“Lord Cedric?”

At Amelia’s call, Cedric found himself looking at an overflowing glass of liquor.

“My apologies.”

Cedric took a napkin from an approaching servant and wiped his hands.

What was it? It felt as if rose vines were wrapping around his entire body, making it impossible to move even a step.

Intoxicated by the sweet scent, he wanted to drink it all in.

Cedric picked up the Reta liquor again. The strong and enchanting scent softly lingered at the tip of his nose.

Reta was a strong drink, but not so artificially overwhelming that one could find themselves emptying a bottle after just a few glasses.

“It tastes good but it’s quite strong, so drink it slowly.”

While offering a new glass of Reta, Cedric looked at Arne again.

But she was looking at Kale. Cedric didn’t like that for some reason. There shouldn’t be a reason for it.

Cedric gulped down the full glass of Reta in one go.

Yet, his mood did not improve.

Amelia tilted her head, watching Cedric, who was drinking the quickest despite just telling them not to drink slowly.

Amelia’s gaze, shining with interest, turned towards Arne.

Arne spoke while looking at an excited Kale.

“So let’s not unnecessarily waste our energy. That’s why I attended this banquet.”

Kale’s lips twisted into a sneer, as if the idea was absurd.

“You’re rejecting me because someone like you has someone you like?”

He never liked Arne to begin with.

Years ago, she might have been a war slave, a mixed-race demon, or perhaps a woman from a minority nomadic tribe.

She dared to refuse him when she wouldn’t have dared to lift her face in front of him, let alone serve him.

Just meeting Arne by his father’s command had already brought Kale’s status to rock bottom!

The thought of how much the nobles would laugh at him for being rejected by Arne brought about an unbearable rage.

“Know your place. Do you think anyone called a lady is truly a lady? If you’re born from nowhere, at least be smart.”

Kale’s eyes flashed with anger. However, Arne calmly picked up a wine bottle.

Then, Amelia’s eyes met hers. Amelia slid a glass filled with Reta towards her with a soft and fresh smile.

Then the glass fell and the liquor spilled out.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Lord Cedric.”

“It’s alright.”

As Cedric nonchalantly called for a servant to pour more Reta,

“You’re really kind. I like you, Lord Cedric. Let’s get to know each other better. If things go well between our elders, we might even get engaged.”

Due to the spilled liquor drawing attention, people heard Amelia’s words.

Arne too. Shocked, she accidentally broke the cork she was trying to pull out.

Then Kale’s scolding followed.

“Your head must be empty if you struggle like this. Can’t you even pull out a cork properly?”

The gaze of those around shifted from Amelia to Kale and then to Arne.

“Do you know how valuable this wine is? For someone like a lady…”

“It was a mistake. Could you please get me a wine opener?”

Although Arne asked a servant for a wine opener, Kale’s voice did not stop and grew louder.

“It’s really impossible to meet with someone so foolish.”

Kale clicked his tongue and scanned Arne with a look of contempt,

Insisting that it wasn’t because he was rejected but because Arne was too foolish to date.

“It was just a mistake. I don’t wish to meet someone who disparages others over a small error.”

“You’re so foolish you need to be scolded to understand. Instead of saying it was a mistake, you should look at your behavior first. It’s because you act wrongly that you’re called foolish.”

When Arne was about to speak, murmurs spread among the crowd.

“Isn’t that the orphaned lady Snow Rabbit? Now she can’t even pull out a cork properly?”

“It’s because she’s foolish. She should have asked a servant if she couldn’t do it herself, but because she’s an orphan, she probably doesn’t know how.”

“Kale must be having a hard time.”

Pleased by what people were saying, Kale looked smug.

“If you did wrong, apologize first instead of making excuses.”

“……”

Arne brushed her hair back.

‘As always.’

Was he expecting her to kneel and beg over just breaking a cork?

Probably. Apologizing would soothe Kale’s bruised ego,

It wasn’t about Kale being rejected by Arne but rather about rejecting foolish Arne to save face.

His cowardice in making sure they’d never want to meet again had to be acknowledged.

“Lord Kale, I’ve said from the start that breaking the cork was my mistake. The opener will be here soon, so instead of bellowing like a hooligan, why not maintain some dignity?”

“A, a hooligan?”

“It’s unsightly to despise someone for getting overly excited over trivial things and calling them stupid.”

Compared to the excited Kale, Arne’s calm tone of response irritated Kale.

“Where do you get off talking back like that?”

Just as Kale was about to stand up abruptly, a servant approached.

But instead of a wine opener, the servant handed Arne a bottle of liquor.

Arne received the liquor with confusion.

“I didn’t ask for liquor.”

“A distinguished person sent it to you. They said to tell you not to worry about breaking the cork since it’s much larger and sturdier than cheap corks, so you can pull it out comfortably.”

Arne chuckled upon hearing the servant’s perplexing words.

The bottle was engraved with the symbol of the North and the name Reta.

“Isn’t that Reta? I heard it’s a precious liquor that not just anyone can drink?”

“It’s made from fruits grown on land containing mana stones, so it’s also good for activating mana. That’s why it’s very valuable.”

“It’s the most precious liquor even in the North, which is famous for its good liquor.”

Their interest quickly shifted towards Reta. And then, there was one question on everyone’s mind.

Kale asked the servant.

“Who sent this?”

“They said not to reveal their name.”

“So who is it!”

A smile spread across Arne’s lips as she looked at the obstinate Kale.

Who else could it be? The person who could carelessly hand over Reta, which one couldn’t drink without the permission of the Grand Duke of Renigrad.

Someone who could say that the liquor of the Marquis of Kale was cheap and of inferior quality.

Arne turned her head, and she locked eyes with Cedric, as though he had been waiting.

His arrogant demeanor even suited him well, as he sat lazily.

Cedric’s jaw was clenched tightly, looking like he was very angry.

His gaze still intently followed Kale, who was still shouting.

“Don’t you know who my father is? Aren’t you going to tell me who sent it!”

The fact that the servant kept his mouth shut even in front of Lord Kale meant that someone of higher status had sent it.

Seeing that he couldn’t even figure this out, Kale was indeed a foolish hooligan.

“It’s clear that someone of your rank didn’t send it.”

“What?”

Arne gestured for the poor servant to leave before he got into more trouble.

The servant quickly disappeared with gratitude.

Arne grabbed the cork of the Reta. Just as the servant said, it was large and sturdy.

The cork popped out with a pleasant sound.

Even the sound of it pouring into the glass was sweet.

Arne savored the strong and enchanting scent unique to Reta.

‘I’ve wanted to drink this again since I returned.’

The last time was during our wedding reception.

I wonder if we can share a drink together this time too.

Arne locked eyes with Cedric.

“Cheers.”

Cedric’s stern face twitched at the softly muttered word.

Arne still looked at Cedric as she held up her glass.

A smile slowly formed at the corner of Cedric’s lips.

“Cheers.”

He raised the glass he held.

As the liquid moved, the Reta flowed along with it. Soon, the glass was completely empty.

Arne also emptied her glass completely. A strong and captivating aroma lingered in her mouth.

People held their breath and watched Arne and Cedric.

No one said anything, but everyone knew who sent her the Reta.

And knowing who the owner was, no one dared to speak out of turn.

The master of the North, the Renigrad Duchy. A legendary knightly family that led the Great Demon War to victory and that even the emperor could not easily oppose.

Even Kale, who had stood up and shouted earlier, quietly took his seat.

“Seeing as the Reta’s cork was intact, I guess the problem was with the cork used by the Wayne family. Corks cannot be stupid.”

Arne said as she drank the remaining Reta.

His momentum when he shouted at Arne before was gone, and Kale remained silent.

As Kale lowered his tail, people murmured.

“The Northern liquor is truly well made.”

“I’d like to try that Reta once. They say it’s so good for mana activation.”

Nobles glanced enviously at Arne who was drinking Reta.

Reta was not a liquor that anyone could drink just because they had money.

‘This liquor tastes good.’

As expected, Reta was the only liquor that suited her taste. The glass emptied quickly.

As the Reta inadvertently got promoted, Cedric’s expression also visibly relaxed. Perhaps he felt good about it.

Arne, feeling pleasantly tipsy from the alcohol, grinned sheepishly at Cedric.

His expression became a bit complex, but Arne was still in a good mood.

Perhaps because Bianca, seeming displeased with the situation, had stood up from Cedric’s table.

‘She’ll probably go to the Duke.’

Bianca was as predictable as ever.

If it weren’t for Cedric, she would have grabbed Arne by the hair right away.

‘Apologizing on my behalf for offending Lord Wayne.’

And she would have made Kale apologize as well.

Since Kale, who is friends with the Second Prince, and Arne’s engagement would establish a connection with the imperial family through Kale.

‘But that won’t happen today.’

Arne smiled at the Second Prince, who had been looking down at her from the second-floor railing all this time.

The alcohol made her giggle foolishly. Maybe she was happy thinking about what was about to happen.

The Second Prince approached Kale, whom he had become friends with due to their common interest in alcohol since their childhood.

‘He finally arrived.’