Aside from amusing him with her drunken antics, she didn't trouble him much.

Lariette clearly felt better after having a bath, but she was still drunk. She acted spoiled when Ruediger dried her with a towel before helping her into a nightgown.

He couldn't help but smile in helplessness, still thinking it would be better if he could record her acting cute when she was drunk.

"Honey~ Why are you so good to me?"

"Mm, can I have~ Strawberry pancakes tomorrow? Pretty please?"

"Kiss me~"

Unable to hold back, Ruediger had a few good laughs tonight. He carried Lariette to bed and wrapped her with a blanket like a sushi roll. She struggled to get out, but fell asleep midway.

Listening to her steady breathing, Ruediger shook his head slightly. He pursed his lower lip, trying not to laugh too loudly.

After brushing her bangs away, he kissed her forehead and got up from the edge of the bed. It was still early for him to sleep. He planned to do some work before calling it a night.

Ruediger went to get some tea in the kitchen. When he walked past the living room, his gaze fell on the tall Christmas tree.

The tree stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, waiting to be adorned with various ornaments. On its right side lay the unsealed box of the decorations.

Lariette had already mentioned decorating the tree and the entire apartment this weekend. Ruediger had already deep-cleaned this place today when she was busy at school.

Thinking of this coming Christmas and New Year holidays softened his gaze. He looked forward to celebrating both with her.

'Less than three weeks, then we're off to Moonville first.'

Going back to Moonville, bringing her to Norvonna and also visiting his mother's grave. Everything would be more meaningful with her by his side.

Ruediger planned to bring Lariette to visit his mother's grave before heading to Moonville. After spending Christmas there, they would immediately fly to Norvonna.

With a smile on his lips, Ruediger went to his study. He had a few things he needed to take care of before going to bed.

As for the drunk Lariette...

"...hot."

Lariette initially slept without any care for the world. Then, she woke up briefly before midnight, feeling too hot from being wrapped up in the blanket.

Still groggy, Lariette freed herself. She vaguely thought Ruediger wasn't on the bed before rushing to the washroom to relieve herself. Then, she simply threw herself on the bed, ignoring the blanket.

When Ruediger returned to the bedroom at half past twelve, he found Lariette lying on her stomach, completely free from the blanket. Raising his brows, he imagined her kicking the covers off.

"So troublesome."

Despite saying that, his eyes twinkled with mirth. He certainly didn't mind being troubled by her.

Ruediger carefully adjusted Lariette's posture, letting her sleep on her back. Then, he got ready for bed. Bringing her into his arms, he drifted to sleep, a contented smile remained on his lips.

A few hours later, Lariette was stirred awake by a pulsing headache. She squinted her eyes while weakly pressing her aching temple. The other side of the bed was already cold and empty.

The clock pointed to a quarter past eight, still too early for a weekend morning.

'...I was drunk, wasn't I?'

The memories of last night slowly emerged behind the veil of her drowsiness.

Lariette remembered dining with her colleagues to celebrate the end of the exam week, having a few cups of wine, and... going home with him.

Stunned, Lariette's eyes flung open.

More memories returned. To say they were quite embarrassing was an understatement.

Biting her lower lip, Lariette hid under the blanket as she lamented how she had acted with Ruediger last night. Her toes and fingers curled in shame.

She remembered everything!

Of her being so coquettish and spoiled while he patiently attended to her. She kept saying how much she loved her honey, and wanted to be kissed and hugged.

But wait, was that all?

Or, had she done anything more embarrassing than she had forgotten?

While Lariette lamented her life choices, Ruediger had just returned from a morning run. Despite the cold weather, sweat still beaded on his forehead.

Glancing at his wrist watch, he wondered if she had woken up or not. He planned to make some strawberry pancakes for her later, while also reheating the soup.

"Lettie, you're awake? ...huh?"

Ruediger halted on his track once he saw a bundle on the blanket. He blinked and then realized it was Lariette, seemingly hiding. Mirth flickered in his eyes as a thought crossed his mind.

Walking closer to the bed, he asked, "Why? Do you remember what you did last night? Everything?"

Ruediger purposely emphasized the last word. He chuckled softly when he noticed Lariette froze before she slowly, ever so slowly, poked her head out of the blanket.

A pair of limpid eyes stared at him, full of questions, embarrassment and doubts. Her entire face was as red as a cooked shrimp.

"...what? I didn't act too weirdly, right?"

Despite not believing him fully, she couldn't help but be wary.

Ruediger chuckled. Sitting on the bed, he pulled the blanket off Lariette before swiftly hugging her.

"No! Don't hug me!"

She squirmed, trying to get away, but he tightened his arms around her. She glared at him, but only received a gleeful grin.

Ruediger bit Lariette's earlobe, "What? You despise me now? Didn't you go on and on about how much you love your honey? You even asked me to hug and kiss you."

"...I was drunk," she shrank her neck.

He narrowed his eyes, staring at her while accusingly saying, "Does being drunk absolve everything? Are you playing with my heart? How could you? I gave my body and soul last night, yet you disdain me this morning."

"Speak properly!"

Ashamed, Lariette covered Ruediger's lips. He stared innocently at her before kissing the center of her palm. Surprised, she quickly retracted her hand.

Ruediger broke into laughter. He gave Lariette a long kiss on the cheek before saying, "Alright, I'll stop messing around. Go fresh up. I'll make you some strawberry pancakes. I gonna shower first."

Then, Ruediger ran out of the bedroom while humming happily. Lariette blinked, thinking about what was going on before, once again, she buried herself into the blanket.