# 32
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Episode 32
Kyle's body froze for a moment.
Ayla seemed to be charmed by the cuteness, while Gallion looked at Ruelia and Caelus alternately with interest.
“Ruelia?”
Caelus shrugged her shoulders gently as he called out to her cautiously.
Ayla stopped him, pointing at the table with her finger.
“She's drunk. She seems to have had too much champagne.”
Kyles saw the scattered champagne glasses.
One, two, three… Just by looking, there were more than ten cups. Since some of it had been removed, she probably drank more.
Cales narrowed his eyebrows tightly as he realized the situation.
“Are you the one who made her drink all this?”
"How could I? You're the one who told me she likes champagne!"
Ayla responded sharply without backing down.
Caelus almost growled with hostile intent, but Gallion approached Ruelia first.
“Oh my God, if a strong man picked up a drunk girl and brought her back alone, all kinds of rumors would spread in high society.”
Ruelia had closed her eyes again and fell asleep.
“I am not like Your Highness, there will be no rumors about me.”
“Oh, I don't think so.”
Ayla stared at the Duke with a stern look, as if to say that this was impossible.
“In fact, while you were out, several things happened. Some people mistook Miss Ruelia for your hidden mistress.”
Thanks to those who knew the Duke's prestige, Ruilia was not subjected to direct insults.
But among those she did not meet, there were those who treated her as a lover rather than just a partner.
“So you drank all of this?”
“I don’t know. She fixed the misunderstanding herf.”
“This looks like Ruelia.”
“But she spoke to Countess Bellona alone, and then she started drinking. Perhaps she was affected because the Countess erased her achievements in the Bellona Guild.”
Cales saw Ruelia's expression then.
She was pretending to be indifferent and clapping, but her sadness was clear. The speed of her clapping was noticeably slow.
“Why did that crafty countess invite her then?”
She must have a purpose.
Anyway, it seemed like they had to wait for Ruelia to wake up to ask.
“Tomorrow, when she wakes up, I will talk to her.”
"Good."
“So, shall we all go?”
Caelus gritted his teeth at Galion's insistence on riding in the same carriage.
But he didn't want to leave Ruelia in Countess Bellona's house any longer, so he put his hand under her knees and held her steady.
“Ooooh…”
Ruelia snuggled into Cales' arms.
She rubbed her cheek against his chest like a child, and strong veins appeared on Kyle's arms.
“Wow, Kyles, looks like you won't sleep tonight!”
Gallion mocked him cheerfully. Ayla's eyes widened.
“Did you know, Your Highness?”
“Miss Emil, have you noticed too?”
“How could I not notice...”
Ayla quietly turned away when she saw Caelce's sharp look, but Galion, who lacked sensitivity, stayed.
“Caelus, are you going to deny it to the end?”
“Does kicking the Crown Prince’s ass constitute treason?”
Caelus murmured softly as he approached Galeon's back.
Galion was surprised and desperately wished that Ruelia would wake up. At that moment, as if it were a miracle, Ruelia opened her eyes again.
"…I know?"
“Ruelia, what did you say? Now that you’ve woken up, look at what Kyles is doing.”
“...No...”
Galion leaned his ear closer to her to hear her low muttering.
Before Caelus turned around, Galion understood the question and answered:
“A guard commander prefers beer in oak barrels to champagne.”
Ruelia laughed cheerfully.
“As I expected...”
She closed her eyes again, content, in Kyle's embrace.
* * *
The next morning, Ruelia suddenly opened her eyes on her bed.
She blinked a few times, then suddenly sunlight poured in. She frowned at the intense light, so Melissa approached.
"I woke up?"
Melissa offered fresh orange juice.
“The Duke said you should drink a lot of fruit juice when you wake up. He said you would have a headache because of the wine.”
Ruelia narrowed her eyebrows as she took the cup.
She turned her head like a malfunctioning machine, estimating the time from the angle of the sunlight.
The shadow was short.
"What is this? Why did you wake me up now?"
It's well past lunchtime.
She forgot the cup and tried to lift the lid, but Melissa stopped her.
“The Duke said you don't have to go to work today.”
"What?"
“He said you are tired, so let you sleep well.”
Ruelia's temple trembled.
I heard from the server before.
One of the reasons former assistants were fired was because they drank excessively at parties and then showed up late for work after sleeping too long.
-He said you can rest forever now.
With that word from the Duke, that person was forced to submit his resignation.
"Not possible!"
“Ruelia?”
“If this continues, I may be fired forever!”
This cannot happen.
Yesterday, her conversation with Ayla confirmed that fate had changed. She couldn't lose her wonderful salary of 1,500 gold like this.
She should go and beg to keep her job.
“No, Ellie, what do you mean...”
"I have to finish the work I put off because of the party yesterday. Maybe I'll be forgiven if I do."
“Did the Duke get angry yesterday? His Highness the Crown Prince did not say anything like that.”
Ruelia, who was gathering her clothes, stopped, and her eyes widened.
“Did His Highness the Crown Prince come to our house as well?”
“Yes. You were completely drunk and asleep, so he came with you to drop you off.”
“Oh my God, what do I do?”
Ruelia covered her cheeks with her hands.
She did all kinds of embarrassing things, and she doesn't remember a thing.
How did she lose her mind by drinking only twenty glasses of champagne?
“They both drank tea, walked around the house, and were very nice. So...”
Before Melissa could finish, Ruelia put on her shoes.
She hurriedly washed her face.
Her hair, soaked in perfume yesterday, was soft and strangely combed.
Did the weak Melissa wash him off, or did she just wake up for a moment and do it herf? Last night's unknown was terrifying.
“Melissa, did I say something strange to the two of them yesterday?”
She quickly drank Melissa's orange juice, frowning at the acidity.
“You were sleeping peacefully. You were in the Duke’s arms.”
It was a miracle she didn't drop the cup.
How did she end up in her master's arms, drunk?
'It doesn't seem like I've been calm.'
She vaguely remembered muttering something drunkenly, and perhaps laughing like a madman after hearing a response.
Every time she thought, her face turned red with embarrassment.
'But I didn't mention anything about the diary, did I?'
If she did, she wouldn't have anything to say if they dismissed her as crazy. To find out what you did yesterday, you have to go and face it.
She handed the empty cup to Melissa and stormed off.
“I'll go. Pray for me to be safe!”
Melissa watched her sister run out the door from the second floor bedroom.
When Ruelia pointed, one of the Duke Family's knights appeared from somewhere. She spoke to him, so he carried her on a horse and they quickly disappeared.
“Oh my God, he said everything was fine.”
Her sister's boss seemed more merciful than the rumors said.
Melissa collected her sister's pajamas and went down to the kitchen on the first floor.
There were traces of visitors from yesterday, and some remnants of her sister's reckless behaviour.
“Right, I should have given this to Eli.”
There was a shining silver ring on the table, similar to her master's ring.