I Want To Die One Day Before You - Chapter 46
“I may be a bastard, but don’t talk like that. It would upset my mother.”
Iruel chuckled as he gulped down the liquor Rufus handed him.
A squeak echoed from somewhere, the sound of a rat.
“To your eyes, I might seem like the product of an affair, but my mother’s love was genuine. Though her choice was rubbish.”
Rufus watched Iruel, who was nonchalantly drinking and laughing.
Staring at Iruel’s face stirred a violent impulse in him, one he never had before.
In his past life, Iruel often talked fondly of his mother. Rufus, also without parents, had sympathized and shared various stories with him. Yet, he never expected such betrayal.
Thinking of the troubles Iruel caused made his blood boil.
“So, you didn’t actually call me here just to talk about women, did you?”
Iruel snatched the bottle from Rufus’s hand and started chugging from it.
“Why did you call me? Get to the point before I get drunk.”
“I have a woman I love.”
Pthh!
Iruel spat out the liquor he was drinking.
“What did you say?”
“I said, I have a woman I love.”
“You called me here to talk about a woman?”
“Yes.”
Iruel coughed and raised his head, looking at Rufus as if he were a disgusting insect.
“Already talking about women when you barely have a beard…”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, just a bit envious. So, who is she? Your fiancée?”
“I proposed, but I haven’t received an answer yet.”
“Bold of you. They say proposing before going to war often leads to death on the battlefield…”
As Iruel was about to lift the bottle again, he realized Rufus hadn’t yet taken a sip.
“Oops, I’ve been drinking it all. Want the rest?”
“Why would I drink something tainted with your spit?”
“Harsh. We’re going to share meals and sleep together as squadmates, after all.”
Iruel checked the remaining liquor in the bottle, then gulped it down again.
“So, is she pretty?”
“What?”
“Your lover.”
“Yeah.”
“That was quick. How pretty is she?”
“That’s none of your business.”
Rufus shifted the conversation coldly.
“As you know, I can only return to her once the war is over.”
“Sure.”
Iruel wiped his liquor-stained mouth with his sleeve. Rufus glanced at him and continued.
“If things continue like this, the campaign might drag on for years.”
“Of course, demons are no easy foes.”
“And I can’t afford to wait that long.”
“I get it. Your pretty lover might get tired of waiting and turn to another man. Scary thought.”
“No, that’s not what I’m worried about.”
Rufus frowned, his elbow resting on his knee.
“The problem is her master might start abusing her while I’m away. I’m worried she might get hurt.”
Her master?
Iruel put down the bottle he was drinking from.
“Wait, where does your lover work?”
“In Princess Sordid’s palace.”
“So, she’s a the princess’s aide?”
“No, a maid.”
“Wow, this is getting interesting. Suddenly the liquor tastes sweeter.”
Iruel, continuously expressing his astonishment, began chewing on some jerky he pulled from his pocket.
“So, you’re saying you’re in a relationship with the princess’s maid?”
“We’re not exactly in any relationship yet.”
“What? But you proposed. Do young people these days propose before even dating?”
“It just happened that way.”
Rufus mumbled vaguely and glanced at his pocket watch. About ten minutes had passed since Iruel started drinking.
The effects of the drug should start showing soon.
Rufus turned towards Iruel.
“Now, let’s hear about your woman.”
“Me? Sure, I’ve got plenty of stories. Want to hear about the time I almost got scalded to death in bed with a woman?”
“Not that nonsense. Let’s talk about your mother.”
Iruel paused, his hand freezing unnaturally on the bottle.
“Why are you bringing up my mother?”
“Because your mother is a remarkable individual.”
“My mother is dead.”
Iruel spoke with a hint of sarcasm.
“My mother left me with Viscount Eustice when I was seven. Then she died.”
That was the story known to the public.
But the truth was different. Iruel’s mother hadn’t died.
Because.
“The witch, Odr.”
Rufus, chin propped on his hand, stared at Iruel across the table.
“The witch serving the Demon King. That’s your mother, isn’t it?”
