29. Liquor, Articles, and Memory (2)

“I’m the vice-captain…”

The culprit was sipping alcohol in front of Christine, who for some reason kept looking for Maxim in his sleep. I was resentful of my colleagues who turned away when I really needed it. I was resentful of Paola and Roberto, who were not booing or pretending not to know, but just giving Maxim a thumbs up with a sinister smile.

“Don’t pinch me…”

What the hell are you dreaming of?

Maxim looked at Christine, who struggled with her left arm. I can’t leave it like this until the drinking party is over. Maxim gulped down his drink in succession. The drunkenness that he had been trying to ignore began to slowly eat away at his body.

“Senior Paola.”

Maxim called Paola. I shouted with some earnestness, but Paola didn’t even listen.

“Roberto.”

It’s a ruined baby.

It would be difficult if this guy got stuck even more.

Christine was watching Maxim with her eyes wide open. Even with the head stiffly held up.

“Are you awake?”

Christine’s cheeks were red. Seeing the whirlpools swirling in her green eyes made her absolutely insane. Maxim patted Christine on the shoulder.

“Christine.”

“Why, vice-captain.”

Tongue curled up. Her hair is tousled, her eyes are open, and she is smiling. Maxim called the store’s pigtailed waiter and asked for cold water. The waiter smiled stiffly at Christine’s playfulness and quickly ran to the kitchen to get a bucket of water.

“It’s a pity, Christine.”

“Go away.”

I woke up, but Maxim thought it would be better if I stayed asleep. Christine couldn’t come to her senses and hugged her glass of ale tightly.

“Don’t drink that.”

Maxim forcibly snatched the glass from Christine. When the glass disappeared from her bosom, Christine blinked and moved across the table to find the glass in Maxim’s hand.

“Ah, mine is…”

“Where are you talking half-heartedly, about juniors?”

“Give me back…”

swish, swish.

Maxim moved the glass around to avoid Christine’s touch. Christine stretched out her hand to catch the flying glass, but when she couldn’t reach it, she inflated the fire.

“I can’t get caught…”

Christine stretched out her hand and threw herself forward.

“100 million.”

“I got it…”

Christine hugged Maxim tightly. His arms, which could not be said to be long, barely reached the glass in Maxim’s hand. A little trickle of ale wet Maxim and Christine’s hands.

“Come out…”

“It’s sour.”

Just when Maxim began to seriously consider whether he should knock Christine out and relocate her, a waiter unexpectedly appeared with a bucket and glass of water.

“…”

“No, I, so…”

“sorry.”

Tung.

A water bottle and a glass were placed on the table. Jeong did not exist in this world. The waiter with pigtails turned away disgusted. Maxim grabbed Christine by the shoulders, who was leaning completely against his chest, and sat her upright.

“It’s too much.”

“Yes, yes.”

Maxim pours cold water into Christine’s hand. Christine squeezed her glass and hung her head. Maxim took Christine’s hand.

“Drink some water first.”

“water…”

Christine weakly followed Maxim’s words and brought the glass to her lips. It was half spilled and half drank. As the water trickled down Christine’s chin, Maxim wiped the water off his collar.

“It’s cold.”

“Then it’s cold. Get your mind right.”

Christine sat down in her chair with a dazed expression. Things seemed to have calmed down a bit, so Maxim let out a long sigh from his lungs and sat back in his chair.

“You’re having a lot of trouble, Maxim.”

Paola was approaching with a smirk. He must have been drunk to some extent, his face flushed red.

“Leaving me to suffer alone, he is very carefree.”

At Maxim’s words, Paola chuckled and waved her index finger.

“Don’t be sad. Shouldn’t you say thank you for not interfering at times like this?”

“Thank you very much.”

Roberto was watching from a distance. Maxim felt that such a Roberto was even more nasty than Paola.

“This lady should go to her inn and get some rest.”

said Paola, looking at Christine, who was sitting there with her head hanging with a dazed expression.

“Shouldn’t you help me and take me?”

“I thought so, but wouldn’t it be too conspicuous to do such a thing now? I still don’t get that much love, so I don’t want to hate you even more.”

Paola shrugged.

“Well, if that’s the case, then there’s a way.”

Paola pointed with her finger down a hallway that resembled a side road beside the kitchen.

“There is a back door.”

Paola then winked at Maxim. It wasn’t a look that suited his stern look. Maxim gave him a puzzled look, but Paola seemed to be really serious about pursuing the method.

“…”

“Come on, take me out. Unless the atmosphere at the drinking party is in full swing right now, it will be difficult to go undetected.”

You can just pick up people and take them with you.

Maxim wanted to say it, but Paola, before Maxim could say anything, took her glass of ale and made a tumultuous noise as she walked away into the crowd of knights. Christine lifted her head and looked at Maxim. Shinnok’s pupils were still immersed in the whirlpool.

“Vice-captain…I’m sleepy…”

Maxim carefully lifted Christine, who was starting to doze off. Christine staggered, but did not reject Maxim’s hand that supported her.

“Yes, yes, let’s go and sleep.”

Maxim carried Christine by force and stepped out the back door to avoid being seen. Paola glanced back at Maxim and raised an eyebrow. One day, he will definitely punish him, Maxim thought so and opened the back door.

“Ahh.”

As soon as the door opened, a chilly wind hit Maxim and Christine. Maybe it was because I was drinking, I thought the weather was much colder than usual. After walking down the street for a while, Christine trembled in Maxim’s arms. Even the cold weather didn’t seem to stop Christine from getting drunk.

“Vice-captain, it’s cold…”

Maxim sighed deeply and took off the coat of his uniform and put it on Christine. Christine paused for a moment in the wind of her uniform’s coat, then sighed and shivered again as she was enveloped in the warmth it imparted.

However, it didn’t last long and Christine’s steps started to stumble. Maxim saw Christine, who could not walk further and stopped on the street.

“Sleepy?”

Christine nodded her head.

I can’t help it.

Maxim smiled bitterly and hugged Christine. There were few people on the streets. The only sound you could hear was the faint, distant din of a busy pub. Christine seemed to be really drunk, and even though Maxim hugged her, she calmly lay down on Maxim’s arm without much resistance.

“Vice-captain…”

“yes?”

Christine spoke to Maxim in a sleepy voice. Maxim knew that answering her words would not lead to a normal conversation, but he responded gently to her voice.

“I’m sorry.”

“what.”

“I’m just very sorry.”

Christine crouched in Maxim’s arms and dug her little body into it.

“Then and now. Even when we first met… even earlier than that…”

Maxim narrowed his eyes and listened to Christine.

“All along… I’m sorry.”

Water welled up in Christine’s eyes. As Maxim walked down the street, his steps slowed down and stopped for a moment. Tears welled up in Christine’s eyes and slowly ran down her pink cheeks. Maxim was looking down at Christine with a complicated expression. His face was white. It was white, slightly reddened with alcohol.

Christine finally fell asleep. In Maxim’s arms, he could hear Christine’s soft breathing. Maxim’s arm seemed quite relaxed.

“What is he saying now.”

Maxim gave an answer that Christine couldn’t hear, then continued walking.

Maxim arrived at the residence of the Jackdaw Knights and struggled to open the door and enter. It was quite difficult to open the door while holding Christine. Maxim closed the door of the abode with a kick. The light of the yellow lantern that entered the hallway of the residence became a milestone.

‘It was on the third floor.’

Maxim remembered Christine’s room with difficulty. Maxim trudged to the third floor of the residence. Faint moonlight filtered through the hallway windows. Maxim opened Christine’s room again and cautiously entered hers.

Christine’s room was very clean and tidy. Except for the magic-related books piled high on the desk, almost no personal items were visible. The only thing that was disorganized was the duvet on the bed. Maxim carefully laid Christine on the bed.

“Should I even do this?”

Maxim pretended to complain and spoke to Christine playfully. Of course, Christine, who heard that, couldn’t even hear Maxim’s words because she was sleeping.

Maxim lifted Christine’s leg, untied the laces from her boots, and carefully removed them. After bringing her feet together and laying them on the bed, she covered her chest with a blanket. Maxim then took off his coat and tried to take it away, but Christine held onto the hem of Maxim’s coat and refused to let go.

“…under.”

Maxim sighed in laughter and let go of his hand that was about to take the coat.

“Why do you follow me so well?”

Maxim exhaled with a comfortable expression and smiled bitterly at the sleeping Christine. follow well It was a mixture of the utmost care and affection that Maxim could do.

Maxim watched Christine sleep for a while, then stood up. First of all, I had to go back to drinking.

The intoxication was still there. Maxim tried to blow away the drunken spirit while being blown by the cold wind, but the ale must have been strong. Maxim entered the building again through the back door of the pub, where the noise had subsided.

“this.”

Is Christine, who got drunk quickly, a nobleman? Most of the knights fell asleep on the table. Maxim regretted his decision to return after seeing the drinking party that went beyond the chaos and became a mess.

The only one awake who recognized Maxim was Paola, who was waving with her face reddening even more.

“No, senior. What happened to you while I took you away for a while?”

“What is going on? It just happened after drinking it.”

Paola seemed to be coming to her senses at least, but her tongue was quite twisted. Maxim turned his head around to find Roberto, but he couldn’t see his comrade.

“Roberto is…”

“I went out a while ago feeling sick, but I haven’t come back yet. You should be regurgitating by now.”

I’ll just have to look at you.

Maxim smiled shyly.

“Has Vice-captain welcomed you well?”

“You are sleeping well.”

At Maxim’s answer, Paola smiled and nodded in satisfaction. Maxim got up from his seat to return to his original seat, the seat in the corner. Now that this has happened, shall we drink more quietly?

“Aren’t you drinking here?”

“I’m sober though, it’s a bit like drinking there.”

“is it?”

Paola smiled and gestured for her to go. Maxim sat down and picked up what was left of the dish.

Christine took a sip, thinking that she was sleeping well. I took a sip, wondering where Theodora was. Taking another sip, thinking about the situation of the royal family, himself, and the no-man’s-land.

As I tilted my glass like that, the seat was being cleared before I knew it. Maxim’s vision blurred a little.

“Maxim.”

Maxim’s shoulder was pricked. Paola was carrying Roberto on one shoulder. Maxim decided to stop drinking, put down his glass and stood up.

“I will help you.”

Maxim staggered slightly and tried to put Roberto’s other shoulder on his back.

“Okay, let’s take care of the rest of the people. There aren’t many people left, so I’ll just send them off after waking up. No one is as drunk as this guy.”

Paola lifted Roberto up and stuck out her bare shoulder.

“I’ll go first.”

“Senior, aren’t you just going in drunk?”

“Well, actually, that’s not true.”

Paola jumped open the front door with Roberto on.

“Please, please clean up after yourself.”

“Would you mind?”

The bar’s front door was closed. Maxim sent them back, waking up the two or three others with the owner of the store who stayed up late.

“Now… the remaining…”

Well.

If it was a comedy, it was a scene that would have been criticized for being obvious and contrived.

Maxim met Theodora, who was sitting at a table on the edge and glaring at him.

“Just…sim…”

Theodora staggered to her feet. Theodora slowly approached Maxim with steps twisted like her tongue. Theodora stood at a distance of about a hand from Maxim and put a fist on Maxim’s chest. Maxim let out a long sigh. In a situation where he himself was drowning in drunkenness, it was a spectacle.

“I’m drunk, Theodora.”

“I don’t know, something like that.”

Theodora’s eyes were slightly red. Maxim supported Theodora and left the bar. There were no more left. Theodora struggled not to lean on Maxim, and ended up resting her head on his shoulder.

“Leave this…”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not holding it.”

Theodora was drunk enough to doubt whether she was listening to Maxim. Maxim and Theodora arrived at the residence of the Knights of the Ravens without saying a word. Maxim opened the captain’s bedroom and entered. Are you entering someone else’s bedroom for the second time today?

Maxim supported Theodora and sat her down on the bed.

“Get some sleep. I don’t think anything happened today…”

Maxim went to the bedroom door and was stopped by Theodora’s voice.

“Why did you do that…?”

A cracked voice came from Theodora’s mouth.

“You have a fiancée… why did you do that to Christine…the vice-captain?”

Kudang.

Theodora stood up and the chair next to the bed fell over.

“I was watching everything from the side. I sat down with the vice-captain, and even the two of them left later.”

“Theodora, you’re drunk.”

“Why did I… why did I become like that?”

Water began to collect at Theodora’s words. Theodora was slowly approaching Maxim.

“Why did you leave me for the worst… to meet again like this… to be like this.”

Theodora was close. Her breath smelled faintly of alcohol, and her disheveled hair gave off a very familiar scent. Maxim was walking backwards, and Theodora was gradually closing the distance with Maxim. Maxim felt dizzy from the rising intoxication and scent.

“Maxi, tell me… tell me why this happened.”

Theodora met Maxim’s cloudy eyes. In the dimly lit room, Theodora’s gray eyes hardened and shone.

“Theo. For now, I’m sleeping.”

When Maxim tried to push Theodora away, Theodora pushed Maxim against the wall.

“no.”

Theodora’s arms were wrapped around Maxim’s neck.

“It was a look that only I knew.”

“Drunk…”

Theodora heeled.

Those lips overlapped Maxim’s lips. The smell of alcohol, mixed with the scent of Theodora, rises dizzyingly. Theodora’s tongue entangled with Maxim’s. It wasn’t red in front of her eyes, but it was red when she closed her eyes. It was a ritual, a technique of kissing, and a kiss that relied on an instinct that was not conscious at all.

Theodora’s breath touched Maxim’s neck and cheeks. Maxim struggled to remove Theodora’s face. Intoxication made it difficult to judge. It’s dizzy, it’s dizzy. Theodora, who kissed me pitifully right in front of me, kept blurring, then became clearer.

Maxim looked at Theodora, who was breathing heavily. Her lips were wet with saliva and glistening.

“Theo, calm down.”

Can not be done.

I knew I shouldn’t be led like this. But is it alcohol or is it his heart? It was preventing Maxim from resisting strongly.

“Maxi…”

Again, Theodora pulled Maxime. Her other hand held the doorknob. Maxim could not resist and was dragged away.

Behind him, the door rattled and closed.