CH 276

Words : 1015 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

aMs. Claire Was Dangerously Drunk “Mr. Takumi… I think it would be best if we removed ourselves quickly?” “…I agree.” “Wuff…” Mr. Ekenhart said quietly so that Ms. Claire would not hear us. Both Leo and I agreed with him strongly. I didn’t know what she would do now that she was drunk, but I had various memories of sitting with people who were drinking. In these cases, people who were usually quiet would become unexpectedly drunk. Their antics would involve those around them, it could have grave consequences that carried on to the following day… Mr. Ekenhart, Leo and I looked at one another and nodded. Then we slowly got up from our seats. “Now, drink more of it, Anne! We’ve only gotten started here!” “Hey, Ms. Claire? I am not very strong when it comes to wine…” While they were talking, Mr. Ekenhart moved stealthily and grabbed Tilura. Tilura had been dozing off, and so she looked surprised. But there was no time to explain. She looked up, along with Sherry, and so I put a finger to my mouth and signaled for her to be quiet. I didn’t know if she understood it, but she didn’t make a sound after that. And then we somehow managed to make it to the door. “…Sorry, Lyra. Gelda. You two handle the rest.” “…Certainly. We will watch over her from a distance.” “Thank you.” “Wuff.” Then he gently opened the door. As we went through, Mr. Ekenhart whispered to Ms. Lyra and Ms. Gelda, and apologized. “Huh? I see it’s only us here now, Anne. Hmm. You must drink more!” “Now wait a minute, Ms. Claire! Oh, the others have fled and abandoned me here!” “What are you babbling about? I told you to drink!” “Ah, but, oh… Ahhh!!” “Sorry…Anneliese…” “We were not cautious enough, and now she has been sacrificed…” “Wuff…” We heard the screams right before the door shut behind us. And the three of us muttered with regret. “Ha… Well, we made it out.” “At Ms. Anne’s expense, I suppose.” “She was most noble to sacrifice herself… Thank you, Anneliese.” “Oh, is something the matter?” We were now safely away from the dining hall, and were sighing in relief in the hallway. As we thanked Ms. Anne for her selflessness, Sebastian walked up to us with a puzzled expression. “Oh, Sebastian. I would advise you to not go near the dining hall right now. Claire has become very drunk when I wasn’t looking…” “I see… Well, I shall not go near it until tomorrow then.” “Judging by your reaction… You’ve experienced this before?” “Well, yes…” “When Lady Claire is under the effects of wine, she will listen to no one. I had thought one glass would be safe, but…” “She seems to have drunk many cups while Mr. Takumi and I were talking. I suppose it was because it was so delicious.” “It appears so…” So Mr. Ekenhart and Sebastian knew what she was like when she drank too much. Perhaps that was why they had never served wine in this mansion before… Or was I overthinking it now? “Sometimes, Lady Claire’s curiosity gets the better of her… But since she is such a proper lady on most days, she constantly has to restrain herself…” “But then it seems to come out when she drinks.” “So the drinking relieves stress… That does seem a little dangerous…” “Indeed… That’s why we’ve been careful up until now…” “It is my fault for not being there. This has not happened for so long that I let my guard down.” “Hmm… We will just have to be more careful next time.” “In any case, we can do nothing but pray for Ms. Anne’s safety and wait until things settle…” “It was a good thing that I was able to extract Tilura in time…” “Hah…” “Hah…” “Wuff…” “??” We must have looked rather odd there, standing in the hallway and holding our heads. And our sighs could be heard echoing down the hall. As for Tilura, who was being carried by her father, and Sherry, who was being carried by Tilura; they did not understand the situation and looked puzzled. …Explaining it…would affect Ms. Claire’s authority as the older sister, and so I wouldn’t say anything. “Hah… I had no idea that Ms. Claire would become like that when she drinks…” After that, I separated from Mr. Ekenhart and Sebastian, took a bath, and returned to my room. Since I had drunk to…I skipped my daily sword swinging. Besides, Tilura had also been too tired to do it. “Wuff?” “Ah, I passed the dining hall on my way back, and it seemed like they were still drinking.” “Wuff…” While I was sitting on the bed, Leo asked, ‘Is that still going on?’ Leo let out a sigh when she heard my answer, and she rolled up into a ball. I thought back to the times when I had to drink with co-workers. I never had enjoyed drinking then, but I was sometimes forced to join by my superiors. And I had seen people like Ms. Claire, who would get drunk and start pestering other people. While it wasn’t something that I experienced that many times…I knew that it could be very troublesome. And so I agreed with Mr. Ekenhart’s quick decision to make a run for it. From now on, if I drank with Ms. Claire, then I would have to be careful that she didn’t drink too much. Knock-knock. “Hmm? Who could it be? Come in!” As I was petting Leo and thinking about what had happened, there was a knock on the door. Was it Ms. Claire, visiting like she had before? I wondered for a moment. But she should still be in the dining hall and drinking. Then who could it be? I wondered as I called out to them. Leo also looked to the door curiously.

CH 276

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