They Say When You Drink, You Become a Dog (1)

The restaurant Reinhardt took me to was an incredibly expensive-looking high-class establishment at first glance. Thinking about how much money would be spent in such an expensive place… No, correction. It’s better not to think about it at all. There’s no reason to harm my mental health in a place like this.

“Welcome, Your Highness Crown Prince. And Lady Walpurgis.”

As soon as we entered, we were greeted with a polite welcome and guided to a seat with an incredibly good view. While Reinhardt seemed accustomed to the guidance, for me walking beside him, it felt as uncomfortable as wearing ill-fitting clothes.

“Sit down.”

“Yes.”

I lightly thanked the staff who politely pulled out the chair for me and sat down. Hmm, the chair feels better than I expected. I wonder how luxurious this chair is?

“If there’s any menu item you want, don’t hesitate to say so.”

He probably won’t listen no matter what I say now. I tried to suggest going Dutch all the way until we arrived here, but it didn’t work at all. Don’t… If I give up, it’ll be easier…

‘But in a way, this isn’t a bad development.’

I quickly scanned the surroundings with a sidelong glance. The number of customers is decent. Not enough to fill the entire restaurant, but there aren’t many empty seats either. Moreover, most of the customers here are clearly high-ranking individuals just by looking. Then rumors will spread quickly too.

‘Well then… Huh?’

I steeled myself and opened the menu, only to freeze on the spot. Um, what language is all this? No, even looking at the menu names, I can’t tell what’s what. Are these dish names? What’s that? I don’t know. It’s scary.

Did I perhaps not learn enough language? But that’s not it. The language I use is very fluent, whether it’s due to a translator or ‘Ariel’s’ memories, I’m not sure.

“Is this your first time in a place like this?”

At Reinhardt’s question, I could only slowly nod. Why do I feel so embarrassed somehow? Considering my original life, there’s nothing particularly shameful about coming to a high-class restaurant for the first time. How often would a commoner like me come to a place like this? It’s normal to never have been here in a lifetime.

But now I’m Ariel Walpurgis, a duke’s daughter. It might be okay with Reinhardt who knows my situation to some extent, but if I came with someone who didn’t know this… Well, this isn’t good. Not good at all. I might even be looked down upon if I’m not careful.

Tarnishing my image is fine, but being looked down upon is a separate issue. There are different types of being looked down upon, but being looked down upon for not knowing something like this is not good at all. If I’m not careful, I might end up just being seen as an idiot who’s neither here nor there.

“Yes, embarrassingly…”

“I see. Then let me teach you this time.”

“Won’t I be a bother?”

“That much is fine. Ariel, you should learn to rely on others more.”

Relying on others… Can he say that knowing what I’m about to do from now on? I felt sorry for Reinhardt, but it can’t be helped.

I’ll show you what happens when a villainess becomes sincere.

Somehow managing to choose a menu with Reinhardt’s help, Ariel finally ordered some alcohol.

‘Alcohol…’

A light drink after a meal isn’t bad. Ariel is also an adult who can drink alcohol, so this much should be fine. However, it doesn’t hurt to be a little careful.

‘If something happens, I’ll have to leave it to them.’

It’s difficult inside the academy, but on days like this when we come out, there are usually inconspicuous guards. If something happens, they will move.

‘Come to think of it…’

Reinhardt suddenly recalled something that happened before. Didn’t Heinrich and Theodore warn him to be careful when drinking with Ariel at the Walpurgis mansion?

[Remember, Your Highness. You must not give alcohol to Ariel. If she gets drunk, who knows what might happen…]

He remembered it vividly because of their uncharacteristically pale complexions as they spoke. When he asked why, didn’t they say that Ariel has a low alcohol tolerance but terrible drinking habits? Although they tried to say it indirectly, that was essentially the gist of it.

‘She should know herself, so she’ll probably exercise some self-control…’

Although he thought nothing serious would happen, Reinhardt suddenly flinched at a thought that occurred to him. Would ‘that’ Ariel know about self-control?

Reinhardt momentarily used his brain to its full capacity to contemplate his fiancée. Ariel Walpurgis. Overall, she has excellent abilities and is a fine lady who knows how to consider others. That is, if you only look at her abilities.

However, she had a critical problem. It’s not exactly a flaw, but there was a factor so powerful that it could negate all those advantages.

She might think she hasn’t been caught, but from Reinhardt’s perspective, he had already figured out all those clumsy behaviors. Claudia, who usually runs around here and there, called it being a ‘klutz’. That’s exactly the feeling.

And alcohol is something that loosens the reason of even fairly composed people. Can Ariel really handle that?

‘Well, it might not be impossible.’

But there’s nothing particularly problematic. Reinhardt thought that far and relaxed his body. What kind of trouble could Ariel cause? Of course, if she wanted to, she might be able to cause a major incident that could shake this town, or even the empire. Considering her family and abilities, it’s not entirely impossible.

However, Ariel’s own personality seems to have nothing to do with that, and recalling her usual clumsy actions makes it even less convincing.

Even if she drinks and causes a scene, at worst she’ll probably just annoy the people around her a bit. Thinking this, Reinhardt decided to allow Ariel’s order. If it’s moderate, it’s fine to leave her be, and if it seems a bit severe, he can intervene. He had decided to invest in her for today anyway.

“Thank you.”

Seeing her smile slightly and thank the waiter serving them, his conviction grew even stronger. If she’s that rational, it should be possible.

“Well then, let’s eat.”

“Yes, enjoy your meal.”

“You too.”

They exchanged light greetings and started the meal. Unlike when she was struggling with the menu earlier, once the food arrived, Ariel seemed relieved and was eating well. It seems she’s had this menu at home before. If so, did she just not know the names? That’s interesting in its own way.

“It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

Unlike her hesitant behavior at first, Ariel was adapting very well. No matter how modestly she lived, she was still a duke’s daughter. She couldn’t help but quickly adapt to a place like this.

‘The behavior she showed today was quite unexpected.’

He knew she was more frugal than he thought, but he didn’t expect her to be uncomfortable even receiving gifts. Price? What’s the problem with that? If she wanted to, Ariel could easily afford that amount. Unless she had an economic sense like a commoner, her reaction was that of someone not used to receiving favors.

‘There didn’t seem to be any particular problems in her family.’

After the reconciliation between the duke and Ariel, the atmosphere within the family had been very good. It was peaceful when Reinhardt visited, and from what he heard, the atmosphere in the duke’s family had improved recently. So it’s not a family issue.

‘Is she just awkward with this kind of favor?’

It’s a fact that’s constantly being overlooked, but Ariel currently has amnesia. Naturally, she’s inexperienced in many ways and bound to be lacking in dealing with people.

Perhaps Ariel’s occasional silly side is because of that. She might still find this whole world unfamiliar.

“I’ve brought the alcohol.”

“Thank you.”

The alcohol arrived while he was lost in thought. By then, both of their plates were somewhat empty. It should be fine to drink a bit as a palate cleanser here.

“I’ll pour it for you.”

“Hm?”

Reinhardt, and even the waiter, were surprised by how naturally she grabbed the bottle. Usually, the waiter is supposed to do all of this. The guests are just supposed to sit still.

But Ariel was already carefully filling Reinhardt’s glass while holding the bottle. It doesn’t seem right to intervene at this point. With no other choice, Reinhardt gestured to the waiter to step back and felt conflicted as he looked at the perfectly filled glass.

“Ariel.”

“Yes?”

“In a place like this, you can just sit still.”

“Pardon?”

Seeing her face that showed complete lack of understanding, Reinhardt felt a slight throbbing in a corner of his head.