2.1 – Their First Meeting

“Wow, that Shyle guy… he’s even more of a jerk than I thought…”

Shua’s jaw dropped as she listened to the full story of the incident.

“Yeah, I think so too…”

Ella mumbled incoherently with her slurred speech.

Recalling Shyle’s words as she recounted them to Shua left a bitter taste in her mouth. Ella shuddered and grabbed her half-filled beer glass, downing it all in one go. Her drunken body slumped like a limp squid.

Shua looked at Ella with a sympathetic expression. Judging by her drooping figure, it seemed she hadn’t yet recovered from the wounds inflicted by Shyle’s harsh words.

‘That guy’s ridiculous. If he was going to leave, he could’ve done it coolly. Why say something like that before going?’

Shua struggled to think of a way to comfort Ella but couldn’t find the right words. Instead, she decided to simply drink with her. One drink, then another, and before long, Shua had become just as limp and wobbly as Ella.

As Ella stared at her glass, memories of the nights she had spent with Shyle came flooding back. Looking back, it was true that she had been much more passive compared to him.

‘Tch, it was my first time—what did I know…?’

Under his experienced lead, their physical relationship had progressed without much difficulty. But at just 20 years old, and having only learned about s*x from textbooks, the actual experience was unfamiliar and overwhelming for her.

Whenever he tried to do things she hadn’t read about in books—like saying suggestive things that sounded like something she’d heard at the market—she would hesitate and react awkwardly.

The first time he spoke to her like that, Ella had been so flustered and embarrassed that she burst into tears, her face turning bright red.

When he tried to use his mouth on her or asked her to do the same for him, she had firmly refused, feeling it was too perverse. As a result, their encounters always followed a similar pattern.

Still, she enjoyed the time spent with him, and her greatest happiness came after everything was over, when he held her tightly in his arms as they slept. She had always been satisfied with that.

‘Was Shyle bored the whole time…?’

That bastard. And yet, he had the nerve to say such things.

The more Ella thought about it, the angrier she became.

“Shushu, was it the textbook that was wrong…?”

“Hmm, people don’t usually learn that kind of thing from textbooks, you know?”

“Is that so? Then where do you…?”

“Probably… from, uh, real-life experience?”

Thud…

Drunken Shua, slurring her words, left this final remark before slamming her forehead onto the table. A valiant defeat.

Because of this, she didn’t notice Rafaella’s eyes sparkling as she muttered, “Real-life experience…”

‘Real-life experience, huh…’

Not long after Shua passed out from the alcohol, a servant from the Fritchet household, who had been anxiously watching Ella from a corner table, quickly approached.

‘Oh, right, Shua is the daughter of an Earl’s family.’

Ella nodded to herself. Having grown up close without regard for formalities, she often forgot that detail.

After loading the unconscious Shua into a carriage, the servant returned to Ella and politely asked,

“Shall I escort you home as well, Miss?”

“No, no. I have something to do.”

“It’s late at night. I think it would be best if you returned home…”

“Nooo, it’s fiiine. My house is just five minutes away, you knooow…”

Despite the servant’s continued attempts to persuade her, Rafaella stubbornly refused. After a few rounds of back-and-forth, he finally left, though not without a worried glance in her direction.

As he walked away, Rafaella shouted after him, “I’ll be home before midnight!” She waved with a confident expression (despite her glazed-over eyes), assuring him she would be fine.

***

Gone?

He’s gone. He’s really gone.

Finally alone, Ella glanced around.

If I go home like this, I’ll just be angry and humiliated, and I won’t be able to sleep.

Fine. Real-life experience. I’m going to gain some tonight! I’ll make sure to crush Shyle’s pride into the ground!

Fueled by alcohol, an inexplicable courage surged within her, and she felt as though she could seduce every man in the tavern tonight.

Alright, let’s be proactive for once!

Having made up her mind, Ella—her vision still blurry—began scanning the tavern. Among the men sitting alone…

Blond hair… three of them. Blond hair, huh? That brings back unpleasant memories. Why are their hair so pale and washed out? Nope, not them.

That guy’s eyes droop! In my experience, guys with droopy eyes always end up betraying you. Not him either.

Then, what about that guy with black hair…? No way, he has dimples! Why does a person’s face need dimples?

Ella muttered to herself as she eliminated candidates one by one based on their resemblance to someone else. The customer at the next table, noticing her talking to herself, seemed slightly alarmed.

Whether she noticed or not, Ella continued narrowing down her options, excluding anyone who reminded her of someone she’d rather not think about.

Finally, her gaze landed on a man sitting at the bar, scowling with a harsh expression.

Yeah, his eyes are sharp and menacing, his hair is ashy, and he’s covered in muscles. He’s nothing like that other guy!

“Perfect.”

Tonight, it’s you.

Like a lioness stalking her prey, Ella approached him.

Ella slid into the seat right next to the man. Then, she stared at him intently, almost uncomfortably so.

Turn around. Look at me.

Sensing her heated gaze, the man, who had been staring at the floor, finally lifted his head to look at her.

“Alone…?”

“…”

The moment he turned to her, Ella asked in the politest and sweetest tone she could muster if he had come alone.

The man, however, didn’t respond, simply staring blankly at her.

Hmm, is he startled because I suddenly spoke to him? How should I break the ice? Oh, I know! That’ll work.

“Are you worried… about something? Drinking alone…?”

“…”

Ella asked again, this time with utmost courtesy, if he was drinking alone because something was troubling him. She even gave a slight playful smile after a brief pause.

People in a good mood don’t usually come to a tavern to drink alone. The plan was simple: listen to his worries, comfort him, and naturally, end up in bed!

Ella, feeling like her romantic instincts were awakening now that she no longer had a boyfriend, was quite pleased with herself.

Am I a genius? Yes, I am!

Just as she was mentally applauding herself, the man finally opened his mouth

“You seem quite drunk. Are you here alone?”

A deep, resonant voice, as if echoing from a cave, reverberated in her ears.

Wow, his voice is amazing.

Ella replied clearly, ‘Your voice is very amazing. Would you like to talk?’

She didn’t forget to flash another smile.

Heeheehee, I’m such a pro!

“Voice… very… zing… talk…?”

“Hah…”

The man looked at Ella, who was grinning foolishly at him, then sighed as he ran his hand through his ashen hair that covered his forehead. He glanced around the tavern before looking at the owner.

What was he going to say?

Ella sat quietly in her seat, waiting for the man to initiate further conversation. Her head, however, had been bobbing non-stop since she entered the tavern.

Then, perhaps because her balance was off, Ella began to slide off her chair.

Thud…

Startled by Ella’s sudden fall, the man caught her waist with his large hands.

“Ugh…”

Ella felt an intense pressure on her stomach.

For context, Rafaella had diligently followed her father’s advice to always eat snacks while drinking. That night, she had consumed five beers, assorted seasoned skewers, stir-fried pork and vegetables, and even finished a bowl of fruit punch to cleanse her palate. She had also asked for three refills of the complimentary snacks.

No one in the tavern could have prevented what happened next.

The moment the man grabbed her waist, Rafaella began to…

“Bleegh, bleeegh.”

…vomit everything she had consumed that day onto his chest.

The patrons, who had been casually glancing around, turned to see what was happening. Their eyes landed on the man’s chiseled jaw, clenched tightly as he endured Ella’s mess. Lowering their gaze, they saw his muscular arm holding her waist.

The tavern fell into an eerie silence.

***

“Bleegh…”

For several minutes, the sound of Ella retching filled the otherwise silent tavern. From crying to cursing to vomiting, she had completed the trifecta of drunken antics.

The tavern owner’s fists trembled with suppressed rage.

“Huff, huff…”

Ella finally stopped vomiting, panting heavily as if she had expelled everything in her stomach.

The man, who had stood motionless while Ella vomited four times, didn’t flinch. Only the strength in his grip on her waist seemed to loosen slightly, as if he had come to terms with the situation.

His shirt was soaked with Ella’s vomit.

He could’ve at least turned his body slightly to avoid the mess…Tsk tsk, someone give this man a medal.

Hearing murmurs from somewhere in the tavern, Ella, still half-conscious, softly muttered, “Break.”

“Is someone going to get beaten up tonight?”

“That girl was crying her eyes out earlier because of a breakup. Poor thing.”

“Someone stop her already!”

The patrons whispered among themselves, too wary of the man’s reaction to speak loudly.

Why are my ears so itchy?

Oblivious, Ella scratched her ears with her fingers.

The tavern owner, who had been watching the scene unfold, grabbed a rag and used it to roughly wipe Ella’s vomit-covered face.

After venting some of his frustration, the owner finally regained his composure. With a desperate resolve not to let a murder happen in his establishment, he approached the man, who was still standing there blankly.

“Sir Knight, there’s a room behind the tavern where drunk patrons sometimes sleep. It has a bathroom attached, so you can wash up there. You can leave the young lady in the room; I’ll wake her up and send her off tomorrow.”

The man stared at the owner silently. An eternity seemed to pass before he finally spoke.

“Thank you.”

With that, he began walking, still holding Ella by the waist as she dangled from his arms.

***

Ella was completely disoriented. For some reason, she felt slightly sobered up, but her throat hurt terribly. There was also a sour smell lingering in the air, and her mind felt hazy as if she were dreaming.

Come to think of it, her feet weren’t touching the ground.

Why am I flying?

“Am I… flying right now…?”

“No. I’m carrying you.”

Oh my gosh!

Startled by the deep voice right in front of her, Ella focused her blurry eyes and looked ahead.

The large man with the cavernous voice was carrying her somewhere.

She could only remember asking to have a conversation with him; everything after that was a blur.

Had my subconscious continued the conversation without me?

Excited, Ella tried to regain her composure and asked, this time sounding more coherent,

“Where… are we going…?”

“To wash and sleep.”