The cool scent unique to Alois tickled my nose.
I thought I’d gotten completely used to the smell by now, but it was quite different from usual. As if the sweet scent of alcohol was mixed into it.
“Alois. Will you tell me something?”
“Tell you what?”
Alois blinked slowly and lifted his head.
His face looked no different from usual, but sleep clung to his slowly opening and closing eyes.
He seemed to get more sluggish when drunk. If I’d known he’d be like this, I would have gotten him drunk a long time ago.
“Tell me you need me.”
His face turned doubtful, as if he didn’t understand.
“I’ve already said that dozens of times.”
He wasn’t wrong.
He had said it many times, with those red lips and desperate eyes, that he needed me.
“Say it again.”
I brushed my fingers along Alois’s porcelain-like skin as I asked again. He seemed to want to know what I was thinking, but soon gave in.
“I need you, Lady Emilone.”
“Because I’m the Saintess?”
“No.”
Alois cut me off without hesitation.
He had said it more than dozens of times that he needed me because I was the Saintess. That’s why his answer now felt unfamiliar.
“Because Lady Emilone is the Saintess.”
He gave me a new answer.
It was quite different from everything he’d said so far, so I let out a small smile and took my hand off his face.
“Is that your true feeling?”
“It is. If it weren’t you but someone else…”
He trailed off mid-sentence and bowed his head.
Honestly, it would be more accurate to say he had gone half limp.
“Did you fall asleep?”
He leaned onto me, and I sighed at the weight and turned my head.
The world was still dark.
There was no one around but Alois and me.
It felt like we were the only two under the bright moonlight.
“Wake up before the sun rises.”
Holding onto the already-sleeping Alois, I muttered to myself.
I stayed like that for a long while, facing only the breeze. Alois truly slept like the dead.
Even his breathing was so faint that I had to keep checking, placing my hand under his nose.
He was so still, I would have believed it if someone told me his eyes were just closed and he wasn’t actually asleep.
“Even in sleep, not a single flaw.”
The murmured words scattered into the air.
He seemed perfect. Too good for someone like me.
“How ridiculous.”
I had once told Alois that I treated him purely for political purposes.
That I had no personal feelings. That I just cared for him, a little.
That was all, I had said.
“Alois, tell me honestly.”
But to be honest, that wasn’t true for me. And…
“Don’t you have some other feelings for me?”
It must be the same for Alois too.
“I feel like I already know, even if you don’t say it.”
I had no intention of ever saying those words out loud.
Alois, too, would never definitively state his feelings or go back on what he said.
“Don’t think you’ve hidden your emotions well when you make that kind of face at me.”
And yet, I didn’t really have the right to say that either.
Just as I understood him, Alois surely understood me as well. I was almost certain of it.
And just as the shoulder he leaned on began to ache, he slowly opened his eyes.
“You’re awake?”
It really seemed like he’d woken up right on time.
Alois straightened his posture, and only then could I finally stretch myself out too.
As his warmth left me, I sat up and stretched wide. It felt like my curled-up body was finally unfolding.
“I’m sorry.”
He must have sobered up already. As he grasped the situation, he offered an apology.
Maybe because he’d just woken up, his voice was lower than usual.
“It’s fine. I’m the one who made you drink.”
Alois stood up after me. He briefly frowned, as if his head was pounding, but it lasted only a moment.
“It appears I drank too much.”
“I’m the one who made you drink that much.”
To me, alcohol was no different from water.
Thanks to that, while I casually took a single sip of my drink, Alois downed two or three without much thought.
“Shall we head back now?”
I held out my hand, and Alois took it.
Our little satisfying escape had come to an end.
***
We returned safely to the imperial palace. No one knew we had gone out.
Of course, working from early morning after staying up all night was a real strain.
“You’ve worked hard.”
After finishing all the document sorting and sinking into the chair, Reneben handed me a cold glass of water.
“What about the other attendants?”
“I thought they might make you uncomfortable, so I sent them away.”
Maybe it was because of the drinking yesterday, but I was incredibly thirsty, so the cold water was welcome.
“Then does that mean you have to serve me yourself?”
“I was always meant to serve Your Holiness.”
Since I’m the High Priest, after all.
He said it confidently. Among the mostly older priests, Reneben was on the younger side.
Despite that, he had been held in high regard as a High Priest since he was a child.
One would expect that to make him arrogant, but he’d always stayed the same.
I thought about calling the other attendants, but since it had been a while since I spent time with Reneben, I let it be.
“Um…Your Holiness.”
The documents from the Empire had all been sorted. Having gotten the most tedious task out of the way, I was slouched in my seat when Reneben cautiously opened his mouth.
“Hm?”
I rolled the ice around in my mouth, then crunched down on it. Cool shards of ice filled my mouth.
“What I heard yesterday… is it true?”
He trailed off after building up to it, and I had to pause for a moment to figure out what he was referring to.
Only then did I recall what happened at the party yesterday.
“Ahh…”
With a sigh-like murmur, I leaned forward.
As I buried my face on the desk, the cold sensation rose up.
Reneben seemed flustered by my lack of composure but realizing that it was just the two of us, he held his tongue.
“Reneben. What kind of presence is a companion?”
“…Pardon?”
“As you might’ve guessed, I’ve chosen Alois as my companion.”
His eyes widened before he pressed his lips together.
Reneben showed an unreadable expression.
How should I put it… he looked sad, maybe.
I gazed at the strands of pink hair messily sprawled across the desk. Hair that Alois had kissed dozens of times.
“But I wonder… if choosing him as my companion would change anything from how it’s been so far.”
I murmured, half to myself.
I could sense Reneben’s turmoil. Countless emotions flickered across his eyes.
When I slowly got up and reached out, he stepped forward, knelt at my feet, and respectfully kissed the back of my hand.
“There is nothing to wonder about. If it is Prince Alois, he will surely claim the throne.”
His lips parted. He spoke with his face still resting against my hand.
“If Prince Alois becomes king, he will be of great help to you, Your Holiness.”
He was right. That conclusion matched mine.
But what I was curious about wasn’t that kind of political relationship.
Even if it was a decision made for gain, like a political marriage, I wondered if something between us might change.
“May God’s blessing be upon you.”
I kissed Reneben’s forehead while he remained kneeling at my feet.
“I will always be by your side, Saint.”
Reneben spoke as if he truly meant it.
Looking at him, I thought of Alois.
I cared for Alois deeply. Whether or not it was a different kind of feeling didn’t matter much.
I was happy when I was with him. I didn’t dislike the time we spent together.
Reneben stood and took a few steps back. Smiling gently, he excused himself, saying he’d be visiting the temple.
Come to think of it, I was also planning to visit the temple today or tomorrow.
Since I had just finished the urgent tasks, I walked out to the terrace for a short break.
The wind blew stronger than usual. As soon as I opened the door, it rushed in, scattering my hair without mercy.
I turned my head toward the room, debating whether to give up the short rest when, right then, the door of the terrace across from mine opened wide.
The man who stepped out seemed momentarily startled by the strong wind, just like I was.
“Alois.”
I called out his name as I looked at him.
Seeing me, Alois walked onto the terrace without hesitation and I walked up to the railing too.
“Yes, I’m here.”
His voice carried over the terrace. I chuckled softly and leaned against the railing. The cool breeze brushed past me.
I debated whether or not to say the words that had been storming through my mind just a moment ago.
But in the end, it was easier to say them than I’d expected.
“I’ve chosen you to be the companion of the ‘Saintess.’”
He said nothing, just listened as I spoke.
The Kingdom of Eseah was beautiful. From this high terrace of the royal palace, everything was visible.
I liked this place.
“As the Saintess’s companion, I mean.”
I narrowed my eyes and leaned forward. Gripping the railing, I brought my body closer to his.
Just as I opened my lips to say something more, Alois cut me off.
“It is an honor. To be the companion of ‘Lady Emilone.’”
“…”
At his words, I gathered my windblown hair. The pink strands didn’t quite fit into one hand, still swept up by the breeze.
“Are you satisfied?”
It was a cliché question. And I figured Alois’s answer was already set.
“I wonder.”
But his response was unexpected, so I waited silently for his answer.
The wind was biting, but I didn’t feel cold.
I kept my eyes on his red lips, wondering what he would say.
“I don’t think I’m satisfied yet.”
“Why not?”
We both continued the conversation without showing any emotion, our voices dry.
“I’m not sure. I don’t really have anything specific to say.”
Alois didn’t hide his face, which had gone cold and still. He slowly closed and opened his eyes, as if deep in thought.
“I thought everything would be over once we became partners.”
“…”
“But I think… I want something else.”
Alois unfastened the button on his collar, as if loosening a tight grip around his neck.
As if finally able to breathe, he exhaled a hot breath and muttered,
“This feels strange.”
*.*.*
- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 47 – 49 - November 22, 2025
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- Honey, I’m Going on Strike – Chapters 42-43 - November 8, 2025