The Northern Duke’s Daughter Will Never Fall

Chapter 40. Champagne and Mandarin Sauce Shouldn’t Be Eaten Together (2)

She had definitely changed.

My sister had changed.

Lying on his bed, Ashray sank into thought.

“Sister gave me her meat?”

The image of Astrid handing him her steak in exchange for his salad during last night’s dinner came to mind.

That’s impossible.

If anything, she’d be more likely to snatch away the meat from his plate than offer her own. At least, that’s how the Astrid he remembered had always been.

And inviting him to stay for dinner? This was the same Astrid who would have told him to “get lost” the moment he’d finished his business.

“This is strange… Even if she’s lost part of her memory, this is like an entirely different person.”

For a brief moment, Ashray considered the possibility that this might be her true self. But he quickly shook his head.

There’s no way. Astrid was 20, and he was 19. He’d been adopted into the Miterien Ducal Family at the age of 5, when Astrid was 6, and even back then, she’d been like this.

Ashray remembered it clearly.

He’d once tried calling her by her name instead of “sister,” saying, “Hey, Astrid!”, thinking it’d be fine since they were only a year apart. The catastrophe that followed was still vivid in his memory.

The fear that had been seared into his very instincts remained unchanged to this day. For her to suddenly show such softness? Unthinkable.

“What is this? Seriously, what’s going on?”

Could memory loss really cause this kind of drastic change? No matter how much he thought about it, Ashray couldn’t find a satisfactory answer.

It’d been a month since she’d fallen down the stairs. For that entire month, she’d slept as if dead. When she finally woke up, she hadn’t even recognized him.

Not just him—she hadn’t recognized Father Wolfgang either. The first thing she’d said to him was, “Who are you?” And that’s when everyone learned about her memory loss.

Since then, any mention of Astrid “changing” had been strictly banned in the household. 

They’d all agreed to treat her as if she’d always been this way—as if she’d always been secretly kind and gentle.

At the very least, everyone in the Miterien Ducal Family agreed on one thing: this new Astrid was far preferable to the “Leopard of the Snowfield” she’d been before.

“But still…”

Even so, no matter how much they agreed on that point…

“A person… can change this much?”

“…Can they?”

Leopold stared in disbelief at Astrid, who was giggling in front of him.

Three glasses of champagne. Not even full-sized ones, but slightly smaller than normal glasses.

And since it was a pre-meal champagne, it wasn’t even strong.

To prove it, Leopold himself had been drinking it in sync with her and, far from getting drunk, he’d only just started to feel his appetite awaken.

But Astrid’s face was flushed red all over. The light blush of her makeup when she’d first entered the salon had been replaced with a deep, fiery red, like the bloom of a Chinese trumpet creeper flower.

Her cheeks would no doubt feel hot to the touch.

Leopold barely managed to suppress the sudden desire to test that theory.

“Astrid.”

“Yesss?”

Astrid, who’d been spooning jam straight into her mouth, lifted her head to look at him.

“…That’s jam. It’s not soup.”

“Ah. No wonder the soup tasted all sticky and sweet…”

Her face was brimming with a goofy smile.

With her flushed red face, Astrid looked at Leopold and smiled brightly.

A smile.

A grin.

That radiant smile.

It was a smile so pure and full of light that Leopold felt like he was seeing it for the first time in ten years.

It was a smile that bloomed on her face like the Chinese trumpet creeper in full bloom.

Seeing it made him feel strangely out of sorts.

A bright, pure, and unguarded smile.

Though Astrid’s beauty had long been regarded as one of the finest in the Empire, her naturally fierce and sharp demeanor had overshadowed it. But in this moment, that beauty was shining with full force.

Her lips, which were usually a pale, ashy gray, had turned a rosy red thanks to her lipstick. Her once porcelain-white skin had turned a warm pink—whether from makeup or intoxication, it was hard to tell.

Her eyes curled into crescents, and her lips followed suit, forming a smile so full it looked like a new moon had risen on her face.

Her slightly parted lips revealed a glimpse of her white teeth, and through that gap, soft breaths escaped with a gentle “haah, haah” sound.

“Heeey, handsome prince over therrre… If you called me, then shouldn’t you… say somethiiing?”

“A-are you okay, Astrid?”

“’Course I’m fiiine… Obv—obviously fiiine… I don’t’t get drunkkk off just thiiis much…”

She was clearly not fine. The main dish, a goose entree, had already been served after the canapé appetizers, and Leopold had almost finished eating his portion.

Meanwhile, Astrid’s plate was still mostly untouched.

“Hey, Leopold…”

“…Hey?”

“You, you… Why do you keep… huh?”

Astrid’s gaze wasn’t on Leopold but on the plate in front of him.

“Why’re you not eating your salad? Huh? You’re gonna keep doing that? Earlier, sis— no, wait… Was it? Wasn’t it?”

Holding her fork, she mumbled to herself for a while before decisively moving to action.

With her fork, she started transferring the untouched salad from Leopold’s plate to her own.

“Astrid, what are you…?”

“Don’t call me Astrid, call me sis! Call me sis!”

“H-hold on. Astrid, technically I’m older than you, so if we’re being precise, you’re not my…”

“Shut up, you fool!”

Astrid moved all the salad onto her plate. Then, she scooped up generous portions of the goose dish from her plate and placed them on Leopold’s plate.

“How many times… how many times have I told you… to eat… your salad… It’s good… for your health…”

Her head drooped lower and lower as she spoke.

When she finished, Astrid, still holding her fork, mumbled incoherently as if she had fallen into a light doze, her eyes closed.

“Haaah…”

Leopold let out a deep sigh as he set down his utensils.

But it wasn’t out of anger or frustration.

Rather, it was more a feeling of… uncertainty.

What should he do with her?

He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t a little worried.

“Your Highness.”

“There’s no issue. Leave us. Who else but me should watch over my fiancée?”

It was a reasonable statement.

Sending Astrid home in her current state was unthinkable. The only option was to let her stay the night in the Imperial Palace.

“Go to the Miterien Ducal residence and inform them that Lady Miterien will be staying in the Imperial Palace for the night and will be safely escorted home tomorrow.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

If Astrid didn’t return home this late, there’d be concern that she’d gone out and caused a ruckus. 

So Leopold quickly dispatched a messenger. A guardsman in light armor bowed deeply before promptly leaving the salon.

“Now then…”

He’d have to take her to the guest palace.

Ordering a servant to do it wasn’t an option.

She was the Crown Prince’s fiancée and the daughter of the esteemed Miterien Ducal Family.

No servant would dare touch her, nor should they.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Leopold placed a hand on Astrid’s shoulder and gently shook her.

“Astrid, wake up. Get a hold of yourself.”

“Mmm… Ashray… five more minutes…”

“Ashray…?”

Leopold’s brow furrowed.

That’s a man’s name. Why would she be calling a man’s name here?

“Ah. Ashray is Astrid’s younger brother…”

Realizing this, Leopold’s furrowed brow relaxed.

“Astrid, it’s me. Leopold. Get up now.”

“Huhuh… Prince Leoo…?”

Astrid, who had been slumped forward, suddenly lifted her head and looked up at him.

Her narrowed eyes curled like crescent moons, and a playful grin spread across her face, making it impossible for Leopold to meet her gaze directly.

“Heeeh…”

Astrid stretched out her arms.

The sleeve of her pale blue dress slid up, revealing her snow-white wrist and forearm.

Her soft, white arm reached out and wrapped around Leopold’s neck.

“Hehehe…”

As she pulled him down, her warm breath brushed against his ear.

“Calm yourself.”

She was very drunk.

Feeling his face heat up, Leopold lifted Astrid into his arms to hide his expression.

“Is the guest palace prepared?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Lead the way.”

With Astrid in his arms, Leopold followed silently behind the attendant, who walked ahead without a word.

***

“This is the room, Your Highness.”

“Good. Leave us.”

“We have prepared two sets of bedding, Your Highness.”

The implication of those words was crystal clear.

The attendant bowed deeply before leaving, and Leopold carried Astrid into the room, laying her down on the bed.

She was fast asleep, her gentle breaths filling the quiet room.

After gazing at her for a moment, Leopold reached out and brushed aside the strand of hair that had fallen across her forehead.

His fingers brushed against her soft skin, smooth and tender as silk.

The sensation seemed to tickle Astrid, as she let out a soft murmur and shook her head from side to side.

“Hmph… Nnngh…”

“Is she thirsty?”

Wondering if she needed water, Leopold glanced around and spotted a pitcher and cup on the nightstand.

It’s common to get thirsty after drinking, so he stood up and moved to the bedside to fetch the water.

“Hnnngh…”

“What…?!”

As he leaned over, Astrid’s arm suddenly shot out, wrapping around his neck and pulling him down.

Before he could react, he was yanked down onto the bed, falling on top of her.

Just before crushing her, he managed to catch himself with his arms, but that only made the situation more awkward.

He was now hovering over Astrid, who lay beneath him, fast asleep.

He tried to pull away, but Astrid’s grip was surprisingly strong. Despite all his strength, he couldn’t free himself from her hold.

Her eyes quivered, and then her eyelids slowly opened.

“Even if you whine and complain… I’m not changing it… Why should I suffer because of you all…”