Chapter 289 – #64_Twins And Sharon (2)
#287
1.
“Haa…. This is really suffocating.”
After finishing her first class, Sharon sighed deeply as she walked towards her newly assigned accommodation.
Even though it was the tail end of autumn, and the weather got quite chilly at night, she felt like beads of sweat were forming on her forehead.
It was truly an energy-draining time.
It wasn’t that teaching itself was difficult.
Based on her experience teaching Siwoo, she was able to progress much more smoothly.
The twins, befitting the heirs of a prestigious noble family, boasted solid fundamentals, and it was enough to teach them in a very orthodox manner, so the lecture itself was easy.
But that was a work-related issue, and the stress from human relationships was a completely separate matter.
The piercing gazes she felt on the back of her head throughout the class were so intense that it felt like a bump had formed on her head.
The twins spoke in short answers, showing no gaps and drawing a firm line between teacher and student.
That invisible pressure subtly made Sharon anxious.
In the end, her plan to have a conversation and get to know each other a little failed, and she ended up just rushing through the lecture.
Actually, it was a much milder development than what she had seen in the K-melodramas and movies Sharon had devoured.
It wasn’t like a wad of paper stuck with spit had flown at the back of her head, nor had Count Albiereo slapped her with kimchi.
Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
The twins who used to call out, “Sharon Unnie! Sharon Unnie!” so affectionately were so cute.
She realized for the first time how scary a love rivalry could be.
Feeling down, Siwoo’s face came to mind.
“I miss Siwoo.”
She wondered if the drowned witch had been dealt with properly.
She heard that something big had happened in Seoul, and she wondered if he was okay.
She wondered if Siwoo missed her as much as she missed him.
She had so many questions.
She had finally achieved her long-awaited return home, but it felt so empty without Siwoo.
Sharon opened the door to the villa on the Count’s estate.
It was a magnificent three-story building that served as both a workshop and accommodation.
As soon as she stepped inside, the candelabras automatically lit up, and the lavish lobby and interior decorations were as luxurious as the main building.
Even though the housing prices in Seoul were said to be expensive, they would be cheap compared to Sharon’s accommodation.
She heard that Siwoo would be returning to Gehenna soon.
It was good that she would be able to see his face.
She could even call it happiness.
“Haa… It would be so nice if that was all…”
Unfortunately, Sharon had made a promise with Count Albiereo.
To create distance in order to give the twins a fair chance.
The fact that she was able to teach magic to the twins and pay off her debt was all based on that precondition.
“Where exactly is the line… really…”
However, unlike the debt document Sharon had signed over ten years ago, the verbal agreement with Albiereo was extremely vague.
He had taken a stance of leaving it up to her discretion, but Sharon, feeling uneasy, went to see the Count directly and requested a second meeting.
‘Exactly how much distance are you asking for… what kind of relationship does that mean? Do we have to be complete strangers?’
‘Well? There are many ambiguous parts for me to explain exactly. I don’t know the exact relationship between Ms. Evergreen and Siwoo. I’ll leave that part to Ms. Evergreen’s discretion.’
However, the Count did not mention any specific criteria.
He had only drawn a very vague line, like a snake slithering over a wall.
If he had clearly stated the terms of the contract, like, ‘This is okay, but sex is not,’ then Sharon could have acted accordingly.
“Is holding hands okay? Is talking okay…?”
Sharon was already overwhelmed with worries.
This was a measure to ensure that if this matter was known to Siwoo, his resentment would not extend to the twins, based on passive intervention. At the same time, it was also a ploy to make the diligent Sharon more confused.
Of course, Sharon had no idea that such detailed groundwork had been laid.
The twins’ obvious wariness.
Albiereo’s ambiguous contract conditions.
These alone were enough to make her head spin, but Sharon had one more concern.
Actually, it was something that other witches probably wouldn’t be able to relate to.
It was the fact that Sharon had awakened to the 20th rank as a result of her recent coma.
Overcoming incomplete succession was an unparalleled blessing, as it meant shedding the label of being a premature child and carrying on her teacher’s legacy.
And Sharon was also pouring her energy into magical research to make the vast amount of newly acquired information her own.
“Come to think of it, Siwoo helped with that too…”
If she had just left it alone, incomplete succession wouldn’t have been cured so easily.
It was probably possible because she had received pure magical power to every corner of her brand, which had been in a state of dysfunction, through continuous intercourse with Siwoo.
Hadn’t she seen it with her own eyes in Ain?
Sharon had been throwing herself at Siwoo under the pretext of recovering her brand.
The fact that the excuse that made her advances less awkward had disappeared was also a concern in its own way.
“Well, it’s not like I need to worry about that yet…”
Sharon shook her head and cleared her thoughts.
After all, Sharon was going to have to socially distance herself from Siwoo.
Feeling inexplicably down, Sharon headed to the workshop in the villa to do some magical research.
2.
After a five-hour continuous lecture without a break, Sharon gave the twins their homework and left the room first.
“Phew…”
“Haa…”
The twins, who had been sitting upright like dolls, melted down about a minute after Sharon had completely left.
Odile, sitting on the edge of her chair in a posture that was very bad for her spine, sighed and said.
“She’s even tougher than Professor Marigold…”
“Unnie, do you think this amount of homework makes sense? This is a violation of apprentice witch rights!”
Due to Amelia’s sudden resignation, the progress of elemental magic was far behind other subjects, but the pace of progress from the first day was relentless.
Because she pinpointed the key points and the explanations themselves were detailed, there weren’t many parts that they didn’t understand.
But even Professor Marigold had given them appropriate breaks.
Who would have thought that Sharon, who seemed so harmless, would conduct such an apprentice witch-hating lecture?
“Professor Amelia even gave us some breaks…”
“I’m right, aren’t I, Unnie? This is definitely a new kind of mental attack! While we’re struggling with homework and classes, Sharon Unnie is planning to monopolize the assistant!”
“Hmm…. Is that so?”
Odette, with the mind of a strategist who had recognized the enemy’s ambush, grasped Sharon’s intentions.
Based on the discussion at the ‘Shin Siwoo Assistant Special Protection Headquarters (Headquarters Director Odile Gemini)’ the day before yesterday, Sharon Evergreen had become the twins’ main enemy.
However, as always, even though the twins were of one mind, their opinions differed on the details.
‘Odette! Even if Sharon Unnie is trying to steal the assistant, there’s no need to be too hostile! There’s a saying that you should keep your friends close, and your enemies closer!’
Her argument was that there was no need to be overly aggressive in her checks, as she had taken good care of the assistant in the present world.
This was Odile’s logic, who was a member of the pro-peace faction.
‘Unnie! With such a soft mindset, you won’t be able to protect anything! Since Sharon Unnie is a potential threat, we have to be constantly vigilant and keep her in check, or she’ll snatch the assistant away!’
On the other hand, Odette, who was a member of the pro-war faction, criticized such a hesitant attitude and argued that they should respond strongly.
The twins had spent almost the entire night arguing about their future course of action, but based on Sharon’s terrible actions today, it seemed that some guidelines had been established.
“I was right, wasn’t I?”
Odette, her eyes wide open, was passionately speaking, as if the situation had unfolded according to her words.
Her fervent tone and clenched fist were reminiscent of a freedom fighter.
“I told you! All big-chested people are foxes, right? Vera told me that they all pretend to be innocent, but they’re actually very jealous and possessive!”
Odette, who would normally have gloated that her opinion was right.
Odile, who would have argued back no matter what, even if it meant disagreeing with Odette, was different this time.
Odile, realizing that her ideology was wrong, said dejectedly.
“I’ll admit that you were right this time, Odette. It makes perfect sense. I’m sorry, I guess I was too naive to think the world was a beautiful place.”
Odette’s beautiful hand rested on Odile’s shoulder.
The hand did not contain any mockery or sarcasm.
It was a reassuring hand that comforted her rival, who had found an ideology that they should pursue together, moving beyond political conflict.
“Unnie, don’t be too discouraged. Just like I’m wrong sometimes, you can also make the wrong judgment.”
“Odette…”
Odile looked at her younger sister, who had become so mature, with a touched expression.
The twins embraced each other warmly.
“Besides… it’s not like we were just being beaten up in class today.”
“Right, you gave her a great blow.”
“‘You’? It was ‘we’ who did it.”
Today was their first class.
Sharon would never have imagined it, but the twins had set a trap.
Of course, this was a proposal that Odette, who was a member of the pro-war faction, had actively pushed for.
But Odette did not take credit for it.
She was willing to share the credit with Odile, who had been her rival.
Odile held back the tears that were threatening to well up.
When had Odette, who had always followed her around, become so grown up?
“Heh, right. She didn’t even notice, did she?”
So, what was that trap?
“Do you think Sharon Unnie would be able to notice something that even Baron Marigold couldn’t notice for years?”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
It was Odile and Odette’s switch.
Sharon had called the twins out individually to stand in front of the blackboard, but the twins did not obediently follow her instructions.
When she called Odette, Odile came forward.
When she called Odile, Odette came forward, successfully deceiving and messing with Sharon.
A smile naturally spread across their faces as they recalled the exhilarating operation, even after they had succeeded several times.
“Hehehe… Sharon Unnie is nothing special.”
“Let’s keep going like this, Unnie.”
“Of course, Odette.”
Of course, Sharon had no idea that the twins had messed with her, and even they couldn’t explain what the point of messing with her was if no one noticed.
The first battle ended with the twin sisters’ warm handshake.
