The taste of the alcohol was better than I expected.
I had little chance to drink when I entered this world. Drinking alcohol wasn’t a very common enjoyment in this world, and Kalcion rarely drank. He touched a glass of liquor only at the end of a ceremony.
The liquor that touched Selena’s mouth, that was now deeply cleansing her insides, was as delicious as the Dew of Heaven.
“It doesn’t seem to be very strong.……,” the drink hardly had any pungent whiff unique to strong alcohol. Rather, she only received the fragrance of flowers in her mouth and the savory taste at the tip of her tongue.
However, the scent was not very strong.
“Hmm, it’s a good one.”
Indeed, it was a drink worth serving at an imperial banquet. It’s not like the king would allow any cheap drink to be served under his hospitality.
Selena was twirling the drink in her glass in admiration when a man approached her, “It seems you like that drink.”
“I do,” She answered, her eyes focused on the people dancing. She kept spinning the glass without looking back at him.
First of all, she had to be cautious with her words. Since there was no end to dealing with men like these, the best answer was to build a wall.
From the moment she left Kalcion, the men circling her did not show interest in leaving. These kinds of men were persistent even when they were being ignored.
“The alcohol served at every royal party has been usually great. The liquor is said to have a stronger scent due to a mixture of special varieties of fruits produced in the regions of Whiten.”
Bragging about unasked knowledge was basic.
“I see.”
“The fragrance of this alcohol….. I think it matches the Lady’s beauty. When I had a glimpse of you from a distance, I couldn’t tell if I was enraptured by the liquor or by your beauty.”
Neither poetic expressions such as this were touching nor interesting.
“Then you must rest if you’re drunk.”
“Yes, I believe I should take a rest, but may I dare ask for the honor of relaxing with a flower such as you, My Lady?”
“I’m afraid not. Goodbye.”
By this time, she was tutored well enough under Mrs. Janet to deliver a polite refusal, but she removed them from her head.
She dealt with it with care since it could interfere with her social life if she caught a wrong tone in front of the ladies.
But it was useless in front of men. She could never expect any useful information about Irelle from them.
At least, she could pick up and collect information of interest from others. But there was no information to expect from men so dull to even stand equal to Kalcion.
The man staggered at Selena’s sharp rejection, “I, I’ve never received such a rejection……!”
He whined while Selena clicked her tongue and proceeded to soothe her throat with the alcohol, which she wasted on the useless man.
“Bees are always attracted to beautiful flowers.”
“So are flies. Not beauty, but through the fragrance. Regardless, the nectar is hard to achieve.”
“Ah, yes……”
1st attack.
“A thorny flower is much more attractive. The Lady seems to know her charm better than anyone else.”
“Indeed, I’m charming even if I harbor thorns.”
“Good grief, I’d have to get rid of the thorns for myself to achieve such a flower then.”
“It seems such thorns were affixed because of a man like you.”
2nd attack.
She could deal with men much easier and clearer than women. People around him laughed under their breath.
“My, I wonder how could you refuse so neatly. It was so hilarious to watch that I didn’t realize it until I heard myself laughing,” one of them smiled and approached Selena.
Did this lady have a pure appreciation at heart or was she just another one of those challenging women? Turning on her calculator, she faced the opponent with a giggle of her own.
Moderate attire, modest appearance.
Just by looking at her dress, Selena could guess her family’s worth.
If she had to divide on the basis of ranks, wouldn’t it be similar to Fionel’s? She didn’t belong to a prestigious family like that of Rosalyn, but she seemed to have her own reputation.
To Selena, she didn’t seem bad unless she was hiding her hostility.
“Forgive my manners, I am Viorela of the Royle family.”
“My name is Selena. I’m here on the behalf of the Duke of Renbird.”
“Of course, I know. You did make such a splendid appearance to be recognized.”
“There was an accident in the middle, so we had to arrive that way.”
“Oh no. But it left a rather wonderful impression, so don’t worry. We should get rid of those bad memories with a drink, shall we?”
Smiling calmly, she raised her glass to Selena.
There has been no sign of her feeling attacked or nervous. This is why she would have to wait and see if Viorela was a friend or foe.
Selena responded by raising her glass, making a toast with the clink of the glasses.
After the toast, people gathered at the table from every direction.
“This time, a white horse in my family gave birth to a baby! It was so adorable.”
“Congratulations!”
As in any other meeting, minor stories filled in the conversation. A toast for a baby horse was made once again.
“It’s been a while since we had such a big party, hasn’t it? Thanks to this, I’m glad to meet people I’ve never met before.”
“Pleasure to meet you! Shall we make another toast?”
Once again, the glasses collided.
Selena looked around at the people with her lips touching the glass.
The people who were gathered around Viorela were very eager to drink.
‘Ah, a drinking party.’
It wasn’t good for health to drink so much, but there were people known to be proud of them. People who were proud of having enough alcohol dehydrogenase and fresh liver.
Feeling the persistent eyes following the tilt of her glass, she smirked to herself as she drank it all at once. Wide eyes gawking at her made her laugh again.
‘I’ll just drink it for you.’
Selena’s drinking capacity was limitless.
Even in the previous world, Selena was famous for her drinking capacity. She wasn’t someone who enjoyed drinking or was eager to get a drink herself, but when she used to drink, she could hold her endlessly.
“You drink well. It is but a strong drink, so you’d better be careful.”
“Thank you for your concern. It’s just so delicious.”
“But drinking it all at once is evidence that you drink well. In that case, shall we make another toast?”
Selena raised her new glass high.
She was about to swallow when Viorela shouted pleasantly,
“It was nice meeting you all, let us drink it all at once!”
It must not be a welcome request, but everyone laughed and followed since they were Viorela’s words.
Her glass of strong alcohol was quickly emptied. One of the servants, standing next to her with a bottle of alcohol, filled her empty glass seconds after.
While the cup was being filled again, someone yelled out a toast.
“Did you know? Showing someone the bottom of your glass means you’re showing them the bottom of your heart.”
Credits to all the alcohol. A person indeed reveals his heart more in his drunken state, but it was yet to be seen.
“Is that so? Can you see my heart?”
Gulping down her drink, Selena looked back at Viorela. There was no disruption on her face even though she had quite a few glasses. She looked as if she just entered the party.
“I can’t help but answer that.”
And with that, Viorela took another glass.
As she drank, people around her followed suit.
It didn’t take long before they collapsed one by one, only to be carried away or rushed away to the lounge.
Everyone quickly got drunk because of drinking too fast.
“Wait, urk……!”
“Imusthurryyy!”
“I always like to be solo, but when intoxicated, we wake up to a nice day, don’t we? Speaking of which, why do people cut cheese with a knife? If you think about it, you can cut it with a fork or a spoon. Why cut it with a knife? I really want to talk about this, but I like to be alone. Cheese is perfect for drinking alone. Why do you think we should cut cheese with a knife? I’m really keeping myself together right now. That’s why I like solitude. It’s cleaner if you get drunk alone. But you know the cheese.”
Even though it was a formal party, none of the drunk had control of their words.
Selena tilted her glass maintaining the same speed as she glanced at the people who were showing their various drinking habits.
Viorela had already fled somewhere and was nowhere to be seen. All that remained were the defeated competitors who were being dragged by the hands of the servants.
“I thought we were having fun, but perhaps you’re not feeling well, huh?”
Selena’s relaxed words confirmed her victory.
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