Chapter : 38
The Bachelor Encounters Yet Again
“Whoa, this is delicious!”
“Right?”
Ludwig exclaimed in surprise after taking a sip of the frozen daiquiri.
It was a reaction I had expected, but seeing someone genuinely amazed by how good it tasted made the corners of my mouth lift unconsciously.
“I didn’t know there was such a cold and tasty cocktail! And to think you make it using magic like that—amazing.”
“Thanks.”
“My name’s Ludwig Luren. May I ask yours?”
“Now that you mention it, I don’t know your name either.”
“If you’ve been coming here several times already, you should at least know that much.”
Ludwig shot back immediately when I mumbled that thought aloud.
“…Elsie.”
“Elsie, huh? That’s a nice name.”
Ludwig repeated her name softly, as if savoring it.
He was clearly smitten by Elsie’s good looks.
That said, since he already had a wife named Ilya, I doubted he was serious about it.
“And what’s your name?”
“Hm? Me?”
“I don’t know yours either.”
Come to think of it, I’d never actually introduced myself to Elsie before.
“Zilk Luren.”
“The same Luren who made that magical refrigerator?”
At my reply, Elsie’s eyes widened slightly — the biggest display of emotion I’d ever seen from her.
“That’s right.”
“I really owe you. Thanks to you, I can make drinks easily now without using magic every time.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I just made it to make my own life easier.”
“You don’t boast about it much, do you?”
“If I went around bragging about everything I made, I’d never get any rest.”
“True. Refrigerators are everywhere these days anyway.”
She was right. If I reacted to every word of thanks about that invention, my whole day would be gone before I knew it.
I’d heard those words countless times already, and by now, they barely registered.
“But you two—don’t really look alike for brothers, do you?”
Elsie tilted her head slightly as she looked between me and Ludwig.
She must have guessed it from our shared family name.
“He’s my brother-in-law.”
“Oh, I see.”
Elsie nodded in understanding.
Good. The misunderstanding was cleared up. The last thing I wanted was to be mistaken as Ludwig’s brother.
“Zilk’s terrible, you know? He’s the eldest son, but he won’t even get married and leaves all the family affairs to his younger brother!”
Ludwig, now in high spirits, started saying unnecessary things.
To my surprise, Elsie actually listened carefully, giving him her full attention.
She was normally quiet and stoic, so seeing her properly tending to a chatty customer like that was unexpected.
Apparently, she could handle talkative patrons just fine.
I felt like I’d just discovered a new side of her.
While Ludwig’s chatter went in one ear and out the other, I took another sip of my frozen daiquiri—just as the bar door opened.
It was the first time I’d seen someone else come in, so I glanced over out of curiosity.
Standing there was a familiar man.
“Oh, Zilk! Didn’t expect to see you here. You’re a regular too?”
“Not really. I’ve only started coming recently.”
The man who sat beside me with a friendly smile was Eight.
“So you come here too, Eight…”
“I’m as surprised as you are. Didn’t think I’d run into you here as well.”
It was rare enough that we’d bumped into each other by the lake before, and now again in the capital city?
“Well, we’re both bachelors. Maybe we think alike.”
“That might be true.”
Eight’s words made perfect sense.
Both of us were at an age where most men were long married, yet still single.
Naturally, the places that free-spirited bachelors favored were bound to overlap.
“What’s this? Someone you know, Zilk?”
While I was nodding along, Ludwig—still talking to Elsie—looked over curiously, clearly intrigued.
“This is my friend, Eight.”
“Huh? We’re friends?”
“Come on! We’ve met several times and shared coffee together, haven’t we!?”
When I voiced my simple question, Eight looked genuinely hurt.
In my mind, he was more of an acquaintance who shared a few similar interests, but apparently, he saw it differently.
“All right then. I’ll add you to that list.”
“You’re so cold sometimes, Zilk.”
“You, on the other hand, are way too familiar. You even mooched food off me once.”
“That’s because you were eating something that looked way too good!”
While we were trading barbs, Ludwig’s eyes suddenly welled up.
“Hey, Ludwig. Why are you crying?”
Had anything we said just now been tear-worthy?
He’d barely had one drink—seemed early for his emotions to loosen up.
“…Zilk, you actually have a friend.”
“What?”
“With that personality of yours, I honestly thought you didn’t have a single friend. But I’m glad. You’ve got someone besides me.”
“…Ludwig, can I punch you?”
“Hey, hey, don’t be mad. He’s just worried about you, that’s all.”
Eight laughed awkwardly, stopping me before I could act.
“Maybe, but that’s still way too insulting.”
I was enjoying my single life, but that didn’t mean I was friendless.
“That just means you’ve acted in a way that makes people worry. Have you ever introduced Ludwig to any of your friends?”
“…No.”
“Then no wonder he misunderstood.”
Eight’s calm reasoning made me relent a little.
I’d never reported my social life to my family—including Ludwig.
Maybe next time, I’d tell them about Eight and the others, just to clear things up.
Being seen as some lonely hermit was the last thing I wanted.
“What’ll you have?”
At that perfect moment, Elsie spoke up to break the awkward air.
“Gin and tonic.”
“I’ll have the same.”
“Got it.”
Since my daiquiri was already gone, I ordered the same as Eight.
Elsie began preparing them with smooth, practiced motions.
“By the way, didn’t you bring Mariela with you today?”
“Huh? Today?”
Eight frowned slightly, sensing something in my tone.
“I saw you with her at the central market not long ago.”
“Ah, you saw that.”
At my words, Eight looked a little embarrassed.
“What’s this? A woman?”
“Yeah, a member of my party—”
Before he could finish, Ludwig jumped in eagerly.
He loved this kind of gossip.
With shining eyes, he pressed Eight for details, and Eight gave him a light explanation about Mariela and their relationship.
Meanwhile, I just sipped the gin and tonic Elsie handed me, half-listening.
I already knew the gist of it.
Ah, crisp and refreshing. The faint citrus bitterness lingering on the tongue was perfect.
“So, you’ve been spending time with her lately?”
“Yeah.”
“You seemed much calmer with her than when you two were by the lake.”
When I’d seen them before, Eight had seemed overwhelmed by Mariela’s passionate affection—somewhat awkward and hesitant.
But when I saw them recently at the market, the atmosphere between them was far more settled.
Even now, the way he talked about her didn’t sound unpleasant.
“Actually, Zilk, I’ve been meaning to ask—did you say something to Mariela?”
“What’s this? Did you run your mouth again with some woman, Zilk?”
Ludwig jumped in, eager to scold me. That accusation again—unfair as always.
I ignored him.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well, she’s been a little different since that day…”
“How so?”
“She’s… different from other women now. Being with her doesn’t feel tiring anymore. It’s… comfortable. Like I can just be myself.”
“Then that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
Apparently, Mariela had taken my advice and managed to get along better with Eight.
“Still, it’s got me curious.”
Understandably. Anyone would notice when a woman they’d been spending time with suddenly changed her demeanor.
“I just told her that she was handling her distance with a freedom-loving bachelor wrong.”
“I see… that makes sense.”
Since Mariela had confided in me, I didn’t go into detail, only giving him a broad explanation.
Eight seemed surprised but oddly satisfied.
“Still, she must be a good person if she could actually take your advice and make it work.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Zilk.”
He thanked me briefly, clearly realizing for himself that it was only because Mariela respected and cared for him.
“So it’s finally marriage for you, huh, Eight!?”
“…Marriage, huh. Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.”
Ludwig had just meant to tease, but Eight responded seriously, his tone earnest.
Even Ludwig looked stunned.
Was Eight actually considering marrying Mariela?
After being single for so long, was he really thinking about it now?
This was bad. My newly made friend was about to stray from the path of bachelorhood.
He must’ve been a little tipsy and not thinking clearly.
“…Elsie, Eight’s saying some dangerous things. Got anything to sober him up?”
I asked out of pure goodwill—but for some reason, Elsie gave me a cold, disapproving look.
