* * *

When Lucian seemed resigned, Etienne finally relaxed, leaning back in his chair with a bright smile.

Then, with an innocent expression, he raised his glass enthusiastically and exclaimed,

“Well, let’s have a toast then!”

Etienne’s csheerful face was so radiant that Lucian, shaking his head, couldn’t help but raise his glass as well.

“To our research!”

“…Sure.”

Lucian joined the toast with a suitable response and slowly brought the glass to his lips. The glass was filled to the brim with undiluted liquor, but since he wasn’t particularly weak to alcohol, it wasn’t a big deal.

The one who was more concerning was Etienne.

The naïve and young omega, with little experience in drinking, tried to imitate Lucian, first taking in the aroma of the amber liquid.

The whiskey had a deep and rich scent reminiscent of old wood. The fresh yet profound aroma somehow seemed to resemble Lucian.

His relaxed and elegant appearance, with his hair down and shirt buttons casually undone, perfectly matched the whiskey.

After savoring the scent for a moment, Etienne finally took a sip of the whiskey.

As soon as the first sip went down his throat, his eyes widened, and he almost threw down the glass.

“Ugh, it’s bitter!”

His throat burned, and tears welled up in his eyes. Even though he hadn’t drunk much, the bitterness filled his mouth, making his whole body shiver.

The fragrant aroma lost its significance in the face of the overwhelming bitterness.

Etienne, teary-eyed, glared at the glass in front of him.

Even when he drank soju, he only thought it tasted like ethanol, and whiskey, with its added scent, felt just as strong. No, whiskey felt even more intense.

Seeing Etienne’s extreme reaction, Lucian chuckled softly.

“Can’t drink it?”

“No… What kind of taste is this?”

Etienne stuck out his tongue and gagged. It seemed more appropriate to call it poison than a drink.

When he looked up with tear-filled eyes, he saw Lucian looking at him with a calm smile, sipping his whiskey.

The elegance and composure that Etienne could never achieve overflowed from Lucian.

For a moment, Etienne felt guilty for trying to keep up with something like this, but then he wondered how on earth Lucian could drink something like this so nonchalantly.

“Duke… Is this really good liquor?”

“Of course.”

It was hard to believe that something so awful could be considered good liquor. Etienne glared at the whiskey, as if ready for a staring contest. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the glass.

He tentatively sniffed the whiskey again, the deep aroma invading his nostrils. The scent was truly amazing; it was just the taste that was too much.

As he sat there, unsure what to do with the problematic whiskey glass in front of him, a piece of fruit was offered to his mouth.

“Eat this. I had it prepared just for you.”

Without a word, Etienne opened his mouth and accepted the fruit piece like a baby bird.

Lucian wanted to put something else between those delicate lips but restrained himself, satisfied with giving the fruit for now.

Fortunately, the sweet and sour taste of the fruit somewhat alleviated the bitterness of the liquor, providing some comfort. Etienne shuddered once more and looked at Lucian.

“Do you usually drink this without any snacks, Duke?”

“Usually.”

“Wow… You’ll get a hole in your stomach, Duke.”

Drinking this without snacks and without diluting it? Etienne shuddered at the thought.

Meanwhile, Lucian quietly took Etienne’s glass, squeezed some lemon juice into it, added sugar and water, and handed it back.

“Try this.”

Etienne watched Lucian with curiosity, then carefully took the glass. Like a cautious cat, he took a small sip.

The whiskey still tasted bitter, but now he could also taste the sweetness and lemon flavor. The dilution with water made it feel much less strong than before.

“Wow, it’s much better! Now it’s drinkable.”

“Glad to hear that.”

However, Etienne still didn’t realize that being able to drink easily was not necessarily a good thing.

Not knowing that the ease of drinking was the most dangerous sign, the naïve and inexperienced omega kept smiling and continued to drink the increasingly sweet and tasty whiskey.

The more he drank, the more Etienne giggled helplessly. His eyes were unfocused, his whole body relaxed. His flushed cheeks looked like ripe peaches.

His movements and voice were filled with drunkenness, and his disheveled appearance was both charming and tempting.

In crude terms, Etienne had been out of it for a while.

“Duke! So, um, about the electrophoresis… In the gel, different components… the gel…”

“Yes, yes.”

“The gel… gel…”

His voice grew louder, and his speech slurred. But even that was so endearing that Lucian just watched him quietly.

It was surprising that he was such a lightweight.

The more he drank, the more flushed and intoxicated he became, amusing and entertaining Lucian while also arousing a dark desire to possess.

“Hahaha… Huh…”

Etienne kept laughing, apparently finding everything amusing.

Normally not stingy with his smiles, now he was giving radiant smiles with every eye contact.

Feeling hot, he undid a few more shirt buttons. His disheveled hair and smiling face were quite seductive.

Unlike Lucian, who sat elegantly with his legs crossed and no sign of intoxication, Etienne looked very different.

“Uh…”

Unable to control his body, Etienne staggered and knocked over a fork with his elbow. While he just stared blankly at the falling fork, Lucian quickly caught it.

Catching the fork in midair, Lucian gently held Etienne’s hand and said,

“Etienne, be careful.”

Lucian handed the fork back into Etienne’s clasped hand.

Etienne, who had been staring blankly at the fork with tear-filled, unfocused eyes, finally understood the situation a beat late and slowly moved his lips to express his gratitude.

“Thank you…”

Even after returning the fork, Lucian did not immediately release the hand he was holding.

Instead, he tenderly caressed the soft skin he was touching with a lingering and regretful touch.

To Etienne, who was flushed with drunkenness, Lucian’s hand felt very cool.

And the drunkard, who was inwardly suffocating from the rising heat, welcomed that coolness with endless delight.

Pushing the fork aside, Etienne instead grabbed Lucian’s hand and brought it close to his face. Then, like a kitten seeking affection, he buried his face in Lucian’s palm and rubbed against it.

As the pleasant coolness and refreshing scent tickled the tip of his nose, Etienne’s mouth naturally curled into a soft laugh. The cool touch of the palm, which soothed the burning heat, felt like a breeze.

Holding tightly onto Lucian’s hand, Etienne blossomed into a bright smile.

“I’m really so happy today… thanks to you, Your Grace.”

“…”

“You know I love you very much, right?”

It was a statement that was both cheeky and daring.

It was always like this. Etienne was always this cute, lovely, naughty, and enchanting.

And thus, it further fueled the secretly burning desire.

“Your Grace, you’re the best, the best… I only taught you the principle, and yet… you managed to implement it so quickly…”

“Yes.”

Etienne smiled softly and rubbed his face against Lucian’s hand. As Lucian gently petted him, Etienne’s smile blossomed even brighter.

In front of that unbearably adorable and affectionate sight, Lucian, unable to hold back any longer, whispered quietly, borrowing the courage from the alcohol he hadn’t actually consumed.

“…I love you too.”

“I love you.”

It was a phrase that the cold-hearted alpha had never once spoken aloud in his life.

Such was the weight and sincerity of Lucian’s whispered confession of love.

The weight of a late-blooming first love that had unexpectedly taken root was just like that.

“…Pfft.”

But Lucian’s deeply sincere confession, unfortunately…

“Ahaha… that really doesn’t suit you, Your Grace.”

…did not reach Etienne.

* * *