“Does Ubbus drink well?”

At that question, Dreon shivered.

“Not just well—how on earth did someone like him become a priest? It’s a miracle. He could live inside a wine barrel and still recite scripture perfectly. That says it all. There was even an incident like this back in the day.”

Before Ubbus became a priest, it was said that he had a confrontation with the 14th prince, a high-ranking noble whose mother was an official concubine of the emperor.

The immature prince, wanting to experience incognito travel, sneaked out of the imperial city accompanied by his knights.

Upon arriving at the marketplace, he wandered around and entered a shabby tavern—where the trouble began.

“What is this low-quality food and drink? Do they know who I am?”

The wine and food served at his table were ordinary items sold regularly at the tavern.

Enraged, the prince kicked the table with his foot.

Food and drink splattered everywhere, even mixing into the wine cup of Ubbus, who had been quietly drinking alone at a nearby seat.

Naturally, this was infuriating. Ubbus, already annoyed by the prince’s arrogant behavior in his regular tavern, let out a curse.

That was when things turned sour—the prince overheard him.

The prince’s guards immediately drew their swords.

But the prince, finding the situation amusing, smirked.

“This is a tavern, so let’s settle it with a drinking contest.”

He then gave an absurd order: anyone who wished to challenge him must first defeat all of his guard knights in drinking. It was clearly a command meant to intimidate, expecting the opponent to kneel immediately in defeat.

But Ubbus neither cursed him for being cowardly, nor backed down in fear.

Instead, he scoffed, mocked the prince, and even dared the guards to raise their cups, provoking them directly.

Baited, the first knight began chugging wine furiously, and Ubbus raised his cup as well.

So, one massive wine cask emptied.

The first knight collapsed after his sixth cup. It was around the time Ubbus downed his eighth.

One by one, two, three…

The last remaining guard sat across from Ubbus, visibly tense.

Even the prince, who had initially been confident of victory, now stared at Ubbus with the eyes of someone witnessing a monster.

Ubbus remained perfectly composed, not a trace of drunken flush on his face.

Finally, the last knight collapsed onto the floor, drunk.

The remaining prince turned pale, shook his head in fear, admitted it was his fault for starting the quarrel, and fled with his tail between his legs.

“That’s truly amazing.”

“The scary part about him is just beginning.”

Dreon’s expression turned serious. The story wasn’t over yet.

The prince had fled alone, leaving behind his unconscious guards. Cheers erupted in the now-peaceful tavern.

Ubbus, unfazed, simply ordered more drinks. The tavern owner, grateful to a loyal customer who had cleared his problem so satisfyingly, declared that Ubbus could drink unlimited alcohol for the entire day.

For Ubbus, a noble but a bastard with poor finances, it was the best gift imaginable.

He kept drinking—through the busy evening, the quiet late night, and into the early dawn when the tavern was about to close.

In the end, Dreon, who had watched Ubbus drain every drop of alcohol in the place, could only sigh in awe.

At that time, Dreon was wandering the capital alone, gathering his own forces.

“I thought to myself: this guy is the real deal. I have to make him my man.”

It was incomprehensible what exactly had drawn him in, but one thing was certain—they formed a bond that day in the tavern.

“Hmm. With such a story, congratulations are in order. The lord will have a hard time.”

“Of course. Not just a hard time—he won’t last long at all before collapsing.”

As Dreon boasted, Yerpi watched the entrance where the two had departed.

As long as no one’s health was harmed, it was a harmless bet.

Turning back to the table, she saw Dante gulping down chilled winter grapefruit juice. The meal had now moved past the main course into dessert.

First came a palate-cleansing wild strawberry sorbet, followed by a rich butter bar, then honey-soaked baked pastries and crisp sugar candies.

After such heavy desserts, light ice cream and refreshing herbal tea offered a perfect finish.

Dante, who had devoured every last bite, let out a happy moan. Yerpi smiled as she lifted the now-limp child into her arms.

“Time to go to bed. You should go too.”

“Alright.”

She had already been full, but standing up made her body feel even heavier. Leaning on Raymond’s arm, Yerpi left the banquet hall with him.

They reached the corridor lined with guest rooms. Yerpi stopped not at her assigned couple’s bedroom, but at another door.

“Here we are.”

This was Dante’s private guest room. The child had insisted he was grown up now and wanted to sleep separately.

Thanks to expressing his will, Dante had earned his own space in the room right next to theirs.

As she opened the door, Dante fluttered unsteadily inside like a little bird.

Seeing the child flop onto the bed, Yerpi smiled and closed the door behind him.

Yerpi and Raymond’s eyes met.

Unconsciously lowering her gaze, her cheeks faintly flushed. Regardless of the reason, Dante’s independence was still a blessing for the newlywed couple.

Together, they entered their shared bedroom.

The moment they stepped from the hallway into the room, the atmosphere changed. An indescribable, subtle current surrounded them.

Their lips met, and their eyes closed instinctively.

When her back touched the bed, Yerpi suddenly opened her eyes in alarm and quickly covered her stomach with her hands.

“Why are you covering it?”

Raymond tilted his head, puzzled.

Yerpi’s face turned red as she struggled to answer. But pressed by his expectant gaze, she finally had no choice but to confess.

“It’s just… I’m worried my belly looks bloated. I overate today…”

After all, she had indulged freely in butter-drenched meats and sweet desserts. It had been a while since her body felt this heavy.

Feeling her stomach, it did seem slightly rounder. She didn’t want Raymond to see her like this.

But to her surprise, Raymond merely chuckled.

“Is that all? I’ve always thought you should eat more. You’re too thin as it is.”

He gently moved her hands aside and traced his fingers over her stomach. It was slightly fuller than usual, but to him, it still felt endlessly flat by his standards.

Their lips met again. Yerpi opened her mouth, breathlessly receiving not only the deep, sweet mingling of breath, but something far greater.

***

Only after endlessly intertwining their bodies did they seem to finally close their eyes. Consciousness floated, carried by utterly relaxed limbs. And so, sleep came.

When she opened her eyes again, she stood on a balcony of an ice-made castle.

“…Where is this?”

The balcony’s railing and doorway were replaced by crystal-clear windows.

The entire castle—walls and interior—was made of ice.

Though her feet should have been numb, she felt no cold.

Realizing sensation had faded beyond temperature, she understood—this was a dream.

Holding the railing, she looked down and saw beautifully blooming flowers.

Red, yellow, crimson, and violet—these mesmerizing blossoms were not petals, but exquisitely carved gemstone flowers.

The sky shimmered in purple, with silver stars forming a delicate Milky Way.

The ice castle, towering in this mystical and beautiful space, somehow looked lonely.

Yerpi knew from past experience—this dream was special.

A breeze blew toward her, carrying the scent of spring and summer, autumn and winter.

This fresh wind, evoking all seasons, tickled her ears before transforming into a shimmering shape.

“This is… a butterfly.”

A blue butterfly, made of ice crystals, softly fluttered its wings—reflecting light like glass—as it circled around Yerpi.

Each time the blue butterfly brushed past her, she heard voices. Not one, but two. Or perhaps three.

A tender voice was calling her “Mom.”

“Why am I like this?”

Tears welled up inexplicably. The distant, yearning voices stirred deep within her heart.