Perhaps my clumsy consolation had improved her mood a bit.
Lady Verloren, who had been pouring strong brandy into her stomach like water, began to drink slowly after that, savoring the taste and aroma of the alcohol with a much more relieved expression.
"Haah..."
Of course, that didn't mean the alcohol that had already risen dissipated, so her eyes were still hazy from intoxication and her face was bright red.
I thought she had been drowning her sorrows in heavy drinking, but perhaps she simply liked alcohol to begin with.
She even offered me a drink, taking out another glass and asking if I wanted to try some if I was interested.
I was going to politely decline, not particularly wanting to drink strong alcohol in the dead of night, but unfortunately, the current Lady Verloren was not someone who would accept refusal.
"Drink. It's rude to refuse alcohol offered by an adult, isn't it?"
She said this while forcibly handing me a glass full of brandy.
I'm not sure if she was aware of it herself... but how should I put it, it was like the line of a middle-aged manager with a potbelly pressuring a female employee to drink at a company dinner.
Except this wasn't a company dinner, but a bedroom with just the two of us, and the other party wasn't a balding uncle with a beer belly, but a well-aged—no, a woman in her late thirties wearing pajamas.
Hmm... come to think of it, it's quite a bizarre scene.
A woman in light attire with just a coat over her negligee, inviting someone else into her bedroom, sitting close beside them and offering alcohol.
An outsider who didn't know the circumstances might misunderstand and think Lady Verloren was trying to seduce me.
Of course, I wasn't so dense as to make such a misunderstanding. Seduction? What a ridiculous misunderstanding. How could that be possible?
The fact that we were alone in the bedroom was simply because this was Lady Verloren's house to begin with.
Additionally, since I was her disciple of the same gender, her guard was probably lowered.
The thin attire that revealed what was underneath was because I had suddenly visited when she was in high spirits from drinking, and she didn't have the presence of mind to dress properly.
The fact that she was sticking close to my side wasn't because she had invited me, but because I had approached her.
I had originally been sitting across from her, but moved to this narrow sofa of my own accord.
Her head leaning on my shoulder was similar to how someone who had been crying their eyes out might unconsciously cling to the person who comforted them, seeking solace in their warmth.
Or maybe she was just too drunk to hold her head up.
As for offering me a drink, it was probably... like a mother offering homemade cookies to her child's friend, with a bit of playfulness added.
Yes, that's definitely it.
After thoroughly analyzing all the circumstances, I concluded that none of it had anything to do with seduction.
There was no need to analyze in the first place.
She wasn't looking at me with 'those' kinds of eyes, but rather gazing at me as if I were some good, admirable child.
How could a mother suffering from depression after losing her daughter develop romantic feelings for a child young enough to be her daughter, who was her adopted daughter on paper?
At most, she might feel some affection if she truly considered me her adopted daughter, but romantic feelings? That was nonsense. There was no way our Lady Verloren could be such an unprincipled person.
"Come on, drink up."
Ah, was I lost in useless thoughts for too long? Lady Verloren's voice offering me a drink again snapped me back to attention.
"Ah... yes, then I'll accept gratefully. Thank you."
I nodded and accepted the glass she held out. I didn't want to keep refusing and risk Lady Verloren's depression returning, which would be troublesome.
Besides, since it was my first time trying brandy, I was somewhat curious about the taste. I usually prefer crisp white wine, so I never ordered brandy with my own money.
These days, I hadn't even had the chance to drink alcohol at all.
Well, for those reasons, this time I accepted the glass without declining, and lightly clinked glasses with Lady Verloren, who was smiling and holding out her own glass.
...It's not like I'm drinking a lot, one glass should be fine.
I tilted the glass.
The brandy, shimmering golden-red perhaps due to the candlelight, flowed into the inside of my mouth.
A heavy yet sweet fragrance, similar to Lady Verloren's body scent, spread throughout my head with a whoosh.
Oh, this is delicious.
That was probably the last thought I had. Probably.
* * *
The next morning.
"..."
Having woken up a bit later than usual, I froze stiff the moment my blurry vision came into focus.
A morning scene completely different from usual was laid out before my eyes.
'...What is this?'
A sensation too warm to be a pillow. Someone's lower abdomen visible right in front of my eyes. Black hair draped like a curtain above my face.
I was lying down with my head on Lady Verloren's lap. Lady Verloren was asleep while embracing me like that.
Her translucent negligee was clearly revealing what was underneath as it caught the sunlight from the window, and the coat she had been wearing over it had become my blanket.
What the fuck is this?
I clearly remember intending to drink just one glass of brandy and return to my room to sleep, but when I woke up, I found myself in a situation where I was lying on Lady Verloren's lap like a child.
It was truly a bewildering awakening. The only awakening that could be more bewildering than this would be opening my eyes to find myself lying in Lady Verloren's bed.
What exactly happened? What on earth did I do in the early hours of yesterday?
I clearly remember up to the point where Lady Verloren offered me brandy and I drank one glass... but perhaps due to my confused mind, I couldn't remember a single thing after that.
...Surely, I didn't do anything reckless...?
Anxiety chased away even my drowsiness, and instead of continuing to lie down, I carefully tried to move my body to slip out from Lady Verloren's thigh.
"Are you awake?"
But such efforts were in vain, as Lady Verloren's eyes fluttered open and she woke up as soon as I slightly moved my head.
"Uh, um, ah..."
"Good morning."
Unlike me, who was so flustered I could only open and close my mouth, Lady Verloren simply smiled gently, seemingly not minding at all that I was lying on her thigh.
"I-I'm so sorry!"
Snapping to my senses at that smile, I abruptly raised my upper body and sat up straight on the sofa. Lady Verloren softly laughed as if to say, "What's all the fuss about?"
"It's been a while since I slept in... Perhaps it's because my mind was a bit more at ease? Thanks to you, Hilde."
Gentle eyes with a kind smile. Even her voice was filled with affection.
Her demeanor was unbelievably gentle. It was to the point where I wondered if a person could change this much just from hearing a few words of comfort from me.
What on earth happened in the early hours of yesterday...?
"Um... ah... Master? I don't remember anything after drinking alcohol, so I was wondering if I might have caused any offense..."
I struggled to open my mouth, braving the embarrassment to find this out.
If my head couldn't recall the events of last night, there was no other way to find out except by asking her directly.
"You can call me mother, Hilde. I gave you permission last night."
However, her answer only added to my bewilderment.
Mother? Lady Verloren?
What on earth did I say to create such a situation...?
"Um... mother, you say...? For me, who is borrowing the identity of your daughter who is still alive somewhere, to shamelessly do such a thing..."
"It's alright. As I said last night, I've decided to think of it as having given birth to another daughter."
Lady Verloren nodded while smiling nonchalantly. It was permission to call her mother. No, it was closer to an invitation to call her mother.
"That child often wished for a sister too, so this might be a good thing. Though she probably never imagined she'd get an older sister rather than a younger one."
By this point, it was almost frightening. What on earth happened in the early hours that turned this woman, who was like ice and steel, into warm water that had completely melted?
I struggled to ask this question once again, and finally obtained an answer.
An answer I never expected.
"...You say I cried? Sobbing loudly while clinging to your embrace, Master?"
"I told you, you can call me mother. Anyway, yes. That's right. I had to work up quite a sweat to comfort you in return. My front is still a bit damp, see."
The events of last night that Lady Verloren recounted to me were so shocking that my jaw dropped.
At first, we just chatted about how delicious the alcohol was while passing glasses back and forth, but then apparently I suddenly became depressed in my drunken state and started sighing heavily?
When she asked what was wrong, I kept avoiding answering, saying it was nothing, but after she persistently coaxed and soothed me, I finally started pouring out all sorts of lamentations.
The hardships and injustice of living as a fugitive, framed as the Lowborn Slaughterer.
The difficulty of having to put on airs and continue doing work that didn't suit my nature just to survive.
The sense of self-loathing from failing eight times out of ten even when trying my best.
The guilt close to a sense of sin for using Friede's feelings for my own safety, and the guilt of always having to lie even to those close to me.
The sense of distance and loneliness from feeling that no one would understand me.
Anxiety and fear about the future, pressure and impatience too.
Apparently, I rambled on and on, spewing out lamentations filled with all sorts of such emotions, and in the end, I burst into tears.
Saying that it was terrifying how the whole world seemed to be trying to harm me, but I couldn't show this to anyone in order to maintain my facade as "Knight Brunhilde," and that I couldn't even run away because that would only put me in more danger, driving me crazy.
Saying that it felt like the Goddess had thrown me into hell and was mockingly watching me swim in it, and that I couldn't bear it anymore.
Lady Verloren said she was a bit taken aback at having to comfort me in return so soon after being comforted herself, but she embraced and soothed me as I cried my eyes out.
In doing so, she was reminded of her own daughter, and feeling sorry for me, realizing anew that I was still just a child of barely twenty years.
"Well... that's what happened. If I may offer some motherly advice, Hilde, you should probably avoid drinking in front of others."
"...Yes."
I answered in a small voice, hanging my head low. My face felt like it was burning up to the point of bursting.
Good heavens. To think that I clung to someone and cried like a child while complaining about my life, what kind of disgraceful behavior is that, really.
It's only this bearable because my memory is completely cut off; if I remembered the whole situation, I would have become a blanket murderer out of sheer embarrassment.
...I need to quit drinking. For real.