Chapter 595 – #121_I’M Back (3)
#595
1.
After a long time, Siwoo crossed the central garden of the Jemena estate and asked,
“Where is everyone else?”
“I’ve sent word. They’ll all join us around dinner time.”
“Are they still looking for me?”
Siwoo felt a mix of guilt and growing worry.
“Yes, they’ll all be thrilled to see the new lover you’ve brought,” Albireo retorted sharply.
“Lover? Are you talking about me?”
Ruelie, who had been preoccupied with admiring the garden, perked up her ears.
Here, Albireo employed a minor trick.
She sent a message to his lovers, who were still scouring the seas for Siwoo, but with a six-hour delay.
Everyone would rush over within 30 minutes of hearing that Siwoo had returned safely, so this was to maximize the time the twins and Siwoo could spend alone together.
Considering how much money the Jemena family had spent searching for him, this much was acceptable, right?
She was confident that the twins’ cuteness and charm were the best in the world, but their rivals were too formidable.
The newly joined witch from the deep sea was one thing… but there was also the esteemed Duke Eloa, Sharon, who had been living with him since the modern era and had secured the girlfriend position, and Amelia, who, despite being in debt, possessed outstanding beauty and incredible money-duplicating abilities among witches.
Since the letters and recorded messages had been delivered, his safety had been almost certain for a month.
They were only continuing their search out of a sense of ‘just in case,’ so the guilt of deceiving them was somewhat lessened.
It was only natural for their teacher to step in and help, as the twins, still apprentice witches, were not on equal footing in a head-on competition.
“Wait here. The twins should be in music class, so I’ll go get them. And Nukelabi-nim….”
Siwoo’s gaze turned to Ruelie.
This was a rare, private reunion event that had been created.
She had brought her to the open reception room to prevent any mischief.
Now it was time to get rid of the nuisance.
If the witch from the deep sea was around, the touching reunion would likely turn into chaos.
“What is it?”
Ruelie, who had been looking around the mansion silently, met Albireo’s gaze with her deep blue eyes.
The way she naturally raised her chin, as if addressing a subordinate, was quite natural.
She seemed to be putting on airs, but Albireo, who had been through thick and thin, could tell.
Ruelie Nukelabi, newly inherited from Shalit Nukelabi, was a very young witch, and an inexperienced one at that.
She seemed to be trying to maintain her dignity, but from the moment she stepped out of the portal in Border Town, to when she got out of the carriage and walked through the garden, and even on the short walk to the reception room,
Ruelie seemed to be experiencing a massive culture shock, like a visiting envoy who had just set foot in New York for the first time.
For Ruelie, who had lived her whole life under the sea, the sight of dozens of witches walking the streets of Gehenna, or the Jemena mansion, which boasted the height of splendor, was a new world she couldn’t take her eyes off of.
If that was the case, it wouldn’t be difficult to separate her under the guise of sightseeing.
If she was a witch that Siwoo had brought, she probably wouldn’t have a bad personality, and above all, she was currently injured and could only use magic at the level of an apprentice witch, so there shouldn’t be any problems.
“Would you like to tour the mansion? I’ll assign a maid to assist you.”
Ruelie’s face immediately brightened.
But she quickly put on a solemn expression and replied politely.
“It’s not as good as my palace under the sea, but it’s a decent kingdom.”
“You’re too kind. There are many more beautiful places if you look around.”
“I shall take a look.”
Albireo had already guessed that Ruelie used ‘I’ as a first-person pronoun, had a strong sense of pride as the queen of the sea, and tried to maintain her dignity to an excessive degree.
It wasn’t difficult for Albireo to play along with her.
“Siwoo, I shall go sightseeing for a while. Stay here quietly. Don’t cause any trouble.”
“Yes, I’ll see you later. Remember what I told you?”
She looked at Albireo with a ‘is that okay?’ expression, but it was her suggestion in the first place.
Ruelie disappeared towards the long gallery with the help of Pecha, one of the maids.
“Is that how she always talks? Is she really a queen?”
Albireo asked, watching Ruelie’s retreating back.
Siwoo had also had a hard time adjusting when he first met her, so he smiled wryly, sympathizing with her bewilderment.
“Well….”
Albireo was a little confused about the witch from the deep sea, as not much was known about her.
However, from Siwoo’s ambiguous reaction, she seemed to have already grasped most of the situation.
“She’s a bit difficult and quirky, but she’s not a bad person.”
“Who asked you to defend her?”
Still feeling uncomfortable, Albireo snapped at Siwoo and went to fetch the twins.
At this time, they should definitely be in the piano room…
“Huh?”
There was no sound of the piano.
She opened the door, thinking they might be taking a break, but the twins were nowhere to be seen.
“Those kids….”
No wonder Pecha was being hesitant.
They had undoubtedly disappeared somewhere to slack off.
2.
Ruelie was being guided by Pecha, and she was looking around the mansion as if she were bewitched.
Ruelie had inwardly scoffed at the shabby scenery of Border Town, but as she entered Ars Magna Town, she was captivated by the beauty of Gehenna.
Among them, the Jemena mansion was the best of the best.
Its appearance, far more splendid than the Palace of Versailles she had seen in black and white movies, was enough to take Ruelie’s breath away, starting from the garden.
The rose bushes were trimmed like blocks without a single stray leaf, and the fountains were carved from marble.
The fresh fragrance emanating from the fully bloomed flowers, without a single withered part.
What about the interior of the mansion?
The corridors, where the curtains were drawn to create a dim atmosphere even in the daytime, were covered with luxurious red carpets, and the flickering candlelight from the candlesticks resembled molten gold.
In addition, the interior of the long gallery, which exuded aristocratic elegance, was decorated with historical artifacts, as if it were a cultural heritage site.
“Hmm, what is this?”
Moreover, the great witch’s reaction of being wide-eyed with admiration was so great that Pecha unconsciously puffed up her chest.
Like a skilled curator, she answered questions and recited the origins of the decorations.
Even though she had never learned professionally, she had naturally come to know these things from living in the mansion since she was a baby.
“It’s a full-length mirror that Louis XIV used during his lifetime. The eldest master brought it in at auction the year before last.”
“Then… what is this?”
“It’s a painting by Antoine Watteau, the founder of Rococo. I heard it depicts life in the Italian court.”
“Then… what is that?”
“It’s a sculpture symbolizing the Jemena family. The great-great-great Jemena witch commissioned it from an artist in the modern era. The name was… Leonardo something….”
“Da Vinci?”
“Yes, I think that’s right.”
Ruelie was also a proper witch with artistic knowledge.
She could tell that even if she stole just one of the paintings hanging on the wall or the sculptures standing here and there, she wouldn’t have to worry about making a living for the rest of her life.
As she was sightseeing, she remembered that one of his lovers was said to be an apprentice witch from the Jemena family.
She thought it would be good to see what kind of woman she was.
“Do you know Shin Siwoo?”
“Yes?”
“The man who accompanied me.”
“Yes, you mean the male witch? He’s very famous here.”
“I heard that one of the apprentice witches in this mansion is one of his concubines.”
The clever Pecha realized that she was referring to Odile and Odette.
Among his lovers were the high-ranking Duke Tiferet, the kind and gentle Sharon, and Professor Merrygold, whom the twins were afraid of.
“Co, concubine?”
“Yes, I am the legitimate wife who has made Shin Siwoo my consort, so wouldn’t all the others be concubines? I want to see their faces. Guide me.”
It was an arrogant attitude, but she didn’t even seem to be aware that she was acting that way.
In other words, this mysterious witch was someone of very, very high birth.
Even so, Ruelie’s merciless condemnation of the cute twins was enough to make her feel rebellious.
Pecha pouted, feeling indignant.
“I don’t want to.”
No matter how great a witch she was, this was the Jemena family, which had great power.
Harming a servant was tantamount to a declaration of war.
Believing in that, Pecha spoke confidently.
“What?”
“They’re skipping class, so I don’t know where they are. Go find them yourself.”
Ruelie was taken aback by Pecha, who was just a servant, firmly refusing her.
Could this be the audacity of a Gehenna maid?
It seemed like she needed to show her who was boss.
“It seems that my fame has not reached this remote village. Nameless servant, do you know who I am to utter such nonsense?”
Pecha flinched at Ruelie’s sharp, high-pitched soprano tone, which was comparable to the twins’.
“Wh, who are you?”
“I am the legitimate successor of Shalit Nukelabi, an ancient witch who has been feared since ancient times, and worshiped as the mother of the sea! I rule over the deep sea, and I am the queen of the great Nukelabi dynasty, who has no one higher than me in heaven and earth! I watch over all people, and those who oppose me will be sunk without exception! I am Ruelie Nukelabi!”
Ruelie smiled with satisfaction at Pecha’s bewildered expression after hearing the longest self-introduction she had ever heard.
She should have understood by now, and she was expecting her to beg for forgiveness, but…
“Pecha, what are you doing there?”
“Did the teacher come looking for us?”
Two perfectly identical voices were heard almost simultaneously.
Ruelie turned her head in the direction of the voices, and what she saw were apprentice witches, judging by the flow of magic.
Black hair that was well-dried, as if it had been styled for a long time.
Mysterious eyes that shone beautifully like amethyst.
A full skirt like a noble lady and a half-bonnet tied with a string under her chin.
If it had been just that, she would have thought it was just a slightly old-fashioned Gehenna style of clothing.
But there were two of them.
There were two apprentice witches who looked exactly like dolls.
It was something Ruelie, who had not heard that the Jemena family was famous for having twins, had not expected.
But she couldn’t end it here in confusion.
After all, the opponents were just apprentice witches.
Since she had come all the way here, she was going to settle the hierarchy.
“Odile-nim…! Odette-nim…!”
Pecha, who had been flustered, ran to her reliable allies and hid behind them.
Sensing that something was amiss, the twins immediately cast hostile gazes at the woman they had never seen before.
“Who are you?”
“Who are you to bully Pecha?”
One pair of eyes and two pairs of eyes clashed fiercely.
“Oh?”
Ruelie’s smile, which curled up at their audacity, signaled the start of the war.
