The Taste of Sweet Tears
Sirien's answer came in actions rather than words. Her hands, which had been hovering helplessly just moments before, suddenly lunged forward and pulled me in. Her petite body collapsed into my embrace, her flushed cheeks pressing firmly against my chest.
"I... I waited so anxiously to hear those words. What took you so long?"
Her grip was tight enough to steal my breath. Her trembling body clung to me with a desperate, pitiful longing. Sure enough, her voice was thick with unshed tears.
"I love you too. I loved you first. I love you so much more than you love me. I've dreamed of holding you like this hundreds of times."
"Hey, don't cry. You're making me feel guilty. Come on, dry those tears, okay?"
"Hmph. I'm not crying. I promised myself I wouldn't cry this time. Not a single tear has fallen yet, so it doesn't count as crying."
The very fact that she had to make such an excuse meant she was already crying. For a brief second, a rather mischievous urge to tease her reared its head. Fortunately, I managed to suppress it.
Glancing down, I could see she had indeed shed tears. Her eyelashes glistened in the light, a telltale sign that she had tried to rub away the moisture. I needed to say something to soothe her right away.
"Did you know? They say tears of joy taste sweet."
"...How do you even know something like that?"
"Just something I overheard. Apparently, tears of anger are salty, and tears of sadness are sour."
"Then mine must be incredibly sweet right now. So sweet that your tongue would melt."
Sirien giggled softly and looked up at me. A radiant smile graced her tear-dampened face. The sheer, paradoxical beauty of that expression made me reach out and cup her cheek without thinking.
It started with a brief locking of eyes. Our faces were already close enough. Without either of us needing to initiate, our lips met, blending together in a deep, passionate embrace. It was a long, heavy kiss.
Wiping away a thin, lingering thread of saliva, Sirien's lips curved into a seductive arch.
"I love you, Rajen. From now on, you're mine."
Her arms wrapped tightly around me. There was a hint of possessiveness in her grip, as if she would never let me go again. But I found her obsession incredibly endearing, and I couldn't stop my lips from curving upward.
"Since you're the one who gave yourself to me, I'm never giving you back. Prepare yourself."
The path once trodden by a knight and a saintess was now walked by two lovers. With autumn fading, the sun retired early. A bruised twilight draped over the maple trees like a blanket, and a deep orange glow spread through the air like mist.
Hand in hand, we strolled down the maple-lined path.
The festival village was as lively as ever. A sizable crowd had already gathered in the town square, seemingly waiting for the bonfire to be lit. Barkers called out to passersby, and merchants desperately tried to clear out the rest of their wares.
Sirien's eyes sparkled as she scanned her surroundings. It was a bit too early to be hungry for dinner, so I figured she was looking for some snacks. My guess was wildly off-mark.
"Rajen! Let's drink this together."
Sirien's choice was alcohol. Since it was a festival, there were plenty of stalls selling drinks. Some places sold strong spirits, though they didn't look particularly high-quality. Beer, on the other hand, seemed to be in everyone's hand. Surprisingly, the beer here tasted better than what I used to drink in my past life. With so much festival food around, it was actually a great pairing.
The problem, however, was the person sitting across from me.
"No. It's alcohol."
"Why not? I'm an adult too! I have every right to drink."
"You promised last time that you wouldn't."
"That was... an unfair contract! You took advantage of my embarrassment to make me sign an unjust agreement, so it's null and void!"
As expected, she protested vehemently. But no matter what kind of sophistry she threw at me, I couldn't back down. It wasn't that Sirien couldn't drink at all. She wasn't like the typical novel heroine who passed out after a single sip. Her tolerance was just slightly below average. Honestly, a glass or two wouldn't hurt.
The real issue was her drinking habits. Sirien was a terrible drunk.
"I'll really only have a little bit. Think about it, I've only made a mistake once so far. And I've held back for so long since then."
"Well, that's true, but..."
"Don't you want to celebrate today, Rajen? I want to clink glasses with you and drink with a smile."
My resolve began to crumble. Sirien clung to me tightly. The soft, supple sensation of her body pressing against mine threatened to short-circuit my brain. On top of that, her hands gripped my forearm, squeezing and pleading all at once. I had no choice but to wave the white flag.
"Fine. But just a little, okay?"
"Yay! I love you!"
"Sigh..."
Should I call this an inevitability? Naturally, the promise was broken. Thrilled to be drinking after such a long time, Sirien ended up overindulging without fail.
At first, everything was fine. We started with greasy chicken and beer—a timeless, invincible combination across all worlds and eras.
Now that we were officially 'lovers,' we laughed and chatted about trivial things without any reservations. We spoke more honestly, sharing feelings we had harbored since childhood.
"I loved how you always came to find me whenever I cried. Strangely enough, whenever you comforted me, my heart would settle right down."
"That's why the servants always ran to me first whenever you cried. But you didn't throw tantrums that often, did you?"
"Are you kidding? I did it all the time, you just didn't notice. I only held back because I didn't want to look bad in front of you."
"No wonder you always cried when I wasn't around."
"We were kids back then. I don't even remember what made me so upset. But even when I was sobbing my eyes out, I'd calm down the moment you patted my back. Isn't that strange?"
It was a wonderful time. Reassembling the memories of our long years together made it feel like an entirely different story. Up to this point, Sirien was still sober enough to chuckle at jokes and occasionally speak with gravity.
"There's not much left of this year."
"Yeah. Once winter comes, the year will be over before we know it."
"That's why... I think we can do it next year."
"Do what?"
"Reclaim everything that belongs to us. The place where you and I used to be, and where we ought to be. Let's go back once we wrap things up here."
Our long, perilous journey. Sirien was hinting at our return 'home' soon. It was something we both desired just as intensely as the relationship we had solidified today. Ever since the day we cremated those two precious to us, our vow had remained unchanged. I felt the exact same way.
"Let's do that. Everything will go exactly as you say."
Everything was perfect up to that point. The root of the problem, as always, was 'sweet alcohol.' There were merchants selling fruit wine at the festival. Since the festival was ending today, any unsold wine would become dead stock. The merchants' desperate sales pitches eventually reached Sirien. Like a cat unable to pass by a fish market, Sirien couldn't ignore the sweet aroma. She began begging me for a taste of the fruit wine. I figured it would be stronger than beer, but a few cups wouldn't hurt. That permission was my undoing.
"Rajen! That one looks delicious too. Can I try it?"
"Don't you still have some of what you're drinking now?"
"Please...?"
"Ahem. Well, since it's a special day. Let's just buy one bottle."
"Yay!"
One bottle quickly became two, and before I knew it, Sirien had abandoned her beer entirely to sip on the fruit wine. As we drank, I felt a slight buzz myself. Fortunately, my monstrous physical constitution was highly resistant to alcohol. By the time another bottle was added to the table, I finally started to feel a sense of alarm.
"Haven't you had a bit too much?"
"I'm not drunk yet, so just a little more."
"Hmm, your complexion does look fine, but..."
"Oh, I know! Should I kiss you after I drink this? It'll taste like fruit, so I'm sure you'll love it."
I... was powerless against her temptation. Ever since we officially became a couple, Sirien seemed to have grown surprisingly sly. That was why I failed to notice. I should have realized the moment she offered a kiss so boldly. The Sirien I knew was not a woman who could say such things without hesitation. Even if she did, her face would have turned bright red, and she would have collapsed from her own embarrassment.
The price of my carelessness was bittersweet. I had ended up buying every single bottle Sirien asked for, and the two of us had drained them all. As a result, Sirien was now clinging to my side, grinning foolishly.
"Ehehe. Raje~n, touch my cheeks."
"Sirien, are you drunk?"
"Noooo? I'm not drunk at allll. More importantly, hurry. Touch them. You're mine now, so touch them!"
Her hands tugged at me. When I did as she asked and squished her cheeks, she let out a silly, "Ehehehe~" laugh. It was incredibly cute, but once Sirien reached this state, I had to get her to bed as quickly as possible.
"Get on my back. We need to head back to the mansion."
"Okay! I wanna piggyback! Let's go, let's goooo!"
"Sirien, you have to let go of my hands first if I'm going to carry you."
"Noooo. Carry me like this. Scoop me up like you did last time!"
"You're driving me crazy..."
"Me too! I wanna go crazy too!"
Naturally, the journey to put her to bed was far from smooth. I had to coax and soothe Sirien just to get her onto my back, and she was hardly one to stay still once she was up there. Suddenly, I felt something touch my ear, followed by a wet, sucking sound.
"Mwah, mwah—"
"Wh-Whoa?!"
"Pheehee. Did you like it?"
It really wasn't going to be easy.