Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 193: Drunken Nighttime Frolic
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Dinner proceeded much the same as before.
Just a handful of us—Ivana and a few from the Leonhardt side—eating together and chatting idly.
Of course, since I was leading most of the conversation, it wasn't exactly a riot of fun.
Anyway, now back in our room, we were lounging comfortably on the sofa.
"Northern food is... how should I put it? The bold flavors are pretty novel, don't you think?"
"Pfft, yeah, I suppose. The sauces seem a bit stronger compared to other regions. Even tonight's dishes had such intense aromas."
We just sat there casually, chatting about things like that.
I'd suggested a nightcap, but we couldn't dive right in right after dinner.
A light cup of tea to pass the time until it felt right would do.
And so, Rozalin and I spent about thirty minutes conversing just the two of us.
Lize was there beside us, but she wasn't one to butt in much.
"It's apple cider we got. Something like this should be fine for Lize, who's never tried it before, right?"
"Apple cider? Shouldn't be a problem. The alcohol content isn't too strong, so it'd be okay even for a first-timer."
"That's why I brought her up."
I asked one of the maids in the castle for some light snacks and had them set up.
We already had glasses in the room, so there were no issues at all.
No one would come into our quarters at this hour anyway, so we could just relax, enjoy our midnight snack, and chat among ourselves. That was plenty.
Not that we planned to drink endlessly, of course.
"Lize, when drinking, you should savor the aroma slowly first."
"...It's fine if I skip it."
"But you really should try it at least once. You can't go through life without ever touching alcohol."
"That's true, but... still..."
Lize still seemed averse to the idea of trying alcohol.
She was probably worried about getting drunk and causing some mishap.
That was a common enough concern when it came to drinking.
"It's fine, just one sip. Give it a try, just once. You won't get wasted from a single sip. Okay?"
"Young Lady..."
"Or should I go first?"
I said that to the hesitant Lize.
Honestly, it wouldn't bother me at all.
It was only around 10% alcohol—no way it'd turn me into a giggling mess.
I'd never been weak to booze anyway.
"...No. I'll drink."
"Huh."
Why the sudden change?
I'd been a bit startled by Lize's abrupt declaration.
She'd been refusing up until a moment ago—what happened?
Whatever the reason, she'd volunteered herself, so... that should be enough, right?
Probably.
"Just take one little sip for now. No need to finish a whole glass."
"Yes."
Rozalin poured the apple cider into a glass and handed it to Lize, who accepted it.
She seemed pretty anxious about the alcohol...
But actually, people like her often ended up loving it more once they got a taste.
No real worries there.
"Hmm..."
"How is it?"
"Just... tastes like apples."
"Pfft... right?"
When I asked Lize after her sip, the response was exactly as expected.
The proof was low to begin with.
No way something this mild would really feel like booze after a tiny taste.
"Want to try more?"
"Just a sip or so... should be fine."
"Yeah?"
As expected, the ones who pretend to hate it end up getting hooked the most.
She always acted like she disliked pranks, but never actually refused the ones I pulled on her. Was Lize just the timid type?
The kind who fears starting something new...
*
"Phew..."
"Pfft... Lize is weaker to alcohol than I thought."
"Yeah."
"I'm not drunk yet..."
"Hehe, sure?"
Her eyes were pretty glazed over for someone claiming that.
She'd been all fidgety and unfocused for a while now...
Anyone could see she was smashed.
"Do I look drunk to you, Young Lady...?"
"Yeah."
"I'm not drunkkk..."
"You look drunk."
"I'm not drunkkk..."
"Pfft..."
Lize, who clearly looked drunk to anyone watching, kept dropping her head.
Her breathing had gotten deeper a bit ago, and everything about her screamed intoxication.
"If we leave her like this, she'll probably pass out on her own."
"Hehe, yeah. For her first time, she's even worse at holding her liquor than I expected."
"You think? I figured she'd definitely crash hard."
Straight-laced types like this always turned out to be total lightweights.
Look at Lize, who'd downed just a few glasses and was already out of it. Rozalin was kinda the same way.
For now, I let Lize lean on my shoulder and kept chatting with Rozalin.
Everyday stuff, impressions from our time up north, random old stories—I gradually steered the conversation toward the past.
To draw out tales of Rozalin's childhood or her days in her family.
"Academy life was fun because you met all sorts of people... from so many different families and regions, you know? Lots of weirdos, but plenty of interesting ones too..."
I just smiled faintly and nodded along to Rozalin's stories.
She seemed pleased by my reactions and kept going, the cycle repeating.
"When I was little... Christina really picked on me a lot... I didn't think much of it back then, but looking back now... hehe..."
A bit of an irritating topic came up, but that was kinda the point.
My goal from the start had been to hear about those times from her, so it was good in a way—yet annoying all the same.
Hard to put a finger on how I felt hearing these old stories of hers, separate from my objective.
"And my parents... sigh..."
Watching Rozalin, who was getting tipsy, I felt like it was best to wrap up these talks soon.
They weren't exactly pleasant for me listening or her sharing.
I'd already heard plenty about the past and mulled over how to deal with those Rose bastards.
Anyway, I kept laying the groundwork subtly, and Rozalin, oblivious, kept drinking and chatting with me.
At my age, chugging like her would've gotten me plastered for sure.
I pretended to sip now and then or topped off glasses to drink as little as possible.
She was already quite drunk anyway—she wouldn't notice.
"Huu..."
Actually, it wasn't just Rozalin; Lize, slumped against me, was half-asleep and still wasted too.
Someone had to stay sober.
"Phew..."
"Hmm..."
One passed out cold, barely coherent.
The other too sloshed to notice I wasn't drinking.
Obvious she'd miss whatever I did.
"Lize?"
"Huuu..."
Definitely asleep.
Yeah.
No doubt about it.
Convinced, I slid my hand onto Lize's thigh, where she leaned against me.
Felt kinda like sexual harassment, and I was a bit sorry, but no helping it.
"Hehe..."
Come on, such a pretty girl always trailing after me—who wouldn't have naughty thoughts?
Especially when she never outright refused my bad behavior.
"Nice."
Skirt-covered, but plenty to enjoy.
Maybe because Lize had such a great figure?
Just stroking her thigh with one hand was entertaining enough.
As I lightly caressed Lize's thigh, I glanced at Rozalin across from me—and saw she'd passed out completely.
I'd brought two bottles, and she'd drunk most of them solo.
Not surprising.
"Time to move them."
With that thought, I started carrying them both to the bedroom.
They were already in sleepwear, and magic made it easy.
Once settled... well, nothing much else.
"Mm. Perfect."
No masterpiece painting could rival the scene before my eyes.
For real.
Could there be anything prettier than this?
I couldn't stop grinning involuntarily.
Normally, I didn't obsess when we slept platonically, but damn, sharing a bed with beauties every night was something.
Of course, I was just as gorgeous, so it wasn't like I was punching above my weight.
"Ehehehe... Is this what they call a sublime view?"
I even let out a creepy, pervy chuckle without thinking... but the sight was just too delightful.
Couldn't help it.
Anyway, after laying them on the bed, I slowly approached.
They were still out cold, clueless, but leaving them be? Nah, I'm a bit of a perv.
All unavoidable, really.
From my position, it was a chain of irresistible situations.
"...Hoo."
Of course, I knew I shouldn't.
Groping two drunk women willy-nilly was obviously wrong.
But if I didn't do it on the sly... I'd started getting these impulses to misbehave even in daily life lately.
"A little should be fine."
It wasn't much different from my usual teasing when Lize was awake.
Just... she was drunk and asleep this time.