Free things are, generally, always welcomed. Many might counter, though, that nothing in this world is truly free. And that is exactly why just as many are skeptical when someone offers them something for free without asking for anything in return.

However, I disagree. There are many free things in this world, some of them being the fruits of Mother Nature, which can save us from hunger and certain death without expecting anything in return. The air we breathe every day is also free. So is the water from a lake, and so is the vast sky. Or, in many cases, the unconditional love of a mother.

My mother allowed me to live for free under her roof for years, and never asked me for anything in return. Perhaps, my love for her was the payment for such kindness, but I'm sure she would have provided such accommodations even if I had treated her horribly, not even acknowledging her as my own mother. Not that I could ever do such a thing.

She once told me to never accept free things from strangers and, of course, I followed her advice. Our house rarely saw any visitors, except for some local knights and guards, some people from my mother's theater, and the town's well-known priest. But despite me considering them strangers, I was allowed to accept whatever those people brought me. The priest, in particular, would always bring something for me to eat; he knew very well I loved chocolate, and he always had some on hand. I never saw him empty-handed of a little treat for me whenever he would visit.

Based on this, I can conclude and affirm that the love some people have for those they hold dear will always be genuinely free; especially the love of a lovely mother toward her beloved daughter. However, if I were to give my opinion on the love of everyday people, like the people of my new guild, such as Crimson... I would say that free love does not exist, as people would expect the same in return.

...

Crimson and I finally arrived at the Feasty Slime, a warm and fancy venue with several large halls filled with tables where you could sit, order and eat with your people. We did arrive quite late, though, as the long table where Elizabeth's and the others had sat was now almost empty, with only a few people remaining. Surprisingly, Leonard was there, too.

"Oh, you made it!" Joey greeted me with a smile. On his shoulder rested Elizabeth's head; she looked asleep. A sight that, for some reason, didn't sit well with me.

"What happened to her?" I asked, confused.

"Oh, it seems she can't handle alcohol," Laura chuckled as she glanced at her with loving and amused eyes; the same way my mother used to look at me.

Crimson facepalmed at the sight. "What a fucking idiot..."

Her comment made me stifle a laugh.

"Oh! It's the baddie!" even Luke, the guy of the Armonia, was there. He pointed at me with a wide-eyed look of awe.

"The baddie?" Crimson raised an eyebrow, looking at me.

"Don't ask me..."

"Hey, good evening," Roland, the other member of the Armonia and Luke's friend, greeted me and Crimson with the only arm he had left.

"You're still in the guild like that, Roland?" Crimson asked him.

"Of course. I can still be useful, don't underestimate me," he replied with an optimistic and proud smile.

Crimson wickedly grinned to such optimism. "Is that so? Then let me pour you a glass. It's rare to see people with a backbone nowadays," she then snapped her fingers at a nearby waiter who was passing by. "Hey, manservant. Bring me a bottle of one of your most renowned wines, and three glasses."

"Madam," he replied. "I apologize but, it is quite late, and I believed your table was about to leave soon..."

Crimson smiled, placing her hand on the waiter's shoulder and speaking in a dangerously calm tone. "Listen, you don't act on what you believe. You act on what the customer commands. And I command that, at the snap of my fingers, you obey and bring me what I ordered. Have I made myself clear?"

As Crimson spoke, I could see the waiter's expression becoming more and more pained. She was gripping his shoulder so tightly that it seemed she was almost crushing it.

"U-understood, madam! I apologize for my behavior!" he stammered before slipping away to fetch the wine.

Crimson huffed and took a seat at the table. I followed, sitting right beside her.

"Don't treat people like that. You'll give a bad reputation to the guild," Leonard said as he chewed some of the meat left on his plate. He seemed to have arrived late to the dinner as well, since he was the only one still eating, elegantly slicing the meat with a silver knife while holding it steady with the fork.

"You mean I'll make people respect the guild?" Crimson retorted with nonchalance as she crossed her legs, draping her arm over my shoulder.

Leonard paused, putting the cutlery down to adjust his glasses with a flick of his index finger. "Hm," he scoffed. "Clearly, we have different visions of what the guild's image should be. But I shall let it slide, considering today's occasion."

"Not that she was invited..." Selena mumbled on the other side of the table, hiding her words behind a glass of wine as she swirled it, sipping part of it. She seemed a little drunk, tipsy maybe, judging from her expression and the blush on her cheeks.

Crimson definitely heard it too, but she probably decided there was no point in indulging in a confrontation with Selena, likely considering her unworthy of her attention. Instead, she turned her focus to me, pulling me closer.

"What do you say we share a drink, Snowflake? Can you handle alcohol?"

"If you're hoping to make me drunk, then I'm afraid you're dealing with the wrong person. Unfortunately for you, I can handle it."

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She looked taken aback, her eyes widening in surprise. "Really? You don't strike me as someone who drinks much at all."

Indeed. Because I surely am not.

But as I grew up in my ex-guild, I noticed people loved it; heavily drinking and losing control over it in the process. So, treating it like poison, I decided to build my endurance to it.

From getting tipsy, to being completely drunk and intoxicated... I forced myself to drink it, treating it like training, buying bottle after bottle of alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, you name it... I hated it. I hated every single drop.

The sensation of slowly and gradually losing control and stability over my whole body and mind, having my senses blur... it was terrible! Horrible. Awful!

When I got drunk, I would often wake up in my bed without even remembering how I got there because of my fuzzy memories.

I didn't need alcohol to feel like that, when just the thought of losing the lucidity to freely control my body as I please was enough to make me nauseous!

I'll never understand why people love it so much...

"Well, yeah. You picked the wrong girl," I replied to Crimson with a smug smile that even I couldn't take seriously.

"By the way, didn't you want to eat something?" she asked me.

"Well, I would like to, but I doubt they'll serve me now, being this late..."

"We could ask if they can," Joey intervened. "Since you two just arrived, perhaps they'll let you order something."

Just then, the waiter returned with the wine and the glasses. Crimson snapped her fingers as soon as he set the bottle down.

"Hey, manservant. Bring my fiancée something to eat."

"Your what?!"

"What would you like, madam?" the waiter asked, pretending not to notice my reaction.

"Ah, um..." I didn't even have the time to catch my thoughts from what she said, and she even ignored my question! "Huh... Is there any left of what he's having?" I asked, pointing at Leonard's plate.

"Understood, I shall bring it to you shortly," the waiter said before heading back to the kitchen.

As he left, I noticed the others' gazes on us. Well, Leonard was still focused on eating, Elizabeth was sleeping, and Selena was clearly reaching the drunken state. So, only Joey, Laura, Jerald and the two Armonia guys were really watching. I felt my cheeks burning, and at the same time, the memory of my mother's story flashed through my mind, making me feel even more nervous. Being considered a witch was not in my plans. Especially because of her stupid jokes and teasing.

I was not going to be considered a witch. I was absolutely not going to allow myself to be considered a witch.

I cleared my throat. "Your what...?" I repeated.

She completely ignored me. She was 'busy' pouring the wine for Roland.

"A second, Snowflake," she dismissed me without even glancing in my direction.

I pressed my forehead, trying to calm down my rising anger. She had the audacity to ignore me after what I said to her the night before.

After the two finished their toast, or whatever it was, Crimson finally returned to me with the same irritatingly smug smile on her face; even Roland tried to point out I was about to break a glass over her head hadn't she paid attention to me.

"What is it, babe?" she asked with a happy, teasing, punch-seeking voice.

"Crimson..." the edge in my voice was a clear warning to stop.

"Hey, you didn't deny it," she continued, making the situation even worse.

"I am denying it. I didn't because I had to order."

"I'm not sure... Look, you're all red. Something tells me that, deep down, what I said is the truth," she chirped. She was provoking me.

"No... this is anger!"

She brought her finger to her lips. "Shh... You'll wake up Elizabeth if you raise your voice."

"You don't even-"

My mind was throwing insults at her. She never even cared about Elizabeth and yet she managed to use her as an excuse!

She wrapped her arm around my neck, pulling me so close that our cheeks were practically touching. "Come on, Snowflake, let's drink."

I was grinding my teeth from the anger and embarrassment she was making me feel. My patience was being pushed to the limit.

"Don't pay too much attention to her, Argenta," Jerald intervened, trying to calm me down; he must've noticed my reaction. "We all know she's just messing with you," he said, trying to reassure me.

Still, I was pissed...

"Unless..." Selena suddenly said with an unusually serious tone; I didn't even know she could make such a serious voice. "Unless it's true! Kyaa!" she suddenly screamed with one of her high-pitched squeal, covering her face with her hands.

What was this girl's problem?!

"Don't scream..." even Leonard warned.

And how did Elizabeth not wake up from that?!

"That would be too good to be true," Luke commented, rubbing his chin as he stared at me and Crimson. "The new baddie with Crimson? ... Oh, my mind can't handle this much..."

"Don't add fuel to the fire..." Roland tried to calm down his friend.

"A new girl joins the guild..." Selena suddenly stood up dramatically, her voice deep as she held her clenched fist in the air. "Her heart is soft, but she is lost and without anyone to hold in her arms, when she suddenly finds herself drawn to the bad girl everyone fears... Kyaa!"

"Jerald... calm your girl," Crimson advised him while she tried to shield her ears, probably regretting the joke she tried to pull on me right now.

Selena swirled around, hugging herself and laughing, while Jerald tried to calm her down and Luke kept egging her on. Luke's friend was trying to calm him accordingly, while Joey just chuckled at the scene. Leonard facepalmed, and Laura was lost in bliss at the sight of her daughter sleeping.

"What am I even watching now...?" I asked myself.

"Well, you seem to enjoy the situation," Crimson whispered to me. "Are you perhaps happy I called you my fiancée? Is that why you're blushing so much?"

"No. I'm blushing because you made a scene," I replied, trying to keep my distance from her, gripping the chair to avoid falling over from leaning too far away.

"Or maybe you secretly wish it were true?"

"You're talking nonsense..."

"Or would you prefer to be called something else? You like being considered a snowflake already," she was literally flirting with me despite the chaos around us that she herself created.

"As long as you shut up, I'm fine with whatever. Just don't use it in front of other people. I'm warning you, Crimson, my patience is growing thin."

"Oh, really now? You're fine with whatever? Perhaps you'd like something more intimate, then."

"Crimson..."

"What do you say to..." she suddenly leaned in, her lips near my ear, "... my slave?"

Had the chair been any weaker or made of anything less sturdy, my grip would've shattered it. And had I not been holding onto it, my hands would've already been around her neck.

"Don't hit her, Argenta," I warned myself internally. "You have to calm down. You can't kill her. Not in front of everyone... Steady yourself. This girl can still be useful to you..."

I breathed in and out, trying to cool my nerves after the humiliation I felt. But no, as much as I wished for it, there was no calming down at that point; that insult was just too much to overlook.

"Here, let's drink," she was still talking to me after that, offering a glass of wine.

I glared at her. She must've sensed the hint of my bloodlust in that moment, but that didn't scare her; she just looked more amused and excited by it.

"Here's your plate, madam," the waiter returned too, posing in front of me what looked like tasty steak.

"Thanks," I replied, still glaring at Crimson.

Keeping the anger inside, the dinner carried on. And because of the rage, that fine dish tasted like nothing...

"By the way, Leonard... do you approve, in the end? About, you know..." Selena asked him, eyeing Elizabeth.

Leonard glanced at Laura before letting out a sigh of resignation. "Alright, I'll allow it..."

Selena's eyes lit up, and she let out a silent squeal, somehow. I had no idea she could even be silent. Nor did I know what they were talking about, but surely it had to do with Elizabeth.

After the dinner, we all headed back to the guild, even Crimson and I. Only that, at some point, after a few steps, I stopped.

Crimson kept walking for a moment before noticing I wasn't following beside her anymore. She then turned around.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I met her gaze, taking a deep breath, slowly steadying my breathing.

It really felt like an eternity since the last time...