Bertram sat on the floor sobbing and wiping snot from his face. See, this is why I couldn't become a counselor. How can you not grimace in disgust from seeing so much snot?

Well, that and because I lacked empathy.

I tried that career but I only lasted a few weeks. I always managed to get the one's who would complain about rich people's problems. 'Blah ble blah said this about me'. 'My boyfriend looks at too many girls'. 'Should I get a nose job?'

Ugh. It was too annoying to sit through.

Maybe it was because of the life I had lived up to that point which made me roll my eyes at their upper class problems.

Still. I was the problem.

Luckily I realized that and discovered my true passion: Overselling cars to the same kind of upper class people.

"A bet?" Bertram said drawing my attention back in again.

I grabbed a cloth and threw it in his face. "Yes, a bet. I bet that I can help you break your alcohol addiction problem."

He shook his head, "N-No... I don't think you can... I am a lost cause..."

I sighed in exasperation, "No one is a lost cause. Let me ask you, do you want to stop drinking?"

He nodded, "Yes. More than anything..."

"Then there you go! Congratulations! You've already made it past the first step."

He looked at me still sniffling, "The first step?"

"Yes. Admitting you have a problem and wanting to change it. That's the first step."

"But-"

I interrupted, "Listen. You have nothing to lose right?"

He thought about this for a moment before nodding. "That's true."

"There! So, if I can break your alcoholism you need to do everything that I ask."

He frowned at this, "But your father..."

"I won't ask you something that could potentially make you lose your job or anything. Besides, I would be traveling to the red light district with or without you anyway. Wouldn't it be better if you were there to make sure everything went well?"

After that incident in town, I realized I needed extra muscle to back up my made up villain. I mean, I already have this reputation, why not make it bigger?

He nodded, "Alright. I suppose that makes sense. But what if you can't cure me?"

I shrugged, "Then you are allowed to do whatever you want."

He thought for a moment. He looked up at me with a determined look, "Then perhaps you could help kill me?"

"UHHHHHHHHHHHHH....."

That's a bit dark bro.

I looked away awkwardly and scratched my arm, "That's a bit..."

His voice grew more determined, "If it's a bet, and if you lose, you need to do something I want. And that's what I want."

My face twitched, "You can't just ask a little girl to do that. It's a bit messed up. Do you want to turn me into a cold blooded killer?"

"But you already poisoned those two cooks and they died."

"Ack..."

I almost forgot about that... Dang. Did I really kill those two? For some reason I just pushed that to the back of my mind.

I shook my head, "Yes... But... Well..."

He continued, "It's not like I'm unwilling, so it isn't necessarily murder. I merely want help. What is wrong about that?"

Yup. Not going to touch that conversation with a 10 foot pole.

I sighed. Well, it's not like I'm going to lose this bet. I actually have a secret weapon thanks to all those years in college.

I relented, "Alright fine. It's a bet then."

He nodded. He was no longer crying or sniffling, but his face was swollen from tears. "How long?"

I tapped my chin, "Well, the effects from my therapy differ from person to person. But let's just say a year."

Of course, he might not even last that long.

He agreed and I left him to tidy up and fall asleep.

____

The next day, I left to go to school with Lona and Bertram behind me. I sat in the library talking to Millie.

"Are you excited to come over to Williams place today?"

Millie blushed at this, "Oh... I don't know... I feel a bit embarrassed about it."

I looked at her in confusion, "Why's that?"

"Well... Someone with my family's social status shouldn't be visiting the Royal Family so freely. What if people say I bullied my way in?"

I made a fist, "Then I'll knock out their teeth."

She giggled, "You don't need to do that."

I shook my fist in the air, "Anyone who dares insult my Millie shall be beaten into pulp then set on fire!!!"

William looked at me in disbelief, "Who's going to be beating who into a pulp?"

I frowned, "I'm going to be beating them."

He chuckled, "I'm sure."

I glared at him, "What?! You think I can't?!"

"Please. You can't even land a hit on Dante when he's going easy on you."

My mouth dropped. I spoke defensively, "H-hey! You can't bring Dante into this!!!"

He smirked, "Why not?"

"Because it's not fair! He's a beast!"

Dante glanced up from his book, "..."

I forced a smile under his chilling glare, "I-It's a compliment."

"Hmm."

Augh! I hate when he just stares at me like that!!!

I smacked my hands on the table and looked at Dante, "Just you wait! I vow that one day I will beat you and knock you on your a**!"

Dante nodded as if he didn't believe me, "Yes..."

"AUGGGH! DANTE! Not you too!"

I smacked my head on the table out of embarrassment due to my inadequacy.

Seriously. How long have I been training?! I still can't even land a hit on him!!! It's ridiculous! This author really gave him too much strength...

Millie reached out a rubbed my head, "Oh Seri, if you keep smacking your head you're going to have a bump again."

I looked up at her teary eyed, "Milllieee.... You're the only one who loves me...."

She giggled and patted my head as if I was a dog. I'm sure that if I had a tail it would be wagging.

William looked over, "By the way... There's something that's been bothering me..."

I looked up, "What is it?"

He pointed behind me, "Why is there a grown man hiding behind a bookcase staring at us."

I looked behind and saw Bertram attempting to hide behind a bookcase. However, he was such a tall man he stuck out like a sore thumb. To make matters worse, he had such a terrifyingly serious expression making him look possessed.

I choked down my laughter, "Oh that's just Bertram."

William nodded, "I see... And who is Bertram?"

I replied flatly, "My bodyguard."

All three nodded before pausing.

William shouted, "Why do you have a bodyguard?!"

My eye twitched in irritation, "Huh? Why not? Don't you have bodyguards?"

He crossed his arms in irritation, "Yeah, but not ones who are by my side constantly."

I frowned, "What are you talking? You always have one by your side every waking minute."

"Haaah? Who?!"

I pointed, "Dante."

Dante chuckled briefly. Then his face turned dark when he realized he was also part of the joke.

William turned red immediately, "H-He's not my bodyguard!"

"Yes he is. When you were being attacked by that deer, you were desperately calling out for him to save you."

He smacked his hands on the table and squeezed his eyes shut in embarrassment, "I DID NOT!"

I mocked his voice, "Oh! Dante! Save me! I am being attacked by a deer! Oh, Dante! I'm being attacked by a bug! Save me, save me~"

"AUUUGH!" William could no longer stand the torment and buried his face in his arms.

Millie glanced at me, "But Seri... Weren't you the one who sent that deer after Prince William?"

I chuckled dryly, "T-thats-"

She continued, "And you were the one who tossed bugs at him too. Yes, now that I recall, all those times you teased him, he cried for Dante to save him."

That makes it sound like I'm some kind of bully....

My face twitched, "That's not important."

Dante looked over at Bertram, "Do you know him well?"

I responded automatically, "Yes. He was a homeless man who saved me from a drunk man that tried to attack me in the red light district."

I watched all three of their faces fall. Even William forgot his embarrassment after hearing this.

Millie and William shouted simultaneously, "WHAT?!"

William shouted, "You went to the red light district?!"

Millie shouted at the same time, "He's homeless?"

Dante added in a chilling voice, "You were attacked by a drunk man?"

I couldn't help but gulp at Dante's sudden murderous aura.

I scratched my arm, "Hey, my point is that he isn't a bad person."

Millie frowned, "But how do you know that? He could be secretly planning to hurt you!"

I shook my head, "No, no. He has absolutely no malintent towards me. He's really not bad. Other than being an alcoholic, there's nothing wrong with him."

The three spoke simultaneously, "ALCOHOLIC?!"

I chuckled dryly, "Don't you trust my instincts?"

"No." They all responded without a doubt.

My face twitched. Seriously? After everything I've done they still won't believe my judgement?!

Rude. Just rude.

I clapped my hands together, "Oh! That reminds me! Do you still have poison lying around your house?"

William frowned, "It's not 'lying around'. It's locked up in a room that you broke into."

"Okay, but it's important that I get some."

Dante's chilling voice cut through the air, "Why?"

I forced a smile, "Well I made a bet with Bertram that I could cure his alcoholism."

William knitted his brows together, "How does that relate to poison? Are you saying that if you kill him, you would win the bet?"

Well, I suppose that is one way to cure alcoholism...

I responded sharply, "No. I'm not trying to kill him. I just need a poison that I can add to his drinks that would make him extremely nauseous. So nauseous that he puked for hours. It needs to be tasteless and work instantly."

William rolled his eyes, "Oh, is that all? Do you know how hard it will be to find something like that?"

Dante spoke, "There is one."

Ahh! Leave it to my boy to know what all the poisons do!

I giggled, "Dante! I knew this sadistic side of you would come in handy!!"

Dante glared at me, "Sadistic?"

"Eek!"

_____

After class I collected enough poison. Unfortunately, I had to do math to make sure Bertram wouldn't overdose or get too little of a dose.

I should have thanked my college math professor for teaching me instead of b*tching him out for marking me down a point on my exam.

And thus, I started my homemade therapy. I once learned that humans and animals developed taste aversion as an evolutionary trait. If one ate or drank something that made them violently ill and uncomfortable, they would avoid it in the future. Even the smell could trigger nausea.

I discovered this with tequila. I once drank too much of it at a bar and had such bad projectile vomit I was no longer allowed in said bar. Afterwards, I couldn't even stand the smell of tequila without gagging.

So! I came up with a plan to make someone hate alcohol all together. People generally don't like to puke and feel so uncomfortable in their own bodies. They would naturally begin to avoid the things that made them feel this way.

It was some true pavlovian sh*t.

All it needed was a bit of vomit inducing poison, and one would no longer crave it. Of course, no medical professional would ever willingly approve of this technique.

(Readers, please do not ingest or give other's poison.)

Without Bertrams knowledge of me poisoning his alcohol, he continued to drink like normal. He soon was releasing liquids from both ends after having two swigs from the bottle.

My therapy worked like a charm.

He didn't even last two weeks before he was officially done with alcohol.