◆ The Morning After a Hangover
WHEN I woke up the next morning, I had no memories of the night prior. My head throbbed like it was in a vise, and my body felt awfully heavy. I’d never experienced anything like this in my twenty years of my life.
“Urgh…” I groaned, pressing a hand against my aching head in bed.
Quite honestly, I had nothing else to say. As a self-proclaimed beautiful young maiden, should I have just gone, ‘Ngh…’ or something cuter? I wondered. I doubted a beautiful young maiden would’ve gotten a hangover and forgotten everything that occurred the night prior in the first place.
“Shut up, Chloe,” a grumpy voice scolded from beside me.
Right, Mr. Julius is sleeping right next to me. I pressed my fingers against my temples as I sat up. There were several bedrooms to choose from, yet he decided to sleep right next to me. What even happened last night? Why am I hung over? I didn’t think I was sick or ill; I was convinced that I’d drank too much the night before.
I knew quite a bit about hangovers. When I visited Ms. Roxy’s diner for lunch, I often spotted mercenaries and adventurers who were hungover and looking for a cure. These men would press their hands against their heads while saying, “Ugh… I drank too much. Ms. Roxy, the best cure for a hangover is another cup of alcohol. Fill ’em up for me.” Ms. Roxy would always scold and admonish them while forcing these men to drink tons of water.
“Mr. Julius, it seems I’ve got a hangover,” I groaned. “And I don’t even remember anything that happened last night. Did something happen?”
I peered at his face as I massaged my temples. It’s a refreshing sight to wake up like this together. While Mr. Julius and I usually slept in the same bed, unless we were in danger, he tended to sleep in late. His mornings started late, as though he was trying to get back the sleep that he’d missed out on for many years, unable to find a comforting bed to lie in.
If we didn’t have any plans, I generally wanted to let him sleep in. I usually woke up early and slipped out of bed to prepare breakfast, clean the house, tidy up the store, and make alchemy items if I’d received a request. It was very rare for the both of us to wake up together.
Instead of greeting me with a “Good morning,” his first words being, “Shut up,” suited him perfectly. Mr. Julius smiling at me gently during morning greetings was unfathomable, so I was glad that he was his usual grumpy self. It put me at ease unlike anything else.
“Hangover? Ah, I see…” Mr. Julius said, slowly rising as well.
He was wearing a similar garment to me—one that was tied around the waist—but his clothes were black and decorated with gold embroidery of the lily of the valley. The glittering design was a bit wrinkled as his neck, muscular chest, and well-toned abs were on full display for the world to see. He groggily pushed his hair back; even a sleepy and messy Mr. Julius looked amazingly handsome. As the morning sun’s rays peeked through the gaps in the curtains, his golden locks glimmered like jewels.
The brand and lock on his neck and the countless number of battle scars marring his skin were all supposed to be an awful sight, but on him, they looked like elegant marks that only further accentuated his raw beauty. It’s still so early in the morning, and he looks inexplicably seductive… I stared at him in awe.
“Chloe,” Mr. Julius said, glancing at me before letting out a weary sigh.
He pointed at my chest, and I looked down to check on myself. Wait, if he looks a bit messy, then I should too…
“Ack! Whoa!” I shrieked in the most unsexy manner possible.
The thin negligee was wide open. I hastily grabbed at the two sides and pulled it back in front to cover my chest. I was still a twenty-year-old maiden, a blossoming youth, and while I was used to bathing with Mr. Julius, it was still embarrassing to be almost naked in front of him for no reason. This kind of nightgown is no good. I realize now that ultimately, only the band by your waist stays put, and everything else is on full display.
“Ugh, my head hurts…” I groaned. “Why do I even have a hangover? You were the one drinking heavily, not me…”
“You don’t remember, Chloe?” Mr. Julius asked.
“I know we were out on the balcony to get some fresh air and then, um… Er… Then what?”
“If you don’t remember, it might be best if it was kept that way.”
“Why do you make it sound like something happened?! Now I’m super curious.”
Did something happen? I was dying to find out, so I tugged his arm. He looked at me as though he wanted to say something, and he flashed a faint smile.
“Because I drank so much, you swallowed my saliva that had been mixed with alcohol, and you got plastered,” he explained.
“Phrasing, phrasing,” I chided. “That sounds so disturbing and gross. You could’ve just said we kissed or something.”
“Because you kissed me, you got drunk,” he rephrased.
“Okay, now I know that phrasing doesn’t suit you.”
Crap, it’s so early in the morning, and he’s already making me laugh. I did my best to stifle my loud laughs, causing my stomach to cramp up. Because I tried to endure my laughter, my head hurt even more.
“After that, you returned inside, took off all your clothes, and started to dance in the middle of the room,” Mr. Julius explained. “So, I forced you into bed and put you to sleep.”
“Yikes…” I gasped.
I shouldn’t have asked. I only drank a sip or two of liquor, and I’d never gotten smashed before. I guess I’ve got the bad habit of dancing around naked when I’m drunk. I never knew. I covered my face with both of my hands in hopes of covering my embarrassment. Then I noticed Mr. Julius giving a suppressed chuckle from the back of his throat.
“Don’t worry, I lied,” he assured me.
“Why did you lie?” I asked.
“It’s true that you started to strip down. It’s probably best if you don’t drink much in front of others. You should keep that in check.”
I don’t know what’s going on anymore. So, I didn’t dance around naked?
“What actually happened, then?” I asked.
“Nothing much, really,” he answered.
“I didn’t cause you any trouble or anything? I didn’t projectile vomit all over you or something?”
“You didn’t vomit.”
It seemed like he chose his words carefully, as though they held a deeper meaning. He got up from the bed, filled a glass with some water, and handed it to me. I tried my best to regain my memories from last night, but my mind was a blank sheet, and I couldn’t recall a single thing. What was clear was that I’d stripped. That was something I had to be careful about. I had no idea that I had the habit of removing my clothes.
“We’ve got a banquet today, but I’m hungover…” I groaned while I held the glass with both of my hands. “I might not be able to eat the lavish dishes.”
A lavish inn may not be the place for me. I became dizzy and fainted in the bath, and I got so drunk that I lost some of my memories. But all of it is Mr. Julius’s fault, really.
“Jahala mentioned that powdered sand light insects were good for regaining magic and for hangovers. Do you want to eat some?” Mr. Julius offered.
“No!” I protested. “I finally managed to escape my insect diet. They’re really bitter, you know.”
“But it’s apparently good for your health.”
“Even so, no. I’ll get better with some water. Can I sleep for another hour or so? I know I usually sleep and wake up early as part of my principles, but I can make an exception during vacations.”
“Yeah. Faisal did say that they’d come to pick us up, but I don’t think they’ll arrive first thing in the morning. Even if they did, we can just make them wait.”
He took my empty glass from my hands and placed it on the table. As I lay back on the soft bed, he slid beside me and embraced me in his arms. Enveloped by his burly, large body, I felt so nervous, and my heart started to pound to the point I no longer felt sleepy.
When I peered up at him, he had his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. I gazed at his body and noticed a small red mark on his neck.
All of a sudden, a part of my lost memories flashed back to me. While I was drunk last night, I remembered saying something along the lines of, “It’s not fair that only you get a mark!” and bit him back on his shoulder.
I’m so embarrassed that I could die! How could I have been so forward?! You know what, let’s just pretend I forgot all about it. Yeah, that’s for the best.
My face redder than a tomato, I pressed my forehead against his chest.