Chapter 163

Chapter 135 Victoria – Part 2

The night was desolate.

Tonight there were only candle flames, no moonlight.

A peerless beauty floated in the air, her face bare, quietly flowing in the pitch-black darkness like she was sleeping.

She occasionally raised her lotus root-like arm to bring the wine glass to her lips.

Her golden hair fluttered like clouds and wind with her light dress, as she lounged lazily, her side profile incomparably beautiful, making the entire street’s bright lights and buildings behind her seem like mere scenery in a painting.

At this moment, Victoria looked like a butterfly dancing gracefully in the warm spring.

Or perhaps like a skeleton drowning deep into the ocean bottom.

“Hmm… hmm~”

She softly hummed a familiar tune, the wine bottle in her naturally hanging left hand almost empty.

I placed Captain Gray’s meal plate on the round table and frowned, tiptoeing to the balcony railing, pushing aside the vines that blocked my view, feeling a gentle breeze caress my face.

Victoria seemed not to notice my approach, or maybe she simply didn’t care, taking another sip of wine.

I squinted, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, and called out to her, “Come down.”

Then I added, “You’ve had too much to drink; it’s dangerous.”

After waiting for a while, Victoria still ignored me.

She didn’t even turn her head.

This made me a bit unhappy, my little nose wrinkling, my empty left hand’s index finger touching my lip, “click, click” biting my nails as I started to think about what else I should say to her.

Let’s eat!

…That obviously wouldn’t work.

There’s a fire!

…That was too silly.

Why not just find a stone to throw at her…

So I bent down to search for a small pebble on the ground. Just then, Victoria finally spoke.

“They said… my father died like this.”

Her voice, like flowing water, was as cold and emotionless as ever, but the words she calmly stated made my heart sink.

Victoria’s father, the former king of Eisenbell, had passed away…

Looking up at her again, I found myself unsure how to react.

…But I thought she didn’t need me to make any expression, nor did she need polite words like “accept your loss.”

Victoria didn’t even look back at me, continuing to speak as if she were muttering to herself.

“Once we went hunting. My mother, uncle, Duke Lexes were there. Father got drunk, ignoring warnings, and flew up into the sky. Soon he lost his senses and fell, dying from the fall, privately mocked as ‘the king with broken wings.’ That year I was fourteen.”

“I didn’t believe it, so I stole a bottle of wine from the cellar, pinching my nose, and drank it all. Not a drop remained… That was my first time drinking. I got completely drunk, and after being drunk, I felt very happy. I flew in front of my mother, in front of my uncle, to many places in the royal city. I wanted to prove to everyone that even when drunk, I wouldn’t fall to my death.”

“They all thought I was crazy.”

The cool night wind seemed stronger than before.

Holding an unopened bottle of wine, I leaned over the iron railing, lifting my head to listen quietly as Victoria recounted her past.

“Later, my mother ordered me locked in the tower for a whole year. She sealed the windows, forbidding anyone to talk to me. I could do nothing, only having wine for company… After that, I always drank. When drunk, I would fly into the sky. At that time, I felt that the world was just blue skies and white clouds, very clear.”

She spoke slowly, her tone calm.

So calm that it left me at a loss.

Sadness?

Sympathy?

Pity?

That graceful yet fragile figure in mid-air, she needed none of these.

If not for drinking too much, she probably wouldn’t have said these words.

But I felt sad.

I wanted to say something.

I had to say something. Anything, to respond to her.

But after much hesitation, I could only ask dryly, “So… now, have you uncovered the truth?”

“…The truth?”

Victoria asked in return.

“It doesn’t matter. Whether it was the Clive family, my uncle, or my mother who killed my father… knowing these things won’t change anything.”

Revenge… Those two words circled on my tongue but couldn’t be spoken.

I feared she would think I was childish.

Because I knew. Victoria’s status meant she couldn’t act as she pleased, living a life of reckless vengeance, boldly doing whatever she wanted.

“My truth never existed. Whether known or unknown, my actions won’t change, nor will my enemies.”

“Many call me the black datura. Do you know why?”

I didn’t want to know why.

It must be something that wouldn’t make people feel happy.

“Come down,” I worriedly told her.

Victoria still ignored me.

“I envy you, Peyelo. You said today that spending time on things you like makes you happy. Eating something you like makes you happy… That feeling must be very blissful.”

She drank the last sip of wine, holding the empty bottle up to her eyes, staring blankly.

“This wine… has become less intoxicating.”

But you’re already drunk.

“Finish it, come down quickly,” I said again.

Victoria finally turned her head towards me.

Her cheeks flushed with the flush of drunkenness, her slightly hazy eyes reflecting a light that made me feel a bit tipsy as well.

“Give me the wine,” she said.

I immediately shook my head.

“No.”

Then she tightly held the bottle.

Holding her in my arms, I was afraid she might use some unique moves or skills to snatch it away when I wasn’t paying attention.

“Come down and take it yourself.”

Victoria frowned slightly, staring at me痴痴地 for a long time.

It seemed as if she had moved her lips…

Before I could distinguish whether it was an illusion or reality, her body finally moved.

Swish—

With a graceful posture, accompanied by the sound of the breeze, she slowly landed in front of me.

In that instant, I thought of the fairies from myths, who were as graceful as startled swans and as gentle as swimming dragons, and suddenly felt a bit stunned.

Then came the alluring fragrance mixed with alcohol, enveloping me.

“Give it to me.”

Victoria’s voice sounded beside my ear, like the breath of orchids.

I held her tightly.

My pale arms passed through her slender waist, wrapped around her back, interlocking our fingers, and her little face pressed against my soft and tender part.

My nose was filled with the rich scent.

This woman… looked slim, but surprisingly, she had quite a figure.

These thoughts vanished instantly, and I said to her in a muffled voice, “I’ll give you the wine, but you can’t fly up again.”

“Let go,” Victoria muttered.

“No.”

“Let go.”

“No!”

I shook my head vigorously, actually wanting to rub against her more… it felt very comfortable.

“Unless you promise not to fly up.”

“I promise.”

Victoria immediately said, answering so quickly that I suspected she was just placating me.

“… Really?”

“Mm-hm.”

“Then, you’re the queen. You must keep your word.”

“Mm-hm.”

Only then did I slowly let go, handing her the bottle of wine that had warmed in my hands.

Victoria果然 didn’t fly up again.

She took the wine, stumbled to the round table, and sat down comfortably without caring about the fine dust scattered on the armchair.

“Pop!”

The cork flew off.

“Although life isn’t meaningful, I don’t want to die yet. If I die, it would fulfill some people’s wishes.” Victoria said as she poured wine into a tall glass, “Eisenberg is a beautiful country, and I don’t want it to be ruined by those arrogant people in the future.”

She drained the wine in one gulp, then looked at me expressionlessly and asked, “Do you want to drink?”

“… I don’t drink.”

I openly admitted this fact.

Although I was very reluctant… after two lessons, I had deeply realized my disappointing alcohol tolerance.

“Is that so.” Victoria nodded lightly, “What a pity.”

I pulled out the chair opposite her, untied the handkerchief tied to my left wrist, wiped it carefully, and then sat down.

I turned my gaze to the plate of Captain Gray.

… Although I couldn’t drink, I could still eat.

I immediately reached for one, took a bite, chewed slowly, then grabbed another and handed it to Victoria.

“This is really delicious.”

She hadn’t eaten much for dinner, and now she was drinking on an empty stomach… she needed to eat something.

But Victoria refused, “I don’t eat sweets.”

I tilted my head in thought, broke off the part of the Captain Gray cake covered with thick honey syrup, and stuffed it into my mouth, then handed her the remaining cake part.

“Like this, it’s not sweet.”

Victoria looked at me, then at the cake in my hand, hesitantly said, “You picked this up from the ground, didn’t you?”

Uh…

Caught in the act.

A slight blush appeared on my face, and I wanted to pull my hand back, but Victoria took the cake instead.

“It looks ugly…”

She said so while elegantly tearing off a piece and putting it in her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.

Her pretty eyebrows relaxed slightly.

“… It’s still sweet.”

But she didn’t stop eating, taking small bites.

She had really drunk too much.

“Haha.”

I laughed happily.

Not long after, a servant brought the dishes. They were still very light food, but my appetite was already growing.

“You ate mine, let me taste yours!”

Without waiting for her response, I picked up a slice of beetroot and ate it.

… The taste was a bit bland, but it was much better than I expected.

“Eat more vegetables.”

“Mm-hm.”

Without her prompting, I ate quickly.

But Victoria put down her fork and knife after a few bites and started pouring herself more wine again.

I stopped eating and tilted my head in thought.

“Victoria.”

“Yes?”

“I have an older sister who admires you greatly. She thinks you’re very capable, a great hero.”

“She doesn’t know me.”

“Maybe… she definitely doesn’t know you’re an alcoholic.”

“You can tell her.”

“No.” I shook my head, “She can see it now.”

“Where is she?”

I extended my delicate finger upward.

“In the sky.”

The night sky was dotted with stars, twinkling like eyes.

“So, stop drinking and let’s sing.”

“What should we sing?”

“Just what you sang that night. It was very beautiful, teach me.”

“… Okay.”

Not long after.

On a moonless night, the small terrace of the mansion echoed with pleasant melodies.

“Take me… to the moon…”

“Let me forever… sing…”

“I want to break free from this mundane cage… play freely among the stars… no one should find me…”

“Nobody should…”