On the night they arrived at Altheim, a grand feast was held in the castle.
Britia’s eyes widened in surprise as drinks were poured and emptied at an impressive rate. She knew Sig could hold his liquor, but she hadn’t expected his knights to be just as capable, all drinking heavily without a care.
“Duchess, why do you look so bored?”
Among the lively crowd, the deputy commander stood out, clearly more excited than the rest, grinning from ear to ear.
“Oh no, your glass is empty. What’s the Duke doing, leaving you with an empty glass like that? That’s not very gentlemanly,” he teased, pulling up a chair and sitting beside them.
“Come on, this is a celebration for your safe return *and* the wedding. You can’t have a proper party without drinks! Let me show you the northern wedding customs.”
He filled both Britia’s and Sig’s glasses to the brim.
“All you have to do is drink everything that’s poured.”
Britia stared nervously at her glass. The alcohol here was incredibly strong, and she already felt her face heating up after just one drink.
If I drink even one more glass, I’m going to get drunk immediately.
Sensing her hesitation, Sig reached for her glass.
“Oh, the Duke’s drinking for her? That works too!” the deputy laughed, clapping his hands. As long as one of them drinks, it doesn’t matter, right? Sig downed both his own and Britia’s drink, prompting the deputy to refill their glasses again.
“One for the Duke, one for the Duchess, and one for me!”
It seemed the deputy was determined to get Sig drunk. He grinned as he filled their glasses nearly to the point of spilling.
Before long, a crowd gathered, eager to watch as Sig and the deputy engaged in a drinking contest. Every time they tilted their heads back to down their drinks, the knights would bang their wooden mugs against the table in rhythm. As soon as their glasses were empty, they were immediately refilled.
Britia watched anxiously from Sig’s side, noticing how his face was slowly turning red.
She wanted to intervene but didn’t want to spoil the excitement of the knights cheering them on.
“Sig, don’t overdo it. I’ll drink my share,” she offered, reaching for her glass, but Sig firmly shook his head. He didn’t want her to feel obligated, especially since she’d barely touched her drink earlier, finding it too strong.
“I’m fine with this,” he insisted.
One drink, then another. Two more, then four more.
The pace at which they emptied their glasses didn’t slow down.
“Duke, you’re starting to look a little tipsy. We can stop if it’s too much for you,” the deputy said with a smug grin.
“You first,” Sig shot back, their eyes locking in competitive determination. The knights pounded their mugs on the table, chanting their names with increasing intensity.
“Your eyes are starting to glaze over, Duke,” the deputy teased.
“Bring more drinks,” Sig growled, his pride clearly on the line.
“Haha! You heard the Duke! More drinks, don’t let the mood die!”
As their speech slurred and their eyes grew glassy, neither was willing to back down.
It wasn’t until much later that the deputy finally slumped forward, head hitting the table. Only then was the contest decided.
“Turas, Turas, Turas!” the knights chanted victoriously, praising their Duke for his win.
“Maybe I’ll be the one to challenge the Duke next time,” someone muttered from the crowd, catching Britia’s ear just as she was relieved that the contest was over.
“More drinks? No way!”
Britia quickly decided she needed to escape from this scene.
“Sig, I’m really tired… Can you take me back to the room?” she asked, hoping he would hear her over the noise of the rowdy drunk knights. But her voice was lost in the loud chatter. Thankfully, Evrie, who overheard her, stepped in.
“Your Grace, the Duchess looks exhausted,” Evrie said loudly, approaching Sig, who was clearly tipsy from all the drinking. Sig blinked a few times, then took Britia’s hand and helped her stand.
Stumbling a bit, Sig led Britia back to their bedroom. As soon as they entered, Sig went straight to the bed and collapsed. Britia cautiously approached him, checking if he had fallen asleep.
“Sig,” she called softly, but he didn’t respond. He seemed fast asleep. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she unbuttoned his tight shirt to make him more comfortable. Suddenly, his arm shot out, pulling her close by the waist.
Sig shifted and buried his face against her lap.
“You didn’t have to drink for me. Are you feeling okay?” Britia gently stroked his head, her voice full of concern. In response, Sig wrapped his arm tighter around her, rubbing his cheek against her leg.
After a while of stroking his hair, Britia pulled her hand away, but Sig stirred, raising his head slightly.
“Why did you stop?” he mumbled, asking her to keep petting him. Britia couldn’t help but laugh at how childlike he was being.
“So, Sig turns into a bit of a baby when he’s drunk,” she teased, amused by how adorable he looked. She resumed stroking his hair, and a soft smile spread across his face as he began to drift off, his eyes slowly closing.
“Sleep well,” Britia whispered, placing her hand gently over his eyelids. But before she could fully relax, Sig grabbed her hand, pulled it away, and suddenly flipped her onto the bed.
“Your eyelids looked so heavy like you were about to pass out. Why are you wide awake now?” she asked, startled.
“I almost forgot—tonight is our first night in Altheim,” Sig said with a mischievous grin, leaning in as if he was about to devour her.
“Eek!”
Britia’s laughter echoed through the room as Sig playfully nipped at her.
—
Sig woke up the next morning feeling something warm and soft nestled against his arm. As his eyes slowly opened, he was greeted by the sight of pink hair filling his vision.
Letting out a deep sigh, he realized just how much the deputy had made him drink the night before. For the first time in a long while, Sig was experiencing a hangover.
Checking the time, he saw it was already 8 a.m. He couldn’t remember the last time he slept in this late, as he was always up by 6.
Britia was still fast asleep, breathing softly. She must have been exhausted from both the journey and the chaotic feast.
Sig gently kissed the top of her head, wanting to let her rest longer, and quietly slipped out of bed.
After grabbing an apple to eat, he headed out for his morning training. With his hangover in mind, he decided to keep it light, planning to finish in two hours and return when Britia would likely be awake.
But when he returned to the bedroom, he found Britia still asleep, in the exact same position as before. He figured she would wake up any minute and decided to wait for her. Yet, even after a while, she showed no signs of stirring.
“Britia,” he called softly, leaning in closer. He reached out to check if she was breathing and sighed in relief when he confirmed that she was.
“Britia,” he called again, this time gently shaking her shoulder. But she didn’t budge, her eyelids remaining completely still.
“Could it be that the northern wine she drank yesterday didn’t agree with her? Or maybe she pushed herself too hard…”
Sig was concerned, having never encountered a situation like this before. He couldn’t fathom that someone could sleep so much.
He watched Britia anxiously from his seat, and eventually stood up. This kind of deep slumber was unusual, even by his standards.
“Your Grace, this is perfectly normal,” a doctor, summoned urgently by Sig, said as he looked at Britia, who was still sleeping soundly. He sighed, shaking his head.
“It’s noon, and she’s still asleep,” he pointed out.
“She probably just needs more rest; she must be exhausted,” the doctor explained, citing the fatigue from their journey and the previous night’s festivities. But Sig found it hard to accept that explanation.
“Hmm…”
At that moment, the noise around her stirred Britia, and she finally began to wake up.
“See? I told you she would wake up eventually,” the doctor assured Sig, emphasizing that there was no health issue at play—she simply overslept.
“Britia, are you okay?” Sig asked worriedly, checking if she felt unwell. Britia blinked slowly, still half asleep.
“Did I really just sleep? How could I have slept for so long?” she wondered, her face turning a bright shade of red as she processed the situation.
Word soon spread around Altheim Castle that the Duchess Turas was a notorious sleepyhead.
“It’s all Sig’s fault for not helping me get up early!” she complained, annoyed at being labeled a lazy person for something that wasn’t her fault.
“Everyone’s going to think I’m just a slacker now!” she huffed.
“That’s not true. I doubt anyone would consider you lazy just because you sleep until 9 a.m.,” Sig replied, trying to reassure her.
“Except you, it seems,” Britia shot back, unable to hide her amazement at how someone could sleep so late.
With a glare at Sig, she resolved, “From now on, I’ll wake up early.”
“You said that yesterday too, and yet you still woke up at 9,” he reminded her with a smirk.
“I don’t think I’ll be sleeping in the same room as you anymore,” Britia declared, turning on her heel.
“I need to find another bedroom—somewhere no one can monitor when I wake up,” she added firmly.
“Absolutely not!”
Sig protested, quickly grabbing her from behind to prevent her from escaping.
“Let go of me! You’re not going to catch me this time!”
“Not until you cancel that. I can’t let you go,” he insisted, holding onto her tightly.
Britia squirmed, trying to break free. Their playful struggle caught the attention of Little, who bounced around, barking softly as if wanting to join the fun.
“Oh, look at them again,” the vice-captain said as he passed by, rolling his eyes at their antics. “Soon, they’ll be looking at each other with those lovesick eyes. They’re like a newlywed couple.”
—
One day, Britia was jolted awake by some rustling noises.
“Sig?” she called out with a sleepy voice.
Sig turned to her from the edge of the bed, where he was putting on his boots.
“Where are you going?” she asked, curious.
“I’m heading to morning training,” he replied.
“Did you always train at this time?” Britia asked, still trying to shake off her sleepiness.
When Sig confirmed her suspicion, Britia nodded thoughtfully.
“Yeah…”
Britia stared at Sig with a blank expression.
“Sig, it’s not common for me to wake up this early.”
“I know. It’s the first time since we got married three months ago,” he replied.
“You don’t need to be that specific about it. Still, it’s a miracle that it happened today,” she said, recognizing how rare it was to be awake at this hour.
Britia reached out and wrapped her hands around Sig’s solid waist.
“So, play with me.”
“But I’m heading to morning training right now…”
“Can’t you skip it just for today?”
“…”
“If you really have to go, I understand. But I won’t be waking up at this time tomorrow. Or the day after.”
Britia pouted, lamenting that such a rare opportunity might not come again. Sig slowly took off his boots and lay down beside her.
“What do you usually do during training at this hour?”
With their faces close together, Britia smiled brightly as she asked.
“We run laps in the training grounds, practice swordplay, and sometimes even use spears. If a knight is up early, we might even spar.”
“That sounds busy,” she replied, impressed.
“I’ll be back by the time you wake up,” he assured her.
“I always thought you were just sleeping in late next to me, while saying I woke up late,” Britia admitted, relieved to clear up her confusion. She playfully touched Sig’s face before pulling her hand away.
“Now that you mention it, Sig, there’s something strange.”
She had meant to ask about it before but kept forgetting. Now, she turned to look at Sig, resting on her stomach.
“Whenever I wake up, my lips feel strangely moist.”
“…”
“It was definitely dry last night. This place is not humid; it’s actually quite dry. Isn’t that odd?” she wondered aloud.
“About that…”
As Sig met her gaze, a small smile crept onto his face.
“Don’t look at me with those mischievous eyes so early in the morning!”
Britia buried her face under the covers, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Didn’t you want to know why?”
<The end of The Northern Mad Dog Wags Its Tail>
