Episode 8 – Booze Brings Lips Closer
Irene had the nerve to bring up some diary from ten years ago and mock “Nora” for having liked Philip back then.
Sure, it wasn’t my past, but seeing her smirk right in front of me still ticked me off.
Fine, let’s say clueless 14-year-old Nora had a crush on Philip.
So what? Irene married him and became a duchess.
If anything, she should have the grace of a winner not be petty enough to laugh at an old puppy love.
Nobody has the right to mock someone for liking someone else.
Every word out of Irene’s mouth was getting under my skin.
And honestly, looking for a new husband barely ten days after her old one died? Disgusting.
I guess my face showed exactly how I felt, because Irene leaned back against her bed’s headboard with a lazy smirk.
“What? Not okay with me finding a new man already?”
“Honestly? No, I don’t think it’s right.”
“Oh, here comes Miss Manners. You’re just like your mom.”
She gave me one last condescending look and added, like she was being generous,
“When you go back home, I’ll even let you take one of Philip’s portraits.”
“A portrait? Why?”
“So you can hug that instead of sneaking glances at other men.”
Her golden eyes glittered with mockery.
“Let’s be real unless it’s Philip’s portrait, you’re never gonna get to hold a man in your life.”
Excuse me?? I’d never been insulted like that before.
Sure, in my last life I’d been too obsessed with sports to date much, and in this one I was stuck in the sticks with
spinster written all over my future.
Maybe that’s why her words hit harder because I knew exactly how this story ended for me.
I turned my head away, trying to rein in my temper, and my gaze landed on a wine bottle on the table.
Cork already popped, full to the brim.
Normally, I despise people who try to solve problems or show off by drinking… but right now? This was the only
weapon I had.
I grabbed it and started chugging straight from the bottle.
Gulp, gulp rich, fragrant wine sliding down my throat and pooling in my stomach.
“Nora, what the hell are you doing?”
Irene jumped up and moved toward me, but I held out my free arm to block her while keeping my glare locked on
her.
One more step and I just might smash this bottle over her head.
I burned holes in her with my eyes.
You messed with the wrong person, lady.
A hot-blooded Taereung girl like me? Not someone you poke for fun, heroine or not.
I drained the bottle in front of her, wiped my mouth with my palm, and tossed the empty to the floor.
It rolled right to her feet. She jumped back a step.
“You just made a mistake. Who knows which man I’ll be in bed with tonight?”
I tossed out that jab and walked right out of her room.
Bold words, but honestly? There was only one place I could go to my own bedroom.
I’d only been in this world for about ten days, and the only men I’d met were Enoch, the duke’s servants, and a few
farmers in the fields.
If I really wanted to spite Irene by sleeping with someone, there weren’t many candidates.
Enoch was off the table; he’s the heroine’s fish.
And getting involved with a servant here? That’d be a scandal bomb.
“Ugh, what rotten luck…”
The floor seemed to tilt under my feet. Guess the wine was kicking in.
“Can’t hold my liquor, weak stamina, no sex appeal… what do I even have going for me?”
Muttering to myself, I stumbled into my room, flung the windows open to cool down, and, when that didn’t help,
stripped off my heavy dress.
Down to just my slip, I flopped onto the bed.
“Ugh… dizzy.”
Even lying flat, the ceiling was spinning.
I closed my eyes for a bit — then came a loud knock on the door.
“Come in,” I called, too lazy to check who it was.
“ Nora, I just can’t stand—!”
Enoch’s voice, sharp with anger — then it cut off suddenly.
What? I sat up slowly, shaking my head until my vision cleared enough to see his face.
He looked… startled. Why?
“Nora, did you drink?”
“Yeah, I drank. So what?”
I dropped back onto the bed.
“I’m in a bad mood, so if you’re here to nag, get lost.”
I felt him come closer, and then a thin blanket fell over me.
“Ugh, I’m hot!”
I kicked it off and sat up which made him flush and look away.
Huh? I glanced down. Oh. Just my slip.
Whatever. It’s not like he sees me as a woman anyway I could do the can-can naked and he wouldn’t blink.
I made no move to cover myself.
“If you’ve got something to say, spit it out. I’m dizzy.”
“I thought we’d gotten closer today. Built a bit of trust.”
“And?”
“I was hoping you’d apologize for being rude earlier.”
What had I said again?
I shut my eyes, forcing my foggy brain to rewind.
“Behave yourself. Have some decency how can you already be making moves on Irene?”
“Nora, do you think I’m that much of a piece of trash?”
“I didn’t, but now I’m not so sure.”
Right. That.
If you saw Irene half-undressed on top of him in a bathrobe, you’d think the same thing.
A stubborn streak rose up. No way was I apologizing.
“…Sorry. I went too far.”
Wait, what? My mouth moved before my brain agreed.
Truth was, Irene had jumped him, not the other way around.
So maybe deep down I knew I’d been wrong.
“I need some water…”
“Hold on.”
He bolted out before I could question why he didn’t just call a maid.
Soon he was back, holding a glass of cold water.
“Here.”
“Thanks.”
I reached for it but kept missing.
“Tsk. How much did you drink?”
He sighed, sat beside me, and held the glass to my lips.
Too thirsty to argue, I drank it all.
“Ahh… that’s better.”
A trickle of water slid from my mouth to my chin. I reached to wipe it, but his long fingers got there first, brushing
along my mouth and jaw.
The unexpected touch made me flinch and look up at him only to see he looked more startled than me.
Was this his idea of being a gentleman?
I wiped my mouth again, rougher this time, erasing any trace of him.
Still… I was suddenly curious. Was I really as unattractive as Irene claimed?
Enoch was perfect for an objective opinion with no romantic interest in me at all, just a longtime friend.
“Enoch, be honest.”
“About what?”
He still wouldn’t look at me, sounding gruff.
Figures. He’s not into me. Which actually made it easier to ask.
“Do you also think I’ll go my whole life without a man?”
“What?”
For once, he looked straight at me.
“Am I really that unappealing?”
“Who told you that crap?”
“Irene! She said I should take Philip’s portrait home because otherwise I’d never get to hold a man.”
The disgust on his face at her words actually made me feel a little better.
“That’s nonsense. Honestly, if you wanted to, there’s no man you couldn’t get.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Wow. He actually knows how to make a girl feel better.
Even knowing he might be lying, I couldn’t help smiling.
Still, my conscience wouldn’t let me take it at face value.
“Don’t kid yourself, Enoch. I’m not as pretty as Irene.”
“You’ve got elegance, Nora.”
“Elegance… I guess maybe.”
When I didn’t sound impressed, he doubled down.
“Pretty women are common. But I’ve never met another woman as elegant as you.”
I almost laughed. Pretty women like Irene are common? Yeah right. I’ve never seen another like her in my life.
But I had to admit, he clearly valued loyalty.
Which is when the mischief hit me.
“Just words? Say it while kissing me, it’d be more convincing.”
And then something soft and warm brushed my lips for the briefest second before pulling away.
…What the hell just happened?
