# 87
“Sirius won!”
Dearyn excitedly jumped towards Sirius and hugged him.
Sirius, who had been waiting expressionlessly for the announcement of the result, was startled by the surprise.
He was used to hugs, and Sirius was always hugging her.
But Dearyn had never hugged Sirius before.
Seeing Sirius's face, which had become even stiffer after drinking all that alcohol, made Dearyn laugh.
“Why is your face like that after you won? You should be smiling!”
“Mmm...”
Sirius couldn't make the desired expression.
He didn't know why he should smile, he didn't feel like smiling, and he was confused how he should smile.
But he succeeded in drawing a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
Deyarin was happy because she was the one who hugged him first.
However, when others saw it, his smile was more like a threat.
His smile was clearly saying: “If you don’t acknowledge my victory, I will cut off your heads and make them drink.”
"Oh, Sirius? You win!"
“Wow, uh…”
People started clapping uncertainly, trying to react to the general atmosphere.
Dearyn took a step back after the applause, to leave Sirius in the spotlight.
At this moment, Sirius should have been the center of attention, and she had no place in that.
But Sirius grabbed Dearyn's hand tightly before she moved away.
“!”
“My wish.”
Dearyn suddenly blinked when she heard his words.
People did not notice the two's interlaced hands.
However, in such situations, even if there was no relationship between the man and the woman, it was customary for the man to extend his arm or hold the woman by the waist to make it easier for her to move around.
But Deyarin did not care about her hand at that moment.
All her focus was on Sirius' wish, which was very clear to her.
No, no, no...
Dearyn's face turned pale, and she shook her head.
'Oh God, for Sirius to ask me to love him, or to ask me to marry him... No, no, I can't stand it!'
Dearyn cried out bitterly in her heart, but were her words going to reach Sirius?
She didn't know whether Sirius would be touched by what was in her heart or not.
But for now, she could only wait for what Sirius had to say.
Sirius slowly opened his mouth.
His words were heavy and deep, as if they were a declaration from the God who decides the fate of everything.
“Give me all your money.”
“No, a… what?”
Dayaren was surprised, rubbed her eyes and opened them again.
"What?"
He didn't want her? He didn't want her as his wish?
Is that possible?
Deyarin couldn't connect thoughts quickly.
She didn't know that Sirius would ask for something else but her.
Of course, this was expected, and it was normal.
But she never imagined this would happen.
Sirius had asked for money instead.
“M…money?”
“Yes, money. Everything you have.”
“Haha…no, no way. Money?”
People started laughing sarcastically, exchanging glances.
As for Deyarin, she looked up at the sky, and her face became like the face of a street thief.
In the morning, it was Sirius who had been drinking, yet the sky seemed to be covered in yellow.
Our little dog is not only collecting money on the streets but is now trying to pick the pockets of nobles in a bet.
I wasn't supposed to raise him like this, so why did he become like this?
Dearyn forgot herself thinking about money, as she looked up at the sky pensively, angry with Sirius.
“Ah, since we won the bet, we have to give you what you asked for. Do you want everything now?”
Sirius' eyes rolled into his.
Sirius was beginning to learn how to handle financial matters.
He learned that money is not just cash, but there are also checks, bonds and bank accounts.
Dearyn understood what he was planning when she saw his eyes move.
She had no intention of stopping him.
Sirius had begun the unstoppable journey as soon as he asked for money.
'Well, if that's the case, let's be big thieves!'
People were gradually starting to give up on everything, losing control of the situation.
But Sirius surprised everyone once again, exceeding all expectations and becoming an even greater thief than Dearyn could have imagined.
“Even what he will have in the future as well.”
"What…?"
Sirius was serious.
He wasn't just satisfied with the money he had in hand, he wanted to get everything they would earn in the future as well.
But sometimes overthinking can seem like a joke.
'Oh, if you do that, we won't be able to live in the Imperial Palace and will be expelled immediately.'
“Bets are bets.”
“Of course, bets are bets, but… how about we give you everything we have now, and give you the rest later when you ask for it?”
People laughed and gradually relaxed the atmosphere.
Finishing this game was supposed to be fun.
Although making money was good, personal relationships were more valuable than money.
If Ceres becomes a major figure in society, he may attract more money than he is raising now.
'Say yes.'
Dearyn nodded almost invisibly.
The move might have been so small that no one would notice it, but Sirius, who was sensitive, recognized it immediately.
"Good."
"Ah, thank God. Now thanks to your generous heart, Sirius, we can stay in the Imperial Palace. Don't forget this, everyone!"
The tense atmosphere suddenly vanished.
People started laughing and smiling, and they took money out of their pockets and placed it in front of Sirius.
In an instant, the money piled up like mountains.
The money that people carried in the palace was usually intended for light expenses such as servant rewards or daily spending money, but the amount in front of them was incomparable.
It was an incredibly huge amount of money.
'Wow, no wonder these are the nobles living in the Imperial Palace.'
Dyaren looked at the piled up money, and began to feel astonished.
Even if this money had been raised for bets, these people were able to spend such huge sums without being emotionally affected.
They belonged to a completely different world.
However, Sirius seemed like such people.
It was he who asked for the money, but his eyes that were watching the money were expressionless.
Sirius started to walk away further.
"If you drink it all at once, you might feel the effects of the alcohol later. Are you sure you're okay?"
Holian looked at Sirius.
On the surface, it was not possible to tell whether Sirius had drunk alcohol or not; His face was clean.
There are people who can drink to the point of intoxication without showing any effects.
Although the game ended pleasantly, trouble could arise if Sirius collapsed due to alcohol.
“I'm still fine.”
"What?"
But what was worrying Sirius was not the effect of alcohol.
“The pain of emotional failure is still acute.”
“What? Ah, ah!”
Hulian suddenly remembered his previous words when he was trying to convince them to play.
Alcohol was the best cure for a broken heart… Sirius may have looked fine, but since he said he was suffering, it was better to believe him.
So Hulian decided to give him his best comfort.
“Ah, maybe it's because you haven't been drinking enough. If you drink more, you'll feel better. How about I get you a glass of the best alcohol? If you drink something stronger, it'll be better for you.”
Hulian's goal was originally to stimulate the relationship between the two people.
From the standpoint of the rally attendees, even though some money was raised, they were just grateful. Moreover, these morning gatherings were the kind of simple pastimes in the social circles of the Imperial Palace.
But when someone as well-known as Sirius, who attracts attention, joins them, they are very grateful. And other people who were watching were also enjoying and participating in the atmosphere.
The social community in the Imperial Palace was like a jungle, and just knowing your name among the nobles meant that the costs of luxurious accommodation in the palace were covered.
“Then let's celebrate our win by having a drink together!”
Attendees at the morning rally gave cups of drink to onlookers as well.
It was a simple idea for everyone to drink a glass to celebrate, and this was a common custom before breakfast. But it wasn't this kind of formal drinking.
“To the winner today, Sirius!”
“To the health of Sirius!”
Dearyn raised her glass as well and took a sip.
Kh…, the taste of alcohol after a long time was so delicious.
Although Dearyn was a priestess who opposed greed, in the end, she was human.
When you drink alcohol, you get a little drunk, and that feeling was fun too.
Like others, when you drink, your mood improves, which is what Deyarin felt.
"You all seem to be alcoholics. You emptied your glasses cleanly."
Even the spectators who had been drinking a little became more relaxed and took part in the atmosphere. Some of them laughed at Holian's comments.
“So, will you have another drink to ease the pain of Sirius’s emotional failure?”
“…cough…”
Dayarin was so surprised by Holian’s words that she choked on her drink.
This choking was due to alcohol.
Her throat and nose were in severe pain.
Her tears were about to fall.
But the pain she felt in her throat and nose was nothing compared to the pain she felt in her conscience.
“Please, stop…”
You made me the one who caused that emotional failure...
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