novelraw Chapter 191 : Pretense and True Feelings
Chapter 191 : Pretense and True Feelings
"This is actually alcohol—"
"Cough, cough cough!!"
Startled, Elsa almost choked.
Fortunately, she reacted quickly, avoiding staining her formal dress.
"I'm sorry... Are you alright?"
Elsa couldn't help but give a half-moon eye expression,
"I'm not you, how could I possibly get drunk so quickly!"
"Eh? But in my memory, there were always scenes of drunkenness..."
Aren't there many such scenes in otome games? Either you get drunk or the other person gets drunk, providing an opportunity for the relationship to progress, so Yvonne subconsciously thought her alcohol tolerance was as poor as her own.
Elsa had an incredulous expression of 'So I had such a setting?'
Every time she heard Evie talk about the 'protagonist' in the game, it always gave her a sense of disconnect. She refused to be equated with that bad woman who juggled between more than 50 men.
"Hmph... The 'me' in the game was probably faking it."
Elsa said disdainfully as she put down the wine glass.
"...Faking it?"
Yvonne was very surprised, this was truly unheard of. So are all you otome game protagonists this type of white on the outside, black on the inside?
"My alcohol tolerance is quite good, and the blessing of the water element can also be used to break down the intoxicating components. Just drinking one sip is nothing at all."
Indeed,
Even after drinking a whole glass of high-proof red wine, Elsa still showed no signs of flushing or panting, not a trace of intoxication.
When they met that witch lady at the tavern, Yvonne had been shocked by her amazing alcohol tolerance, so Elsa should have a similar constitution that's not easily intoxicated.
Wait a minute, if that's the case...
Yvonne suddenly realized something, covering her chest with a slap, her face instantly flushing red.
"So you pretended to be drunk last time??"
"...Uh!"
Elsa hurriedly covered her mouth,
Not good, not good, she accidentally let it slip!
"That... Evie... let me explain..."
She showed a placating smile, carefully observing her expression in the darkness,
"Pretending to be drunk and then taking advantage of the situation to push me down... You really planned this thoroughly, didn't you, Miss Elsa?"
What a smooth operation, taking full advantage
Yvonne's shoulders trembled, her mouth twitching,
"You... scheming protagonist!! I'll never trust you again!!"
"I'm sorry, I was wrong!"
"...Your expression says you'd dare to do it again next time."
"Uwi uwi uwi—"
Elsa was at a loss for words, she could only hug Yvonne's arm and cry pitifully, begging for forgiveness.
Ah ah~ If only I were a cat, at times like this I could just lie down and expose my belly to be forgiven,
So why am I not a cat…
"Tonight, you're punished to sleep alone."
"No~~~~"
"I'm still scared from watching that horror movie with you in the cinema in the 'Book of Reality' earlier—I'm so scared, don't make me sleep alone~"
"...Who was it that couldn't stop laughing after watching that B-movie last time?"
"That was because I was scared, scared..."
"Do normal people laugh so hard they can't breathe when they're scared? I don't believe it."
Who told that bottle-holding protagonist to look so much like Michel!!... It was really too funny.
"Evie, I promise there won't be a next time... So please don't be angry with me—"
Seeing her pitiful look, Yvonne opened one eye, pretending to still be angry.
She wasn't really angry with Elsa, she just wanted to teach her a lesson, to stop tricking her.
If you want to play some tricks, just say it directly, I'm not unwilling.
"Evie... so love will dissipate, right..."
Even knowing these were tears this girl was pretending to shed, it still made her feel somewhat heartbroken.
"Stop crying, it would be bad to stain your formal dress."
To show comfort, she used her gloved hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of Elsa's eyes, but after wiping, her hand remained on her face.
"Could it be... is there something dirty on my face?"
Elsa blinked her pitifully large eyes, deliberately asking.
Yukiko Kudo, the wife of the detective novelist, once said that if a girl keeps staring at someone's face, it's either because there's something on that person's face, or because she's fallen in love with that person.
A certain Heisei era Sherlock Holmes also once said, after eliminating all incorrect options, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the correct answer.
"...You look beautiful today."
Although knowing she was asking this on purpose, Yvonne still said what she wanted to say with a red face.
"Th-thank you?"
Suddenly hit by such a straightforward compliment, she also became shy.
"...This formal dress really does look good on you, it seems I'll have to give that tailor some reward."
The velvet-gloved fingers gently caressed her cheek.
The fabric of the gloves was very smooth, giving a different feeling from direct touch with her hand.
It's as if being caressed by such hands all over the body.
Closing her eyes to feel her breath, her mind unconsciously entered fantasy mode.
Not good, not good... When together with Evie, she always involuntarily has some lewd thoughts.
...It's all Evie's fault, she's really too good at unconsciously teasing me, and sometimes she doesn't even realize it, which is the scariest part.
"Does the formal dress fit well? Do you feel there's anything that needs improvement?"
"I think it's quite good... It's comfortable to wear, and not too cumbersome to move in... It's just..."
"What?"
"...Isn't it a bit too glamorous?"
This formal dress was specially customized for her by Evie, a solid color formal dress. Although it used bright and vibrant fabrics, this design still felt a bit too glamorous, like something you'd wear to some major ceremony.
"Not at all—This is just right."
She seemed to really like this design.
Strange... Evie always preferred a minimalist style before, didn't she?
Elsa started to feel puzzled.
There were really too many things making her confused today.
"...By the way, Evie, can I ask a few questions?"
"Mm-hmm, what is it?"
"Although I know the successful construction of the teleportation gates is worth celebrating. But Evie... aren't you paying too much attention to this banquet?"
Saying this, Elsa narrowed her eyes, showing a suspicious look.
For this banquet, both the chefs and the service were of the highest standard. For a mere celebration banquet aimed at the civilian class, it was really too extravagant and wasteful, completely unlike the style of the always frugal Evie.
If I had to say... it's almost like a rehearsal for something.
"—What are you secretly planning behind my back?"
"Ah hahaha... Is that so?"
Laughing it off, Yvonne guiltily averted her gaze.
The positions between the two had unknowingly undergone a 180-degree shift.
"Aren't you overthinking it? It's not bad to be extravagant like this occasionally, right? And... Displaying our family's wealth like this is also a diplomatic strategy. Only in this way can we prevent those people from looking down on us Smolletts!"
...There's definitely something fishy.
Whenever she says something that doesn't match her heart, she would avert her gaze like this, use her hand to adjust her clothes, or twirl her hair ends.
Now that she's done this whole set of actions, there's no doubt she's hiding something.
"...Alright then."
Elsa smiled helplessly in her heart.
She also understood that what her Evie wanted to do wasn't anything bad.
She's very cute trying so hard to cover it up, so let her continue like this... I'll just watch from the side.
"Lady Yvonne! Miss Elsa—So you two were here!"
Seeing the two, the maid Parcy finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"The guests are all waiting for you!"
Yvonne reluctantly stood up, reaching out her hand to Elsa.
"It seems we've been gone for too long, we should go in now."
"Mm."
Taking Yvonne's hand, Elsa also stood up with a smile.
The banquet was nearing its end, but this ode would not stop.
In the future, this place will surely become quite lively, right?
·
"Mama... Do you have time to play with Bebe today?"
Hugging her doll, the little one tugged at Yvonne's clothes beside her.
"Of course, what does Bebe want to play?"
Yvonne put down her pen, bent down and asked with a smile. She had been busy with work lately and hadn't played much with her child, so she had been looking for an opportunity to make up for some parent-child time.
"But... Is it really okay?"
Although she was the one who proposed to play, the little one still looked worriedly at the documents piled like a small mountain on Yvonne's desk. What a considerate child.
"Work will always find a way—For example, if I put the pen here and cast a little magic, it will handle the documents by itself."
Hearing her nonsensical joke, Bebe giggled. Seeing this healing smile, Yvonne felt all the fatigue of the day dissipate. She also needed to change her mindset; continuing to work would not only slow down her efficiency but also worsen her mood. It was better to play with her child.
"Alright then—"
Seeing that Yvonne said it was okay, Bebe's face lit up with joy, immediately pulling out two dolls from behind her and wagging her tail as she handed them to Yvonne.
"Let's play house!"
"Bebe really likes playing house, huh..."
"Mm-hmm~ Because it's fun, it's different every time!"
These two dolls were ones she had liked since she was even younger. You could still faintly see traces of her previous nibbling,
Probably due to the smell and memories, even when given new ones, she wouldn't accept them, only wanting these dolls that had been mended many times.
"...Alright, so what does Bebe want to be?"
When asked this question she had been eagerly awaiting, Bebe's eyes sparkled,
Yvonne had a bad premonition.
"—Bebe wants to be Mama's mama!"
Nesting dolls prohibited.
"Why do you want to be mama?... 'Husband' or 'wife' would be fine too, right?"
"No, no—"
Bebe waved her little hand very seriously.
"Mama Elsa would have objections."
After learning to speak, this child's speech became more and more fluent. With this little eloquence, she would surely become as articulate as Elsa in the future.
"From now on—Mama is the baby, I am Mama's mama!"
"...Alright, alright, I understand."
Reluctantly agreeing to this request, the embarrassing game of house began.
"Mama... What are we eating tonight?"
Pinching her voice, Yvonne tried her best to sound like a child, while internally dying of embarrassment.
"Eat this!"
She brought over a fruit platter. Then cut it with a toy knife made of shells and placed it on the plate.
"Come, come, what would you like to eat?"
"...I want to eat this."
No choice, since the game had started, she had to play along even if it was embarrassing.
"Is one enough?"
"It's enough, thank you mama, mama is so good."
"Hehehe~ If there's anything else, you can tell mama!"
Bebe, playing the role of 'mama', was full of enthusiasm,
"Uu~~"
She seemed to want to arrange Yvonne's hair.
But Yvonne had already sat down, and the little one couldn't reach the top of her head even on tiptoes.
"Should I lift you up to-"
"—What kind of mama needs to be lifted by her child!"
...This child is unexpectedly serious.
"Then let's change clothes—"
However, Yvonne's adult-sized clothes draped over her small body like a large sack, completely covering her.
Ugh... ugh ugh ugh!
The difference in physique was indeed a big problem.
Yvonne worried that if this continued, not only would Bebe not enjoy playing, but she might become more and more depressed.
"I'm suddenly feeling very sleepy... Can mama sing me to sleep?"
"R-really, you're hopeless! Leave it to mama!"
Presented with something she could do, Bebe finally regained her spirit. She carefully rested her head on Bebe's soft body, worried that she might be too heavy and crush this delicate frame.
The child's hands and body were very warm, and it felt comfortable as she stroked Yvonne's head.
"Suddenly turned into a wolf girl, accidentally caught by bad people... Fortunately, she met a kind little girl who adopted her..."
Then came the storytelling session,
To be honest, it was quite convincing.
"Phew..."
However, as she was telling the story, it was Bebe who fell asleep first.
Carrying this soft body, Yvonne placed her on her own bed.
She tidied up the loose hair on Bebe's forehead a bit to prevent it from affecting her breathing or getting into her mouth.
Very soft, with fine downy hair, her little belly was soft, having accumulated some fat for winter, making her tummy a bit chubby. But it was still within the normal range, and this was cute too.
After all, a child is still a child.
Yvonne smiled as she stood up.
She had tried her best.
"...Is she asleep?"
"Yes, sound asleep."
Elsa, who had been hesitating at the door for a while, finally tiptoed in.
"Ah ah~~ How nice~~ I want to play house with Evie too."
"...A child is one thing, but how old are you to still want to play house?"
"Hmph, is there an age limit for playing house? I was just planning to play the role of a dashing bandit who steals the daughter away from her mother—"
Saying this, she used a dinner knife as a weapon and made some gestures, making Yvonne laugh.
"Pfft, how did the person who was just a little baby suddenly fast-forward to getting married?"
"Hehe, isn't this what playing house is all about?"
"........."
Yvonne felt her head ache a bit,
These guys, one after another, are all too willful.
But... it doesn't feel bad.
"So what now? Should we rest with Bebe for a while?"
Hugging the fruit platter, she also climbed onto Yvonne's bed.
"Do you have any other choice?"
"How mean~"
"...You're the mean one for just lying on top of me, aren't you?"
"This is my exclusive seat~"
She placed her hand on Elsa who had lain on top of her, then gently patted Bebe whose breathing had become even.
Unconsciously smiling.
Be as willful and dependent as you like,
Because this is family.