I Reincarnated as a Noble Bastard, So I'm Seducing All the Villainess
Chapter 25: A Witch’s Disappointment in Love

Chapter 25: A Witch’s Disappointment in Love

It impressed me that, even after the market was practically leveled in the chaos, people were still hawking all sorts of things. Ravenna and I managed to snag some suspiciously cheap contraband drinks from another country and took them with us to a low-quality inn, similar to everything else in the Scorn.

The place wasn’t much different from one of the filthiest inns I’d seen in my previous life, where even opening the front door made you feel like you could see an evil spirit through the creaking wood.

Despite smelling like a cadaver, we booked a double room, and I could’ve sworn the old woman at reception whispered something like "poor thing" when she saw my companion’s face. Whatever that meant, it was probably something like "You won’t get anything tonight, good luck next time". I sympathize with you, ma’am, but I didn’t buy this whole bag of drinks for nothing.

After climbing the stairs, which groaned more than a dog in heat, we entered the blessed room. It would never get five stars for its condition, I’ll just say that, and I prefer not to dwell on the description.

Just seeing a rat almost the size of my arm leap out the window gave me an idea of the kind of things going on within these walls. Ravenna entered without much concern, taking in the view from where the rat had jumped, while I took responsibility for putting the bottles on the table and serving us.

"Aren’t there any better places to sleep in the Scorn?"

"There are, but you wanted to spend all our money on drinks, and this was the only place we could afford", the black cat replied without turning around. "Still, it’s better this way if we’re only staying one day. A bed still is a bed."

"Yeah, I agree."

But a nice bed would make things a better too, wouldn’t it?

I decided to taste the alcohol... Ugh, this stuff is strong! Wherever this wine came from, it’s no joke! It’s going to get Ravenna wild in no time!

"Try this..."

I quickly passed her the bottle. The woman didn’t waste any time and downed it, wow, she didn’t even choke, emptying the contents in a flash and wiping the running edge of her lip, savoring our sour pleasure. Wait, is Ravenna a heavy drinker? I didn’t expect that, but no problem, I’ll just have to outdrink her.

"Hey, you didn’t tell me you’d already been drinking, that’s cheating."

"And you didn’t say you weren’t part of the Libertarians, my fig sweet, so we’re even."

Ah, that’s right. This whole time she believed I was an honorary member of those guys when I never was. In a way, it sort of saved my skin not to have joined that crew... I just don’t quite understand Ravenna’s relationship with them. Also, I don’t remember the presence of this group in the novel, which is even worse.

"Hey, Ravenna, what’s your relationship with Philomeu?"

Oh, crap, that slipped out on reflex. Now we’ll face the consequences.

"Him? I... I admired him, Darius. Greatly admired him, until today, oddly enough."

She says this with the utmost casualness and takes the bottle from my other hand, just to drink without any sense of shame. Wow, that’s what I call depression.

"Philomeu has good ideals and the courage to say what others won’t accept. This country is condemned with the monarchy... but... I think it’s equally condemned with someone like him. Can you imagine the person you admire most discarding you like trash? Without even caring what happens to you, without even looking at your face and treating you as if... as if you were nothing, Darius."

Another swig from the bottle.

"The entire society is condemned. On one side, a king who can’t control his own subjects, on the other, a tyrant who uses any means to achieve what he wants... Hah. I just wanted to help the world, at least once, but I’m not even good for that!"

Easy, woman! I duck just as she hurls the wine, it whizzing over my head and smashing against the wall on the other side, sending shards of glass in every direction. Immediately, Ravenna realizes what she’s done, her eyes widen, and she extends her hand, but pulls back at the last moment.

"See? I can’t even... I can’t even..."

Instead of finishing the sentence, tears flood the witch’s face, her makeup running with every drop down her cheek. And here I was, wanting to collect a favor earlier.

Damn it, Darius, sometimes you’re really disgusting. I hope she doesn’t have a magical outburst in this state, or I’m dead.

I walk slowly towards Ravenna and place my hand on top of her head, patting it with a "There, there, it’s over" gesture, but I know that’s as effective as absolutely nothing.

"We can’t help all the time."

"But I wanted to..."

"You helped me before, remember? I would die in those explosions if you hadn’t taken me hostage. Isn’t that enough?"

"No, if it were, that trial wouldn’t have even happened, and my uncle would already be buried seven feet under..."

Thinking about it that way, perhaps she’s right. I uncork another wine and help myself generously, but Ravenna is losing control of how much she’s drinking. Damn, are you so upset you’re trying to drink yourself to death? Although, originally, that’s how I died according to the novel... Hah.

I stop her from trying to ingest more than necessary.

"Calm down a bit, no need to rush. There’s still enough for a whole night... though here we can’t tell if it’s day or night."

She shrugs, agreeing with me. So, we both sit in the chairs, whose legs crack just from our weight, and clink glasses.

I really missed a good drink! Ah, it hasn’t even been a week, but I can’t live without you, babies...

I’m weak with alcohol, I confess, unlike my table companion. She doesn’t even flinch or tremble with each gulp, getting wasted as if it’s a normal occurrence, so much so that I don’t even know if it’s a side effect of a spell or if she’s just built different.

She’s already halfway through the next bottle when started talking to it instead of me.

"I knew... I knew he only wanted soldiers from the start, but I thought maybe, along the way... I don’t know, that he... that he’d look at me differently."

Oh, crap. Here it comes.

"And it’s not like I wanted flowers or a kiss on the forehead, no. I’m not stupid." She raises a trembling finger. "I just wanted... not to be discarded as if I were nothing. As if everything I gave, all my effort, was just part of his equation. I wanted to be praised, well-regarded..."

She takes another swig. How many has it been now? Maybe four, five? The good thing about being an idiot like me is that you develop a tolerance for accompanying these emotional breakdowns in real-time.

I lean in a bit, snatching the sweet alcohol from her hand the moment she tries another gulp.

"That’s enough, Ravenna. You’re going to wake up tomorrow convinced I’m a moose or an inquisitor if you keep this up. Let’s slow down."

"You don’t understand..." She stares at me with red eyes, smudged with black makeup and frustration. "You’re handsome. You’re sly. You always know what to say and how to act, it’s a natural talent of yours... not like me, who just acts on emotion."

Ravenna lets out a weak laugh. Calm down, Darius, it’s just sentimentality spilling out after being nicely rejected by a guy she liked... thinking about it, I get it now.

This girl probably liked Philomen and got a cold dose of reality when realized he wanted nothing with her. She bangs her head against the table and stretches her arms, absorbed in her own thoughts and tearless now.

I roll my eyes, now I’m a babysitter? Just a little more and this defense will crack, finding a needle in a haystack is my specialty.

"Do you still want to help the world?"

She hesitates. Then she shakes her head, affirming.

"I do, I just don’t know how. After this, I just feel useless, like I’m more cannon fodder than anything else. I feel horrible..."

"Ravenna." My hand goes to her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "You just gave your heart to someone who doesn’t care about your feelings. That happens. What you do now is what matters."

Her face is so close I can count every strand of her messy fringe. Her knife-like eyes fix on mine, and for an instant, everything else ceases to exist. The smell of wine intoxicates me, somehow messing with my brain in a strange way. Why do I feel like I’m being manipulated in the end?

"I’m scared, Darius. I’m very scared."

"It’s okay to be scared here. I’m here."

And as if that space were the safest thing in the universe, she leans her head on me.

"Will you let me sleep here?"

"Of course."

"And if I..." she chokes, shy. "If I hug you?"

"Only if it’s tight. I like intense people."

She lets out a muffled giggle, then comes and sits on my lap, wrapping her arms around my waist. Her perfume is... strange, addictive at the very least. The wine warms my stomach. By reflex, I decide to caress her back and carry her to bed in my arms. Darius, acting like a teenager isn’t really your thing.