Chapter 844 – #176_논문(3)
#838
1.
After painstakingly calming down Llewellyn, who was huffing, “How dare they interfere with a married couple! I’m going to complain to the Great Master!” Siwoo left the guest room.
He had dressed up neatly, thinking it was a guest visit.
It was the suit Amelia had taken Siwoo to Flora’s Tailor Shop to have made for him.
Of course, his muscles had grown so much since then that he had to have it altered once.
Albiereo pointed out, flicking her fingertips.
“Siwoo, your tie is crooked.”
“Ah, how is it now?”
“It still looks awkward. Come here. Do you have so many girlfriends that you can’t even tie your own tie?”
Normally, those words would have been sharp and stinging, but today they felt like a ticklish tease.
Albiereo’s slender fingertips grasped the tie.
Her eyelids blinked slowly, as if concentrating, at a lower eye level than Siwoo.
“……”
Siwoo swallowed briefly.
To make excuses in advance, this was a conditioned reflex.
Deneb and Albiereo were identical twins, like Odile and Odette.
The only differences were their hair color and their usual outfits.
This close proximity, combined with an uncharacteristic act of intimacy, naturally made him see her as his little mother-in-law.
He tried not to be conscious of it usually, but when her gentle touch brushed near his neck, he felt a shiver run down his spine.
Anyway, this distance was a bit much.
After all, he had been intimate with Deneb several times.
They had even gone through life-and-death situations together, so if they weren’t in a son-in-law and mother-in-law relationship…
Weren’t they the very definition of a couple who had overcome misunderstandings and conflicts and then connected?
Of course, his little mother-in-law wouldn’t think that way at all.
“Is something wrong? You’re staring at my face.”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“Honestly…. I’m showing you how to do it, and you’re not even looking properly. I’ll show you again. Now, concentrate.”
She skillfully tied the knot, then adjusted it left and right.
It was a classic Esquire knot that suited his stylish suit.
“So that’s how it’s done.”
“Yes, you’ll be able to do it yourself from now on, right?”
He shook off his unhealthy thoughts and nodded.
“Um, Albiereo.”
“Yes?”
“This might sound ridiculous.”
“Yes.”
“Aren’t you going to get angry today?”
Albiereo glanced at the door where Llewellyn was probably chewing on a pillow, then chuckled.
“It’s not like it’s the first time, and I came without notice, so it’s my fault.”
Even so, normally he would have already been kicked in the shin twice.
He couldn’t understand this sudden change of attitude.
“Thanks to you, Siwoo, I got to flex a bit at the salon. I benefited, so maybe I’m being a little more lenient?”
“What do you mean?”
“It means I’ve confirmed that you’re quite capable.”
“Ah.”
He understood.
It probably had to do with the paper.
“I was truly amazed. To take a magic you tinkered with on your own to that level. Don’t you know yet? The entire Gehenna is buzzing about your paper.”
“Really?”
Albiereo extended a gloved hand, and Siwoo naturally escorted her.
As they walked down the hallway, he could roughly grasp what was going on.
In short, the paper he had published without much thought was receiving a hot response and a lot of attention.
The Great Mother-in-law’s beaming face was also probably because her son-in-law was being recognized in the ‘research’ field, which was most important to a ‘witch.’
“Could it be that today’s guest is also…?”
“Yes, they seem very interested in your paper.”
“Who is it?”
“It’s Baroness Louisa Moyerti, the ‘Alchemic Witch.’ She’s a 21st Rank, a Magus of the Emerald Tablet.”
“A Magus?”
“Yes, it’s practically the rank right below the head of the academy.”
The Emerald Tablet, the second largest after the Truth and True Name Society.
The rank of Magus was an honorable position limited to ten members.
Just the fact that she was a Baroness and a 21st Rank was enough to guess, but it meant that someone very important was showing interest.
“She’s a witch who hardly ever leaves her workshop, so it must have made quite an impression. Oh, of course, I was surprised too. I didn’t know you were so capable, Siwoo.”
Albiereo’s voice, speaking in a bright and cheerful tone, sounded like a song.
It was probably the most vibrant tone he had heard from her since he had met her.
“You said you wrote it after getting advice from Baroness Sophia, right? And you deliberately ended it that way?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Then you probably have a rough idea why Baroness Moyerti came.”
“Professor Sophia said I could make money if I did this….”
He never imagined that a Great Witch, a Baroness no less, would come.
Albiereo chuckled at Siwoo’s honest words.
“She’ll have brought a gift. Look at the conditions, and if you like it, answer her questions and tell her what she wants to know.”
“It’s like a one-on-one tutoring session.”
“Exactly. The gift is the tuition fee.”
“Hmm….”
His original goal was to get a secretary and break through the front gate, and making money through technology transfer was a secondary issue.
But it was also true that he wanted to sell this opportunity for a good price.
He didn’t know when another chance like this would come, and it was a good opportunity to make a profit without taking any risks.
He still owed his mother-in-law 8 billion won in Korean currency.
“So, how much should I accept as a gift?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is there a set amount or anything?”
“It’s your achievement, so it depends on whether you like it or not. But don’t think it’s hard to refuse. If you politely decline, no one will consider it rude.”
In short, it was up to him to set the price.
That was the hardest part.
“Ah, I see why you’re asking. I didn’t explain it well enough.”
Albiereo, as if she had just remembered, gently tugged on Siwoo’s sleeve.
“Giving ‘private lessons’ in exchange for a ‘gift’ is a one-on-one contract. It doesn’t mean that if you accept Baroness Moyerti’s gift, you can’t teach other witches. In other words, you don’t have to try to get everything out of Baroness Moyerti.”
In short, it meant that he could accept gifts from everyone who came to ask and tell them everything.
But one question arose.
“If I teach the Baroness, can Baroness Moyerti teach other witches?”
“Siwoo, I’ve told you before, Gehenna is a society of trust. If you steal someone else’s work, you’ll leave a big stain on your witch’s name.”
“So it’s like treating someone who brings home meat from a buffet?”
“…What’s a meat buffet?”
After a somewhat random conversation, Siwoo was able to meet Baroness Moyerti.
2.
The reception room was located right next to the Long Gallery of the Count’s estate.
It was the room used to entertain the most honored guests, even in the famously extravagant Geminai Count’s estate.
Baroness Louisa Moyerti sat on the sofa, having taken off her hat, and sipped the tea that the maid had brought.
Home visits in Gehenna had strict rules.
Even if the purpose was for social interaction and information exchange, etiquette and manners had to be observed.
Baroness Moyerti, who was known to be engrossed in magical research within the academy, knew the basic etiquette.
For example, a guest removing their hat without the host’s invitation was a sign that they intended to stay for more than 30 minutes.
Based on such etiquette, visiting a home right after dawn could be considered somewhat rude.
However, Baroness Moyerti was willing to risk being rude this time.
It wasn’t because she was prejudiced against male witches.
It was because of the male witch’s paper that a fellow witch had given her.
She wanted to meet him directly, the one who had written this amazing paper, as soon as possible.
She wanted to engage in debate as soon as possible.
She wanted to reach even higher levels.
Her heart was pounding with such ambition, and then she heard the sound of footsteps.
-Tap tap
The male witch she had only heard rumors about.
The one she had never met before was entering with a straight back and a powerful stride.
Moyerti’s eyes widened slightly.
The hand that had been holding her hat loosened without her realizing it.
“Baroness Moyerti, it’s an honor to meet you. I’m Shin Siwoo.”
A deep voice was heard from a position a head taller than Moyerti.
A well-trained physique that stood out even through his luxurious suit.
A sculpted face that even made an eye patch that covered his eye look like a fashion statement.
A contradictory beauty that was both handsome and overflowing with masculinity.
Even the subtle composure and ease that flowed from his restrained movements.
This was a different being from the ‘man’ that Baroness Moyerti had defined until now, and he was offering her a handshake.
Yes, it was only natural.
The person in front of her was not just a man, but a man with a mark.
But the Shin Siwoo that Baroness Moyerti had imagined was a young witch who, despite being a genius, still had the air of a novice.
She never imagined that a charismatic figure like a Northern Grand Duke would appear….
“……”
“Baroness?”
Baroness Moyerti realized that her mouth was gradually opening and quickly covered her lips.
Then, she belatedly grasped his hand, which was looking at her with a puzzled expression.
As she gently clasped his thick, powerful hand, which was completely different from a woman’s, she felt a tingling sensation down her spine.
“Hello. I apologize for being here so early in the morning.”
“It’s no problem.”
But Baroness Moyerti was a proper witch.
She had not received such a sloppy etiquette education that she would lose her composure at their first meeting.
She brought up social topics without any soul, such as how the weather was these days and how impressive the artwork in the mansion was.
But why did it keep coming to mind?
The high-ranking nobleman she had fallen in love with at first sight at a ball before she became an apprentice witch.
Back then, Moyerti was very young, and she had never even spoken to him, suffering from lovesickness.
It was the first time she had recalled that memory since she had made it her life’s goal to walk the path of magic.
“I was very impressed with your paper, so I came to see you. I have a few questions, would you be willing to give me your opinion?”
Baroness Moyerti took out a small box from her bosom and slightly opened it.
“I have also prepared a token of appreciation for taking your precious time.”
Inside the half-opened box was a small ruby that emitted a bright red light like pigeon’s blood.
“Ooh.”
Where had the imposing aura that had been so flawless just a moment ago gone? Shin Siwoo was looking at the box with curious eyes.
It was customary to quickly assess the value of a ‘gift’ within about three seconds.
If someone else was staring at the jewel for a long time, one would have thought, ‘What are they doing?’ or ‘Is this not enough? Just say so.’
But Baroness Moyerti smiled gently and said.
There was no way that such a handsome man would be so greedy for material things, right?
“It seems like you like it. Are you also researching alchemy or elemental magic?”
“Ah? Yes? Yes, I am.”
“As you can see, it’s a Pigeon’s Blood ruby from Mogok, Myanmar. I cut it myself, and the certificate is also included.”
“If I were to convert it to gold coins, how much would it be worth?”
“Ah, you haven’t been a witch for very long, have you?”
How could she have shown such a lack of consideration!
Baroness Moyerti blamed herself.
“I paid about 1,000 pounds when I bought it at auction 20 years ago.”
In fact, asking the price directly was the height of rudeness, but what did it matter?
Rather, his naive attitude seemed refreshing.
“Okay, then, shall we start right away?”
Baroness Moyerti was so, so proud of his grinning face, unable to close his mouth.
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Linné is trying to seduce Papa
Artwork by John Kafka
