Chapter 69 …
“Again… you’re giving meaning to everything, really!”
Eugenie ruthlessly crushed the expectations that were quietly rising.
After all, the truth was that she had been a K-office worker in her past life.
She had transmigrated into a romance fantasy she read during her office days.
And surely, she couldn’t exactly explain that she was mixing cocktails and drinking them because of her pre-transmigration experiences, could she?
“It’s just… something I happened to start, and it led to this.”
Eugenie casually changed the topic.
“By the way, Your Majesty, do you have any hobbies?”
“Hobby…?”
Caught off guard, Cedric looked a little embarrassed.
He had never really thought about it.
Every moment of his time had to be dedicated solely to becoming a great emperor.
“Well, that is…”
Cedric trailed off unconsciously.
Eugenie then looked up at him with a clear, steady gaze.
“Wouldn’t it be good for Your Majesty to have at least one hobby to clear your mind?”
“…Hobby.”
“Of course, I know you dedicate yourself to the country, but a person can’t live only as Emperor, can they?”
Eugenie smiled warmly.
It was her characteristic gentle smile.
“Your personal life is important too, isn’t it?”
“…”
Cedric stared blankly at her.
Eugenie Sayers.
For the first time, she acknowledged that Cedric was a normal person before being an emperor.
She told him it was okay to make mistakes.
She asked him about his hobbies.
…She was someone who showed interest in Cedric as an individual, not the emperor.
“Why is she staring at me so intently?”
Meanwhile, feeling the persistent gaze on her, Eugenie cleared her throat awkwardly and called out to Cedric.
“Your Majesty?”
Ah.
Only then did Cedric snap back to reality.
Was it because of the lingering effects of alcohol?
Or perhaps because Eugenie’s smile in front of him was just too charming?
His heart kept fluttering.
The banquet for the hunting party usually continued until the next morning.
The royal family would host breakfast for the distinguished guests.
This breakfast symbolized the strong friendship between the royal family and the noble houses.
And so, at present,
Cedric, who had the duty to properly entertain the nobles as the host of the banquet,
“….”
Stared at the scene before him with a skewed gaze.
“Ugh…”
“Ughhh…”
Knights and young nobles were staggering about, their faces as if they might faint.
Meanwhile, the maids were handing drinks to each of them.
But somehow, the drink looked familiar.
‘Isn’t that a Virgin Mary?’
The cocktail Eugenie had made to help Cedric, just in case.
“What is this drink, exactly?”
One of the knights asked with a puzzled look.
At that, Eugenie, who had been busily carrying cocktails with the other maids, spoke up.
“It’s a Virgin Mary.”
“Virgin… Mary?”
“Yes. It’s a drink with tomato juice as the main ingredient, and it’s said to help with hangovers.”
Eugenie answered cheerfully, almost like a salesperson.
The young nobles and knights looked at the Virgin Mary in their hands with doubtful expressions.
A red drink that looked refreshing.
And a tiny lemon garnish on the rim.
It looked just like an ordinary juice at first glance…
A knight took a sip of the Virgin Mary and looked at the glass with a curious expression.
“It’s… a very unique taste.”
“Kind of like drinking cold tomato soup, I’d say.”
The knights and young nobles couldn’t hide their ambiguous expressions.
But after a while,
people’s reactions began to change.
“I think it’s less queasy than before.”
“You feel that too?”
“Yeah, it’s definitely better.”
What they thought would be just a strange taste actually worked.
Their queasy stomachs were gradually calming down.
“Right? Your stomach feels a little better, doesn’t it?”
Eugenie answered proudly.
“Even so, it’s a drink often used for hangovers.”
“Indeed… it’s quite effective.”
“If it’s not too much trouble, could I have another glass?”
Those who felt the hangover relief began requesting another glass one by one.
Eugenie collected the empty glasses with a satisfied expression.
Meanwhile, Cedric, watching Eugenie’s smiling face from afar, couldn’t help but feel down…
‘That cocktail… I thought she made it just for me.’
It was really strange.
When she handed Virgin Pina Coladas or other drinks to the administrators, he didn’t feel like this.
‘Why do I feel so… deflated?’
Cedric was very confused.
After the hunting party ended,
Eugenie returned to her duties as the head maid of the Second Prince’s Palace.
She had only rested for two days, but already, paperwork had piled up like a mountain.
“Haaaaa…”
Letting out a long sigh from her chest, Eugenie opened the file with a serene expression.
After working with her pen for a while,
there was a short knock at the door.
One maid poked her head through the gap.
“Head Maid Sayers, I think you need to check the inventory list here.”
“Yes, I’m coming!”
Eugenie inserted a bookmark in the file she had been reading and stood up abruptly.
It was a bookmark made from a dried red flower.
