It’s good to drink alcohol in moderation.
If you start feeling hot or dizzy while drinking, it’s time to stop.
If you overdo it, you could trouble others, so drink only until you can still keep your wits about you—that’s the sensible way to handle alcohol.
But Ern didn’t see it that way.
Drinking was for getting drunk.
If you didn’t want to get drunk, just drink juice instead.
“How is it?”
Ern asked Epherna, who he had managed to get to drink despite Merien’s fierce opposition.
“It’s really bitter…”
Hehe. Ern chuckled.
Seeing Epherna stick out her tongue and gulp down water made him smile.
“Why do people drink this stuff?”
“If you keep drinking, you’ll get a warm feeling and start to feel good. It makes it easier to say things you usually can’t and to open up a bit more.”
Opening up a bit more…
That phrase lingered in Epherna’s mind.
“Even you, Mister?”
“I’m human too, you know. If I drink a lot, that’ll happen.”
“…”
Epherna’s ears perked up.
Even Ern would reveal his true feelings when drunk.
Alcohol was amazing.
Of course, Ern never lies.
He expresses joy, displeasure, and sadness honestly.
But he never easily reveals his inner thoughts to anyone.
It’s like he wears a mask of emotions.
‘I wonder what Mister would be like when drunk…’
Not the polished exterior but the unguarded, tipsy Ern.
More raw than unpolished, more like a loosened-up version of him.
She wanted to see even that.
In her mind, she pictured Ern hugging her waist and rubbing his face against hers.
Just imagining it made the corners of her mouth twitch.
‘…He’d be so cute.’
The thought quickly led to a decision.
“Give me another drink.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m fine.”
Ern poured her another drink.
He also filled his own glass, and they clinked glasses and drank.
Surprisingly, Epherna drank well.
It didn’t seem like her first time.
They had already finished a bottle, and though her face was flushed, she seemed quite alright.
But Ern didn’t realize.
There are many types of drinkers.
Among them are those who seem fine and then suddenly crash.
“Hiccup…!!”
Epherna hiccuped while eating a snack.
Noticing she was reaching her limit, Ern moved the bottle to his side.
“Mister, Mister.”
“Yes?”
“How do I look?”
“How do you mean?”
“Am I pretty?”
“Of course.”
“Heehee!”
“…”
Gulp, gulp.
Epherna finished the remaining drink in her glass.
Seeing this, Ern took her glass away as well.
“Let’s stop for today. We have to travel by carriage tomorrow, and you might get sick.”
“Nooo… I want to drink more…”
Ern realized he had made a mistake.
He shouldn’t have let her get drunk.
His complacent thought that it wouldn’t be a big deal led to this situation.
Epherna turned her head.
“…Mister.”
Her pupils were slightly unfocused, a sign of someone very drunk.
“Mister, you won’t leave me, right?”
Her nonsensical question confirmed she was indeed drunk.
To calm her down, he replied gently.
“Where would I go?”
“Liar!!”
Thud!
Her voice began to quiver.
“Mister, you’re going to get married.”
It was then that Ern realized something had gone terribly wrong.
“You’re going to marry a noblewoman your age! Not someone eight years younger like me!”
It was too late.
“You promised to stay by my side…! You made a promise…!”
Tears welled up in Epherna’s eyes.
Ern sat her up straight just before she could burst into tears. He looked her straight in the eyes.
“Epherna.”
“…Yes…?”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Hearing this, Epherna smiled brightly.
“Hehe.”
Her emotional swings were extreme. He could hardly keep up.
Epherna reached out and hugged Ern. As she buried her face in his neck and stayed still, Ern was somewhat relieved, thinking it was better this way. He hugged her and slowly lifted her up.
It was then he felt a sensation on his neck.
A kiss.
“…?”
Another kiss.
“…??”
And another kiss.
“…??”
Soft.
And it tickled.
The sensation could only be described as lips.
“Your Highness…?”
He instinctively used formal language.
Then he clamped his mouth shut.
Eperna hates this title.
Epherna hated that title. She felt it put a distance between them, and whenever he used it, her lips would pout.
Now that she was drunk, it was even worse.
“Your… Highness…?”
She slowly lifted her head and began to speak.
From her tear-streaked face came a chilling voice.
“Did you just… call me Your Highness…? Because I’m drunk…?”
“No… it’s just….”
Apologizing wouldn’t help.
“I’m sorry…!”
Epherna wailed and hugged his neck tightly.
“I’m sorryyyyyy!!!”
Her grip tightened, making it hard for him to breathe.
“Don’t call me Your Highnesssss!!”
She didn’t stop there and started nibbling on his neck.
She bit hard, seemingly unable to control her strength.
It was certain that there would be a mark.
He worried if she might draw blood, but then a savior appeared in Ern’s eyes.
Merien, sitting at a nearby table, shook her head while sipping her drink.
“…Just take her to her room.”
Merien, giving up, returned to her room.
Ern reached out in despair, hoping for help, but it was in vain.
What happened after that… was obvious.
After much effort, Ern managed to get Epherna to her room, but her loud and prolonged crying led to rumors spreading among the Triaina Special Forces members.
Throughout the return to the capital, and even afterward, Ern was teased as a bad guy.
*****
The next morning, in Epherna’s room.
Epherna, waking up earlier than usual, hid under her blanket.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
She pounded her pillow.
She wanted to tear it apart with her mind, but her feeble punches couldn’t even make a dent.
‘I should just die.’
Yes, that would be best.
-You’re going to marry a noblewoman your age! Not someone eight years younger like me!
“Ha… ha.”
Just openly confess.
Why did she have to say such things, causing him distress and making a drunken scene?
If only she didn’t remember, she could have made excuses.
But her healthy and clear-headed self remembered everything from last night as if it had just happened.
“Ugh…!!”
A flame ignited above her head.
Her extreme embarrassment and anger reacted with her Mana of Will.
The fire didn’t extinguish easily.
Fueled by her shame, her emotions flared up endlessly. Epherna, almost burning her pillow in the process, managed to put out the fire after thrashing around for 30 minutes.
After getting ready and stepping outside, Ern was waiting as usual.
“Did you wake up?”
By the way, she had no hangover. No headache.
She burned it all away with magic.
There was no such magic to burn away drunkenness, but she created one.
If she made the same mistake again, she might really wish to die.
“…Yes.”
She couldn’t lift her head.
Naturally, despite the closeness of their relationship, she still had a sense of propriety after her blunder.
When she finally mustered the courage to look up, she saw the marks she had left on his neck.
Why did none of the many clothes they brought from the Lemea Duchy cover his neck?
The reason was clear.
Epherna liked his exposed neck and collarbones.
Her hidden, dark preferences had come back to bite her.
“Mister, about last ni—”
“Let’s drink moderately from now on.”
“Okay…”
She couldn’t argue at all.
He looked tired, clearly troubled by last night as well.
“I’m sorry…”
“At least you’re okay.”
Phew. He let out a sigh and extended his hand.
To help her into the carriage.
Feeling utterly guilty, she took his hand.
“And, I’m not getting married. I don’t have time for that.”
At his words, she heard cheers around them.
Thinking she imagined it, the noise was too loud to dismiss.
Then it happened.
A vein popped on Ern’s forehead.
Soon after, wails of unknown origin echoed from the Triaina Special Forces’ waiting area.
*****
That evening, one night away from reaching the Katia Duchy, Lea approached Ern.
“Commander, someone from the Katia Duchy has arrived.”
“For what reason?”
“They have news to deliver. I think you should see it for yourself.”
Ern took the letter Lea handed him and read it.
The more he read, the graver his expression became.
‘Duchess Katia has been kidnapped?’
Bergamot Katia, Disaster of the Sky.
One of the heroes who defeated the Demon King, she was reportedly kidnapped by forces from the plains, as the letter stated.
“It hasn’t been made public yet, but it seems they informed us because we’re on our way.”
“Right. We must be the fastest way to get the message out.”
The letter was written by the Duke of Katia, her husband.
He likely wrote it in desperation to rescue his wife as quickly as possible. His urgency was evident in his handwriting.
“Prepare the horses. We need to reach the duchy as soon as possible.”
“Understood!”
