Chapter 321 The Damsel in Distress A villager thought he was familiar with Deirdre and impolitely stuffed a glass of beer into her hand.
âCome on! Letâs make a toast. If mountain tourism booms, and we build some kind of resort, our Village Alnwick will become famous! With this, we shall celebrate!â
Deirdre was put in an awkward situation because she couldnât drink.
Because Eilis wasnât around, Deirdre hesitated. It took her a while before she finally decided to ask, âIâm sorry. I canât drink. Can I replace the beer with tea instead?â
âReplace the beer with tea?â The man grimaced as he insisted, âHow can you not know how to drink when youâve been out of the village for so long? Are you trying to despise me for refusing the drink I offer?â
âNo, I donât mean it!â
âDrink if you donât mean it!â demanded Archie. âWhat are you afraid of? Itâs just half a glass of beer.
Moreover, no one would molest you if you were drunk.â Archie scoffed.
Archie ended up bursting out into such boisterous and contagious laughter that the other villagers followed suit, ignoring Deirdreâs problem.
Archie couldnât stop laughing until he sensed the frigid gaze of a man beside him, who was known as Kyran.
Archieâs expression turned stiff as he could clearly sense Kyranâs hostility. He simply interpreted the hostility as the result of him neglecting Kyran and said with an apologetic smile, âMr. Reed, Mr. King, the Village Alnwick welcomes both of your presence. Cheers!â
Mr. Reed didnât do anything even after Archie finished his glass.
Archie felt rather awkward and asked tentatively, âMr. Reed?â
âHe cannot speak,â replied Deirdre on Kyranâs behalf.
âCannot?â Archie rolled his eyes upon realizing that Kyran was mute. He jeered, thinking that both Kyran and Deirdre were a perfect match as they were mute and deaf, respectively.
âIn that case, Deirdre, letâs drink together! Since weâre from the same village, you mustnât despise me just because you used to live in the city!â Archie poured himself a glass of beer, clinked Deirdreâs glass, and said, âCheers!â
Archie chugged his glass of beer. Meanwhile, Deirdre clutched the glass tightly. Thinking of not spoiling the fun, she forcefully held the glass toward her mouth.
In the next moment, someone else snatched the glass in Deirdreâs hand away.
Deirdre was stupefied. It was only when she heard the crowd cheering she learned that Kyran drank it on her behalf.
âMr. Reed, you look so indifferent that I never expected that youâd drink on Deirdreâs behalf. For you to be the knight of this damsel in distress, does it mean that youâre into her?â Archie and the other villagers. jeered.
âIf you want to marry Deirdre, it wonât be that easy. You canât simply take her away just because youâre handsome. After all, Deirdre used to be a very beautiful lady in our village.â
Deirdre was ignoring their jeers. Only that phrase âto be a knight of damsel in distressâ stupefied her.
When she recollected herself, she said gently, âOh, Archie, stop pulling Mr. Reedâs leg. Heâs just good at taking care of people. If taking care of someone is equivalent to liking someone, does it mean you do like Hayley because youâve been helping her a lot?â
Deirdre was half-joking, but Archie felt guilty.
Archie was indeed into Hayley, but the latter had become his buddyâs wife. The sense of guilt dissipated half of his desire to drink. He could only force a fake laugh as a response to Deirdreâs question.
When it was time for the dishes to be served, Eilis returned with a handful of candies, which she stuffed into Deirdreâs hand.
âThese candies taste good. I got them from the waiter. Have a try.â
Deirdre knew Eilis loved candies more than herself. Hence, she wrapped them in a napkin, thinking of giving them back to Eilis when they got home.
When the waiters served dish after dish, Eilis would ask Deirdre for her preferences and take them onto her plate accordingly, just because Deirdre was blind.
Eilis took a glance at the latest dish served and asked, âDeirdre, would you like to have some pastries?â Deirdre nodded. Eilis took one and put it on Deirdreâs plate.