# 88
Unbeknownst to Diaren, people were only worried about her cough.
"Are you well?"
“Ah, yes, cough! cough!”
Diaren quickly drank the water someone brought her, calming herself down with difficulty. During this time, people were filling their cups with new wine.
“For love!”
“For love!”
Deyarin was unable to finish the second cup, so she merely touched it and then put it down.
“Oh, don’t you support your friend’s love?”
Of course, it was Hulian who noticed this directly. Diaren tried to smile externally but internally she was clenching her teeth.
‘This annoying meeting I will never go near again.’
“Ah, I'm weak with alcohol...”
“But, wouldn’t you be able to drink one cup to support your friend’s love? Maybe if you drink this cup, his love will succeed!”
Dearyn hated the idea of drinking wine for the love of Sirius. She was the only one here who knew the real situation, and was even a party to it. While she was thinking about whether she should drink or throw the cup at them, the cup was suddenly taken from her hand.
“Huh?”
Sirius was beside her, taking her cup and drinking it in an instant.
“If I drink, will it go well?”
Even Holian, who was joking, was surprised by Sirius's action. Sirius returned the empty cup to Dearyn's hand, making it look like she was the one drinking it.
“If I drank more, would things get better?”
Deyarin felt a heaviness holding her breath.
“Oh my God, what should I do with this boy...”
"Maybe, who knows! Why don't you all drink and find out?"
Holian was a genius at making excuses to get others into drinking. The aristocrats who had been wounded by love did not care about alcohol in the morning, but only hoped that this innocent young man would be healed.
“As long as we drink, let us drink with joy!”
“What's the idea now?”
“This time, we will do the exact opposite of what we did in the previous bet.”
Holian even had a mastery of ways to make drinking fun.
Of course, the end result would be a bunch of drunks and hangovers, but while drinking, it looked like it was going to be quite fun.
“This time, we will all drink the cup at the same time. Therefore, it will gradually become more difficult, and many will stop continuing. In the end, the last person standing will get a wish, as we did in the previous round.”
“Oh…”
There were a fair number who thought they had a chance of beating the others based on their alcohol tolerance, despite the difference in drinking speed.
In the royal palace, the lives of the nobles revolved around eating, drinking, and having fun. Naturally, there were many who tolerated alcohol well.
"But, this time there will be no money, so we have to choose another wish. What if we pre-agreed on the wish before starting?"
“Agreed. I don’t want someone to ask for my body instead of money.”
“Oh, I don't mind that.”
People started laughing and agreeing on the rules.
It was not difficult to find a settlement that would allow the winner to feel satisfied without inconveniencing others. Such challenges were always held at the royal palace.
“Each of us will offer something from our current holdings, and the eventual winner chooses what they want. Is everyone OK?”
The competition began, and those who could not tolerate alcohol quickly withdrew, leaving the rest to compete.
Dayarin joined the group that withdrew.
As for Sirius, he was clearly among the rest who continued to drink.
"Should I stop him now? Why is he doing this?"
Multiple thoughts crossed Deyarin's mind. Winning this challenge would not have changed his feelings or condition, and could have caused him physical harm. Worse still, what if he loses control due to alcohol?
“Okay, the fifth cup now!”
However, Sirius continued to drink as if he was used to it.
The current drink was much stronger than the previous one he drank in one go. Despite this, he drank one cup after another without any change in the color of his face or the speed of his drinking.
"He drinks incredibly fast. He seems to have amazing physical skills as well. Where did we find such a wonderful young man?"
While Diaren was lost in her thoughts, she did not notice someone else approaching.
"What?"
“I heard you shared a room with him. You say you're old friends.”
Deyarin was surprised and looked around to find herself surrounded by a group of people.
Everyone was staring at Sirius with gazes full of greed and desire, their gazes exuding vague and heavy ambitions.
“…I didn’t realize the rumors spread so quickly.”
Dearyn tried to hide her discomfort with a smile, while carefully following the conversation.
She didn't know what these people might say or do in the future, so she preferred to keep it cordial with them.
Sirius' reputation shouldn't have been damaged by it.
“Of course, there is no one in the royal palace now who does not know him.”
“Really? We don't get around much outside, so we didn't know that.”
“His sudden entry into the royal palace without any notice was remarkable. Everyone usually makes a noise when they enter, and even brags about it. It is something worth bragging about, indeed.”
“Oh... really...”
“But for the Third Prince to visit him personally, with Lady Charlotte to meet him? They even sent servants to him as well.”
“Yes, it happened...”
It's starting to get more exciting over time. Even the palace nobles became interested in gathering information about him.
Sirius has already become the perfect young man who attracts everyone's attention.
“The sixth cup now!”
Dearyn turned to Sirius again after hearing Holian's voice.
And the people who were peppering her with questions did the same.
The clear glass cup was filled with a clear liquid, and the day was so bright that the sun was strongly reflected on the glass.
Sirius lifted the cup and emptied it in one gulp.
“It's like he's drinking the sun's rays itself.”
A single drop stopped on his lips, glistening under the light.
Carelessly, Sirius wiped away the drop with his finger. Dayaren suddenly felt thirsty and licked her lips.
“Huh… really, he’s a man born to drive people crazy.”
Hearing this whisper, Dearyn suddenly regained consciousness.
“What?...”
Dearyn was ready to support pure, beautiful love with everything she had, but she couldn't stand by while someone like Sirius fell into the grip of those with malicious intent and witnessed his decline.
“Sirius is a very traditional young man. It will take him a long time to get rid of the person he holds in his heart.”
"This is something... How can someone have this kind of love in this day and age? This is what makes him even crazier. Maybe if he is forced into a physical relationship, he will change his mind."
“…”
Dayarin couldn't laugh with these people. They were scary.
She thought she was an expert because of her profession, but they were ahead of her in this field in a completely different way.
She also knew that in such cases, words alone would not be enough to deter them.
So, Deyarin tried to say the strongest words she could.
“So... you might get beaten up in the end...”
“Oh, does he know how to hit people?”
naturally. I know how to kill them too.
“I think if he hits me, I'll enjoy it. Ha-ha-ha!”
“…”
"Is there anyone here among those still standing who has that kind of interest? I hope he wins and asks Sirius to strike him with one blow as a wish."
...Those words never worked.
Maybe the person who hits is more dangerous than the person who is being hit.
This was the first time I realized this.
Dayarin lost her enthusiasm.
These are not people she can fight against and win against.
'I hope my dog does not fall into the evil trap...'
Deyarin's thinking changed, and her goal became to get Sirius out of this hole he had fallen into, even if she had to lose.
If you lose now, there will be dire consequences.
No one knew what was in store for those who kept drinking, and what they might be planning.
“The eighth cup now!”
They must win.
Ceres should win.
Deyaren focused on the match this time.
Thanks to her encouraging glances, Sirius was moving the cup faster than before.
“Wow, they really drink a lot! They pass the cup so fast!”
Can a person drink like this?
Now, there are only two people left.
Only Sirius and the woman whose body was on fire remained.
“Hahaha… I will win and hit you with all my might!”
The woman was so red from the roots to her fingertips that she looked like she was going to explode.
But despite this, she did not give up and continued to resist.
'Ah...you're also malicious...'
Dearyn sighed.
This woman was only insisting on continuing because her goal was to hit Sirius.
Her will was not easily broken.
As for Sirius, he still looked the same, showing no signs of being drunk.
Since I started drinking nothing has changed.
The color of his face, his movements, the speed of his drinking. It was all as it was.
'Can't he get drunk?'
In fact, if he had lived with poisoned food, the syrup might look like an ordinary spice to him.
However, the woman's will would not exceed the limits of her body, and thus Ceres' victory was almost certain.
“The nineteenth cup...”
“Ah…”
But human will was an amazing thing.
The woman was now approaching the point of explosion, and blood was dripping from her body.
However, I held out.
Dearyn felt suddenly anxious.
'Is Sirius really going to be defeated?'
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