NOVEL WEB Chapter 192
Chapter: 192
Dinner proceeded just like before.
A few people were dining with Ivana and Leonhardt, chatting away.
Of course, since I led most of the conversation, it wasn’t exactly a riot of fun.
Anyway, we were back in our room now, lounging comfortably on the sofa.
“Northern food is… how should I put it… the strong flavors are quite fascinating, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, that’s true. The sauces seem a bit stronger compared to other regions. The food we had today had quite a strong aroma too.”
We just sat back, casually chatting about such things.
Even though we talked about having a late-night snack, we couldn’t just dive into it right after dinner.
So, we sipped some tea and killed time until it felt appropriate.
We chatted for about 30 minutes, just the two of us, with Rize beside us, but she wasn’t one to jump into our conversation easily.
“We got apple cider as a gift. I think Rize, who probably hasn’t tried it before, would be fine with this, right?”
“Apple cider shouldn’t be a problem, right? The alcohol scent isn’t too strong. I think it’s fine even for beginners.”
“I thought so too, which is why I brought it up about Rize.”
I asked a maid in the castle for some light snacks to be set up.
There were already wine glasses in the room, so there was nothing to worry about.
At this hour, no one would come into our room, and it was just enough time for us to relax, snack, and chat.
But it wasn’t like we were just going to drink.
“Rize, when you drink, you should start by savoring the aroma slowly.”
“…It’s really okay if I don’t drink.”
“Still, you should definitely try it! You won’t avoid alcohol in your life, right?”
“That’s true, but…”
Rize still seemed hesitant about trying alcohol.
I wondered if she was worried about getting tipsy and causing some kind of trouble afterward.
Usually, when people drink, they can sort of predict that future, right?
“It’s fine, just one sip. Just try it once. You won’t get drunk from just one sip, right?”
“Miss…”
“Or should I drink first?”
I said to the hesitant Rize.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind drinking.
Drinking something with only about 10% alcohol wouldn’t make me go all hehehe~ out of nowhere.
Anyway, I wasn’t weak when it came to alcohol.
“…No, I’ll drink.”
“Huh.”
Why did you suddenly decide to drink?
I was a bit surprised by Rize’s sudden declaration.
Just a moment ago, she was saying she wouldn’t drink, so what changed?
I didn’t know why, but the fact that she said she would drink was enough, right?
Probably?
“Just take one sip for now. You don’t have to finish the whole glass.”
“Okay.”
Rosalyn poured a glass of apple cider for Rize, and Rize took it.
She seemed a bit too worried about the alcohol, but…
Honestly, those types often turned out to drink frequently once they got a taste of it.
So, I wasn’t too worried.
“Hmm…”
“How is it?”
“It just… tastes like apples.”
“Haha… right?”
When I asked Rize after her first sip, it was the expected answer.
Since the alcohol content wasn’t high, it definitely didn’t feel boozy at all.
“Want to try more?”
“I think just another sip would be fine.”
“Really?”
Those who pretended to dislike something often ended up liking it more if they just got a taste.
Considering how she always pretended to dislike my jokes but never really rejected me, maybe Rize’s personality was just a bit timid?
Afraid to start… something like that, I suppose?
*
“Haha…”
“Ha! Rize, you’re weaker to alcohol than I expected?”
“I guess so.”
“I’m not drunk yet…”
“Really?”
For someone who said that, her eyes were quite glazed over.
She seemed completely out of it since earlier, swaying back and forth…
Anyone could tell she was tipsy.
“Miss, do I look drunk to you…?”
“Yep.”
“I’m not drunk…”
“You are.”
“I’m not dru-u-u-unk…”
“Haha…”
Rize, clearly tipsy, kept dropping her head.
She had been letting out deep sighs for a while now, and she just looked drunk.
“If we leave her like this, I think she’d fall asleep on her own.”
“Haha, right. It’s her first time drinking, but I’m surprised she’s such a lightweight.”
“Really? I thought Rize would surely be terrible at drinking.”
Usually, those who were sharp and straightforward like her ended up being surprisingly bad at drinking.
Just looking at Rize, who had downed several sips and ended up tipsy, made that obvious, and Rosalyn was a bit like that too.
For now, I let Rize lean on my shoulder and continued chatting with Rosalyn.
Just ordinary stories, reflections on living in the North, and random tales from the past, I gradually steered the conversation toward the past.
I wanted to hear about Rosalyn’s childhood or her experiences growing up in her family.
“During the Academy days, it was fun meeting so many different kinds of people… Diverse families and regions made for plenty of weird and fun kids…”
I just smiled a bit at Rosalyn’s stories and responded.
When I showed that reaction, Rosalyn seemed pleased and continued on with her tales, and it became a cycle.
“When I was little… Christina used to bully me a lot… I didn’t think much of it then, but looking back now… Hehe…”
That story piqued my interest, but that was initially my goal.
Since my intention was to hear those stories from Rosalyn, I felt conflicted.
While I wanted to hear her past stories, I also found it difficult to listen to them.
“Even my parents… Hoo…”
Watching a slightly tipsy Rosalyn, I thought it might be best to wrap this topic up for now.
For both of us, it wasn’t exactly a pleasant topic.
I had already thought a lot about how to deal with those Rose folks during our talks about her past.
With that, I continued to ease the conversation while also casually sipping my drink, and Rosalyn, unbeknownst to me, continued to drink and chat.
Honestly, if I drank as much as Rosalyn at my age, I’d surely be tipsy too.
I pulled off some pretending to drink here and there or topped off my drink to minimize how much I actually had.
Considering how tipsy Rosalyn was, she wouldn’t know I wasn’t drinking much at all.
“Huh…”
Actually, it wasn’t just Rosalyn who was tipsy; Rize, leaning beside me, was also halfway asleep.
I had to manage to stay sober at least.
“Phew…”
One was tipsy and barely hanging on to consciousness.
The other was too far gone to notice if I was even drinking.
It was clear whatever I did, they wouldn’t notice.
“Rize?”
“Uhh…”
Clearly asleep now.
Yep.
That was a certainty.
Confident, I placed my hand on Rize’s thigh, who was leaning against me.
I felt a bit guilty as if I was harassing her, but it couldn’t be helped.
“Haha…”
Honestly, how could I not think of something naughty when this pretty girl always followed me around?
And besides, she never outright rejected my naughty antics.
“This feels good.”
Even though it was on her thigh covered by her skirt, it was more than enough to enjoy.
Maybe it was because Rize had such a lovely physique?
Just lightly caressing her thigh was entertaining enough.
As I gently touched Rize’s thigh, I turned my gaze to Rosalyn, who was completely asleep on the opposite side.
I had brought two bottles of alcohol, and since I mostly drank them alone, this wasn’t surprising at all.
“Should I move them?”
I thought that as I began relocating them to the bedroom.
Both of them were already dressed in sleepwear, and since it was done with magic, it wasn’t difficult.
After moving them, well… there wasn’t much else to it.
“Ah. This is the best.”
No masterpiece could match the scene before my eyes right now.
For real.
There truly wasn’t a prettier situation than this, right?
I found myself laughing unexpectedly.
When they slept just ordinarily, I hadn’t paid much attention, but I definitely felt I had slept with beautiful people every night.
While I was charming enough myself, so it wasn’t like I deserved more than I had.
“Hehehe… Is this what a beautiful view is?”
I chuckled a bit creepily, almost pervertedly, but… it was undeniably a feast for the eyes.
I couldn’t help it.
Anyway, having laid them in bed, I slowly approached them.
They were still completely unaware, happily asleep, but leaving them like that felt a bit more naughty than I usually was.
I told myself it was unavoidable.
Honestly, I was caught in a slippery slope of situations I couldn’t escape.
“…Huh.”
Of course, I knew I shouldn’t.
Inherently, it’s bad to take advantage of two drunken women who were vulnerable.
But if I didn’t sneakily do something like this… a recent urge to misbehave had been creeping up on me even in ordinary contexts.
“Just a little bit should be okay.”
It wasn’t so different from the playful antics I usually did when Rize was awake.
It was just that each was asleep after drinking too much.