I could only stare forlornly at his retreating figure.
Who’s the one who got drunk and tumbled down the stairs because of someone?
Did she really not see her push me on purpose?
The missed opportunity stung bitterly.
Just then, Adrian scooped me up in his arms.
“Delly, let’s go home.”
“Okay.”
Feeling like a dog chasing chickens, I leaned limply against Adrian, my spirits deflated.
It looked like I’d need a Plan B.
Meanwhile, having reached the carriage, Nanael thanked Alferen.
“Thank you, Sir Alferen.”
“…”
“I’m quite drunk, so… would it be too much to ask you to accompany me to my residence?”
Even as she leaned into him with a flirtatious tone, Alferen remained unresponsive.
The moment she looked at him, puzzled, his cold gaze pierced her.
Overwhelmed by it, Nanael’s lips trembled, but Alferen pulled away.
“There are plenty of others who’d be happy to escort you, aren’t there?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means there’s no need to sweet-talk me with empty words.”
His bluntness cracked the smile on Nanael’s face.
It was no secret that she kept multiple lovers, but having it brought to light so openly threw her off balance.
“Are you acting like this because of the men I see? If you’d been a bit warmer to me, maybe I wouldn’t have looked elsewhere.”
As Nanael turned the tables with her brazen logic, Alferen gave a wry smile.
“Frankly, I have no interest in Your Highness’s love affairs.”
He’d only maintained this engagement to avoid troublesome complications.
It wasn’t as if the imperial family’s monopoly on holy water meant he’d abandoned his father’s work.
If the secret experiment he was conducting succeeded, he planned to break off the engagement.
Oblivious to this, Nanael still carried herself with confidence.
Normally, he might’ve let it slide without a second thought, but…
Recalling what had just happened, Alferen murmured coldly.
“However, I can’t overlook what you did back there.”
