Vol 3. Chapter 44: The Drunken Girl
"Sigh... I really shouldn't have let this girl drink..."
Yumo let out a helpless sigh.
To be honest, Miss Yumo was feeling quite regretful now.
Originally, because Mengxi had been acting far too intimate with her, Yumo couldn't help wondering if the girl had figured something out—her true identity, for example.
If Mengxi had already guessed who she really was...
And she was still foolishly acting out her role...
Wouldn't that be unbearably embarrassing? Social death at its finest?
'No, no, absolutely not!'
So...
To avoid such a disaster, Yumo decided she had to find out what Mengxi was really thinking.
There was no way she'd torture such an adorable girl into confessing, of course.
Thus, while they were at the banquet's food area, Yumo came up with what she considered a brilliantly clever idea~
That was...
To trick Miss Mengxi into drinking~
After all, there was an old saying from China:
"Wine loosens the tongue."
As long as she got Mengxi drunk, she could take the opportunity to learn what the girl truly thought.
Besides, Yumo possessed an extremely high resistance to abnormal conditions. Getting drunk herself was practically impossible.
If she simply accompanied Mengxi and drank a few more glasses with her, getting the girl intoxicated shouldn't be difficult at all.
And so, Yumo strolled through the garden together with Mengxi while leisurely sampling the fine wine sent by the Crimson Leaf Empire.
Reality, however, proved that...
Miss Yumo had seriously overestimated Mengxi's alcohol tolerance.
'This girl's tolerance is ridiculously low!'
It wasn't even particularly strong wine.
Yet after one glass, Mengxi was already dizzy.
After two glasses, the world was spinning.
And after the third...
She simply collapsed unconscious straight into Yumo's arms.
For a brief moment, Miss Yumo stood there completely dumbfounded.
Mengxi had passed out cold.
In a state where she couldn't even move, let alone speak...
Forget about "drunken confessions."
The girl couldn't say a single word.
With no other choice, the helpless Miss Yumo carried Mengxi back to White Star Manor so she could personally take care of her.
At the same time, she couldn't help grumbling about how unreliable the members of the Asumos Church were.
The Child of Destiny had gotten herself completely drunk, yet every single one of them had somehow disappeared again?
Feeling rather conflicted, Yumo brought Mengxi back to her own room.
After all, leaving such a beautiful girl, one who was entirely incapable of resisting anyone, alone in the garden—or worse, in someone else's room—just didn't seem safe.
There were simply too many people with improper intentions...
She gently laid the thoroughly intoxicated silver-haired girl onto her own bed before sitting down beside the window, silently watching Mengxi in her drunken state.
Honestly...
'She somehow... looks even prettier like this...'
Yumo couldn't help sighing in admiration.
As the old saying went—
A beauty flushed with wine possesses a peach-blossom complexion, her shy smiles and gentle grace impossible to forget.
At this moment...
Miss Mengxi was almost exactly like that.
Already an incomparably beautiful young woman capable of stealing anyone's soul...
Once drunk, she became even more captivating.
Those jewel-like eyes, usually so bright, beautiful, and full of life, had become hazy and dreamlike, like an unfathomable spring whose depths could never be seen.
A delicate blush colored her snow-white cheeks.
Her normally neat silver hair had come loose in scattered strands.
The immaculate, untouchable aura of holiness surrounding her had softened, becoming tinged with an irresistible charm that made her even more alluring.
On top of that...
Perhaps because of the alcohol, waves of scorching heat radiated from the silver-haired girl.
Sweat poured from her body.
Her formal dress quickly became soaked through.
Overwhelmed by the heat, the girl couldn't help tugging at and tearing away pieces of her own clothing.
Before long, the once flawless dress had become tattered.
Through the ruined fabric, a dazzling body worthy of a goddess—smooth as carved jade, flawless, snow-white, exquisitely soft—peeked through in tantalizing glimpses before Yumo's eyes.
For a moment, the room was filled with an intoxicating springtime atmosphere.
It wasn't as though Yumo had never seen Mengxi's body before.
She had seen the girl completely naked more than once.
But the current Mengxi...
Her flushed face, the heat radiating from her body, the seductive aura constantly surrounding her, together with those increasingly tattered clothes...
Made her incomparably more tempting than before.
Even Miss Yumo, who believed she had long since grown accustomed to the sight, couldn't stop her own cheeks from turning faintly red.
At that moment...
Miss Yumo finally understood something.
Sometimes...
Being completely naked wasn't actually the most seductive state of all...
"Sigh... Calm down..."
Yumo silently took several deep breaths.
She was utterly speechless at the Child of Destiny's alcohol tolerance.
Yet while feeling speechless...
She also couldn't help feeling fortunate.
Thankfully she had brought Mengxi back to her own bedroom in time.
If the girl had entered this state in front of everyone...
That would've been a disaster.
"Mmm... mm... mmh..."
Meanwhile, soft little moans escaped Mengxi's lips from time to time.
Combined with the unbearable heat spreading through her body, she rolled restlessly across the bed, looking thoroughly uncomfortable.
Yumo couldn't help frowning.
Hm?
Don't tell me...
She actually drank herself into some kind of problem?
An alcohol allergy?
...Though that didn't seem like an allergic reaction.
Watching Mengxi's obvious discomfort, concern gradually surfaced within the black-haired girl's heart.
Yumo's natural instinct to care for others awakened once again.
Frowning, Miss Yumo slowly sat down on the edge of the bed beside Mengxi.
She gently placed a finger against the girl's forehead.
As faint ripples of the Power of Shadow of Silence spread outward...
A weak crimson glow slowly flickered at Yumo's fingertip.
Her power quickly enveloped Mengxi's body, performing a rough examination.
Only after confirming that Mengxi was merely drunk, with no other abnormalities whatsoever, did Yumo finally breathe a sigh of relief.
However...
When she looked at Mengxi's drenched and tattered clothing, Yumo pursed her lips again.
If she stays like this...
Won't she catch a cold?
And she looks so overheated...
I should help cool her down.
Besides...
If she's going to sleep...
She should at least sleep properly.
Looking at the Child of Destiny sprawled across her bed without the slightest trace of dignity, Miss Yumo sighed helplessly.
Then, with practiced ease, the black-haired girl untied Mengxi's dress, removing the sweat-soaked gown, the skirt beneath it, her shoes, and the alluring pair of pure white stockings.
Moments later...
Mengxi's slender waist, her full, rounded hips, and her smooth, delicate white abdomen lay completely exposed before Yumo without the slightest defense.
Aside from a thin set of underwear...
Not a single inch of her body remained covered.
Already thoroughly accustomed to such sights, Miss Yumo didn't entertain any strange thoughts.
Instead, she raised an eyebrow in mild surprise as she looked at Mengxi's underwear.
'This design...'
Isn't it the same one...
I dressed her in back in the Winter Forest?
It's even my favorite style...
So...
This girl's taste is actually pretty similar to mine?
Originally...
Yumo had intended to help Mengxi change her underwear as well and put her into a completely clean set of clothes for sleeping.
However...
Considering that this wasn't the childlike heroine from the Winter Forest who had constantly clung to her...
Yumo abandoned the idea.
Otherwise...
When Mengxi sobered up tomorrow...
She'd have no idea how to explain herself.
After removing the wet clothing, Yumo took out a towel and soaked it in Spirit Ice Elixir.
It was a medicinal liquid that carried a refreshing fragrance while helping reduce body temperature, dispel internal heat, and nourish the body.
She then carefully used the damp towel to wipe Mengxi's body.
As the sweat was gently cleaned away, the effects of the Spirit Ice Elixir were perfectly activated.
The scorching heat gradually faded.
Mengxi visibly calmed down.
Even the smell of alcohol vanished completely beneath the elixir's refreshing fragrance.
Mm~
Looks like it worked.
That should do for now.
'Have a good rest, little girl...'
Smiling softly, Yumo withdrew her hand and prepared to leave.
However...
Just as she was about to stand up—
Mengxi suddenly lifted her small hand and grabbed hold of Yumo's skirt.
At the same time, the half-conscious girl slowly parted her pink lips.
In a voice as gentle as a flowing stream, yet overflowing with reluctance and deep attachment, she murmured into Yumo's ears:
"S... Sis... Sister... D-Don't... don't go... Stay... stay with me a little longer..."
"..."
Hearing those words, Miss Yumo fell into brief silence.
Listening to that spoiled tone she had heard so often back in the little cabin...
Yumo couldn't help feeling nostalgic.
'When she's drunk... she's really just like a child...'