Chapter 3 – That’s too much, Captain! (Part 2)

Lena lovingly lifted the wine bottle to her lips. As she tilted the bottle, the rippling purple liquid flowed smoothly.

The fresh grape scent mixed with the bitterness of alcohol enveloped her tongue, and the sweetness and bitterness swirled around her mouth like a lingering aftertaste.

The fuzzy sensation crept up, making her mind feel mushy and light, as if her thoughts were dissolving into clouds.

Surrendering to the rising intoxication, she took another sip of the wine.

“Ah!”

Yes, this is the taste.

One sip, then another. Drinking without hesitation, her eyelids grew heavier, and she nodded off slightly. Suddenly, the captain’s voice echoed in her mind.

“How can you love drinking but have such a low tolerance to it?”

How funny it was when the captain insisted that she should always drink with him.

“Captain is not my lover anyway.”

Lena, with a pout, rubbed her bleary eyes.

‘Ah, I’m sleepy.’

This damned liquor always makes me drowsy.

The sofa facing the display case beckoned her over. The allure was so sweet that her sinking consciousness couldn’t resist and made her step forward.

Lena yawned lazily, lay down on the sofa, and hugged the wine bottle.

Anyway, Captain won’t come to work until late tomorrow.

I’ll just take a quick nap, shower in the knights’ common bathroom, and go to work as if nothing happened.

With a perfect plan gradually etched into her mind, she drifted off to sleep.

***

“So this is where my little stray cat went.”

Confirming Lena asleep curled up on the wide sofa, Alhendore approached the sofa where she lay.

As if expecting this, he covered her with a nearby blanket, appearing quite accustomed to such situations.

Sitting on the sofa’s armrest, Alhendore tucked her hair behind her ear. Her intoxicated breaths gently tickled the back of his hand.

He stroked down her cheek, much like caressing a cat’s nose bridge.

His fingers, which had been tickling her nose, moved to her ear. When they touched her silky hair, he twirled it playfully.

“Instead of going home, you’ve raided my stash again?”

“Mmm…….”

Lena, still sleeping soundly, squirmed at the constant touch, hugging the wine bottle even tighter as if she would never let it go.

A low chuckle hovered over her head.

“That’s a 702 from Chaiwan, you know. Though you probably don’t realize it.”

He ran his finger over the mouth of the wine bottle Lena had been drinking from. The dampness of the wine left a slightly viscous residue on his fingertips.

He licked the moisture, savoring her saliva mingled with the wine.

“Hah…….”

A drowsy sigh carrying a sweet scent escaped.

I want to get drunk. 

The thought crossed his mind as he knelt on one knee.

As he approached until their noses almost touched, he tilted his head slightly. At a distance where their lips were almost touching, her breath washed over him.

I want to devour her. 

He wanted to lick those small lips, invade the secret inside, and suck out all traces of the remaining wine.

“Hoo…….”

In the end, his lips couldn’t reach hers, and with a long sigh, he expelled his burning desire.

Rising from his spot, Alhendore straightened his clothes as if nothing had happened.

“I guess I’ll have to ban the use of the bathroom again this morning.”

His fearless little stray cat used the common bathroom so freely, he had no choice.

As if it were only natural, Alhendore blocked the knights’ access to the bathroom.

Looking down at Lena, who was sleeping peacefully without knowing how much he was doing for her, he felt a sudden surge of spite.

His normally neat lips curled up crookedly.

“So, did you have a good meeting with that guy?”

Something must have gone wrong for her to be here like this.

He asked, knowing full well the answer. He didn’t expect a reply, but Lena whimpered in her sleep.

“Sniffle…….”

“…….”

Who made you cry so sadly?

His eyebrows furrowed at different angles. He gently stroked her cheek as she pitifully sobbed with her eyes closed.

It was time for her usual grumbling in her sleep, but instead, she was shedding tears. 

Did that fiancé of hers do something to my precious Lena?

His eyes turned cold and menacing. Lena mumbled and moved her lips.

“Bad guy…….”

“Who’s bad?”

That bastard? Should I kill that bastard for you?

Before Alhendore’s chilling voice could reach her ears,

“……You.”

“……?”

“You, you bad! Bad tyrant boss!”

“…….”

For a moment, Lena, with her eyes half-open, began to scold him.

“Sniff! I hate you, you just make me work……. It’s hard, but I also want to have fun! Sniff, bad guy.”

“Huh, really.”

Caught between the boundaries of dreams and reality, she seemed to be venting her pent-up grievances upon hearing his voice. Then, falling back into deep sleep, Lena said nothing more.

Only the sound of her even breathing softly filled the now quiet lounge.

Watching her, he rubbed his temples at the onset of a headache.

His little stray cat seemed to be quite upset. He pondered briefly on how to soothe her feelings and decided to abuse his power once again.

***

The next day, after finishing a simple shower as usual, Lena was called before the Captain.

Worried that he might ask her to submit the report she hadn’t finished yesterday, she quickly spoke up.

“You said the report was due tomorrow, so I was going to do it after coming to work.”

Actually, she hadn’t done it because she had drunk heavily and passed out the previous day.

Muttering to herself, Lena looked at the Captain with a composed expression.

He was busy checking the documents piled on his desk and didn’t even glance at her.

“It was originally due next week. Take your time.”

Is this man serious?

At this point, she wanted to ask if he was being spiteful because he was jealous of her relationship with her fiancé.

‘I heard everything from Sir Radiero, you know?’

Aran Radiero, the Captain’s right-hand man and chief enforcer.

Lena, who always stuck close to the Captain as his strategist, had unexpectedly become one of the two people she was closest to.

‘I heard the Captain has never even held a woman’s hand!’

She couldn’t bring herself to say the words that rose to the tip of her tongue. Even now, he was interfering so much; saying something like that would be unthinkable.

Ugh, the thought alone was dreadful.

Lena continued to watch him buried in documents and let out a small sigh.

Though it wasn’t the first time he was being difficult, she didn’t need to add fuel to the fire by speaking up.

“So, the reason you called me today is…….”

Just as she was about to ask why she had been summoned so early in the morning, he spoke.

“It’s a special reward leave.”

“Pardon?”

The Captain spoke as if he were handing out today’s work assignments, making an entirely unexpected statement. 

Did I hear him correctly?

For a moment, Lena doubted her ears.

Alhendore, who had been staring at her blinking blankly, nodded slightly.

“I said it’s a special reward leave. Go rest.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Think of it as a gift for a knight who has been doing a good job.”

Her mind was filled with countless question marks. Seeing her puzzled expression, Alhendore glanced at her and added.

“Unless you don’t want it.”

“No, I do!”

She didn’t know why, but she accepted it eagerly. There was no reason to refuse, right?

Before he could change his mind, she quickly packed her things and dashed out.

‘What should I do?’

She pondered joyfully how to spend the week-long leave.

The first thing that came to mind was her recently neglected relationship with her fiancé.

‘It’s about time to hold the wedding.’

She had postponed it due to her Knight Order duties, but in truth, it was because she hadn’t saved enough dowry.

Now that she had almost saved up the dowry, it wouldn’t be long before they could hold the ceremony.

Thinking of Galverd, her briefly excited heart became heavy. It felt as if her whole body was being weighed down, like being stuck in mud.

‘Marriage…….’

Do I really have to do this?

“Oh! What am I thinking?”

Lena quickly shook her head to rid herself of the unbidden doubt.

Even if she had doubts, the marriage wouldn’t be canceled. Nor should it be.

“Alright! Let’s take this opportunity to make up with Galverd properly!”

She thought it wouldn’t be bad to go on a date, and if things went well, maybe spend a night at a scenic place. But first, she needed to make an appointment.

Lena hurried back to her aunt’s house and began writing a letter to Galverd.