"I'm guessing Blood Diamond Lady previously rewarded you with a potion that could extend your lifespan... right?"
Iver asked with a beaming smile, "But you didn't use it. How lucky."
"...Yes. An amber potion that could extend one's lifespan by three years and grant First Level of the Path of Twilight."
Minister Drost nodded with an ugly expression. "Luckily, I hesitated at the time..."
In truth, it wasn't hesitation—the trembling of the Truth Fire made Drost immediately change his wording: "More precisely, it was because I had already embarked on the Path of Twilight at the time and thought I could extend my lifespan through my own power. Besides, I didn't entirely trust the effects they claimed the potion had, so I offered it to Her Majesty the Queen as a 'birthday gift purchased overseas'..."
No wonder...
Iver suddenly understood.
So Queen Sofia's relationship with Drost in Iver's world line seemed not to have been so close. But in the entrance CG for this Promotion Ritual, her trust and intimacy toward Drost were even comparable to that of Iver in the main world—a level of absolute trust that regarded Drost as "one of a kind."
Because without that potion, the Queen would have died naturally in the winter of 1898.
Sofia knew her own body, which was why she trusted Drost so much. Her body had already been unable to bear the strain. It was impossible for her to live until autumn of 1899.
And Drost's offering was like guilt after cheating on his lover.
He knew he had committed treason. Thus, whether intentionally or subconsciously, he had wanted to make some small compensation...
...From this perspective, Drost's brainless action had nearly thrown everyone's plans into disarray.
From Stibnite to Avalon, all their plans had been stirred into muddy water.