Vile Evil Hides Under The Veil

Chapter 2006: Truth, Dare, or Drink?

One drink. Two drinks. Three drinks.

Marina started to giggle after the fourth round, her cheeks lightly flushed.

Azurea's face remained proud, but her hand holding the glass was just a little less steady now.

Meanwhile, Eren looked exactly the same — relaxed, steady, smiling.

The fifth round came, and Eren still showed no signs of slowing down.

He even leaned back lazily in his chair, whistling a small tune as he waited for the dragon sisters to finish their turns.

Azurea gritted her teeth. She could feel the liquor burning her veins, making her heart race. Her pride as a dragoness didn't allow her to back down.

Marina shook her head slightly, smiling in defeat.

"I'm feeling it," she said with a soft laugh. "Eren, I admit defeat." She put down her glass gently, signaling her loss.

Azurea's eyes widened.

"Sis!"

Marina just chuckled.

"You can keep going if you want, Azurea. But don't push yourself too far."

Azurea stared at her sister, then at Eren. Even though she was surprised Marina gave up sooner than she had thought she would, Azurea knew that her sister wouldn't have been able to hold on for much longer anyway.

As such, she had made full use of the fact that she and her sister were a team. Eren's shots were handled by Marina most of the time while she controlled her own consumption. Because of that, she was still in a better condition than her sister.

Eren tilted his head at his company, still smiling and completely unaffected by the heavy drinks.

Only two players remained at the table now at this point.

Eren leaned back in his chair with a relaxed smile.

"So. since it's just the two of us, just matching the drinks is no fun," he said, raising his glass. "How about truth, dare, or drink?"

Azurea smirked and crossed her arms, tilting her head.

"Truth," she said.

Eren nodded. "Alright then. Ask away."

Azurea thought for a second, then narrowed her eyes.

"How many female companions have you had so far?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in challenge.

Eren chuckled and gave her a slow grin, but said nothing. Instead, he picked up his drink and took a long, slow sip without breaking eye contact.

Azurea let out a low laugh. "Coward."

"Selective silence," Eren corrected playfully. "My turn."

He tapped the table once and looked straight at her.

"Dare."

A flicker of fire danced behind Azurea's eyes. She leaned forward a little, curious to see what he'd say.

"I dare you," Eren said as he pulled a Stellar Sativa Stick from his storage, "to light this with your dragonfire."

He placed the stick between his lips and leaned slightly toward her.

Azurea blinked, then frowned. "You're using dragonfire as a lighter now?"

Eren gave her a deadpan look and shrugged slightly, the stick bobbing at the corner of his mouth.

Azurea scrunched her nose in mild irritation. "You're ridiculous," she muttered, but didn't drink. She wanted to outlast him in the game. As such, it was better to do the dare.

She leaned forward and released a concentrated spark of her dragonfire. Unlike a normal flame, her fire glowed with deep azure hues, crackling like liquid lightning. It hovered for a second, then gently touched the end of the Sativa Stick, setting it alight in an instant with a hiss and a flicker.

But before she could pull back, Azurea playfully moved the flame closer to Eren's cheek, intending to tease him with a harmless scorch.

Before it reached him, Eren's hand shot up and pinched her wrist with perfect timing.

"Ow! What the hell?" she yelped in surprise and winced slightly.

Startled, her eyes sparked and for a second her S-Rank mana surged instinctively. A nearby servant let out a terrified gasp and almost fainted on the spot.

Eren sighed as he exhaled a puff of smoke from the side of his mouth.

"Alright, that's enough. You're going to turn this into a battlefield," he muttered.

He turned his head slightly and spoke to the maids still nervously waiting nearby.

"You're all dismissed for the night. Go."

The merfolk maids bowed quickly and backed away with visible relief. A few of them nearly tripped on their way out.

Azurea clicked her tongue and sat back down. "They shouldn't be standing around if they're that scared."

Eren shook his head. "No. It's just that you are getting drunk."

The two of them sat in silence for a moment as the smoke from Eren's stick lazily curled into the moonlit night. The garden lights swayed in the breeze.

It could have been awkward for Azurea to stare into Eren's eyes for longer than a moment. But for some reason, she didn't feel any of it. In fact, she felt comfortable in his presence, now more than ever.

Eren took another slow drag and looked over at her with a sideways grin.

"So... still in the game?"

Azurea met his gaze and smirked.

"Truth, dare, or drink?" She asked, her arms crossed and a sly grin playing on her lips.

Eren shrugged. "Drink."

He picked up his glass, filled it to the brim with something dark and sharp-smelling, and tossed it back with ease. Azurea raised a brow.

"You really don't want to talk about yourself, huh?"

"It's not that really. Like I said, we could get to know each other better tonight with this little game. I just want you to work for it a little harder," Eren said with a smirk. "Your turn. Truth, dare, or drink?"

"Dare," Azurea said immediately, tilting her chin in a challenge.

Eren thought for a second, then grinned.

"Balance a bottle on your head for one full minute without using your hands, mana, or your Elemental Attainments."

Azurea was happy. The dare was simple and she didn't have to nag at him every time for every little thing. She might as well do the easy tasks to outshine Eren in the end.

She picked up an empty wine bottle and placed it carefully on her head, sitting up straight. Her eyes didn't leave Eren's even once.

"One minute," she said confidently.

He chuckled and counted down in his head. She didn't waver even once. When the minute passed, Eren gave her a slow clap.

"Impressive posture."

Azurea snorted. "Truth, dare, or drink?"

"Drink," Eren said again, already pouring another glass.

"You're impossible," she muttered, watching him take the shot like it was water.

Eren leaned forward, resting his elbow on the table. "Your turn again."

"Truth," she said.

Eren grinned. "What's your honest opinion about me?"

Azurea tapped her fingers on the table and frowned. Her cheeks were flushed, and the alcohol was starting to hit her, but she managed to speak clearly.

"You're annoying. Arrogant. And full of half-truths."

Then she paused and sighed.

"But... you're also sharp. Brave. One hell of a strategist. And not entirely full of yourself."

"That's a high praise," Eren replied with a lopsided smile. He conveniently ignored all the negative things Azurea said about him.

The game continued.

Every time Azurea picked a dare, Eren gave her a small, silly task—like hopping on one leg for ten seconds, or trying to whistle a tune with her mouth full of water.

When she picked the truth, he asked her light-hearted questions—what her favorite drink was, what her go-to Skill was, and so on.

She answered all of them, proud of not needing to drink.

Eren, on the other hand, kept choosing to drink without hesitation. His glass was never empty for long, but his eyes remained clear and calm.

After what felt like the 30th round, Azurea blinked slowly. Her head was buzzing now, and her breath had turned slightly uneven.

The bright garden lights looked blurry. She rubbed her eyes and frowned.

"Truth," she said, though her voice lacked the usual sharpness.

Eren noticed her struggling and leaned forward slightly.

"You alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Azurea muttered, but her posture had slouched. "Next question."

Eren leaned forward with that same sly smile he'd been wearing for most of the game.

"Alright," he said, swirling the last bit of drink in his glass. "Dare."

Azurea blinked slowly. She was clearly trying to keep herself from swaying, her eyes a bit glassy. But she still had that stubborn gleam in them.

"You sure?" she asked, her voice hoarse but firm.

Eren nodded. "Absolutely."

Azurea narrowed her eyes and looked like she was about to say something sharp—until Eren beat her to it.

"I dare you," he said slowly, locking eyes with her, "to hug me."

She raised an eyebrow. "That's it?"

"For two full minutes," he added with a grin.

She frowned. "Two minutes is too long."

"Well," Eren continued. "If you last the full two minutes, I'll drink not once, but five times. Back to back."

Azurea looked at him with suspicion. "What... what are you planning?"

He shook his head. "Keke. Don't worry. I'm just making it interesting."

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