“You look absolutely beautiful.”

One of the maids, who had just finished arranging Yulia’s hair, said with a smile.

Yulia gave a shy smile and looked at herself in the mirror once more.

She had even taken off the round glasses she had worn ever since her eyesight worsened, and—with the help of the maids—put on makeup for the first time in a while.

With three maids carefully brushing her once-messy hair and decorating it with elegant pins, even she had to admit—she looked quite presentable.

“Jerome, come here and take a look at Yulia. Isn’t she lovely?”

Catherine placed a hand on Jerome’s arm as he entered the room.

When Yulia turned her head, Jerome looked down at her, his sky-blue eyes shining brightly.

“Yu…lia… y-you… lo…ok… so… beau…ti…ful…”

“Thank you, Jerome. You look wonderful today, too.”

Yulia smiled brightly.

“Now, stand together! Oh my—don’t you look like the perfect couple?”

Catherine positioned them side by side, turning her head from one side to the other as she sought agreement from the servants.

“Right? Don’t you think so? Look at them!”

“Yes, indeed.”

“You suit each other very well.”

The servants nodded with gentle smiles.

“You look like a painting. Not because he’s my beloved son and you’re my precious Yulia—but truly! You’re a perfect match!”

“What a beautiful pair.”

“You’re dazzling.”

Overwhelmed by the endless compliments, Yulia quickly hooked her arm around Jerome’s and pulled him toward the door.

“Thank you, everyone! W-we should get going, Jerome! We’ll be late. Lady Catherine, we’re heading out!”

“Wait, Yulia!”

Catherine hurried across the room, her heels clicking as she approached an old cabinet.

After rummaging through a drawer, she found two small bottles and smiled in satisfaction.

“Ah, here they are!”

She handed Yulia two small vials filled with clear liquid.

Inside the pale green glass bottles, the mysterious liquid shimmered under the lights.

“Yulia, this is a tonic to clear your head. If you get too excited and drink too much at the banquet, that won’t do, right? Drink it before any mixed alcohol—it’ll help. Share it with Jerome!”

“Lady Catherine…”

“Our Yulia already has quite the drinking habit—we need to prepare in advance!”

Catherine laughed playfully, tapping Yulia’s arm.

Even such small details—her thoughtfulness was truly touching.

‘Did Duke Duncan find this medicine somewhere again?’

Duncan Duvert was almost obsessively concerned about his health.

Even a single sneeze would send him into a frenzy, ordering boxes of tonics.

The couple constantly collected all kinds of medicines—from fatigue relief to skincare to speech remedies—filling their estate’s infirmary with strange and exotic remedies.

Yulia tucked the small bottles into her handbag.

“You’re still taking the tonic I gave you last time, right?”

“Of course! Twice a day, every day.”

Satisfied, Catherine smiled warmly.

“Good. Now go and enjoy yourselves. Eat delicious food, meet wonderful people, and explore the new rooms!”

“Thank you, Lady Catherine! We’ll have fun!”

“Y-ye…s… mo…ther… we’ll… be… ba…ck…”

With Catherine seeing them off, Yulia and Jerome boarded the carriage bound for the Dunker Hotel.

***

“Yulia! Jerome!”

Lily waved enthusiastically as she approached them in the lavish banquet hall.

After greeting the doorman, Yulia walked toward her.

“Lily! You’re here early.”

“I finished getting ready faster than expected! Oh—Yulia, you look…”

Lily’s eyes widened.

“Ah… is it too much? I feel awkward.”

“No! You look amazing! You should dress like this more often—you look like a completely different person!”

Lily admired her loose brown hair.

Yulia leaned closer and whispered:

“It’s so uncomfortable… how do noble ladies live like this? This corset is suffocating me.”

It wasn’t just that.

Her gloved hands felt damp with sweat, her high heels hurt her toes, and the low neckline of her dress made her self-conscious.

“Just endure it for today. People don’t usually dress like this unless it’s a big event.”

“Still…”

“Come on! You’ve never tried my mixed drinks, right? I’ll show you something fun—but don’t lose control like last time!”

Pulled along by Lily, Yulia was swept into the center of the hall.

They made their way to a table where familiar faces sat.

Evan immediately filled their glasses with a red drink.

“Since you’re late, let’s all have a drink—ladies and gentlemen.”

He mimicked a butler’s bow.

“You’re just too early,” Lily scoffed.

“At times like this, early is best.”

Lily downed her drink in one go.

As expected of the academy’s top drinker, she didn’t even flinch.

Yulia, however, was the complete opposite. She took out one of the small bottles.

“What’s that?”

“Um… a hangover cure?”

“Yeah, you’ll probably need that. Don’t drink too much today.”

“Yulia! By the way, what exactly is your drinking habit? I heard it’s pretty famous.”

Daisy, who was sitting next to Evan, suddenly chimed in.

“Oh, Daisy, have you ever seen Julia drunk?”

“No! I mean, Julia was always just studying—she wasn’t really the type to enjoy drinking, was she?”

“That’s true… except for that one time. I mean, except for Lily’s twentieth birthday party.”

Evan lowered his voice and whispered as if sharing some great secret.

“What are you two doing, talking like this right in front of the person involved…?”

Yulia gave Evan and Daisy a playful glare, then opened the bottle cap and downed the clear liquid in one gulp.

“Daisy, you’ll get to see Yulia’s drinking habits firsthand. You’ll probably see them today.”

“No, I’m really going to control myself today.”

“Sure you will.”

As her friends teased her, Yulia shook her head and handed the remaining bottle to Jerome beside her.

Jerome, meeting her gaze, smiled brightly as he drank the medicine.

‘Jerome can handle his liquor… I should worry about myself.’

With a mix of excitement and anxiety, Yulia raised her trembling hand to bring the drink to her lips.

The alcohol in this world felt different from the alcohol in the world she had possessed.

How should she put it? It felt a little more exhilarating? Might it have stimulant properties?

She had heard that in the Tritan Empire, they used containers and tools made of magic stone when producing alcohol.

There are those with a constitution that is particularly distant from magic, and Yulia wondered if she was that peculiar type, as she was notably weaker with alcohol compared to her friends.

Yulia brought the cup to her nose and inhaled deeply.

The sweet scent of grapes and the sharp aroma of alcohol flowed into her nostrils.

“Is it like grape wine?”

Yulia murmured as she slowly tilted the cup and let the red liquid flow into her mouth.

The flavor was both refreshing and somewhat bitter, lingering in her mouth before smoothly going down her throat.

The aftertaste of the fruit wine spread through her nose, creating a delightful feeling.

“It’s delicious…?”

“Hey, Yulia, your cup is empty! Try this too!”

Seeing Yulia finish her first drink so quickly, Lily filled her cup with a blue liquid.

“What is this? The color is unusual.”

“I just made a mixed drink! I’ve never seen anyone say it tastes bad.”

Gaining confidence from the earlier fruit wine, Yulia downed the cup of blue liquid in one go.

“Ugh!”

“Why does she drink it like hot soup?”

The warm alcohol felt like it was heating her throat, esophagus, and stomach one after another.

Ah, this sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time…! It was exhilarating!

Excited to meet alcohol again after a long time, Yulia began to down various drinks one after another.

From carbonated drinks with alcohol content similar to beer to fermented drinks, distilled spirits, whiskey, and mixed drinks made with all of them in proper proportions…!

“Wow, this is really delicious!”

As the empty glasses piled up, she felt like her mood was soaring higher and higher.

“Yulia… you’re… drinking… too much…”

At that moment, Jerome, sitting right next to her, grabbed Yulia’s hand as she was about to bring another drink to her lips.

Turning her head, she saw Jerome, with his cheeks flushed just like hers, looking down at her with concern.