Drunk

Malcom continued bringing Elric around the party for the next couple of hours, introducing him to countless people and often chatting with them for long periods of time.

To Elric, who preferred hanging out in his room and occasionally chatting with The Boys on the group chat, having to constantly and repeatedly speak formally with people grew tiring fast.

Amber, Malcom's daughter, had disappeared early into their introductions, left with another random acquaintance of Malcom's.

Whichever poor person was stuck with the kid was probably panicking right now.

It was only when the duo heard a bit of a commotion near the bar that they finally stopped going around to meet new people. Elric heaved a sigh of relief, but his mood quickly soured as he saw the situation before him.

Many people had already left the party as the night drew on, but more folks had also arrived. One of these people was someone he had seen before, though only in videos.

'This bitch is one of the people who showed up in the video where Nulstaya and Angeline mock Ember!'

The girl in question could only be seen in the corner of the recording the onlooker had taken, but Elric had still gone out of his way to look into who she was.

Melody, another performer under WStar's banner. She didn't have nearly the fame as Nulstaya, and commonly showed up as a background singer at concerts for more successful people.

She was someone who didn't have the talent or connections needed to succeed, and she took out her frustration on her fellow performers.

The girl had a notoriously bad personality, and even the number of assistant gigs she got within her own company seemed to be decreasing.

Even in the video of Ember's being shamed, Angeline, a performer from a connected but different agency, was able to claim a higher position in the show than Melody.

Now, this failed performer was facing off against Eria, Ember, and West in front of the bar.

There was another girl standing by her side, and three young men who clearly seemed to be their supporters.

'Damn it man, what the hell is going on over here?'

Elric rushed over to Ember, but just as he arrived, Eria stepped forward.

"You two are just -hic- trying to bully my friend?"

Eria's light blue dress moved as she swayed on her feet, clearly under the influence of alcohol.

The girl standing beside Melody also stepped out from her group.

"Look, it was just one comment, there's no need for all of this. We apologize for what was said, so please back off."

Melody pushed at the girl's arm.

"We apologize? Like hell. This drunk bitch tried to slap me! She's the one who should be begging for forgiveness!"

Eria looked like she was about to go in for a second attempt at slapping the girl, but Ember held her back.

"Eria, calm down! There's no need to get into a fight over this, it's just a few useless words! I'm fine!"

As Elric arrived at the scene, the two potential combatants were both being held back by their more rational friends.

Even though Ember was holding Eria back, Melody still decided to continue insulting her.

"I'll make sure you never get a position singing ever again! Do you know who my grandfather is? Right, he's the owner of the NexRu agency! One word from me, and you'll never perform again!"

One might wonder why this girl was contracted with someone other than her family's agency, but now wasn't the time to worry about that.

Ember looked like she was about ready to release Eria and let her tear off a piece of this Melody girl, so Elric stepped in when he arrived.

"Everyone, calm down. What's going on here?"

Ember finally released Eria, and the girl raised her hand to point at Melody's group. Instead of using her pointer finger, though, she used her middle one.

"These twats were -hic- making fun of Ember! Let me at them!"

If they were somewhere less crowded, Elric definitely would've let Eria have a go at the rude performer, and might've even joined in himself, but not while in the middle of a crowded party.

"Eria, leave them alone. This isn't a good place to make a scene."

Elric put his hand against Eria's shoulder when he got to her side, and frowned when he felt how much she was trembling. Before, when he picked her up, it wasn't nearly as bad as this.

Elric leaned in closer to her, then spoke softly so that the other party wouldn't be able to hear.

"Are you okay?"

Eria tried to push Elric away so she could advance toward Melody again, but she felt way too weak. Her strength was even worse than Amber's, and she was just a kid.

Elric saw the girl's eyes flutter, and he realized that something was wrong. He quickly put an arm around her shoulder to help support her, but the girl was shaking even more. The powerful scent of alcohol wafted with her breath, and Eria's dulled violet eyes seemed to stare off in front of her, not even recognizing Elric's presence in front of her.

Elric bent down, reaching her other arm down by Eria's legs, then swept her off her feet. Eria hardly reacted as he picked her up into a princess carry, and her head leaned limply against his shoulder.

Without sparing a second glance at Melody's group, Elric called for West and Ember to follow him.

"We're leaving. Come on."

Ember looked confused by Elric's actions, and her expression was a bit sour. It changed when she heard Elric's next words.

"She's clearly had something to drink. Did either of you see if someone slipped something into one of her glasses?"

Ember looked at Eria, only noticing now how pale the girl looked. On her shoulder, there was a patch of red hives.

"I- I didn't see anything, and we were paying pretty close attention… she didn't even have that much to drink, though."

West led their group as they left the mansion, holding open the doors for Elric to pass through with Eria.

"Sorry. I should probably be the one carrying them, and I should've stood up for Ember there."

Elric didn't react to West's words, instead instructing one of the butlers to fetch their car. The limo driver pulled up less than a minute later, and Elric climbed into the back, still carrying Eria.

"To the hospital, please. She might've been drugged."

Just as the car started moving, Eria came to.

"I- I'll be fine. It's just the alcohol… I just need rest."