Chapter 2.1 – The Beginning Was an Accident (2)

And about an hour later, Katia was sobbing uncontrollably. Her eyes were bloodshot and increasingly swollen, and a pile of tissues sat next to her from blowing her constantly running nose. With her lips pouting, she sniffled as she tugged at her lavender-colored hair.

“I know, I know. I know it’s not possible… That’s why I gave up! I gave up, but it’s okay to feel upset, isn’t it…?”

Katia had repeated the same words several times by now, and Leonid listened patiently to her drunken ramblings. Occasionally, he would pat her shoulder or nod in agreement to her words.

Katia found such a man utterly unbearable. She was this upset, so why did Leonid look as if nothing was wrong? She grumbled as she sipped her drink.

“Why is it only me who’s having such a hard time, huh? Captain, why are you fine?”

“…Are you talking about me?”

For the first time, Leonid showed a flustered reaction to her words. He blinked, scratched his head once, tilted his head, and asked again.

“Are you really talking about me?”

“Yes, you, Captain.”

“What about me?”

“Why did you connect those two people? Captain, you like that lady.”

At Katia’s grumbling, Leonid looked as if he’d lost his words. Soon, a sigh-like chuckle escaped from his lips. Seeing his bitter expression, Katia laughed as if she had expected it. Her face, still tear-streaked, looked utterly ridiculous as she smiled.

Puhuu― Katia made a silly noise with her lips and suddenly began chattering away as if a dam had burst.

“Anyone could tell. Just looking at you staring after her with such longing eyes, why didn’t anyone notice? Am I the only one who knew? Captain, why did you do that? If you liked her so much, why didn’t you just marry her? Why, why did you introduce her to him?”

“Evlaine, what are you saying… Hah.”

“It’s just the two of us anyway. I’ve been completely honest, sniff, so you can be too.”

Kik, kikik, Katia let out small bursts of laughter as if something was amusing her. Then her eyes slowly closed. And just like that, she collapsed forward. Unable to overcome the effects of the alcohol, she had fallen asleep. Watching her with a bitter gaze, Leonid shook his head and emptied the glass in front of him. The bottle that had been sitting between them was now completely drained.

Leonid left the payment for the drinks on the bar and helped Katia to her feet. However, she was so intoxicated that she couldn’t stand properly. In the end, he had no choice but to carry her on his back. Trisha watched the scene with worried eyes.

Leonid nodded slightly to the bar owner in thanks and quietly left the small tavern.

Walking through the now relatively quiet streets, Leonid turned into an alley next to the bar. There, his black car, which he usually drove, was parked. Upon seeing him, the driver quickly got out and opened the rear door. Leonid placed Katia in the back seat and then got in himself.

The car quietly exited the alley and began driving down the road. Leonid brushed Katia’s forehead as she lay snoring lightly on his lap. He also wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks. Every time she stirred slightly, he would momentarily hold his breath or bite his lip.

After a short while, the car arrived at the three-story apartment building where Katia lived. Since her parents lived in the countryside rather than the capital, Katia lived alone in a small house she had rented in the city.

“Katia, Katia Evlaine. Wake up.”

“Mmm…”

“She’s completely out.”

Regretting slightly that he hadn’t stopped her from drinking so much earlier, Leonid slipped his hands under her arms. Her light body was easily lifted. Carrying her out of the car, he instructed the driver to “head straight home without waiting.”

Once the car had driven away, Leonid carried Katia inside the building. The stairs in the middle divided the doors on either side. He headed naturally to the third floor. Standing in front of Katia’s door, he propped her up and gently shook her awake.

“Evlaine. Where’s your house key?”

“Mmm… Key, key…”

She fumbled clumsily around her body. After several failed attempts to reach into her pocket, she finally retrieved the key from the inside of her jacket. She fumbled again, trying to fit the key into the lock. It wasn’t easy for someone drunk to align such a small piece of metal with an equally small hole. In the end, Leonid took the key from her hand and unlocked the door for her.

Stumbling into her house, Katia kicked off her ankle-high boots, leaving one here and one there. Her jacket was tossed into a corner, and her earrings and watch were carelessly placed on the dining table. Leonid followed her slowly as she staggered left and right. It seemed she wasn’t aware that he was following her.

She started unbuttoning her blouse but gave up halfway before collapsing onto the bed. Thinking she might have passed out, Leonid stood at a distance, observing her for a moment. When she didn’t move, he approached her.

“You’re going to have a hard time tomorrow…”

Clicking his tongue, Leonid pushed Katia’s legs, which were hanging off the bed, back onto it. He adjusted the pillow under her head to make her lie straight and covered her with the blanket up to her waist.

Leonid, gazing at Katia with an unreadable expression, knelt beside her. His hand cautiously brushed her disheveled hair aside. At that moment, Katia’s eyes snapped open. Though not entirely clear, her gaze seemed somewhat lucid as she stared directly at Leonid. She appeared to be struggling to grasp where she was and why Leonid was in front of her.

“You’re home now, so get some sleep.”

Leonid whispered softly as he tried to stand up. But Katia’s hand grabbed his wrist. Her grip was weak, but Leonid froze as if paralyzed, unable to move. She gave a slight tug, and he fell back down as if collapsing.

“Where are you going…”

“Evlaine, wait, let go of my hand.”

“No… Come here.”

Though not entirely coherent, her words were surprisingly clear. Katia obstinately held onto him, trying to pull him onto the bed. Leonid, now awkwardly seated on the edge of the bed, used his free hand to gently push hers away.

“You don’t know what you’re doing right now. Please, let go of my hand.”

“No, I know very well…”

Katia squirmed and sat up. She swayed briefly but steadied herself by grabbing Leonid’s collar. It was a rude act she would never have done if she were sober, but in her drunken state, she had lost all sense of propriety.

She brought her face so close to his that their noses nearly touched. She was so intoxicated that she couldn’t even tell whether the smell of alcohol was coming from her own breath or Leonid’s. But at this moment, Katia knew exactly what she wanted.

“Leonid Karev. I’m really, really sad right now.”

“Evlaine, I understand that, but…”

“You said you came to comfort me today, didn’t you? Right? Hmm?”

Then comfort me. 

Her whisper disappeared into Leonid’s mouth. Katia had pulled on his collar and stolen his lips.

Leonid’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected move. Both his hands were raised to his sides as though surrendering, desperately trying not to touch Katia’s body even by accident.

Katia’s lips, which had been clinging to Leonid, began to tremble. Soon, a small sob escaped from between her lips. Leonid grew even more flustered and softly called her name, 

“Evlaine.”

Slowly, Katia’s lips parted. Her gray eyes, brimming with tears, gazed at Leonid. Her saliva-drenched, trembling lips were alluring, but her eyes were unbearably sorrowful.

“Just…”

Her voice cracked as she spoke. A single tear trickled down her cheek, followed by a steady stream she couldn’t control.

“Just… I feel so foolish…”

“…”

“Liking His Highness only hurts…”

At that moment, Leonid’s jaw tightened. A fleeting, foreign light passed through his eyes, unnoticed by the drunken Katia. As he wrapped his arms around her with force, Katia gasped in surprise, drawing a sharp breath. What she faced next were blazing blue eyes that seemed to drip with fire.

Katia forgot entirely what she had just said. Somehow, Leonid seemed angry. She should have asked why, but she couldn’t even understand why she needed to ask. She simply felt hurt by Leonid, who seemed to be upset with her.

Leonid clenched his teeth and stared at her for a long while before raising his hand. His large, rough yet warm hand carefully wiped her tear-stained cheeks as though he were handling shards of glass. As his hand continued to sweep away the tears wetting her cheeks, it then slowly brushed her hair aside. For a moment, it seemed like he was trembling, but Katia soon forgot that thought. Leonid’s fingers lightly and softly glided through her hair before pulling away.

In a slow, deep voice, Leonid whispered.

“If you close your eyes now…”

“…”

“I could become His Highness in his place.”

His words were like the temptation of a siren. Katia willingly closed her eyes. The searing lips of the man pressed against hers like a brand. She wrapped her arms around Leonid. The two fell onto the bed as one.