Episode 32. Wedding (1)

“Huh, uh?”

“That’s a bit much.”

Winnie blankly stared at her friend’s profile. Looking at the documents, Monica was making a face of utter disgust.

“R-really? Didn’t you not really like men?”

“I don’t like what men do, but that doesn’t mean I’m attracted to women like that. For example, like now…”

Monica lightly tapped Winnie’s arm around her neck.

“Doing this is fine because we’re friends, but if you’re doing it while looking at me like that, I’m a bit put off. It’s no different from men. At least men can be understood because it’s for having children.”

“…That’s right! You’re right. Looking at each other sexually between women, it’s creepy, really.”

Kwaak-

Winnie didn’t let go of Monica’s neck. Rather, as if she couldn’t let go, she hugged her even tighter.

“Kehek kehek, why are you doing this to me today! Did I do something wrong?”

“Heuung, of course, you did.”

“What?”

“Going to get married before me! How dare you! I’ll strangle you to death!”

“Ah, stop it!”

With the more intense prank than usual, Monica was inwardly worried about Winnie.

‘Winnie is getting to the age to get married too…’

She seemed less interested in men than Monica herself, but it seemed she was feeling lonely without realizing it. I should introduce her to a suitable knight, maybe…

Kung-

“Wh, what!”

“Ah, I hit my head on the chair…”

Suddenly, the sound of a crash interrupted Monica’s thoughts. Her clumsy friend had suddenly hit her head on the chair this time. Startled, she put down the documents and turned to look at her. Did she hit her forehead, or her eye? Her forehead and around her eyes were all swollen red, making it hard to tell where she had hit.

“It hurts soo much…”

“Does it hurt so much that you’re about to cry?”

Why is she crying over just hitting something when she’s not even a child? It seemed her friend was having a sensitive day, and her emotions were a bit heightened. If she had really hit it hard enough to cry, she wouldn’t be sitting there fine.

“Yeah, it hurts… my forehead…”

“Put something on it quickly before a bump forms.”

When Monica put her cold hand on Winnie’s forehead, which was presumed to be the affected area, she felt a hot sensation as if it would swell up.

“Yeah, I have to put something on… I’ll go to my house and put it on.”

“What about lunch?”

“I can’t eat because my head hurts. Eat on your own. Or, call that guy and eat with him.”

Then, as if the words “my head hurts” were meaningless, Winnie quickly left the office.

“…Is something wrong?”

A sob that seemed sad, different from pain, was felt. She didn’t seem to want to talk about it, so she just left her alone, but Monica decided to ask her then, as she would have pulled herself together after the wedding.

“I’ll have to make do with a simple lunch.”

Monica still had a lot to do.

“Why is it raining so much…”

The rain that started from lunchtime showed no signs of stopping. Allen opened his umbrella and went outside. The serfs liked it when it rained, but it wasn’t a good day for Allen, a knight. His shoes getting dirty with mud was basic, his feet and the horse’s hooves sank into the mud, and he couldn’t train. The leather parts added to the armor also got wet, and he hated it even more because they smelled like they were rotting if he didn’t dry them well.

Of course, he wasn’t wearing armor now, so it didn’t apply. He headed to the Mountberne Count Family’s mansion through the rain. Winnie Mountberne, who had confidently said she would tell him the results, hadn’t shown up even though the day was coming to an end. The sun had long been hidden by the rain clouds, but thanks to the huge clock at the highest point of the lord’s castle, he could tell the time properly.

Knock knock-

Squeak

“Are you there… huh?”

It was a small mansion where Winnie lived alone without any servants in the first place, but it was the first time the door wasn’t even locked. He opened the door and shook off his shoes. He hated this when it rained too. He had to shake off his shoes, which was a hassle, and they weren’t very clean even if he shook them off…

“Hmm?”

The hallway, which had been clean until yesterday, was full of muddy footprints. They were still wet, so it was clear they hadn’t been made long ago. Had someone dared to break in without fear? He gripped the sharply folded umbrella like a sword and walked silently. The footprints led to the drawing room. It was already dark due to the rainy weather, and with no lights on, he couldn’t see properly.

Hic- hic

A small sound echoed. It sounded like someone was running out of breath, or like sobbing. Whatever it was, it was clear it was a human sound, so he approached with more tension. It was a familiar voice, but he still didn’t know for sure.

Whoosh-

He turned the corner and pointed his umbrella towards the inside of the drawing room. Inside, there was a black figure sitting in front of the table without any reaction.

“…Wh, heuk, who is it.”

“What are you doing.”

Winnie Mountberne was crying.

“Sniff… sob.”

“Where’s the flint here?”

Winnie was completely soaked, as if she had just run through the rain. Allen took out a soft blanket and wrapped it around her, then looked for the flint.

“…Take it.”

Whoosh- Winnie quickly threw something. It was caught. It looked strangely shaped for a flint? As if Winnie had noticed Allen’s questioning expression through the darkness, she added an explanation.

“…It’s better than a flint. You just have to scratch it, sob, and it works.”

He rubbed two metal rods together towards the pile of firewood in the fireplace. With a pak- sound, sparks flew out like pouring. Oh, this is good? From the pile of firewood that caught fire at once, warm warmth and light began to spread in the room. Now Winnie’s appearance is a bit clearer.

“Why, what. I’m not giving it to you. Do you think it’s easy to make something like that?”

Her face was strangely red. A cloth was attached to her forehead as if she had been hit, and her eyes were swollen from crying for a long time. Her cheeks and nose were flushed red. Her face full of dissatisfaction looked really blotchy.

“I didn’t ask for it. And I don’t think you used to speak so informally before.”

“…What do I have to lose now? I don’t usually use polite language.”

Clink- The sound of ice colliding as the glass tilted. A strong-looking liquor disappears into Winnie’s body, gulp gulp. That’s why her face turns red like a drunkard. More than that, how did she get ice in the middle of summer?

“…Have you never seen ice before?”

“At least it’s the first time I’ve seen it in summer.”

“Making things like this is my job. So what, it’s all useless.”

Gulp gulp- The liquor goes down again. She seemed to have drunk quite a bit before I came, as there was no big change in her face. A wine bottle more than half empty on the table came into view.

“Did you fail?”

“You tricked me!”

Winnie, who slammed the table, trembled. Allen hadn’t particularly tricked her into anything, but he was overwhelmed by her spirit and remained still.

“You should have told me that it’s useless if I’m not even given a chance to touch it…”

“Shouldn’t you have known that much on your own?”

“It’s creepy, they say. Just trying to touch me for that purpose. How can I do it when they say that…”

“Sometimes it’s better to just do it and ask for forgiveness than to do it with permission.”

“Don’t talk like you know everything when you’ve never even done it!”

No, Allen has done it a lot. Allen had taught her the weaknesses specialized for Monica, but she got angry instead. Allen had no way to prove it, so he just watched without affirming or denying.

Winnie, who jumped up from her seat, staggered towards the cupboard. She grabbed a glass, filled it with ice, and came back again. She filled the glass with wine and handed it to Allen.

“…Drink.”

Without a word, Allen took the glass and poured it into his mouth. The scent of high-end wine that Allen had only tasted a few times spread in his mouth. Allen didn’t enjoy alcohol, but it was a decent-tasting wine.

“I was going to be really angry if even you didn’t listen to me when nothing else is working out.”

Winnie continued, sipping wine.

“Nothing went as planned, nothing… None of the words I prepared came out, and none of the answers I expected came out.”

“I ruined everything and came home to find that the doll ritual I had prepared was all ruined too! Shit! Nothing works out!”

She’s talking in a very excited state, unlike her usual calm self when she’s annoyed. Is that doll ritual the one Allen saw? Judging by the atmosphere, it’s better not to say anything.

“I was going to forget everything and go to sleep, but I can’t even sleep. I thought I could forget if I drank alcohol, but I’m just wide awake. I was about to fall asleep, but you came and woke me up!”

After that, Allen listened to her complaints that continued for a while. As calm as she usually is, it felt like she was blowing off suppressed feelings when she drank alcohol.

“…Even if I drink, I keep thinking about it, so I can’t sleep.”

“Sleep comes when you close your eyes and lie down.”

“I told you it doesn’t come.”

Allen lifted Winnie up and moved her to the bed. What kind of excuse is that when she’s not even lying down in the first place. Her arms and legs, which had become limp from being drunk, struggled, but she was so light that it wasn’t difficult to lift and move her. Surprisingly, when Allen put her down on the bed, Winnie obediently lay down straight and closed her eyes.

“I can’t sleep.”

“It hasn’t even been a minute yet.”

“You, do that thing for me from last time.”