* * *

Elgana pulled out another glass, but Zeroth ignored it and brought his own glass to Sylvian’s lips.

“Am I really drinking this?”

“It’s fine.”

At Sylvian’s curious tone, Zeroth chuckled softly.

Sylvian’s gaze wavered between Zeroth’s smiling face and the swirling wine before settling on the latter.

“Just one sip—just a small sip.”

“If you like it, you can finish it all.”

Sylvian sipped cautiously.

Bleh.

“Pfft.”

The sharp bitterness made him grimace immediately.

Unable to spit it out, Sylvian quickly swallowed it down.

As his expression crumpled into a pout, Zeroth burst into laughter.

Even the servants, trying to hold back their amusement, couldn’t resist smiling at Sylvian’s reaction.

Elgana hurriedly offered him water, concern written on her face.

“Ugh, it tastes awful.”

It really wasn’t good.

No, it must have been a high-quality wine.

But Sylvian’s body didn’t seem to appreciate the taste.

Zeroth chuckled, watching Sylvian’s eyes well up with frustration.

“Elgana, bring a sweet wine. Something with a low alcohol content.”

“Right away.”

As Sylvian stuck out his tongue, still tasting the bitterness, Zeroth pulled him close.

“Mm!”

Sylvian almost dropped his cup but managed to grip it tightly, startled by the sudden kiss.

“Sweet wines are better to start with. You’ll enjoy them.”

Zeroth’s lips brushed lightly against his, leaving a faint trace of the wine’s lingering bitterness.

The servants, still present, were enough to make Sylvian blush furiously and tug nervously at Zeroth’s sleeve.

Had it not been for their presence, Zeroth might have pulled Sylvian onto his lap and deepened the kiss until Elgana returned.

“Are you going to drink more?”

Nod.

Perhaps embarrassed now, his face flushed all the way to his ears, and he didn’t seem willing to lift it.

“Just so happens, I brought a wine gifted by His Majesty the Emperor.”

Sylvian’s head shot up at Elgana’s comment from beside the table, his movements abrupt as if startled.

The Emperor?

This felt utterly surreal.

Sure, he was aware he’d been born into a new world, but hearing the word Emperor made it all the more disorienting.

Would someone like me, who’s bound to be discarded soon, even be allowed to drink such a thing?

No, wait.

When else in my life would I ever have the chance to drink wine gifted by the Emperor?

Conflicting thoughts clashed fiercely within him.

Pop.

“Whoa!”

Before he could stop it, Zeroth had already uncorked the wine.

“You can’t do that!”

“And why not?”

“How could I drink wine bestowed by His Majesty the Emperor?”

“It’s a wine gifted to the husband. Surely the wife can enjoy it too. What’s the issue?”

Gasp.

Sylvian, trembling in shock at the mention of the Emperor, drew a soft chuckle from Zeroth, who then filled a glass halfway with the wine Elgana had prepared.

Yay!

The duke truly had a generous spirit.

While his commoner-bred body hesitated, his spirit was practically dancing with joy.

Wine gifted by the Emperor?

It must be absurdly expensive and of the highest quality.

What if my first wine is so good that no other wine ever tastes as satisfying again?

As these indulgent worries flitted through his mind, Sylvian grasped Zeroth’s hand as he raised the glass.

“Since it’s your first time, just drink a little, and if it’s good, you can try a bit more.”

Nod.

Sylvian’s flushed complexion, heightened by tension, carried a different kind of appeal compared to the flush of excitement.

Zeroth followed Sylvian’s hand as it guided the glass to his lips, moving it slowly.

With a slight tilt of his head, the clear wine disappeared into Sylvian’s red mouth.

Watching the continuous movement of his Adam’s apple, Zeroth couldn’t bring himself to stop him.

“Mmm… it’s hot.”

His body felt unbearably stifled.

Why is it so hot here?

Sylvian looked around with a dazed expression.

Are we still in the dining room?

He raised his hands, attempting to take off his clothes, but his body didn’t quite obey.

“Darling…?”

“Hmm?”

“Sylvian?”

“Yes!”

Hehe.

Hearing his name spoken so affectionately brought an involuntary smile to his lips.

The voice was familiar.

Ah, the wine was so good.

“Did you enjoy the wine?”

“Mm-hmm!”

“Goodness.”

Zeroth chuckled, his shoulders shaking as he looked at Sylvian nodding with his face buried against his chest.

“It seems you’ve had quite a bit, my dear.”

The Duke had already dismissed the attendants when Sylvian began sipping the wine with soft gulps.

As the only maid left, Elgana spoke with a careful tone.

“Duchess, do you want return to the bedroom?”

“No!”

“Pardon?”

Elgana’s eyes widened at Sylvian’s sudden outcry.

The mention of going to the bedroom made Sylvian lift his head abruptly.

“I want to drink more!”

“That’s enough for today.”

Zeroth looked at Sylvian’s hazy eyes, gently pinching the tip of his nose.

“Mmm? I’m not drunk.”

“Ah, but drunkards always say they’re not drunk.”

“I’m not!”

The drawling tone resembled the way he whined while clinging to him.

“I’ll let you drink more tomorrow, my dear.”

“Ha, I’m not dru―nk. It’s ho―t. Too hot. Ugh, I want to take this off.”

Fumbling, Sylvian’s flushed face grew redder as he waved his hands, eventually unbuttoning his shirt.

“Elgana, we will head back to the bedroom.”

“Understood. I’ll clear the way.”

Though the attendants rarely wandered the corridors, Elgana hurried to ensure privacy under his master’s steady gaze.

“Zer―oth?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“Give me more! It’s so good.”

“Hahaha.”

Sylvian’s drunken figure, half-shirt undone, reaching out for wine with his reddened face, was unbearably adorable.

Through the loose shirt, his pink nipples, shyly blushing, stood firm in the sudden chill.

“Hmm, are you trying to tempt me by baring your chest and acting coy?”

“Hmm? Sylvian doesn’t have a chest.”

“Then what’s this enticing sight?”

“Ah!”

Sylvian’s body jolted upward as a sudden sharp sensation came from his chest.

“That hurts! Ugh…”

He whimpered, clutching his lightly pinched nipple. Damn it.

Why are you touching someone else’s chest?

He had plenty to say, but no sound came out of his mouth.

“We should return to the bedroom―.”

“No!”

“…What?”

Fine, no bedroom.

Sylvian abruptly stood up to escape Zeroth’s lap.

“No more pain!”

The first alcohol Sylvian ever had in this world was overwhelming.

His voice, slurred and thick, mumbled softly.

“Hmm, does it really hurt? Truly?”

“Yes. It does.”

Sylvian nodded at Zeroth’s teasing question, his voice tinged with laughter.

“Zeroth is kind, but it hurts.”

“Then I’ll make sure it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

“Really?”

“If I do it gently, will you allow it?”

Sylvian’s foggy gaze fixated on Zeroth’s crimson eyes as if trying to decipher his intentions.

Nod.

“Good. Let’s do just that. But gently, and for a long time.”

Do what?

Before he could question it in his hazy mind, his body was suddenly lifted high.

“Haha. So high. Zeroth, it’s so high.”

“I didn’t realize my dear was such a lightweight.”

Cuter than expected.

* * *