The sudden appearance of a beauty like Lianna seemed to have taken some of them aback, especially Claire and Rachel, who was familiar with Lianna, since they were both figures in the business world.
Lianna seemed to be an important figure in the business world, and who knew someone as rich as her would be celebrating Christmas along with everyone else?
It was truly surprising, to the point that Claire seemed to have a hard time believing.
Evelyn on the other hand, seemed oblivious to the entire thing. For her, she had just brought a friend to enjoy Christmas with.
Apparently, Vanessa was really busy, to the point where she couldn't even celebrate Christmas for herself.
A pity.
Amidst the pleasant scent of food, there was a sudden fragrance that wafted in the air, which seemed to have emitted from Lianna.
Must've been a really expensive perfume.
"Aren't you going to take your gloves off?"
Brandon asked Evelyn, who seemed reluctant to do so.
"Uhm.... I'll keep it on for a bit. I'm still feeling the cold from outside."
"Is that so?"
That was weird. They had kept the air at room temperature, so it shouldn't be too cold.
That being said, the party went underway.
"Merry Christmas, everyone!"
***
Time passed by in a flash, everyone enjoyed the meal, and the desserts which were brought by the guests as offerings.
But that was only the start of the party.
"One more shot!"
Alcohol was where the real party started.
"Underage drinking...."
Evelyn frowned. These kids weren't even eighteen yet, but everyone seemed to be engrossed in alcohol.
Of course, Aurelia was already put to sleep since it was late. About 3:20 AM.
Brianna had also gone to sleep, and so, the only legal adults present were Evelyn, Illya and Lianna.
They had done a couple of party games, but then grew bored of it.
Instead, they engaged in chess with some rules restricting them.
"Give him another shot!"
Everyone's faces were flushed red, and some seemed to be drunk already. Particularly, the ones with weak tolerance like; Rachel, Amy, and Amelia.
"Ahh, seriously~ Why are you so good at everything~"
Amelia seemed to be out of it as she clung to Brandon's arm. Her eyes spiraled, and her face was akin to a tomato.
She was practically kissing his arm affectionately.
Brandon gently laid the sleepy Amelia's head on his lap, and it wasn't long until she was snoring.
"Really? In front of my salad!?"
Belle said, hardly focusing on the chess match between Brandon and Rachel.
Apparently, Rachel was pretty good at chess.
Tak.
"Checkmate."
But Brandon was better.
"Ahh! No way I lost thirty gold coins like that...!"
She screamed, ruffling her hair. She too was drunk.
"We're not wagering that, you know?"
"Ah, right...."
Each time Rachel won against the others, she would ask them to forfeit their money. But she would be told there were no such wagers like that.
It was as if it were a habit.
What does she do in her pastime for her to instinctively think she was betting in a chess game while she was drunk?
"No backing out now, Rachel!"
Claire appeared right behind Rachel with a smug, holding onto a bottle of alcohol.
Indeed, while the wager wasn't money, the agreement was the loser would chug a bottle of alcohol.
"Chug! Chug! Chug...!"
"Ahh! Damn it! Hit me!"
"One more game. Rematch!"
This time, he planned on taking it seriously.
His pride was on the line.
The second match began, and this time, Brandon decided to use a bold strategy—the Queen's Gambit.
Tak.
He sacrificed his queen early, hoping to throw her off balance.
It was risky, but if it worked, it could change the tide of the game.
But Lianna wasn't fazed. In fact, she played even sharper this time, expertly countering his every move.
Within minutes, she cornered him again.
Tak.
"Checkmate."
"...."
There were no excuses this time.
Lianna was clearly better than him.
To think he would lose in a chess match, when he had beaten even someone like Lancelott, who seemed to have been an expert at chess.
"Chug! Chug! Chug...!"
As the party wound down, everyone's energy faded.
One by one, the group passed out in the living room, sprawled across couches and the floor.
The festive chaos turned into quiet snores and the occasional murmur.
Evelyn, Illya, and Lianna stood by the door, getting ready to leave.
"Thanks for having us."
"Thank you. It was a great party."
"...."
Evelyn and Lianna said softly, while Illya nodded her head, glancing at the sleeping figures.
Brandon, still tipsy but smiling, nodded.
"Anytime. Thanks for coming."
With a final wave, the three women stepped out of the apartment.
It was a good party.
Hopefully, things stayed the same next Christmas.
***
The moment Evelyn returned home, she immediately removed her gloves and stared at her hand.
"Haaa...."
She breathed a sigh of relief.
Her right hand had returned to normal.
And so, she checked the other hand.
"...."
It was a haunting pale color, spreading all the way to her arm.
"What's happening to me?"
At that moment, her chest tightened once more, a stabbing sensation erupted.
She clutched her chest as it was getting harder to breathe.
Pouring mana into her arm at the same time, the color returned to her arm, and she slumped down, leaning on the door.
She stared blankly at the ceiling.
She had to get a check–up tomorrow.
Standing up, she was just about to enter her room and change, when she passed by the mirror in her living room and noticed something.
"Huh?"
She could've sworn she saw it.
For just a brief instance, half of her face had turned ghastly pale, and her sclera, a chilling pitch–black color.
"Haaa.... I need some sleep."
Probably, under the influence of alcohol, she was seeing things.
Right, it was just her imagination.