It should not take more than a piece of cake to deal with this coy woman.

To Adam, Emmeline was a foolish girl he could push over.

She would throw herself at him at the sound of his command.

Alas, this did not seem to be the case.

The server brought the spirits out first.

A label indicating that it was 64% pure alcohol was plastered across the two alcoholic beverages.

Adam could bet his money that less than a handful of Imperial Palace’s customers had ever seen alcohol of this kind.

Emmeline picked up a bottle and popped the cork.

A thick, refreshing aroma enveloped them.

“This is the stuff!” Emmeline gasped in glee.

Taking after Emmeline, Adam popped the cork.

The scent of 60% alcohol filled his nostrils.

“Achoo!” Adam sneezed.

He took a closer look at the bottle, tempting to call on Emmeline’s bluff.

It was 2.5 liters of strong liquor. How could she beat him?

He was a man!

Adam was all man while the alcohol was only 60%.

It had been a while since he had strong liquor though.

You’re going down, Emmeline!

The servers brought the food to the table.

It was one bucket of hot piping stuffed mushrooms and another bucket of greasy jerk bacon.

Adam lost his appetite just by looking at the food.

“Adam, we should have a drink in a show of respect.” Emmeline grabbed the bottle.

Adam took his bottle too.

Without another word, Emmeline threw her head back and downed big gulps.

“Bam!” With the bottom of the bottle slamming on the table, Emmeline wiped her mouth across her sleeve.

Adam was taken by surprise.

How was he supposed to drink it?

Adam gave it a thought before downing two large mouthfuls.

It was some strong liquor. That was for sure.

Adam grimaced at the bitterness.

“Let’s eat.” Emmeline showed Adam a spoonful of greasy bacon.

Adam took a gulp and waved his arms. “I don’t like that.”

“Didn’t you order it? Why did you order it then?” Emmeline responded.

“I’ll have the salad instead.” Adam picked the vegetable trimmings instead.

“I’ll eat it if you won’t.” Emmeline opened wide to gobble down the bacon.

Truth be told, Adam was intimidated by Emmeline’s magnanimity.

The young woman looked delicate, but the way she carried herself was a stark difference from the impression she gave off. She acted like a boss.

Adam believed defeat was a very possible outlook for him today.

“Um… the food and drinks can wait. I’ll start with a story,” Adam uttered.

“Oh, right. I’m here to listen to a story. Where are my manners?”

“The needle you received… Do you want to know who you got it from?” Adam narrowed his eyes.

“Didn’t you tell me, Adam? You said it was Waylon’s,” Emmeline answered.

“That’s right. It belongs to Waylon.”

Tilting her head, Emmeline furrowed her brows. “But out of so many characters in Games of Thrones, why Hallyne?”

Adam was thrown off by Emmeline going off-topic.

“Does Hallyne mean something to you?”

“Emmeline, I’m talking about Waylon, Robert’s son, and not Hallyne!”

“But Hallyne’s dad isn’t Robert. Did you get it wrong?”

Adam had no words.

“I don’t remember who Hallyne’s dad is. I’ll read the series again and let you know.”

Adam was at a loss for words. There was no way he could outtalk the woman.

“But I noticed you were using the same needle at the party. Tell me. Where did you get your needle? What’s your relationship with Waylon?” Adam proceeded with the questioning.

“First of all, I’m not Catelyn Stark. Secondly, you can get the needle on eBay. I don’t know what’s so special about needles. No need to be dramatic. The needles cost 9.99 dollars, and you get 10 free for every bundle of 100 needles. I can get the needles for you if you like.” Emmeline scooped a stuffed mushroom to munch on.