Dinner was very satisfying.
Not only were countless rare and delicious foods served—things she normally couldn’t even taste—but the fragrant wine also lifted her mood even more.
Teshion, who had been quietly eating across from her, spoke in a concerned voice.
“My lady, that wine has quite a high alcohol content. Please don’t overdo it.”
“Overdo it? Not drinking a wine like this would be rude to the wine itself—rude!”
Cynthia was already quite drunk.
It made sense—she had only just come of age in this body.
There was no way she could resist the sweet stimulation of alcohol she was tasting for the first time.
“Here, one more glass, please!”
“My lady, you should stop. Even most grown men couldn’t drink that much.”
“Oh, Your Grace! I’m totally fin—”
Cynthia couldn’t finish her sentence.
Before she even realized it, she had fallen asleep and slammed her forehead onto the table.
She collapsed with a loud crashing sound.
Thud!
****
Cynthia frowned at the stabbing headache.
It was a terrible hangover.
“Ugh….”
She groaned, then slowly lifted her heavy eyelids. As she blinked blankly, an unfamiliar ceiling and a strange room came into view.
“…Huh?”
Startled, Cynthia quickly sat up.
Where am I now?
She turned her head quickly, looking around the room.
In the mirror on the vanity across from the bed, she saw her completely disheveled reflection.
“Ahh….”
Anyone could tell she had been extremely drunk and had a rough night.
Cynthia raised both hands and messed up her already tangled hair even more.
“I don’t remember dinner at all….”
It seemed she had completely lost control after getting excited by alcohol for the first time.
Just then, the door opened slightly, and a neatly dressed maid walked in.
The young-looking maid froze for a moment upon seeing Cynthia awake, then carefully stepped closer.
“…Lady Elizabeth, are you feeling alright?”
“Ah, yes… I got really drunk last night, didn’t I…?”
“It seemed that way… Are you feeling okay? Would you like something light to eat?”
“I’m okay.”
Cynthia waved her hand weakly, still lowering her head.
“Um, more importantly… Did I do anything really rude to the Grand Duke last night? I don’t remember anything….”
“Ah…”
The maid trailed off, as if unsure how much she could say.
Cynthia spoke again, her face tense.
“It’s okay… Please tell me everything.”
“I-if that’s the case… First, you got very drunk and started singing a rather sad song.”
A sad song…?
Cynthia gave a bitter smile inwardly and waited for the rest.
“Our Grand Duke said he would send you back to the Bailey household right away, but you refused to go and threw a bit of a tantrum….”
Ah… I really was a mess…
“So in the end, the servants brought you to this room, but you didn’t go to sleep quietly….”
“Didn’t sleep quietly? What do you mean…?”
“While we weren’t looking, you pulled our Grand Duke onto the bed!”
“What?!”
Cynthia shouted in shock. Her brain couldn’t process what she had just heard.
No matter how drunk she was, there was no way she would do something like that… right?
“I came late to help wash you and change your clothes, and there was this large shape on the bed in the dark room… Ah, it’s so embarrassing!”
The maid covered her cheeks and squeezed her eyes shut as she spoke.
Cynthia asked in disbelief.
“M-me…? Pulled the Grand Duke…?”
“Well, you are officially engaged, so it’s not strange or anything!”
The maid answered, blushing even more.
Dragging someone else’s fiancé—who couldn’t even see—onto a bed?
Cynthia stared blankly into space, feeling slightly like trash.]
*****
With the maid’s help, Cynthia managed to look somewhat presentable again.
Still dazed, she sat at the table, waiting for Grand Duke Teshion Romanov.
Soon, from the hallway, the steady sound of a cane tapping against the marble floor approached.
Cynthia quickly came to her senses and straightened her clothes.
A moment later, the perfectly composed Grand Duke entered the room.
“H-hello, Your Grace….”
Cynthia awkwardly stood and greeted him.
Teshion gave a polite, businesslike smile and walked to the chair across from her.
“Did you have any discomfort during the night, my lady?”
“No… thanks to you….”
Cynthia answered quietly.
She shut her eyes tightly, then opened her mouth with determination.
“Your Grace…! I think I made a mistake last night, and I’d like to apologize.”
“A mistake?”
“Yes! It seems there was some kind of inappropriate incident between us… I heard I pulled you onto the bed….”
“Ah, it was nothing.”
Teshion cut her off firmly.
Cynthia blinked, then spoke again.
“…What?”
“Last night, my foot caught on the mattress, and I fell onto the bed. Nothing happened, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Oh… that’s a relief… Then did I make any other mistakes?”
At her innocent question, Teshion recalled the previous night.
****
Thud.
“…Your Grace.”
Cynthia, head lowered, suddenly grabbed his wrist.
Was she about to throw up?
Worried the guest room might be ruined, Teshion turned toward her.
“My lady, are you feeling unwell?”
“That’s not it… I have something to tell you….”
From behind, he sensed the servants who had helped bring her here hesitating awkwardly.
Teshion raised his free hand and dismissed them. Hearing his silent command, they quietly left the room.
“What is it you wish to say?”
Once the room fell silent, Teshion spoke again, moving his cane to find a chair near the bed.
At that moment, Cynthia, still holding his wrist, grabbed his other arm too and suddenly pulled him toward her.
Caught off guard, his knee hit the bed, and he lost his balance, falling forward.
“Oh—!”
He quickly braced himself with both hands on either side of her to avoid falling directly on top of her.
But that left them in a very strange position—him hovering over her on the bed.
Because their faces were so close, he could feel her faint wine-scented breath.
Every sense except sight sharpened.
“I’m sorry. I’ll get up right aw—”
“Wow… you’re pretty.”
Her unexpected words stopped him.
In the darkness, Teshion asked again.
“What did you say?”
“You’re beautiful.”
“…Am I beautiful?”
“Yes! Totally!”
Cynthia nodded and grabbed his cheeks with both hands.
With unfocused eyes, she stared straight at his face and continued.
“Your smooth forehead! Your straight eyebrows! Your long, thin eyelashes! Your tall nose! Your full lips! Everything! Everything is beautiful!”
“…I see.”
No one had ever told him such things before—what he looked like, what made him beautiful.
Teshion slowly raised his hand toward her face.
What did the woman who so confidently called him beautiful look like?
But his hand hesitated, hovering near her hair instead of touching her face.
“And what about you, my lady?”
“Elizabeth? Elizabeth Bailey?”
“Yes. What do you look like? I’ve heard from other nobles that Lady Elizabeth Bailey is also very beautiful.”
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