The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

“Hey... remember that?”

As I lay flat on the cold floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, I heard that voice from somewhere above my head.

“Remember what?”

“Last time we drank.”

“Last time when?”

“Back in first year.”

“...That’s way too long ago to call it ‘last time,’ don’t you think?”

I replied with a mix of disbelief and amusement at how Alice could refer to something years ago as “last time.”

“We said back then it wasn’t a good idea to mix alcohol into tea, right?”

But Alice ignored my tone and carried on.

“And yet we did it again.”

“Yeah...”

She said it in a voice that sounded like she might vanish into the floor at any moment, groaning softly as she spoke.

Then I heard the sound of someone shifting—Alice must’ve been lying down just like I was, staring at the ceiling, our heads nearly touching at the crown.

I had no idea why I was on the floor like this either.

How far back could I remember...? Oh, right.

I suddenly sat up—only to feel a skull-splitting headache and clutch both hands to my head.

“The camera.”

At least I remembered this time.

The camera lens pointed at me as I awkwardly sang a chanson I vaguely knew, using an empty bottle as a microphone.

Claire had been filming me.

“Claire!”

“Ehhh? Whyyy~?”

I turned to the source of the voice and found Claire sprawled across a table, looking like she was in the middle of a sweet dream.

I couldn’t tell if she was awake or just sleep-talking.

...Isn’t this kind of party usually held before the wedding? At what point did we end up like this?

Up until we were all sipping our second drinks, everything had seemed fine.

Now I couldn’t even blame Jennifer or Master for what happened—this time, we did this entirely on our own. We had kept our word to “drink for the ones who couldn’t make it” a little too well.

Still holding my throbbing head, I walked over toward Claire.

“Claire, the camera.”

“Uuuhhn~”

...Is she really asleep?

If she wasn’t, there’s no way she would’ve handed the camera over. There’s only one reason someone would want the camera after being caught on it in an embarrassing moment.

Claire, half-draped over the camera, pushed it toward me with a lazy shove, then promptly passed out again with her face buried in her arms.

“....”

I looked at her one more time, picked up the camera... and then gently set it back down.

She probably hadn’t filmed me just to tease me.

Even if it was embarrassing now, someday this would all just be a fond memory. And just imagining the look on Claire’s face if I tried to delete it... I didn’t have the heart.

Silently placing the camera back on the table, I turned around—only to find Alice already standing.

She still had that scowling expression. She looked exhausted. Honestly, I probably looked the same.

“Let’s go get some fresh air.”

I nodded at her suggestion and headed for the door.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Outside the banquet hall, guards had been posted all night. Not just the imperial guard—there were also hotel staff gathered nearby.

The moment the door opened, all eyes turned toward us. Alice and I instinctively raised a finger to our lips at the same time. Thanks to that, no one dared greet us aloud.

We quickly slipped out and closed the door behind us, making sure the mess inside the hall wasn’t visible.

Alice was the first to speak.

“Please don’t go back in unless we say it’s okay.”

There were commoners inside, yes—but also nobles who would one day lead this country. For their sake, we at least needed to protect their dignity.

Of course, the staff would eventually have to go in and clean up. But we could at least hope the others would wake up first.

“......”

“......”

We stepped out of the hotel without a word. The dawn air was cold. The sky had taken on a soft blue hue, and people had just begun to appear on the streets.

When Alice stopped in front of the steps, I came to a halt beside her.

Immediately, a cluster of knights moved into position around us like a living wall of protection.

“...Honestly, there are times I think things were better before I became Emperor,” she murmured.

“It’s only been two weeks.”

“Exactly. That’s why I’m saying this. A few years from now, I’ll probably be used to it. Maybe I’ll even look back and say it was the right path. But still... I might always think it was better before.”

Alice dropped onto the edge of the hotel steps in a haphazard seat. I sat down beside her.

“So, do you want to quit? You always wanted to be Emperor when we were kids.”

“...Yeah. I know.”

“Hey... remember that?”

Alice stared up at the sky, now dyed in shades of soft blue, and for a moment said nothing.

“Well... I guess this is still just the beginning. It’s not like anything’s really changed. Just a couple more guards around. If you think about it, I always had guards anyway.”

“I was your guard.”

“That’s right. It was you.”

Alice let out a quiet chuckle.

“Come to think of it, you’re someone who should’ve had guards of your own. So really, this isn’t that strange.”

“Exactly. This is how it’s supposed to be.”

We both laughed out loud, briefly.

“Still, I guess even being Emperor doesn’t stop you from ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) attending a friend’s wedding. And it didn’t seem like people made a huge deal out of it either.”

“I don’t know... It seemed like a big deal to me.”

“Really? It feels different from how it was during my father’s time, don’t you think?”

“Maybe. But thinking back, I’m not sure it was that different. We just didn’t go to the banquets, so we never saw it.”

“Ah... yeah, that’s true...”

Alice fell silent again, thoughtful.

“Guess I’ll be going to a lot more banquets from now on.”

“Probably. Who knows what it'll be like in ten, twenty years... but right now, with your reign just beginning, of course you will.”

I replied, and Alice let out a long sigh.

“Don’t think of it like that. Try to see the upside. At least Mia’s always going to be at the banquets too.”

My joke earned a brief laugh from Alice.

But it wasn’t really a joke. Mia, who used to be famous for avoiding social events, had recently started attending every gathering she was expected to. She still seemed more interested in the food than the dancing, though.

“True. Not just Mia—I’ll probably keep running into a bunch of familiar faces from the Academy. At least I won’t have to go out of my way to organize gatherings just to see friends.”

“Right? And actually, don’t you think we’ll end up seeing Charlotte more than we expected, too? You both cried like you’d never see each other again, but she showed up for the wedding without hesitation.”

We laughed again.

“Maybe once some time passes, even an Emperor could travel overseas freely. You mentioned negotiating with the council over foreign affairs and powers, right?”

“...That’s because of what the last reign broke.”

Absolute power can work if the person holding it is truly capable—but humans don’t stay sharp forever. Even the brightest dictator in their youth eventually grows stubborn and inflexible.

The previous Emperor never even considered that. But Alice wasn’t like him. She knew she wasn’t infallible. She knew she couldn’t be like him.

That didn’t mean she was planning to give up all power. Just... delegate the overwhelming parts, little by little.

“Imagine the Emperor taking an overseas vacation. Doesn’t sound so strange, does it?”

“...Not when you put it like that.”

Her expression softened as she pulled her knees close and looked over at me.

“So. What about you?”

“Me? I mean... I’ve got nothing really difficult going on.”

“You came late yesterday because of official work, didn’t you?”

“Yeah, but it’s not like I have your workload. And I’m just a Princess. No real authority, so my job’s mostly just showing up and looking presentable.”

Which was true. I’d only been late because the place I had to visit was far away.

“...Really? You’re sure it’s not too much?”

“If it ever is, I’ll just ride the gryphon over.”

I’d tried to give that guy a name, but in the end, he just stayed “Gryphon.”

Still as much of a glutton as ever—he’d eat any meat offered to him without question. It was kind of amazing how he never seemed to gain any weight.

“Glad to hear you’re not struggling.”

Alice sighed as she said it.

“I’m fine.”

I looked her in the eye as I spoke.

“You’ll be fine too. You’ve done great so far. I’ve been watching you this whole time—I’d bet on it.”

“....”

She kept looking at me, then gave a small shrug.

“Well, if you say so, I guess I can believe it. Coming from the expert who’s apparently been watching me for years.”

And with that, Alice wore the most relaxed expression I’d seen on her in the past two weeks.

“I’m glad... that becoming Emperor didn’t change you.”

“You really think I’d change that easily?”

I shrugged to match her, and she smiled.

Then Alice suddenly turned her gaze to the sky, and I followed.

From the far edge of the heavens, the blue of dawn was slowly fading as the sun began to rise.

It had been a long time since we watched the sky together like this.

And it was beautiful.