In another world as my waifu #2: DDD GIFT

Chapter 102: Second bonfire, one of drinking wine and childhood bonds.

And so, she started telling me about her past once more and about this 'idiot' that brings such joy and pain to her eyes.

"..."

"..."

Or not.

She just stopped talking after remembering where we left off in her story, and she is now looking at me.

Wait...not at me but...

"I need more wine for this..."

"Ah."

...yeah, I should have expected that.

"Here, do not worry. There is more from where this bottle came from."

"Thanks...I'll hold you to that."

She immediately raises the cup after I finish refilling it and drinks its contents slowly, only stopping when the cup is half empty or half full. You guys vote on which it is. Heh.

Still...I would have thought that she was about to drink it all down in one go.

Hm? Ah, she noticed my slightly raised eyebrow.

"You were probably thinking that I was about to just chug it down, right, Master? Tch...I might be fucked up in the head right now but I'm not that fucked up in the head. Wine is not beer. You can't just down it like that. It ruins the experience and disrespects those who made it."

"You truly are passionate about wine, huh."

"Duh, it's one of the few things I can enjoy. You see, drinking wine, the act of tasting and smelling it, trying to figure out the best way to describe it..."

She turns her gaze to her cup of wine and to her own reflection on it as she continues speaking with me.

"...it helps me focus on the now. On what I did throughout the day or what I accomplished to be in the middle of such celebration. It...anchors me. So that..."

"...you are not pulled into the past on that moment."

I say that and she makes a heavy expression as she nods, her bangs moving along with her head.

"Yeah...sometimes it even works for the whole night and I can get some sleep, but most of the times it doesn't do shit past that moment. Still, it is better than nothing. Much, much better..."

She takes another sip from her cup after that, then she looks up to the torch for a moment and then back to the cup.

"...if I just drink it all in one go, I don't get any of that."

"I understand. Having something that can offer your heart respite, even for a moment, is something worthy of being treated with respect and care."

"That's right. And well, there is also the fact that I just like it too. Heh."

"Heh, indeed, that is quite clear."

We both chuckle a bit more after that, Evangeline's smile, although heavy, is genuine right now and not an act to look better than the state she's in.

"Haaa...alright, I think I can start now. Just...be sure to refill my cup, Master."

"Very well."

The smile she had is gone once more as she nods and presses her lips while making a slight grimace before continuing with her story.

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That idiot...

Her innocent eyes, her cheeky smile, her freckles, her red hair.