106. Promise, Promise, Promise (2)
106. Promise, Promise, Promise (2)
[Chapter 106] - Promises, Promises, Promises (2)
Small bands playing in the center of the shop and lively customers laughing and chatting as they enjoyed themselves. Since we usually only had quiet meals in the castle where the only sound was the clinking of cutlery, it had been a long time since we'd had a lively meal filled with the sound of people.
'This reminds me of that crowded bar I went to when I first became an adult. Was it a pub?'
Maybe because it was the festival period, the people gathered at the tavern were all sorts. Families like me and Titania who came to enjoy the festival, couples sitting close together whispering sweet nothings, people who finished work and gathered for a drink with friends, and drunkards already plastered, laughing and shouting loudly. All of them were gathered together, blooming with laughter.
The shop we had entered because our legs hurt seemed quite decent. Rather, I liked the atmosphere of the tavern so much that I thought it was a good choice to pick this place. It might seem bad for Titania's upbringing, but well, this too is an experience if it's an experience.
As I was spacing out watching the people, the bands playing, and the people dancing to the music, the clerk brought out the food we had ordered earlier. Unlike the excellent dishes made by the castle's chef, these were simple and warm foods.
Titania also seemed to like the simple food she was eating for the first time in her life; she took a bite of the large piece of meat the clerk brought and her eyes widened. Maybe it was because the flavor was something you couldn't taste in the castle.
I sipped the beer the clerk brought and chuckled at Titania's wide-eyed expression. Then, Titania tilted her head and once again showed curiosity about the alcohol.
"Eomeoni, what does the alcohol you're drinking taste like?"
"You don't drink alcohol for the taste."
"Huh?"
"You drink it for the atmosphere. Well, taste matters too, though."
Titania seemed unable to understand my words, with a question mark floating above her head. Well, what would a child know. I glanced at Titania, let out a deep sigh, and held out the beer glass I was drinking to her.
"Want to take a sip?"
"Really?!"
"Yes, just one sip."
The reason I, who had told her not to drink, offered her the glass was because I was worried that Titania might try alcohol on her own out of curiosity.
What if she entered the academy with all this curiosity? What if she made bad friends at the academy and learned to drink there? What if the kingdom's princess became a delinquent student?
A delinquent Titania was born in my head. Even though the academy was a gathering place for nobles, such places are often more rotten inside. A twisted Titania who drinks and smokes...
It's not that I don't trust Titania, but I also know how strong a teenager's curiosity about alcohol can be. It's better for me to teach her before that happens. They say you learn about alcohol from adults.
Titania, beaming as soon as I allowed it, snatched the beer glass from my hand. I rested my chin on the table and watched intently as she brought the drink to her lips.
"Just one sip. If you drink more, I'll scold you."
"I know. Hehe."
Having said that, Titania, rather than drinking the beer in her hand, first brought it to her nose and started sniffing it. After sniffing it a few times, Titania's nose wrinkled up.
Not only her nose but her forehead also scrunched up, and her face twisted strongly like a dog that smelled something weird. In the end, Titania handed the beer glass back to me without even tasting it.
Bursting out laughing at her expression, I chuckled and looked at Titania.
"Why? You wanted to drink it so badly? You're really not going to drink?"
"...Just, I want to drink with Eomeoni after I graduate from the academy."
"Yeah, good thinking."
When I sipped the beer, Titania looked at me as if I was really weird. Maybe she disliked the musty smell of beer, she gulped down the sweet fruit juice next to her and smacked her lips.
"Next time..."
Titania, who had been sipping her drink, lifted her head and looked at me. I wasn't sure if I should say this to Titania, but I still wanted to tell her now. Because at least today, I didn't want to disappoint her expectations.
"I'll pick an alcohol that smells good and tastes sweet. So you can drink comfortably."
*
By the time Vivian's face had turned bright red and the empty glasses beside her had increased, filling half the table, Titania rested her chin on her hand for a moment and looked at the musicians playing in the center of the shop.
Every time the sheet music placed in front of the musicians fluttered and turned, the energy of the guests gathered in front of the stage grew even higher. For Titania, who hadn't drunk any alcohol, this atmosphere was a bit overwhelming.
There were also many people dancing to the lively music of the musicians. No, most of the guests, except for Eomeoni and herself, were gathered together and enjoying dancing to the music.
Couples holding hands and dancing to show off their affection, or groups of friends dancing cheerfully to the music. The dancing here wasn't like a ball where etiquette was important, but a dance where everyone enjoyed the atmosphere together.
Titania glanced sideways at Eomeoni, whose face was flushed red from drinking. She also wanted to dance like that with Eomeoni, but she lacked a bit of courage and was too busy watching for cues.
Just as she was picking at her food and wondering how to start a conversation.
"Are you enjoying the festival?"
A clerk? No, a well-built middle-aged woman who seemed to be the shop owner approached and offered a side dish that wasn't ordered. As Titania looked at the side dish placed in front of her, unsure what to do, the shop owner snorted and continued speaking.
"A customer dancing over there ordered me to serve honey mead to all the guests here. I already got the money, so I had no choice but..."
The shop owner turned her head and looked at Vivian. Vivian, meeting the shop owner's eyes with a drowsy look from the alcohol, just blinked. Seeing her half-drunk state, the shop owner let out a deep sigh.
"I thought this person shouldn't get more drunk, so I swapped the mead for side dishes of similar value. The person over there already paid, so don't worry about the money."
"Oh, th-thank you."
Titania bowed her head and thanked her, but the shop owner waved her hand, saying it was nothing. Titania glanced around, wondering when the shop owner would leave, but the shop owner looked back and forth between Titania and Vivian, tilted her head, and asked.
"Are you sisters? Is this one the older sister?"
"Oh, n-no. She's my Eomeoni."
"Mother and daughter?"
The shop owner glanced at Vivian and Titania again and let out a 'Hmm'. Titania frowned slightly, as she thought she understood what the shop owner's expression and question meant.
The shop owner was definitely thinking something like 'they don't look like mother and daughter' or 'they don't seem to have much of an age gap'. It was natural since she was a stepdaughter not related by blood to her Eomeoni, but...
"Yes, she's my Eomeoni."
She felt bad about that kind of gaze because it seemed to say she wasn't her Eomeoni's daughter. Even if they weren't blood-related, she was still her Eomeoni's daughter. She disliked the shop owner's gaze that seemed to deny that.
The shop owner rubbed her chin and changed the subject.
"I see. By the way, aren't you going to dance? It's not my place to say since I'm still working, but it's a festival, are you just going to sit and watch like that?"
"Huh?"
"Weren't you wanting to dance but couldn't because you were worried about your Eomeoni? I asked because your gaze was fixed on the stage. What's there to worry about your Eomeoni when dancing? And your Eomeoni shouldn't just sit there drinking while her child is looking at her like that."
At the shop owner's sharp words, Titania flinched. Eomeoni, upon hearing the shop owner's words, rubbed her chin as if thinking for a moment, then gulped down cold water instead of alcohol and looked at her.
Perhaps because of the alcohol, a strange heat was felt in Eomeoni's green eyes as they looked at her. The half-lidded eyes were like the moon reflected on a lake. Then soon, the corners of her eyes curved and melted, and she smiled brightly and answered the shop owner.
"I was too drunk to notice."
Vivian, who had suddenly stood up from her seat, held out her hand. Titania, flustered by the sudden situation, gently placed her hand on Vivian's outstretched hand. Perhaps because of the alcohol, Eomeoni's body temperature seemed hotter than usual.
As the connected hands tightened, Titania's body was naturally pulled up. Eomeoni didn't say anything. She just grabbed her hand and started running into the crowd of dancing people.
As Eomeoni and herself squeezed between the dancing people, they made space for them as if they had promised. She couldn't believe this situation where she was dancing with Eomeoni just as she had hoped.
The dance was a form of spinning hand in hand, or letting themselves go to the lively music and doing freeform dance. There were no rules or etiquette like at a ball. They just danced as their bodies moved to the music played by the band.
Since she had never experienced anything like this, she was panicking and didn't know how to dance, but Eomeoni grabbed both her hands and slowly began to spin. Every time they spun near the stage holding hands, the candles at the edge of her vision flickered, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.
Truly, it felt like a dream. Such a happy dream. She was so happy that she wouldn't believe it if it wasn't a dream.
Eomeoni laughing happily with a deeply flushed face. Eomeoni laughing with a girl-like face as if she knew no worries. Eomeoni, completely drunk, constantly tripping over her steps. Yet Eomeoni laughing while looking only at her. The sight of her Eomeoni that she was seeing for the first time was lovely.
She wished this surreal situation would last forever. But all things that start must end. As the song was nearing its end, the dancing people gradually dispersed and returned to their seats.
Just a little more, just a little more. At least until the song ends. The hand that had been held by Eomeoni was now, without her noticing, in a state where she was holding it instead. Like a child throwing a tantrum because she didn't want to let go, she didn't release Eomeoni's hand throughout the dance. And so, just before the dance ended.
"Oh dear."
Was it because the stage was narrow? Or because everyone except her was drunk? Just before the dance ended, Titania bumped backs with a man who was dancing behind her. When she collided with a man larger and heavier than herself, Titania's body lurched forward.
Yes, forward. Both her hands were holding Eomeoni, so she couldn't use them. No, the distance was too close to have time to use her hands. It happened in an instant, so she couldn't stop either. So this... was truly an accident. It wasn't intentional. It was just a coincidence.
Coincidentally, she was close to Eomeoni. Coincidentally, she and Eomeoni were similar in height. So...
As her body leaned forward, it was an unavoidable result that she bumped faces with Eomeoni. ...To be precise, not faces but lips.
The lips that collided with a 'thud' rather than a 'peck' brought pain first before she could feel the sensation. Realizing what had just happened, Titania instinctively covered her lips and looked at Vivian.
'Huh? Just now, with Eomeoni, our lips...'
The moment Titania realized that her lips had touched Eomeoni's, the first feeling that came was embarrassment. Even though it was an accident, lips with Eomeoni...! But the embarrassment quickly subsided, and only regret remained. She wanted to feel Eomeoni's lips a bit more, but all that remained was a tingling sensation.
'What did it feel like for Eomeoni...?'
Titania moved her lips and looked at Vivian. What would Eomeoni be thinking after their lips met? Would she be as embarrassed as herself? Or, would she be like Eomeoni and not think anything?
The moment she raised her head and looked at Vivian, Titania couldn't help but be slightly flustered. Because Eomeoni was twitching the corners of her lips and looking at her as if she was really lovely.
When Titania looked at Vivian with bewildered eyes, Vivian cupped Titania's face with both hands and kissed her cheek, making a 'jjeok jjeok' sound.
"?!?!"
"If you wanted to kiss Eomma that badly, you should have said so. See, how adorable you are acting so cute like this?"
"Ah, no! Th-that's not it...!"
She tried to explain that it was an accident, but before she could, a shower of kisses began.
On her cheeks, and even her forehead. There was no place on her face that wasn't touched by Eomeoni's lips. If it was happiness, she was truly happy, but because of the gazes of the people around them looking at Eomeoni and herself, she felt like she would die of embarrassment.
The guests were looking warmly at the mother-daughter display of affection. The shop owner was telling the customers that such a close mother-daughter relationship was hard to see these days.
It's good... really good...
'But it's a little different from what I wanted...'