UDFLF CH 45

Chapter 45  

The log that had been used for arm-wrestling was quickly turned into a table.

Riana lined up cups on top of it. Every time she put on a performance mixing different kinds of alcohol together, the knights went wild with cheers.

Even the health freaks who never touched alcohol eventually gave in, one by one, until they were drunk and crawling around.
Curious, Gray ended up joining the line in front of her.

“Tch, no matter how you mix it, booze is just booze—”

Pfft.

He spat out the drink the moment it hit his tongue and glared at Riana.

She was a terrifying woman.

She had actually created a drink with the sole purpose of knocking people flat.

“Come on over! Step right up!”

Riana’s act got flashier as she went on.

At some point she had found a red vest to wear, and now even the way she handed drinks became part of the show.

“Here, take this.”

“Thank you!”

The knight who took the cup froze in confusion. He could have sworn it was full when she gave it to him, but now it was empty in his hand.

“How…?”

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t realize two cups were stacked together.”

Riana took the empty one back and handed him another.

“This time it’s real. Go ahead!”

“Ah, yes!”

But before he could grab it, she snatched it away at the last second, leaving him grabbing at air.

“…Seriously?”

“This time for real! I promise!”

Then, right in front of him, she deliberately poured the drink out—straight into another empty cup she had in her other hand.

“….”

“Hey, it’s just a joke, a joke. Here, I’ll really give it to you now.”

Watching from a distance, Gray shook his head in disbelief.

“Yeah, there’s definitely something wrong with her personality.”

Armed with flashy tricks and dangerously strong drinks that preyed on a knight’s competitive spirit, Riana had the entire campsite down in no time.

The only people left standing were her—the mastermind—and Gray, who hadn’t fallen for her trap.

“….”

“….”

The two remaining “survivors” locked eyes. The only other thing moving was the flickering campfire.

Then a small groaning sound broke the silence.

“Ugh…”

The youngest knight, lying against a tree, shifted like he was about to wake.

Gray went over and gently pushed the boy’s eyelids shut.

“Just sleep.”

Then, glancing at Riana, he added,
“That’s the only way you’ll live.”

“Oh, please. Who’s killing anyone?”

Riana snorted, taking off the red vest.

“At this point, it’s practically mass slaughter. What did you put in that alcohol?”

“Come here a second.”

She beckoned him over.

Gray walked over without hesitation but didn’t take the drink she offered.

“I’m fine. I can remember things.”

He had already figured it out.

Anyone who drank her cocktails would forget by the next day that she’d been strong enough to beat a knight at arm-wrestling.

And even if they did remember, they’d think of it as nothing more than some party shenanigans—not worth seriously questioning. Their hangovers would be too bad for that.

“Mm, fair enough,” Riana said, setting the glass down.

She sat down on a tree stump, finally looking a little tired.

Gray sat beside her and spoke.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”

He meant about her trying to pull a dirty trick during the arm-wrestling match.

Riana surprised him by admitting it easily.
“I’m sorry. I was petty. I let the thought of winning get to me and tried to pull a cheap move. I’m trash.”

“…Wow. You know it so well I don’t even have anything to add.”

She shrugged.
“Anyway, you seem to have gotten close with the knights already?”

Smoothly, she changed the subject—typical of her, always quick to slip away from a disadvantage.

Gray just scratched his head without answering. The thought made him suddenly crave a drink.

He reached for a beer bottle—one she hadn’t touched—and took a swig.

“You know, this place wouldn’t be so bad for you. You still want to join that auction?”

Gray didn’t answer, just drank.

Compared to where he’d come from, this was heaven.

Plenty of food, friendly people, friends, comrades.

But none of it was mine.

The food and drink were for a talented young knight. The kindness was for the righteous former slave who had testified on the Duke’s behalf.

If they knew I wasn’t some diligent youth, but a body-modified monster… would they still treat me the same?

He didn’t resent anyone—it was his own deception, after all.

He just knew all this was borrowed happiness that he’d have to return someday.

So yes, he still wanted to join the auction.

Since none of it was truly his, leaving it all behind wouldn’t hurt.

Except for one thing…

His gaze slid toward Riana.

She flashed him a bright grin.
“You like it here too, don’t you? Yeah?”

A smile she gave even knowing what he really was.

“Think carefully. In times like these, it’s not easy to get a job like this. You have no idea what I had to do just to get hired here.”

Whether it was a push away or an attempt to keep him at a distance, it was still something she was saying directly to him.

And that wasn’t something he often got in his life.

No wonder…

Like during their arm-wrestling match, he found it hard to meet her eyes.

She was supposed to just be his “sponsor.”

Even on a deserted island, you still need a sponsor—so that’s why he needed her.

But now it feels a little…

Uncomfortably warm inside.

Riana only realized once she left the camp that her clothes reeked of the knights’ sweat, alcohol, and smoke.

Stopping by the main building to change, she hurried up to the Isolation Tower.

She wasn’t late for her shift, but it seemed Killian had arrived earlier.

As always, perfectly neat and spotless, he was leaning casually against the hallway wall.

“Have you been drinking?”

The slightly displeased look on his face made Riana rush to deny it.
“No! Do I smell? I even changed clothes…”

“Your face is red.”

She rubbed her cheeks with her palms—they were still warm.

“I really didn’t drink. You know how you can feel tipsy just from hanging around drunk people? It’s like that.”

“Is that so?”

“It’s like getting drunk on the atmosphere. You haven’t had a drop, but you still feel a little lightheaded.”

Killian’s lips curved slightly.
“I know. That feeling.”

The feeling of getting muddled without drinking a drop—yes, he knew it well.

“If I offered you my bathroom, would you use it?”

“…So I do smell…”

Riana sadly sniffed at her own hair.

Killian pointed toward his bedroom.
“That way.”

She could have said she’d wash up at the main building, but she missed the chance.

In the Duke’s bathroom, she rinsed off and held her head in her hands.

I really enjoyed myself too much, didn’t I?

She’d started the cocktail show just to knock out the knights and erase their memories…

Riana! Riana! Riana!

The cheers and applause had been for her—it had been so long since she’d heard that. So long that she’d wagged her tail like an excited puppy.

It felt exactly like the first time she’d stood as the lead on stage back in her old life.

And that was over ten years ago.

The reminder that she could never go back to Korea to pursue her dream cooled her head, even as her flushed cheeks kept burning.

Riana splashed cold water on her face.

I can’t try to find happiness here.

The Duke’s estate was still the setting of the story. Once she bought the island, she had to leave.

She couldn’t make foolish memories here.

She wouldn’t repeat the mistake she’d made with the cat—getting attached without realizing it was actually Duke Veloci.

Finishing her bath, she put on a robe and stood in front of the mirror.

“Don’t get careless,” she muttered to herself.

Not leaving and not being able to leave were two different things. She was staying now because of money.

If she got attached, then she really wouldn’t be able to go.

She was almost sure now that she’d escaped the villainess route of “Riana Eppindor.”

But she’d lived so long believing she was doomed to die as the villainess that her heart was still closed to the idea of getting attached to this world.

“Don’t cross the line. Or I might end up dead again.”

She fanned the flickering fear inside her until it burned stronger.

Click—

When she stepped out of the bathroom, she ran right into Killian entering the bedroom.

Ah. This man.

One of the few people who could undo all her resolve.

“…You didn’t bring a change of clothes.”

He’d been about to put some clothes on the bed, but when he saw her, he hesitated.

For once, he seemed a little unsure as he handed them to her directly.

No one had asked where the clothes came from, but he still explained in detail.

“The dressing room from before the last banquet is still set up. I picked something light from there.”

.