Honkai Impact: My Power Grows When Valkyries Fall For Me — Chapter 103

Chapter 103: Drunk

Once the main courses began to arrive, one after another, the silent “battle” over the dinner table resumed in earnest.

Kiana and Mei, armed with fork and spoon, seemed intent on stuffing the entire banquet’s worth of food into Lucian’s mouth.

“Enough, enough…” Lucian struggled to swallow a piece of perfectly cooked steak. Seeing Kiana hoist another piece of lobster in his direction, he turned his head away with a helpless sigh.

“This is the last bite!” Kiana insisted, shaking the succulent lobster meat on her fork as she chased his retreating mouth with righteous persistence.

Lucian dodged once, then twice, before finally surrendering with a resigned sigh and opening his mouth.

The moment he swallowed the lobster, Mei was already there, extending a small spoonful of caviar on a delicate blini. “Try this,” she urged, her voice a gentle murmur. “The texture is very special.”

Lucian’s gaze drifted from the glistening black pearls of caviar to Mei’s tender, smiling face. He silently parted his lips once more.

Across from them, Bronya sat in quiet observation, a wine glass held loosely in her hand, her eyes a mask of cool indifference. While the other three were preoccupied, she had already ordered a bottle of vodka for herself and was now three glasses deep.

She watched the trio opposite her, set her glass down with a soft click, and exhaled a breath tinged with the sharp scent of alcohol. A trace of barely perceptible languor had crept onto her usually expressionless face.

Kiana was still pursuing Lucian with her fork, her entire body practically leaning over the table. “Lucian! Just one more bite! Just one!”

“I’m really full…”

“I don’t believe you! You just said the lobster was delicious!”

Mei chuckled softly from the side, covering her mouth with one hand. She would occasionally offer a spoonful of this or a piece of that, watching the scene unfold as if it were some highly entertaining performance.

Bronya poured herself another glass of vodka. The clear, viscous liquid swirled gently, catching the warm, golden lights of the restaurant in its depths. She raised the glass and took a small sip.

The cold spirit slid down her throat, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.

She hadn’t had a drink in a long time. It wasn’t that she couldn’t—it was simply that there was no point. The intoxicating effects of alcohol would be nullified by her bio-chip, but her body would still react instinctively. Warmth bloomed in her stomach, her blood flow accelerated, and a faint heat rose to her cheeks.

That was all. Nothing more.

She set the glass down, her gray eyes drifting back to the scene across the table. Kiana had finally succeeded in feeding Lucian another piece of lobster and was now boasting triumphantly to Mei, who simply smiled and took a delicate sip of her own red wine.

Bronya rested her chin in her hand, quietly observing them. Her gaze settled on Lucian’s face, on his expression of resigned helplessness. Even though he was being force-fed beyond his capacity, there wasn’t a single flicker of impatience in his eyes.

There was only that familiar look—indulgent, gentle, like a parent watching their own child’s playful antics.

Bronya’s fingers traced the rim of her glass. She was suddenly reminded of their days back in Changkong City.

Back then, she had only just met him. For Seele’s sake, and for the sake of her mission, she had hovered around him like a wary cat. She observed him, analyzed him, relentlessly searching for weaknesses and flaws.

And then she discovered something truly strange.

He held no guard against her. It wasn’t the arrogance of a powerful man who felt he needed no defense, but a genuine, almost naive, trust.

Even after she had tried to strangle him with her own white stockings, even after she had riddled his home with surveillance cameras, even after she had tested his limits time and time again… he had never once been truly angry with her.

At most, he would let out a helpless sigh, ruffle her hair, and say, “Bronya, that’s enough.”

Bronya raised her glass and took another drink. The cold liquid carried a faint, astringent bite as it went down. She watched as Kiana pinned Lucian down to stuff a bite of dessert into his mouth, and the words of her other-worldline self echoed in her mind.

‘He will spoil you.’

She hadn’t understood it then. Now, she was beginning to.

It wasn’t a deliberate, purposeful act of ‘spoiling.’ It was simply the kind of person he was. He was kind to those around him, kind to those he cared for—so intrinsically kind that he himself saw nothing special in his own actions.

So kind that those who were spoiled by him would only grow more and more dependent, more and more greedy, more and more… desirous of possessing him completely.

Bronya’s gaze lingered on Lucian’s face for a long time. So long, in fact, that even Kiana noticed something was amiss.

“Bronya?” Kiana put down her fork and tilted her head, her azure eyes filled with confusion. “Why are you spacing out?”

Bronya pulled her gaze back, picked up her glass, and took another sip. “It’s nothing.”

Her voice was as calm as ever, but a faint flush had bloomed across her usually placid features. It wasn’t the blush of shyness. It was the heat of the alcohol.

Kiana blinked, staring at her for a few seconds before a look of sudden realization dawned on her face. “Bronya, are you drinking?!”

Her voice shot up an octave, and she nearly leaped out of her seat. “Aren’t you still a minor?!”

Bronya held her glass, her gray eyes regarding Kiana with unnerving calm. “Only Bronya’s body is underage.”

Her tone was matter-of-fact, completely devoid of guilt. Kiana opened her mouth, but found she had no retort.

Mei chuckled behind her hand, a hint of fond exasperation in her purple eyes. “Bronya, that’s not really an excuse.”

Bronya didn’t reply. She simply raised her glass and took another sip, her gaze drifting over the rim to land on Lucian, who was still struggling to swallow his dessert.

“Lucian.”

Bronya’s voice was very soft, yet it cut through the restaurant’s ambiance with exceptional clarity.

Lucian looked up, his eyes meeting hers. “Hmm? What is it?” he asked, finally managing to swallow the last bite of cake.

Bronya didn’t answer immediately. She just held her glass, watching him quietly. The warm, golden light of the restaurant reflected in her gray eyes, making them appear much softer than usual.

“Bronya?” Kiana tilted her head again, her expression still puzzled. “Are you okay? Your face is so red…”

Bronya shook her head. “The Bronya is fine.” She took another sip of vodka before placing the glass back on the table. The transparent liquid sloshed gently, refracting the lights and shadows of the room.

She propped her chin on her hand again, her gaze still locked on Lucian’s face. “Lucian.”

She called his name once more. This time, her voice was even softer, laced with a lazy, melodic quality that Lucian had never heard from her before.

Lucian’s brow twitched. He studied Bronya, noticing that the faint flush on her cheeks had deepened. Her gray eyes were now veiled in a thin mist, like colored glaze that had been soaked in fine spirits.

“Bronya, how much have you had to drink?” Lucian asked tentatively.

Bronya tilted her head, appearing to give the question serious thought. “Four glasses.”

The corner of Lucian’s mouth twitched. Four glasses of vodka. For an ordinary person, that was more than enough to be dead drunk.

Bronya quietly observed the subtle shift in Lucian’s expression, a faint smile rippling in her gray eyes. “The Bronya’s bio-chip can filter the effects of alcohol.” She seemed to be explaining, or perhaps making an excuse for herself, her voice a touch softer than usual. “Theoretically, the Bronya will not get drunk.”

Lucian listened to her serious explanation and felt that something was not quite right. “Theoretically?” he repeated. “But you don’t exactly look sober right now.”

Bronya tilted her head and thought about it, a flash of genuine confusion in her gray eyes. “The Bronya does not know either…”

“But…” She blinked, her misty eyes fixed on Lucian. “You look… better than usual.”

The restaurant seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Kiana froze in place, her eyes as wide as saucers.

Mei’s hand, holding her wine glass, stopped in mid-air, a complex emotion flashing through her purple eyes.

Lucian’s brow twitched again. He looked at Bronya’s still-expressionless face, not quite understanding why she would choose to say something like that now. Besides, Bronya’s tolerance should be excellent; could a few glasses of vodka really get her drunk?

‘Well, it is vodka,’ he reasoned. ‘So it’s hard to say…’

Bronya just looked at him quietly, her eyes so clear they didn’t seem like those of a drunk person, yet so hazy that one couldn’t quite take her seriously.

“Bronya,” Lucian called her name tentatively.

She tilted her head, the movement a half-beat slower than usual, betraying a lazy sluggishness.

“Are you drunk?”

Bronya blinked and thought seriously for a few seconds. “The Bronya believes she is not.”

The restaurant was silent for another few seconds.

Kiana finally snapped out of her shock and nearly shot to her feet. “Bronya! You, you, you… what are you talking about!” Her face turned bright red, even redder than Bronya’s was after four glasses of vodka. “What do you mean ‘better than usual’? Lucian… he’s already…”

Halfway through her sentence, Kiana suddenly got stuck. She turned away, stammering, “He’s already… okay, I guess…”

Mei gently set down her glass. She looked at Bronya, then at Lucian, and said nothing. She already understood everything but had no intention of intervening.

After all, she was confident she would be the only true winner tonight.

Bronya ignored Kiana’s flustered outburst. Her gaze remained on Lucian’s face, as if she were searching for some kind of answer there.

“Lucian.” She called his name again.

“What is it?”

Bronya opened her mouth as if to say something more, but in the end, she just shook her head. “Nothing.”

She withdrew her gaze and picked up her glass again, only to find it empty. She stared at the bottom of the glass and frowned slightly. The expression was so subtle that unless one were staring directly at her, it would have gone completely unnoticed.

Lucian noticed.

He sighed and reached across the table for the vodka bottle. “Stop drinking.” His tone was light, but it brooked no argument. He then proceeded to pour the last of the vodka into his own glass.

Bronya watched as her drink was transferred into Lucian’s glass, and a very faint, “just as planned” smile touched her lips.

The idea to ‘feign being drunk’ had actually occurred to her on the third glass. As she held her fourth, she had watched Lucian through the transparent wall of the crystal. He was being pestered by Kiana to eat a piece of cake; his face was a mask of helplessness, yet he still opened his mouth to accept the bite. In his eyes, she saw that familiar indulgence.

Bronya was suddenly overcome with curiosity. If she were ‘drunk,’ how would he react? Would he indulge her helplessly, as he did Kiana? Or would he accommodate her gently, as he did Mei? Or perhaps… would there be a reaction that was unique, just for her?

So, when she had said, “You look better than usual,” she had clearly seen his brow twitch. Bronya silently cataloged this reaction in her heart.

And now, watching him pour the vodka into his own glass, she couldn’t help but smile. There was about 150ml of vodka left. Lucian didn’t usually drink hard liquor, so after this glass…

He would definitely get drunk.

“Because I want to drink it,” Bronya said, nodding obediently as a barely perceptible smile flashed in her gray eyes. She sat back in her seat, rested her chin on her hand, and quietly watched Lucian pick up the glass of vodka.

The clear liquid, now mixed with the dregs of his red wine, swirled in the glass. Lucian hesitated for a moment before tilting his head back and downing it all.

Bronya’s eyes brightened slightly.

Lucian gulped down the mixture of vodka and red wine in one go, his brow furrowed in a deep frown.

“Cough…” He slammed the glass down, his Adam’s apple bobbing as his entire face scrunched up. “This stuff… I really don’t know how you can stand drinking it.”

Watching his contorted expression, the corners of Bronya’s lips curled into a very faint arc. “Is it not good?” Her voice still carried that lazy tone as she looked at him.

“It’d be a miracle if it were…” Lucian coughed again. A burning sensation seared a path from his throat all the way to his stomach, and his face was wrinkled up like a bitter melon.

Kiana leaned in close and whispered, “Lucian, your face is really red.”

“That’s because it’s spicy,” Lucian shot back with a glare, but he had to admit his vision was indeed a bit blurrier than usual. His alcohol tolerance was poor to begin with; after being plied with several glasses of red wine by Mei, he was already at his limit. And Bronya’s glass of straight vodka was far stronger…

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, but found that the movement only made the scene before him swim even more.

“Lucian?” Kiana’s voice came from his side, tinged with worry. “Are you okay? Your face is so red…”

“I’m fine,” Lucian mumbled, shaking his head again.

Mei put down her glass, a complex look flashing in her purple eyes. “Lucian, are you drunk?”

Lucian instinctively denied it, but found his own voice sounded light and airy. He turned to meet Mei’s gaze. In her eyes, he could see his own reflection, accompanied by a faint, lingering smile on her lips.

“Really?” Mei asked again, her voice even softer than before.

Lucian’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He found that he couldn’t look away from those captivating eyes.

“…Maybe a little,” he answered honestly.

Bronya rested her chin on her hand, a satisfied light flashing in her eyes. She looked at Lucian’s slightly flushed face and his gradually hazing purple eyes, the corners of her lips turning up slightly.

“Lucian,” she called his name softly.

Lucian turned his head to look at her. The movement was a half-beat slower than usual, revealing a sluggish laziness.

Looking at him like that, Bronya suddenly thought he was a bit cute.

“The Bronya will take you back to your room,” she announced, her voice soft, yet exceptionally clear.

Kiana froze for a moment, then immediately reacted. “I-I’ll go too!” She grabbed Lucian’s arm and leaned her whole body against him.

Mei watched this scene and gave a light, knowing laugh. “Let’s all go together then. We’re just about finished eating, anyway.”