An Interrupted Drink

Talk about perfect timing.

There really couldn’t be a proverb that fit the current situation better than that.

I looked at the people on the opposite boat, clicked my tongue softly, and turned my gaze away as if I had seen something I shouldn’t have. Then, I immediately tilted my wine cup.

“Would you like to try another alcohol, Young Master?”

“I would love to.”

Having temporarily looked at something unseemly amidst such beautiful scenery, I wanted to clear my mind by drinking even delicious alcohol.

When I nodded right away, Prince Eighteenth quickly filled my cup. Following that, I emptied my wine cup in one gulp and reached my hand toward the wine bottle Prince Eighteenth was holding.

“I shall pour it for you.”

“Drinking alone continuously makes me feel a bit empty.”

“…To think I am receiving alcohol poured by your hands, Young Master. Really, I am so deeply moved.”

If it were just empty words, it might be different, but looking at Prince Eighteenth’s expression, it seemed a wave of genuine emotion was rushing through him.

Seeing him so incredibly pleased over something so minor naturally filled me with a sense of apologetic embarrassment.

I immediately took the wine bottle and waited for him to lift his cup. And when Prince Eighteenth finally lifted his cup after a long moment, I filled it right up.

“Receiving a cup from Young Master Seo-yul like this, there is truly no separate earthly paradise.”

As always, exaggerated words came back to me, but today, it didn’t seem bad to just enjoy the elegance of the moment while listening to this sound. Just as we were tilting our cups together and eating a few bites of food, I noticed something.

The boat on the opposite side, which I naturally assumed would drift away, had approached an even closer distance than before. At the same time, a cooing voice drifted over.

“Hwi-rang, please eat this. If you only eat Biegok pills every day, your body won’t be able to hold out.”

Ugh, that damn ‘Hwi-rang’.

When my mother called my father using that tender tone, it sounded perfectly fine, but hearing it spill from Yeon Ji-oh’s mouth naturally made my forehead crumple.

“……”

My mood had been quite decent until just a moment ago, but his talent for dragging it down to the absolute rock bottom like this was truly remarkable.

I swallowed the alcohol roughly and slammed the cup down onto the table.

Then, shifting my gaze toward the direction that continuously made that cooing sound, I locked eyes with Yeon Ji-oh, who happened to be looking this way at that exact moment.

“Target locked.”

“Hwi-rang, would you like to eat at least this?”

Ugh, why did I even look over there?

Even a moment ago, the distance between the two of them was close.

But right now, the two of them could literally be described as sticking tightly together.

Anyone could see that Yeon Ji-oh was the one unilaterally clinging onto him, but whatever the case, the fact remained that it was an eyesore.

Sighing softly, I toyed with my cup once more, and Prince Eighteenth filled it with a different alcohol this time.

“This is peach wine. I personally brewed it using the sweetest peaches rumored to exist in this country.”

“…You brewed it yourself, My Lord?”

I thought it was just one of the many fruit wines presented as tribute, but to think he brewed it himself.

When I turned to look at him in surprise, the corners of Prince Eighteenth’s eyes curved up.

“You are finally looking at me.”

“…My apologies.”

“No. If you give me your attention even now, I have nothing to regret. Hurry up and drink. I summoned a master fruit wine brewer specifically for you to brew this personally, so just having you drink this is a great blessing for me.”

Listening to Prince Eighteenth’s burdensome words starting up again lasted only a moment. I brought the wine cup to my lips and inhaled the aroma just as it was.

Unlike the fruit wines I had drank until just a moment ago, the scent of alcohol was quite strong, but the peach aroma contained within it was incredibly sweet. Feeling saliva pool in my mouth, I tilted the cup just as it was.

“…Cough, cough!”

Just looking at how strongly the alcohol scent hit me, I had expected the proof to be a bit high, but I didn’t know it would be this strong. For a moment, I tried my best to block the sudden cough that erupted, but it wasn’t something I could suppress just because I tried to.

“Young Master, are you alright?”

“Cough! I am, cough, fine.”

In truth, I wasn’t fine, but I couldn’t bring myself to say that here.

Leaning against the person who hurriedly supported me, I caught my breath until I calmed down. Once my burning throat settled to some extent, I straightened my posture.

“I ended up causing trouble because I drank too hastily.”

“No. I failed to take proper care of you by your side. Is your stomach feeling alright?”

“Yes.”

I was a bit surprised at first, but a proof level like this was no problem at all. Right, Geum Seo-yul was definitely strong against alcohol.

As I straightened the body that had been leaning against Prince Eighteenth, the man who had been uttering incomprehensible sounds withdrew the hand that was supporting me. Wondering what was going on, I looked next to me and easily read the lingering regret written all over Prince Eighteenth’s face.

“Target locked.”

I guess his heart fluttered again just because I leaned on him for a bit. Remaining silent, I wiped away the alcohol around my mouth and gripped the cup once more.

“It is delicious.”

Even though it was a bit strong, it was quite decent for a first-time brewed wine.

“Is that so? Would you like to have another cup?”

“Yes.”

Although there was a difference in taste compared to the wines I drank just a moment ago, drinking one or two more cups wouldn’t cause any problems.

Like that, I drank two or three cups of the wine Prince Eighteenth brewed in a row, but the adjacent boat that was getting on my nerves still seemed to have no intention of leaving our immediate vicinity.

While listening to the cooing sound that continuously drifted from nearby and finishing up the food, Prince Eighteenth uttered a welcome piece of news.

“The distance is too close.”

“I shall move the boat immediately.”

“Yes.”

If I had openly shown signs of discomfort, he would have moved the boat right away, but if Prince Eighteenth moved first on his own, it was all the better for me.

Watching the boat move with satisfaction, I suddenly realized that the alcohol was starting to hit my body, which had been perfectly fine until just a moment ago.

“Target locked.”

Normally, I wouldn’t get a buzz just from drinking this amount of alcohol. Especially since I had been drinking low-proof fruit wine, this definitely wasn’t a situation where this should happen.

It seemed that the proof of the wine Prince Eighteenth claimed to have brewed himself was considerably higher than I had anticipated.

A tipsy sensation gradually began to fill my body. Feeling as though my body was floating up into the air, I picked up the food placed in front of me and put it in my mouth to steady my mind.

“Do you like this? If you say you like it, Young Master, I can source it for you every single day.”

Sourcing it every day is a bit much. But it was true that it suited my taste, so I should clarify that.

I answered immediately.

“It is edible.”

“Hm?”

I had merely answered his question, so why was he reacting like that?

Out of bewilderment, I looked at Prince Eighteenth. At that, Prince Eighteenth, who seemed to be staring at me blankly, covered his mouth with one hand and uttered an incomprehensible sound.

I couldn’t understand what on earth he was talking about.

But one thing was certain: he was shocked looking at me right now.

Staring at Prince Eighteenth’s wide-open eyes lasted only a moment. Strangely enough, I kept craving the wine he had brewed. Lifting the wine bottle resting on the table just as it was, I filled my cup and drank it all at once.

“Huuu.”

“…Young Master, are you alright?”

“Yes, I am perfectly fine.”

“This won’t do. We still have plenty of time, so let us lie down and rest for a bit before we continue drinking.”

“I am fine. I am perfectly fine to this extent.”

It was just a little buzz, so I didn’t understand why he kept telling me to lie down.

Smacking my lips, I reached my hand toward the wine bottle again, but Prince Eighteenth snatched the wine bottle right away.

“Are you pouring it for me?”

If that was the case, it was great since I didn’t have to pour it myself.

I quickly lifted my wine cup and held it out, but Prince Eighteenth, who was looking at me, handed the wine bottle to the guard who was protecting our side instead of me.

“Hm?”

“There is still plenty of alcohol, so let us rest for just a bit. If you get drunk right away in a place with such beautiful scenery, it will definitely be a regret.”

“I am fine to this extent, though.”

“Yes, but still, shouldn’t we enjoy it for a long time?”

Despite my words saying I was fine, he continuously repeated that we needed to enjoy it for a long time.

And that too, while failing to hide his laughter while looking at me.

Staring at Prince Eighteenth, who looked exceedingly joyful, I clicked my tongue and looked around my surroundings.

Then, I collapsed directly onto the fluffy pile of fur blankets that had been supporting my back.

“…This feels good.”

The sensation of the fur brushing between my fingers was incredibly soft. And the fur touching my cheek was no different.

Wondering if anything softer than this existed in the world, I continuously wiggled my fingers and played with the fur. As I lay half on my side and leaned against the fur, I noticed that the surroundings became busy along with the sound of someone coughing.

“We shall move to the other boat.”

“Ahem, cough! Yes, do so.”

“Then, have a wonderful time.”

A wonderful time?

Well, lying down listlessly like this was indeed nice.

Letting out a small sigh and rubbing my face against the fur, I stared blankly at the scenery.

The fabric that had been secured to the pillars unraveled, and the sight of it fluttering in the wind filled my view. Then, I saw the people who had untied the fabric quickly heading toward the back of the boat.

“Target locked.”

What on earth is this situation right now?

However, my brain was frozen, making it quite difficult to even process a thought.

Blinking my eyes and trying hard to spin my gears, I felt something coming over me. I moved my head to look up, and Prince Eighteenth’s face came into view.

“Young Master Seo-yul.”

“…Give me another cup.”

The wine you brewed, I think it’s the absolute best.

For some reason, a laugh leaked out and I giggled sillily, and Prince Eighteenth, who was staring at me, uttered incomprehensible words.

“Instead of a cup, may I feed you directly?”

“Directly?”

“Yes, directly.”

Whether it was directly or whatever, if he was giving me alcohol, he was welcome.

When I nodded my head, Prince Eighteenth’s face flushed in an instant. Finding his bright red face funny, I giggled again, and after letting out a rough breath, he finally raised his body.

Following that, he gripped the wine bottle I had been drinking from just a moment ago in his hand. Expecting that he was finally going to let me drink, I watched Prince Eighteenth bring the mouth of the wine bottle to his own mouth.

“Target locked.”

As he tilted the wine bottle while looking at me, precious alcohol spilled down the corner of his lips.

I watched him as he seemed to spill half of it, but soon, Prince Eighteenth closed his mouth tightly and closed the distance between us once more.

Staring at Prince Eighteenth without a word, my gaze drifted to the alcohol smeared on his face.

To spill so much of something that delicious.

Feeling regretful, I let out a soft sigh, raised my hand, and swept the alcohol smeared on the tip of Prince Eighteenth’s chin with my index finger.

Then, I brought that index finger straight to my mouth.

“Mmh.”

This was nowhere near enough. I wanted to eat a bit more, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of giving me alcohol.

Licking my index finger, I raised both hands and placed them on Prince Eighteenth’s shoulders to push away the unmoving man.

At that, Prince Eighteenth seemed to shudder, then squeezed his eyes tightly shut before opening them again.

“Target locked.”

The smile that had been overflowing on Prince Eighteenth’s face until just a moment ago had completely vanished by now.

Furthermore, his gaze had also sunk significantly.

Just as I was wondering why on earth he was looking at me with those eyes.

I belatedly realized that his face had gotten considerably close. Soon after, as his rough breath hit me, the fine hairs on my skin stood on end.

“Haa.”

It was exactly when I let out another groan and opened my mouth.

A massive roar shattered the lakeside.