She tried hard not to seem like she was bluffing.
“You’ve got it all wrong. Robert is not the pirate king. He’s just one of my subordinates.”
“No way.”
Agnes, slightly flustered, pulled out a portrait of Robert from the documents and showed it to him.
“Look. This is the portrait of the Pirate King.”
Emmerich took it and, without hesitation, tore it up.
“The information here is all wrong.”
“How can you be so sure?”
Agnes thought he was lying.
After all, Roland wouldn’t lie to her.
Emmerich bent down and came closer to Agnes, so close that his breath made her hair move.
“Because I’m the pirate king.”
“……what?”
She momentarily doubted what she had heard.
“You did such a thorough background check on me, yet you didn’t know that?”
“What are sayin?….”
She was too stunned to speak. Whether he knew it or not, Emmerich continued to smile.
“What kind of nonsense is this… Didn’t the king order you to kill the pirate king?”
“I’m doing both.”
Emmerich said with absurd nonchalance.
Agnes was at a loss for words, her mouth hanging open in shock.
He was given an official order to kill the pirates, but in fact, he is a pirate.
“And those worthless pieces of evidence are useless. The ledgers you found are fake, and the insider who testified has already been dealt with.”
Only then did she realize she had been played like a fool.
“…Since when?”
“Well, perhaps since the maid assigned to you discovered these documents?”
She had let her guard down. Agnes clenched her fists secretly.
Perhaps it was his strategy that the maid leaked the information about Robert being in the Pavilion.
“So, tell me.”
“What would you like to know?”
Agnes tensed up and looked up at him. She felt a cold chill in her limbs, unsure of what he would say next.
“What would you like for dinner?”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Emmerich’s attitude was very suspicious.
He was fundamentally kind and willing to listen to anything Agnes had to say.
His attitude had not changed much since she was confined to his bedroom, making the situation almost feel like a normal occurrence.
However, Agnes still couldn’t step out of Emmerich’s bedroom.
To leave the room, she would have to pass through three doors, each guarded by two knights.
Moreover, the room was located in the highest part of the castle, making any escape attempt daunting.
She considered calling Eugene, but the last words he left behind made it difficult to speak up.
“Are you not sleepy yet?”
Just then, Emmerich opened the door and walked in.
“How long are you planning to keep me here?”
“Hmm.”
After a longer pause than expected, he answered.
“Well, as long as I can.”
“What? Count. Are you out of your mind?”
Agnes raised her finger and shouted angrily.
“If I were sane, I wouldn’t have kept you alive, Duchess.”
“…And my maid?”
“The Duchess’s maid is doing well. Don’t worry.”
Emmerich continued with a friendly smile.
“Shall I ask the servants to bring more ice? I noticed you seemed unable to sleep well because of the heat.”
“I’ll be able to sleep well once I get out of here.”
“After the Night of Roses ends, the heat will subside a bit. Please just endure a little longer.”
Agnes’s face went pale.
At the end of the Night of Roses.
So, just how long would she have to stay here?
“Count Cellon, let me at least send a letter to Laslo.”
It was clear he would be extremely worried since she hadn’t sent a letter since the day she arrived.
“…It seems the title has changed.”
Emmerich’s expression turned cold.
The room was dark, so Agnes didn’t immediately notice.
“It’s okay to check what it’s about. Count, please.”
“Then let’s do this.”
“Hmm?”
He called in a servant from outside and instructed him to bring a lot of alcohol.
“Shall we make a bet”
“Suddenly?”
“You wanted to send a letter, right? Fine. If you win this bet, I’ll allow it.”
“And if I lose?”
“Then you’ll have to grant me one wish.”
“And what is your wish?”
“I’ll tell you what it is if I win.”
“Alright.”
Agnes accepted without hesitation.
A drinking bet. It was a field Agnes had never lost in her entire life.
The first drink was a fruit wine made with apples. Emmerich filled Agnes’s glass first.
She emptied it immediately after it was filled.
“Here. Have a drink yourself.”
“Thank you.”
Agnes filled his glass to the brim.
For a while, the two focused on emptying the bottle without exchanging any words.
“Do you remember when you threw flowers at me when we first met?”
“I did? At the Count?”
“Yes. You were fighting with Prince Chavolti at that time.”
Was it like that?
Agnes tried to recall, but in truth, she only vaguely remembered her first impression of Emmerich.
“You threw a bouquet of flowers.”
Emmerich set down his glass and spread his arms to indicate the size of the bouquet.
“When I opened the door, I was surprised to be hit by flowers, and the prince told me to bring it to him.”
“Really?”
“When I brought it, Prince Chavolti started picking out the flowers one by one and throwing them again.”
Emmerich talked about that day with a smile full of nostalgia.
On the other hand, Agnes couldn’t recall the situation at all and couldn’t respond.
“So, that’s when I realized the princess had a fiery temperament.”
“A fiery temperament? You misunderstood. My character shines brightly. Chavolti must have done something to deserve it.”
Emmerich laughed again.
The bottle was empty. He picked up another bottle and filled her glass.
“You were angry the second time I saw you too.”
“I was?”
“Yes. For some reason, you were extremely angry and were kicking the garden trees.”
“…Hmm. Why have you only seen me when I’m like that?”
“Indeed. Why did I happen to meet the princess during those times?”
It was only then that Agnes realized the way he addressed her had changed from ‘Duchess’ to ‘Princess.’
Emmerich emptied his glass first. Agnes followed suit and swilled the liquor.
Her throat was burning from the alcohol.
Emmerich remained silent until the bottle was emptied.
He opened the fifth bottle. His face was slightly reddened, possibly from the alcohol.
Agnes decided to broach the subject.
“What’s the real reason you’ve imprisoned me here?”
“I don’t know.”
Emmerich spoke calmly. It didn’t sound like a lie.
“If the person involved doesn’t know, who would? Are you messing with me?”
“Indeed.”
He replied with a faint smile.
Agnes struggled to calm her boiling emotions and forced a smile as she tried to persuade him.
In any case, she was in an absolutely disadvantageous position right now.
“Count Cellon. I’m a very heavy-mouthed person.”
“Is that so?”
“I will keep any stories about you being the Pirate King or making your fortune through smuggling and trafficking buried in my heart for the rest of my life. I swear on the honor of the royal family.”
“The honor of my royal family?”
“Yes. I’m a person who keeps my word.”
“Then why did you break that promise?”
“What promise?”
“Didn’t you say the last time we met that we would see each other at the wedding?”
“…Did I?”
At the time, it was certain that someone would marry Agnes, though who exactly was unknown. That was what she had meant.
“So I naturally thought that the princess wanted to marry me and I was preparing for the wedding.”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Agnes jumped up from her seat.
“Why did it turn out that way? I meant that I would invite the count to my wedding ceremony!”
“…So I was very excited and even instructed the butler to decorate the room where the princess would stay.”
“Wait a moment.”
“Then how could you break the promise and marry someone else?”
“That was something decided because…”
“I thought I would collapse from the news of the princess’s marriage.”
Emmerich lowered his head and covered his face with his hand.
Agnes was taken aback.
She swore she had no such intentions and had never hinted at marrying him.
“Count, please lift your head. I don’t know why you misunderstood, but I can explain everything.”
“…….”
“Count?”
Emmerich slowly lifted his head, his face full of a playful smile.
“It seems you’re easily fooled, whether in the past or now.”
“……And it seems you’re as much of a joker as ever.”
Emmerich smiled broadly and refilled her glass.
Time had passed, and dawn was breaking, but aside from a slight redness in his face, Emmerich appeared fine.
A sense of urgency stirred within her.
“What’s the strongest liquor you have here?”
“The strongest liquor?”
“Yes, let’s get it over with.”
Agnes’s expression was grim. Emmerich retrieved a bottle of liquor from a corner.
“It’s distilled three times.”
The amber liquid was so potent that its smell alone was enough to clear the sinuses.
Agnes immediately downed it. Emmerich followed suit and emptied his glass.
“Ugh.”
Her throat tingled.
It seemed to be the strongest liquor she had ever had.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Just give me the next glass.”
