Chapter 1340 – #18 Former Duke, Current Secretary (19)
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1.
The Gehenna Immigration Office, located in Border Town, was not usually busy.
This was because the number of witches traveling between the mortal realm and Gehenna was not that high compared to the total witch population of Gehenna.
But the world had changed.
The boundary between the mystical and the real had crumbled, and the immigration office was now as lively as an off-season airport.
Even amidst all this, there was a space that maintained an elegant tranquility…
It was the VIP lounge for nobles with titles, heads of academic societies, or witches who had donated a large amount of money to the city’s operating budget.
The space in the lavishly decorated lounge rippled, and soon a pair of men and women popped out, crossing dimensions.
On the surface, it was Shin Siwoo, the undisputed king of witches, who had attended the private location-point meeting.
And Erelim, the former duke, who, although he had given up his title, still had his connections and influence.
Since they were VVIPs among VIPs, the immigration director, who was approaching them to handle their procedures, paused.
“……”
“……”
The atmosphere between the two was strange.
As far as the immigration director knew, their relationship was not bad.
When they had departed, he had even had the silly fantasy of ‘Could it be a secret rendezvous?’ as he watched the former Duke Erelim taking care of Siwoo like a child.
However, from the moment they entered the lounge, the two had not exchanged a single word, nor even made eye contact.
There was a cold disconnection, as if they were trying to deny each other’s existence.
“Duke Hesed, Mr. Erelim. Your procedures are complete. You may proceed. Did you have a pleasant trip?”
“Ah, yes.”
“……”
It seemed that they were already uncomfortable just being together, and they had no intention of continuing the conversation even when spoken to.
The immigration director tactfully stepped back.
Well, there were several reasons one could guess.
Since the private meeting was held at a location-point, there must have been discussions about ‘To what extent should humans and witches coexist?’
It was a very political topic.
It was common for even the most loving couples to argue if they had different political views.
It seemed that there was still a difference of opinion between Duke Shin Siwoo, who was originally human, and Erelim, who had strongly rejected humans.
“Maybe that’s what blew up on this trip…”
The immigration director, who had roughly guessed this, saw something.
“Oh…! Are you alright?”
“T-thank you. Oh, no… Head of the Society.”
Erelim, who had been walking somewhat hunched over, seemed to lose strength in his legs and faltered, and Shin Siwoo quickly supported him.
“Hmm, is that not it?”
The truth was still unknown.
2.
The vacation, which had been extravagant until the very end, was over.
How extravagant was it? Blanche had fainted more than 20 times during their encounters, and Siwoo had lost count of how many times he had come, and they were so exhausted from making whipped cream together that they both collapsed on the bed.
Not only externally, but internally as well, Blanche’s body was experiencing pain for the first time in her life.
Her buttocks, inner thighs, and lower abdomen, which had been constantly contracting and relaxing, were all suffering from terrible muscle aches.
But there was something even more terrible.
“The vacation. Wasn’t. Bad.”
“Yes. It was good. I guess.”
“There’s. No need. To be. So. Embarrassed. Even. So. I was. A bit. Too much. I’m. Sorry. When I think. About it.”
“No. It’s. My fault. For. Giving. The Head of the Society. False. Hope.”
The conversation was choppy, like overcooked pasta, and the atmosphere was the most awkward it had been since the beginning of their relationship.
Siwoo, who had finally woken up early in the morning and was free from the effects of the potion, and Blanche, who had confessed that it was her fault.
Therefore, the series of events was treated as a mutual accident and glossed over.
However, even if Blanche had provided the initial cause, the level of damage from this accident was different when looking at the results.
After all, Siwoo was a dump truck, and Blanche was a vending machine.
If Blanche’s loyalty had been even slightly lacking, she would have been teary-eyed and resentful of the Head of the Society.
“……”
But what was done was done, and Blanche wanted to erase the dark history from his memory as quickly as possible.
Humans are beings that constantly forget the past.
The most effective way to forget is to repeatedly show a present that is completely unrelated to the past.
To make him forget Blanche, who had asked her brother for lewd acts, she had to keep showing the perfect image of Secretary Erelim.
Once she made up her mind, she was able to regain some composure.
“Head of the Society, thank you for your hard work during the vacation.”
“Ah, are you going straight home?”
“During this vacation, I showed the Head of the Society many of my flaws. I will prepare to return to normal duties starting tomorrow.”
The power of self-hypnosis was indeed great.
When she stopped hesitating and treated him as she had before the vacation, the events of the past four nights and five days felt unreal, like a dream (and they were actually unreal).
“I’ll say it again, but you don’t have to worry about what happened during the last vacation. In any way, I am a servant who serves the Head of the Society. I cannot say that I am not embarrassed right now, but it will never affect my work. Then, I will see you tomorrow.”
Perhaps that atmosphere was conveyed to him as well, and the awkwardness had lessened slightly.
In fact, it wasn’t just the awkwardness that had faded; Siwoo was also impressed.
Even his strict mother-in-law hadn’t been treated as harshly as Blanche.
She hadn’t broken down to the extent that Blanche had.
Nevertheless, she had tried to bury her embarrassment by breaking Siwoo’s shin in a fit of rage, and had intentionally avoided Siwoo for weeks afterward.
But Blanche had regained her composure surprisingly quickly.
There was no trace of the wanton woman who had been completely dominated by Siwoo, who had been swayed at his whim, who had called him ‘Oppa’ in a seductive voice, who had cried out, ‘Don’t go, my pussy! No! Nooo!’ while straddling Siwoo and shaking her hips.
“Is that the dignity of a Great Sage…?”
Siwoo watched Blanche walk away, impressed.
‘Did I… manage to handle it well?’
Unlike her composed appearance, Blanche was suppressing the dark history that kept trying to surface as she hurried home.
“Huh?”
“Ah.”
The two had the same thought at the same time.
“Oh, right. The treatment.”
“…Aaaah….”
They had completely failed to treat Blanche’s ‘Inheritance Impossible Limit,’ which was the original purpose of this vacation.
The main purpose was completely forgotten, and all the effort and time had been invested in Blanche’s interior.
-Thud
Blanche knelt down and slumped to the ground.
3.
Blanche’s lover, Countess Yvonne Kohab, was biting on a clearly high-quality handkerchief as she waited for her lover’s return.
Of course, Yvonne was relatively young compared to Blanche, but she had experienced her share of ups and downs.
She had her own opinions and self-confidence, and she did not make decisions based on her emotions.
This ‘vacation’ was also in the same vein.
Yvonne cherished her Blanche.
She did not like the fact that her sister was mixing bodies with a ‘man.’
However, the treatment of the stigma was a serious matter, and it was a sufficient reason to suppress her jealousy.
Moreover, just as the spirit is superior to matter, Eros cannot overcome platonic love, can it?
After all, Blanche was Yvonne’s lover.
“Blanche!”
The moment Yvonne saw Blanche walking weakly in the distance, she immediately ran to her and hugged her tightly.
“Ugh!!!”
“Sister?”
Just walking was enough to make her legs tremble and her whole body feel like it was falling apart, and now she was being subjected to a strong hug, causing Blanche to groan in pain.
Yvonne hesitated at the unexpected reaction.
But Yvonne, who was full of jealousy and worry, was not foolish enough to say, ‘I had such a vigorous night with the Head of the Society that my whole body aches.’
Blanche, who was already suffering from self-loathing for having forgotten her original purpose and having enjoyed herself too much.
Blanche, who now had to say to the Head of the Society tomorrow, ‘But we have to have sex again….’
Blanche, who had decided that what happened on the vacation should never be revealed to anyone and should remain a secret forever.
“Did you have a good time?”
She simply smiled softly and stroked Yvonne’s hair.
4.
The mansion where Blanche and Yvonne lived together was modest.
It was over 300 years old, but it had been maintained by repeated repairs without any special extensions or renovations, preserving its original appearance.
Of course, Blanche and Yvonne’s social status was modest compared to their wealth, but there were naturally three reception rooms.
The two sat facing each other in one of the reception rooms, which was not used for guests but as a private resting space.
Usually, it would have been tea, but today it was wine.
“You’ve worked really hard.”
“It was nothing.”
She tried not to show it, but Yvonne seemed to have many questions.
It was natural.
Yvonne was the kind of person who would agree even if Blanche calmly declared that she was two-timing, saying, ‘If that’s what you choose….’
But that was only because Yvonne respected Blanche and valued ‘spiritual love’ more.
Even if it was for the sake of the greater good, it was impossible not to feel jealous when her lover went on a four-night, five-day vacation with another person.
“How was Head of the Society Shin Siwoo?”
“What do you mean, how was he?”
“The night stuff. He must have been all over you, right? I mean, the fact that he chose intercourse as a symbol for the magic that heals the stigma itself means that he had a desire for Blanche. It makes me feel bad.”
Even considering that she was drunk, the fact that Yvonne, who rarely talked about sexual topics, was grumbling while badmouthing someone else was proof of that.
Blanche understood that point well.
“He was all over you, right? Right? You must have had a hard time. Please don’t misunderstand. I’m not exactly jealous or angry. It’s just four nights and five days, and I don’t have any complaints about Blanche’s decision.”
“……”
“It’s Shin Siwoo who’s bad. So, it’s okay to badmouth him a little bit behind his back, right? That bad guy.”
“…Yes, he was a little clingy.”
Looking at Yvonne’s intense reaction, it would be better to side with her rather than the Head of the Society, who was not present.
Just as Blanche had made up her mind.
“So, how was the night with Head of the Society Shin Siwoo, who has nine wives? Actually, I can guess without seeing it. He must have begged Blanche until the end, right?”
“……”
Begged…?
Blanche, who had been suppressing her dark history, experienced a flashback.
“Please tell me even a little bit. I’ll feel a little better if I hear what kind of disgraceful things he did. Hmph.”
Yvonne puffed out her cheeks, as if she was eagerly anticipating what would come out of Blanche’s mouth.
