Growburn Village – The Hero Party’s Groom (2)

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That night, Carlson went down to the first floor of the inn to use the restroom.

As he descended the stairs and headed towards the restroom, he happened to spot someone sitting alone in the empty dining area.

‘What’s that…?’

A woman with blonde hair flowing down to her waist and snow-white skin.

It was Lena, drinking alone.

Impulsively, Carlson changed direction and approached her.

“Lena, why are you drinking alone?”

“Everyone else looked tired, so I let them go up first. I wanted to drink a little more….”

There were many empty glasses on the table.

Lena’s face was flushed, as if she had drunk them all with her friends.

“You seem to have had quite a bit. Are you alright?”

“I’m strong with alcohol, so I’m fine.”

Lena lightly swept back her hair as if she was still perfectly fine. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, her eyes sparkled.

“Since you’re here, would you like to join me for a drink?”

“Would that be alright?”

“Of course.”

“Then I’ll stay here with you for a while.”

Drinking is the best way to get closer to someone.

Carlson couldn’t miss this golden opportunity.

And so, he ended up drinking alone with Lena.

“There’s no alcohol left.”

Lena tried to pour Carlson a drink but realized she had finished it all.

“Excuse me, can we get six more beers!”

“Six glasses?”

“What? Are you not confident?”

Carlson thought Lena was cold and aloof to people she wasn’t close to.

But drunk, she was playful and cute, unlike her usual self.

‘Even better.’

The more Carlson learned about Lena’s hidden side, the more he fell for her.

A little later, the innkeeper brought the drinks to the table.

“Here you go. Six beers. You’re quite the drinker, miss.”

“Thank you. Carlson, have a drink too.”

Lena held out a glass of beer to Carlson.

“Sounds good. Shall we have a toast?”

“Sure.”

-Clink!

Carlson clinked glasses and began to gulp down the beer.

As the cool liquid went down his throat, the fatigue from driving the carriage seemed to disappear all at once.

It was the kind of taste he wanted to buy in bulk and stock up at home.

“Ah… this inn’s beer is really good.”

One of the reasons Carlson chose this inn was because of its amazing beer.

As he savored the taste, Carlson noticed Lena drinking her beer.

-Gulp, gulp.

Her face was flushed red.

Her Adam’s apple moved every time she swallowed.

Her eyes were slightly unfocused.

All of it combined to give her a strange sexiness.

As he stared blankly at her, the words slipped out of his mouth.

“This is driving me crazy.”

“Pardon?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just suddenly remembered something.”

Fortunately, Lena didn’t seem to hear him properly and brushed off his words.

His heart pounded, worried that she might have heard him and gotten angry, and he sighed in relief.

‘I need to be careful.’

If he made even one more mistake, it would be over for real.

“Hmm… Kay, how long have you been doing this job?”

“I’ve been doing it for about three years. I like handling horses.”

“Three years is quite a while, then.”

“Not really. It’s a very short career among coachmen.”

With those words, a brief silence fell between them.

Carlson wanted to lead the conversation with light jokes, as he usually did when meeting women, but given his position, where he had to be careful with every word, he couldn’t.

-Tap, tap.

In the awkward atmosphere, Lena tapped the side of her glass with her finger without saying a word.

Unable to bear the atmosphere, Lena spoke first.

“We seem to be about the same age, so can I speak informally? I’ll probably be going back tomorrow, but even now.”

“If you wish. It’s difficult for me as a coachman to speak carelessly to a guest… I’ll keep speaking formally.”

Lena nodded as if she understood Carlson’s position.

“Okay. Then I’ll speak comfortably.”

Lena began to tell him various stories.

First, she told him that her companions were all students from the same Academy.

“Students from Veil Academy? But why are you doing this instead of going to the Academy?”

“We’re going to Growburn Village to take on a Dungeon exploration request.”

She even revealed that they were going to Growburn Village together to take on a request.

“It’s rare for students to go for such things. It seems dangerous for students unless they’re Heroes….”

“Y-Yeah… Let’s have a drink!”

-Gulp, gulp.

Lena continued to drink as she talked.

Eventually, she became nearly unconscious.

Completely drunk, Lena slurred her words, hiccuping and trailing off.

“Hic! Carls…on….”

“Yes?”

“You’re a good person…. At first, I thought you were trash because you kept staring at my chest.”

“Ugh. I apologize for that. You’re just too beautiful, Lena.”

“Well, any man would do that. Hic! I am pretty, after all.”

Lena naturally placed her hand on top of Carlson’s.

“You’re more mannerly than I thought. Thank you for listening to my stories. The carriage ride earlier was quite comfortable too….”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad I could drink with you today as well.”

“That’s good…. I’ve been rambling on and on. Is there anything you’re curious about regarding me?”

Carlson hesitated for a moment.

If there was anything he was curious about… he needed to know the relationship between Jade and Lena for sure.

“This is a personal question… but what is your relationship with Jade, the person you’re traveling with?”

“Jade? Hmm… just a very close friend. Hic!”

A sliver of hope bloomed in Carlson’s heart.

If they were lovers who had confirmed their feelings for each other, he would have to give up, but if they were still just friends, there might be a gap he could squeeze into.

“You two seem to be very close… I thought you were lovers.”

“L-Lovers? It’s nothing like that.”

Lena waved her hands as if to deny it completely.

Carlson felt that Lena’s face, already red from the alcohol, had become even redder.

Even if she said that, it seemed clear that she had feelings for Jade.

“Jade is a good friend. He’s helped me a lot recently… He’s not bad, but he can be a bit frustrating.”

Lena tapped the table with her finger and sighed deeply.

“But these days, Jade seems busy training separately, so it feels like we’re spending less time together.”

“You must be having a hard time, Lena.”

As soon as Jade’s name came up, Lena poured out her complaints about him as if she had a lot pent up.

“It’s frustrating even when I think about it again! It’s not like he’s a eunuch. Hic!”

“Just listening to you makes me feel frustrated. If I were in Jade’s situation, I wouldn’t do such a foolish thing.”

“Yeah, I like someone who understands a woman’s heart better.”

Lena paused and looked at Kay.

Carlson’s eyes met Lena’s blue eyes.

“Hmm… Like someone like you, for example?”

“M-Me?”

At Lena’s sweet words, his heart began to race like crazy.

Does she like me?

Was that just a casual remark without thinking?

Is she confessing to me?

At Lena’s sudden words, all sorts of thoughts mixed together in Carlson’s head, creating a jumbled mess.

“If I made you feel bad, I’m sor-ry… Hic! I don’t know much about you, but the way you treat me makes it seem like you have a lot of experience with women….”

Lena, who had shaken Carlson’s heart, casually took another swig of beer, as if she hadn’t meant anything by it.

At that moment, beer leaked from Lena’s mouth and flowed down towards her chest.

The spilled beer pooled in the cleavage between her large breasts.

‘If it’s this…?’

Carlson decided to take a proactive approach to the situation.

He needed to confirm whether the favor she had shown him was genuine.

“Just a moment.”

“Huh?”

Carlson took out a tissue and carefully began to wipe the beer pooled in her cleavage.

“You spilled some beer. I don’t have any other intentions.”

Swish, swish-

A moment of silence passed as Carlson wiped the beer from her chest.

“That’s enough.”

“…Th-Thank you.”

Lena turned her head away, as if she was a little embarrassed by the situation.

Carlson cheered inwardly.

She didn’t stop him even when a man touched her cleavage.

He was unsure, but it was clear that Lena had opened her heart to him.

After the awkward incident passed, Lena began to nod off.

She looked like she was about to fall forward at any moment.

“I think you should go in now.”

“I’m still okay…. But I feel a little dizzy….”

-Thud.

She stumbled from being drunk and hit her forehead on the table.

Carlson carefully lifted her head.

“Hic! I’m definitely okay because I’m strong with alcohol….”

“No, you’re very drunk.”

He had made tremendous progress in his relationship with Lena. Satisfied, Carlson tried to support Lena and take her to her room.

“I liked you… Don’t go….”

Lena wrapped her arms around Carlson’s waist, hugging him as he tried to get up.

“Uh….”

Carlson was flustered by the touch on his waist and looked at Lena.

“Umm….”

But in the meantime, Lena had fallen asleep, leaning against Carlson’s waist.

Carlson was faced with the dilemma of a lifetime.

If he had his way, he would take Lena to his room right away and go all the way.

He had never felt his heart beat so fast in his life. This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

But what if everything was just because she was drunk? He had no confidence in dealing with the aftermath tomorrow.

“It’s hot….”

Lena, who had been sleeping, loosened the clothes around her chest as if she was hot from the alcohol.

As a result, her pure white underwear was revealed.

-Gulp.

In the end, Carlson’s desires exploded from within.

“…It’s your fault for seducing me like this.”

Carlson bent down and carefully picked up Lena.

He felt the soft sensation on his back and headed to his room.

Unbeknownst to him, Lena behind his back was faintly smiling.