HTTRPIAO Ch 8

“I…”

Marquis Namia’s son stammered, unsure of what to say. He had approached Etienne without much thinking.

He had been annoyed by how arrogantly this Beta, who was just lucky to be born a prince, barely acknowledged people’s greetings.

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Doesn’t go on expeditions, doesn’t handle political affairs, doesn’t participate in social activities.

In Marquis Namia’s son’s view, Etienne didn’t do anything a prince should. The only thing he was good at was shutting himself up in the prince’s palace, claiming that his health wasn’t good.

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As a result, Etienne’s reputation in social circles was terrible. Especially among young nobles who tended to be more open-minded and progressive.

So he had picked a fight while drunk. The alcohol had brought out his contempt for Etienne.

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“Why are you silent? Where did that spirit go when you dared speak to me without permission and yelled at my attendant?”

Etienne pressed Marquis Namia’s son with a blunt tone.

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“…I apologize.”

Finally, Marquis Namia’s son bowed his head. He even made an excuse with a hiccup.

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“I seem to have had too much to drink. I made a mistake with Your Highness because I was drunk, hic!”

“If you like alcohol so much, let me pour you a drink.”

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Etienne twisted his lips at Marquis Namia’s son’s apology. Then he snatched a wine bottle from a servant.

“Eh…? Ack!”

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Etienne turned the wine bottle upside down and poured it over Marquis Namia’s son’s head. It happened in an instant.

“Gasp.”

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“My God.”

The nobles gasped in surprise at Etienne’s action. Even for a prince, pouring wine over a noble’s head was excessive, no matter how angry he was.

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“W-What…”

“Didn’t you like wine? I thought you enjoyed alcohol, so I poured you a drink.”

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Etienne smiled as he put the bottle down on the table. Just as the enraged Marquis Namia’s son was about to speak, Count Herace appeared.

“Your Highness!”

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People stepped back in unison at Count Herace’s arrival. He approached with a stern face and frowned when he saw Marquis Namia’s son.

“What happened here?”

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“I apologize for causing a disturbance, Count Herace.”

Etienne apologized readily to Count Herace. Then he gestured to Ben to prepare for departure.

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“I should take my leave now.”

“What? Already?”

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“Someone ruined my mood for alcohol.”

Etienne nodded toward Marquis Namia’s son. He had been thinking of leaving anyway, and now he had a good excuse.

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“Did Marquis Namia’s son do something wrong to Your Highness?”

“He was so drunk he couldn’t tell up from down. I suppose he overindulged because the Count’s wine was so delicious.”

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Etienne harshly criticized Marquis Namia’s son. Count Herace frowned at his words. He could roughly guess what had happened.

“I apologize, Your Highness.”

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“You have nothing to apologize for, Count. If anything, I should apologize for spoiling the mood.”

Etienne put his hand on Count Herace’s shoulder and patted it. He was returning the same rudeness the Count had shown him earlier.

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“Then I’ll see you at tomorrow’s triumph ceremony.”

After a brief farewell, Etienne walked out as if he had no more business there. No one dared block his path.

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“Phew.”

Outside, Etienne took a deep breath. The cold night air filled his lungs deeply. It felt like his body was being cleansed from all the pheromones.

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“You went too far.”

Ben followed and spoke in a worried voice. Etienne, who had been savoring the fresh air with closed eyes, slowly opened them.

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“How?”

“Pouring the wine over him.”

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“So what?”

“You could have been generous and forgiven him.”

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“If you’re going to keep nagging, walk to the palace.”

Etienne climbed into the carriage as if he didn’t want to hear any more. Ben let out a small sigh as he watched Etienne.

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Etienne reacted sensitively to attacks since he was always on edge to hide that he was an Omega.

He was especially sensitive about people. While he could endure most things well, he couldn’t tolerate people approaching him carelessly or being disrespectful.

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Today was no different. Etienne had overreacted to something that could have been dismissed as a simple incident. It was a kind of defense mechanism.

“Your reputation will suffer even more because of what happened today.”

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“Do I have any reputation left to damage?”

Etienne chuckled as he leaned back in the plush seat. His image was already in shambles.

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“How much more can they criticize? They’ll just say the rogue prince acted like a rogue prince again.”

Etienne spoke, giving the situation little to no importance. He didn’t care whether his reputation was good or bad. Rather, he preferred it to be bad.

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That way, he could abandon everything someday.

“But you’re not really a rogue prince.”

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“People don’t care about the truth anyway. Social circles are where rumors become truth. What matters to them is whether something is entertaining or not.”

“Her Majesty the Empress will surely have something to say about this.”

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Etienne’s eyes hardened when Ben mentioned the Empress. He recalled her recent requests.

‘Ah, do pay attention to your reputation.’

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‘Make sure you don’t get called things like ‘the rogue prince of the imperial family.”

‘No more conflicts with nobles like last time. Refrain from alcohol for a while too.’

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Etienne raised one corner of his mouth as he recalled each of Leona’s warnings. He realized he hadn’t followed any of them.

But he wasn’t particularly worried. Marquis Namia’s son had disrespected Etienne in front of others. By now, Count Herace would have fully grasped the situation, so Leona would soon know too.

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Leona, who treated disrespect toward Etienne as disrespect toward herself, might even say he did well.

Even if not, she didn’t have the mind to worry about him now. After all, Grand Duke Eckhart would return tomorrow.

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“It’s fine.”

“Eh?”

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“By tomorrow, Her Majesty won’t even have time to scold me.”

After speaking, Etienne turned his gaze to the window. In the distance, he could see Tempest Square where the triumph ceremony would be held. Despite being midnight, that place alone was particularly bright as a crowd was gathering to watch the ceremony.

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“…Wake me when we reach the palace. I’m going to rest my eyes for a bit.”

“Yes, sir.”

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Etienne closed his eyes with a tired expression as he looked at the night view of Tempest Square, covered in colorful lights.

‘Hyung-nim.’

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In his mind appeared the last day he saw Rishar three years ago. Though time had passed and the memories should have faded, his memories with Rishar were as clear as yesterday.

‘I’ll be back.’

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Right, that’s what he had said. So when we meet again, will he say ‘I’m back’?

A soft pfft escaped between his slightly raised lips.

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I wonder how much he has changed.

Etienne thought with his eyes closed. Three years was a long time, more for Rishar who had spent that time on battlefields where life and death was the only thing that mattered. He couldn’t imagine how he might have changed during that time.

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Hyung-nim…

Etienne’s closed eyelids lifted slightly. In the wind blowing through the open window, he thought he heard that familiar voice.

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“Hah…”

Etienne sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

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He felt contradictory emotions. He was curious about how Rishar had changed, yet he didn’t want to see him.

II. A Reunion Both Wanted and Unwanted.¹

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“…Your Highness.”

“Mmm…”

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Etienne, deep in sleep, frowned at the voice calling him. He turned his body to avoid Ben’s voice. However, Ben didn’t give up.

“Please wake up, Your Highness.”

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“Just a little longer…”

“We’ll be cutting it close even if you start getting ready right now. Please hurry and wake up.”

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Ben urged Etienne with a stern voice. Instead of opening his eyes, Etienne buried his head into the blanket. Ben responded by yanking the blanket away.

“C-cold!”

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The chill hit him as the blanket that had been keeping him warm disappeared. Etienne grumbled with an irritated voice.

“Come now, get up.”

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Ben forcibly raised Etienne’s body. Normally, he would have left him alone until he opened his eyes, but today he couldn’t do that.

“You need to attend the triumph ceremony.”

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“Ugh…”

Etienne groaned at Ben’s words. Whether from the hangover or not, his head was throbbing, and his body felt as heavy as a soggy cotton.

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“Water…”

“Here you are.”

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Almost before Etienne finished speaking, Ben held out a glass of water. Having served Etienne for over 10 years, Ben was well-versed in caring for him when he was hungover.

“I’m dying.”

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Etienne emptied the glass in one go and let out a long breath. Though it didn’t seem like he had drunk that much, his stomach felt strangely bloated.

“You drank too much last night.”

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Ben spoke with a worried expression as he received the empty cup. Perhaps due to the hangover, Etienne’s face looked really haggard.

“At this rate, you might be diagnosed as an alcoholic. Please cut down on the drinking.”

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“I might already be addicted.”

Etienne spoke with a somehow certain tone. Recently, he had been drinking almost every day.

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Though he didn’t drink excessively like the previous night, at some point, drinking before bed had become a habit. He couldn’t fall asleep without it.

“From now on, I won’t serve you any alcohol.”

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Ben put on a resolute expression. Until now, he had reluctantly tolerated Etienne’s drinking, but he wasn’t planning to do so anymore.

“What if I order you to bring me alcohol?”

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“Then I suppose I’ll go to prison for disobeying orders.”

“What?”

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“I’m not joking. Your Highness, have you forgotten the doctor’s warning? He said it would be dangerous if you become more dependent on alcohol.”

“He did say that but…”

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Etienne avoided Ben’s gaze and let his words trail off. The doctor assigned to Etienne had been constantly advising him to reduce his alcohol consumption lately. But Etienne hadn’t paid any attention to it.