CH 93

We left the main street and entered a sunless alley. As I walked deeper into the alley, between buildings, I saw a wooden sign with ale painted on it. Beneath the sign was a battered house made of wood. There was a door that looked like it could be easily torn down if you pushed hard enough, and it was dirty in places with sand. From the other side of the door, I heard a vulgar laugh.

Yeah. It’s a nice, desolate, rundown tavern. No one with a normal mind would want to enter such a place.

Satisfied with myself, I called out to Claire, who was standing right next to me.

“Let’s have lunch here.”

“Oh! I’ve never been in a place like this before! I’m looking forward to it!”

Claire smiled and nodded.

Hmm…I wonder if that smile will last until we get inside. I put my hand on the door and looked at Claire, my cheek muscles relaxing on their own.

“Claire, let’s go inside.”

With that, I opened the door. The inside of the restaurant was dimly lit and rundown, with only a counter and a small round table made of cracked wood. There were spider webs in the corners of the room, and at the center table, a group of men in ragged clothes were fooling around with their drinks.

I decided that a spider’s web was better than a bad crowd, so I sat down at a table at the end of the room. Claire, who was following behind me, sat down on the chair in front of me smiling, undaunted by the bad atmosphere of the place.

It’s hard not to feel a little guilty when I see a smile like that.

In addition, as a daughter of the nobility, she is not afraid of insects, dark places, or dirty things.

I felt like there was nothing I could do to help her, and I began to feel weak, but there was no point in lamenting. Let’s just say that if the mock battle were to take place in a terrain with mountains and caves, I would not be intimidated.

“So, what do you eat at this restaurant?”

Claire asked, leaning forward with her toned, slender arms on the table.

“Oh……well, you know, drinks and snacks…….”

For a moment, I felt compelled to go out and take her to a fancy restaurant right now, but I managed to swallow and tell her what I originally wanted.

“Well, drink or…….”

Claire was a little stumped.

I guess I didn’t want to be the guy who invited his date to lunch for drinks. It seemed to have worked out as planned. However, considering what I’ve seen so far, I’m worried that there’s going to be some kind of stupid twist this time, so I watch Claire’s movements skeptically.

Claire opened her mouth with an apologetic look on her face.

“I’m sorry, Chris. Do you mind if I don’t have a drink?”

Huh? Are you sure you don’t want to?

“Why don’t you drink?”

“I’ve never actually had a drink.”

There should be no specific age limit for drinking alcohol. Besides, she is the daughter of a marquis. It is not surprising that expensive liquor is served on the table every night.

“In fact, both my father and I have been told by our retainers not to drink too much.”

Your father drank a lot of strong liquor with his retainer at our restaurant. Even so, he was smart enough to have a long talk with me and decide on his daughter’s engagement. What’s that? I feel something is wrong.

When I was twisting my head to figure out what was wrong, Claire called out to me in a panicked manner.

“All right! I’ll drink! Waiter, get me the best sake and snacks in this place!”

“What?”

The clerk bowed and walked into the counter when Claire told him.

One of my plans to show my cheapskate side by ordering the cheapest drinks and snacks is…….When I was disheartened, Claire patted me on the chest and opened her mouth to say that there was nothing wrong.

“It’s okay, Chris! I’ll drink! Compared to making Chris sad, this is nothing!”

Claire smiled a refreshing smile of some satisfaction.

“Oh, yeah. Thank you, Claire.”

I was carried away by the momentum and thanked her. Then Claire patted the back of her head and said, “How can I help you?”

As I was wondering what this was all about, I saw the waitress approaching with a frightened look in her eyes, a plate and two cups on a tray.

When the clerk came in front of us, his face turned pale and he opened his mouth.

“Wa, wine and ham.”

As soon as he said that, the waiter put down a platter of ham and a wooden cup of wine and left as if running away. Of course, it was the combination of such a strange-looking man and an unusually beautiful woman. Scary, right?

I felt a little sorry for the waiter and looked at what was brought to us. The ham was sliced, clear and peach-colored, and looked delicious. The wine was clear and fragrant for such a desolate place.

Aside from me, Claire is clearly a well educated woman. I guess they couldn’t afford to serve anything inferior.

“Wine and ham……There’s something I’ve always wanted to try.”

Claire said softly.

“Something you’ve always wanted to try?”

“Ah! Whenever our knights have a celebration, they call it a toast and smash their cup against other people’s cups. I’m not allowed to drink, so I’ve always watched everyone from afar and thought it looked like fun. So I’d like to give it a try.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

When I said that, Claire’s face lit up and she lifted the cup to her face. I lifted the cup to the same position.

“Thanks Chris! Cheers!”

“Cheers!”

When I bumped the glass, Claire smiled with an innocent, childlike smile.

I didn’t think she’d be that happy about a toast, but she looked so happy that it made me happy too. However, I realized that I had gotten carried away again and gulped down a glass of wine to wake myself up.

“Puh-ah.”

Wine is not meant to be poured down the drain, but it was so light and easy to drink that it seemed so. It filled my mouth with a rich aroma that was pleasant, and the alcohol took away from the wine in my mouth, leaving a clean aftertaste.

However, the alcohol was so strong that I wondered if it was mixed with distilled liquor, and after just one glass, my brain was flustered. This would be tough for a first-time drinker.

I looked at Claire with concern. She sipped the cup with a graceful gesture. Then she cleared her throat and put the cup down.

“Is this alcohol? It sure tastes good, and there’s something just a little bit fluffy about it.”

Claire said, but I was breaking out in a cold sweat.

You think this alcohol is just a little bit! How much of a drinker are you?

“Claire! Give me some of that!”

“Oh!”

Without waiting for Claire’s reply, I snatch the glass and drink the wine. My throat is hot and the alcohol is as strong as my wine.

I look at Claire, thinking how can she be so clear after drinking this? Then, Claire’s face turns bright red drinking and she mumbles to herself.

“Chris…..ha-ha…..ha-ha……”

I don’t think the redness on her face is due to alcohol…….