PVMC 18

Chapter 18

About four hours later.
Ugh, damn it.
With Sophia supporting me, I struggled up the stairs. My stomach was already churning.
I should’ve just refused earlier and left.
Regret came crashing down on me far too late.

“Ah, miss, are you all right?”
“No, I feel like I’m going to die…….”

I collapsed inside the carriage and pressed a hand to my forehead.
My head—and even my vision—was spinning wildly. Ugh. Groaning as I endured the wave of drunkenness, I let out a weak whine.

No, I said just dinner! Just dinner together!
At first, it really was just a simple meal. Just as Madam Odilon herself had said, we talked about various things related to the slave traders.
And I think we chatted casually while badmouthing Xavier’s shitty behavior or something like that—

What happened after that?
Right. While we were in the middle of eating steak, Madam Odilon brought out a bottle of wine as a palate cleanser. That was how it started.
After that, well, I drank too.
But it wasn’t exactly by choice.

“Shall we have a toast?”
With that one line, the dinner instantly turned into a drinking session.
I should’ve made a clean escape the moment the wine went past one or two bottles!

I thought I could handle my alcohol, but…
The real heavyweight was sitting right there.

“I’m close with one of the maids in that mansion…… and I heard Madam Odilon is a huge drinker. Apparently, she usually downs two bottles of wine at meals.”
“Mm. That seems li—no, why are you telling me that now?”
“Well, I didn’t think the two of you would be drinking together.”

Ha—yeah, I guess that’s true.
Deciding to keep my mouth shut, I just clutched my head tightly until we arrived at the mansion.

“Miss!”
As I staggered out of the carriage, Sebastian, the butler who had come out in advance to meet us, came running over in a flurry.
He was one of the few remaining servants in this mansion, along with Sophia.
Sebastian, his heavily wrinkled eyes drooping downward, cried out in a shocked voice.

“T-this is outrageous! Why is the young lady so completely out of it—!”
“No, I’m fine. I still have my senses…….”

If I lay down, I felt like I’d fall asleep immediately, but it was still bearable for now.

“Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”
“Ah, nothing at all, so please don’t worry. For now, I think it would be best for you to get some rest.”
I nodded without complaint.
I’d achieved today’s goal anyway. All that was left was for Madam Odilon to meet the Emperor.

“Then I’m going upstairs, so unless it’s urgent, don’t call me until tomorrow morning.”
“Understood, miss.”

Sebastian bowed deeply. I gave a rough nod and headed straight for the bedroom.
Of course, I couldn’t lie down right away. While listening to Sophia nag that I couldn’t sleep in my outdoor clothes, I diligently changed into a slip.
Only then was I finally freed, and I staggered over before collapsing onto the bed with a thud.

“Ugh, my head…….”
Maybe because the alcohol was sweet, the hangover was vicious.

Still, I’ll rest until tomorrow morning.
Yeah, after struggling for days, one day off should be fine, right?
There’s not much time left until the auction.
I just need to get through safely until then.

I flopped onto the bed and slowly closed my eyelids, which felt as heavy as stone.

Tomorrow, I’ll just handle some simple work and teach Mathias how to write or something…….
Once I laid out that plan, sleep washed over me like a lie.

At the break of dawn, when the light was just beginning to creep in.
I woke up as if knocked unconscious, pressing firmly against my temples.

“Ugh, it hurts…….”
Maybe this is exactly what it feels like to have your head chopped with an axe.
My head was spinning.
On top of that, my throat was dry.

I naturally rubbed my neck and sat up. It seemed Sophia had come by while I slept—there was a fresh water jug and a glass on the table.
This’ll save my life.
Only after gulping down cold water several times did I finally come to my senses.

What time is it now?
When I looked out the window, the sky was still a deep bluish purple. It meant dawn was still breaking.
Damn it…… I was finally going to sleep in for once.
I usually sleep like a log, but on days like this I wake up like clockwork.

Still, at least the hangover was much better than before I went to sleep.
I should just lie down.
It was still early morning anyway. If I stayed in bed, I’d probably fall asleep again.

I shuffled back and flopped down onto the bed.
But something felt off.

“Hm?”
Did the side feel a bit sunken?
This bed was meant for me alone. There shouldn’t be anyone else climbing up here.

The moment that thought crossed my mind, my eyes flew open.
Blink, blink.
Dragging my mind back from the brink of sleep, I lifted my head.

At that moment—
I locked eyes with a man who was staring straight at me.

“……?”
Had I not sobered up yet?
No. My mind was fairly clear. I’d even drunk water, so I’d woken up a bit.

But still—

“Why are you here?”
At my words, Mathias, sitting obediently on the bed like a puppy, tilted his head.

“I was waiting.”
“…….”
“Since yesterday. Until now.”
“Uh, um.”

I honestly had no idea where or how to even begin addressing this.

“I see…….”
Let’s start by teaching him how to properly stay in a room…….

“……Really, no?”
“Yeah, no.”

I’d planned to lie down more, but something urgent came up.
Throwing on just an outer shirt, I explained to Mathias the 1,029 reasons why he absolutely could not climb onto my bed.

And then—

“But,”
Mathias lowered his long eyelashes pitifully.
“I’m lonely.”

…This kid, seriously.
How did he even figure out that I’m weak to that face? His calm, calculated use of a beauty trap was no joke.

But no means no.
I spoke firmly.

“What if someone sees and misunderstands?”
“Misunderstands?”
“Yeah.”

It felt a bit harsh to say this to someone who said he came because he was lonely…… but if this kept happening, it would definitely cause trouble.
And what if he did this to someone other than me?

These things need to be corrected early.

“We’re close, so it’s fine between us, but to others, it could look wrong.”
“How?”
“Um—like, for example, a romantic relationship?”

Ah, maybe he still doesn’t really understand that concept yet?
While I was thinking about how to explain it, I decided to put it simply.

“It’s a deeper relationship than friends. Holding hands, hugging, sleeping together?”
Mathias blinked at my words. As expected, it seemed he didn’t fully understand what “romantic partners” meant yet.

So I was about to explain further, when—

“That sounds good. I like it.”
Mathias cut in first.

“What does?”
“More than friends.”

As he said that, Mathias looked straight at me.

“We held hands.”
“…….”
“We hugged.”
“…….”
“And we slept together. Even slept.”

Mathias, listing things one by one in front of my dumbfounded face, smiled.

“Then… are we more than friends?”
“……No!”

A-am I crazy?!
I almost got completely swept along without realizing it!

Snapping back to my senses, I shook my head hard.

“F-friends can do that much too!”
“But just now…… holding hands.”
“Friends hold hands too.”

At my words, his solid shoulders drooped.
“We also lay down together.”
“You were sitting.”

Apparently, while I was passed out drunk, Mathias had been sitting quietly by the bed the whole time.
Only after I woke up did he climb onto the bed.

Once the facts were laid out clearly, Mathias pressed his lips shut.
Even he had nothing to say.

Taking advantage of the moment, I said firmly,
“From now on, don’t enter my room when I’m not here. Got it? What if someone sees and gets suspicious?”

Mathias was still keeping his presence hidden even within the mansion. If he was openly roaming around my room, it would definitely look suspicious.

Not yet.
Once all the slave traders were dealt with, once Xavier was completely crushed, then it would be fine for him to move around.
But right now, it was dangerous.

“What if you run into a bad guy?”
“I ran into one.”
“Right. That’s why it’s dangerous, so don’t come unless I’m—”

Huh?

“Y-you.”
What did you just say?