“What’s the matter, Miss Ailiya? Won’t you give me this face?”
Cedric saw that Ailiya had no reaction, and the cold smirk on his lips deepened.
Ailiya still maintained her standard waiting posture, hands clasped in front of her.
Her ice-blue eyes calmly swept over Cedric’s face, flushed red from drinking, then her gaze dropped to her own outer thigh.
The dining knife hidden under her skirt had been craving blood for a long time now.
“I’m sorry, Young Master Cedric.”
Ailiya’s voice was as clear and cold as thin ice in winter, without a single ripple.
“The estate has rules: maids are strictly forbidden from drinking during working hours. I appreciate your kindness, but I must decline.”
“It’s fine, just one sip…”
Before he could finish his sentence,
a hand that still had a bit of grease from cutting steak suddenly came in from the side.
It snatched the empty wine glass right out of Cedric’s hand without any courtesy!
“Oh! Third Brother! What are you doing over here?!”
Leo bumped into the scene, staggering like a drunkard who had had too much to drink.
He naturally squeezed between Ailiya and Cedric, using his back to block Ailiya completely.
“Burp—!”
Leo let out a loud, sharp belch, his face bright red as he held up the glass he had just grabbed and shoved it directly under the mouth of Cedric’s red wine bottle.
“Third Brother, that’s not fair! We brothers haven’t had our fill yet, and you’re sneaking off to drink alone with a maid?”
Leo slurred his words. With one hand, he slung it around Cedric’s shoulder like a good buddy, while the other hand shook the glass wildly.
“Come on! Fill it up! That last one doesn’t count. This round is a toast to you! I wish you… a steady rise in rank.”
Cedric’s face instantly froze. Seeing Leo, the troublemaker who had suddenly appeared, he was practically furious.
This damn persistent waste!
No matter where I go, he follows?!
“Get away from me! I’m talking to Miss Ailiya!” Cedric tried impatiently to push Leo aside.
“Don’t be like that, Third Brother!” Leo stuck to him like a piece of taffy, mumbling random excuses.
“What’s there to talk about with a maid?”
Leo leaned close to his ear and lowered his voice, speaking in an extremely irritating tone.
“Third Brother, didn’t you say you were going to teach me how to be a real man? What, a noble young master of the main family can’t hold his liquor as well as me, a country boy who’s never seen the world?”
“Bullshit!”
Stung by Leo’s provocation, the last thread of Cedric’s reason snapped completely.
With alcohol clouding his mind, he completely forgot his original intention for coming to Ailiya. He directly poured a full glass for Leo with a “glug glug,” then picked up the bottle and took a big gulp straight from it.
“Drink! Whoever falls first today is the other’s grandson!”
“Fine! Third Brother has a huge capacity!”
Leo sneered inwardly and downed the glass of red wine with practiced ease.
While pretending to be drunk and mad as he traded drinks with Cedric, he was internally wiping off cold sweat.
He had clearly seen Ailiya’s eyes just now—it was far too familiar.
If he had been even one second late, and Cedric’s hand had actually touched her…
This crazy woman would definitely, regardless of the occasion, have beaten Cedric up in front of everyone.
Leo roared in his heart, forcing himself to keep pouring drinks for Cedric.
***
After a few glasses of strong liquor, Cedric’s eyes were completely unfocused.
He started waving his arms incoherently, even trying to dance with passing waiters, shouting something about “the sun of the royal capital” and “future head of the family.”
Many guests and servants in the hall suppressed their laughter, watching this young master of the main family make a fool of himself like a clown.
Just as Cedric was about to take off his jacket and sing from his chair—a soft click sounded.
Two small transparent glass bottles arced through the air in a precise parabola and landed steadily on the dining table in front of Leo and Cedric.
Elsa, seated at the head of the table, held a cup of black tea and spoke in a calm tone that carried an undercurrent of impatience.
“Had enough to drink yet, you two?”
“Drink the potion on the table. Look at yourselves—what a disgrace.”
Hearing his mother’s voice, Leo felt like a pardon had been granted. He immediately grabbed the bottle containing the pale blue liquid, twisted off the cork, and downed it in one gulp.
An extremely cool, almost pungent liquid slid down his throat, instantly dispelling all the dizziness in his head and sharpening his already clear consciousness.
On the other side, Cedric had to be forcibly restrained by two attendants while the potion was poured down his throat.
“Cough, cough, cough—!”
The strong medicinal effects made Cedric cough violently.
In less than half a minute, his previously muddy eyes quickly cleared.
The arrogance and dizziness that had been dominating his mind under the influence of alcohol receded like a tide.
As his reason returned, Cedric gradually saw the scene before him clearly.
He was still gripping an empty wine bottle tightly, his tie crooked, a few shirt buttons undone, slumped on a chair like a ridiculous drunkard.
And in the hall, all eyes—including those of Bishop Augustus, who wore a solemn expression, the waiters holding trays and barely suppressing their laughter, and Ailiya, who stood expressionless behind a pillar—were all fixed squarely on him.
The silence was terrifying.
Boom—!
Cedric’s face flushed bright red in an instant. An overwhelming wave of shame and humiliation washed over him.
He had… been making a drunken fool of himself in this backwater place for so long?!
Cedric threw away the empty bottle, frantically tidied his clothes, and stammered in a desperate attempt to salvage his shattered noble image.
“This wine… its aftereffects are too strong.”
“I must have had a lower alcohol tolerance due to travel fatigue. My apologies for the embarrassment, everyone.”
The guests in the hall cooperated perfectly. After a few polite, perfunctory laughs, no one bothered to expose his flimsy excuse.
“It’s fine, Cedric. It’s normal to drink a few extra cups in joy after getting what you wanted.”
Madame Elsa leaned back gracefully in her chair, her tone gentle but each word a stab.
“Just be sure to be careful on your way back. Don’t lose such a precious thing.”
Cedric naturally understood the implied meaning.
He took a deep breath and forcibly swallowed all his humiliation and resentment.
“Thank you for the reminder, Aunt Elsa. The main family will remember your generosity.”
Cedric fully regained his composed, elite demeanor.
He stood up, walked to the long table, and bowed deeply to Elsa and Leo.
When he raised his head again, his face was already adorned with an impeccable, sincere smile.
“Actually, besides visiting, I came this time for a very important matter—I wanted to invite you both in person.”
Cedric’s expression became unusually serious.
“One month from now, I will be holding my coming-of-age ceremony in the royal capital.”
He glanced around the hall, his voice clear.
“According to family tradition, the ceremony is the most important moment for any family member. All heirs of the Kastian clan should attend as much as possible.”
“Although you live far away in Fengyue City, Leo is still a blood relative of the family.”
“Therefore, in my personal capacity, I sincerely invite Aunt Elsa and younger brother Leo to come to the royal capital to attend my coming-of-age ceremony.”
The atmosphere in the hall grew subtle again.
Leo clenched his fists, about to speak, but was stopped by Elsa raising her hand.
“I will naturally consider your coming-of-age ceremony,” Elsa said, neither directly refusing nor accepting, giving a vague answer.
“But it’s late, Cedric. Get some rest.”
“Then I will await your arrival in the royal capital.”
Cedric bowed slightly, executed a perfect farewell gesture, and turned to stride out of the hall.
The banquet ended in an eerie calm.