He was calmed by the woman’s subtle scent. It was an unexplainable feeling. Even so, fainting after a sip of alcohol was unexpected. He frowned upon the strange smell of alcohol dominating the woman’s scent, but he had no intention of killing her immediately.
‘I’m not sure; maybe later, but not right now,’ still intrigued by the woman’s scent and pleased by the sight of her next to him. The woman seemed to be aware of her surroundings, she maintained a safe distance.
Irvan tried to get his thoughts straight. He looked under the sofa table, took a bottle of alcohol, and immediately drank it all. He tilted his head, considering the idea of having another bottle.
‘As expected, the taste of alcohol.’ Has anything changed? It was a subtle difference, but it was something that he noticed after many years of drinking the same alcohol.
‘About 10 days?’ He was holding a drink from his favorite brewer, but he felt frustrated at some point.
He assumed that only a few bottles of alcohol had changed due to storage issues. However, the production process could not have been modified, that was impossible to happen throughout the week. Besides, the distilled alcohol he drank had been aged for 20 years in an oak barrel, no modifications could have been made in the early part. So, asserting that something was added during the packaging process was inevitable.
‘I’m confused. I’m not sure what the small changes were supposed to prove. When the morning comes, I’ll have to ask Miller.’ he thought.
Even before he could walk, even though he had little interest in chemistry or medicine, he was hailed as a genius for his innate abilities in various fields. That’s why he was able to identify that something had been added to the distilled alcohol but couldn’t tell what it was.
After moving body parts that he hadn’t used in a long time, Irvan became thirsty. So, he knelt and stretched his arm beneath the sofa table, considering another bottle.
The woman, who had collapsed on the floor, suddenly sprung to her feet. She was still trembling and has a pale face. Her light-colored scarlet eyes were loosened and blurry. She was gazing nowhere. It was clear that she was still in a lucid dream state.
“It’s cold…” she mumbled.
While Irvan was watching the woman’s movements, the woman who was grumbling about the coldness began to undress in front of him. She stooped over to pick up the clothes scattered on the floor and folded them neatly. She straightened up and stretched out her arms. She looked around and began to stumble.
“Oh… This is nice and warm,” she whispered, abruptly grasping Irvan’s arm. She embraced his neck like cuddling a huge teddy bear.
* * *
It was a good night’s sleep.
Emma had a wonderful dream, but she couldn’t recall what it was about because it was all tangled up in a wave-like sensation. She tossed and turned, sighing slightly, in a dissatisfied and gloomy mood.
The world was still dark when she opened her eyes. Normally, there would be bird chirping in the morning. At night, grass bugs would commonly be heard.
‘I’m not sure if it’s day or night. Who cares? I’ll just go back to sleep and forget about it.’ She rubbed her cheeks and savored the warm feeling that wrapped her. It felt nice on her skin because it was soft. The air was filled with a peaceful silence.
She felt she could fall asleep again as she lay comfortably in the silence. She felt a warm and gentle sensation in close contact with her body. It was inseparably comfy because it was dry, somewhat moist, and stretchy. A pleasant scent that envelops the entire body.
‘What?’ Emma quickly opened her eyes, feeling weird the instant she thought that far. What looked to be a clean ceiling was a blocked view of skin. It was hot, hard, and soft.
‘Huh? What the hell is going on!’ she screamed, and a huge arm wrapped around her delicate shoulders, bringing her body close.
“Hold on. Stay still.” Her eyes widened as the low voice tickled her ears.
Her heart began to race fast. She was stuck in the side of a gorgeous man. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing, but what was worse was the fact that she was completely naked. Emma was shocked, she hastily scanned the room and discovered dirty clothes neatly folded at the foot of the sofa.
‘What happened? I don’t remember!’ Her head throbbed the more she attempted to remember what happened the night before. Biting her lip, she tried to concentrate. Slowly, her memory came back.
‘I got out of the carriage on a rainy night. I spent a long period exploring deep in the Ferragen Mountains.’ She was able to find hints of fragmented memories and continued with a frown on her face.
In retrospect, yesterday was an eventful day. She experienced everything a person might go through in a lifetime in just half a day.
‘I even drank at the end. There were herbs secretly added in the food, but I couldn’t figure out what they were.’ She continued.
A mysterious man recommended a drink, and she emptied the bottle all at once. The drink was strong enough to heat up her stomach.
‘I can’t believe I’m naked in this man’s arms!’ was all she could think.
On the floor, Emma’s soiled clothes were folded neatly. In her memory, the man threw his garments away in a disorganized manner.
‘So, I stripped all my clothes down, folded them, and hugged this man?’ Emma blinked her eyes, pressing down the horrible feeling. Shame and embarrassment welled up in her eyes as she recognized her situation. She wiped her lips softly. She was unable to speak for some time and was humiliated.
“I’m sorry, but can I ask what happened?” The sound barely came out of her lips.
The man laughed. Emma’s body shivered as the man smiled and moved his big chest faintly.
“A lot of things happened,” he said.
‘What does he mean by a lot of things?’ Her gaze concentrated on the man.
“Well, if I had to describe something, it involves a man and woman undressed and entwined in bed,” his cold eyes turned towards her.
Emma’s thoughts were stirred with confusion and shame. There was only one thing that sprang to her.
Lovemaking! They had s*x! ‘No way.’ She thought skeptically. She was taught about s*x by her private tutor on various occasions, and she had also heard it from her friends.
When she did not move and her face became pale, the man moved from his position. A piece of fabric landed on top of Emma’s nude body before she could even notice the man moving lightly and silently.
She hurriedly pulled the fabric up to her chin and covered herself. The cloth that covered her body was the man’s shirt from last night’s shower. A white and crisp shirt like snow. The man’s body scent could be smelled from the hem of his shirt.
Emma was frozen with fear, she clutched the hem of the thin shirt like a shield. She crouched into a corner where the man’s internal heat level was stale and stow away in the shirt. Where the man stayed was loaded up with a fragrance of alcohol, giving it a somewhat sweet yet reviving aroma.
‘Is this because of the lingering warmth of his scent?’ she pondered.
Even though it was humiliating and shameful, Emma felt a peculiar sense of relief in the corner of her heart.
“Are you cold right now?” he asked.
“What?” she sprang open her eyes, startled by the abrupt low voice. She hurriedly looked down when her eyes met the man’s icy gaze. Her cheeks tingled from the man’s piercing gaze.
“Are you cold right now?” he asked again.
“Yes,” she replied.
The man nodded, as if he knew. He turned around and disappeared into the corridor.