Ian had long known that Eri was weak to alcohol.
After all, hadn’t he experienced it before?
‘That time, they made dinner without knowing I couldn’t eat seafood, and we ended up going to a tavern to try to fix the mood.’
Back then, after nodding along with Igor’s venting, Eri had downed a few drinks and soon buried her head on the table.
Then, completely drunk, she had to be carried back to her room on Lia’s back.
‘Yeah… Eri is weak to alcohol. Just a few drinks, and she’s done.’
That’s why Ian suddenly felt uneasy.
‘But is it really okay for her to be drinking so casually right now?’
He had been enjoying the taste of the Ruby Blush that Eri had prepared, but the moment he remembered that fact, a chill ran down Ian’s spine.
Sure, the cheap tavern drinks and the fine wine Eri brought were worlds apart. But in the end, alcohol was still alcohol. Even this could make her drunk.
Besides, the only people left at the Blue Moon Pavilion right now, aside from the guards, were just the two of them. If she started acting out, it would be a disaster.
‘No, it can’t be. She knows she’s weak to alcohol, and she must’ve brought the weakest wine she could find… That must be it. Yes, it has to be.’
Surely, a wise and beautiful woman like Eri, destined to become the Empress of the Kallos Empire, wouldn’t fail to foresee the consequences of getting drunk and causing a scene.
This must be low-alcohol wine. Based on the rich flavor of the grapes and the smooth texture, it didn’t seem likely that she’d get drunk easily.
Thinking that, Ian lifted his gaze—and then he saw it.
“Hehe… This is delicious… I really like it…”
‘F*ck.’
Eri, who had slyly moved closer, was rubbing his arm with a silly smile.
Her slurred speech, that giggling smile, and her cheeks flushed with a fiery red.
‘Oh no…’
This was a side of her Ian had never seen. The woman who had always maintained a flawless, dignified attitude was clearly drunk.
His countless experiences at gatherings told him that no one would act like this unless they were really intoxicated.
Her tone alone might have suggested she was only slightly tipsy, but her actions made it clear—she was seriously drunk.
‘Why is she licking her lips and saying it’s delicious, instead of enjoying the drink? And why is she tossing the wine glass aside and touching my arm?’
Clearly, Eri was mesmerized by the taste of the Ruby Blush wine she had brought.
She probably wanted to express how much she liked it, but instead of just saying it, she was rubbing Ian’s arm and acting completely out of it.
‘This kind of behavior… It only happens when someone’s really drunk. This is bad.’
The princess was drunk. And what that meant was simple.
‘The party’s over.’
There was no point in thinking about enjoying the rest of the meal.
The only thing Ian could do now was carry Eri back to her room.
Ian, who had been grinning at the thought of enjoying the roasted meat and wine that Igor had prepared, now had to let go of that hope.
“Whew… Eri… Hold still for a moment. Ether.”
“Huh? What are you doing…? Are you trying to tie me up? I didn’t think you were like that… You’re more forceful than I expected…”
It wasn’t easy trying to handle Eri, who was wriggling all over the place. But the Ether took effect.
The Ether, which always acted as Ian’s extra hands, restrained Eri so that she couldn’t move.
Thanks to that, he safely managed to lift her onto his back.
‘Phew… Now…’
All that was left was to take her to her room. Once she was there, everything would be over. Or so he thought as he stood up.
“…”
But then, he saw it—the steaming, mouth-watering roasted meat that Igor had prepared.
If he took Eri to her room now, it would take at least 30 minutes to settle her in.
Unlike Igor, who could just toss her onto the bed and close the door, he had to make sure the princess was properly tucked in.
‘By then, it’ll all be cold…’
After sleeping for over 12 hours, Ian was starving. And it felt like a crime to let such a perfect meal go to waste.
Among the three great human desires, appetite ranked second for a reason.
Hunger was not easy to endure.
In the end, Ian clenched his eyes shut and reached out, grabbing a piece of roast meat that Igor had prepared, stuffing it into his mouth.
‘I don’t know how he made this, but it’s disgustingly good, seriously.’
With a wry smile, Ian cheerfully left the dining room.
***
After laying Eri down in her room, Ian returned to the dining room and enjoyed his satisfying meal.
He had come back just in case she woke up and started causing trouble, but fortunately, Eri was sleeping soundly.
‘She must’ve been really tired.’
After all, preparing all that food had to be exhausting.
There had been so much that Ian couldn’t even finish it all; it took a considerable amount of time just to cast preservation magic on the leftovers.
From prepping the ingredients to cooking and serving, doing all of that alone would have been no easy feat.
‘Of course, she could use spirits to help, but still, it must’ve been tiring to use that much mana.’
Spirits weren’t all-powerful.
While they had extraordinary abilities, maintaining them required a significant amount of mana.
‘Yeah, it must’ve been hard.’
After going through all that trouble to prepare a birthday feast, how could he not be grateful?
Swish.
“Mmm…”
Gently stroking Eri’s beautiful hair, Ian watched as she stirred a few times, finally breaking into a content smile.
Looking at her like this made him realize that this was truly reality.
‘I never expected to receive such a celebration, even in a dream.’
He had long thought that a life without any celebration was his fate and had accepted that. But now, after arriving in this world, he couldn’t help but be astonished at how that had changed.
Despite pinching himself and closing his eyes for a moment in disbelief, the enticing aromas of the food surrounding Blue Moon Pavilion and the warmth radiating from Eri assured him it was real.
‘And then there are these…’
As he opened the device in his hand, a smile crept onto Ian’s face at the sight of two messages.
[Because I woke up too late, I couldn’t see you. But please enjoy the birthday gift I prepared for you! It’s something I went through a lot of trouble to get! By the way, if our family contacts you, please tell them I’ve been in closed training until recently!]
— Igor Pendia —
[Hello, Ian Volkanov. I am Seik Pendia, Igor’s younger brother, who is in the same squad as you. The reason I’m reaching out is that our father’s beloved pet pig has gone missing, and my brother has been identified as a key suspect. If you know where he is, could you let me know? I’ll be waiting for your reply.]
— Seik Pendia —
‘What the h*ll is he up to?’
What on earth could Igor have been doing that made him a key suspect in the theft of their father’s treasured pig?
‘Wait a minute… That pig… Could it be the one I just ate?’
No way. Surely no one would be insane enough to roast their father’s pig as a birthday gift.
For a moment, Ian thought Igor could be that crazy, but the idea of dealing with the aftermath made him shake his head.
No way. It absolutely couldn’t be. If he acknowledged it, he would become a key suspect in this situation as well.
‘Right. I don’t know anything about this. I may have eaten roasted meat, but I’m not an accomplice.’
After vaguely relaying Igor’s message to his brother, Ian picked up the box he had placed at his feet.
‘The last one is from Lia.’
It was during the moment when he had laid Eri down and returned to the dining room to finish off the remaining food that Lia had contacted him.
Thinking she had already left, she had informed him that she was waiting in front of Blue Moon Pavilion and asked him to come out for a moment.
When he came out to meet her, he still remembered the expression of disappointment on her face.
“I’m sorry, Ian… I left something important at home… I couldn’t stay with you on your birthday…”
“You still came, even if it was late. Don’t worry about it.”
“But, still, it’s your birthday. It’s the day that should be celebrated the most.”
It seemed that not being able to share a meal with him weighed on her mind.
Perhaps growing up as the beloved youngest daughter, she thought it was unacceptable not to be there on someone’s birthday to celebrate.
‘Honestly, it doesn’t matter if I’m celebrated or not…’
In truth, Ian didn’t care that much.
He had never experienced a day like this in his life, so he questioned whether it really mattered if someone else lit up the occasion.
What had his birthdays been like in the past?
Had he ever considered indulging in some luxury with a birthday discount coupon before putting on his work boots and heading back to a day of labor?
‘And then, feeling frustrated, he would complain and mess up, earning himself a few curses along the way.’
Feeling stifled, he would look out at the night scenery and think about how miserable his life was. If there was a god, couldn’t they give his family some money?
He had indulged in such futile imaginings…
That’s why.
“You really don’t have to worry about it. It’s really okay.”
“… Thank you.”
He felt good accepting Lia’s apology.
Seemingly appreciative of that consideration, Lia’s cheeks flushed slightly as she lowered her gaze for a while.
How long had it been?
Her pink hair and cheeks were so red that they were almost indistinguishable as she handed him a single box she had been holding.
‘This must be the pair of boots…’
Inside the box was a pair of shoes.
At first glance, they looked very much like the work boots he was currently wearing.
But upon closer inspection, there were subtle differences.
‘Lia had mentioned that they were custom-made just for me.’
The work boots he normally wore were standard-issue for the students at Ark Academy.
To a high-ranking noble, it might seem strange to wear something provided as a basic item, but honestly, the items given by Ark were of quite good quality.
‘The products given to those destined to become pillars of the Empire surely won’t be subpar.’
Not only were they made of Minotaur leather that could withstand ordinary damage, but the soles were also crafted from high-quality rubber.
‘Even the design isn’t clunky, and they’re decent for daily wear… Although they are a bit heavy, that’s the only drawback.’
With that in mind, he had been very satisfied with the boots he had been cherishing.
However, what Lia had made for him was beyond his imagination.
“The upper is made from Armored Drake leather, so it won’t tear easily. And the midsole and outsole are made from a special rubber sourced from the Great Forest.”
Light as a feather, yet incredibly sturdy, the boots were crafted from the leather of the Armored Drake, known for its high defense, and the rubber was sourced exclusively from the elves’ homeland, the Great Forest.
For a moment, Ian found it hard to believe those words.
‘Armored Drakes are notoriously difficult to acquire leather from due to their high defense and rarity…’
Though the their numbers was notably small, the most unbelievable part was how they had procured the leather.
The Armored Drake was incredibly tough, requiring one to inflict wounds with sharp weapons and then focus on those areas to make it explode in order to catch it.
Naturally, it was a difficult task to obtain leather in good condition, given that it was acquired through such explosive means.
There’s a saying that if you ask, you’ll get the price, but in this case, even asking would yield nothing.
‘Just the leather from the Armored Drake is already beyond comprehension… and they even used rubber obtained from the Great Forest?’
It was far too extravagant for a birthday present. To put it bluntly, even the emperor of the empire would surely feel it was too precious to wear if he received such shoes as a gift.
However, the surprising aspect of Lia’s gift was that it didn’t end there.
There were secrets hidden even in the soles of the shoes.
‘Typical work boots are designed with high heels and grooves to increase grip, but this one is flat, right?’
It wasn’t just flat; there were also patterns for stability and ease of rotation.
It resembled modern boxing shoes.
Wondering how she came up with this idea, Ian looked at her. Lia approached closely and began to explain.
“I sometimes watch you fight, Ian, and I noticed you move your feet a lot. Also, it seems you value stability in your stance… so I thought I could help with those aspects, and I made this for you. Do you like it?”
“How could I not like it…? How did you even…?”
“Hehe… I’m relieved. I was worried you might not like it. Oh! I designed it based on the boots provided by Ark so you could wear them casually too. I thought that would suit you better.”
Though it was flat with minimal heel, the rubber from the Great Forest boasted excellent cushioning, so there would be no issues with that.
Seeing Ian handle the box with satisfaction made Lia slowly approach him and hugged him.
“Lia?”
“Just a little longer… I’ll stay like this for a bit. It’s cold…”
“…”
As she pressed her head against his chest, feeling his warmth, when they finished the embrace and pulled away, the previously shy expression had vanished entirely.
“Hehe….”
Only her delighted smile remained, as if she had gotten what she wanted.
“Happy birthday, Ian! And I hope we continue to get along well in the future.”
“…Lia.”
“Oh, I should go now… If I stay out too late, my parents will worry. See you next week!”
Turning her head away shyly, she hurried back the way she had come.
Though the northern night wind was cold and biting, the warmth left by Lia remained within him.
Even now that he was back in his room.
‘I’ll have to thank her again later.’
It was at that moment of reflection.
Beep!
The device started ringing again, causing Ian’s brow to furrow in disbelief.
“The only person who would be contacting me right now is Igor, isn’t it? Is he perhaps asking my brother to give him an alibi or something?”
With a cautious thought, he checked the device and saw a message.
[Ian…. I’m in front of Blue Moon Pavilion… Can you come out for a moment?]
-Celia Wignoron-
‘Celia? She looked like she fainted… Has she woken up?’
The sudden news of someone’s visit.
There was no reason for her, who was still not in good shape, to come all the way out here.
‘What could it be? Is something going on?’
No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t come up with a reason for Celia to come at midnight.
If he was curious, he should go out.
‘Right. She came all this way…’
It felt wrong to send her away on such a pleasant day.
Just as he was about to get dressed again, a swift hand landed on his shoulder from behind.
Swoosh! Thump!
“What, what…”
In that moment, with someone approaching from behind, he considered the possibility of an intruder.
But Ian didn’t dwell on that thought.
After all, they were in Blue Moon Pavilion, weren’t they?
‘No thief, no matter how bold, would come here.’
If someone had come all the way to the north to steal, they would surely prefer to rob the Volkanov mansion, which had plenty of treasures, rather than the almost empty Blue Moon Pavilion.
That meant only one possibility remained.
“E-Eri? You’re awake…?”
The thought that Eri, who was heavily intoxicated, had woken up made him hope it wasn’t true as he turned his head.
“Where do you think you’re going? Come here… Sleep with me.”
‘Ah… Please.’
Thud!
As the hand that grasped his shoulder pulled him roughly, he found himself lying helplessly beside her.
