[TKOSINM] 143 - To Get Drunk

Noel contemplated on what to say to Irene, and eventually decided to be honest.

“After the wedding, the husband and wife spend the night together. I mean, this is the early night?”

“Ah-ah?”

Irene’s eyes widened. Now she understood why she was dressed like this and what the two gowns hanging on the wall meant. Realising this, her face burned to the point of steaming.

“Irene? Are you okay? Your face…”

“Oh, I’m okay! It’s just a little hot…”

Irene could not think properly, and even though moments prior she had just said it was cold, she was now saying it was hot.

Noel looked at her for a moment and then quietly smiled at her.

“Irene, you don’t have to panic. Nothing will happen if you don’t want it to. You must be tired from the ceremony today, so please sleep here. I will sleep in another room,” he said.

Noel spoke quietly and was about to leave her room, when he felt her footsteps behind his back and a small hand pulling the hem of his robe.

“...Don’t go,” she said weakly.

Not only her voice, but the hand pulling on him seemed to be weak.

Noel could not move. Slowly, he turned his head towards her.

Irene, who barely managed to grab the hem of his robe, lowered her head.

“…you don’t have to go.”

 “Is that okay with you?”

“Yeah… if you sleep in another room right now, I’m sure word will get out… I know well that he and you aren’t on good terms.” Irene shook her head sincerely.

Of course, she was embarrassed that she had been suddenly thrown into this situation at night, but because he was Noel, she knew better than anyone else that he wasn’t the kind of person who would do things selfishly and without asking her. She was able to trust and hold on to him because of that.

“...all right. Then I won’t go. Instead, Irene, you sleep in bed. I will sleep on the sofa.”

Noel said, pointing to the sofa in the corner of the room. It was wide enough for two people to rest on, but for some reason, it looked too small for Noel to lie down on.

“But wouldn’t the sofa be uncomfortable? You must be tired today too...”

“It’s okay, so don’t worry. You must be tired, so go to sleep.”

“Ah, okay… Then excuse me.”

Though he was uncomfortable, he could not force himself to say so. So Irene went up to bed and lay down. Wearing a slip, a robe, then a blanket to cover herself made her feel a little stuffy.

Likewise, Noel laid himself on the sofa. As Irene feared, the sofa was shorter than Noel, but he managed to settle down on it.

There was silence after the lights went out. As if he could hear her breathing, Irene held her breath and exhaled faintly. For her to be so conscious of Noel like this – she thought it would be better to sleep than worry about him.

However, she just could not fall asleep even when she closed her eyes after a while.

I can’t sleep...

Sleeping almost felt like a joke. How could she when he was so bright a few metres from her. She rummaged around a few times, but far from nodding off, the sound of the blanket ruffling was annoying.

Worried about waking him up, Irene could not move much and moaned softly in frustration. In the silence, Noel heard her voice.

“Irene.”

Hearing his voice suddenly, Irene stiffened in surprise and then asked quietly.

“Yes?”

“Can’t fall asleep?”

“...Yes. How about Noel?”

“Likewise.”

Hearing he was in the same predicament; Irene rolled her eyes thinking of what to do. It was to find a solution. After a moment of silence, Noel spoke again.

“Since we both cannot sleep, would you like a glass of wine?”

“Yes? Ah ...”

At Noel’s words, Irene remembered the wine on the table. Although the alcohol content was low, it seemed like she would be able to fall asleep quickly after drinking it.

“Yes. I would like that.”

With a rustling sound in response to Irene’s answer, Noel lit a candle and set it on the table. The light of an arahant candle dimmed the room and their immediate surroundings glowed faintly.

At this moment, Irene got up, gathered the gown to the end of her neck, and headed to the table.

“Do you like wine?”

As Irene sat down, Noel asked, pouring a little wine into the glass. Irene shook her head.

“I don't know much about wine. I know how to drink though.”

“It’s a wine that emphasises sweetness, so you won’t have any problems.”

“Yes.”

After hearing Noel’s explanation, Irene took a moment to smell its aroma. Then she sipped the, the colour slightly staining her lips. Certainly, as Noel said, instead of the bitter taste of alcohol, it was full of a unique sweet fruity flavour. Thus, she could drink it without any difficulty.

“Are you okay?”

 “Yes. it’s delicious,” she smiled, the pleasant taste lingered as she swallowed. “Drink too, Noel.”

At Irene’s words, Noel also drank a sip of wine. In truth, he did not like to drink sweet wine, but for some reason, this time he really liked it.

“How is it?”

 “Great.”

 “That’s a relief.”

After that, Irene sipped the wine a few more times. She also ate the fruit in between. Noel no longer put his mouth on the glass and just watched her move; small and nimble.

Irene turned her head to look at Noel when she felt his line of sight on her as she drank from her glass.