I Became King by Following My Little Sister's Advice. Now the Princess I Forced to Marry Is Giving Me Death Stares, What Should I Do? - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Delicious Drink

That day, a grand feast was held at the Armstrong Fortress.

The celebration marked the founding of the new Arlengs Kingdom, replacing the Aidron Kingdom, and the coronation of its new king.

“To our new king!”

““Cheers!””

When Marquis Ulbers, the lord of the fortress, raised his cup, the attendees followed suit.

The guests were nobles from the eastern frontier regions. 

Though they held little influence at court, they were all seasoned warriors who had fought against the eastern empire.

Their support was crucial for maintaining peace in the east.

Not long ago, these nobles were shouting, “The usurper must be defeated!” But now, they sincerely celebrated Van’s coronation. 

Nobles in this region, including the Ulbers family, valued martial prowess. 

They couldn’t deny a man who had defeated the strongest among them in an honorable duel. 

All of them swore loyalty to Van and would follow him to any battlefield.

(M-Moaaa! Help meeeeeee!)

While sitting at the highest seat of the banquet, Van was screaming internally.

Seated next to Marquis Ulbers, Van had been receiving greetings from many nobles. 

Before becoming a knight, Van was the third son of a fallen noble family. 

He had no house or land to inherit and was shunned by his brothers, so he left for the royal capital with his sister and became a knight.

Now, Van was the king. 

The surrounding nobles treated him as such.

Nobles, who were more than twice his age, came one after another to greet him and bow their heads.

The mental stress was overwhelming.

(Moaa, I really don’t think I’m cut out to be a king…)

“Excuse me, may I pour your drink?”

“Ah, thank you…?”

As Van sipped his drink lightly to avoid getting too drunk, a beautiful woman appeared.

She had sharp eyes and a strong presence, and she was a rare beauty, but was a rare beauty even by the standards of the royal capital.

“You must be…”

“I am Lyusha Ulbers, the granddaughter of Marquis Ulbers.”

The silver-haired beauty named Lyusha smiled faintly and poured wine into Van’s cup.

“Your duel earlier was truly impressive. To think you would defeat my grandfather… Please forgive this foolish girl for underestimating Your Majesty.”

“Oh, that’s not really a problem.”

“A person who wields such a refined sword could never seize the throne for selfish reasons. Surely, there must have been a compelling reason. I am ashamed of myself for calling Your Majesty a traitor without knowing anything…”

Lyusha’s expression darkened, and she bowed her head. 

Van, panicking at the sight of the clearly dejected beauty, hurried to reassure her.

“N-no, no, no! It’s true that I’m a usurper. You’re not wrong! Please, raise your head!”

“Thank you.”

Lyusha raised her head. 

Van wasn’t imagining the tiny tears at the corners of her eyes.

“As the next head of the Ulbers family, I also pledge my loyalty to Your Majesty! Please, drink some more wine.”

“Ah, okay.”

“Go on, drink up!”

“Uh…”

Prompted by Lyusha, Van drank the wine in his cup. 

He had no intention of drinking much because he knew he had a bad habit when drunk, but refusing the offered wine would be rude. 

Especially when it was offered by the Marquis’s daughter, someone of much higher status than his original position.

(Well, this wine is easy to drink, so I should be fine as long as I don’t overdo it.)

However, Van didn’t know that the wine from this region, despite its smooth taste, had a high alcohol content and could easily overwhelm those not accustomed to it.

“Ah…?”

“Here, Your Majesty, have another cup.”

Van managed to stay conscious for about thirty more minutes.

When he woke up, he was lying in a room in the fortress.

Beside him was Lyusha Ulbers, completely naked, sleeping peacefully.