“Huh? Lian, what’s this?”

The taste of alcohol was detected in the drink I had casually taken. It was refreshing and sweet, making it very enjoyable to drink.

“Oh? Did you drink that, Princess?”

Lian, who was serving food, looked surprised when she saw the glass Stella was holding, even gasping as she asked. The glass that had been sparkling up to the brim was now halfway empty.

“Yeah. Wasn’t it brought up for me to drink?”

“I’m sorry. Actually, I couldn’t sleep, so I brought it to drink before going to bed. Forget about it being cleared. Is it okay? It’s quite strong.”

Lian, looking embarrassed, carefully examined Stella’s face as she asked. However, Princess Stella nonchalantly sipped the drink like she was drinking fruit juice.

Lian was unsure of what to do, but Stella seemed unfazed. In fact, the refreshing and sweet alcohol made her feel as if all the fatigue in her body was quickly dissipating. The sweet taste lingering on her tongue was excellent. Her palate had completely changed.

“Is there more of this?”

Stella, finding one glass insufficient, inquired again with a regained taste.

“Oh, really? Are you sure it’s not too strong for you?”

“Yeah. It’s just this much. It’s sweet and delicious. Feels like it’s relieving fatigue.”

“Then I’ll bring you a bit more. I’m worried it might be too strong for you, even if it tastes sweet.”

“Yeah, please.”

After a moment of hesitation, Lian agreed and went to get more alcohol.

But she was worried about whether it was appropriate to give the princess the cheap alcohol that the servants usually drank. It was fortunate that Lady Mila was not present at Berdura Castle today.
During her stay in the imperial palace, Lian had encountered many maids, but Mila was the first maid she had seen who was strict in every aspect. This made Lian trust her more, but at times, she worried if Mila was being too hard on herself.

Inside the empty glass, a magenta liquid shimmered. The color alone made one feel better. After taking a sip and savoring the refreshing aroma, Stella felt sorry for drinking alone and offered the empty glass to Royce.

“Do you want to try? Do you happen to have evening training?”

Kai was initially about to refuse but changed his mind upon seeing Stella enjoy the drink and extended his empty glass. He was curious about how delicious the praised alcohol really was.

“Please give me a glass.”

The jug that Lian brought was quite hefty.

“Just a little will do.”

“Yes, Princess. I’ll pour a bit into this decanter for you.”

Lian placed a pretty glass bottle on the table and poured some fruit wine into it. With back-and-forth serving, there was enough for one person to drink about two glasses comfortably.

As soon as the wine was poured, a rich fruity aroma wafted through the table.

It tasted even better with meat. Stella sliced and savored the meat while delicately sipping the fruit wine Lian had made.

As Stella enjoyed the meal, the earth fairies, curious about the taste, leaned in with their glasses, sniffing the fragrance.

“Ugh! What is this smell?”

“Strange! Why are they drinking something like this?”
Ark and Esta made sounds as if they couldn’t understand. However, Oton grinned and, with a mischievous look, dipped his fingers into the cup, pulling them out and gently tapping his tongue.

“This is quite delicious?”

Although Oton said it was delicious, Ark and Esta stayed away because they didn’t like the smell. Iber approached, curious.

“Is it really that tasty?”

“Yeah, try it.”

At Oton’s suggestion, Iber dipped his fingers into the alcohol and tasted it. Alternating with Oton, Iber, who found it quite to his liking, suddenly stretched out on the table and fell asleep, snoring loudly.

“Hey, what if he sleeps there?”

Oton complained about Iber, who suddenly fell asleep, but there was nothing to be done. Iber falling asleep was completely unrelated to his will.

“Oh dear, this is a problem.”

Meanwhile, Iber, who seemed to be dreaming, moved his round cheeks and smiled broadly.

“Oh dear, this is a problem. Come here, try listening to Iber. Let’s move him to the room!”

Oton wagged his tongue looking at the sleeping Iber. However, Ark and Esta didn’t react at all.

“What are you doing? Let’s quickly move Iber.”

Oton said irritably, turning his head abruptly towards Ark and Esta. However, both of them had the same stupid expression, looking somewhere without blinking.

Following their gaze, Oton turned his head, sighed deeply, and said, “Oh dear, this is a problem.”
“Oton, it seems like Iber is not the only one in big trouble right now.”

Ark and Esta mumbled with vacant expressions, unable to take their eyes off Stella.

This was because Stella’s eyelids had become heavy, noticeable as she staggered while sipping from her cup.

“Stella! Stella! Don’t sleep here!”

Ark was the first to shout towards Stella, shaking her hand. However, Stella, either not hearing or deliberately ignoring them, slowly blinked her eyes and finished the remaining cup.

“Tired.”