Chapter 300 – #66_Three-Way Battle (3)
#298
1.
The dining hall of the main residence of the Gemina Estate.
On a table that would need eight billiard tables joined together to match its size, a flower arrangement, freshly picked from the garden, was placed.
First, Albiereo and Deneb sat at the head of the table, furthest from the entrance. Then, Siwoo and Eloa sat facing each other at the next head seats, closest to the hosts, with the twins next to Eloa. Sharon sat next to Siwoo.
Although there were only seven people at the banquet, the servants ceaselessly served various dishes, eventually filling the vast table with food.
A feast of delicacies unfolded before their eyes.
New dishes, a whole roasted suckling pig, and high-end seafood dishes that were hard to find in Gehenna were abundant. And there were so many utensils; ten forks and knives were placed to the left and right of each plate. There were also five beautifully curved glasses. The purpose of the spoon and knife placed separately in front of the plate was unclear.
It was like another world.
It felt like a scene from Harry Potter, but upgraded, and it made me nervous for no reason. The servants who served the food did not leave but stood behind each guest like guards. It seemed they were there to bring dishes from the far corners of the table, which was terribly wide. A maid (or so it seemed) behind Siwoo filled his glass with wine, whispering softly.
“Please let me know if you need anything.”
Unlike Sharon and Siwoo, who were dumbfounded, everyone else had a calm expression. Even Eloa, who I thought was quite ordinary. I guess this was a normal table setting for those in the upper class of Gehenna.
“Thank you for accepting our invitation, Duke Tiferet.”
“Welcome to the estate, Shin Siwoo.”
Albiereo and Deneb smiled brightly, welcoming Siwoo and Eloa.
“…Thank you.”
“Ah, thank you too. It’s my first time seeing such a splendid table.”
“Both of you are important guests of our family.”
“Dessert is also prepared separately, so please enjoy yourselves.”
The two counts, the hosts, unfolded their napkins on their laps with elegant gestures, and the meal began. But I had no idea where to start or how to eat. Siwoo watched the counts use the outermost fork and knife first and followed suit.
A small bird dish caught my eye, and as I reached for it, the maid behind me naturally placed it on my plate. It felt both comfortable and uncomfortable. It was very burdensome.
“Siwoo, I heard about your exploits in Seoul. Are you hurt anywhere? Gehenna is buzzing with stories about you these days. The rumors spread so fast that they reach even beyond the walls of the estate.”
Deneb, who had a slightly closer connection, asked with a kind voice. Her elegant smile and tone were a given.
“It was a big deal, but the Duke was there. What could I have done?”
“Oh my, I heard you were quite active.”
“No, I just helped a little.”
“Siwoo is always humble. We should hear what the Duke has to say, shouldn’t we?”
With those words, their gazes naturally shifted to Eloa.
“……”
But Eloa had been staring blankly into space without saying a word since the meal began. She was cutting the steak on her plate without looking at it, but she wasn’t bringing it to her mouth. After cutting the meat into small pieces, she was chopping the garnish, asparagus.
“Um… Duke…?”
Deneb, whose conversation flow had been abruptly cut off, called out to Eloa with a puzzled expression. But Eloa was still just smashing the asparagus into pieces.
“Master.”
“Hah…!”
Only after Siwoo called Eloa’s name did her focus return, as if she had woken from a trance. She looked at the gazes directed at her, puzzled, and then her eyes met Siwoo’s. Immediately, she avoided his gaze and looked at Deneb with a stiff tone.
“Wh-what did you say?”
“We were asking about Siwoo’s activities in the mortal realm.”
Eloa had her own reasons.
The incident of spying on Sharon and Siwoo’s sex. And not only that, but the fact that her body had heated up in an unsightly manner had put Eloa in a half-panic. As soon as she heard Deneb’s words, her mind began to develop thoughts along a strange route.
Siwoo =〉 Mortal Realm =〉 Activities.
Rainwater Tunnel =〉 Magic Replenishment =〉 Priest Sex.
Eloa’s head, already reeling from the interconnected mind mapping, became even more dizzy. As if trying to cut off those distracting thoughts, she unknowingly raised her voice.
“I, I don’t know anything!”
“Yes? Ah… ah, I see.”
“Deneb, that’s rude. It seems the Duke wants to know about Siwoo’s exploits alone.”
“Oh, I didn’t know….”
Everyone was taken aback by Eloa’s intense reaction. Albiereo tried to smooth over the situation with a natural smile, but the awkward atmosphere was unavoidable.
In fact, Eloa was still unable to shake off her shock. She had fled the villa in a hurry when she realized that her underwear was wet. And the aftermath was still making Eloa waver.
The shock was greater than when she had seen it through Siwoo’s eyes. Spying on the sex scene with Periwinkle was an accident, not intentional. It was embarrassing and shameful, but it could be rationalized as an accident.
But today.
It was Eloa’s own choice to watch Siwoo and Sharon’s bodies intertwining for a long time. At the time, she had rationalized it with various reasons, but physical evidence had emerged that shattered her flimsy excuses. The discharge that had soaked part of her underwear.
Although she was only temporarily acting as his teacher, she had recognized Siwoo as a man. She rationalized that she had embraced him out of necessity, but she had not only spied on their sex scene without a word but also felt sexual excitement, placing herself in Sharon’s position. The truth she had realized was enough to shock Eloa.
She couldn’t look him in the face. She was embarrassed and guilty, and her face was burning.
“I’m feeling unwell, so I’ll take my leave first. I’m sorry for leaving after you invited me so kindly…”
Eloa, knowing that leaving first at such a carefully prepared gathering was impolite, stood up abruptly. Ignoring the surprised gazes of the counts, she left the dining hall.
“Siwoo, did I perhaps do something wrong to the Duke?”
Deneb blinked her eyes, wide with surprise at Duke Tiferet’s reaction. Like mother, like daughter, her expression was just like the twins’. Siwoo, who had a vague idea of why Eloa had suddenly lost it, explained on behalf of his master.
“The Duke overdid it a lot back then. She hasn’t been feeling well lately. She also skips meals often.”
“Ah, that’s a relief then.”
“I should introduce her to a good healer.”
Anyway, after the minor incident, the meal continued. Deneb and Albiereo only asked brief questions from time to time, so I could enjoy the food comfortably. And for some reason, the twins were also quiet.
“Sharon, try this too. It’s really delicious.”
“You eat a lot. This is enough for me.”
“Don’t be like that.”
“Ugh, I said it’s okay.”
This time, Sharon replied with a rather cold tone. It wasn’t so cold that it felt chilly, but it was completely different from when they were making love in bed a little while ago.
Sharon also had her own reasons.
Sharon had broken her contract with Count Albiereo. There was no need to request a video review to determine if it was safe or out; she had hit a home run within three minutes of meeting him.
Regardless, Sharon’s employer was the count. She also intended to follow the guideline of ‘keeping a proper distance’ from now on. Since there were no clear standards, Sharon had decided to be a bit brazen, thinking, ‘As long as I don’t have sex every day, it’s fine, right?’ If they complain later, she’ll just set the rules properly then.
However, apart from that, she felt a little uncomfortable showing off her sweet moments with Siwoo. On the other hand, Siwoo, unaware of the circumstances, couldn’t help but be more bewildered than by Eloa’s bizarre behavior. He looked awkwardly at the twins and asked.
“Odile, Odette, try this. It’s delicious.”
“It’s okay, Assistant.”
“We eat a lot, so you should eat more, Assistant.”
But even the twins, whom I had trusted, were strangely odd. If I just thought about how they had greeted me when we first met today.
‘This dish is made by Gemina’s exclusive chef, Mr. OO! It’s the OO dish!’
‘Of course, the food in the mortal realm was delicious too! But you’ll be completely captivated by this, Assistant! It’s made with OO ingredients and OO!’
That was the kind of reaction that should have come out, but they politely declined and whispered among themselves.
But the twins also had their own reasons.
“Did you count, sister?”
“Yeah, while we made eye contact with him four times, Sharon made eye contact with him ten times. And we’re sitting right in front of him…!”
“Look at Sharon pretending not to be close to the Assistant. That’s all a deceptive tactic.”
“I’m angry.”
After witnessing Sharon and Siwoo’s passionate sex today.
The twins had a strategy meeting. The main points to be discussed at the meeting were as follows.
What was the ultimate skill that only the twins could use, but Sharon couldn’t?
What was needed to wedge themselves into the gap between the two, who were already close to being lovers?
However, since there wasn’t much time left until dinner, they couldn’t have a thorough discussion and were hastily invited to the banquet. In the end, they had no choice but to observe how Sharon treated Siwoo and how Siwoo treated Sharon at the banquet. They had only engaged in superficial conversations, as there was a possibility that their master might overhear, but the twins were racking their brains.
Thus, Siwoo was left with only the count as a conversation partner.
“By the way, Siwoo, how long do you plan to stay in Gehenna?”
“I’m not sure? I think I’ll be here for about a week.”
“Hmm, you’re not staying as long as I thought? If you wish, we could offer you a separate villa…”
“Would you consider staying at our estate as a guest? We’ll treat you as a VIP with all due respect.”
For the Gemina counts, it was advantageous to keep Siwoo in Gehenna.
The count hoped that Siwoo would end up with the twins.
If he stayed at the count’s estate, he would have more contact with the twins, and if he tasted the sweet fruits that came from the name of Gemina, he would probably not be interested in other witches.
“It feels like I’d be imposing too much. Thank you for your consideration.”
“Hmm, is that so? Oh, right, I forgot something.”
Count Albiereo made a meaningful humming sound and gestured, and a servant standing next to him brought a small gift box to Siwoo. It was a small, luxurious wooden box, and inside was a card that seemed to be made of platinum. Naturally, the family’s symbol, the twin birds, was engraved on it, and there were also some holes on the side.
“What is this…?”
“It’s a credit certificate that Siwoo can use while staying in Gehenna. If you show that card, you can put any expenses on our family’s tab anywhere in Gehenna.”
“The limit is unlimited, so please use it freely.”
“Thank you.”
In fact, even though it was unlimited, Albiereo knew Siwoo’s spending habits. He bought a lot of food, but he wasn’t the type to indulge in absurd luxuries. So, he was showing off his wealth to both Sharon and Siwoo at the same time, just for show.
Siwoo, who carefully put the platinum card in his pocket, thanked the count and chatted about various things.
