Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Tavern Confessions
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Bang!
"Puhahaa!"
While Isaac and Rianna were taking turns showering.
At the tavern prepared for the soldiers inside the castle, Silberna was drinking beer.
"What's this? Why does it taste so good today?"
"Young Lady, didn't you say you were tired?"
Anna, who was keeping her company, let out a sigh but ordered another round of beer.
She knew what was on Silberna's mind, so even though she voiced her concerns, she didn't outright forbid the drinking.
"Innkeeper, did you mix honey in it today?"
"How could we put something that expensive in beer, Young Lady?"
"What. Why's it so damn tasty."
'She's already a bit tipsy.'
Silberna leaned limply against the table and let out a long sigh.
Today, she planned to hear out all the complaints spilling from those flushed cheeks.
'Rather, this is for the best.'
She knew Silberna hadn't fully let go yet.
It wasn't the kind of feeling that would fade so easily in the first place—no point in suffering over it.
But now that Rianna Helmunt was here.
This seemed like the perfect chance to sever those emotions for good.
"Father said it, you know? That life is bitter, but booze is sweet? Maybe that's why?"
"You just kept muttering that to make it taste sweeter."
"......"
Silberna silently lifted her beer mug again.
But it was already empty, so she smacked her lips in disappointment and set it down.
Just then, the beer Anna had ordered arrived, and Silberna gulped it down like water.
"It's okay, Young Lady."
Anna patted her back to comfort her.
"He was someone you could never have anyway, right? Better to know for sure than to keep agonizing over it."
"You make it sound so easy?!"
'Yup, drunk.'
Normally, she'd have agreed with a haughty toss of her pride.
"Have you ever felt like this, Anna?! Have you?!"
"Why are you taking it out on me?! I'm a love expert, you know?"
Silberna's mouth fell open in shock at the response.
"What?! You've dated?! You complain every day about being too busy cleaning up after me, but you've been doing whatever behind my back?!"
"Even so, a girl's gotta have her privacy. You told me to take care of myself."
"I said protect your privacy, not sneak around sucking and blowing on guys!"
Thud!
Silberna slammed her mug on the table.
The innkeeper's face stiffened, but he pretended not to notice, unwilling to intervene.
"Sucking and blowing? What kind of vulgar way is that to put it......"
"You're the vulgar one, Anna!"
She's lost it.
If she weren't the Young Lady, Anna would've smacked the back of her head right then.
"Sigh, truth is, I haven't dated."
"......Huh?"
"There are these novels, you know? Romance ones. I get 'em from a merchant friend from the capital. I've read a ton."
Anna scratched her cheek, embarrassed even as she said it, and Silberna let out a snicker.
"What, expert my foot. You're just like me."
"At least I don't go pining after married men."
"......"
Silberna clamped her mouth shut.
As her expression turned a little teary, Anna hurriedly patted her shoulder.
"Aigoo! Sorry! That was harsh, wasn't it? Don't take it to heart! I-I got worked up too."
"No......"
Anna was apologizing for her sharp words, but Silberna shook her head instead, steeling her resolve with a determined look.
"Say more."
"Pardon?"
"I need to fully realize why what I did was wrong. Keep going."
"......You serious?"
"Yeah, dead serious."
Even through the buzz, the sincerity in Silberna's voice gave Anna pause, but she finally spoke up.
"Honestly."
Gulp.
"They just match so damn well?"
"Keuk!"
Silberna clutched at her chest.
It hurt more when it hit on something she already agreed with than some empty flattery.
"Handsome guy, beautiful girl. Like the gods crafted them as the perfect pair."
Grind.
"No wonder they were the talk of high society for a while. Love transcending status lines. And between a Helmunt and a commoner? Plus they're both stunning......"
Anna glanced at her cautiously.
"No way to squeeze in between that."
A hiss of breath leaked through clenched teeth.
Silberna chugged her beer like she was trying to shove the words back down her throat.
Seeing her like this made it clear—she really had lost her mind.
And that brought up one more thing to worry about.
"Hey, Anna."
"Should we stop?"
"More importantly."
Silberna beckoned her closer to whisper in her ear. Anna leaned in, and she murmured softly.
"......Are you insane?"
Anna's face twisted in horror as she glared at Silberna.
"The spear? That spear—you were gonna melt it down and gift it to him?"
Silberna's spear, forged from frostsilver.
A weapon made from the mineral that symbolized Caldias.
Melt that down to make a sword for the Helmunt son-in-law?
"N-no...... Isaac's working so hard. Thought I should help with something."
Silberna fidgeted with her fingers and mumbled timidly.
Anna smacked her own forehead with a thud and groaned in despair.
"You've already started the work, haven't you?"
"P-probably."
"Even if you go ask for it back now, they won't give it up?"
"Probably."
"Well, yeah—the lady who stormed right up to the Margrave himself. No way she'd hand it over."
"W-what do I do? Just give it naturally? It won't look weird, right?"
"Who wouldn't think it's weird? Caldias gifting a frostsilver sword to a Helmunt."
"......"
"With his wife right there! It's a freaking declaration of war!"
Silberna clutched her face with both hands.
"I'm an idiot."
"No, you're not."
"Anna......"
"Idiot's too kind. Way worse."
"......"
Unable to hold back, Anna shot to her feet and started smacking Silberna's back.
"No matter how thoughtless! How could you?! And you call yourself a pure-love girl! Thinking you've shaken off your lingering feelings just pisses me off more!"
"Aak! Aak! Anna! I'm a noble!"
"Fire me! Fire me right now! Ugh, fine—I'll quit and stop worrying!"
After going at it for a while, Anna flopped back into her seat and nodded with grim resolve.
"One way left now."
"What?"
"You use it."
"......"
"Nothing else. Try using something other than that spear for once."
Silberna sighed, dismissing it as nonsense. Anna hadn't meant it seriously either and was about to let it slide.
"But y'know."
Suddenly, she recalled what Nortemus had said that day.
"He saw Isaac's sword and called it Transcendent swordsmanship, right?"
"......Yeah."
"He recognized the attitude sword right away too. And he seems to know a ton about the Transcendent Race."
"Shamanism stuff too?"
"Exactly."
"So starting tomorrow, he'll investigate with Rianna. Father ordered it."
Of course, "investigate" was the word, but.
Both of them would probably answer openly without hiding much.
Things here were mostly under Uldiran's discretion anyway—no big crisis.
At that moment.
Rattle!
The door flew open, and in came a girl with twintails.
"Innkeeper! Whip up something fancy!"
"Young Lady......"
Sharen Helmunt and her maid Kelsi made an entrance that clashed wildly with the place.
With only Silberna and Anna inside, they couldn't help but stand out.
"Huh?"
Sharen naturally made her way over to their table and joined them.
"Said you were going drinking, and here you are."
Silberna let out a hollow chuckle as Sharen plopped casually into a chair.
They'd bickered a lot at first, but after fighting side by side on the battlefield, they were just comrades now.
"You drink too?"
Silberna had pegged her for a sweets girl, but Sharen shrugged.
"I'm a booze hound!"
She bantered with the innkeeper a bit, then started mixing her own drink.
"Kelsi makes killer stuff especially. Pairs perfect with snacks."
"Oho."
Silberna was about to ask for a sip when Kelsi already brought over a glass.
Crimson, unlike beer.
Sharen took a swig and beamed.
"Mmm! Delicious! Extra tired today? Feels like it'll hit quick!"
"......Just a sip for me."
"Nope."
Sharen pouted her lips.
But despite her words, she offered the glass with a "just a little."
Silberna took a small sip.
'......This is orange juice?'
She glanced suspiciously at Kelsi standing behind Sharen, who pressed a finger to her lips and smiled gently.
Orange juice and cookies.
A perfect combo.
It had a slight fizzy tang, but no real alcohol.
"Tasty, right? Kelsi makes it like wine, using orange concentrate!"
"Yeah, it's good."
Silberna handed it back slyly.
Her head cleared a bit, and with a sigh, she asked,
"So why're you here?"
"Stressed out of my mind! They treat me like an idiot—it's infuriating!"
Sharen gulped down her juice, her voice rising.
She really thought she was getting drunk.
"What happened?"
The sudden guest wasn't half bad.
It let her brush past her own crush talk naturally.
"Isaac and Sis too—they keep saying the same crap! Over and over! They think I'm a moron!"
"Hm?"
"Like, why the hell would I go blabbing about their divorce? And they keep warning me not to—makes them look like the idiots! So annoying!"
"Ah, Young Lady!?"
Kelsi, standing behind Sharen, jumped in urgently.
She didn't know about the divorce, but anyone could tell the tomboy had just spilled something she shouldn't have.
"Huh? No, what's—"
Sharen froze mid-sip.
Her red eyes darted, gauging the two in front of her.
They were already staring at her, mouths agape.
Rattle!
"I'm drunk! So drunk! Gotta bounce! See ya tomorrow?!"
Sharen bolted up and scrambled out the door.
"Sis is gonna kill me! What do I do?! Help me out, Kelsi! Save meee!"
Her panicked voice echoed as she fled.
The table with the two left behind fell into heavy silence for a long while.