Page 282 of Remarried Empress

Queen’s small body lay inert on the bed, more stretched out than usual, with his beak slightly open and his drooping head. He looked like a seaweed.

“Heinley. Heinley? Heinley!”

I tried to wake him up several times, but Queen didn’t move a muscle. I moved out of bed on my knees with Queen in my arms. The palace doctor! The palace doctor!

No, not the palace doctor! Heinley was not Heinley right now! But that was a secret, I couldn’t reveal that he was a bird.

So, should I bring in a veterinary doctor? Is Queen’s body the same as that of an ordinary bird? What was normally done in this situation? Normally… McKenna!

McKenna could also turn into a bird. Therefore, he should know who normally treated Heinley when he was injured in his bird form.

I quickly left the shared bedroom after placing Heinley back between the pillows.

“Miss Rose, please call McKenna. Hurry up.”

While Rose went to find McKenna, I quickly showered, changed my clothes that smelled of alcohol, and tied my hair up. Shortly after I started pacing around the room, McKenna appeared.

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong? I was informed that it is an urgent matter.”

After asking Rose to leave, I said to McKenna,

“Stay here for a moment.”

“Huh?”

I quickly hurried into the shared bedroom, took Queen in my arms, and returned to my room.

Seeing Queen inert, McKenna was startled,

“Oh my, His Majesty is drunk!”

Huh?

Drunk?

I still hadn’t explained anything that had happened.

When I looked at him in surprise, McKenna raised his eyebrows and covered his mouth with both hands.

“Oops, not drunk?”

When I told him the details, McKenna’s eyebrows relaxed and he took his hands away from his mouth,

“So, he really is drunk. He tends to turn into a bird when he’s drunk. Well, that’s much better than people who turn into an angry dog.”

“Still, how can he still be unconscious after a day has passed?”

“Sometimes this happens when he drinks in his bird form.”

Drinking in his bird form? Was that possible?

“If you leave him like that, he’ll wake up on his own.”

McKenna laughed at me.

“You don’t have to worry, Your Majesty.”

Only then was I relieved.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. It’s my duty.”

After McKenna left, I took Queen back to the shared bedroom, put him to bed, and returned again to my room to ask Countess Jubel to bring a clear soup.

The soup was quickly prepared. When I entered the shared bedroom with the soup, Queen was still lying inert on the bed.

I left the soup bowl on the bedside table, then sat down next to Queen and carefully touched his body.

Looking at him closely, I was glad. It was evident that he had fallen sound asleep due to the influence of alcohol.

Seeing how at ease he was, I naturally smiled.

No… no way.

I was in trouble. Anyone could tell that I was falling more in love with Heinley with each passing day.

If I had looked closely from the beginning, I would have noticed that it was because he was drunk. I didn’t even notice that, so I urgently called McKenna.

“What should I do?”

Although I asked out loud, Heinley was asleep, so he wouldn’t be able to answer.

I leaned down and rested my head lightly on his chest. When the warmth of his body reached my forehead, my eyes closed on their own.

“What should I do, Heinley? You have so many secrets. If I loved you, it would certainly be hard to bear.”

This is all because you’re sly, Heinley.

After checking that he was sound asleep, I pet his rear, and kissed his soft forehead.

* * *

Just as McKenna said, Heinley woke up three hours later.

It was very cute and lovely to see him flap his wings while asking with his eyes what had happened.

But from that day on, I was completely absorbed in work.

I was trying to keep my mind occupied so as not to fall completely in love with Heinley.

Even if I liked him, not loved him, or even if I loved him only to the point so as not to suffer, I wanted to hold that line.

Fortunately, there was much work to be done, so I didn’t need to create it.

Trade with Rwibt also progressed rapidly, as the first three test teams were formed.

Now we had to wait for the results they would bring back, and based on those results determine the corrective actions to be taken.

Once I had expressed my good wishes to the three test teams before they set out on the trip to Rwibt, I returned to the office exhausted.

After working for several days on only three hours of sleep, fatigue was starting to get the better of me. I drank two cups of strong coffee, but my eyelids still felt very heavy anyway.

In the end, I seemed to have fallen asleep. When I opened my eyes, my body was tilted to one side.

Why hadn’t I fallen? What was I leaning on now?

Looking up, I could see that I was leaning on Heinley’s shoulder.

“Heinley?”

When did he get here? Once I called him puzzled, Heinley startled and inadvertently bumped my head with his.

“It’s not too much.”

“Huh?”

“Did it bother you to see me passed out like that because of the alcohol?”

“Why do you say that?”

“You’ve been avoiding me since the day I passed out from too much alcohol.”

“I haven’t avoided you. We always see each other at night.”

“Only at night.”

“…”

“Every time I visited you during the day you’re busy.”

“I was really busy.”

It was true. I wasn’t trying to avoid Heinley, I was just trying to finish as much work as possible.

“I understand.”

Heinley stared at me with a frown and said,

“You’re trying to avoid me by being busy, right? You work on things that could be left for later.”

“…That’s not true.”

When I answered again, Heinley took my hand firmly and asked,

“So, did it bother you that I became Queen while so drunk?”

As he held my hand firmly, he stroked the back of it with his thumb, but he wore a very worried expression.

“Absolutely not.”

I denied it again, Heinley closed his mouth and lowered his gaze.

I didn’t want to hurt him. Really, I didn’t. I just wanted to keep a line so I wouldn’t get swept away by the current.

It broke my heart to see Heinley sad, I felt guilty.

Should I have expressed my feelings more clearly? But how? I think I love you, but I only want to love you in moderation, should I say that?

Unable to resist the impulse, I kissed him, put my hand on his soft blond hair and stroked it, tilted my head and rested my forehead against his.

“You’re so handsome, Heinley.”

I whispered, softly kissing his face.

“My Queen… Navier.”

When I slipped my hand into his shirt and bit his earlobe, Heinley let out a low moan.

I put my feelings inside a box by force, but they finally came out, suddenly finding this man so lovely that it was hard to resist.

I slowly moved my hands down towards his pants as I caressed his entire body.

“Heinley. Spread your legs.”

But before I could reach my treasure, Heinley tightened his legs and turned backwards.

As I wondered why he did this, he gave me a reproachful look.

“Heinley?”

As soon as I spoke his name, his mouth opened and closed a couple of times.

I don’t know why, but he had a very complicated expression. After a while, Heinley covered his face and asked,

“My Queen. Are you only… interested in my body?”

***