Iver's Bottled Soul

Night fell.

Wearing a pure white bathrobe, carrying a glass bottle in one hand and a freshly opened wine bottle in the other, Iver slowly walked to the bathtub.

He placed the glass bottle on the shelf beside him. Then he poured the ruby-red liquid into a glass that had been filled with ice and handed it to Isabel in the bathtub.

Isabel shyly raised her knees and covered her chest with her right hand. Her slender, fair hand gracefully accepted the wine glass.

"At this point, what's the point of trying to stop it?"

Iver joked and poured himself a glass as well.

He pulled up a chair and sat down close to the bathtub.

"...eventful."

Isabel spoke softly, slightly lifting her upper body from the bathtub and gently clinking glasses with Iver.

The wine glasses clinked crisply. The ruby-like liquid swirled in the glass, and as it tilted, a few drops spilled onto Isabel's collarbone and chest, which Iver wiped away with his hand.

"Waaah..."

Perhaps because she had been soaking in hot water, Isabel's cheeks were flushed. She didn't remove Iver's hand, but instead pressed it down with her elbow and covered the back of Iver's hand with her own.

"... There are still people outside."

She whispered to herself and retreated back below the surface of the water.

Although Iver closed the door quickly when he carried her in, the Queen Guard sent by the Pope was unable to follow him directly into the room.

But their duties prevented them from stepping aside. They could only surround Isabel's bedroom.

Iver raised an eyebrow, not withdrawing his hand, but slowly stroking it gently. "You knew there were people outside... then why were you shouting so loudly before?"

To be honest, it startled Iver. Considering that there was definitely someone listening, he was the one who started to feel shy first.

However, I gradually got used to it—or rather, I simply ignored it.

When Iver up the matter, Isabel became furious and said, "I'm going to bite you!"

She shrank back slightly, like Little Cat gently biting Iver's hand. She could still faintly smell the aroma of wine and the scent of rose petals from the bathtub—the scent of Isabel soaking in the bath.

Isabel gritted her teeth, but didn't bite through Iver's skin.

She released her mouth, her face flushed, but she said in a serious tone, "I just felt... very happy. So I wanted to show off a little."

"What are you showing off?"

Iver asked with a smile.

"Showing off... that I have you."

Isabel spoke softly. Her eyes sparkled.

For Isabel, who always suppresses her emotions, choosing "acting" as her first area of expertise actually hints at her subconscious desire for expression.

"So it was intentional?"

Iver pretended not to hear and whispered in Isabel's ear.

Isabel, embarrassed and angry, slapped Iver's arm repeatedly, but couldn't even leave a red mark.

Iver chuckled, withdrew his arm, and downed his drink in one gulp.

It was at this moment that Iver finally understood why the senior students in the Fourth Faculty were so popular at school.

At times like these, the techniques of fire and illumination become so useful— Sacred Art of self-restoration and helping others to restore themselves, which can be described as helping both oneself and others.

They cast aside all their worries and thoroughly enjoyed themselves for an afternoon, and now the two of them are still full of energy, soaking in the bath and drinking. If they weren't a little hungry, they could easily continue until the wee hours of the morning.

"This is..."

Upon tasting the wine, its strange, cool fragrance and tingling, expanding sensation surprised Iver: "' Holy Tree Number One '?"

"Um."

Isabel hummed softly and said in a low voice, "I only recently discovered that my Grandmother had such a fine wine hidden away... I was curious about what it tasted like even before I came out of the Promotion Ritual."

As she spoke, she looked at Iver with some resentment. "I originally planned to use it to commemorate tonight..."

"It doesn't conflict with... it can also be used as a souvenir."

Iver chuckled and hung his bathrobe on the rack beside him. He stepped into the bathtub, where layers of rose petals were arranged.

As Iver entered, the water level rose suddenly. The sudden increase in buoyancy caused Isabel to instinctively grab the edge of the bathtub, her entire body rising slightly. Iver simply and gently lifted her up, using the buoyancy of the water to raise Isabel. He lay at the bottom of the bathtub like a cushion, pulling Isabel into his arms.

"Wait, I'm hungry... I'd better eat first..."

Isabel realized something and blushed.

If this continues, I feel like the dinner we planned will be ruined again.

She struggled to get up, but Iver gently pressed her back down.

"It's okay, I just wanted to hold you like this."

Iver gently comforted Isabel, and slowly lay back down.

She slowly lay down on Iver's supple yet firm muscles, instinctively curling her body up. She felt a quiet sense of security.

As Isabel turned her head, she realized that she wasn't lying on the cool Jade Stone pillow at the edge of the bathtub, but rather right on Iver's chest.

She closed her eyes slightly, and felt as if the whole world had quieted down.

Iver gently stroked her hair, picking up strands one by one, letting the smooth hair flow through his fingers, and focusing on breathing in the fragrance of Isabel's hair.

—In fact, it wasn't just Isabel who felt reassured.

Iver ' heart had never been as calm as it was at this moment.

It's as if you don't have to think about anything, as if you don't have to ponder anything, as if you don't have to worry about anything.

Iver held Isabel like that for a while. Just as Isabel's breathing gradually became calm and long, and she seemed about to fall asleep, he helped Isabel sit up and woke her up.

"Don't fall asleep."

As Iver spoke, he picked up a towel and carefully wiped Isabel's body—this was the job of a former maid, now Queen Guard. Iver wiping her body instantly brought Isabel back to her senses.

"... You really are very easily embarrassed."

Iver grumbled as he dried himself off and put on a bathrobe. Steam rose from his body as he walked to the shelf and picked up the glass bottle filled with golden liquid.

—Like the sun in a bottle, yet not dazzling. In the dimly lit bedroom, where the lights are not all on, it shines like a nightlight.

Isabel had actually noticed it before, but Iver hadn't mentioned it, so she hadn't had a chance to say anything.

"What's this?"

She asked curiously.

"What I said before," Iver said with a light laugh, raising the crystal bottle that resembled a perfume bottle, "Is the wine brewed from my soul."

"When I'm gone, if you feel pain, fatigue, or illness, and there's no one to take care of you... just open it and smell it. You'll immediately feel refreshed and better."

"If you suffer an incurable injury, drink it all. It can effectively prolong your life."

This tiny bottle, no thicker than a thumb, contained a small amount of "Holy Tree Number One" as a carrier, and was filled with a full third of Iver's soul.

After this soul split, it will probably take at least one or two months for Iver to fully recover.

Isabel blushed. "So that wasn't a metaphor after all..."

She thought... it was some kind of poetic expression.

"...Um?"

Iver paused for a moment, then couldn't help but smile slightly.

He gently embraced Isabel and whispered, "Then I'll give you some samples first."

"This is... my soul."

He lowered his head and gently kissed Her Majesty the Queen of Avalon, and with each breath, he exhaled a small amount of intoxicating golden smoke, which was inhaled by Isabel.

It was a feeling of spiritual comfort and healing. Isabel's keen intuition even allowed her to clearly perceive that her soul was being purified and becoming stronger.

—It is not only a medicine, but also a highly valuable tonic.

If one were to drink the entire bottle... even if one suffered a fatal injury during the advancement ritual, one would probably not die afterward.

Isabel thought to herself.