### Chapter 28: A Little Test?
?
My right foot, which had taken half a step forward, suddenly froze in place.
I turned around and saw a tipsy woman holding a wine glass, gazing at me with an alluring look, her eyes sparkling with affection. At the very moment our eyes met, she even licked her lips on purpose.
??
What is this woman doing—
“I can tell you’re pretending to be drunk at the banquet, huh? You look pretty clear-headed now. Nice acting, nice acting! Want to share another drink with me~?”
She raised her glass towards me, tilted her head back, and took a sip. Her golden eyes sparkled with mischief as she swayed and managed to stand up from her chair: “The youngest Pope Knight in history, an epic hero… At such a prime age, choosing to face that terrifying demon and save the world, it’s really quite tragic… Oh, I’ve admired you for a long time, Miss Silvya!”
She strutted over to me, standing on the inner edge of the terrace, leaning her tummy against the railing, arms outstretched toward the night, allowing the cold wind to whip across her cheeks.
“It’s such a pity that I never had a chance to see you in person… But now you’re ‘alive again’! How wonderful, Miss Silvya! Believe it or not, I’m your little fan~”
“Are you crazy…”
What the heck? ~
Why is she suddenly spewing out stupid lines?
Is she trying to mess with me?
“I’m not crazy! My name is Aiyarela.”
The woman quickly turned her head, playfully winking at me, extending one hand: “Isn’t it a cute name~”
？？？
“Ha…”
What am I even doing with a drunkard here?
Rolling my eyes, I ignored her outstretched hand and turned to leave. But out of the corner of my eye, I suddenly saw her body lose balance. It looked like she reached out to me and stumbled, stepping right off the edge…
“Yah!”
She let out a short yelp, her expression frantic as her wine glass fell to the ground and shattered with a “crash!” She tilted and flopped right onto me. I froze and instinctively caught her.
“Ow~”
Soft and fragrant.
She smelled somewhat like Victoria, a delicate aroma mixed with a strong scent of alcohol wafting up my nose.
“I’m so sorry…”
She plopped against me, symbolically struggling a bit as if trying to stand up again, but she felt like a wet noodle—completely limp! Not only that, but her hands kept pawing at me: “I think I might be a little drunk… Hehe.”
Hehe, my foot!
“Get off me.”
My face darkened as I pressed her face away, starting to push her out—my first push wasn’t very forceful; we were right on the edge of the terrace, and I didn’t want to accidentally send her crashing through the railing.
Surprisingly, this woman shamelessly clung to me even more, wrapping her arms around my shoulders, whining in a weak voice: “Ow, ow, ow, don’t push me! I sprained my foot…”
That sentence interrupted my second serious attempt to push her away. I instinctively turned my head to look down at her foot, and she seized the moment to snuggle her face against my ear: “Help me get into the room, okay…?”
d*mn!
That soft voice, combined with a tantalizing breath, warm and ticklish, sent shivers down my spine.
Is this woman trying to seduce me!?
“Let go of me, I’ll count to three, or I’m going to hit you.”
I barely suppressed the urge to punch her nose, already considering the consequences—if we ignore the diplomatic issues, maybe Viki would just find it amusing?
“Don’t be like that~”
“One.”
“Please, I promise I’ll make it worth your while~”
“Two.”
“I’ll tell you, don’t think I’m like this… I’m actually much more obedient than Princess Viki~ My body’s softer, I know how to take care of people… Unlike her, who always has a deadpan expression… Plus, I’m fun! I’ll make you laugh, and the best part is…”
“I’ll do anything you say; anything you want to do, even with props—”
That voice by my ear was sweetly enchanting, like the enticements of a demon from the Abyss. If I were still a guy, I might have lost control and carried her straight to the bed.
And props!?
“Three! Enough, you pervert.”
Crack, crack, crack—
Feeling that if I didn’t go hard now, she’d dare to lick my ear… which I absolutely couldn’t tolerate! With a flash of blue light in my eyes, sharp icicles formed above us, a chilly mist starting to rise from under my feet.
“Ah!”
The sudden cold air made her gasp. She finally realized I was serious, and with a light sigh, let go of me, getting swept back a few meters by the gale, landing steady.
Does she even look like she sprained her foot?
“Oh dear~”
The woman paused for a moment, and as her skirt settled, she tapped her chin with a finger, feigning cute, cocking her head to the side, smiling brightly: “I was just kidding, why are you still mad?”
I immediately withdrew the Power of Order, didn’t want to say anything, and stared at her with a cold face for a moment.
The smile on her face gradually faded.
“Alright, alright, you’re such a boring guy…” Aiyarela, that royal lady, pouted and rolled her eyes, “From this angle, my poor sister really has no chance after all.”
She pointed at me, saying it sarcastically: “You’re just an unromantic… someone who only likes men!”
？？？
What’s wrong with a woman liking men… Ugh, ugh, ugh, I don’t like men either!
Unromantic?!
“You’re the—”
I wanted to say she was the unromantic, boring one, but as soon as I spoke, I caught a glimpse of that mischievous smirk on her face, and promptly shut my mouth.
She was waiting for me to say that!
“Phew…”
I let out a long sigh.
What am I even doing, arguing with a drunk? Why bother with her?
“If you don’t like her…”
Suddenly, her expression turned serious, her tone solemn, her eyes focused: “Then just tell her early, let her figure it out and give up, okay?”
I opened my mouth.
What was I gonna say again?
Forget it…
“If you help her give up, she’ll belong to me completely!”
Aiyarela… she just said her name was Aiyarela. The name isn’t for comment, but her face sure does change faster than pages in a book, like she’s had drama lessons. After being serious for only a moment, she went back to being cheerful, especially as she said this last line, grinning like a flower, leaving me stunned in place.
?!?!
You—
Oh, you—
You like Viki too?!
No, no, no, how did ‘too’ even come into this…
“We’re rivals in love~”
The woman said something that sounded like a huge joke, playfully putting her hands behind her back, stepping toward the half-bottle of wine on the ground: “I thought so before, but now it seems there’s no need to worry… Oh my, I’m so lucky…”
“……”
So you really are overthinking things!
Or how could I possibly be a rival with someone like you!?
So many ridiculous points, I didn’t even know where to start. Only these two sentences popped into my head first.
But I definitely couldn’t say either of them out loud.
