Celebrity Lady - Chapter 99

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Celebrity Lady
Episode 99
“Ah, that’s right!”
Rebecca, who had been watching the young couple dance in a daze, finally came to her senses and made a rueful face.
“It’s because the young lady drank the entire 12-Degree Cocktail…….”
“Right? The princess is drunk right now, isn’t she?”
Lark laughed with a low chuckle, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
“Lark! Lark! Handsome, a great dancer, my business partner who can do anything!”
“Stop with that business partner talk, ugh.”
As Rubetria clung to him with her arms wrapped around his neck, Lark stiffened.
“My, my, men and women should be more careful, and our young lady too. Oh my…….”
“Hmm.”
Rebecca patted Siena’s shoulder beside her, forcibly suppressing her own drooping smile.
“Laaarrrk~”
“I should put her to bed.”
Lark held out his arms awkwardly, perspiration beading on his forehead, but Rebecca simply shook her head.
“We’ve already been trying to get her to sleep for over two hours now. Somehow she’s become so strong it’s not easy.”
“We should probably get her to sober up first. Fresh air would be ideal, but since we can’t go outside, I’ll open a window at least.”
Siena opened a small window set into the First Floor wall. But it was summer, and not a breath of wind stirred, so it had little effect.
“Mm.”
Rubetria, who kept leaning against him, was becoming quite the problem.
Looking around, Lark retrieved a thick Robe from the coat rack and dressed her in it.
Then, quietly, he called out to his Spirit.

Satisfied with Randian’s reply that required no explanation, Lark straightened Rubetria and led her outside.
“I’ll take her out for some air to clear her head.”
* * *
A quiet night with only a pale moon awake.
Two young people walking together, tenderly—or rather, painstakingly.
“Ugh…….”
“Careful, careful.”
Though her drunk feet stumbled repeatedly, Rubetria walked with steady determination.
To sober her up, she needed to walk on her own; Lark followed beside her, catching her each time she swayed.
“Did something good happen? Why the heavy drinking?”
“I didn’t realize what I was drinking…….”
“Oh dear.”
“It’s so hot.”
Lark caught Rubetria’s hand as she reached to lower the hood of the Robe.
“Don’t. Even if you’re hot, let’s walk like this.”
“Mm.”
Her lips pouting with displeasure as she looked up, her face was clearly visible in the moonlight.
Lark gazed down at Rubetria for a moment, then, exhaling softly, pulled the edge of the Robe over her face.
“You really shouldn’t drink.”
“You dance well, you know.”
“We all learn that in basic etiquette classes.”
“Hehe, I practiced until my feet were numb too.”
“You did?”
“Mm-hmm. I wanted to dance at my debutante ball.”
Still wearing her indoor Slippers, Rubetria kicked petulantly at the empty air.
“……With Cedric.”
“…….”
Lark’s brow furrowed sharply as he continued walking.
“So? Are you dancing with that bastard at this ball?”
“Me?”
Rubetria scowled and looked up at Lark.
“You think I’m mad?”
“You practiced to dance with him, didn’t you?”
“That was before I knew Cedric was a fraud!”
“So you’re not dancing with him?”
“I’m not!”
“Then who are you dancing with?”
“…….”
Rubetria stopped short, then resumed walking, her eyes forward.
“Mm, who should I dance with…….”
“Heh heh.”
“Uh-uh-um.”
Lark bent low and whispered softly into Rubetria’s ear.
“Dance with me.”
“…….”
She paused.
Then, resuming her walk and pretending to deliberate, Rubetria murmured:
“I guess, sure.”
“Ha ha ha ha. What an honor.”
“You.”
“Mm?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“You’re going through so much because of me.”
“Not that again.”
“I want to help you more, but I can’t…….”
Rubetria mumbled, rubbing her eyes beneath the Robe.
“Are you sleepy?”
“A little?”
“Come here. I’ll hold you.”
“Okay.”
Rubetria reached out her arms willingly, and Lark embraced her, turning to head back.
“Sleep if you’re tired.”
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“Sigh.”
“Now that you’re alive, I don’t know the future anymore…….”
“Hm?”
“I want to help if I can. But the future I know now doesn’t have much that would help you…….”
“…….”
“The future of the world where you’re alive—I don’t know it…….”
“What are you talking about? Once the future changes, can’t you gradually see the new future that unfolds?”
“I don’t know either.”
“Mm.”
“You see, you’re such a man of principle…….”
“I was wondering why you stopped saying that lately.”
Rubetria pulled Lark into a tighter embrace, nuzzling her head against his neck.
The unselfconscious physical closeness made Lark swallow a sigh.
“You really can’t drink…….”
“I have no intention of doing anything foolish, I won’t harbor any bad thoughts, I just want to earn lots of money and build a three-story forest-view house and live raising tricolored cats……?”
“…….”
“Trust me.”
“I don’t understand what you’ve been saying since earlier.”
Lark let out a small laugh.
Rambling words. Probably Rubetria herself didn’t know what she was saying right now.
“I feel so guilty, you know. I’ve never been good at lying…….”
“Sure, sure.”
“Really? You believe me? You won’t arrest me?”
“Of course, of course.”
“Thank you. You see…….”
Rumbling against Lark’s collarbone, Rubetria mumbled on.
“……My……, actually, ……is.”
When her shallow breath tickled the narrow space, Lark’s footsteps faltered for a moment.
* * *
Blink, blink.
Opening her eyes, she saw the familiar ceiling.
‘My room…….’
The finest room in the Underground. Atop a plush bed.
Without a window, there was no way to tell day from night, but one thing was certain: yesterday she had drunk and gotten drunk.
“Ow!”
The moment she sat up sharply, her head throbbed. A hangover—something she hadn’t felt in ages.
“Wait, wait.”
I—or rather, to be precise, Juliet Karerina—had quite a strong tolerance for alcohol.
Since she rarely got drunk, she had never had embarrassing outbursts and had never blacked out.
But that applied only to Juliet Karerina as Software; the Hardware was another story entirely.
‘This body is a total lightweight!’
Rubetria’s body—an alcohol disaster.
In a lifetime, the most she’d ever drunk was wine or cocktails with almost no alcohol content.
And yesterday, the cocktail she’d drunk while bathing was—
“Oh no! That was a 12-Degree Cocktail, young lady!”
Twelve degrees, it turned out.
After Rebecca’s voice echoed dimly in her memory, panic followed, then regret…….
‘My memory’s completely blank.’
This was the first time her memory had ever gone dark. A strange experience.
“Ugh.”
Her head felt like it might split from a single bottle of 12-degree cocktail.
The moment she climbed out of bed, the door opened and Rebecca entered.
“Oh! Young lady, you’re awake? Are you all right?”
“I’m not. I need water.”
“I brought everything you might need.”
Anticipating that she’d be a zombie from the hangover, Rebecca’s tray held a glass of cold water and a bowl of honey.
“Did I dry my hair properly yesterday? I shouldn’t have just gone to sleep like that.”
Rebecca let out a chuckle as she watched me, still seated on the bed, gulp down the water.
“Your hair’s not the problem right now, young lady. Yesterday you caused quite the commotion. Don’t you remember?”
“I did? That must have been exhausting for everyone.”
“It was the Crown Prince who had to deal with it.”
“…….”
For a moment, I froze mid-sip.
“What?”
“You were hilarious yesterday, young lady. ‘Lark! Lark!’ you kept saying, and you were dancing with His Highness on the First Floor, and then the two of you went outside for a bit to sober you up.”
Rebecca, stirring honey into a teacup, burst out laughing as she continued.
“When you came back, you were nestled right in His Highness’s arms, snoring away—drrrring, drrrring—the whole time.”
“Shit!!!”
Shocking. No matter how hard I tried to recall it, I had no memory of it whatsoever.
I didn’t even know what time Lark came back yesterday.
“Is His Highness—did he go to work?”
“No, he’s on the First Floor preparing to leave now.”
“No, no, no. I’ve lost my mind. I’ve really lost my mind.”
I bolted up and headed to the First Floor. Lark and Lend were standing by the door, apparently about to leave.
Both stared at me wordlessly, pale-faced.
“Um, Your Highness.”
“You’re up? How’s your body feeling?”
I felt some relief at Lark’s usual demeanor, but then—
“Lark! Lark!”
Lend’s teasing voice made my cheeks flush hot.
“Hey, don’t tease me.”
“Pfft.”
As Lark pushed Lend’s shoulder and chided him, I wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
“I’m so sorry, Your Highness. What on earth did I do yesterday…….”
“It’s fine, it was cute.”
“Um, did I perhaps…….”
There was something that bothered me more than my drunken behavior.
“Say anything strange yesterday?”
“Hmm? Strange?”
“Well, nothing really.”
Lark gazed at me with a slight tilt of his head as I nervously scratched beneath my chin, then he shook his head a little.
“You didn’t say much of anything.”
“Oh, oh thank goodness.”
“But listen, you really shouldn’t drink. If you absolutely want to, drink when I’m around.”
“Okay, this won’t happen again. Are you heading out?”
“Yeah. I’ll be back.”
“Safe travels!”
“Take care out there.”
As I watched Lark and Lend depart in their usual disguises, I let out a breath of relief and pressed a hand to my chest.
* * *
“……rk!”
“Hm?”
Lend, walking beside him, furrowed his brow.
“You’ve been acting weird since you came back with the princess yesterday. Where’s your head at?”
“No, no, I’m fine.”
Lend grumbled and walked ahead as Lark gave a vague excuse.
Following behind, Lark tried to calm his turbulent mind.
But it wasn’t easy. Even he, who seldom lost his composure, had been thrown off by Rubetria’s confession in the early hours of that morning.
“I feel so guilty, you know. I’ve never been good at lying…….”
“Sure, sure.”
“Really? You believe me? You won’t arrest me?”
“Of course, of course.”
“Thank you. You see…….”
The whispered words remained vivid and clear.
“……My Spirit, actually, is Wisht.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————