Chapter 4
The female owner welcoming the two men with a bright smile had a face that remained unchanged in its beauty even after ten years. She was remarkably ageless. There were numerous rumors about her—that she was a great nobleman’s second wife, a concubine, or no, the madam of a famous brothel, or a witch—yet through the years, the owner had always remained just as she was. Despite countless rumors, she had steadfastly run the pub alone as a woman.
“Have you been well?”Â
Blair asked about her wellbeing with a slight smile.
“I’m just someone stuck in this place, nothing special happens to me. But you two must be busy with various state affairs. Have you been well?”
“You’d think after aging this much your tongue would have dulled a bit. Yet that silver tongue of yours never seems to die.”
Aaron grumbled, chiding the owner. Though his words were reproachful, Aaron was very fond of this place and its owner. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“This is how I’ve survived and still make my living as a merchant, so how could I let it dull? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you too, Lord Blair. You should visit more often.”
The owner smiled warmly at Aaron and Blair, her eyes curving into round crescents. Her manner of speech combined with her ageless appearance created a curious atmosphere.
“It has been a while.”
Blair met the female owner’s eyes and smiled serenely. With his well-developed intuition, Blair occasionally sensed something peculiar about her. He felt it now as well. Nevertheless, Blair liked this place. She was a truly mysterious woman every time he saw her, and this was a remarkably comfortable place whenever he visited.
“It has been a long time. I believe I first met you before you even came of age, and now you’ve grown up like this. I’m surprised every time I see you.”
“That’s quite an embarrassing compliment coming from someone whose face remains identical whether it’s ten years ago or now.”
Blair laughed comfortably. The owner had a talent for putting people at ease. Blair preferred Lily’s unadorned honesty to the countless people who served up flattery. Blair smiled and spoke:
“Today, please guide us to a private room.”
“Oh, would you like to be seated in a separate room today?”
Lily, who was guiding the two, asked again.
“Yes. Today I don’t want to drink in such a noisy atmosphere.”
“Certainly.”
At Blair’s request, the owner led the two with light, soundless footsteps. The two-story pub made of natural wood had gained a certain charm with age. She guided them into a quiet room. Once inside the soundproof room, both men relaxed their postures slightly. The owner, who followed them in, closed the door.
“Well then, would you like to order now?”
“Of course. First, bring us three bottles of 50-year-old Hoberlon.”
Aaron answered the owner’s question with bravado.
“Three bottles of 50-year-old Hoberlon? Even if you’re off tomorrow, that seems excessive. Why don’t you order something else along with it?”
The owner tilted her head and questioned.
“I’ve come determined to empty this friend’s pockets completely today, so don’t worry. I’ll boost your sales substantially before we leave, just trust me. I’ll raise your sales for a whole month!”
“Hohoho, then I’ll put my trust in you, Lord Aaron.”
“That’s right, just trust me.”
Aaron puffed out his chest and spoke loudly. Lily burst into laughter at his exaggerated behavior.
“Why should I trust you? I’m the one paying, so she should trust me.”
Now in a private space, Blair’s manner of speaking became more relaxed as well. As Blair removed the cape from his shoulders and set it down, he added more to the order.
“Since neither of us has eaten yet, bring various appetizers and something substantial. As you heard, three bottles of Hoberlon, and also bring a mix of different brands of brandy and whiskey. Dry snacks and honey-preserved fruits too.”
“Yes, understood. It seems both of you plan to drown yourselves in alcohol today.”
“Days like this are necessary sometimes.”
“Indeed. I’ll prepare everything right away.”
The female owner smiled sweetly and closed the door quietly as she withdrew, allowing Blair and Aaron to lean back more comfortably against their seats. Candles burning in the room spread a soft fragrance. It was a scent that helped people relax.
“That woman truly doesn’t age. It’s remarkable.”
Blair murmured.
“I know, right? I somewhat agree with the theory that the owner here is a vampire. Surely she must be using some kind of magic? Perhaps bathing in the blood of young men and women, or going to graveyards to wail and eat the livers of young corpses… Or maybe she really is a witch who sucks the vital energy from men. Hmm, it seems entirely possible.”
“What on earth are you thinking?”
Blair laughed loudly at the absurd remarks. The soft sound filled the room. This friend always had unpredictable ideas. That’s what made him such a pleasant and good friend.
“These are actually rumors surrounding the owner here. They’re all over the capital. You’re the only one who doesn’t know, just you.”
Aaron protested as if wronged by Blair’s reproach.
“The most plausible theory is that she sucks the vital energy from young men. Young men who are enchanted by that face and sleep with her have their vitality stolen, and Lily maintains her youth and beauty with that life force. Think about it. When we first met her, she must have been at least thirty, right? She couldn’t have been in her twenties to own such an establishment. But more than ten years have passed since then. A woman over forty can’t look like that.”
Aaron, quite caught up in the excitement, babbled on about various things. Blair, who found his chattering amusing, smiled appropriately and played along.
“You must have been reading a lot of popular novels circulating among the common people lately.”
“They’re entertaining, I tell you. Should I give you one? They’re quite good to read when you’re bored. The writing is excellent. I’d like to hire the author and request them to write something just for me.”
“Oh my, really? What’s the title? It sounds fascinating. If you have extra copies, please bring one for me too.”
No one had noticed her enter, but the female owner was standing there with a tray of bottles, smiling brightly as she addressed Aaron. Her eyes, like black pearls, sparkled. Aaron, startled, responded with alarm:
“Eek! When did you come in?”
Aaron gripped the chair and quickly drew back. Lily gave him a sidelong glance as she entered the room and began setting the food on the table.
“Probably around the vampire part?”
“If you came in, you should have made some noise!”
“I did! Lord Blair saw me coming!”
At the owner’s protest, Aaron sharply turned his head to glare at Blair. Aaron, with his back to the door, couldn’t have seen, but Blair, facing the door directly, could see Lily completely. Blair, who had been watching the owner enter from the beginning, smiled slightly as he opened the bottle the owner handed him. As he pulled out the cork, the aroma instantly tickled his nostrils.
“If you saw Lily coming in, you should have told me right away!”
Blair, caught in the crossfire, was grabbed by the collar and shaken by Aaron. Laughing, Blair poured the amber-colored liquor into a crystal glass.
“Please, behave yourselves.”
The female owner spoke as if they were hopeless. She pushed canapés and light snacks toward the two men.
“I’ll bring the main food a little later. I just placed the order in the kitchen. And today, please drink slowly and don’t overdo it. If both of you gentlemen get completely drunk this time, I won’t call a carriage for you, so keep that in mind and drink moderately.”
“Hmm, I can’t promise that.”
Blair smiled mischievously as he stroked his smooth chin. Whenever he came to this pub, he felt at ease. The tension that had been tightly strung throughout his body gently unwound.
“You know as well as I do. There’s no place as comfortable as this.”
At Blair’s words, the female owner gave him a playful sidelong glance.
“Really, if only you couldn’t speak, I wouldn’t dislike you. Since you said such nice things, I’ll take care of you just for today.”
“That’s why I like Lily.”
“I like you too, Lord Blair.”
The female owner, whose age remained impossible to guess, smiled sweetly before placing all the bottles on the table and disappearing. Even when Kyle, who used to accompany Blair constantly, stopped coming, she never asked any questions. Lily was quite a good conversationalist and someone worth getting attached to.
Blair was someone who always had to live with extreme tension. Countless people followed his every move. It had been a long time since he had drunk with someone trustworthy in a good place. A gentle smile spread across Blair’s previously rigid face.
“If only I could have liked a woman like her, it would have been better.”
Blair, who downed the amber-colored brandy in his crystal glass in one go, muttered quietly.
“What did you say?”
Aaron, who was pouring a drink into his own glass to match Blair’s pace, looked at him, catching the words that had slipped out.
“Just what I said. I was thinking that if I had liked a woman like Lily, it wouldn’t have been this difficult. She’s clever and pretty, with a friendly personality, isn’t that nice?”
“Come off it. What are you talking about, that witch-like woman? I admit she’s pretty, but I’m not sure about the good personality. Though she certainly has many talents.”
“She’s a good woman by any measure.”
Blair smiled, defending Lily.
“When we talk about a good woman, we obviously mean someone like my Sophia.”
Aaron, not missing the opportunity, began listing his wife’s virtues. Blair, who had grown thoroughly tired of this long ago, cut him off immediately.
“Save your doting for when you get home.”
Blair shook his head and looked at Aaron with exasperation.
“By the way, what wind has suddenly blown your way?”
Aaron, who had been chuckling, stopped laughing and asked in a serious tone. Like Blair, he knocked back his brandy straight, then looked at Blair with eyes devoid of humor.
[To be continued in the next part…]
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
