Chapter 62

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Chapter 62

Immune now to the same words, I took one more step inside his room.

“I brought you a present.”

As I approached, he fixed a constant glare on me.

“Let’s have a drink.”

Let’s see who falls first.

With my challenging tone, he narrowed his eyes.

Regardless of whether he allowed it or not, I walked up to him and placed the liquor bottles onto the table.

“What are you doing?”

Amoide stood up right then.

“I’m not gonna eat you up or anything. Come, sit down.”

I sat in the middle of the sofa where he was sitting and scooted him over to the side.

“Please be my drinking buddy.”

“……”

“I’ve never once had a drink ever since I came to this place.”

Even in my previous life, I was never one to drink alone. Liquor tastes better when there’s someone drinking with you.

“These bottles, they’re quite heavy.”

“So?”

“I carried these very very heavy bottles all the way from my room.”

“Did I ask you to carry them.”

He answered back like a sharp blade. But no matter, there wasn’t any disappointment or guilt.

I expected as much.

If I can’t persuade you through words, then let’s go with the quickest method.

Pop!

The sound of the cork being pulled out was resonant.

And the fragrance of the alcohol immediately permeated the air. I felt like I was going to get drunk just by smelling it.

“Wow.”

This was made really well. Walter seemed to have better talent in making alcohol than medicine. The ingredients he used for this were also of the highest quality.

Within the liquor were precious, expensive varieties of herbs that were fragrant and delicious.

More than that, Walter really hit the mark with the golden ratio with this formulation.

When it came to alcohol, he could never go wrong because he had carefully and meticulously found the golden ratio after several experiments.

“It smells nice, doesn’t it?”

I shook the bottle slightly.

His eyes moved from side to side, following the amber liquid that swayed inside the transparent glass bottle.

“You don’t want a glass?”

“No.”

Again, a fast answer came back. I reluctantly pushed the cork back in.

“Then just watch me drink.”

I stood up and went to the seat across from him, and his gaze followed me as I went to my new seat.

Amoide was busy watching my clumsy movements, and I sat down while he was still staring.

Flop.

As soon as I sat on the fluffy seat, I looked straight ahead.

“What the hell are you…”

With his chin slightly raised, he frowned at me as though he was dumbfounded by my actions.

“Just what are you doing right now?”

He had been leaning back on his seat just now, but he went on his feet.

“I can’t drink while you’re standing up. I have the perfect seat already. Look, it’s so wide.”

I put down the bottles and touched them forlornly, arranging them side by side with care.

“Please? I’m not asking you to drink with me. Just sit.”

“Is there a reason why you must drink here?”

“It’s my husband’s room. Is there a reason I can’t?”

His expression subtly changed when I said the word ‘husband’.

Ah, you really hate it, huh?

Do you think I’m doing this because I want to? I’m also frustrated because I can’t tell you everything that’s on my mind.

If it weren’t for that confidentiality clause with Camilla, instead of asking for a divorce, I would latch onto his leg.

…Unfortunately, I couldn’t do that.

Please know that I’m not sucking up to you because I like you.

Pop!

I removed the cork once more and took in the liquor’s fragrance.

“Mmm.”

The strong scent spread through the air. It was a fragrance that would surely reach even Amoide from here.

“You really don’t want to?”

I shook the bottle again, but he didn’t budge.

“Drink alone.”

“What’s the fun in drinking alone?”

“Then drink with your maid.”

“Rona? No way.”

“Why?”

“She’s a heavy drinker. The alcohol would run out before I could even take a sip.”

Glug, glug.

The sound of the liquor being poured into a glass was loud.

“Well, since you said you’re not drinking…”

I lifted my glass to my lips.

And soon took a little sip.

As expected.

The golden ratio.

‘I think I’ll die happy after this?’

I quickly emptied the glass. I refilled it three more times, pouring all its contents into my lips.

I couldn’t get enough of the taste as I gulped it all down.

As I was drinking, the glass tilted up to the fullest, I turned my head and met Amoide’s gaze.

He was looking at me with his chin cradled by one hand.

I didn’t bother to avoid that gaze.

I didn’t avoid it, sure, but my eyes went wide when he didn’t avert his gaze either.

Either way, I swallowed every single drop of the liquor.

When I took the glass off my lips, the liquor trickled a little bit from the glass.

I stuck out my tongue and licked my lips.

Did I see it wrong, or did his eyes just follow that movement?

…Nah, probably not.

His blue eyes pierced into me. What the, so suddenly, too.

‘It’s disconcerting.’

I kept drinking anyway. I was strangely thirsty.

My chest felt hot and the temperature of the room seemed to have gone higher.

What’s wrong with me?

I stared at the empty glass in my hand and spun it around slightly.

Even as I lowered my gaze, I could still feel his eyes on me.

‘Why are you looking at me like that?’

Do you like glaring at me so much? Was it because I was drinking so much that you’re just hoping I’d get out of here soon?

“Are you done?”

At his languid tone, I raised my eyes.

“Curious about the taste?”

He didn’t say anything in return.

“Then drink.”

I poured some alcohol into an empty glass, but when I held it out to him, Amoide pushed it away.

“I don’t need it.”

“Raymond said it’s fine. And this liquor’s made with herbs that are good for the body…”

“Why must you show this pathetic side of you here? Do you like drinking in front of people you hate?”

He said all that in one breath.

“I have a side dish here.”

“Side dish? Where?”

He glanced at the table, where there was nothing but bottles and glasses.

“Your face.”

At my shameless answer, he was at a loss for words.

“Your face, hmm, pretty delicious. There’s no restaurant in the world who can top that.”

“Restaurant?”

“Makes me crave more.”

Oh, am I drunk? The words flowed out unfiltered.

“It’s so boring to drink alone.”

I tapped the glass with a fingertip and made a small sound.

“I guess only your name means amiable. Can’t you drink even a little?”

I took the filled glass and gingerly shook it in front of him, but because it was filled almost to the brim, it was about to spill.

Amoide watched the precarious glass, then finally took it from my hand.

Unexpectedly, his large hand gently wrapped around mine and grabbed the glass from me.

“You’re drunk.”

Amoide set the glass down on the table, making a clear sound.

“If you don’t drink this, then there really is no chance of reconciling…”

I muttered as I looked at the glass.

“……”

“I’ll just continue thinking that my husband is a narrow-minded, stingy man—so stingy that he wouldn’t even drink with me.”

“…Reconciliation. Sure, alright, so stop this.”

He rubbed his forehead as he sat back down. My eyes moved as well, following his movements.

“Ah, you’re playing dirty, seriously.”

Did you feel sorry for me because I brought these bottles? You?

I suddenly felt something like a fever rising within me.

“Playing di…”

“Yes, playing dirty.”

I stared back at him with a confused gaze. The corners of my lips twitched.

You don’t want to drink? Or you can’t?

“…Ah, you’re a lightweight?”

At what I said, he tilted his head to the side slightly.

“Oh my. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

With one hand over an empty bottle, I spun it round and round.

He leaned back on his seat.

“Ah, what’s the use in being the commander of the best knight order in the Empire if you can’t even drink. Well, drinking is something you’re born with, I guess. You know, Rona finished two bottles in one sitting.”

“……”

“It’s okay, Amoide. Those are all prejudices. It’s too biased to think that just because you’re good at wielding a sword, you’re also good at drinking.”

I waved my hand around.

“No matter how much that sword of yours is an extension of your body, your drinking capacity isn’t affected by that. But you have no~thing to be embarrassed about.”

“When did I…”

“It’s not easy for a knight to say there’s something he can’t do. I get it, I get it. I understand you completely.”

I nodded my head vigorously.

“If you can’t drink, just say you can’t. You don’t have to make excuses.”

“Ex… cuses?”

His jaw hardened as his eyes narrowed. I held back the laughter that was slowly about to escape through my lips.

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