Chapter 64
Until now, I had entered all sorts of dimensions, but it was the first time I had directly experienced such a magical event, which made me even more excited.
“Since we’re here, shall we have a drink?”
“Yes. What kind of drink…”
“Didn’t we just have drinks? It’s tea time now.”
Sylvie tilted her head as if asking what I was talking about and replied.
Ending a drinking session right after the first round? That took tremendous willpower.
A bit disappointing, but well, isn’t it expected to enjoy tea time like a noble lady?
“This time, I’ll serve you some black tea. With desserts.”
“Yes!”
As I followed Sylvie, a light flew towards me and transformed my outfit into a simple dress suitable for tea time.
“This way.”
We were walking down the hallway when we suddenly moved to the banquet hall.
‘Truly a magical castle.’
The table, large enough to comfortably seat ten, was laden with all sorts of desserts.
I sat down with an amazed feeling, and a teapot flew over, pouring hot water into the teacup, and a tea bag plopped in by itself.
Moreover, the dish in front of me rattled, and a sugar cube leapt up and landed in my teacup.
“Uh, um…”
“Do you need milk?”
“No, it’s fine.”
A glass milk jug hovered in the air, but upon hearing my response, it gently landed back on the table.
Sylvie looked a bit disappointed. Maybe I should have just accepted it?
While such an extraordinary sight, I somehow felt uneasy.
‘Ah, I’ve seen something similar. Like coffee made by a machine in an unmanned café.’
Highly advanced magic is no different from machines.
I leisurely sipped my tea, feeling a sense of calm wash over me from the warmth.
‘As enjoyable and exciting as it is….’
What kind of place is this, with no one else around?
From the fashion show to now enjoying tea time, an odd sense of discomfort lingered as I furtively glanced around the castle interior.
No matter how much I looked, there was no one else besides Sylvie and me. Isn’t it strange for such a grand castle to have not a single servant?
Just in case, I checked Sylvie’s information.
“Check character information.”
<Character Information>
Name : Sylviette
Age : 253
Dimension : How That Witch Lives in a Fairy Tale World
Role : Villain
Affection : ♥︎♥︎♥︎♡♡
Sylvie’s true identity was a villain.
Not a final boss like Chris, but… given that my reputation increased by 50 points upon her first visit, she was probably a minor villain?
I was a bit surprised at the term ‘villain’, but…
‘Whatever. These days, villains all have their backstories. So many are just misunderstood, right?’
There are even stories where the villain turns out to be less evil than the protagonist, right?
‘Ah, nevermind. My unnie did nothing wrong. I’ll protect her from being defeated by the protagonist.’
Right. I’ll protect my muse!
But in getting absorbed in those thoughts, I missed an abnormal detail.
Her inhuman, peculiar age.
🫧
A few days later.
“Sena!”
Sylvie entered carrying a large box in her arms.
“Whoa! That’s a table.”
Was her view blocked by the box? I noticed Sylvie heading straight for the table and rushed over, taking the box from her.
From the weight and feel of it, I immediately realized—
This was alcohol.
“A gift for you.”
“You really didn’t have to…”
“How can I visit my Sena empty-handed?”
Sylvie stroked my hair as she spoke. Unlike Cedric, there was no ulterior motive, but Sylvie would often bring gifts when she was bored.
After refusing her dress and accessory gifts as too burdensome, it seems she switched to bringing alcohol instead.
‘She really knows my tastes.’
It was a welcome change from the limited alcoholic options provided by the system for making cocktails.
“Fragrant fruit wines, they say. Apple wine, kiwi wine, cherry wine…”
Sylvie opened the box and lined up the bottles on the bar counter one by one.
“What fruit wine shall we have today? Which one would you like?”
“Hmm, I’ll take the cherry.”
I picked up the cherry wine. The bottle was filled with well-aged cherries.
‘How should I drink this to do it justice?’
I first poured a small amount of the cherry wine into a glass. It had a striking deep red color befitting cherries.
‘The cherry aroma is gently wafting up.’
After thoroughly savoring the aroma, I took a sip of the cherry wine.
“…….”
After contemplating for a moment, I poured a little more cherry wine into the glass and drank it. Sylvie, who had been watching me curiously, tilted her head.
“Why? How is it?”
“It’s stronger than I expected.”
“Then why are you drinking more?”
“Because it’s delicious.”
“Pfft. You’re something else.”
Sylvie burst into laughter and playfully patted my shoulder. I munched on the plump, wine-soaked cherries that had become tender and juicy.
‘Mix it with brandy? It would go well with whiskey too.’
But before that, why not enjoy the original taste of the cherry wine?
However, if I serve it as is, Sylvie might find it overwhelming.
When we first met, she accepted the drinks without hesitation, but it turns out she’s not as strong with alcohol as I initially thought.
“Ah, that’s it! Chocolate!”
A great idea came to mind, and I took out some chocolate I had recently bought from another dimension.
‘In places famous for cherry wine, they serve the wine in chocolate cups.’
How about imitating that method? It would surely make an impressive drink.
“What are you doing?”
“Making a cup.”
“Out of chocolate?”
I nodded and hollowed out the chocolate to form a cup shape. As I poured the cherry wine into it, a happy smile formed on my face.
“Cherry and chocolate are the perfect combination.”
“So, today’s cup is made of chocolate?”
Sylvie let out a bright laugh as she looked at the tiny chocolate cup in front of her.
“Yes. Drink the cherry wine and let the chocolate melt in your mouth.”
“Interesting. This might be the best way to enjoy cherry wine?”
After gulping down the cherry wine, Sylvie munched on the chocolate cup.
“Lovely. The chocolate perfectly balances out the unexpectedly strong cherry wine with its fragrance. This sensation of pleasantly getting tipsy is simply the best.”
Sylvie smacked her lips with a blissful expression.
I made another chocolate cup and poured in some cherry wine. This one’s my share.
“Shall we have another round with chocolate as our snack?”
“Yup. This time, I’ll add a splash of brandy.”
I properly mixed the cherry wine and brandy in a tall glass. A couple cherries at the bottom added a nice touch.
“Mmm. That’s nice… Pour me another.”
“All I can offer you now is soda water or tea. What would you like?”
“Ah, Sena. Don’t be like that.”
“No acting cute. The cherry wine is potent, you’ll be drunk soon.”
I firmly crossed my arms in an ‘X’ shape.
What if Sylvie started crying and spilling all her secrets in front of the customers?
‘Ugh, how would I ever deal with that embarrassment.’
The thought alone made me shake my head. It would be terrible for both me and Sylvie when she sobered up.
Seeing my adamant stance, Sylvie conceded.
“My Sena is tough to win against.”
“It’s all for your sake, Unnie.”
I served her a warm herbal tea, and Sylvie meekly sipped it like a docile lamb.
Creak.
“I don’t like the sound of that door opening. Why don’t we set a prettier scene? Something cute and desert-themed, like little camels…”
The slightly tipsy Sylvie babbled cheerfully.
I thought it would be just another ordinary day.
As I watched the slowly opening door, I greeted the customers.
“Welcome, oh… you dwarves!”
Seems they enjoyed the mead I made last time, as all seven dwarves came together.
‘Regular seats might be uncomfortable for them. I should make a special section…’
As I surveyed for a good spot, considering their seating, one dwarf who just entered looked pale as a ghost.
They stood by the entrance, refusing to come further in.
“Please, come in!”
Despite my repeated invitations, they remained frozen as if nailed to the spot.
Why such behavior? Is this atmosphere unfamiliar to them?
Just as I tilted my head in puzzlement, one of the dwarves trembled and pointed a shaky finger at Sylvie.
“A w-w-witch!”
“The wicked witch who gave Snow White the poisoned apple!”
The dwarves’ shouts instantly turned my cozy lounge into chaos.
“What? A witch?”
“No wonder her look was unnerving…”
“Is she the witch who imprisoned poor Rapunzel?”
Everyone started whispering and glancing at Sylvie, then abandoned their cocktails and fled.
Even the oblivious customers sensed the strange atmosphere and scrambled to leave.
“Uhh…”
The flood of customers that had poured in now rushed out like an ebbing tide. Dazed, I looked around the suddenly empty bar.
Business was booming for once, what just happened?
Still bewildered, my gaze naturally fell on Sylvie.
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
