Lithia and Harny returned to the table, each carrying a plate from the buffet. Harny smiled warmly as she set a plate down in front of Marcellus. "Dear... your meal."
"Thank you," Marcellus glanced up at her, his smile softening.
"Prince Javier, here is your food," Lithia said, placing a second plate before him.
Javier looked down at the meal, a generous serving of meat, fresh fruit, and a neatly arranged pile of vegetables.
"Ugh! Lithia... you know I donât like veggies."
Marcellus narrowed his eyes. "Oi. You should feel lucky my wife brought you food at all."
Javier glanced back at him with a smirk. "Wife, huh? Well, youâre not wrong. You are marrying them next week." He took his fork, carefully separated the vegetables, and slid them onto Marcellusâs plate. "Still, I donât like veggies."
"Hoy! Donât be a picky eater. Eat them."
"Nope." Javier grinned, leaning back. "You should eat those veggies, Marcellus. Youâre the one getting married. Youâll need all the energy you can get for your honeymoon~"
"Guh!"
Lithia just chuckled softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sheâs right, dear. You should eat them."
"Gih... fine, fine." Marcellus shot Javier a mock glare. "Youâre lucky your sister-in-law is here to defend you. Otherwise..."
"Oho~ So scary~" Javier grinned, then bit into a piece of fruit and chewed it with deliberate, smug satisfaction.
Javier then snapped his fingers. A shimmer of spatial magic flickered as his dimensional storage opened, and he reached inside, pulling out a bottle of expensive-looking wine.
Marcellusâs eyes widened. "Oi," he hissed in a sharp whisper. "Donât tell me you raided Fatherâs wine cellar again."
"Hah! Donât lump me in with you and Cedric. You two are the ones who always sneak into Fatherâs cellar and take whatever you please." Javier grinned, cradling the bottle. "I earned this one. Ehehehe... totally different."
"Yeah, yeah. Like youâve never âborrowedâ a bottle before."
"Oi! Thatâs rude. Of course Father has good taste, especially for serving his best friends. But trust me, this one I got from my time in Arjam. The old estate there had an impressive collection. Letâs just say itâs safer in my storage now." Javier wiggled his eyebrows, his grin widening.
Marcellus snatched the bottle from Javierâs hands and inspected the label, a sly smile spreading across his face. "Oho... this is good quality. Alright, letâs open it." He placed a fingertip on the cork, and with a soft pulse of mana, it eased out with a satisfying pop.
"Oi! Donât just open it without my permission!" Javier reached for the bottle, but Marcellus tilted it back and took a long, direct swig.
"Oi! At least pour it into a glass!" Javier shouted, lunging again to snatch it back.
Marcellus just grinned and deliberately ran his tongue over the rim right in front of him.
"Eww! Thatâs disgusting!"
"Bwahahaha! Itâs mine now!" Marcellus laughed, then offered the bottle toward Javierâs wine glass with a taunting grin. "Oh, want some?"
"Hell no! You drink it yourself!" Javier snatched his glass back before Marcellus could pour a single drop.
"Dear..." Lithia said softly, a note of gentle reproach in her voice.
"Hmm? What?" Marcellus grinned, still pouring the wine into his own glass.
"You shouldnât tease him like that."
"Haha! Heâs my little brother! I can bully him if I want! Ehehehe!" Marcellus reached over and rubbed his knuckle roughly through Javierâs head.
"Oi! My hair! My perfect style! Youâll make me bald in the middle!" Javier swatted at his brotherâs hand, but Marcellus just slung an arm around his shoulders.
"Aw, come on! Weâre brothers, right? Donât be shy~" Marcellus grinned, tilting the bottle toward Javierâs empty glass.
"Yikes! Donât you dare pour that dirty wine in here!"
"What are you two doing?"
Javier, who was still trying to swat Marcellusâs hand away, glanced up.
"Oi! Donât scare us like that, Cedric. I thought you were Father for a second!"
"Yeah! Donât talk like that. You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Marcellus looked up, one hand pressed to his chest in mock fright.
Cedric sighed, dragged a chair over, and sat down. "I donât sound like Father and you both know it."
Javier and Marcellus exchanged a look and burst out laughing.
"He says he doesnât sound like Father!"
"Can you believe it!? Ahahahaha!"
Cedric exhaled, shaking his head. "These two. You always pick the perfect time to gang up on me."
Javier was still doubled over, grinning as he pointed at Cedric. "No way~ You and Marcellus are the ones who always gang up on me. Consider this payback!"
Marcellus wiped a tear of laughter from his eye, his grin sharpening. "So, how about a drink?" He offered the bottle, poured a generous amount into an empty glass, and slid it toward Cedric.
Cedric took it, lifting it slowly toward his lips.
But then he noticed Javier and Marcellus had gone quiet. Both were staring at him, identical grins plastered on their faces.
"...Whatâs wrong with you two?"
"Oh? Nothing, nothing," Javier grinned, waving a dismissive hand even as his eyes remained locked on the glass. "Go on... drink it. Itâs âhigh qualityâ wine, you know."
Marcellusâs eyes were also fixed on the glass, a sly, expectant smile playing on his lips. "Yeah, Cedric... go on... drink... drink..."
"You two are being weird." Cedric exhaled and slowly raised the glass to his lips, taking a careful sip. "Mm... this really is good quality."
He noticed Javierâs cheeks were puffed out, his face reddening as he fought to hold back laughter. Marcellus was staring intently at the glass, his shoulders trembling with suppressed giggles.
"Whatâs wrong?" Cedric glanced between them, then over at Lithia and Harny, who were also hiding smiles behind their hands, shoulders shaking.
"Man, youâre all being so weird." Shrugging, Cedric took another, longer drink.
Javier burst out laughing. "Marcellus already licked that bottle and drank straight from it! Bwahahahaha!"
Cedric sputtered, coughing hard as he pulled the glass away. "Oi, Marcellus! Thatâs disgusting!!" He turned aside, gagging dryly as if trying to spit the taste out.
( End Of Chapter )