City ​​of Witches 465

Chapter 465 – #99_Hands Clasped

#464

1.
Siwoo bows to his teacher and chases after Amelia.

It was obvious where Amelia, with that expression, would run off to.
Amelia’s cage, the cabin in the Zelkova tree forest.

If he used coordinate teleportation, he could reach the cabin in an instant, but he didn’t.
After all, the path from the Malcuth Gallery to the Zelkova tree forest was just a wide plain with reeds growing like fields and a crooked path in between.

Using magic would only risk missing her, and more than anything, he was in a very awkward state, not knowing what to say to Amelia even if he met her.

“Who can I blame?”

Odile Odette, Sharon, his teacher.
They were all precious relationships and lovers, to the point that it was impossible to choose just one.
Even if he felt sorry for the four of them, regretting it was absurd.

If only he were as skilled with women as Takasho or had some techniques, he might have been able to smooth things over more easily.
Of course, there was no guarantee that the relationship would be the same as it was now, but seeing this pathetic state, he couldn’t help but think that.

As he was walking and sighing deeply, he saw a golden silhouette rushing towards him from afar.
A twilight field where starlight replaced streetlights.
It came running through the reeds.

At first, he was just flustered.
That figure was definitely Amelia.
However, Siwoo had never seen her running so frantically.

Could there be an enemy in the forest?
If it was an enemy that Amelia was running away from, Siwoo wouldn’t stand a chance.

While he was pondering whether to use magic with such absurd thoughts, Amelia, who had been running like the wind across the field, stopped abruptly twenty steps in front of him.

Her eyes and cheeks were stained with tear marks that she hadn’t managed to wipe away.
His mouth wouldn’t open due to an inexplicable sense of guilt.
But the moment his gaze reached Amelia’s entire face, he felt that something had changed.

He understood why Amelia had run away after seeing Eloa.
What she must have been feeling, and why she had run away.

That’s why he thought she was just crying.
He thought she was just sad.

“Siwoo.”

But it was different.
The stubborn, expressionless face that had been hiding her true feelings like a mask had crumbled.

The weakness and faltering that seemed like they would collapse at the slightest touch had been washed away by the tears.

Instead, what he saw was a sparkle more brilliant than the starlight on the ground and an honest smile.
Amelia slowly approached Siwoo.
Amelia’s luscious golden hair fluttered in the breeze, rustling the reeds.

What kind of change of heart had she had?
Amelia hugged the bewildered Siwoo tightly.

She hugged him with such force that he could barely breathe and listened to his heartbeat.

“I’m sorry for acting like a fool.”

Siwoo was able to relax his shoulders a little at Amelia’s voice, which had become much softer.
He carefully raised his hand and placed it on her head.

“What do you mean, acting like a fool? I’m the one who didn’t handle things properly.”

After hugging Siwoo for a long time, Amelia let go of him slightly and looked up at Siwoo while standing still.

“Siwoo, I have a favor to ask.”
“Anything.”
“Will you slap me?”
“…What?”

It was a very sudden request.
So much so that he naturally heard it as, ‘Will you let me slap you?’

Indeed, considering the context, that made more sense.
But to ask him to slap her while looking at him so romantically with slightly teary eyes.
Amelia still had an unpredictable side to her.

“I understand.”

Siwoo offered his face.
Amelia, who had gasped at Siwoo’s face getting closer, tilted her head, finally realizing that he had misunderstood.

One of the words his teacher had left him.
‘If you meet someone whose heart makes you flutter, hug them with all your might’ had just been successfully carried out.

Next were the other two words she had left him.
‘If you have done something wrong, slap them hard and kiss them’ remained.

But in this case, Siwoo had done nothing wrong.

Therefore, the order left was for Amelia to be slapped and for Siwoo to kiss her.
So that they would not have any regrets, and to love each other more passionately in this moment.

Amelia had found her own answer to the long-delayed dilemma.
About her teacher’s feelings, and about her relationship with Siwoo.
With her heart so excited, her emotions so heightened, and her immature self-expression, a somewhat bizarre conclusion had been reached.

“Siwoo, no. You have to slap me.”
“Me? Slap you?”
“Yes.”

Siwoo was startled and looked at Amelia with even more incomprehension.
To suddenly ask him to slap her.
Siwoo, who didn’t know the background, couldn’t understand it at all.
But just because he didn’t understand didn’t mean he couldn’t answer.

“I can’t.”
“Why…?”

He didn’t know the reason, or even if he did know the reason, to slap her?
That was something he couldn’t do.
Amelia grabbed his hand and pleaded again.

“I want you to slap me and kiss me.”
“……”
“Can I ask you to do that?”

Siwoo looked at Amelia with a reluctant expression.
It wasn’t that Amelia’s request itself was reluctant, but rather that he didn’t want to hit her at all.
But since she was asking so desperately, he figured there must be some unknown reason.

“Is it just once?”
“Yes.”

Amelia showed no sign of giving up.
He sighed and raised his hand, and Amelia closed her eyes as if she were a condemned prisoner waiting for execution.
Her expression was so serious that he couldn’t help but chuckle at what this was all about.

-Tap

“Here you go.”

Siwoo fulfilled her wish by bringing his hand to Amelia’s cheek as if he were touching it.
Amelia’s eyes widened at the touch, which was much closer to a caress than a slap.

“I don’t know why you suddenly asked me to do this… but there’s no way I could hit you.”
“……”

Amelia’s eyes suddenly turned tearful.
The bewilderment and surprise that she hadn’t expected this were clearly etched on her face.

Siwoo grabbed her soft cheek and tilted his head.
He really didn’t want to hit her, and even if he didn’t like it, he would be happy to kiss her as much as she wanted.
That was his feeling.

2.
Although the atmosphere was good, Amelia and Siwoo’s perfume tycoon business was not over.
The two returned to the workshop where the distiller, which had undergone cleaning and deodorization and was ready to restart, was waiting.

In the meantime, countless various flowers and fresh fruits that had been additionally delivered were piled up in the warehouse, welcoming Siwoo and Amelia.
It seemed that they planned to extract everything directly, except for animal-based fragrances.

“Hmm…”

Siwoo was sorting the flowers so that they wouldn’t mix, while stealing glances at Amelia, who was diligently checking the distiller.

Amelia hadn’t told him what had happened at the cabin.
But one thing was certain: she had changed.

Her face was as expressionless as ever, but there was a strange overflow of vitality and energy.
Her appearance, which seemed much more carefree than when they had traveled together, was beyond surprising, to the point of being bewildering.
Therefore, when Amelia, who had finished checking the equipment, came toddling over, he hid his awkwardness and said something like, “It’s almost New Year’s.”

In two days, it would be the New Year.
It had been a very eventful year for Siwoo.

Recovery from a vegetative state, return to the present world, meeting Sharon, meeting his teacher, the Sochitl incident, Takasho’s host bar job.
Various happenings with the Yesod family, Takasho’s rescue and Bianca’s subjugation, a bizarre night with Deneb Geminai.
Amelia’s rampage and restraint, and their dramatic reconciliation.

It was a life so dense that even if he put his other lives into a distiller and extracted them, he wouldn’t get such a rich essence.
Naturally, as the end of the year approached, he couldn’t help but feel emotional.

“Do you have any plans, Siwoo?”
“Not yet.”

In fact, both the twins and Sharon would want to spend the New Year with Siwoo…
But it was awkward to tell that to Amelia, who had just run out in tears.

“Really?”
“Well, I don’t have anything specific planned.”

Amelia, hearing Siwoo’s answer, said something unexpected.

“I can do the extraction by myself. You should spend time with your lovers.”

He was surprised that Amelia would say such a thing.
Especially since it was Amelia, who had been hurt by seeing Eloa just a while ago, Amelia who had been reluctant to even mention Siwoo’s lovers, who had said that first.

“I hope you spend precious time with your precious people. You don’t have to worry about me.”

It wasn’t as if she was forcing herself to say something she didn’t want to, or putting on a false front.
Amelia was her usual self and seemed very calm.
But it would be foolish to suddenly say, ‘Okay!’ here.
He didn’t feel like doing that at all.

“You are also a precious person, Amelia.”

Personally, he thought that such lines didn’t suit him at all.
But he really wanted to say it.

“……”

Amelia, who had organized the jasmine flowers that were about to collapse because they were piled up too high, stared at Siwoo.
Then, she narrowed her eyes, smiled softly, and replied.

“I know, you are also a precious person to me, Siwoo.”

He was speechless at the beautiful smile, to the point that he felt like, ‘Amelia can make this kind of expression too.’
Siwoo tried hard to maintain his composure and replied.

“So you don’t have to worry. The time I spend with you is also important to me.”
“Thank you for saying that.”

After the short conversation, it was time for work again.
Jasmine, Ylang-ylang, lavender, dandelion, orange blossom, black currant berries, iris, nutmeg, black pepper, vanilla, salvia, and so on.
There was a huge amount of material left to extract.