69

It seemed like he had just come from a meeting with a business partner, as he was dressed in a luxurious suit.

However, despite making the effort to dress in a suit, Dante at the moment was far from the cleanliness typical of a businessman.

‘Why is his attire like that?’

The neatly tied tie, which should have been nicely arranged, was hanging loosely around his neck.

It was clearly pulled and adjusted in a manner that showed frustration.

Moreover, even the hem of his clothes was wrinkled haphazardly.

Dante, who usually preferred a neat appearance, even if it meant avoiding criticism from others, didn’t seem like himself.

“Ah.”

Just then, his crimson eyes found me and blinked a few times.

Then they curved into a crescent shape, looking pleasant.

“Hello, darling.”

A lazy greeting echoed.

Leaning against the door, Dante, who had been staring at me intently, suddenly threw a question.

“Darling, are you working until this late?”

“Ah…”

I alternated my gaze between the pen and the papers clenched in my hand and answered diligently.

“Yes, because the deadline for the report is tomorrow.”

Upon hearing this, Dante furrowed his brows as if in realization.

“Oh, I see. I’ll have to scold Liam for this.”

“Pardon?”

“I don’t even nag at you, darling, right? Yet, Liam, that cheeky secretary of mine…”

“…”

Where is this conversation going?

I narrowed my eyes subtly.

At the same time, Dante stepped into the office.

Then he staggered heavily.

“My lord!”

Surprised, I jumped up from my seat.

Dante, who had just adjusted his posture, suddenly erupted in frustration.

“Ah, this is annoying. Why does the floor keep moving?!”

“…”

I was momentarily speechless.

It was only when his figure was revealed under the light that Dante’s appearance became clear.

His eyes, dulled by alcohol, his disheveled attire, and the flushed cheeks.

‘…So, that’s it.’

As I blankly stared at Dante, I subtly furrowed my brows.

‘Amidst all this work, I have to deal with a drunkard… Is this really happening?’

At the same time, Dante approached me again.

However, it seemed that he was trying to walk straight, but he couldn’t overcome the effects of the alcohol.

His voice wavered meaningfully.

“Stay still. If you fall over…”

I hurriedly tried to approach Dante, but he moved a little faster.

Dante, who had come close to my face, gently wrapped his hands around my cheeks.

It was a careful touch as if handling a precious treasure.

His palm touching my cheek felt warm as if it were touched by fire.

“Are you… drunk by any chance?”

Of course, a person who is drunk wouldn’t readily admit that they are drunk.

Still, just to be sure, I asked.

“Um…”

Dante, rolling his drunken eyes, chuckled sincerely.

“Yeah, I’m drunk.”

“…”

It’s quite a skill to proudly admit to misdeeds.

Thinking with a slightly troubled feeling, I subtly glanced at Dante.

‘Aside from that, it’s almost unheard of to see Dante drunk like this.’

Dante fundamentally despised showing his weak side to others.

And that ‘others’ category included ‘the original Elzé’.

Whether it’s alcohol or drugs, rather than showing a disheveled appearance to others when drunk…

He would prefer to maintain his composure and show off, even if he had to maintain his composure by any means necessary.

But then…

Dante suddenly lowered his head.

Over my lips, hot lips brushed lightly and passed by.

Chu.

Unlike usual, it was a light kiss that felt like a bird pecking.

The strong scent of whiskey lingered.

Pulling away from my lips, Dante whispered in a soft voice, like cotton.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“…”

The gentle red eyes gazing down at me were warm.

It felt somewhat strange.

Dante wouldn’t treat me so preciously.

Rather than looking at me with such tenderness, he would rather push me away recklessly for his own pleasure…

Thunk―.

Just then, as we moved, the documents on the desk spilled onto the floor.

Dante furrowed his brows slightly.

“Oh no.”

“It’s okay, I’ll pick them up.”

I hurriedly tried to bend down.

But Dante tilted his head and bent down first.

“No, I spilled them.”

Though he may have been clumsy at times.

Dante managed to gather all the scattered documents.

Then, sitting down with a huff, he squinted and looked at the papers.

“Is Liam saying that our darling is incredibly capable?”

“It’s an exaggeration.”

“No, I have eyes too.”

Dante chuckled and handed me the mess of papers he had gathered.

“I’m not the only one who deals with documents. I work too. Right?”

“Oh, yes…”

“I’ve read through all the documents you’ve worked on too.”

…That’s a bit unexpected.

As I took the documents, I glanced at Dante out of the corner of my eye.

In reality, the miscellaneous documents from the dormitory weren’t something Dante needed to review.

He had far more important matters to attend to.

Yet, making time to sort through documents…

“It’s like he’s paying attention to me.”

Well, it’s probably just my imagination.

With that thought, I neatly arranged the documents Dante handed me on the desk.

“Having such a capable partner like this, I’m really lucky.”

“I’m grateful for your kind words.”

I casually replied, but inwardly, I trembled with fear.

The man who laughed foolishly, making nonsensical remarks, was the protagonist of this world, the man who held my life in his hands.

‘…I didn’t want to find out about Dante’s drinking habits like this.’

I didn’t mind knowing Dante’s human side.

There was no need to build intimacy, was there?

With Elze’s emotions from the original work, just having Dante in front of me already made my heart race incessantly.

“Really. Thanks to you, I feel relieved.”

“You’re welcome.”

“No, you’ve been a great help, haven’t you?”

…Did I sound so indifferent in my response?

Dante suddenly stared at me, his expression changing.

“Are you ignoring me right now?”

“…”

Dealing with a drunkard is truly annoying and tiring…

In the midst of it, Dante, true to his drunken self, came up with another ridiculous act.

As he tried to get up from the floor, he staggered and ended up plopping back down heavily onto the ground.

Startled, I quickly supported Dante.

“Wait, why did you end up drinking so much?”

I didn’t mean to scold him, but I couldn’t help but sound bewildered.

Then Dante leaned on my shoulder and mumbled.

“That bastard Albert is so persistent… I’ll tell him to back off.”

The problem, however, was the difference in size between Dante and me.

I objectively had a slender build, while Dante boasted a robust physique among men.

In the end, I was almost buried under Dante’s embrace.

“Wait a moment, Lord Dante. Please, get up first…”

But Dante didn’t budge, instead, he leaned closer to me and murmured softly.

“Since he won’t listen at all, I have to keep feeding him until he loses consciousness…”

“…”

Even that grumbling ceased for a moment.

“Haha, hahaha…”

Dante suddenly burst into laughter.

I looked at Dante with a puzzled expression.

Even though there were times when he wasn’t entirely sober, isn’t this a bit too much?

Meanwhile, Dante, who had been muttering to himself for a while, proudly declared:

“But I won in the end.”

“You won?”

“Yeah, that bastard, he was completely wasted and passed out. Haha!”

His smile was so innocent that I was left speechless.

After fumbling around for a while, Dante leaned his forehead on my shoulder again.

He exhaled a warm breath.

“Darling.”

“Yes?”

“I missed you.”

For a moment, I stiffened my shoulders.

‘He… missed me?’

In the past year, Dante’s attitude towards me had become somewhat toxic.

But he had never been so openly affectionate before.

I’d rather spend the night together…

‘Ah.’

Suddenly, I snapped out of my thoughts.

It was because his strong arms had wrapped around me tightly.

“It’s real.”