WICE 39

#39

When they entered the party hall, all eyes turned to the star of the evening—Roni.
But Roni’s face was stiff, her mind stuck on Allen’s earlier comment that the dress didn’t suit her.

I should’ve worn something else…

She worried that the others might think the same as Allen.

She had thought it looked decent enough, but hearing “It doesn’t suit you” right to her face had left her feeling low.

As the guest of honor arrived, congratulations came from all around. Roni did her best to hide her sensitivity and returned polite thanks.

“Lady Roni, your style seems different today.”

It was then that Sera Chaplin looked at her with wide-eyed surprise. Liche, standing next to Sera, joined in with praise.

“I always thought elegant and composed outfits suited you best, but now that I see you, this innocent, pure style suits you just as well.”

“Really? I actually feel a bit awkward in it…”

Roni fiddled with the hem of her dress, smiling awkwardly.

“Awkward? Not at all. It looks wonderful on you.”

“Don’t you agree, Sir Allen?”

Sera turned to Allen, her gaze urging him to say something nice.

Ah, you don’t have to… He already gave me a bad review.

Roni looked at him with a complicated expression, and Allen returned her gaze with a polished, insincere smile.

“Well… I don’t know.”

It had been a while since she’d seen that “business smile” of his, and Roni’s face subtly hardened. What’s he trying to pull?

He reached out, lightly brushing her hair with his fingers, then leaned forward and placed a soft kiss near her temple.

“Truth is, you keep getting prettier, and it’s becoming a bit of a problem. I wanted to keep it to myself.”

“Oh my…”

Sera and Liche blushed, letting out a flurry of admiring gasps.

Yeah, right.

The words were romantic enough, but they didn’t move Roni in the slightest—not after he’d told her earlier that the dress didn’t suit her.

Seeing him put on lovestruck eyes for show in front of others only irritated her further.

Hah… maybe all the stress I’ve been holding in is catching up to me on what’s supposed to be a happy day.

Roni felt she needed something to wash away the mood immediately. Her eyes landed on a glass of whiskey sitting to the side.

Normally, she didn’t drink, but she knew alcohol was effective at lifting one’s mood.

The whiskey seemed to call to her, shimmering as if saying, Drink me. She picked it up and downed it in one go.

Clack.

The glass hit the table with a rough sound that echoed in the party hall. All eyes turned to her.

Meeting Allen’s gaze directly, she put on her own artificial smile.

“You think I’m getting prettier and prettier? That’s a lovely thing to hear.”

Her sudden action made Liche and Sera stare in surprise. Allen, too, frowned slightly after watching her down such a strong whiskey in one shot.

His look clearly asked, What on earth are you doing? The “business smile” he’d been wearing was gone.

He was probably also surprised because she’d never drunk before. But tonight, she truly wanted to. Since arriving in this world, her stress had been at its peak.

Lately, her emotions had been swinging wildly, keeping her constantly on edge.

Still, this was a party celebrating her contest win. She figured it wouldn’t hurt to let loose just a little.

Even if it was an impulse spurred by Allen getting on her nerves, it didn’t feel bad. Raising another glass of whiskey, she smiled at everyone.

“It’s a night worth getting drunk. Let’s all have a toast.”

Her radiant smile drew the crowd in, and they all raised their glasses with her, shouting for a toast.

Roni shot Allen a deliberate look, then downed another whiskey in one go before sharply turning her head away.

Bieanna slipped out of the heated party and into the park, where she sat alone and let out a deep sigh. A little while later, Eyan sat beside her.

“What’s with the heavy sigh?”

“Oh… Eyan.”

“…Wait, are you drunk too?”

“Roni kept giving me drinks… hehe.”

Her cheeks flushed, Bieanna smiled foolishly at him. Though her body was warm from the alcohol, the early autumn night air was cool enough to make her shiver.

Eyan took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.

“It’s cold. You should go inside before you catch a cold.”

“You’re the only one who worries about me.”

She gave him a bitter smile, burying her face into his coat. There was a deep loneliness in her eyes.

Eyan let out a long sigh as he watched her. Still with her face buried, Bieanna said quietly,

“I… got rejected by Allen.”

“I told you not to confess…”

Eyan’s face hardened. He’d known for a while that she liked Allen.

It was a fight with no chance of winning. To him, it was obvious Allen was already completely taken with Roni—and Roni seemed to have at least some interest in Allen as well.

In a relationship that might already be mutual, a third party trying to step in was bound to fail. There was never any opening between them.

That was why he’d advised her not to fall for Allen in the first place—she’d only end up hurt.

Though he had to admit, it was ironic that even he was finding himself drawn to Roni.

“You were staring at Roni all night too.”

“Busted.”

Eyan gave a wry smile, not denying it. Bieanna looked at him seriously.

“Are you going to confess?”

“No.”

“Why? Getting rejected would at least make it easier.”

Bieanna let out a small laugh, as if mocking herself. Eyan patted her back.

At his gesture of comfort, her eyes welled up, and she buried her face again, trembling slightly.

“It hurts so much.”

“…So Allen gives you the wound, and I’m the one stuck giving the comfort.”

Eyan smiled bitterly as he soothed her. His kindness only made her cry harder, her head hanging low.

He thought she was incredibly brave—unlike him, who had brushed off his own confession as a joke the one time he’d tried.

It had been a spur-of-the-moment thing, caught up in the festive mood. But the moment he saw Roni’s indifferent face, reality had hit hard.

While he held a faint interest in her, she had absolutely none in him.

He was just Allen’s friend.

In the end, Eyan had buried his feelings before they could grow any bigger, afraid that if he let them, it would become impossible to turn back.

With a self-deprecating expression, he looked toward the party hall, where Roni and Allen were heading upstairs.

“Honestly, I’m an even bigger fool than you are.”

“That means you’re calling me a fool too…”

Bieanna sniffled, glaring at him, and he gave a hollow laugh before pointing at her flushed face.

“Haha, you look terrible right now.”

“How is that supposed to be comforting? You’re annoying…”

She frowned and buried her face again, and Eyan’s smile faded as quickly as it had appeared.

His gaze followed Roni and Allen as they disappeared into her room. It was just as well that Bieanna hadn’t noticed.

Eyan’s mood sank to match hers. If he could, he wanted to cry openly like she was.

Allen helped the very drunk Roni toward her bedroom, supporting her as she stumbled. He was just as unsteady himself from the alcohol.

Thinking about how she’d gone from never drinking to throwing them back like a wild horse made his face tighten again.

What was she thinking, drinking that much? Was she really that happy about the contest?

Especially remembering her at the party—Allen swallowed dryly. Flushed from the alcohol, smiling at everyone she met… she had been unbearably adorable.

And the thought that he wasn’t the only one noticing that made a strange irritation well up in him. So he’d used her drunkenness as an excuse to get her out of there. He wanted to keep that cuteness all to himself.

Holding back the burning thirst in his chest, he tried to lay her on the bed. But Roni stared at him instead.

Pushing past the queasy feeling in her stomach, she moved away from him toward the balcony, craving the cool night air against her overheated skin.

He sighed behind her, but she ignored it. Whatever. The alcohol had made her bold tonight.

How much had she drunk? If he hadn’t stopped her, she might have gone through three bottles.

Since she wasn’t used to drinking, her body must have been in shock—the world was spinning, and her stomach churned.

Maybe the liquor had been particularly strong. Either way, she felt like she could do anything right now—like she was floating above the clouds.

Leaning her arms on the railing, she closed her eyes… but then a sudden dizzy spell made her arm slip. Allen caught her by the waist, pulling her toward him.