"I had never drank in my life before that. I had only seen Uncle Benny enjoy some liquor, while Lady Faustina too liked to taste some fruity wine. But they never showed any signs of losing control of their faculties.
Maybe I had too much faith in my puny strength, as I decided to take a sip. How bad could it turn out to be?
Just the first sip made me want to spit it back out; the burning sensation was only making it harder for me to drink anymore. But I saw that Bolance had also calmed down when he saw me drinking. He raised his glass to show his appreciation for accompanying him. Taking small sips, instead of the large swigs like earlier, he began talking about some business plans and proposals he had prepared. I didn't understand most of what he had said. What I did understand was that it was also related to the reason why he looked so down.
As I tried to make sense of how a business related topic might be connected to his broken heart, I also had another problem to deal with.
Bolance was already in the groove. He was enjoying our talks; he was the only one talking, though. He began to pour himself more drinks before he did the same for me.
But my glass was still almost full, and I didn't dare to refuse. All the effort I had spent to calm him would go down the drain if I did.
Deciding that I would just make him stop after one glass, I quickly downed my drink in a single swig.
My throat burned so bad! I could even feel the sensation spreading in my stomach.
By then, Bolance had already poured me another glass. As I had decided, I didn't drink it this time. I acted out by pretending to sip.
At first, it worked quite well. Bolance kept pouring himself more to drink, but he didn't do the same for me, as he noticed me still sipping on mine.
But soon, I realized that I never needed the second glass in the first place.
I didn't know what kind of liquor he was drinking, but just that one glass made my mind spin. Being my first time drinking, it was especially bad. Tragically so.
Before I knew it, I was spitting out my worries.
Pouring the drink in; pouring the heart out.
That's how it became after that glass did its magic.
It then changed to me speaking while he kept listening and nodding occasionally.
Some time passed before we realized that the booze was gone.
Left with nothing to do, I suggested that we go to sleep. Bolance agreed, albeit reluctantly.
I remember helping him to the bed in that guest room. Then I turned to head towards my own room.
… Or I was supposed to.
I don't remember the reason why; maybe it was because he made the bed look so comfortable with his contented snoring that I somehow ended up joining him too.
I don't remember what happened after my fatigued and drunk self was pulled into sleep's embrace.
All I do remember is feeling uncomfortable before a sharp pain assaulted my senses.
I wanted to use that pain as the footing to jump out of the dark pit I had found myself in.
Too bad for me, I had fallen too deep...
My eyes opened up in the morning the next day.
As I dealt with the severe headache, I also experienced a sharp pain in my… my body.
I tried hard to remember what happened the night before.
Finally realizing just what had happened to me, I felt broken, like I had lost something very important. Never had I missed Lady Faustina as much as I did at that moment. She was the only one I could think of to provide me with the comfort I needed. But I didn't have any luck there either.
Bolance also woke up soon.
He was a bit out of sorts. He looked surprised to find himself in that room.
When he finally noticed me sobbing, he was so startled that he jumped down the bed in one movement.
He looked at his own condition and soon connected the clues to conclude the reason for my state.
I was not looking at him anymore, so I don't know what his expression was like. But he was probably also regretting what he had done, as he didn't speak for a long while before he arrived by my side and started apologizing profusely.
I didn't pay him any heed, though. I was too busy regretting my own naivety.
Seeing me not respond, he apologized once again before leaving the room hurriedly.
Only after a few hours was I able to make my body move back to my room. Not leaving for a few days straight.
I felt so afraid and distraught. Not knowing what to do and not having anyone to support me, I wanted to run away from there and leave the place where another bad memory had been born for me.
But I couldn't even gather the courage to head out.
I didn't keep crying, but my mind was so preoccupied with my situation that I didn't even notice the servants calling out to me in distress.
The staff finally decided to contact the family house after several unsuccessful attempts.
I didn't pay attention to any of that, though. I only came out of my thoughts when I heard the voice of the person who was partially responsible for my predicament.
Bolance had finally arrived after a few days.
I hesitated for a long time before deciding to let him in. It was no use dwelling on what had already occurred.
Appearing before me once again, he apologized.
And do you know what he said after that?
He proposed to me. No, not to marry me. But he proposed a deal.
He said that he felt guilty for what he had done. So in return for my forgiveness, he was willing to give me the complete account of what took place between him and Uncle Benny.
I didn't hate him for saying that. But I had already determined that for him, everything that happened in his life was like a transaction. He tried to determine the value of everything, even emotions.
I couldn't hate him for that, though. Some people were just like that; we could do nothing to change their inherent nature.
So I agreed.
He then told me about the real reason he was willing to accept a complete stranger on his carriage so easily.
And as I had already somewhat guessed, it was again a deal.
That day, as he was busy finding his way through the forest, Uncle Benny suddenly appeared in front of him, forcing him to stop in his tracks.
Being the person he was, Bolance was scared out of his wits before offering everything he had to the bloody "bandit" that had appeared before him.
Only after Uncle Benny explained that he wanted to ask for help, not rob him, did he calm down.
Uncle Benny asked him about his destination before asking him to take me along. Bolance had refused, as he didn't know my origin. For all he knew, Uncle Benny could have kidnapped me from somewhere and was then making him the scapegoat.
But being as experienced as he was, Uncle Benny had figured out the young merchant's way of thinking quite easily. He also forced him to speak everything about his identity, his position in his family, and even the fact that he was there after getting chased out by his fellow merchants was dug out by Uncle Benny using his "gentle" gaze.
So Uncle Benny offered a few things he had with him to Bolance. He also promised to reward him once he finished with his side of business.
But, of course, he didn't let him leave just like that. Before handing me over, Uncle Benny channeled his energy into scaring the living daylights out of the poor merchant.
He also warned Bolance to take care of me, as he had ways to track him down later. Thus sealing the deal with the frightened Bolance.
Although Bolance mentioned it lightly, I knew how strong Uncle Benny really was. Only now do I know that probably only the City Lord, whom I have never seen before, could match up to him. But that's only speculation, as he might have been even stronger.
Anyway, Bolance stated that he would return all the items he still had at hand, and would compensate me for the ones he had sold or utilized.
It became clear to me that the real reason he was so adamant about apologizing was because he was afraid of Uncle Benny. Although it was true that Uncle Benny had only done so to scare him into not trying anything funny. Had he really returned, it would not have been a lie to say that he really would have charged up to the Safaira Family to take care of him.
I was not interested in the items Uncle Benny had given him, so I refused. From his description, I knew they were some herbs meant for healing that Uncle Benny had collected when he used to travel outside the village. He had told me before that herbs and other resources to heal people of their level were not easy to gather. And those herbs were even more precious considering that they could be processed into something more effective.
More importantly, Uncle Benny must have been intending to use them on himself, given his state. He had used that forced technique after all. I could only hope that he had not given away everything he had and had saved some for his own use.
Although I didn't accept the goods, I did ask him to help me gather the necessary resources for me to survive outside. I had already made my decision to leave.
But not long after Bolance had left, a messenger from the Safaira family had appeared outside my door."
Thanks for reading everyone!
Remember to like the chapter and possibly add it to your library.
"I had never drank in my life before that. I had only seen Uncle Benny enjoy some liquor, while Lady Faustina too liked to taste some fruity wine. But they never showed any signs of losing control of their faculties.
Maybe I had too much faith in my puny strength, as I decided to take a sip. How bad could it turn out to be?
Just the first sip made me want to spit it back out; the burning sensation was only making it harder for me to drink anymore. But I saw that Bolance had also calmed down when he saw me drinking. He raised his glass to show his appreciation for accompanying him. Taking small sips, instead of the large swigs like earlier, he began talking about some business plans and proposals he had prepared. I didn't understand most of what he had said. What I did understand was that it was also related to the reason why he looked so down.
As I tried to make sense of how a business related topic might be connected to his broken heart, I also had another problem to deal with.
Bolance was already in the groove. He was enjoying our talks; he was the only one talking, though. He began to pour himself more drinks before he did the same for me.
But my glass was still almost full, and I didn't dare to refuse. All the effort I had spent to calm him would go down the drain if I did.
Deciding that I would just make him stop after one glass, I quickly downed my drink in a single swig.
My throat burned so bad! I could even feel the sensation spreading in my stomach.
By then, Bolance had already poured me another glass. As I had decided, I didn't drink it this time. I acted out by pretending to sip.
At first, it worked quite well. Bolance kept pouring himself more to drink, but he didn't do the same for me, as he noticed me still sipping on mine.
But soon, I realized that I never needed the second glass in the first place.
I didn't know what kind of liquor he was drinking, but just that one glass made my mind spin. Being my first time drinking, it was especially bad. Tragically so.
Before I knew it, I was spitting out my worries.
Pouring the drink in; pouring the heart out.
That's how it became after that glass did its magic.
It then changed to me speaking while he kept listening and nodding occasionally.
Some time passed before we realized that the booze was gone.
Left with nothing to do, I suggested that we go to sleep. Bolance agreed, albeit reluctantly.
I remember helping him to the bed in that guest room. Then I turned to head towards my own room.
… Or I was supposed to.
I don't remember the reason why; maybe it was because he made the bed look so comfortable with his contented snoring that I somehow ended up joining him too.
I don't remember what happened after my fatigued and drunk self was pulled into sleep's embrace.
All I do remember is feeling uncomfortable before a sharp pain assaulted my senses.
I wanted to use that pain as the footing to jump out of the dark pit I had found myself in.
Too bad for me, I had fallen too deep...
My eyes opened up in the morning the next day.
As I dealt with the severe headache, I also experienced a sharp pain in my… my body.
I tried hard to remember what happened the night before.
Finally realizing just what had happened to me, I felt broken, like I had lost something very important. Never had I missed Lady Faustina as much as I did at that moment. She was the only one I could think of to provide me with the comfort I needed. But I didn't have any luck there either.
Bolance also woke up soon.
He was a bit out of sorts. He looked surprised to find himself in that room.
When he finally noticed me sobbing, he was so startled that he jumped down the bed in one movement.
He looked at his own condition and soon connected the clues to conclude the reason for my state.
I was not looking at him anymore, so I don't know what his expression was like. But he was probably also regretting what he had done, as he didn't speak for a long while before he arrived by my side and started apologizing profusely.
I didn't pay him any heed, though. I was too busy regretting my own naivety.
Seeing me not respond, he apologized once again before leaving the room hurriedly.
Only after a few hours was I able to make my body move back to my room. Not leaving for a few days straight.
I felt so afraid and distraught. Not knowing what to do and not having anyone to support me, I wanted to run away from there and leave the place where another bad memory had been born for me.
But I couldn't even gather the courage to head out.
I didn't keep crying, but my mind was so preoccupied with my situation that I didn't even notice the servants calling out to me in distress.
The staff finally decided to contact the family house after several unsuccessful attempts.
I didn't pay attention to any of that, though. I only came out of my thoughts when I heard the voice of the person who was partially responsible for my predicament.
Bolance had finally arrived after a few days.
I hesitated for a long time before deciding to let him in. It was no use dwelling on what had already occurred.
Appearing before me once again, he apologized.
And do you know what he said after that?
He proposed to me. No, not to marry me. But he proposed a deal.
He said that he felt guilty for what he had done. So in return for my forgiveness, he was willing to give me the complete account of what took place between him and Uncle Benny.
I didn't hate him for saying that. But I had already determined that for him, everything that happened in his life was like a transaction. He tried to determine the value of everything, even emotions.
I couldn't hate him for that, though. Some people were just like that; we could do nothing to change their inherent nature.
So I agreed.
He then told me about the real reason he was willing to accept a complete stranger on his carriage so easily.
And as I had already somewhat guessed, it was again a deal.
That day, as he was busy finding his way through the forest, Uncle Benny suddenly appeared in front of him, forcing him to stop in his tracks.
Being the person he was, Bolance was scared out of his wits before offering everything he had to the bloody "bandit" that had appeared before him.
Only after Uncle Benny explained that he wanted to ask for help, not rob him, did he calm down.
Uncle Benny asked him about his destination before asking him to take me along. Bolance had refused, as he didn't know my origin. For all he knew, Uncle Benny could have kidnapped me from somewhere and was then making him the scapegoat.
But being as experienced as he was, Uncle Benny had figured out the young merchant's way of thinking quite easily. He also forced him to speak everything about his identity, his position in his family, and even the fact that he was there after getting chased out by his fellow merchants was dug out by Uncle Benny using his "gentle" gaze.
So Uncle Benny offered a few things he had with him to Bolance. He also promised to reward him once he finished with his side of business.
But, of course, he didn't let him leave just like that. Before handing me over, Uncle Benny channeled his energy into scaring the living daylights out of the poor merchant.
He also warned Bolance to take care of me, as he had ways to track him down later. Thus sealing the deal with the frightened Bolance.
Although Bolance mentioned it lightly, I knew how strong Uncle Benny really was. Only now do I know that probably only the City Lord, whom I have never seen before, could match up to him. But that's only speculation, as he might have been even stronger.
Anyway, Bolance stated that he would return all the items he still had at hand, and would compensate me for the ones he had sold or utilized.
It became clear to me that the real reason he was so adamant about apologizing was because he was afraid of Uncle Benny. Although it was true that Uncle Benny had only done so to scare him into not trying anything funny. Had he really returned, it would not have been a lie to say that he really would have charged up to the Safaira Family to take care of him.
I was not interested in the items Uncle Benny had given him, so I refused. From his description, I knew they were some herbs meant for healing that Uncle Benny had collected when he used to travel outside the village. He had told me before that herbs and other resources to heal people of their level were not easy to gather. And those herbs were even more precious considering that they could be processed into something more effective.
More importantly, Uncle Benny must have been intending to use them on himself, given his state. He had used that forced technique after all. I could only hope that he had not given away everything he had and had saved some for his own use.
Although I didn't accept the goods, I did ask him to help me gather the necessary resources for me to survive outside. I had already made my decision to leave.
But not long after Bolance had left, a messenger from the Safaira family had appeared outside my door."
Thanks for reading everyone!
Remember to like the chapter and possibly add it to your library.
