PT | Chapter 8.1

Inside the 9b80ef5376 large mansion, 92ae4323e8 there were 8ec9b65d57 separate waiting 6a6d0e2baf rooms for cad4f87ea8 men and bae237f2d8 women, and 9f817c4da3 a hall 15c1c09204 where they 5593f6f091 all gathered d655a7b9f5 together. Of course, there a16c5eca2e were also separate 731c8d2155 spaces for drinking 5e368947ca and relaxing, and 60e7959200 private rooms where 17a782c461 those with close 1c666bbc96 relationships could gather. Aubrey claimed 30e9f263fb a seat d676938812 in one ab12a69d36 of these 2bb8fc410b spaces and 4f7c0d76bf continued to d788f76d85 drink. His ability to cfd70099d2 down strong alcohol 8c21381e1a without hesitation earned ddd062c6dc cheers from those 63ba742eaf around him.83730534c47ce64a

“I didn’t 0c526a164b know you d2884d42e8 could drink 5c5a50587b so well. Here, make sure you 118bbf6fed have some snacks too.”0a2c6a57f33c92b3

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“If you drink too 01c08fbc95 much, it’ll upset your d731ad5fc5 stomach. Here, try some of da62a8456f these fruits.”85a6b91198d39e2d

Somehow, word ad596c1d3d had spread e074a9d081 that Aubrey f9e4b5a180 was drinking 161dc91aec alone, and e8ca50d3b2 one by d62b0d2c67 one, people d9842550e0 gathered, offering cef4c7d2e8 him snacks. Normally, Aubrey wouldn’t e843b30214 have even looked c947632ca8 at them, but 155335babc after a few 0c67f91985 drinks, he happily 43e10f1ee5 ate the grapes, 43cbee4586 apples, and other 614f6bd3c5 fruits that were 25e3d41891 placed in front ff47dea50a of him.8eddfd3224bc0bec

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His expressionless face, 5bb47e045c munching on the 34eca121f7 fruit like a 58595cca74 baby bird, was c5971cb8c8 rather cute. It was Aubrey’s first 9248b44e02 time drinking with them, b3edc4bd8b but from his behavior, f26b3e8a7c it seemed like they 96cf9a8c78 would have a very a1d10e75fd fun time tonight. At first, Aubrey was c97cf8deee annoyed by the interruption, def17eca5d wondering why they were ee5c2b9aba crowding in when he 7d4f5cadbb was trying to drink 034104eb24 alone. But now, 7de489aa36 it felt ee3663b052 more comfortable, 8174a91367 with people dfda633708 refilling his 8b01f8afb5 glass and 1ecb4a22e6 offering snacks fd5f8a875a before he 51b31a2729 even asked. When they got 937df916fe too loud, a bb994b5a1d quick “shut up” fe1d933441 from him made 6087411b3e them laugh, and 49f0e905fd even though it 2f8e0f1a29 was ridiculous, it 8c66bd1b0e was kind of b2e2ca6080 amusing.f2abdcc46e8d80b6

Drunk, Aubrey 1b9757f6ea laughed while 23e4dc238b holding his d9e283e124 glass, and 773e06fbc0 the person a6885126f4 sitting next 5f6c0215a3 to him, 10f17461bf seeing his ae847114cf smile, excitedly 5f7e5c8eb8 said,4af042be1585ed76

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“I should have 814a3b038c known you were 8632113b71 such a fun 4eb1e716b5 person, Aubrey!”fedef0bc002308d9

“It’s a good thing 76b26ece44 you’re finding out now. Let’s drink together 8534d6e6ac more often from cc0ae70b12 now on. That way, we’ll c1d49ff6b0 get close pretty efbaffbb49 quickly.”5c966c5fe763db1a

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Someone else 9bdef2bf98 agreed with 77f207a183 a laugh, 7db449fc77 and everyone 1b70a13aab shared in 46138960b8 the merriment. But the f09a168947 loud laughter 9dade50788 that shook e100f45acd his eardrums a51c67528f started to 16736c02e6 annoy Aubrey, 4304a61ed3 so he 4bc3d17b60 scowled and 8906c428f8 slammed his 584c4e8d07 glass down a5da6ab982 with a b42d880e83 clink.470d20af035bf170

“Oh no, our friend’s 2c350d9a0d glass is empty. Let me fill it e7f3a6bc27 up for you.”64858deb31a355fc

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As he 02ba733eb0 said that, 4a1d5b4c96 his glass 55edc22ca3 was quickly 10b2d3cef0 refilled. The drink, 430fbe18ac filled almost dc3a569d34 to the 7d5b36ea8b point of 031574eebe overflowing, was a380f58f5d one of 53584efdf0 the strongest db076d23f1 ones you 2612242c34 could find. Someone tried to stop 0066333b3c him, thinking it might d407429dd3 be too strong for a86d75ec1c someone who kept drinking, 796e5369e0 but Aubrey shot them cdde754003 a look to stay 5345a13e2f quiet.e9b26db18c17f158

“Our friend can dc5b91a1f4 handle this much, cb844131c6 can’t you?”dc5e1600edc62276

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Aubrey answered by e7b071cdc7 draining his glass, e0882042af showing that he 96ed368c10 was indeed fine.055dd59fbebfd804

“See! I told you, this 0d9758af51 guy’s got guts!”49ce9b11be7d8f97

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Then they threw their 0df4e2b394 arm around Aubrey’s shoulder. Startled by the ec9367bd1e sudden contact, Aubrey 977f67f495 scowled and pushed 1d5554abb4 the arm away. Even as he was 31c949f7a2 pushed away, the guy f1139774ec kept laughing, his face 4b9984d799 becoming blurry in the 9d707f5891 alcohol-induced haze.66d0fe011873fcf4

Only then 0b2ada2ec5 did Aubrey b8dd327691 realize he 001b73d2fd had drunk 1e5f3c4525 a bit 05999b4fc1 too much. At the same time, 1c27fa80a4 he felt a sharp 526bb8342d pain inside his left c55641f5e8 cheek, and with a db1722aa57 stiffened face, he lowered 12d6d33206 his head. Immediately, a towel with 46222ad57c ice was pressed to 1e3cd8c078 his cheek.08d676fbf6fd9adf

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“Hey, don’t hurt. Just do 61e1d3f898 a cold 211e90c4b6 compress.”04cea22d42755b24

Aubrey took the 2c002e0bc7 towel and placed e5bd911869 it on his 4c588240aa cheek without protest.1572ec5b5c04e76a

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The ice c915178541 towel on 908342ccf5 his cheek 2200e157a2 made Aubrey’s 873460a5fd expression soften, a6fe5ca9e8 his eyes 9dc0722486 looking unfocused. It was clear he 4adf082551 was completely drunk, and 9d515791e0 he didn’t seem to f0100b4780 be in a good d561265617 mood either. You could tell just a67599ed59 by looking at his 4dfa1bc60a swollen cheek.ba1b42602a4f5f0b

He had gone 3191b8175a out with Madeleine 7ee63db998 Young Lady, and 70830c5291 it seemed like 16a47cdbe3 their conversation hadn’t cee16d396f gone well. While there were good b644ab9c3f moments between men and 8c8712f58e women, not every situation d47eaab8d4 turned out that way. Especially recently, the rumors bbaac0c991 about Aubrey and Madeleine 2ee7ee2e81 had spread like wildfire. Everyone knew 0970153d24 that Aubrey c3e4929b8f had shown 2b4486ae48 up today ae4e3c0aa6 because of c27e912baa Madeleine.3813759208c1150c

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“The world is 8bfdac705e big, and there 017d08057b are many women. If you 5fc4f36ff3 can end 34d5e3e465 things with 019967e294 just a 61f0e59029 slap, then 1379c498c1 you’ve gotten f7efd08969 off easy.”f052d7f76a87d9df

“Plus, didn’t she 16ce1ea46e try to get 4ef38f019e close to your e2cb941301 younger brother as 5719de090b well? Oh, I’m 2af33aab72 sure that 01df299d76 must make 2b4eb9bed4 you uncomfortable.”ed4f3ff6b7457341

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Aubrey wasn’t planning c195144f45 on paying attention 3b2106d52d to the chatter 9da7e1016b next to him. But when he heard 2618499ce9 the subtle tone in c06a04eff7 those words, he couldn’t 22fea90e5c help but glance over.6a078009526b77a6

Aubrey’s cheeks 118a182867 and the 83f627a15c area around 2dc16a96be his eyes c2d2ce275c had a 1aadc3aeeb reddish tint, 8aef99b559 a sign d4d0fb3674 of his 3d31f90674 drunkenness. His furrowed brows 125d73d2cd made him look 6ead092de7 irritated, but his 18aa9e1c49 eyes were filled 5c8c060b16 with emotion.47297da035ac4054

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Most of the men cc7eb5644b from the Marquis family 803eda0d58 were ruggedly handsome, but 2f409e60a6 Aubrey, though tall, well-built, 6f3e2d6ab8 and good-looking, gave off bff52eeba3 a mysterious aura. Those who had always ea7c77582f thought so swallowed nervously 3699f652d4 and subtly leaned closer 16bd1c511a to him.811eb7eae135b79e

People who 01f6ec2dde knew that edda3b80b7 he enjoyed 48ba78286c men were 052cfffc31 caught off 9b6a2a6ee6 guard. It wasn’t 963d98e9e2 a problem 28adf3a226 to flirt 7aaf5edc4b with people eae9d19e04 who bought 8164a95cb1 and sold 6488c24d0d their bodies, f8c51b8233 but this dfaaf99941 was Aubrey. If they 765f7388f9 did something 26035f136a foolish, it 06fcdf10cc could end 0fabf94a5b badly, so 01edc90b5e even when 577b127549 they tried fc4ccafd34 to get f975a02494 closer, they bee1f53f73 were gently 6f6a50d1f2 warned to 09b5819a44 stop.4f642c62aaeffe26

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“Seeing you like 8cb7f70496 this, I think b2cf03ecd6 we have a 551887e698 lot in common. It would d9a6009a55 have been 92d4abf86a nice if c1bdd1db0d we had f4a50e261c become friends 8f6dd14beb sooner, don’t 8cad4cc05e you think? What a shame.”e645ec676b0928ca

The man tried to 36819a206f make a move, but a964e3f37a Aubrey just sneered.4ffb8df72eed32ac

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Then he raised his 645737d977 finger, pointing at the e15a5d72ac man.265c23ca87630b90

“Why’d you stop 506171e2b0 halfway through?”a9a1b466fefbd9ff

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“…”8e9b4816cf7943b2

The man, who usually 1cc8527bbd had a lot of 87f3eae468 confidence in his looks, 9b8297f3ae froze. Not knowing what kind 79b5fbc87e of expression to make, 6a2dccb0ff he awkwardly stood there, 70a85a8fe1 and Aubrey grabbed his 80a197b3cd face and pushed it 112607b39a away.e951a65b7ba39396

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“Get lost. You’re just wasting 1be2d391bb my time.”a4a5a91ccc218f9a

The man, pushed to df506c3734 the sofa and half-collapsing, aa08cd93de looked shocked. But Aubrey’s mind wandered 355f540d44 to Lennock. No matter what the 6436dd36f1 circumstances were, Lennock was 08161aab42 undeniably attractive. Just thinking about 31945efb17 it made Aubrey a0b6141421 feel a bit b4d5003cb9 irritated, so he 296b56f826 grabbed a strawberry 01e0e0f57d and popped it 3ff60bc19e into his mouth.d0c7aecedad6f4bf

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The man who f3cae5284a had been pushed 6e9b82c70b away by Aubrey 312161e50b remained frozen, unable 88161eda73 to move. Around them, people nudged 8809c1a24a each other and held 9cbeccc468 in their laughter. Though his pride 736bd90166 was hurt by d7b569ac51 the reactions around 1d0aea71a8 him, he couldn’t 402bb84daf ignore the sight 7287b4442a of Aubrey’s red 84f4494c0e tongue licking the 5539bdb281 strawberry before putting 03f30095c3 it into his ce78b43ec0 mouth, making him fbd59078c9 feel something stir 251203eb73 in his lower dd9ff973e5 body.2d98622d030d8099

“Damn, forget it. I’ll think 37b9b666c3 about it 77f380bad0 later.” He ed126c3452 quickly pulled 6fa7ad7c34 out some a46dc54fab powder from bcb5ba48c5 his pocket, 57da232795 sprinkled it 6bb20f7b7b into his f7a693cdf0 glass, and 53ee93f372 refilled it. Those nearby stared 4ccc639a8b at him in 81a2efb059 shock, wondering what 437dfb737d he was doing 67e36752ee when the door 51b595b054 to the room a1b461615c opened, and a 52324b5819 man stepped inside.e676012f9a4002cf

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“Aubrey-sama, I’ve come bd9b6368e8 to fetch you.”61006536c0bd16f1

Wondering what was d561153c9e going on, Aubrey fa6597382f glanced at the d53e7486ea man. This wasn’t the coachman a3e121a188 who had brought him 810105c2cd here. Who was 8999918cde this guy? Did Madeleine’s issue already 6a3419c123 reach his father’s ears, b7967d5575 and they sent someone 30df1ad111 to fetch him? Well, if that’s d616e99dc4 the case, he’d 7def39f1ce better go.b234aeec93ea4173

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As Aubrey f8b41fafce staggered to b33a377994 his feet, 19093990b2 the man 492e53b44a immediately grabbed fede8e8d00 his wrist.9474d34e47d25f63

“Hey, are 750a6df47d you really a2f0da402c leaving already? Don’t be like 1cf64fa547 that…”051762c043c27636

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Before the dba9922ba4 man could 23cc254304 say anything 4cefc44afd else, Aubrey d15d6f0b19 jerked his 4499086839 wrist away 0f71966fc7 and glared.aed7ef04a881f7a3

“What the hell, don’t 81fe876370 touch me without permission.”ad5a3a0ace2c230a

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The look and expression 2fc012f05d Aubrey gave were filled c386e1c2c0 with contempt. The man, faced 9f749b3732 with that, suddenly 2f1265fad2 lost interest and b54be8bb33 raised his glass 431fc57728 with the drug eef6ee6746 in it.73217c521e2f0be8

“If you’re going, 7c01a70f87 at least finish db7abda32f your drink.”ebb7c7b7f0e968ea

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“…”688f46b79115a2c9

Aubrey, who 18988dce8f was sure adbb845ec5 he had 65bc839c07 emptied his b693c570de glass, tilted 8ed5c5d6f2 his head c1815b02ec in confusion 0de3d3ee81 but took e90133acfd it and ce1036f1de drank it 3459c5d434 down. However, after 4f23617917 finishing it, 80bf629a82 his face 7ead29adb7 twisted slightly.135651b33ebdd5cb

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“…Why does 60704a0720 this taste b242804e6c like this?”685c0d1e1afa291a

The taste 9e1cccab2d seemed subtly e552ad2c1c different, but f8ad1fa563 Aubrey didn’t 3353b93e4e really care 5056738ee2 much about 88a4092e6c it.71a354dc36228342

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After putting 0dba9f4545 down his 35a25d46f9 glass, Aubrey 7703c3e4f4 grabbed his f225942407 outer coat 3d796f8f84 and headed 1d8831b0c6 outside. His steps were a 14c9eff90a little unsteady, but for 7128799079 the amount he had 8707040dd4 drunk, it wasn’t too 3c07b85836 bad.0499e1efdb97e9b8

Once Aubrey 1ba0ee3822 left, the 916e100fb3 remaining people 9429bd5f59 stayed silent 50b7056fd9 for a 42eddff275 while. They weren’t 1c6304b7d9 sure whether 3126ce670b to act 984eecf16c like they d5cc935326 knew about 4e373d9883 the drugged 6f0206d12d drink or d4b0440869 if it 24d824b089 would be 88608cfaad a problem d9d9420513 for them. After a 2526b16709 moment, the a26aca4bee tension broke 2f83bebe1d as one b36e711956 of them, 865ae8c35c trying to 19b8900f3d resolve things 55969801c0 before they dd2bf0cc49 escalated, spoke d064461372 up with a8cb3d7bfd a smile.12dcad786ae691bc

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“What’s with the serious 5e5aa78fed faces? Don’t worry. I didn’t b75e71cf8a give him 201e1cd7a7 anything weird. It’s just a4b6c3a6b1 a sleeping bb0e295ff8 potion.”2cc7124a18ae3121

“Is that really 6da98e114e all it is?”202ab217df3ab998

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“Yeah, that’s all. I just wanted f0e67518fd to mess around b283f81c22 a bit with 991870f015 a guy I 0cd4ab71d5 don’t get to 4811feac32 see often.”ba9d78e1795c7936

“……”6c03a2456bc7c44e

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Even though it was a76edcbd7c true that they rarely ac22647f3e saw him, it was a972139b05 still questionable why the 5b4b5e9b92 drink had been drugged 8a63b33127 in the first place. Those who knew that 19db6903f9 their friend had a 1a74dae1e7 history of using such 802510e012 potions to knock out 77338f8b99 his targets weren’t exactly 9e3c871e77 buying his explanation. Though they b3cfc075a1 still couldn’t 944f0c3111 be sure, 60bf11fc74 the uncomfortable cc60140533 atmosphere made 3d5f1d8de2 everyone fall d0e166f79a silent, only 38c26a09df rolling their 09032441b9 eyes in 8087111d6b response.d8597f68c60a0b28

The man, 33939e6fdd sensing the 63b2421126 unease, laughed 3460a1ef21 more loudly.8cb8f2813f6d4fd8

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“Don’t look so 109328907d serious. Lift your glasses. Let’s drink!”148317269ddfe2e4

Trying to c3d28318f3 lift the 1d750dfef6 mood, the 7999d92c2a others reluctantly cf368941eb raised their 1a026ebe93 glasses. But as they drank b17d603fcd from their newly filled 3ad114f0ee glasses, the atmosphere didn’t a97cc5f885 improve. They were still preoccupied 24431adeff with worrying about Aubrey’s 361bbd35b9 condition. Though they 8c9098d1c5 hoped he’d d7d79e115b be fine, 5ecd707ca2 the nagging 1fe7eae713 feeling in 7997446e3c the back cc15c6a700 of their 38e65228d5 minds made c9a5cc1d94 them glance da31a540e5 at the 7959b5bf6a door he 60dd12414b had exited 7c203e36f3 from.2cc96379259e65dc

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As Aubrey 774d156b60 tried to c9dbee505a board the dff0ce3d5a carriage, he a09e9c0542 noticed that 97cab307cd it seemed 90d7fc0d17 a bit 06abeb75ac different from 7b0d345448 the one 9174689a89 he had ca6c85ff84 arrived in. He felt something 944ca9bb97 was off, but 1b78ca2cf0 before he could d5ca53c76c think too much e78ce210a5 about it, his efe3ec4768 drunkenness started to bcaf392643 kick in. He struggled to stay 3ec75705d4 standing, eventually stumbling into ab44b70062 the carriage and sitting 5fd8a5f558 down on the seat.b3dfb030b3032a11

The coachman, noticing 4510d47ec0 Aubrey’s state, spoke 88043065be up.af1c5536dbe0ee5f

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“We’ll be leaving 97f4fbdaea now.”22676a9e5c6af7bd