Second Arc (His Art of War) - 105. Reinheart Family's Breakfast I
Meanwhile in the Golden Light Castle, Asteria ...
A servant knocked on Ilex's room to wake him up.
"Your Highness, the king and Princess Ophelia are waiting for you at the dining hall."
No answer.
He knocked again.
"Your Highness, the king and Princess Ophelia are waiting for you at the dining hall."
Again, no answer.
The servant turned to his friend.
"What should we do?" This was the first time Ilex didn't answer them. Even though Ilex and Angel never got along, as royal family members, they had the same high discipline, including small things like this.
"I don't know. His Highness was never like this before," replied the other. Although they knew Ilex locked himself in his room to drink all night, Ilex was different from Angel. Ilex had a high tolerance for alcohol and rarely got drunk.
"Should we try to wake him up again?"
"I think we better go back and report this to the king." They had been trying to wake Ilex up for more than ten minutes, they couldn't possibly make King Gervis and Ophelia wait any longer.
Finally, the servant turned to the guard.
"Please tell his highness that the king and the princess will have their breakfast first."
"I understand," replied the guard. Then the servants turned and left.
Inside the room, bright sunlight shone through the windows and curtains. But Ilex was still asleep on his bed. His blonde hair was messy, as were his shirt and trousers. Even he was still wearing his shoes. The smell of alcohol was clear from his mouth and body. An empty wine glass was nearby. Under his bed, several empty wine bottles were also scattered on the table near the sofa. He didn't know how much he had drunk last night after hearing his grand plan failed.
Unlike his father and sister who had accepted their family's defeat and had focused on restoring Asteria since Angel helped them put down the rebellion in the castle, Ilex still planned to get rid of Angel. And since everything he did or his family was always under Angel's surveillance, he tried to find some help from outside. That's why he did his grand plan, which was to use the Zephyrus rebels to help him reclaim Asteria from Angel.
But of course, this was not as easy as before, because now he was not a prince of the greatest kingdom in the Andromeda Continent anymore. But a prince who was defeated by an exile who should have died at his hands five years ago. And nothing was more embarrassing than that. Because of that, he couldn't ask Ivetta for help just like that, but he had to help her take over Zephyrus first before asking for her help. He had sent his trusted elite troops to Zephyrus to assassinate the Heart family but Angel unexpectedly messed things up. Not only managed to capture Zephyrus, but Angel also managed to kill his elite troops, leaving a spy who could only send him a message.
His plan failed miserably, so he spent the whole night drinking until he got drunk. He had never been so angry and felt useless like this. But of course, he didn't give up.
"Ugghhh ..." Ilex grunted. His eyes opened slowly, holding his heavy head.
He glanced at the window and realized the sun was already shining brightly.
"Oh no, I'll be late for breakfast!" He woke up in shock. When he just got out of bed, he staggered. The room was spinning and his vision was blurry. His hand grabbed his bed pole to prevent him from falling.
"Ngggh!" he groaned and shook his head, trying to regain consciousness.
'Damn it! If it was because of that illegitimate child I wouldn't be like this! '
He walked through the empty wine bottles in shuffling steps, over to his blazer and sword by the sofa and put on them quickly. Ilex never skipped his breakfast with King Gervis except because of illness or duty. And he was not interested in breaking it. Quickly, he walked out of the room.
The guards bowed to greet him.
"Good morning, Your Highness."
"Have the servants come to wake me up?" asked Ilex straight to the point.
"Yes, Your Highness. They said the king and the princess will have breakfast first," answered one of the guards.
"How long have they been gone?" asked Ilex.
"About ten minutes ago, Your Highness."
"Good." Without delay, Ilex quicklystepped into the dining hall.