episode_0048

Why did he make such a careless remark?

Should I back off from speaking now?

Rachel reached my bedroom, closed the door, and leaned back.

I was surprised that I had so quickly accepted my employer’s suggestion to raise a toast, but I also felt a little regretful.

It was an offer I had heard countless times before, and it was a rejection I had to make every day.

Just as 1 is followed by 2, of course.

Why?

What was the reason for accepting the offer without hesitation?

I thought about it for a while, but nothing came to mind.

Moreover, I can’t even remember the last time I drank alcohol with other people.

Moreover, he shared a drink with his lecherous Korean employer.

what… .

Right now, I’m not obsessed with cinnabar as if I’m clearing out my karma.

“… Hmm.”

First of all, we need to prepare.

Rachel, with her back away from the door, unsheathed her sword and took off her epaulettes.

I took off the long boots that reached my knees.

“… .”

Sniff.

I smelled my feet.

Fortunately, it was odorless.

Rachel, who had finished undressing, opened the bag where her clothes were hanging in her underwear.

‘… ‘What should I wear?’

It was a life lived to become stronger.

It was a life of fierce struggle to escape from the shackles of being a woman.

Even for her, there was one dress that seemed suitable for a ‘party’.

I had prepared just one dress in case of an emergency, and it was a dress I had never worn before.

‘Because it’s a party… ‘I should wear something like this, right?’

Naturally, she had never been to a party.

As an escort for a noble family master, her main job was to wait outside the party hall.

‘Ladies who enter the party usually wear something like this… .’

With some hesitation, I took out the dress.

It was a red dress.

It was far from the usual extravagance, so she wore a plain dress.

I was wondering when I would have a chance to wear it, so I took out the dress I had bought cheaply at the market.

Just as the bangs left behind in a tight ponytail were the last lingering feelings about femininity that had to be trampled and overcome, the dress was also an extension of that.

If you are born as a woman, you are bound to have a desire to wear pretty dresses.

‘… … .’

I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my body.

‘… It’s pretty… ‘Yes.’

But, wouldn’t it be a bit excessive?

Rachel put her dress back on.

I guess it was too much.

Because it was not a femininity that was hidden and suppressed throughout one’s life just to show off in front of an employer.

Rachel thought that she would wear this red dress if she were to meet a partner someday, a man stronger than herself and someone with upright beliefs, so she took out her everyday clothes and put them on.

instead.

As this was a party I had been holding for a long time, no, it was my first time attending a party in my life, so I let my hair down.

Since she had tied her hair in a ponytail, the ends of her hair naturally curled outward.

Booth.

Booth.

Rachel, who had tousled her hair to create a natural volume, headed to the living room.

I didn’t know why he responded to the toast with the man who always got drunk when he drank, or why he let his hair down, and perhaps it was the teacher’s desire to check whether the change in his student was genuine.

**

“… Why are you looking at me so intently?”

Rachel asked as she entered the living room.

Elden, who arrived first, turned his gaze to my head, and his gaze was blatant.

“Ah, it feels like the first time I’ve seen you with your hair down.”

“or more… Do you?”

As expected, did I solve it for no reason?

Did I do something I didn’t want to do for no reason?

Just as Rachel was thinking that, she was about to take out the hair tie she had brought with her just in case.

“No. Does it suit you well?”

I heard an indifferent compliment.

“Is that so.”

After answering so indifferently, Rachel took her hands out of her pockets and sat down across from Elden.

I didn’t feel particularly happy when I heard that my loose bob hair looked good on me, but I thought it was a good thing.

“You always wear it loose, but?”

“This is to avoid obstructing the view.”

“I see. As expected, you are thorough.”

“That’s too much praise.”

Rachel didn’t feel particularly uncomfortable sitting across from Elden, perhaps because she had been sleeping with Lady Ariel for a few days.

by the way.

“What exactly is this occasion to celebrate?”

I was curious.

The meaning of the smile he has been wearing ever since he came to see the official affairs with the central aide, and the reason why he wants to have a drink after not speaking for several days.

I had a rough estimate, but I asked because I needed to know the exact meaning in order to toast.

However, the answer that followed conveyed doubts that were colorless.

“Escape from an unfair life.”

“… Yes?”

It was an unexpected answer.

At least the Elden Rapellion he had seen did not seem to have anything to do with the word [injustice].

Unlike himself, he had a natural superiority, lived as he wanted based on his instincts, and lived a life of endless pursuit of what he wanted, so he had nothing to do with the word of regret.

Power and status.

She, who was not born superior, had to shed blood, sweat, and tears to overcome the painful word of injustice.

Escape from an unfair life.

What on earth was so unfair?

Unable to guess the meaning, she tried to ask a question, but Rachel had to swallow the question as Butler Rendler entered the living room and a large table was filled with drinks.

just.

“Now-! Let’s eat one today and die-!”

I had no choice but to clink glasses for my happy employer and student.

braided!

Jump, jump, jump!

widely!

“Khaha! The beer tastes amazing today!”

“Hehehe! I think it’s by far the best beer I’ve ever had!”

“… .”

Elden and Rendler, who drank their first drinks, were happy and burst into laughter.

Rachel watches them and drinks beer belatedly.

And I opened my eyes quite wide.

‘… Was it this delicious?’

I said this to myself.

The mission of the exclusive escort driver ends with the sleep of the person serving him.

After leaving the night guard to another guard, he goes to sleep.

It was hard work and a lonely mission, but the glory and money that a commoner could not enjoy allowed him to endure it.

For her, drinking was just a solitary respite right before falling asleep.

Even that had to be enjoyed briefly and finished for the next day.

I can’t even remember the last time I clinked glasses.

Because I lived an intense life, I had never felt intoxicated.

Because drunkenness was considered a crisis.

“How about it? Rachel.”

Rachel, who had been staring blankly at her empty beer glass, raised her head at Elden’s question.

The question is how does it taste?

There was only one answer to give.

“Delicious.”

“Hahaha! also! Alcohol tastes better when enjoyed together. Today, let’s drink until our noses become crooked~!”

“Hehehe! Come to think of it, this is Sir Rachel’s first toast too! Glory to you!”

Noisy atmosphere.

It’s unfamiliar, but for some reason it’s a friendly atmosphere.

For Rachel, who entered the world of men as a woman and had to fight a lonely battle, and who worked hard to dull the blade of loneliness that had been sharpened by her father’s death, the noisy night felt truly unfamiliar yet cozy.

That’s probably why.

Rachel, who had finally let go of the responsibility of her mission, easily surpassed her forgotten limits.

Hiccup.

I couldn’t get over my drunkenness and ended up hiccuping with a red face. It was my first injection since I decided to become an escort driver.

of course.

“What is Gongjwanyeon’s decoration?”

“I’m going to eat all the monster cuisine that exists in Xuexiang before leaving.”

“Then why am I unemployed?”

“Kkeukkk… You will become the head of the Count Laperuon for me.”

“Puhelhel… Goremun Eldun, you, Immo, water… Come on.”

Although he was better than Eldon and Rendler, who were becoming incompetent thanks to their natural ability to drink.

After a while.

Quadang!

Elden, who had been jumping around on the sofa, fell to the floor, and Rendler, who had been running around with him, was spread out on the back of the sofa like a semi-dried squid.

“… … .”

Hiccup.

**

Phew.

Rachel smiles without even realizing it.

The sight of Rendler and Elden in my hazy gaze was so funny that I laughed like a fool.

It was a laugh she hadn’t known in years, but she wasn’t even aware of it because she was having a hard time holding on due to her drunkenness.

first.

I had to stand up and stagger over to Elden.

He is an exclusive escort driver.

It was the moment when the heavy responsibility was relieved, but it was necessary to check Elden’s condition because he had collapsed so badly.

Shaking.

Rachel shakes him as he lies on the floor.

Fortunately, he closes his eyes and chuckles and mutters.

“Bingle… Bingle… Damn the world… It goes around. Hehe.”

“… … Are you okay?”

“It’s not overloaded… Lying down… Getting drunk… I need to sleep… .”

“If you sleep here, you will catch a cold. Wake up.”

“Hmm… I’m fine… .”

… … hmm.

Well, if you’re going to sleep on the floor, there’s no need to support the bed.

With that thought in mind, Rachel tried to stand up but stopped.

This is why [Escape from an unfair life] came to mind, something I wanted to hear the inner meaning of.

The question I had to swallow came to my lips now because I thought I would be able to find out the exact meaning now.

“Confucius?”

“We… .”

“Escape from an unfair life… What did you mean by this?”

“… … .”

The corner of his grinning mouth lowered.

The look of excitement from intoxication subsided for an instant.

The expression that had been filled with joy turned gloomy.

And soon.

“Because it was unfair.”

The true meaning began to be conveyed.

“What… Do you mean that?”

“Debt not committed… To repay… … Miserably… What you have to live with is… Because it’s unfair… .”

A voice that trembles slightly and starts crying.

The sigh soaked in deep regret revealed that it was the true intention.

Did he live a miserable life to pay off the debt of his declining family?

But it wouldn’t have been that poor.

Since I was hired as an exclusive escort, I’ve been declining, but not to the point where I’m miserable.

What is the story behind the bastard named Elden Rapellion?

Inside, Rachel was slowly becoming more curious.

“Debt… What do you mean?”

Did something make me cry?

He covered his eyes with his arm.

The closed, slightly trembling lips seemed to be swallowing tears.

And he is like that.

“Really… I want to die… As hard as it is… So… … .”

The moment I let out my thoughts about how hard it was to die, I remembered the past days when I had to endure it tenaciously while drinking the blood that burst from my bitten lip.

it’s tough.

I remembered myself from the past, when I had nowhere to complain and no place to receive comfort, and even that time was a waste, so I had to endure alone.

Of course, Elden’s story was not the true meaning Rachel had hoped for, but was about Lee Jun-woo, a former lifer who had to live a miserable life to pay off his father’s gambling debt.

The miserable life of Lee Jun-woo, who was unable to see the light of day due to debt.

The miserable life of Lee Jun-woo, who had to endure countless slaps and debts that kept growing no matter how much he repaid, was brought to light.

“… … .”

Rachel, who doesn’t know this, looks down at him with dark eyes.

It is said that everyone lives with pain, but I had no idea that the mastermind named Elden also had secret pain.

It was Rachel, who had to fight against injustice and never guessed that there was someone with scars similar to hers.

Without realizing it, my hand went up to his cheek.

It’s probably because I’m drunk.

It’s probably due to the sensitivity of the night.

It must have been because the drunkenness I felt for the first time in a long time mixed with the sensibility of the night and clouded my reason.

He looks pitiful.

What makes him unique is that he looks amazing.

Even though he drank to the point where he lost his senses today, he didn’t show any of his old habits, so it’s only natural that he’s amazing as a teacher.

Could it be that the reason he came to see official affairs with the central aide was to write off that debt?

The fact that he was able to ‘escape’ by swallowing unknown pain and stroking his wounds was probably due to his drunkenness.

And the reason that the hand felt like it was stroking my past self was probably due to my drunkenness.

Rachel, who was stroking the wound where she had applied ointment with her thumb, asked softly.

“Now… Aren’t you sick?”

A question alluded to a wound.

It was like a question to myself.

And it was truly fortunate that the moment that question was asked, his depressed face brightened up again.

“Yes.”

Rachel smiled happily and stood up, and then she looked down at Alden, who was snoring and falling asleep, and left the living room.

next day.

The blanket that covered Alden when he woke up was Rachel’s.

“Ugh, alcohol is dangerous after all.”

Elden, shuddering, wakes up from his long sleep.

It was a difficult morning due to the drunkenness that never went away, but somehow I enjoyed the refreshing morning.