PRKE 109

 CHAPTER 109………………………………….
2023.12.18.

Giovanni narrowed his eyes.

“So the witch’s whisper is said to be quite seductive.”

“……”

“Perhaps I really did bring a witch with me.”

The man who laughed softly was, truly, dangerously attractive.

An impulse surged through me. Before I knew it, I pulled him toward me and kissed him. Unlike his firm skin, his lips were soft—warm enough to feel almost hot.

The sensation of our lips pressing together was so vivid it was almost embarrassing.

I slowly pulled away. Giovanni was staring at me with wide eyes.

“Why?”

After a moment’s hesitation, I answered.

“I just felt like it.”

“I see.”

After a slightly dazed murmur—

“Ah….”

He grabbed the back of my neck and pulled me in. Our lips collided, parted. Our tongues tangled, breath mixing together.

Giovanni’s breath seeped into me.

Before I knew it, I was clinging to him as if I had melted.

Was kissing always this good?

It couldn’t be compared to the playful, half-joking kiss Hubert had once given me. It was completely different.

It felt like my feet were floating.

With a wet sound, our lips parted. Giovanni’s breath was wet as well.

“There’s no need to try to make someone desire you.”

“……”

“That can be done simply by laying a hand on them.”

I let out a trembling breath.

“I might not be able to keep Kichef’s words.”

“What do you mean, not be able to keep them?”

With a hoarse voice, Giovanni stroked my cheek. His hand was warm, large, and firm.

I closed my eyes, leaning into his palm that revealed the life he had lived.

Our lips met again.

[Above all else, the Prince’s marriage prospects must not be hindered.]

Kichef’s voice briefly surfaced in my mind, only to be erased as Giovanni pulled me into a tight embrace.

Arms like steel—just being held felt like I would be crushed, a chest so firm and solid.

A familiar, longed-for embrace.

Buzzing, bustling.

The market was packed with people.

From dates, the desert’s most beloved fruit, to jewelry woven from wood and grass, necklaces made of stitched animal bones, and dishes of sheep and goat innards along with untrimmed cuts of meat—all of it was being sold.

Strange scents from every direction poked at my nose.

“Wow, this is fascinating. Look at that, miss. They’re selling animal organs just like that.”

Jenny looked around and exclaimed repeatedly.

There was certainly a lot to see. But today’s purpose wasn’t simple sightseeing, so I didn’t linger on anything.

“Here.”

Kichef pushed through the crowd and stopped somewhere.

A different smell from the spices until now began to rise—fermented alcohol.

“You woke me up at dawn just for this? Drinking in the morning? Was it that good?”

“……”

“Well, Falke yesterday was pretty decent.”

Kichef glanced at me as if he understood. I shot him a look of contempt, as if his thoughts were painfully obvious.

“You don’t remember last night, do you?”

“Pardon?”

“And you also forgot we agreed to speak casually.”

“…Pardon?”

“And you also don’t remember who brought your drunk self home?”

Kichef’s eyes wavered.

“W-was it you?”

I shrugged in response.

“That’s strange. I could’ve sworn I smelled the prince on you while I was half-asleep.”

I kept a straight face and frowned, as if to say, how could you not remember even that?

Kichef scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

“You were trying to get me drunk to put me in a difficult position, weren’t you?”

“What! That’s not it at all!”

He jumped in protest. I stared at his innocent face.

“Really?”

“Well… a bit of drunken honesty might have been involved.”

A dry laugh slipped out of me. He scratched his head, then more vigorously, before muttering in a shrinking voice:

“There was… a little, just a tiny bit of that intention. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“But I still think we should keep speaking formally.”

“Why? Is it more comfortable that way?”

“It’s partly that, but also for the people who regard you as a god.”

After thinking for a moment, I asked:

“You mean it’s better if I look like someone who is properly respected as a god?”

“Exactly. In the Empire, the concept of priesthood isn’t very strong. So you, who bring rain, will look like a god to them. If I speak casually, they may find it strange.”

‘A god, huh. But I really am a god.’

Tyline grumbled.

Kichef said,

“You can speak casually with me.”

“……”

“If you want to.”

“Alright.”

I answered quickly, and Kichef clicked his tongue in discomfort.

“Anyway, you can taste all kinds of alcohol here. But please avoid getting drunk in broad daylight. It reflects poorly on the prince.”

“I didn’t come here to drink.”

Shortly after—

Sip. Sip.

I emptied a cup and frowned.

“…It’s bad.”

Comparing the local alcohol with Riorsa’s wine, Riorsa’s was clearly superior in aroma and taste.

Probably because of the water.

Anyway, my goal was to find the best liquor.

I turned to the next drink.

Sip. Sip.

“Hmm… mediocre.”

I reached for the next cup.

Sip. Sip.

“Oh? This one’s decent.”

There were more than ten bottles on the stall, and just as many tasting cups poured by the owner.

With each emptied cup, Kichef’s expression darkened.

Just as I reached out for another—

Thud!

Kichef pressed down on the cup. The drink spilled slightly, wetting my hand.

I looked at him, asking what he was doing.

He sighed deeply.

“Didn’t you say you weren’t here to drink? This doesn’t look like that.”

“……”

“Are you planning to get completely drunk in a place like this?”

“I’m just tasting it. What do you mean drunk?”

He looked exasperated.

“Do you even know how many cups you’ve had? By volume, you’ve probably finished a bottle.”

He shook his head in disbelief, looking at me like an undisciplined drunkard.

“I mean, what am I even supposed to say…”

Jenny, who had been sipping alongside me, laughed brightly.

“Our lady doesn’t get drunk easily.”

Kichef looked back and forth between us and sighed again.

“Don’t lie. Aren’t you both already drunk?”

“Who was the one who passed out first after getting drunk yesterday…?”

I muttered under my breath, and Kichef cleared his throat.

“Anyway, why are you sipping everything like that? You still haven’t told me why we’re here.”

“To find good alcohol.”

“Good alcohol?”

Confused, he handed me a bottle.

“The Great Chieftain likes alcohol.”

“This is a gift?”

“Yeah. And among these, this is the best one.”

“Ha… then we came to the wrong place. You should’ve gone to a high-end market. The Great Chieftain is a well-known connoisseur even among desert people. Ordinary liquor won’t impress him.”

“I figured.”

I nodded and moved on to the next shop. I tasted what the owner proudly offered and handed another bottle to Kichef.

“I didn’t understand you before, but now I have no idea what you’re thinking.”

“You’ll understand in time.”

I drank another. A strong aroma hit me sharply—different from the others.

“Ugh, this is strong. Is this arak?”

“No, it’s arkhikh. Distilled arak. Hm, not bad.”

Kichef sniffed it and let out an impressed sound.

“It’s been aged quite a while. This is quite a rare liquor.”

Beside him, the shop owner nodded vigorously, eyes sparkling as she looked at me.

It didn’t feel like she was just trying to sell something.

“Do you have something to say?”

I asked lightly, and she spoke as if she had been waiting.

“Are you the god of water?”

Before I could answer, Jenny blurted out yes. The owner clapped her hands.

“Oh my! I’ve always wanted to meet you. I heard the glorious Fifth Prince brought a god with him, and I thought our lives were finally improving…!”

She wiped away teary eyes, then said brightly:

“People here have received a lot of help from the Fifth Prince. Even though he was away from the Empire for a long time, we never worried. We believed the prince would do something great. And look—he even brought a god of water!”

Her faith in Giovanni was immense. So much so that her goodwill extended to me as his companion.

“I heard you were looking for gift alcohol! We have something excellent.”

She suddenly disappeared and returned with a dark bottle, whispering as if sharing a secret.

“This is something we wouldn’t even serve to the Khan.”

When she carefully opened the lid, Kichef let out an impressed breath. A fragrant aroma spread gently through the air.

“Please try it.”

Clear liquor filled a small cup. I took a sip without hesitation.

“It’s arkhikh as well.”

Its strength made my throat burn pleasantly, followed by the distinctive sour aroma of arak.

Kichef and Jenny, after tasting it, widened their eyes.

“This is good.”

“Oh! The aroma is wonderful!”

Kichef leaned close and whispered into my ear.

“This… the Great Chieftain will definitely like it.”

It was good enough that even he was impressed after one sip. In Riorsa, where fine wines abound, it would still be considered rare.

The shop owner smiled brightly at our reactions.

“Right? I originally intended to use it for my daughter’s marriage.”

“You’re really giving this to us?”

“Of course! You are the prince’s guests.”

In her eyes, sparkling like stars, there was hope.

Faith and goodwill.

I looked down at the cup.

This was the result of boundless affection toward Giovanni.

A memory of my childhood in Amtein flashed through my mind. No matter how hard we struggled, no matter how often I got caught stealing and was slapped across the face, I had never once called upon a king.

And I wasn’t the only one. The people of Amtein never expected their king to save them.

The cynical, hardened eyes of my old companions vanished, replaced by the shining eyes of the shop owner.

Giovanni would become a good king.

Because he made people hope.

Of course, he didn’t seem to think of it that deeply himself yet.

“Here, just take it.”

The shop owner pushed the bottle toward me without hesitation, as if it cost her nothing at all.