STVWDTD Chapter 35

A Scorching Night

Berzh Vaughentapf was one of the North's finest knights, but he'd never dealt with fussy nobles much.

Serving a demon of a commander meant no time for social circuits.

Still, he'd heard the rumors. How noble ladies measured everything against etiquette and propriety.

Slapping servants was apparently standard practice.

If Diana threw even one tantrum, he'd planned to grab his wife and run.

"I'm so glad to meet you too, ma'am."

"Oh my, how rude of me! I'm sorry."

Diana smiled brilliantly and clasped Carol's hands in return.

Carol tried to pull away when she realized she'd forgotten her manners in her excitement, but Diana shook her head.

"I'm grateful you welcomed me so warmly."

Carol's cheeks flushed pink as she led Diana to a table. She didn't forget to flash Berzh a thumbs-up where Diana couldn't see. Beautiful lady, top tier.

The shape of her grinning mouth made Berzh huff out a laugh. I knew you'd like her.

His wife hadn't been able to contain her curiosity when he'd mentioned the lady who'd melted that block of ice, Rodrick.

"What are you doing, Sir Berzh?"

"Hmm? I'm working, my lady."

Diana, who'd been guided to the quietest corner table, stared blankly at Berzh standing behind her.

"I don't have a hobby of making people stand around while I eat alone. Come on, sit down."

Diana pulled out an empty chair. Tap-tap.

"...Uh, um."

What was he supposed to do in this situation? I don't know any escort protocols. Berzh's deep green eyes wavered back and forth. That's when his savior appeared.

"Oof!"

Carol slapped his broad back muscles with a hearty smack! "Here we go! The house specialty—two cream beers!"

Where did that tiny frame get such strength? Carol carried two enormous beer mugs in one hand and set them down on the table with a solid thunk.

The white foam threatened to spill over, swaying precariously, then settled perfectly without overflowing.

"What are you waiting for, old man? A beautiful woman's word is law. Don't you know that?"

"Honey, if the commander catches me, I'm dead."

Shhhh. The proprietress subdued the bear of a man with a single look, then smiled sweetly at Diana.

"Our lady seems more powerful than the commander anyway. Right?"

"Of course. I'm much stronger."

Diana glanced around, then whispered conspiratorially.

"This is a secret, but I could even beat the Duke. Father-in-law is surprisingly weak when it comes to his prospective daughter-in-law."

"Ha ha ha! I really like you, miss."

Carol laughed heartily at Diana's response.

"He's all size, this one. Absolutely terrified of everything."

Please understand, she seemed to say as she smacked Berzh's back again.

"Ack! Honey, your hand really hurts!"

Carol's smiling face remained unchanged as she spoke through ventriloquism.

"So, you complaining? Sit down while I'm being nice. Don't make the lady wait."

Berzh flinched under his wife's ominous pressure and was just lowering his rear to the chair when—

"Carol! Sister-in-law! We're here~!"

"This bastard said he's paying for round two."

"What the hell, asshole? We agreed to decide that with a bet!"

A crowd poured in, filling the tavern with noise. Then they made eye contact with Berzh, awkwardly half-seated.

"What's that bastard doing here?"

"Right? He's supposed to be on duty...!"

The First Knight Order's mouths snapped shut in unison. The dozen or so knights who'd gotten off early for an outside assignment froze when they saw Diana.

"Hey, gentlemen? Stop right there."

Carol stopped the knights as they began backing away.

"Unless you want to pay off your tabs right now, don't even think about running."

They quickly scanned their surroundings.

'Commander. Where's the commander?!'

'He's not here. Can't see him.'

'F*ck. Thought my heart was gonna stop.'

Rodrick wasn't there. The knights exhaled in relief, then smiled awkwardly at Diana, who was grinning at them.

Diana propped her chin on the table and beckoned with one finger.

"Should we sit together?"

You're going to refuse? Try it. Diana's eyes curved into crescents.

"So you just left early without permission?"

Gulp, gulp. A knight drained his mug down to the last drop and set it on the table with a thunk, nodding.

Diana sat at the center with elite knights and regular order members crowded around joined tables.

"Hey, this level of flexibility is necessary."

"Otherwise you can't survive in the knight order."

"Ha ha. As long as the commander doesn't catch us, it's fine."

Fascinating. Even while terrified, the knights—especially the elite knights at his side—acted freely.

Their behavior looked suicidal to outsiders, but they never crossed the lines he'd drawn.

"Wow, but miss, you can really hold your liquor?"

"Miss, miss! How about a drinking contest with us?"

Diana's lips curved at the interesting proposition. She was already on her fifth beer. The cream beer had serious alcohol content despite its appearance.

"Fine. If I lose, I'll pay for everything we ate today plus all your tabs."

Wooooah! The slightly tipsy knight order cheered.

"But if I win, you each grant me one wish?"

"Deal!"

They cleared away the various dishes and the game began quickly. Their gathering, which had started early, continued late into the night.

Carol hung a closed sign on the door after sending out all customers except the knight order members.

"Urk. Can't drink anymore."

"Hey, you bastard! The Düberg Knight Order has pride!"

"No! Don't pass out! Just pour it down your throat!"

It was a one-on-one drinking match between Diana and a knight famous for his alcohol tolerance.

Hours into the drinking session, not only mugs but entire oak barrels of rum had been brought out.

One barrel. Two barrels. Even the crates they'd hauled in were emptying.

The opposing knight's face turned bright red before he collapsed with a thunk, his head hitting the table.

"Ahhh! Our tabs!"

"No! Carol, make that bastard pay for everything we drank today."

"Damn, could've saved my salary."

Diana drained the last glass neatly and wiped her mouth, shaking her head.

Still, the pleasant buzz let her smile without thinking about anything. The knights kept chattering non-stop, which cleared away stray thoughts.

Late at night, the moon hung high. The brightly lit tavern was boisterous.

All shops had closed hours ago.

Waaaah! Men's ringing cheers echoed. That's when the closed door opened.

Ding-a-ling. Carol's head turned at the bell sound.

"We're closed for... Oh my?"

A man with a more overwhelming presence than any knight entered. Carol's surprise melted into a welcoming smile.

The man didn't sit, just leaned against the wall with crossed arms, standing crookedly.

He watched the woman at the center of the rowdy men.

"Wow!"

The dagger hit the target. The knights cheered as it embedded precisely in the bullseye.

"Amazing, my lady!"

"Hah! Makes the beer taste better."

"Win, my lady!"

She was laughing, strangely harmonious and blended among the rough men.

Thunk. Thunk. She drove daggers into dead center three times in a row.

She'd changed into Carol's clothes. Diana, watching the target with intense concentration, was beautiful enough to naturally capture attention. Her beauty shone even in common civilian clothing.

"Aha ha, sir, I won, didn't I?"

She spun around and held out her hand to the knight. The knight handed over silver coins with a tearful expression.

"You're too much! I have a different specialty!"

"My, sir. A man whining like that isn't attractive."

"Bwaha, how did you know? That bastard's never managed to date a single woman."

"Ahhhhh! Shut up!"

Diana watched the bickering knights, then returned to her seat and accepted another drink.

How much time had passed? One, two. Of the dozen knights, only the elite knights remained to keep her company in drinking.

"We don't want the Commander to die! Hic."

"That's right. Everyone's a crazy bastard who lives for their own ego, but what fun is life without the commander?!"

More precisely, Diana was listening to their drunken rambling.

"Putting up with these bastards too. Hic. It's all because the commander's here."

Diana's cheeks flushed with rising intoxication as she propped her chin and watched them with half-lidded eyes.

Heh. A smile slipped out. She felt good knowing Rodrick was recognized.

"Don't worry. I'll keep your commander alive. Urk."

She swayed when her foot caught the chair as she stood. Waiting arms caught and supported her.

"Oh, Rodrick?"

Hazy pink eyes blinked slowly.

"You're drunk."

"My, are you worried about me?"

How kind of you. Diana leaned her forehead against his chest and rubbed. His scent brought her a sense of security, making the intoxication feel even stronger.

Rodrick exhaled a low breath and scanned the surroundings.

The elite knights who'd noticed his presence were already slinking away as if sobered.

"You beat the entire knight order."

"But you're left, aren't you?"

He'd been watching the fleeing knights with a terrifying gaze when he looked down. His eyebrow rose crookedly.

"I don't deal with drunk tantrums."

"Tsk. You tell me not to hold back, but drunk tantrums aren't allowed? And I'm not throwing a tantrum."

"..."

Did she know? How badly he wanted to bite and devour those plump lips pushed out in a pout right now.

"Don't provoke me."

He tilted his head slightly and whispered low.

"I held back a lot yesterday too."

Oh my! Oh my! Flippant sounds burst from behind, but no one paid attention.

Carol was dramatically slapping her husband's arm while stuffing her face with peanuts by the handful.

"Rodrick."

She wrapped her slender arms around his thick neck and brought her face right up to his. In the narrowed distance, heated breath touched his lips.

"Who told you to hold back? You're the one who should stop restraining yourself."

"This is maddening."

Rodrick's handsome forehead creased. He pulled out a heavy pouch of gold coins from his inner pocket.

"I'm taking the entire floor."

He handed the pouch to Carol and headed for the third floor of the tavern-inn.

"Of course! Have a wonderful time~"

Hehe. Unless something special came up, she kept the entire third floor empty anyway. How does he even know that? Best sales day ever.

Carol beamed at the gold pouch.

"Ahem."

Carol's smile didn't fade as she caught the man trying to climb the stairs with a hawk's eyes.

"Where do you think you're going, honey?"

"I was picked as the lady's escort. Dear."

"So?"

"I should stand guard, right?"

"Did this old man not sober up yet?! How dare you try to be a third wheel?"

The large, bearded man looked tearful.

Even sobering up was terrifying. He didn't know what reprimand would fall the next day for bringing Diana to the tavern.

"Honey was dripping from the commander's eyes. Once the commander gets married, things will be easier for you too."

"Still... I was goofing off during duty hours."

"Shhhh. He'll forget such trivial things after having a scorching night. Let's clean up and go to bed ourselves?"

Wife's word always sound right. Berzh nodded obediently and headed to their room with his wife, abandoning his collapsed colleagues.