However, just as his fingers were about to touch the bottle, Iris beside him reflexively reacted and quickly reached out.
She brought the wine glass on the left side of the tray, leaving only the cup on the right for Karl.
Iris's quick and unnatural movement naturally caught Karl's attention.
Karl's eyes almost imperceptibly narrowed, and he thought to himself.
"Two cups... is there a difference? Could there be a problem with the alcohol?"
"The idea was from Triss... maybe some 'substance' was added to it?"
Recalling how Triss had been probing Yennefer upon arrival, Karl almost immediately guessed the gist of it.
"If that's the case... Triss, you really underestimate me." He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
His resistance to various toxins, harmful drugs, and alchemical potions was so strong that even he wasn't sure of his limits.
Moreover, the divine power constantly circulating within him—such a little trick wasn't even an appetizer for him.
These thoughts raced through Karl's mind like lightning, but in Iris's eyes,
Karl didn't stop at all, as if he hadn't noticed her slightly abrupt gesture just now.
He simply took the bottle naturally and filled both glasses about a third full, the crimson liquid gently swirling inside.
Seeing this, Iris sighed a quiet sigh of relief, her tense shoulders relaxing a little.
Karl turned sideways, leisurely leaning against the edge of the stone platform where his statue stood, raised his wine glass, and gestured to Iris.
Iris quickly raised her glass, but before clinking glasses, she quickly and casually lowered her head, her gaze quickly sweeping over the side wall of the glass.
There, in the candlelight, a very faint, almost invisible magical glow flickered.
Ensuring everything was correct, she finally looked up, a shy blush spreading across her cheeks, and softly clinked glasses with Karl.
"To... a good night." Karl smiled, gave a typical toast, and took a small sip of his drink.
When Iris saw Karl drink, an uncontrollable joy flickered in her eyes.
But quickly concealed it. Seeing Karl looking at her, she quickly brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip.
The wine went down her throat, warm and fragrant with grapes, but almost the moment it slid into her esophagus,
Karl immediately felt a surge of heat, like a lit fuse, erupting from his abdomen and racing through his body with astonishing speed.
A strong, primal desire, accompanied by a burning flame-like sensation, fiercely attacked his senses and mind.
"Well, well... the dosage... Triss probably used all the portions she gave the dragon, right?" Karl's eye twitched.
He was sure this was definitely not an ordinary aphrodisiac, but an extremely potent compound, even mixed with magical catalysts.
If it were an ordinary person, even a Witcher, a single sip would immediately drive them mad, completely enslaved by desire.
Even if Borch drank so much without warning, he would probably have been caught off guard.
But for Karl... the drug's power, strong enough to make a dragon lose its way, was in the face of his own resistance, like a drop of ink trying to stain the entire ocean.
In less than a breath, the surge of the drug's power was quickly suppressed, destroyed, and metabolized.
He didn't even need to mobilize divine power to purify it; he only instinctively resisted and neutralized it.
His appearance, aside from the initial flush of alcohol and a sudden surge of heat, showed a very short, barely noticeable blush on his cheeks.
But in the flickering candlelight, it was almost indistinguishable; besides the smell of alcohol, nothing unusual occurred.
His eyes remained clear, his breathing steady, and what he had just drunk seemed like an ordinary glass of water.
Iris secretly and nervously watched Karl's changing expression.
Seeing that his cheeks were slightly flushed from the proximity to the candlelight, his eyes and posture hadn't changed at all, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"What's going on? Triss clearly said... even a dragon drinking from a wine glass would be momentarily overwhelmed by desire..."
"I clearly confirmed that the magical mark was still on the bottom of the glass, and Karl drank the 'pure' wine... How... no reaction?"
Puzzled, she instinctively glanced at the wine glass in her hand. The faint magical glow at the bottom was still there.
To hide her distraction, she pretended to choke on the alcohol and cleared her throat slightly.
At the same time, she drew closer to Karl, so close she could almost feel the warmth of their bodies.
She looked up and met Karl's calm, steady eyes, just inches away.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to break the awkward silence or to test the waters again...
At that very moment, Karl moved without warning and without a word.
His hand, which had been casually resting on the stone platform, suddenly reached out and wrapped around Iris's slender but soft waist, pulling her completely towards him.
"Ah!" Iris only had time for a short gasp before the wine glass slipped from her hand.
But the glass didn't break; it was steadily held in the air by the bio-field, then gently placed back on the stone platform.
Everything happened so fast that Iris didn't even notice. The next second, Karl lowered his head and, catching her off guard, kissed her slightly parted red lips.
Iris's eyes instantly widened, her mind went blank—all plans, anxieties, and doubts,
at this moment, were all washed away by this sudden, passionate, and sincere kiss.
She felt only the soothing scent enveloping her, the warm touch on her lips, like an electric current piercing her psychological defenses.
The initial stiffness lasted only a moment, but soon, under Karl's guidance, Iris's body gradually softened.
She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her hands, hanging by her sides, slowly rose.
Somewhat awkwardly, but incredibly attached, she wrapped her arms around Karl's neck, responding clumsily but passionately.
Outside the prayer room, Triss pressed her ear to the wooden door, trying to catch any movement inside.
She didn't dare use magic to detect it, afraid Karl would notice.
Besides a muffled sound, like something exploding under a blanket, it seemed inside... too quiet?
"What's going on? Maybe Iris is too nervous and messed things up? Or is Karl really... hmm?" Triss frowned, muttering to herself.
Suddenly, a very faint whisper broke through the heavy wooden door, like a suppressed but uncontrollable, soft tremor.
Triss was stunned for a moment, then a knowing but slightly mischievous smile slowly spread across her face.
She tiptoed back a few steps, turned around, and, as if having completed a mission, lightly clapped her hands.
Then, humming a lively tune, her steps easily disappeared into the shadows of the temple corridor.