episode_0151

I wonder if my half-hearted attempt at comforting her helped improve her mood.

Belloren, who had been pouring strong brandy into his stomach like water, now had a much more relaxed expression as he slowly savored the taste and aroma of the alcohol.

“Sigh….”

Although the effects of the alcohol were still evident, with his eyes glazed over and his face flushed with intoxication, it seemed like he was enjoying the drink rather than trying to drown his sorrows.

I thought he was trying to drown his sorrows with heavy drinking, but perhaps he just enjoyed alcohol in the first place.

He even offered me another drink, asking if I wanted to try it as well.

I politely declined, not wanting to indulge in strong liquor late at night, but unfortunately, Belloren was not the type to take no for an answer.

“Please, it’s rude to refuse alcohol offered by an adult, isn’t it?”

He said, forcing a glass filled with brandy into my hand.

I’m not sure if he realized it, but…what should I say, it felt like the kind of pushy behavior you’d see from a middle-aged boss at a company dinner, pressuring a female coworker to drink.

Except, this wasn’t a company dinner, it was just the two of us in a bedroom, and the person pressuring me to drink wasn’t a balding middle-aged man with a beer belly, but a well-dressed, slightly tipsy woman in her late thirties wearing pajamas.

Hmm…come to think of it, it’s a rather strange scene.

A woman in a negligee, offering alcohol to someone while sitting close to them in a bedroom.

To an outsider, it might seem like Belloren was trying to seduce me.

Of course, I’m not that clueless. Seduce me? What a ridiculous misconception. As if that would ever happen.

The reason we were alone in the bedroom in the first place was because this was Belloren’s house.

And perhaps my guard was down a bit because we’re both the same gender.

The fact that I was dressed so lightly that you could see through my clothes was probably because I had rushed over without properly dressing up in the heat of the moment.

She was the one who was sitting so close to me, not the other way around.

I had originally been sitting across from her, but she had insisted on moving to the narrow couch.

Resting my head on her shoulder was similar to seeking comfort from someone who had just comforted a crying person, finding solace in their warmth.

Or maybe it was just difficult to control my head because I was drunk.

Her offering me alcohol was probably…similar to a mother offering freshly baked cookies to her child’s friend, with a hint of mischief added to it.

Yes, that’s it.

After analyzing every detail, I came to the conclusion that there was no seduction involved in any of this.

There was no need to analyze in the first place.

She wasn’t looking at me with ‘those’ eyes, she was looking at me with the same kindness and admiration one would have for a child of a lost daughter.

There was no way she could have any romantic feelings for me, unless she truly saw me as a daughter, in which case it would be more of a maternal affection rather than anything else. Our mentor, Belloren, would never be so inappropriate.

“Here, please.”

Oh, have I been lost in my thoughts for too long? I snapped back to reality at Belloren’s voice offering me the drink once again.

“Oh…yes, then I’ll accept it gratefully. Thank you.”

I nodded my head as I took the glass she offered. I decided to accept it this time, just in case Belloren’s melancholy resurfaced and I found myself in an awkward situation.

Brandy was a new drink for me, so I was curious about its taste. I usually prefer clean white wine, so I never had a reason to order brandy with my own money.

These days, I rarely had the opportunity to drink at all.

For these reasons, I accepted the glass of alcohol without any hesitation this time, lightly clinking glasses with Veloren and smiling as I offered my own glass.

…I’m not drinking too much, so one glass should be fine.

I tilted the glass.

Thanks to the candlelight, the amber-colored brandy flowed into my mouth. It had a heavy yet sweet aroma similar to Veloren’s, spreading throughout my mind.

Oh, this is delicious.

That was the last thought that crossed my mind. Probably.

◆◆

The next morning.

“……”

I woke up a bit later than usual, and as soon as my blurry vision focused, it froze stiff.

Because the morning scene in front of me was completely different from the usual.

‘…What is this.’

The feeling against my cheek was too warm for a pillow. Someone’s stomach in front of me. Black hair draped like a curtain above my face.

I was lying on Veloren’s lap. She was asleep, embracing me, and a translucent negligee was illuminated by the sunlight by the window, with the coat she had worn draped over me like a blanket.

What the hell is this.

I clearly only had one glass of brandy and was planning to go back to my room to sleep, but waking up to find myself lying on Veloren’s lap like a child was beyond confusing.

It was truly a bewildering awakening. Even more bewildering would be waking up in Veloren’s bed.

What the hell happened. What did I do last night…?

I remember Veloren recommending a glass of brandy, but perhaps due to my confusion, I couldn’t recall anything that happened after that.

…Could it be that I caused some kind of accident…?

With anxiety creeping in, I tried to carefully move my body to escape from Veloren’s thigh instead of lying there.

“Are you up?”

Despite my efforts, as soon as I flinched, Veloren woke up with a soft smile, seemingly unfazed by the fact that I was lying on her thigh.

“Good morning.”

While I was too flustered to speak, Veloren just smiled warmly, seemingly unfazed by the fact that I was lying on her thigh.

“I apologize!”

With a sudden realization, I quickly sat up on the couch. Veloren just chuckled as if to say, “What’s the big deal?”

“It’s been a while since I overslept… Perhaps it’s because I feel a bit more at ease? Thanks to you, Hilde.”

Her gentle gaze, affectionate smile, and caring voice were unbelievably warm. Just a few comforting words from me seemed to have changed her so much.

What happened last night…?

“Um… Master? After drinking, I can’t remember anything. Did I do something wrong…?”

I hesitantly opened my mouth, feeling awkward, to find out. If my memory couldn’t recall last night’s events, there was no other way to find out except to ask her directly.

“You can call me Mother, Hilde. I allowed it last night.”

But her response only added to my confusion.

Mother? Veloren as my mother?

What did I say or do to end up in this situation…?

“Mother…? But to use the title of someone’s daughter who is alive and well, I… I am truly shameless…”

“It’s okay. Like I mentioned last night, I decided to think of it as having another daughter.”

Veloren lightly smiled and nodded. It was a permission to call her mother. No, it was more like an encouragement to call her mother.

“The child also occasionally wished for a sister, so it’s a good thing. I never thought it would be a younger sister instead of an older one.”

At this point, it was rather intimidating. What happened last night that this woman, as cold as ice and steel, melted into warm water?

I asked her again, and finally, I got an unexpected answer.

“…I cried? Sobbing in the arms of my master?”

“You have permission to call me mother. Anyway, yes. That’s right. I shed some tears trying to comfort you. My sleeves are still a little damp.”

The story Veloren told me last night was so bewildering that my mouth would drop open in disbelief.

At first, it was just casual chatter about how good the alcohol tasted, passing the drink back and forth. But then, in my drunken state, did I suddenly become melancholic and start sighing deeply?

When asked what was wrong, I tried to avoid answering by saying it was nothing, but when persistently urged and comforted, I started pouring out various complaints.

The hardships of a fugitive life under the false accusation of being a commoner butcher.

The struggle of having to continue doing things that don’t suit one’s nature while putting on airs to survive.

The self-loathing of failing despite trying hard.

The guilt of using Freide’s feelings for my own safety and the guilt of always having to lie to close people.

The distance and loneliness of feeling like no one will ever understand me.

Anxiety, fear, pressure, and restlessness about the future.

Pouring out all these complaints full of various emotions, and in the end, bursting into tears.

Feeling like the whole world is out to get me, unable to show any weakness to anyone in order to stay as “Knight Brunhilde,” and feeling like going crazy because avoiding harm only makes things more dangerous.

She said she cried because it was unbearable to feel like the goddess was laughing at her struggles in hell.

Veloren, feeling a bit perplexed by the situation where she had to comfort me shortly after receiving comfort herself, hugged me while I cried loudly.

In the midst of it, she thought of her daughter and felt sorry for me, realizing once again that I was just a young child in my early twenties.

“Well… that’s how it happened. If I were to give you advice as a mother, Hilde, it might be better to refrain from drinking in front of others.”

“…Yes.”

I answered with my head bowed deeply. My face felt like it was burning up, almost as if it would burst.

Goodness. I clung to someone and cried like a child, pouring out my grievances. What a disgrace, seriously.

I need to quit drinking. Seriously.