Chapter 20

As the empty glass was taken by Noah, he poured ouzo from the bottle and added water. The way the ouzo and water mixed and became cloudy was somehow fascinating to watch. Stirred with a bar spoon, everything turned white.

If only my heart could be mixed and become one like this someday... What am I thinking? The ouzo is a strong drink, and my thoughts are becoming scattered.

“Even though I diluted it, don’t push yourself.”

“Thank you.”

The glass he offered had the water droplets that should have been there wiped off cleanly. I took the glass, grateful for his consideration, and brought it to my mouth right away.

As Noah said, it was diluted, so it was lighter and easier to drink. Yes, it was easy to drink.

“Alicia-chan.”

When I heard my name called, I looked up to see Emma smiling. Her cheeks were slightly red, probably from the alcohol. She was holding a mug filled with ale firmly.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

I nodded, wondering what it could be. My mouth, filled with ouzo, was full of the sweet scent of anise.

“What’s the deal with Joel Einhardt?”

“...Cough, cough...!”

I didn’t choke, but I almost spat out the ouzo in my mouth. I managed to hold it in.

Noah, who was coughing violently, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief he took from his pocket.

“Are you okay?”

“Noah-kun, that’s unusual. Do you need some water?”

“...I’m fine. I was just a bit spaced out and said something weird.”

After coughing lightly again, Noah brought the glass to his mouth and drank without choking this time.

“Yesterday, I went to the library. I wanted to borrow a cookbook with foreign recipes. I was going to call out to Alicia-chan, but I saw her with the knight.”

“Oh... I was just showing her the location of a recommended book.”

“Is that so? You seemed quite close—”

Emma’s cheerful words were cut off as the master, with a wry smile, pulled her by the arm into the back.

It’s not like anything is going on with Einhardt or that I have anything to hide... but it felt a bit awkward to talk about it in front of Noah. To pretend to be calm, I picked up a mussel and skewered it with a pick.

When I brought the plump flesh to my mouth, the umami spread as usual. The sea scent from behind the ouzo’s aroma filled my nose. It was a different taste from clams, and it was delicious.

“Are you close?”

“Huh?”

While enjoying the wine-steamed mussels, I blinked at the voice from beside me. I realized in an instant that it was about Einhardt from earlier.

“I’m not really close to him. I recommended a book to him before, and he seemed to like it.”

We’re not really close.

I just did my job, and Einhardt just liked the book. He’s been calling out to me more often, probably because there are a lot of uninvited guests lately... Yes, that’s all.

“What do you think of him?”

“...Einhardt?”

Noah, whose face was still hidden by his thick bangs, was looking at me. I wondered what expression he had on his face.

“...Ah, never mind.”

“Eh, ah... Yeah.”

“You’re sly.”

“Sly?”

“...Never mind.”

I hadn’t noticed, but the atmosphere between us had become a bit tense.

When Noah laughed as usual, the tension eased, and I felt relieved. I couldn’t ask what he meant by those words, telling myself that it was too early for us to talk about it.

We enjoyed the alcohol while chatting about trivial things.

The glass was empty before I knew it, but I thought ouzo was a bit too strong to keep drinking. So, I poured only water into the glass.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes, just taking a break.”

“You can order something else if you want.”

“Thank you. But since it’s a rare drink, I want to keep drinking it a bit more. ...By the way, it’s rare to have drinks brought in, isn’t it? Is this the first time?”

The cold water refreshed my throat, and my heated body slowly returned to normal. I placed my cold hand on my warm cheek and spoke my thoughts.

Noah nodded slightly while turning the glass in his hand.

“...I won’t be able to come for a while. So, I thought I’d drink the alcohol I want before that.”

“Really...?”

I won’t be able to come for a while.

Those words shocked me more than I expected. My voice was unusually high.

“About a month or so. Well, it’s a good excuse to drink with you, though.”

“You’re such a mysterious man.”

“That’s it, that’s it. ...Actually, I’m the prince of the neighboring country.”

“The prince of the neighboring country is only seven, I think.”

“Then, that’s it. Ah...”

“I get it, you’re not going to tell me.”

I sighed dramatically, and Noah laughed as if it was amusing.

His hand, which reached out to me, gently rested on my head, careful not to mess up my hair.

“I won’t be able to listen to you for a while, so don’t push yourself.”

“...Yeah. You’ll probably miss not being able to listen to me, too.”

“If you get into trouble at the library again, run away immediately. You can rely on the knights.”

“I hope it doesn’t come to that. ...You’re quite worried about me, aren’t you?”

“I like you. It might not seem like it, but I do.”

I like you.

What does that mean? Should I ask? Is it the same as what I feel, or is it just as a drinking buddy?

My head was about to boil over, but before I could open my mouth, Noah laughed.

“What’s that face?”

“Because Noah is saying weird things.”

“Ha, that was my bad.”

Ignoring my protest, Noah just laughed lowly.

I drained the water and silently offered the glass to Noah. He took it with a light tone and skillfully made a watered-down ouzo for me.

While drinking it, I wished this moment would last forever. Of course, that couldn’t happen... but when this night ends, I won’t see him for about a month.

It was very lonely, and I wanted to prolong the time as much as possible.

Of course, I couldn’t do that.

On the way back, when Marc came to pick me up, there were no stars in the sky seen from the carriage window. The night was quiet, as if the slowly falling snowflakes had swallowed all the sounds.