Chapter 606

606.

At the far ends of the room, Niel and Marchel were seated.

They didn’t even glance at each other, their heads turned sharply away.

The heat rising from the floor made their bodies feel unbearably warm.

Niel, feeling a sudden dryness in his throat for no reason, reached for the water bottle in one corner of the room.

The moment he poured water into a cup and brought it to his lips,

“Pu-what? What is this? This is alcohol!”

Niel spat out the alcohol in his mouth, wiped the corners of his lips, and hurriedly checked the other bottles.

“All alcohol?!”

Niel’s expression conveyed his disbelief.

It seemed the only thing to drink when his throat was dry would be alcohol.

‘I’m going to lose it. Seriously.’

“Stop making a fuss, Niel Loda.”

At that moment, Marchel sighed and spoke.

With a snort of derision at those words, Niel returned to his seat.

Just as an awkward silence began to flow again,

Kurururuk-!

Marchel’s stomach let out a sound.

Marchel covered his face in embarrassment.

Looking at Marchel, Niel sneered.

“Fitting for a wizard who just sits in a secluded room reading books all day. Weak-willed. Making such pitiful noises just because you’ve skipped one meal…”

Kurururuk-!

“…”

Niel’s stomach gave off the same sound.

This was, in a way, quite natural.

Both Niel and Marchel had fasted all day.

On top of that, they had done physical labor without using any Aura or Magic during the day.

And now, the scent of all the delicious food laid out in the room was stimulating their senses.

Their bodies were honestly reacting, and there wasn’t much they could do about it.

Niel, whose face had turned bright red, turned his head quickly. Marchel glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.

‘Ah, this is really embarrassing!’

Niel pressed down on his stomach loudly making noises and screamed inwardly. He had teased Marchel and now risked being laughed at himself.

At this point, Marchel burst out laughing.

“You haven’t changed a bit, Niel Loda.”

“What do you mean?”

“That overly rigid side of you. Also, harsh with yourself. And turning into someone who will go to great lengths when it concerns your liege…”

“Hmph! Don’t think you’re any different. You’re way too free-spirited. Plus, you also throw yourself in blindly sometimes.”

Firing back, Niel sighed.

As he watched Niel, Marchel spoke.

“Shall we eat first?”

“…Alright.”

Niel also nodded.

It was strange to stay hungry in front of food when your stomach was growling.

It wasn’t as if the food had committed any offense.

Marchel took a bite of one of the meat dishes and exclaimed in satisfaction.

“This is delicious.”

“Don’t eat it.”

“Why are you causing trouble?”

“I made it. So don’t eat it.”

“…”

Marchel sighed deeply.

“Young Master Leo probably heard unnecessary stories from me. Knowing this would happen, I should have refrained.”

“Unnecessary stories?”

“There was something.”

“…”

After hearing Marchel’s words, Niel hesitated for a moment before asking.

“Is that story somehow related to me?”

Marchel didn’t answer.

‘I see. Chelsea LeWalyn also asked me some strange things… It must have been because of that.’

Niel also recalled their previous conversation.

Thus, the awkward atmosphere continued.

As they ate, Niel’s throat became dry, and he patted his chest.

Seeing this, Marchel frowned.

“Stop behaving so rudely and at least drink this.”

“What? No… Guh! Guh! Guh!”

Niel had barely swallowed the food when he said:

“I will never drink alcohol! You drink it.”

“I don’t drink either.”

“Seriously? But you seem like someone who might break school rules easily, and yet you say you don’t drink?”

“I made a mistake once after drinking. I decided not to drink anymore after that.”

At this, Niel’s expression hardened.

‘Annoying. How come we both don’t drink alcohol for the same reason?’

Just then, as this heavy silence was enveloping them,

‘Was this meeting prepared by Young Master Leo to promote harmony between the Zerdinger and LeWalyn Families?’

It was possible that their relationship had become a stumbling block for Leo.

‘Miss Chelsea also has a good relationship with Abad.’

The direct descendants of Zerdinger, their liege, were putting in effort.

Still, Niel, a loyal knight, was creating a barrier with Marchel based on old grudges.

While Niel was deep in thought,

Marchel began to speak.

“Niel Loda.”

“What is it?”

“Be honest. I still have lingering feelings for you.”

“What?”

In an instant, Niel’s expression froze.

However, moments later,

A snarky chuckle escaped her lips.

“People like you always make big scandals, don’t they? You cried loudly when you broke up with your girlfriend in second year, right? You were also punished for drinking alcohol in the dormitory.”

At this, Marchel sighed deeply.

“To be honest, that’s why I don’t drink.”

“What?”

Marchel scratched his head vigorously.

“Rumors spread that you began dating another guy first. That’s why, in my grief, I drank a lot and made a mistake. Fortunately, no one mentioned your name.”

Niel stuttered, unable to respond.

Back when Niel was a first-year student,

On a field trip, Niel had her first taste of alcohol and, unbeknownst to her, claimed that she had been dating a man.

Of course, that man was none other than Marchel.

Because of that, rumors spread throughout the entire school.

“I resented you for easily forgetting me. That’s why I treated you cruelly.”

It was a long-forgotten scandal.

“Still, because of these lingering feelings, I’ve never dated anyone while in school.”

Upon hearing Marchel’s words, Niel burst out laughing, albeit bitterly.

“You and me are the same.”

“What?”

“That rumor. I also drank and acted out because of you.”

Niel and Marchel stared silently at each other for a moment.

Then, without any prompting, both burst out laughing simultaneously.

Niel laughed heartily for a long time, her stomach aching as tears welled up in her eyes.

“You and me both, we are so pitiful.”

“That’s right. What a sorry sight.”

Marchel agreed and looked at Niel.

“But it’s too late to go back.”

“That’s right. Too late.”

Niel also nodded.

“Niel Loda, Lord and Lady wish to clear the grudges between the families. You know how difficult that is, right?”

“That’s right. It is difficult. Still, I wish to follow their will. I am a knight of Zerdinger.”

“I feel the same way. I’m a wizard of LeWalyn.”

Niel and Marchel stared deeply into each other’s eyes and spoke.

“We can’t be obstacles for our lords.”

“That’s right. I wish to rekindle our relationship.”

Simultaneously, both smiled.

“Forgetting our past feelings, let’s be friends.”

“I agree.”

As Niel extended her hand, Marchel took it.

It was a reconciliation that had taken 5 years.

“Wow! This feels so refreshing!”

Lying down with a satisfied sigh, Niel sat up abruptly.

“So.”

“Do you intend to drink?”

“That’s right. It’s not because I don’t want to drink alcohol that I didn’t. Now, I’m an adult. Isn’t it unfair?”

As Niel poured herself a glass of alcohol, she remarked,

“Would you like a glass too?”

“Ahe. Since we don’t need to dwell on that past mistake anymore, shall I lift my ban on drinking?”

“That’s right. After all, there’s no fear of making mistakes anymore.”

Niel poured a drink for Marchel, looking satisfied.

As they clinked their glasses, the fragrance of the wine spread in their mouths.

Niel made a wry face, troubled.

“Urgh. I might not like this even in the future.”

Watching this, Marchel chuckled.

“Ah. It’s surprising how we’ve both become adults.”

“That’s right. We used to talk about how we would get married around this age.”

“Back when we were both still kids, we sure were bold.”

“That’s right. Still, it was good, wasn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

Recalling their past, they clinked their glasses again.

“Urrrrgh…”

Niel woke up feeling an excruciating headache.

“H-how much did I drink yesterday?”

His memory was hazy.

One thing he was sure of was that all the alcohol in the room had been consumed.

“Ah, I will never drink again.”

Reaffirming an old vow from years ago when Niel first started drinking, he tossed and turned.

In doing so, he felt a warm presence beside him and instinctively snuggled closer.

Warm, solid yet soft skin brushed against his, creating a pleasant sensation.

“Unh…”

At that moment, Marchel, who was lying beside Niel, let out a pained groan.

Still, he pulled Niel closer into his arms.

Niel allowed himself to be enveloped.

“…”

“…”

Just as both were about to drift back to sleep, they suddenly woke up upon noticing something strange.

Frozen on the spot, they found themselves holding each other beneath the covers.

Paralyzed by the realization, their thoughts stalled.

Without anyone taking the lead, they both glanced down under the covers.

Lifting their heads simultaneously, their faces instantly turned pale.

Just as their mouths were about to emit horrified screams,

Bang!

“Marchel, I’m sorry for interrupting you two… Kyaahhhhhh?!?!”

Chelsea, who had entered the room, let out an involuntary scream and fled outside.

Leo, who followed behind, paused in silence for a moment and then smiled.

“Looks like I interrupted something good, didn’t I?”

“Mr., Mr. Leo! No! It’s not what it seems! This is not…not…! Please, hear me out!”

Niel, with an ashen face, pleaded desperately.

However, Leo walked out of the room without another word.

Watching Chelsea, who was red-faced and stuttering, Leo chuckled bitterly.

“They were told not to act like children, and now they act like adults.”