The cold, glass rim of the goblet pressed against her lips, sending a chill through them.
One of the man's arms supported the girl's slender neck while he firmly held the cup against her mouth, as if holding a rabbit.
The moment Celia opened her mouth, the pungent liquor surged in, sliding down over her tongue.
Before she could even register the taste, the man, as if having lost his senses, pinched her cheeks hard with strong fingers, robbing her of the strength to even purse her lips. She could only let the liquid slide down her throat.
The liquor's pungent was fiery, as if trying to burn through her throat.
Yet the hand holding the cup showed no mercy, slowly tilting the goblet upwards.
Looking at Liam's terrifying expression, it seemed less about teaching her to drink and more about forcing her.
Instinctively, Celia raised her small hands, pressing against the man's tensed wrist—the one holding the culprit cup.
"Mmph... Cough..!"
Only after the entire cup was emptied did the slightly cool glass finally move away from her full, glistening lips.
Celia couldn't hold back violent coughs.
Having a full cup forced down her, her eyes welled up with moisture.
A small amount of the liquor trickled from the corner of her mouth, seeping into her collar, leaving a cold, damp patch.
Even though the process was awful,after finishing it, Celia's eyes actually lit up.
Fighting the slight dizziness, she looked thoughtfully at the empty cup Liam had placed on the table.
It felt... good?
The initial sensation down her throat was pungent, but after three or four forced gulps, the taste gradually changed.
The specific flavor, as her mother had said, was sweet...
And not just ordinarily sweet; in any case, it was better than the soft drinks from her previous life.
But even so, Celia couldn't help but feel furious at Liam's violent behavior.
She tugged at the man's clothes in shame and annoyance, her soft fists pummeling and pulling wildly—whimpering as she vented her feelings unrestrainedly...
Like a kitten with its fur puffed up.
Celia, like her mother, was only Tier 1.
Her ability to metabolize alcohol was far inferior to her Tier 2 father, Lego.
Consequently, after being forced to drink, her head felt shrouded in fog, the voices around her became blurred, and a flush different from shyness spread across her doll-like fair cheeks.
She grew drowsy, the strength in her struggling hands waning.
Just as she was about to nestle in his arms and sleep, she was unexpectedly lifted and set down the next moment.
"Mmph?"
Celia nearly stumbled.
Steadying herself against the table,
the whole elf stood there dumbly, squinting at Liam, who was stretching, confused.
Why did he put her down?
Huu—— Liam let out another turbid breath, shaking his heavy head.
His deep eyes glanced at the little wife he had just tease, who was now crying pitifully.
His pupils dilated, his heart nearly skipping a beat, and he apologized slowly, "Sorry, Celia. I was drunk. Are you alright?"
"Of course I'm not alright..."
Earlier, in his drunken state, Liam had instinctively revealed a fierce side, the part that wanted to tease his wife.
Usually, this elf was petite, timid, pure and somewhat innocent in her actions, let alone when she cried, her delicate, tear-streaked face looking utterly pitiable.
Faced with such an adorable wife, he had genuinely felt a subconscious urge to treat her violently—
To torment her, strangle her, spank her, watch her break down crying, see her face contort in pain.
In reality, apart from spanking, he hadn't acted on any of those other impulses.
"This is... terrible."
He complained.
Liam thought about breeding offspring; he needed to stay with the elves for a while longer at least.
For him, going out was as easy as drinking water, so this trip out had clear goals: aside from robbing some money and buying daily necessities,the main purpose was to give gifts to Celia's parents to improve their relationship.
He didn't want things between them to remain stiff.
But his ring didn't contain anything particularly presentable, so he had to go to the human lands to buy some raw materials.
Liam wasn't actually lying—he genuinely liked the elf beside him.
Ever since he first saw the girl, so cautious and fearful of being hit, that pitiable appearance, he had liked her.
He just hadn't shown it, considering his pride.
After the first night, feeling her warmth, he found it increasingly hard to suppress his nature, gradually revealing the love mixed with a predatory possessiveness.
Nowadays, the desire to have children and expand his influence occupied most of his thoughts.
The desire to get Celia pregnant, to have his own children with her, naturally also occupied a smaller part.
To make the only girl he had ever truly fancied in this life feel less distant when with him, actively building a good relationship with Celia's parents was perhaps the wise move.
Hence, this current 'banquet' came to be.
When they started drinking,
Lego was one thing, but seeing even Celia's mother, a female elf, drink so heartily,
if he, the one who suggested drinking, couldn't even finish one cup, wouldn't that be too shameful for Celia's husband, a respectable Tier 5 expert?
So he forced himself, and drank it...
And regretted it.
Because it got worse...
Liangquan Wine was a strong liquor once endorsed by the Demon King himself.
Even within the entire demon realm, few could handle its potency.
Liam, who had only intended to take a couple of small sips here, had no idea the elves could drink like this.
...
...
...
Liam glanced a few more times at his wife, noticing she was standing steadily, only having had a rough start, without the severe drunkenness he was experiencing.
He felt a faint sense of displeasure...
Hmph~ Liam's eyes curved as he smiled.
No good.
Should he force a few more cups down her?
He dismissed the thought instantly.
Forget it...
"Let's eat, Celia."
Liam finally said.
Seeing the girl hadn't moved, he followed up with a tease.
"Why are you still standing? Do you need me to feed you?"
"Mmm..."
Celia nodded.
Hearing this, her eyes instantly lit up, and she said slurring slightly, "H-Husband... feed me..."
"..."
"No, you eat by yourself. I don't have the strength to feed you."
"..."
"Alright..."
The table returned to calm.
Even Lego, who loved fine wine,stopped drinking for now.
The family focused on starting their meal.
"Mr. Lego."
Liam picked up a morsel of food with his chopsticks, deftly putting it in his mouth.
His tone was heavy from the drink.
"I noticed... I didn't see Celia's brother, Mr. Kaimete, today?"
Hearing this, a smile quickly bloomed on Lego's cool, handsome face, his tone filled with unconcealed pride.
"That child Kaimete recently touched the bottleneck of the third tier. To cultivate better, he moved to live by the Eternal Tree himself."
"Haha, but... Brother Liam, as a Demon King candidate, a powerful Tier 5 expert, you probably have no concept of this level."
"Come to think of it, it's been a hundred years since our elf clan last produced a third-tier elf."
"Aside from the Chief, Kaimete is the first."
"No."
Liam sat upright, his posture straight, and denied it calmly.
"He has worked hard enough. It is indeed something to be proud of."
Under the warm ceiling light, the appreciation reflected in his deep eyes was clear for anyone to see, though whether it was genuine or not was unknown.
Cyra's elf ears twitched upon hearing this topic.
She lifted her head from the table, rubbed her heavy eyelids, and said softly, "Is Liam actually interested in Kaimete?"
"Kaimete is actually very impressive... That child only took two hundred years to reach the threshold of the third tier. He is the future of the elf race. Even I, as his mother, am far inferior to him."
"But... whimper, it seems our daughter Celia is even more impressive. If the Chief's judgment is correct, Celia only needs a thousand years to reach the fourth tier."
"Is that so?"
Celia paid no attention to their conversation.
Apart from the meal at the tavern at noon—which she hadn't even had much appetite for—
she was now very, very hungry.
She silently grabbed food from the table, wanting to fill her stomach first.