36: Meeting Duke Phoenix (a)

Trojan woke up, his head hurting.

He pushed himself off the bed before he started stretching, cracking his neck. He looked around, his eyesight still not yet adjusted to his surrounding.

Trojan could barely remember what happened the day before. He remembered talking to the Princess Eve, and writing up a fake document on why Duke Phoenix was the culprit for the fire.

Afterwards, he remembered preparing for the wedding, as well as the start of the wedding.

He scratched his head, trying to remember what he did the night before, and why he seemed to be wearing fewer clothes than usual.

He looked around and noticed where he was. Trojan glanced at the bed he had just gotten out of and instantly adjusted his attire before he left the room.

He tried to get his thoughts in order, although his head hurt.

The wedding had gone on relatively normally, no one was watching, it was just him and Emilia. They had eaten and chatted about random matters.

He remembered that at some point, Emilia had gotten him to drink wine.

"Domino!" Trojan called out.

There was no response for a few seconds before Domino walked around the corner, looking like he had just woken up himself. His robes were crumpled and his hat was in his hands, his hair messy.

Domino yawned, asking, "What is it?"

"What happened last night?" Trojan asked him, genuinely concerned.

"My lord, you had wine despite your lack of tolerance. I did try to stop you, but you were insistent on drinking," Domino told Trojan. "If I am right, Lady Letha said something about drinking to show bonds?"

Trojan walked past Domino, the mage following after him.

"What happened after? Why was I in that room?" Trojan asked.

"My lord… how do I say this politely?" Domino told him, clearing his throat. "We are of similar age, and I do believe my lord is older than me, so I am unsure of whether I am allowed to speak of such things."

"What is it?" Trojan demanded.

"My lord, you got drunk. Lady Letha had brought you to her room, also drunk. I tried to stop you, but you told me to, and I quote 'go away'." Domino explained.

"Oh god," Trojan muttered.

"Um… I guess I would the first to say congratulations?" Domino said, putting his hat on.

"On what?" Trojan asked, confused.

"My lord, you may very well be a father. As your loyal subject, I have nothing but congratulations," Domino said.

Trojan wanted to mentally slap himself. Of all things to happen, he ended up sleeping with Emilia while drunk. For all he knew, it could have very well been Emilia's plan all along.

"Whatever, I'll think of that later. Right now, do you have anything to help with hangover?" Trojan asked Domino, rubbing his temple.

Domino searched through his robes before he pulled out a bottle. He extended it to Trojan.

"Remove the cap and inhale the scent. I would recommend my lord not to drink it," Domino cautioned.

Trojan held the bottle, some strange liquid and plant inside the transparent bottle. Trojan removed the cap as Domino instructed and inhaled deeply, feeling much more refreshed than before.

Trojan passed the bottle back, feeling somewhat better.

It was the day that Trojan needed to speak with Duke Phoenix. He could not afford to have too many things on his mind, though, having gotten intimate while in a drunken state was plenty to worry about.

Trojan tried to think of any reason why Emilia would want to potentially bear his child.

It would definitely force Trojan to stay in the marriage after he finished his tasks. In the end, Trojan was unable to break through what exactly Emilia wanted.

Trojan sat in the dining hall.

"Has Emilia woken yet?" Trojan asked Domino.

Domino checked using some spell to look inside the room Emilia was in. Domino blinked before he told Trojan, "It appears Lady Letha has awoken."

"Why do you call her Lady Letha now?" Trojan asked.

"My lord…" Domino started, looking slightly concerned too. "You are married. Her family name now changes to 'Trojan', making her Letha L. Trojan."

"Oh right…" Trojan said.

Trojan sat there, thinking about things perhaps too deeply. The situation outside did not allow him to relax, so much so that he had been unable to fully comprehend marriage. After all, it was his first marriage experience in his life. He had not even attended a wedding before as a guest.

"Good morning," Came a tired voice.

Emilia walked into the room, yawning and stretching. She saw Trojan and smiled before sitting down.

"I don't remember a thing last night. It appears I became rather drunk? We're you the one who put me into bed?" Emilia asked Trojan.

Trojan glanced at Domino, who was silent.

"I was also rather drunk myself, and I can't remember even the slightest detail from last night," Trojan replied, laughing light-heartedly.

Emilia nodded and called in some of the servants to serve breakfast.

"First day as a married couple, but we'll have to go and speak to Duke Phoenix," Emilia told Trojan, an almost disappointed look on her face. "The meeting shall be in the afternoon."

"Noted," Trojan nodded.

Emilia sat down, waiting for the food. She eventually got up, excusing herself. "Apologies, I will be needing to take a short leave for the bathroom."

"You don't have to tell me, you can do whatever you want," Trojan told her, slightly suspicious of the way Emilia was acting.

"Well, just wanted to see how you would react," Emilia told him. "And I have a terrible headache, so apologies if I seem slightly weird."

Emilia left the dining hall.

Domino remained silent.

"Are you sure E-, I mean Letha was drunk?" Trojan asked him.

"I believe so, my lord," Domino replied.

Trojan let out a sigh of relief. As long as Emilia did not know about it, it would be fine for the time being. Eventually, if she really did have to bear his child, he would have to be honest, but there was still a chance.

At the time being, having a child was the least of his worries. Although he would eventually want to have children, it was not the best time for him.

He needed to focus on the task at hand.

Gaining the support of Duke Phoenix.

** For convenience sake, I shall still be addressing Letha L. Trojan as Emilia**