episode_0106

[Episode 106] – Promise, promise, promise (2)

Small bands playing in the middle of the store and lively customers laughing and chatting. Since I usually only have quiet meals where I can only hear the clinking of dishes in the dining room, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a lively meal with people making noise like this.

‘I remember a long time ago when I was just becoming an adult, there was a bar that a lot of people went to. Was it a pub?’

Perhaps because it was the festival season, there were a variety of people gathered at the bar.

Families who came to enjoy the festival like me and Titania, lovers sitting close to each other and whispering about their love, people who gathered for a drink with friends after work, and drunkards who were already drunk and laughing loudly. Everyone was gathered together and laughing.

Even though I entered the store with a bit of pain in my legs, it didn’t seem too bad. Rather, I liked the atmosphere of the bar to the point that I thought I had chosen this place well. It may seem bad for Titania’s education, but after all, this is experience.

As I was so entranced by the people-watching that I was absent-mindedly watching the musicians playing and the people dancing to the music, the clerk brought out the food I had ordered earlier. Unlike the excellent food prepared by the royal chef, simple and warm food.

Titania seemed to like the simple food she had tried for the first time in her life, and her eyes widened as she took a bite of the large piece of meat the clerk brought out. Maybe it’s even more so because it’s a taste you can’t find in royal palaces.

I chuckled at Titania’s wide-eyed appearance as she sipped the beer the clerk brought her. Then, Titania tilted her head and showed curiosity about the drink again.

“What does your mother’s drink taste like?”

“Alcohol is not drunk for the taste.”

“yes?”

“You drink with the atmosphere. Well, taste is important too.”

Titania put a question mark above her head as if she didn’t understand what I was saying. Yeah, what would a child know? I glanced at Titania, sighed, and held out the glass of beer I was drinking to her.

“Would you like to have a sip?”

“really?!”

“Okay, just take one sip.”

The reason I held out the glass to Titania after telling her not to drink like that was because I was worried that she might try drinking alcohol on her own out of curiosity.

What if you enter the academy with this much curiosity? What if you make a bad friend at the academy and learn how to drink there? What if the princess of the kingdom becomes a delinquent student?

A rogue Titania was born in my head. They say the Academy is a place where nobles gather, but such a place is also inherently more festering. Titania is crooked, drinking and smoking…

It’s not that I don’t trust Titania, but I also knew how strong teenagers’ curiosity about alcohol was. It would be right for me to teach you before that happens. They say drinking is something you learn from an adult.

As soon as I gave permission, Titania smiled brightly and took the beer mug from my hand. I rested my chin on the table and watched Titania putting a drink to her mouth.

“It’s just one sip. Anything more than that and I’ll scold you.”

“I know. lol.”

After saying that, rather than drinking the beer in her hand, Titania held it to her nose and began to sniff it. After lifting the glass of beer to her nose and sniffing it a few times, the bridge of Titania’s nose wrinkled.

Not only the bridge of his nose but also his forehead was crumpled, making him frown strongly like a puppy smelling a strange smell. In the end, Titania didn’t even touch the beer and handed it back to me.

I burst out laughing at that sight and looked at Titania.

“why? You wanted to drink that much, right? “Are you sure you’re not going to drink it?”

“…I just want to drink with my mother after I graduate from the academy.”

“Okay, well thought out.”

As I sipped my beer, Titania looked at me as if I was really strange. Perhaps because she disliked the unique smell of thick beer, Titania took a sip of the sweet fruit juice next to her to quench her appetite.

“next time…”

Titania, who was sipping a drink, raised her head and looked at me. I don’t know if it’s okay to say this to Titania, but I wanted to say it now.

Because I didn’t want to dampen Titania’s expectations just for today.

“I’ll pick you a drink that smells good and tastes sweet. “So that you can drink comfortably.”

*

Vivian’s face turned bright red, and the empty glasses next to her increased until they filled half of the table. Titania rested her chin for a moment and looked at the musicians playing a song in the middle of the store.

Every time the sheet music fluttered in front of the performers, the liveliness of the guests gathered in front of the stage increased. For Titania, who did not drink alcohol, this atmosphere was a bit burdensome.

There were many people dancing to the cheerful tunes of the musicians. No, except for my mother and myself, most of the guests gathered together and enjoyed dancing to the music.

Lovers hold hands and dance to show off their affection, or friends who came together dance cheerfully to music. The dance here was not a dance where etiquette was important, like at a ballroom dance, but a dance where everyone enjoyed the atmosphere together.

Titania glanced at her mother, whose drunken face was bright red. I wanted to dance like that with my mother, but I lacked courage so I was busy just watching.

A moment when I was just snacking on my food and wondering how to speak to him.

“Are you enjoying the festival?”

clerk? No, a good-looking woman who seemed to be the owner of the store came up to me and handed me a snack I didn’t even order. As Titania looked at the snacks in front of her and didn’t know what to do, the store owner snorted and continued.

“A guest dancing over there told all the guests gathered here to drink mead. “I had no choice since I already received the money, but…”

The store owner turned his head and looked at Vivian. Vivian, who made eye contact with the store owner with glaring eyes, perhaps because she was drunk, only blinked. The store owner sighed heavily at the sight of the half-drained look.

“I thought this person shouldn’t get any more drunk, so I exchanged him for two meads and snacks of similar price. “The person over there has already paid the bill, so don’t worry about the money.”

“Ah, thank you.”

When Titania bowed her head and expressed her gratitude, she waved her hand and said that she had become the owner of the store. Titania glanced at the store owner to see when she would return, but the store owner looked at Titania and Vivian in turn and then tilted his head and asked.

“Are you sisters? “Is this your sister?”

“Oh, no. “She is my mother.”

“Mother and daughter?”

The storekeeper glanced at Vivian and Titania again and sighed. Titania frowned slightly, thinking she knew what the store owner’s expression and question meant.

The store owner clearly thought that they didn’t look alike for a mother and daughter, or that there didn’t seem to be much of an age difference between them. It’s only natural since she is an adopted daughter who is not related to her mother by blood…

“Yes, she is my mother.”

I felt bad because those looks seemed to tell me that I was not my mother’s daughter. Even if they weren’t related by blood, she was her mother’s daughter. I hated the look the store owner gave me as if he was denying it.

The store owner touched his chin and changed the subject.

“okay. By the way, aren’t the guests going to dance? “What can I say, I’m still working, but are you really going to just sit around and watch while it’s a festival?”

“yes?”

“I wanted to dance, but didn’t I have to do it because my mother was worried about me? I asked because my eyes were fixed on the stage. What’s the point of worrying about your mother when you’re dancing? “My mother can’t just sit back and drink when her child is watching her like that.”

Titania’s shoulders trembled at the store owner’s sharp words. After hearing the store owner’s words, my mother touched her chin as if she was thinking for a moment, then took a sip of cold water instead of alcohol and looked at herself.

Perhaps because he was drunk, he felt a strange heat in his mother’s green eyes looking at him. The shallowly opened eyes looked like the moon floating on a lake. Then, the corners of his eyes curled and melted, and he smiled brightly and answered the store owner.

“I was drunk and didn’t notice.”

Vivian jumped up from her seat and held out her hand. Titania was at a loss for what to do in the sudden situation, but then she gently placed her hand on Vivian’s outstretched hand. Perhaps because of the alcohol, my mother’s body temperature seemed hotter than usual.

As their joined hands tightened, Titania’s body rose of its own accord. Mother didn’t say anything. He just grabbed his hand and started jumping into the crowd of people dancing.

When my mother and I joined the crowd of people dancing, people immediately made room for us as if we had made an appointment. He couldn’t believe that he was dancing with his mother as he had hoped.

The dance was in the form of holding hands and spinning around, or dancing to a lively dance. There were no rules or etiquette like at a ball. I just dance as my body goes to the tunes played by the orchestra.

As this was my first time doing something like this, I was confused and didn’t know how to dance, so my mother held my hands and slowly started spinning me around. Every time I walked around the stage holding hands with my mother, the candlelight at the end of my vision flickered, creating a dream-like atmosphere.

It really felt like a dream. A very happy dream.

I was so happy that I couldn’t believe it if it wasn’t a dream.

A mother smiling happily with a bright red face.

My mother smiles like a girl who knows no worries.

A mother who is very drunk and keeps messing with the steps.

Nevertheless, my mother only looks at me and smiles.

It was lovely to see my mother for the first time.

I wanted this unrealistic situation to continue forever. However, if there is a beginning, there is an end. As the song neared its end, the people dancing slowly left and returned to their original places.

Just a little more, just a little more.

At least until the song ends.

It seemed that the hand that was being held by his mother was now being held by him in the opposite direction. Like a child throwing a tantrum because he didn’t want to let go, he didn’t let go of his mother’s hand the entire time he was dancing. Finally, just before the dance ends.

“Oh my.”

Was it because the stage was narrow?

Or maybe it was because everyone was drunk except him.

Just before the dance ended, Titania bumped her back against the man dancing behind her. When she collided with a man who was bigger and heavier than her, Titania’s body was thrown forward.

Okay, forward.

I couldn’t even use my hands because they were holding my mother.

No, the distance was so narrow that there was no time to use one’s hands.

It happened so quickly that I couldn’t stop it.

So… this really happened by mistake.

It’s not intentional. It was just a coincidence.

Coincidentally, I was close to my mother.

Coincidentally, my mother and I were of similar height.

therefore…

The inevitable result was that my body leaned forward and my face collided with my mother.

…but it’s not exactly the face, but the lips.

The pain came before my lips collided with a sound that sounded more like a thud than a slap, before I could even feel it. Titania, who instantly realized what had happened, unconsciously covered her lips and looked at Vivian.

‘uh? Just now, my mother and my lips…’

The moment Titania realized that her mother’s lips were touching, her first feeling was shame. They say it was a mistake, but my mother and I shared our lips…!

However, the shame quickly subsided, and only regret remained for the second time. I wanted to feel my mother’s lips a little more, but all that was left was a tingling sensation.

‘How did your mother feel…?’

Titania pursed her lips and looked at Vivian. What does your mother think when you kiss her lips? Would he be as embarrassed as he was? Or, like a mother, do you have no idea?

The moment Titania raised her head and looked at Vivian, she couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed. Because my mother was looking at me with the corners of her mouth twitching as if she really loved me.

When Titania looked at Vivian with puzzled eyes, Vivian cupped Titania’s face with both hands and kissed her cheek softly.

“?!?!”

“If you wanted to kiss mom so much, why didn’t you tell me? “Okay, how pretty are you when you’re acting cute like this?”

“Oh, no! That’s not it…!”

I tried to make an excuse, saying it was a mistake, but the shower of kisses started before I had time to make an excuse.

Cheeks and even forehead. There was no place on my face that my mother’s lips couldn’t touch. If I was happy, I was really happy, but I felt like I was dying of shame because of the people around me looking at my mother and myself.

The guests look on with joy at the mother and daughter’s love affair. The store owner was telling the customers that it was rare to see a mother and daughter who got along so well these days.

It’s good… It’s really good…

‘It’s a little different from what I wanted…’