Chapter 40 – Episode 40. Champagne and Citrus Sauce Should Not Be Eaten Together (2)
Has definitely changed
Sister has changed.
Ashley was lost in thought as she lay on the bed.
‘My sister handed over the meat?’
The image of Astrid taking the salad and passing the steak over for dinner last night came to mind.
It is impossible.
If he took away more of Ashley’s share of meat, he would steal it, but he was never a great person to hand it over. At least the Astrid that Ashley remembered was like that.
Besides, he invites me to go to dinner? This is Astrid, who would have told her to get out of the way when she was done with her business.
‘Strange… No matter how much he loses some of his memories, this is at the level of a person who has changed.’
Ashley thought for a moment that maybe that was her older sister’s true self, but then shook her head.
It can’t be. Astrid is 20 years old, Ashley is 19 years old. Ashley was 5 years old when she entered the Grand Duchess of Mitterien, and Astrid was 6 years old, but her sister was like that even then.
Ashley remembered.
It’s only a year old, so why don’t you call me noona? Hey! Astrid! Ashley still remembered the horrors that had happened that day.
The fear engraved in that instinct continues to this day, even to this moment, but Astrid shows such a soft side? It is impossible.
‘What? I don’t know what it is.’
Does her memory have such a big impact? Looking back, Ashley didn’t notice anything in particular.
A month after falling down the stairs, Astrid woke up after sleeping as if she was dead. At first, she didn’t even recognize Ashley properly.
That’s all, he couldn’t even properly recognize his father, Wolfgang. Because the first word was, who are you? So the fact that I found out, memory loss.
From then on, it was forbidden to talk about Astrid changing in the family. Everyone kissed him for treating him that way, as if he was originally that kind of person, as if he was originally a kind person at heart.
At least, everyone in the Grand Duchess of Mitterien agreed that the present Astrid was much better than the snowy leopard Astrid of the past.
‘Even though… ‘
Anyway, anyway.
‘People, this far… ‘
*
‘…Will it change?’
Leopold was dumbfounded when he saw Astrid smiling brightly in front of him.
Three glasses of champagne. It was also a slightly smaller glass than the normal glass.
In addition, as it is champagne that serves as an aperitif, the alcohol was not particularly strong.
As proof of that, Leopold, who drank in time with Astrid, was not drunk, and now his appetite was piqued.
However, red blush bloomed all over Astrid’s face, and instead of the reddish-toned makeup she had when she first entered the small banquet room, she became as red as a jacaranda flower.
Even if she doesn’t know it, if she puts her hand on her cheek, her heat will rise.
The desire to touch him once was barely suppressed by Leopold.
“Astrid.”
“Yehe?”
Astrid, who was spooning the jam in front of her, raised her head and looked at Leopold.
“… That’s jam It is not soup.”
“Ah. Somehow the soup was sour… “
A face full of smiles.
Astrid looked at Leopold with that red face and smiled.
Laugh.
Smile.
That bright smile.
A smile like a jacaranda blooming all over the face, as if I hadn’t seen it for the first time in 10 years.
Seeing that figure, Leopold suddenly felt strange.
A bright, truly innocent smile.
Astrid is said to be the most beautiful in the empire, but due to her inherent ferocity and sharpness, Astrid’s beauty, which was not properly evaluated, was shining at this moment.
Her lips, which had always been light gray, became reddish from the application of lipstick, and her white skin suddenly turned red, whether it was makeup or alcohol.
A smile bloomed on his lips as well as his eyes widened to the point where they curved like a crescent moon.
Her white teeth shyly peeked out from between her fully opened lips, and a warm breath flowed through them with a gurgling sound.
“Look at this, a handsome prince. If you’ve been called, you have to speak. “
“Oh, are you okay, Astrid?”
“It’s okay… Of course it’s fine… Like this, I’m not drunk, but I’m not.”
No, no matter how you look at it, it wasn’t okay. Canapés, which were appetizers, came out earlier, and now the main dish, goose dishes, came out.
Leopold ate most of it, but Astrid still had most of it left.
“Hey, Leopold… !”
‘… Hey?’
“You you… Why do you keep uh?”
It wasn’t Leopold that Astrid was staring at.
To be precise, it was the plate placed in front of Leopold.
“Why don’t you keep eating salad, huh? Will you keep doing that? My older sister… Uh? Not… Go? Fit… Me?”
Astrid muttered something while holding a fork.
She finally picked up a fork and began to scoop up the salad that was left almost intact on Leopold’s plate and transfer it to her own plate.
“Astrid, what are you doing… ?”
“I don’t call my sister Astrid, I don’t call her older sister… ?!”
“Now, wait. Astrid, my birthday is earlier. Technically, it’s not your sister’s… “
“It’s noisy immeongah!”
Astrid moved all of her salad onto her own plate. Then she scooped up the goose from her plate and transferred it to Leopold’s plate.
“Nunaaaaa… How many times have I told you… Salad, oh oh oh oh… Come eat… That way you’ll be healthy… “
The more she speaks, the more her head goes down.
Astrid seemed to have finished her words, holding the fork, as if she had fallen asleep, she muttered something but her eyes were closed.
“Whoa… “
Leopold put down the tableware and sighed deeply.
But she didn’t feel angry or annoyed or anything like that.
Rather, what should I do with Astrid now… Feeling like that.
So, in other words, it was a feeling close to being a little worried.
“Me, Your Highness.”
“No problem. Back off In whose hands will I entrust my fiancée to hers?”
Those words were right.
It would be ridiculous to send Astrid back like this, and she had no choice but to sleep overnight in this imperial palace.
“You go to the home of Grand Duke Mitterien and tell them that Lady Mitterien will have you sleep in the imperial palace for a day and then return home safely.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
If Astrid didn’t come home this late, it was clear that she would be worried that she might be beating someone up, so Leopold hurriedly sent a messenger, and a guardsman dressed in light bowed deeply and left the banquet room.
“Now… “
I should have taken her to the guest palace.
It wouldn’t make sense to order the servants.
She is the fiancee of the crown prince, and Astrid, the daughter of the Grand Duchess of Miterien, who is one of the world’s most famous people.
She couldn’t have an attendant who could touch her body, and neither should she.
After a moment’s thought, Leopold shook Astrid’s shoulder.
“Astrid, wake up. Wake.”
“Oooh… Ashley… 5 minutes only… “
‘Ashley… ?’
For an instant, Leopold’s brow furrowed.
I hear it’s a male name. Why does a man’s name come up here?
‘Ah. Astrid’s younger brother’s name was Ashley.’
Only then did Leopold’s brows open again.
“Astrid, it’s me. It’s Leopold. Please wake up.”
“Uhhhhh… Crown Prince Jeonhuah… ?”
Astrid, who had been bowing down, lifted his head and looked up at Leopold.
A sullen, thin, crescent-shaped smile hung over her eyes, and Leopold couldn’t bear to look at that smile right away.
“Kyaa uh… “
Astrid stretched out her arm.
The wind rolled up the sleeves of her pale blue dress, revealing her white wrists and arms.
The white arm that came slowly and wrapped around Leopold’s neck.
“Whoop whoop… “
Leopold leaned over as her arm pulled her, and Astrid’s hot breath touched her ear before she knew it.
“… Calm down.”
She drank a lot
Leopold held Astrid in his arms to hide her growing face.
“Is the guest palace ready?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Guide me.”
Following the silently walking attendant, Leopold carried Astrid in her arms.
*
“This room is coming.”
“Yes, go away.”
“I have prepared two sets of bedding.”
The meaning behind the words was very clear.
As it was, the attendant bowed deeply and left, and Leopold entered the room and set Astrid down on the bed.
Astrid, who slept soundly as if in a deep sleep, breathing quietly.
After looking down at her for a moment, Leopold reached out and brushed Astrid’s hair from his forehead.
A soft, silky texture passed through his fingertips.
Astrid’s hand tickled as well, and lightly slapped it.
“Hey… Eww… “
“Are you even thirsty?”
I looked around to see if the water was ready, and there was a pot and a cup by the head of the bed.
Drinking too much would make him thirsty, so Leopold stood up from the side of the bed and reached for Astrid’s head to give him a drink.
“Hingugh.”
“Uh… ?!”
Astrid’s arms seemed to reach Leopold’s neck, who had been stretching out like that, and then wrapped it around and pulled him.
Before he had time to react, Leopold collapsed onto the bed while being held by Astrid. He managed to support Astrid with his arms just before crushing him, but instead the posture became more subtle.
Astrid lying asleep, and Leopold, who fell on top of her.
Even if he tried to escape somehow, Leopold’s power could not overcome Astrid’s.
Astrid’s eyelids trembled for a moment as she lay on Leopold’s neck, then slowly opened her eyes.
“You have to keep asking for a change… Won’t change… ! I… Why because of you… I have to suffer… “