“Endy, don’t you drink?”

“I don’t usually enjoy drinking.”

“But on a day like today, wouldn’t it be okay to have a drink?”

“Especially on a day like today, I wouldn’t.”

“Why is that?”

“Do you really want to know?”

“Please tell me.”

“I only drink when there’s something I want to forget.”

“...”

“Even though we’ve ended up with such a conclusion today, I don’t think it’s so terrible that I want to drink to forget it.”

“So, if I understand correctly, today’s events were impressive enough that you don’t feel the need to drink to forget them?”

“Think of it however you like.”

“Got it. But...”

“What is it?”

“I’ve never heard of a man from the Sword Mansion refusing to drink, regardless of the reason...”

“Seeing the precedents as I grew up has only strengthened my resolve to abstain.”

“...I see.”

This was the reason I gave Aslin when she asked why I wasn’t drinking, shortly after we entered the bridal chamber and two bottles of whiskey she had gestured for were emptied.

It wasn’t an excuse or a diversion, but a few words filled with my personal experiences and reflections on alcohol.

After that, she didn’t offer me any more drinks, instead pouring herself a glass of straight liquor and drinking alone.

Watching her drink as naturally as if she were drinking water, I couldn’t even begin to guess her usual alcohol tolerance.

During the war, specifically when I was watching her from afar in my role as an assassin with an iron mask, I had never seen her drink like this.

It seemed natural to think that I hadn’t seen her drink because of the war’s need for restraint.

“It’s been a while since I drank, and it tastes really good...”

Seeing Aslin enjoy every drink, I could tell how much she liked alcohol.

It made me wonder if I could have fulfilled my biological father’s order to assassinate her if I had lured her with alcohol.

But even so, I didn’t feel the need to ask why she was enjoying it in this situation.

“Hehe...”

I didn’t want to spoil Aslin’s mood by asking her and ruining her enjoyment.

So I just kept thinking hard.

Even now, Aslin wasn’t showing any signs of drunkenness other than her slightly swaying eyes, despite drinking so much in this atmosphere that invited more drinking.

I had to be prepared for how she might act towards me if she went beyond her limit and got drunk.

But the problem was that in this confined space, my actions were also extremely limited.

If Aslin fell asleep from drinking, I would lay her on the bed, cover her with a blanket, and sleep at a distance.

If she had any sleep habits that invaded my sleeping space, I wouldn’t hesitate to get off the bed and sleep on the floor.

Even with these limited options, various plans naturally came to mind, making me realize that desperate situations produce plausible results.

“Endy..., what are you worried about?”

Oops, I must have been lost in thought without saying anything.

Aslin, who had been drinking nonchalantly, asked me in a slightly slurred voice, showing clear signs of intoxication as she smiled slyly.

“I haven’t done anything since what I said earlier.”

I tried to play it cool.

“Liar.”

The strong liquor seemed to bring out emotions Aslin usually didn’t show, and her rebuke, mixed with an obvious drunkenness, was clear for anyone to see.

I was sure that if she blew her breath, I would smell the strong scent of alcohol.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but if that happened, I felt like I would smell not just the scent of alcohol but also a hint of flowers from her lips...

‘Why do I keep having these crazy thoughts even when I’m not drinking?’

Interrupting my thoughts again, intrusive thoughts tried to drag my consciousness down a strange path, but I shattered them with a curse and looked at Aslin, trying to come up with a suitable answer to her question.

Though her tongue was slurred and emotions more pronounced than usual, anyone could see that Aslin was thoroughly drunk.

However, for her honor, there was one thing I had to clarify.

“Even without words, your eyes and... expressions are asking for my opinion.”

This statement showed that despite being drunk, Aslin’s intellect remained intact.

Wow, look at that. She realized that I’m thinking about how to deal with a drunken mistake just by reading my mind.

“Right? ...Hehe.”

Without me saying a word, she sought my agreement with a knowing smile, as if she already knew all my thoughts.

Aslin had changed her demeanor countless times since this evening began.

When I first stepped into the bridal chamber, she pointed a sword at me without warning.

When I tried to escape a difficult situation by jumping out of the window, she followed me with a cold gaze.

When I reluctantly accepted a sparring match, she was pleased even if she didn’t show it overtly.

After the sparring, she came back to the bridal chamber, boldly downing strong liquor and showing a disheveled appearance.

Watching her reveal these facets without reservation, it became clear that Aslin wasn’t doubting me at all despite the unforeseen circumstances leading to this outcome.

In fact, she went beyond not doubting me.

“I’m not worried at all. I believe that even if I pass out drunk here, you wouldn’t harm me.”

She was openly showing her trust in me.

It seemed this was her intention all along.

Even though this was a strategic marriage to keep me, the only surviving practitioner of the Sword Mansion’s renowned swordsmanship, under imperial control, despite its fall from grace.

“Even if I haven’t seen it up close, I know. You wouldn’t lay a hand on a drunk person...”

Aslin’s words, though slightly slurred, were filled with trust, aiming to reassure me.

…She didn’t need to go through this farce for me not to hold any resentment against her.

Contrary to what I thought, perhaps Aslin was trying to bear responsibility by making sure I didn’t feel burdened.

Her actions now seemed like a relentless effort to make a good impression on me.

“...Phew.”

Watching this, I couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle, my lips curling involuntarily.

What could I say? The sparring match earlier could be understood as mutual respect between seasoned opponents who had clashed swords countless times on the battlefield.

But now, in our first private time together, her unhesitatingly downing strong liquor and showing drunken trust toward me was causing me to chuckle involuntarily.

Of course, the chuckle wasn’t intentional, so I quickly tried to cover my mouth and suppress it.

“Ah.”

Aslin, who had stopped bringing the glass to her lips, let out a small exclamation and widened her eyes at me.

“You’re finally smiling.”

Seeing that she acknowledged my smile, it seemed too late to hide it.

Aslin’s drunken ramblings continued for quite some time.

I felt pathetic for feeling relieved that there wasn’t a single bottle of wedding liquor on the table in the bridal chamber.

The liquors she had the servants bring out with a wave of her hand were not only plentiful but also had incredibly high proof.

Even though I didn’t drink, I knew the value of these liquors.

It wasn’t hard to recognize that the whiskey disappearing at her lips, among the many other drinks, were extraordinary masterpieces.

Despite being the heir to the duchy, the highest rank of nobility besides the imperial family, she lived a life distanced from luxury.

I had heard that the only areas she spared no expense were in her self-discipline and collecting the finest liquors for her own enjoyment.

It seemed a reasonable suspicion that she had gathered all these drinks for a night like tonight.

“It would have been really nice if you had joined me...”

Aslin continued to empty the bottles of strong liquor one after another right in front of me.

If there was a rule that determined social status by drinking prowess, tonight she was the emperor and a living god of the empire.

I swear to the heavens, neither in my surroundings nor in the countless rumors I’ve heard, had I ever seen someone drink as much of the famous Northern liquor and remain unscathed as the woman in front of me.

However, even an extraordinary person who showed such affectionate behavior while drinking heavily without showing any signs of intoxication had her limits.

“Next time... let’s drink together...”

With those words, Aslin placed the glass she held on the table, laid her head on the table full of empty bottles, and began to breathe softly.

She had finally fallen asleep.

“Phew...”

I first let out a sigh of relief.

Despite drinking so much and not losing an ounce of her intellect, her actions had been deliberately disheveled in front of me.

Rather than savoring the victorious moment of resisting a peculiar impulse she aroused, I could only manage a brief self-congratulation.

“Everything you do looks so lovely, enduring it was truly a trial.”

I simply offered a short praise to myself for holding out as long as I did.

###

Having navigated past such a precarious moment, it would be common sense to leave this dangerous spot. However, since this perilous location was also where I was forced to end my day, such evasion was not an option.

I got up from my seat and approached Aslin, who had collapsed across from me.

“A handful of a woman, indeed.”

I muttered this half-genuine grumble as I lifted her and carried her to the bed.

Despite her imposing presence and the dreadful pressure she exerted on me in the training grounds, her body was surprisingly light, even manageable with one hand.

“How can someone with this build wield such a powerful sword...”

My curiosity mingled with genuine admiration as I laid Aslin on the bed.

She didn’t even realize she was being carried, still softly breathing in her sleep. I covered her with a blanket.

“Hmm, she looks quite cute when she’s sleeping.”

Even when I had to assassinate her under orders, hiding behind an iron mask, I never saw this side of her.

With thoughts that I probably shouldn’t have, I sat on the floor next to the bed, leaning against it, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction at her sleeping form.

“It seems I’ll have to sleep like this from now on.”

Closing my eyes, I prepared to end the first night of this strategic marriage disguised as a plunder marriage.

Not sure if every day would be like this, but if I could sleep on the floor beside her bed, fall asleep after her, and wake up before her to leave, I could avoid this kind of situation.

“As long as I keep my wits about me, I can survive.”

With that determination softly repeated to myself, I surrendered to sleep.

·

·

·

·

“Good morning. You know, you’re heavier than I thought. Must be because you’re a man, right?”

“...Huh? ...What? ...Huh?”

Why am I lying on the bed?