The Monsters' Breeding Dungeon (The Overlord's Depraved Tales) by Bree Bellucci Page B

the
stool next to hers. “I see Claude has got you drinking the vodka,”
he said. His voice was deep, and his accent was minimal.
    “Yep,” Katherine agreed. “It's not bad,
actually.”
    “No, it's good stuff,” the man said. “He just
makes sure that all the pretty young tourists get a glass of it on
the house.”
    Katherine shrugged. “It's nice of him.”
    “Yes,” the man agreed. “Are you going to
drink that second one?”
    “Um, no,” she told him. “I didn't plan on
it.”
    “Then may I?” he asked, reaching for the
glass. “I'll get you a glass of wine or something to
compensate.”
    It wasn't really a good idea to take drinks
from strangers, and Katherine could hear her mother and her sister
yelling at her in her head. Still, she didn't see the harm in it,
and she was watching the drinks being prepared right in front of
her. She nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”
    “But of course,” the man said with a grin. He
grabbed her second glass and drained it in one gulp, making a low
noise before flagging down Claude the bartender. “A glass of white,
Claude,” he called.
    Claude waved a hand at him and finished
filling the glass of the man he was waiting on, but soon enough a
tall glass of white wine made its way down the bar.
    “And there you are,” said the stranger,
“enjoy.”
    Katherine quickly found herself being charmed
by the man beside her. He asked her where she was from and told her
about his travels as she sipped at her wine. The wine was very
good, full bodied and crisp, and Katherine could already feel it
going to her head. She probably should have had the wine before the
vodka, but it was too late for that now. She laughed at something
the man said, and it never occurred to her to ask his name. After
all, chances were that she would never see him again anyway.
    “Are you here in St. Gilgen alone?” he asked
her, leaning in closer to be heard over the laughter coming from a
nearby table.
    “I am, yes,” Katherine replied with a smile.
“Going to give me a lecture about the dangers of traveling alone?”
If she had been more sober, Katherine would have been horrified
with herself. She was not usually the flirting type, yet here she
was.
    The man laughed and shook his head. “Far be
it from me to lecture you, dear lady. You seem capable enough.”
    “I am capable!” Katherine agreed happily. She
drained her wine glass and set in down.
    “Another?”
    “Oh, no,” she said, leaning against the bar.
“I will have a hard enough time as it is walking back to my cottage
with just two drinks in me.”
    “Sounds like someone is a lightweight,” the
man teased.
    “It was the Monopola... Mono...” Katherine
shrugged, giving up. “It was the vodka.”
    “Ah, yes,” agreed the man. “The vodka will
sneak up on you. Especially if you're not used to it.” He smiled
and placed a hand on her knee. “Tell you what, since I feel
partially responsible for you being in this state, why don't I walk
home with you? Just to make sure you get there alright?”
    Katherine hesitated. Event through the haze
of the alcohol in her system, she knew that having strange men walk
with her in the middle of the night in a foreign country probably
wasn't the best idea. At the same time, this man seemed nice
enough, and she really didn't want to have to walk all the way back
alone. Anything could happen to her, and it was dark. “Thanks,” she
said finally. “I'd like that.”
    “Excellent,” the man said. “Shall we go now,
then?”
    Katherine nodded her agreement, and she put
down money to cover her drink on the bar and a tip for Claude. Then
she smiled at the man.
    He took her arm. “Right this way, milady,” he
teased, opening the door for her and leading her out into the cool
night air.
    It wasn't cold, but there was something in
the air that made Katherine pull her jacket closer around her. The
large, full moon bathed the street and the buildings in a pale,
almost ethereal light. It was