Episode 31

“Your Grace, you certainly enjoy your drink!”

Baron Veron exclaimed loudly, looking quite pleased with himself for a while now.

“…Drinking in good company at a pleasant gathering does make the wine taste better.”

I replied, hesitating out of embarrassment.

Baron Veron burst into laughter at my response.

“Hearing you say that makes me very grateful. I have a feeling we will become great drinking companions, Your Grace!”

Those seated around us shook their heads, indicating that Baron Veron was already quite drunk. How much did he have to drink to end up like that in the middle of the day?

“Haha…”

I let out an awkward laugh in response. It seemed to signal Baron Veron to become even more exaggerated in his actions.

“Now, let me fill your glass, Your Grace!” he announced.

At that moment, Apollion leaned slightly towards me and spoke.

“Baron Veron is a natural drinker. Seeing him already in such a state, it’s clear that it will be hard to avoid his persistent offers.”

“…It seems so.”

I replied, looking at the baron, whose face was flushed red from his hairline to his fingertips. Meanwhile, the servants began to fill our empty glasses with wine.

I gave the servant a pointed look, silently urging him to pour just a little. Thankfully, he caught on and stopped pouring after a reasonable amount.

“With such esteemed guests visiting the Grand Duchy, the Theabrite family is sure to have nothing but good fortune. I drink to the health and prosperity of you both!”

Baron Veron declared, lifting his glass.

Without waiting for his speech to end, Apollion and I raised our glasses as well. I was concerned that the baron’s speech might drag on unnecessarily.

‘Wow… This is trouble,’ I thought as the refreshing liquid slid down my throat.

The wine was incredibly delicious, even on a second tasting.

Fortunately, it seemed Petunia had a strong constitution for alcohol. Feeling reassured, I set down my glass and looked at Apollion.

“Ugh…”

Apollion made a strange noise, scrunching his face as he drank about half of his wine. When our eyes met, he looked startled and quickly finished his glass.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

He set his glass down with a bit of noise and hastily reached for his water glass. After glancing at me, he abandoned the water and instead began to devour the plum salad in front of him.

“If you eat that fast, you’ll get indigestion. Drink some water in between,” I advised.

“…I’m fine.”

Fine, if you say so.

I started to turn my head but then noticed something odd. Apollion was holding his fork and knife the wrong way around.

For someone born into nobility and well-versed in etiquette, holding utensils incorrectly was unheard of. Moreover, he was peeling the plum skin with his knife, which was bizarre.

“…Apollion?”

He turned to look at me instead of answering.

“You’re holding your fork and knife the wrong way.”

He stared at his hands for a while before finally speaking. “Ah,”

It was as if a slow-witted person had just realized something obvious. What kind of “ah” was that?

I watched him slowly correct his grip on the fork. Upon closer inspection, his neck and earlobes were also red, and his pupils were slightly unfocused. He seemed quite inebriated.

“Sigh…”

The concern gave me a headache. If he got this drunk on just two glasses of wine, how was he supposed to handle the rest?

Shouldn’t the male lead be able to handle his liquor well and down a few barrels of ale without getting drunk? Every male lead in romance novels I’d seen so far could do that!

Feeling like I had been cheated, I clenched my fists. Wasn’t he supposed to be an outstanding male lead? Instead, Apollion was not just cautious but excessively timid, a far cry from the typical assertive male lead.

Meanwhile, one of the retainers offered us more wine, and Apollion and I reluctantly accepted.

With that last drink, Apollion’s pupils completely lost focus.

＊＊＊

“Please… stay still.”

I pressed down on Apollion’s shoulders, trying to steady him. His constant swaying back and forth like a bobblehead was driving me crazy.

“Understood…”

He briefly stopped moving but then started swaying side to side. It was exasperating, but…

‘Cute.’

…he was cute.

Who would have thought that beneath his cold and hard exterior, there was such an adorable side?

I barely resisted the urge to bang my fist on the table. This was valuable information not mentioned in the book.

A male lead who can’t handle alcohol in a romance novel world? Apollion wasn’t just bad at drinking; he was practically an alcoholic disaster.

He had gotten helplessly drunk after just three glasses of wine. Among all the people here, he was the first to get completely inebriated.

As a result, I had to drink his share of the wine as well.

Initially, he had refused, saying he couldn’t let his wife handle such a task. But soon after, he completely lost his senses.

He no longer had the energy to express his own will, and I had no choice but to become his dark knight.

I glanced at Apollion, who was slumped in the seat next to me like a deflated pancake.

Every part of him, from his neck to his earlobes to his hands, was flushed red. He was even humming a strange tune.

Watching him, I couldn’t help but smile. It was a rare sight, one I wanted to savor a bit more.

But then I noticed Emma and the other servants standing behind him and quickly straightened my expression.

Emma, being a professional head maid, kept her composure, but the other servants looked visibly distressed.

Thinking about moving this huge man to his bedroom and cleaning up the mess was obviously weighing on their minds.

Feeling self-conscious, I poked Apollion in the side. I hoped he would at least walk to his bedroom on his own.

But he showed no reaction. His once lively pupils were now as black as marbles, completely unfocused.

I should have stopped him earlier. Seeing him in this state, it was clear he wouldn’t remember anything in the morning.

I glanced around the table at the people still sprawled out. It was still daylight, but many were already drunk.

Several had to be helped out by the attendants, while most were slumped over the table like dried squid on a roadside stall.

There were only five of us left who were still sober, including myself and Viscount Idneus.

I couldn’t help but marvel at Petunia’s remarkable tolerance for alcohol. Although I felt a bit tipsy, it wasn’t unbearable. Despite emptying several bottles of wine, I was holding up quite well. It seemed that while my stamina might be poor, I was pretty robust when it came to drinking.

I lifted my head to survey the survivors. Only Viscount Solair, Baron Eden, Captain Creed of the Knights, and Viscount Idneus remained.

Viscount Solair and Baron Eden were young retainers in their mid-twenties. They seemed to have a close relationship with Baron Veron, frequently bantering and interrupting him during his nonsensical speeches. They were holding their seats with surprisingly stable postures, indicating they could handle their liquor better than the baron.

However, their flushed cheeks and slightly unfocused eyes showed that they weren’t entirely sober either.

In contrast, Captain Creed and Viscount Idneus looked perfectly fine. Their eyes were clear and bright, and it was hard to believe they had drunk so much. While it was expected from Captain Creed as a knight, seeing the elderly Viscount Idneus sitting so upright was impressive.

And here I was, managing to hold my ground among them. I briefly entertained the pleasant thought that I could live submerged in alcohol without any issues. But looking at Apollion slumping like a puddle beside me made me anxious.

I needed to deal with him before he started crawling on the floor.

I quickly spoke to the remaining survivors.

“It feels like just a moment ago that the sun was high in the sky, but now it seems the color has changed.”

At my words, the survivors turned to look out the window.

In reality, the sky hadn’t changed much. It was summer, so the days were long, and the sky only had a slight tinge of yellow. My comment was a subtle hint that it was time to head home.

Then Viscount Solair downed his glass and spoke.

“Isn’t drinking while watching the sunset the best way to enjoy wine? Nature has arranged itself just for us. This is truly delightful. Hahaha!”

“Haha…”

Viscount Solair had clearly lost his sense of social awareness. He hadn’t been this oblivious earlier, but the alcohol seemed to have consumed his social graces along with his sensibility.

I glanced at Baron Eden sitting beside him. He didn’t look much different from Viscount Solair.

Baron Eden was sticking close to Viscount Solair, engaging in trivial jokes and banter.

A few hours ago, Baron Eden had been very composed, his actions and words measured despite his young age in his mid-twenties. But now…

“Baron Eden, are you drunk?”

“Yes, yes. It’s been a while since I’ve had a drink, and it’s getting to me.”

“Unbelievable, Sub-Vizcount is getting drunk…”

“There’s a trend of getting drunk without drinking nowadays. I’ve been studying it a bit…”

“Getting drunk without drinking? Is there such a thing?”

“Yes, I’ve been studying it lately.”

“And what on earth is that?”

“Hypnosis.”

“…”

What the heck, is he crazy?