"Praise the Main God! It's so late—has His Highness gone to rest?... Hm? That sound... is His Highness drunk?"
The night was deep, the moonlight as clear and cold as well water. The Snake Priestess Miawa swayed as she walked, carrying a clay jar of water, and hurried to the area around the great hall. From afar, she heard His Highness's slurred chanting, along with some drunken words she could not understand. Her eyes flickered for a moment, then she smiled sweetly and looked toward Ekat, the guard captain standing watch at the entrance.
"Honored guard captain, I have come to serve His Highness as he rests!..."
As she spoke, the Snake Priestess Miawa lifted her foot and walked toward the great hall. The guard captain Ekat raised his brows, shifted his steps, and silently blocked Miawa's path.
"The Main God bears witness! Honored Snake Woman Chieftain... His Highness is drunk. Tonight he will sleep in the hall."
The guard captain Ekat's expression was calm as he said this without a trace of emotion.
"His Highness gave orders in advance: tonight's drinking would go on until there was no one left sober. As for the command he gave you, it was to rest well and retire early."
"Hm?"
The Snake Priestess Miawa raised her brows. She stopped, widened her eyes, and stared at the guard captain Ekat.
"The Main God bears witness! I am His Highness's woman. Serving His Highness as he rests is like rivers circling high mountains—it is the natural order of the world... Honored guard captain, do you truly mean to stop me?"
"."
The guard captain Ekat was silent for a moment. From inside the great hall, voices drifted over faintly. In that drunken voice were many heartfelt sighs, and even more deeply buried emotions being