When Your Secret Crush Wizard Took a Love Potion - Chapter 44
The innkeeper led us to a nearby shop in the central square and, as a gesture of her appreciation, provided us with food and drink.
“Please, wizard, accept this as a token of my gratitude and enjoy to your heart’s content!”
Perhaps it was because I had known Edgar since I was as young as Oz. The Edgar of the past was driven by a peculiar sense of responsibility, always trying to shield me from harm.
That’s why I had never really drunk alcohol even after becoming an adult.
“Try it.”
Edgar suggested, his lips curving up when I glanced at him as if asking for permission. Right, the Edgar now had no intention of controlling me. My heart raced with a sense of mischief.
Cautiously, I took a sip, and the bitter liquid filled with the rich aroma of hops spread through my mouth.
“It’s delicious.”
I had no idea beer could be so tasty. Paired with the salty grilled sausages that came as snacks, the beer seemed endless. Suddenly, I realized I had emptied a beer stein as big as my head.
“You’re really enjoying it.”
Edgar noted, watching me drink with flushed cheeks. His own cheeks had subtly warmed up, perhaps the heat catching on.
The volcanic nature of the Bisanto Village area meant that even at night, it was not at all chilly. An occasional cool breeze was a relief to cooling my body from alcohol. As the night grew late, young Oz, who had been caught up among the adults, started to nod off.
“Sleepy, Oz?”
“Mmm, a little.”
The pale moon had been up for a while, and it was indeed late for a child. The innkeeper, holding Oz’s hand, got up and addressed us.
“We’re going to head in now. Please, enjoy yourselves as much as you like, adventurers.”
Despite it being deep into the night when everyone should have been asleep, the lights around the square showed no sign of dimming. I was still too caught up in the festive air.
“Another round, please.”
My face flushed, I gestured to the waiter with my empty beer stein. Edgar watched me, his expression unreadable.
He then raised his glass to his lips, gulping down his drink like someone parched.
His movement was abrupt, and as his robe that had been covering his face fell back. The moonlight starkly outlined his chiseled profile in shadow.
“What a beautiful moonlit night. May the blessings of the noble fairy king be upon you all!”
Suddenly, a bright laugh rang through the air as young women dressed in elaborate stage costumes walked around the square, handing out flowers to everyone. Under the bright moonlight, their singing made them seem like wind nymphs dancing through the leaves.
“How beautiful…”
Edgar’s eyebrow quirked up as he heard me mutter under my breath. Just as he was about to speak, the women distributing flowers approached our table.
“May blessings fall upon your future, traveler.”
The woman who approached had a sweet, fragrant smell. With her long chestnut hair braided and draped over one ear, she was the beautiful actress who had played the role of the fairy queen in the play earlier.
The other onlookers stepped aside as she came up to us, her eyes sparkling captivatingly as she looked straight at Edgar.
“Will you accept this?”
The face bare of the woman, who had shed her fairy queen’s solemnity role and instead looked fresh and demure like a shy girl. I recognized a similar gleam in her eyes, just like the awe I had often seen directed at Edgar due to his striking appearance.
It reminded me of the awe one might feel when seeing a beautifully intricate stained glass window for the first time. So it wasn’t particularly surprising or unfamiliar.
My discomfort started from Edgar accepting her flower.
As the woman smiled broadly and people around whistled and laughed or jeered, my head spun—perhaps due to the alcohol or perhaps because I could not easily accept what was happening in front of me. My thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
Was I not everything to Edgar, even in his potion-induced moments?
“Why…”
My voice quivered unintentionally. This wasn’t right. The impulse that I always tried to keep tightly leashed had slipped out.
“Why are you looking at another woman?”
I had believed there was no one but me. A liar, a teacher who lies, I blurted out my emotions wildly, my heart pounding as if it might burst through my ribs.
Only then did I realize what I had done.
“I mean, I… I am…”
It was then that a soft touch tickled my stammering lips.
