Chapter 48
Chapter 48. Different Dreams in the Same Bed (3)
The sun had climbed to its zenith.
A ray of direct sunlight streaming through a gap in the curtains struck her eyes just right, forcing Serena into an unwanted awakening.
"Ugh... so bright..."
Was it because she'd drunk herself silly all night?
"Water, waaater..."
Her throat was parched.
Her stomach churned, and her head throbbed as if a bell were ringing inside her skull.
On top of that, why was the back of her neck so stiff? It felt like someone had chopped it hard with the edge of their hand.
It had been so long since she'd overindulged that she'd completely forgotten.
Alcohol is the devil's gift.
It leaves behind the price of a hangover in exchange for momentary pleasure.
"Miss Serena, did you call?"
As she groaned under the covers, Head Maid Martha entered.
"Oh my, just smell that alcohol. We need to air this out."
"Ugh, Martha... don't open the window..."
"I can't do that, Miss. If I leave it like this, I'll even end up drunk as a skunk."
Serena squirmed against the intensifying sunlight and mumbled.
"Martha, my head feels like it's splitting..."
"Well, whose fault is it for drinking so recklessly? Here, I brought some cool water, so drink up."
"Don't want to... don't want to move."
"Just staying like that will only keep your head hurting. Come on now."
Martha had worked for the Renoir Family since before Serena was even born, making her almost like an aunt.
Martha urged her on, patting Serena's bottom as she whined.
Gulp, gulp.
Barely managing to sit up, Serena gulped down the water Martha handed her.
The cool water with lemon slices washed away the stale taste in her mouth, finally giving her some relief.
"Haah... Thank you, Martha. You saved my life."
"Think nothing of it."
Serena was a proper young lady, not a child anymore.
If she'd shown herself suffering from a hangover like some drunkard on a regular basis, she would have gotten an earful from Martha.
But today, Martha only looked at Serena with pity, offering no particular scolding.
Just as Serena thought of Martha like an aunt, Martha regarded Serena like a niece.
Having held and raised her since infancy, their relationship might even go beyond that.
It was the fate of noble families, but Martha found it heartbreaking that Serena was suffering over an arranged marriage.
"I've made some onion soup, so come out and settle your stomach."
"Thank you, Martha."
And so Martha left the room.
Serena sat perched on the bed, gazing at the chiffon curtains fluttering in the breeze.
"..."
Such a pleasant breeze.
Why was the afternoon so leisurely and languid?
If only her splitting head didn't hurt, she'd want to just lie down and take a lazy nap...
What was it?
This unsettled feeling, like finishing assembling a machine only to have one screw left over.
"I feel like I'm forgetting something important... Huh?"
Now that she thought about it.
She definitely remembered meeting Jurgen in the reception room last night...
So why was she waking up in her bedroom?
Starting with that question, the fragmented film of her memories began piecing itself together.
She'd definitely met with Jurgen alone in the reception room...
'Wh-who said I wanted to be born into a Viscountcy! If I'd been born into a prestigious family, I would've lived well too, living it up!'
"Ah."
The highlight reel from last night began playing in Serena's mental theater.
'I don't want it, I don't want any of it... I especially hate nobles. I hate them more than spiders... Waaaah!!!'
The memory of whining in front of Jurgen like a little child.
'Waaah!! Then you should take responsibility, Lord Jurgen! If you saved me, you should take responsibility all the way!!'
And as if that weren't enough, clinging to his pant leg in disgrace!
'Why not! I'm pretty, aren't I?! I'll even pretend not to notice if you keep seeing Lady Penelope on the side!'
To make matters worse, her declaration of 'Being second is fine!'
'It's okay! There's a saying that drunk words are honest words! I am drunk, but I'm being sincere! I'll propose right now! Lord Jurgen! Please marry me!'
A proposal and senseless threats that wouldn't appear even in a trashy third-rate romance novel!
Confronted with all those memories, Serena's choice was swift.
—Thud!
Serena immediately banged her forehead against the bed canopy post.
Everyone lives with at least one embarrassing memory, but even dark history has its limits.
"Ugh... Ughhhhh!!!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
But far from fading, the memories only became clearer.
Jurgen's bewildered reaction and her own runaway behavior like a derailed train kept replaying endlessly.
"Forget it! Be forgotten! Why, why on earth did I do such a thing...?!"
Of course, it wasn't as if she'd never thought that marrying Jurgen would be better than being married off to someone whose face she didn't even know, someone with whom she had only terrible memories in the capital.
After all, she at least knew him, and it was true that he'd looked cool when he appeared to save Serena at the moment she'd given up everything.
But that was only in her imagination.
Because Jurgen already had Penelope as his lover, didn't he?
"Wh-wh-wh-what do I do?"
This wasn't something that would just end with embarrassment.
"What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?!"
For Jurgen, it might just be a simple incident.
It would just be Serena embarrassing herself alone.
But from Penelope's perspective?
'What? What did you just say?'
'Serena... proposed to you?'
From Penelope's position, Serena had proposed to her lover, Jurgen.
Serena had tried to steal that Penelope's lover.
A love affair.
Among the vicious social circle rumors, the most terrible incidents all originated from love affairs.
"Eeeek!"
Serena was gripped by cosmic horror.
"I-I should go right now and explain it was a misunderstanding..."
How would Penelope react to this misunderstanding?
No matter what, they'd spent time together, so she wouldn't go as far as harming her, would she?
"If I explain it was all a mistake... Ah..."
As she mulled over how to explain this situation well, Serena suddenly realized.
"A mistake..."
At first, she'd thought it was just a mistake made while drunk.
But the more she mulled it over, the clearer it became.
It wasn't a mistake.
Last night's incident was absolutely not something that came out just because she was drunk.
Of course, it was a mistake to have blurted out something resembling a proposal in such an unsightly manner.
But underneath that lay the calculation of 'marrying Jurgen to escape the arranged marriage.'
Serena had even clung to him saying things like 'being second is fine,' knowing full well they were in a relationship.
Had that really been an idea that popped up on the spot in that moment?
The answer to that...
"It wasn't..."
Serena herself knew better than anyone.
Last night's disgrace was nothing but her base true feelings that had slipped out in a calculated yet unrefined manner.
'It wasn't just that one time...'
Looking back, it was the same when she'd visited Penelope to request consultation.
She'd secretly hoped Penelope would offer conditions good enough that she wouldn't have to get married.
Because Penelope had embraced Serena.
Because the time spent with her had been genuinely enjoyable.
Because she'd thought perhaps a friendship had blossomed between them.
She'd tried to use Penelope by holding that friendship hostage.
She'd hoped to win her sympathy and favor under the guise of 'seeking advice on troubles.'
"Ha... Haha..."
A hollow laugh escaped.
It was a bitter laugh mixed with self-mockery.
"Then... I'm... just the same..."
How was her current self any different from those who'd used Serena at the Academy?
With her mouth, she said she wanted to gain a 'real friend' who would treat each other sincerely.
Yet all she was actually thinking about was using their feelings.
How must Serena's transparent and shallow scheme have appeared to Penelope?
'You've really worked hard up till now. I'll compensate you for everything you've done.'
Now she finally understood Penelope's blade-sharp reaction.
Through the gaps between her fingers, the moments she'd spent with Penelope slipped past.
The moments they'd bickered, raising their voices at each other over trivial matters.
The moments she'd loitered around Penelope's room because even though she was annoying, when she wasn't around, Serena found herself strangely concerned.
The moments of walking after meals and lying side by side on Serena's personal sofa, taking afternoon naps.
Probably precious memories that would never come again.
"Friend..."
Something Serena had wanted so badly but couldn't hold in her hands.
Something she'd sneered at as nothing but an illusion.
And something she'd almost managed to obtain.
Perhaps Serena had cast aside friendship with her own two hands.
"I wasn't worthy..."
A single tear rolled down Serena's cheek.
***
Say what you will, but Nortaris was the center of the North, yet three powerful satellite cities existed as if to check that dominance.
Golden Hill for livestock, Riverport for harbors, Billstone for mining. Called the 'Northern Three Cities' or the 'North's Trident,' these three had one thing in common.
'No, what does our Riverport lack compared to those guys?'
'Nortaris? Honestly, until the Demon Realm cleanup, it was just a backwater, wasn't it?'
'The North's legitimacy lies with us in Golden Hill.'
They harbored old competitive feelings toward Nortaris.
Baron Keystone had exploited exactly this point.
To be frank, with his influence alone, it would be difficult to completely blockade Cola's advance into the North.
For such coercion to be possible, he'd need at least the Count Rosemore Family to move.
But if he used regional sentiment, the story changed.
The official name: 'Emergency Ordinance for Prevention of Reckless Market Disruption by External Low-Price Beverages and Protection of Local Commercial Districts'
Too long, so everyone shortened it to the Cola Emergency Ordinance.
The name and justification were flashy, but ultimately it exploited the consensus that 'we don't like Nortaris companies crossing into our market as they please.'
This ordinance that ignited territorial hostility quickly passed in the Northern Three Cities, and for the fledgling company Y&P Trading Company with no backing, it functioned as an insurmountable Wailing Wall.
Coincidentally, the geographic positions of the three cities also formed a shape that enclosed Nortaris.
As long as they sealed this tight, it meant Cola would have difficulty escaping beyond Nortaris.
But in truth, at this point.
Baron Keystone had largely lost interest in Cola.
More precisely, should one say something more interesting than Cola had appeared?
"How is it? Not so easy, is it? Jurgen?"
[Indeed, your capabilities are outstanding enough to boast about]
The commoner currently on the phone, Jurgen, the hidden contributor to Y&P.
"It's not too late yet. How about making a declaration of surrender even now? My offer is still valid."
Very rarely, such individuals appear.
Beings who, despite not being born with good bloodlines and good environments, display genius-level ability in a specific field.
Beings who devour limitations of status with overwhelming ability.
Baron Keystone's intuition told him that Jurgen was such a man.
"I've never courted anyone this desperately in my life."
[Oh ho, were you handsome in your youth?]
"Hehe, I'm still presentable even now, aren't I?"
[...]
He even found himself chuckling at a joke that would have made him bristle if anyone else had said it.
A feeling like 'Of course, a young man should have at least that much spirit.'
But when taming a wild horse, letting it run wild isn't always the answer.
"Jurgen, at this point, no matter how much Y&P Trading Company struggles, you can't break through this barrier. As I said before, you people have no power whatsoever, do you?"
All of Y&P's attempts to break through the regulations through various means had ended in frustration.
He'd given them time to struggle until they were exhausted.
Now it was slowly time to prepare the ultimatum.
"When I was young, I was quite the ladies' man. Still am."
[...Hmm, honestly hard to believe]
"Enough jokes, the point is I won't always be looking only at you."
[Are you saying I should decide my course of action soon?]
"Precisely."
The silence beyond the receiver lengthened.
[Should I assume the previous offer is still valid? That Viscountcy recommendation letter]
"Of course. It's still valid for now."
[You wouldn't regret the recommendation letter? It would be troublesome if you suddenly changed your words]
Keystone rejoiced.
Because Jurgen finally seemed to be showing signs of yielding.
"I promise on my honor."
[Very well then]
"Finally, we're seeing eye to eye. Come to Golden Hill by tomorrow. We need to discuss future plans."
Jurgen would become a fine horse to pull the carriage called Keystone Company.
Putting good horseshoes on those hooves was something he could easily do.
Baron Keystone's beaming expression cracked.
[You'll probably be the one coming this way]
"What?"
[In these matters, doesn't the desperate side usually come?]
Had he still not submitted?
Or was he still unable to grasp the situation?
There was no need to be docile.
Knowing how to maintain appropriate pride was also important.
Because it meant he had that much competitive spirit.
But refusing to face reality to maintain petty pride wasn't competitive spirit but foolishness.
[You haven't been contacted yet? I thought it was about time.]
"Stop spouting such nonsense."
He needed to give him a harsh taste of the whip here.
If he didn't break this bad habit quickly, it would cause problems for future cooperation.
Baron Keystone was thinking this when—
"Baron!"
His aide came running helter-skelter into the office.
The Baron wrinkled his face in irritation.
"Can't you see I'm on a call?"
"Th-that's not the problem."
"What could be so urgent?"
"G-G-Golden Hill... in Golden Hill... massive amounts of Cola are being distributed...!"
"What?"
"From what we've confirmed so far, easily tens of thousands of bottles!"
He should have sealed off Cola's distribution almost airtight.
Yet Cola had appeared in Golden Hill, which could be called a key stronghold of Keystone Company?
How did they get past all those regulations?
Was that even physically possible?
Amid the dazed feeling of being struck on the head.
[I told you. The desperate side will come first.]
A sly voice laced with laughter came through the receiver.