Wine and Confessions in Moderation
What happened next was something anyone could have easily predicted.
"Schwarz~"
"My Lady…"
Schwarz shook his head at the sight of Milia mumbling in a half-slurred voice.
Her cheeks were flushed a deep red. Her eyes were unfocused. A smile refused to leave her face.
As far as Schwarz was concerned, he had no idea what on earth was going on.
Out of nowhere she had downed Arze's wine in a single gulp, and that one glass alone had left her completely drunk.
Right now she had her arm linked through his, letting out soft little "ehehe…" laughs.
"Um… did something happen while I was gone?"
Schwarz's voice came out awkward at the sight of her.
It was only natural. This was a side of Milia that would never appear under normal circumstances. Without some kind of incident, her current state was simply impossible to explain.
"Nope. Nothing happened."
"No. Nothing happened at all."
Yet the two of them only shook their heads in answer to his question.
"Hmm…"
At their replies Schwarz let out a low groan and looked down at Milia, who was nuzzling her cheek against his arm.
What in the world was this situation…?
He was thoroughly at a loss.
Just then—
"Ugh… it's so hot…"
Whining like a spoiled child, Milia scrunched up her face, slipped free of his arm, and staggered toward the window on unsteady feet.
"My Lady!? Be careful!"
Afraid she might fall, Schwarz hurried after her with a worried expression.
When she reached the window she flung it open with a clatter, and the cold night air immediately rushed in.
"Haa… that feels so nice…"
"My Lady! What if you catch a cold like that!"
As Milia let out a short sigh of relief, Schwarz hastily shrugged off the jacket he was wearing and draped it over her shoulders.
"Shuddup!! I don't need this!!"
She snapped back at him and began walking out onto the terrace beyond the window.
Still unable to hide his anxiety, Schwarz followed her outside.
"Ah… ah… achoo…!!"
"My Lady…"
The moment she sneezed and sniffled, Schwarz sighed again and once more settled his jacket over her shoulders.
This time she seemed to feel the cold herself, for she did not push his hands away.
Feeling a dull ache start behind his eyes, Schwarz wordlessly pressed a hand to his forehead.
That damned alcohol was always the problem.
Even back when he had been human, nothing good ever came of getting mixed up with drink. Especially during his days working in a tavern—how much had he suffered at the hands of drunken customers? Dealing with every type of drunk imaginable had been enough to teach him exactly what misanthropy felt like.
Because of those experiences, the mere mention of alcohol made him want to run the other way. If the person currently drunk had been anyone other than Milia, he would have left this place at once.
Hoping she would stop making a scene and just stay quiet, he watched her carefully… but that was only wishful thinking on his part.
"Uuu…"
"Ah, My Lady…?"
A whimper escaped her, and tears began to well in her eyes.
Ah…
We're doomed.
"Waaaaaahhh—!!"
The instant that thought crossed Schwarz's mind, Milia burst into loud, full-throated sobs.
"Urgh…"
A serious headache hit him, and he let out a low groan.
From experience he knew there was only one way to calm a crying drunk: leave them alone until they stopped. Trying to soothe them only made them cry harder. The sole solution was to wait until the tears simply ran dry.
With a short sigh he moved to stand beside her.
But he was wrong.
"Schwarz, you big idiot—!!"
"!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"
In a voice full of the world's deepest sorrow she flung herself into his arms. Schwarz froze solid, unable even to scream.
"M-My Lady!?"
"Waaaaaahhh—!!"
She only cried harder against the man who was now stammering.
"P-Please calm down, My Lady! Just calm down first…!!"
Forgetting all about leaving her alone, he tried desperately to soothe her—when suddenly—
"I like you so much, so why do you always pretend you don't know—!!"
"Eh…?"
As Milia wailed, tears, snot, and saliva all streaming down her face, Schwarz locked up completely.
Did I just mishear that? He stared at her.
"It's because you're a dragon, right? Because you're not human—because you're a dragon—you don't see me as a girl at all, do you—!?"
"No, wait, what are you even—"
"That's it, isn't it!! Because you're a dragon! You're going to find a female and build a nest! You're going to lay eggs—!!"
"Hold on a second, My Lady, please just calm down…"
"Waaaaaahhh—!!"
As she sobbed out those incomprehensible words, Schwarz's mind spun.
A female? A nest? Eggs?
What in the world was she talking about?
He would have loved an explanation from someone, but Arze and Elis were standing well back, watching the two of them with amused smiles.
"Haa…"
His head was pounding past the point of mere throbbing. With another short sigh he took hold of Milia's still-wailing shoulders.
"Hic…?"
Startled by the sudden action, she looked up at him and sniffled.
Schwarz bent his knees, bringing his eyes level with hers, his expression firm.
"My Lady. Please calm down first and listen to me."
"Uuu…"
Perhaps sensing something serious in his face, she stopped crying and gave a small nod.
Schwarz drew a short breath and spoke.
"First of all, I have no interest in female dragons. Do you understand? For me there is only you, My Lady."
"Liar…"
"I'm not lying."
He answered her mumbled words in a steady voice.
Wherever she had heard such a rumor, he felt thoroughly wronged.
"And second—I don't build nests. The only place I belong is always right beside you, My Lady."
"Really…?"
"Yes. Really and truly."
She looked up at him with tear-streaked cheeks.
Almost there, he thought, and delivered the final point.
"And third—so I don't lay eggs or anything of the sort."
"You promise…?"
"Yes. I promise."
Seeing that her tears had nearly stopped, Schwarz nodded with a solemn face.
"…"
"…"
An awkward silence settled between them.
A moment later…
"F-Fine! If you say all that, I'll believe you!"
"Thank you…"
Facing her prim little expression, Schwarz felt a fatigue he had never known before and managed a faint smile.
But then—
"In exchange, prove it!"
"Prove it…?"
At her next words an ominous feeling crept over him, and he tilted his head.
At the same time Milia's face turned scarlet and she fidgeted with her fingers.
His instincts began sounding every alarm.
Hoping for once that those instincts were wrong, he asked,
"What exactly am I supposed to prove, My Lady?"
"Th-That you really don't care about female dragons…"
She answered while avoiding his eyes.
"Huh…? How am I supposed to prove something like that…"
Schwarz could only look utterly dumbfounded.
If he could pull his heart out and show it to her, he would. But of course that was impossible.
"Hmm…"
He was still making a troubled sound, completely at a loss as to what she wanted, when—
"Ki…"
"Ki?"
"Ki-Kiss me."
"…"
The moment those hesitant words left her lips, silence fell over the terrace.
Even if someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over them, it could not have been quieter.
Schwarz stared at her, wondering if he had misheard.
Milia had her head bowed low, her ears burning red.
Judging by that reaction, he had definitely not misheard.
"Um… My Lady. Did I hear you wrong?"
"D-Don't make me say it twice—!!"
Unable to accept the fact, he asked again, and she raised her voice in reply.
"…Even so, that's a bit…"
"See…? You do like dragons after all…"
Looking at his flustered face, Milia's eyes began to fill with tears once more.
How had things ended up like this?
No matter how hard he thought, he could find no answer.
"Haa… All right."
In the end he sighed and nodded.
Getting through the moment came first, he decided.
I'll just kiss her forehead or cheek and muddle through somehow, he thought, carefully leaning his face toward hers.
Milia flinched and went still, then closed her eyes and tilted her face up to meet him.
His heartbeat grew louder and louder from the tension.
The closer they drew, the more clearly he felt her breath and the warmth of her skin.
The faint remaining scent of alcohol mixed with the strawberry perfume she always wore, tickling his nose.
Just as he was about to press his lips to her forehead—
"Eh…!?"
A sudden grip seized the front of his shirt, and Schwarz let out a startled sound.
The next instant—
"Mmph…!?"
Pressure against his lips.
At the same time a heat that was more than warm—almost scorching—covered his mouth.
The soft sensation of her tongue beginning to twine with his.
The fragrant aroma of the wine still lingering in her mouth filled his senses.
It felt as though sparks were exploding inside his skull. There was nothing he could do.
All he managed was to desperately cling to a consciousness that threatened to fly away at any second.
That was the only thing left to him.
How long they stayed like that, he could not tell.
With a soft pop their lips finally parted.
Still feeling the heat on his mouth, Schwarz stared at her, speechless.
"Ehehehe…"
Milia licked her lips and let out a low little laugh.
"I like you, Schwarz."
And with that, she smiled softly at the still-dazed dragon.