Chapter 149   To Three (2)

The sound of liquor pouring into glass echoed in the room. The drink was cool on the tongue, and when it was swallowed it sweetened the breath and dispersed a hidden heat. One couldn’t help but anticipate the sound of the glass being filled again.

The two polished off a few more drinks, and Ian was pleased to have given Simon a good first experience.

Simon did not deny it. In fact, he had been looking carefully at the label for a while.

Their tastes had always aligned when the word “truly” was involved.

His glass was empty, and he stared at the drops that remained on the bottom.

Ian frowned at his reply, then refilled their empty glasses. After a few more rounds, Simon brought up a small complaint.

Ian changed his gaze a little, but could not deny it. He promised not to tell lies.

He still had an excuse, though.

So he filled Simon’s glass several times.

Memories of the three of them as children rekindled in his mind, full of sunshine and fresh grass.

Simon felt the white line that he stood on. The starting point of his free will.

Their glasses clinked again. They had long lost count how many drinks they had.

He wasn’t just a breathing sack of meat. Simon Hillard was real.

Ian smiled as he brought his glass to his lips. The liquor that touched the tip of his tongue was too sweet for him to stop.

They would all splinter into their different paths, while Louise would remain at the Academy.

Ian rested his chin on his knee. He always cherished his time at the Academy, but if he knew they would all part in the end like this…

Ian stopped thinking and smiled lightly. There was still a little time left. He lived to the fullest every day. But what made him sad was that he loved Simon, Louise, and the special environment here in the Academy.

Simon frowned. He didn’t have anyone else to spend time with, and now he had to hang around this creepy guy.

Except under certain circumstances, of course.

Simon replied with a deadpan expression.

There was a serious glint in his eye.

New feelings…Simon was skeptical about that. Maybe it was a side effect of loving one person for too long.

Simon raised a glass full of wine.

Even so, Ian drank to a two hundred year promise with him.

The bottle was half-empty now. Ian peered at Simon’s face to check his condition.

Of course he was.

Ian turned to look at Louise, who was still sleeping in the same position.

Professor Hewitt was probably the exception, of course. Louise bravely held the record of falling asleep the most times in his class.

Simon’s lips curved into a smile.

They drank and refilled each other’s glasses several more times, and before long the bottle was empty.

Ian shook the empty bottle. There was no more alcohol, and he wanted to eat something cold. Maybe a sherbet.

The two young men reached out their hands to shake her awake, but then both stopped.

They decided to wait a little longer. The two young men, who had neither liquor to drink nor cake to eat, settled themselves comfortably on either side of Louise. The carpet was pleasant—but perhaps it wasn’t the carpet, but the three of them together.

The two shared a laugh. If the three of them joined forces, they could probably empty the palace cellars.

The both of them had talked for a long time. It was pleasant to imagine a future with all of them together.

Ian leaned back against the wall and looked at the blonde hair that hung over the white pillow.

Simon carefully arranged Louise’s slightly tangled locks. He had been planning to tie her hair on both sides today. Too bad. Should he save it for a birthday two years later?

A sigh crossed the room. The sound of soft breathing went from one, to two, and soon to three.