City ​​of Witches 466

Chapter 466 – #99_Hands Clasped Together (2)

#465

1.
If there was one charm to the raw material extraction process, it was that a wonderfully pleasant fragrance lingered on the body.
After eight hours of extraction work, Siwoo, covered in all sorts of fragrant scents, returned to the perfume shop.
Alone.

In truth, the extraction work itself wasn’t finished.
Extracting essential oils from the roses they had worked on yesterday was a simple task of just steaming one type of flower, so only one final cleaning of the distiller was needed.

However, to extract various other flowers and fruits, excluding jasmine, which is particularly used in perfumes, frequent cleaning was necessary, naturally delaying the work.
From the start, there was too much to finish in just eight hours.

“What’s going on…”

But Amelia stubbornly pushed Siwoo’s back, making him return to the perfume shop.
Along with the words that she would take care of the rest herself.

Having volunteered to help Amelia, he intended to help until the end, even if it was a bit tiring.
Normally, he would have insisted on working together, but Amelia’s expulsion order, which even felt resolute, left him returning alone.

“Anyway, there’s nothing to do even if I’m alone…”

At least when working, they had small talk.
There isn’t a single book to read here.

It didn’t feel right to just twiddle his thumbs while Amelia worked hard alone, but going back to help would probably earn him a scolding.
Since things had turned out this way, Siwoo decided to clean the shop thoroughly and headed to the second floor with cleaning supplies.

2.
At that time, Amelia had sent Siwoo home first.
After seeing Siwoo disappear through the workshop door, Amelia immediately finished the final check of all the distillers and rushed to Sophia’s house.

Amelia was determined not to hesitate any longer.

However, one cannot handle everything with just willpower.
She wanted to seek advice from her friend, an expert in this field who had given her countless pieces of advice.

It was the last dawn of the year.
There was something she wanted to give him before the year ended.

-Knock knock knock

About 30 seconds after Amelia knocked on Sophia’s door, it opened with a cat’s meow.

“Amelia.”

As someone with a regular sleep pattern, Sophia, still in her pajamas and with slightly surprised eyes, greeted the unexpected guest, her mind racing with all sorts of thoughts.

In the past, when Amelia knocked on Sophia’s door, it was always to seek advice due to misunderstandings or conflicts with Siwoo.
‘Could there be trouble again this time?’ she worried.

“May I come in?”

However, after calming her startled heart and looking at Amelia again, Sophia realized that her worries were unfounded.
It wasn’t the expression she had when she came to vent her anger after being unfairly hit.
There was Amelia, with a firm resolve even amidst her unease.

Relieved, Sophia let out a sigh of relief and smiled.

“Of course. Come in.”

Sophia’s cozy mansion, filled with the strong scent of coffee.
True to her nickname as the Beast Witch, Sophia kept over a hundred cats in her house.

Moreover, they all liked Amelia, who smelled fragrant, so Amelia had to endure the excessive welcome of cats pouring in from all directions until she reached the reception room.

“I’ll make you some coffee. Coffee is better than tea in the early morning.”
“Thank you.”

Amelia, who normally hated cats, didn’t have time to care about them now.
When Sophia briefly went to make coffee, Amelia had become a cat tower, with two cats on her lap, three on the armrests, two on the backrest, and five at her feet.

It would be hard to talk in that state.

“Shoo shoo, go play somewhere else, kids.”

As Sophia waved her hand, the cats scattered here and there, though they protested.
Only then did the atmosphere become a bit more settled.

“So, what’s the matter?”
“I’m requesting a consultation.”

It was something expected from the moment Amelia came, and it was also a very burdensome matter.

Until recently, Sophia had actively responded to consultations, hoping that Amelia would open her heart to others a little more.
Furthermore, she had also encouraged both Shin Siwoo and Amelia to create contact points.
The problem was that, even though there was no malice, the two had suffered considerable damage due to her guidance.

How could she easily take it when a client who had almost gone bankrupt due to Sophia’s greed was requesting consulting again?
Especially if that client was her closest friend.
She was anxious that even a cliché and stable piece of advice might go wrong.

Perhaps aware of that point, Amelia took the initiative.

“I know what Sophia is worried about.”
“That’s right, I’ve learned that reckless advice is worse than no advice.”

Amelia replied to Sophia, who looked apologetic.

“Sophia’s advice was helpful. It’s just that I couldn’t admit it.”
“Still… wouldn’t there be someone else?”
“I want Sophia to do it. Because you’re my most trusted friend, and it’s an important matter.”

Sophia, with a hit-in-the-face expression at Amelia’s shy words.
With tears welling up, Sophia wiped her tears with a handkerchief and made a firm resolution.

She would use all the information she had acquired so far to help Amelia, and this time, she would make sure to clean up the aftermath as well.

“So, what kind of consultation is it?”
“……”

However, when Sophia, who had finished preparing her mind, asked, it was Amelia who was hesitating.
As if she didn’t know how to express it, Amelia’s mumbling, after moving her lips for a long time, was so small that it seemed to be fading away.

“Today, with Siwoo…”

Even Sophia, who had very good hearing, couldn’t hear it.
Sophia tilted her head, and Amelia spoke a little louder again.

“Today, with Siwoo… I want to do it.”

The part that felt like a blank space was because Amelia had lowered her voice so much that only the sound of wind escaping through her teeth could be heard…
But her composure was gone, her face was bright red, and just hearing the very slight ‘s’ sound, one could guess.

However, Amelia, still thinking it was too quiet, said it again as if to assert it.

“I want to have sex… with Siwoo.”

Only after three repetitions did Sophia recognize Amelia’s sentence that had just passed through her brain.

It wasn’t just a kiss that she had suspected, but sex.
It made her realize once again that the saying that love changes people was a true truth.

Amelia, who had always been expressionless and curt, was now blushing like a girl in her first love, coming for such a consultation.
Was it because she was infected by that freshness?
It felt like a forgotten excitement from a long time ago was blowing a flower breeze into Sophia’s head.

Let’s calm down.

Sophia swallowed hard.
It was a somewhat embarrassing and explicit question, but she had to ask.

“Can I ask you just one thing?”
“Yes…”
“Do you really want to?”

Amelia’s small head nodded up and down.
Her whole head looked red and hot, as if touching it would cause a burn.
Indeed, Amelia wasn’t asking because she didn’t know the importance of sexual intercourse between a man and a woman or that such a consultation was quite embarrassing.

“Can I ask why?”

Sophia composed herself and took a deep breath.
Before discussing ‘how,’ it was time to discuss ‘why?’

She was aware of her overprotectiveness.

However, no matter how much Amelia had changed thanks to various experiences, it was unlikely that her knowledge of relationships between men and women had suddenly become extensive.

It was necessary to check if her decision was based on a distorted perception or understanding of the situation.
Amelia, perhaps not expecting to be asked that far, was flustered but responded sincerely.

“Because… I want to get closer…”
“Did he ask first?”
“No, it’s not that…”

It seemed she had regained her composure after a moment of shyness.
Amelia clearly explained her thoughts.

“O-of course… it’s promiscuous for a man and a woman to mix bodies without being married… I’m sorry, it wasn’t about Sophia. I heard that the world has changed a lot these days…”
“No, I don’t mind at all. Can you continue?”
“I want to give Siwoo precious things… Even if I don’t get anything in return… I want to give him everything.”

Amelia had hardly ever paid attention to anything around her, except for things related to magic.

Especially in relationships between men and women, she was a thorough conservative, scolding Sophia for saying that sexual relations should only happen after marriage.
Such an Amelia, wanting to give unconditionally to someone without considering conditions or appearances…

Honestly, even though she was a close friend, she was envious and a little jealous.

It was because Sophia herself had never met someone who made her feel that way.
It seemed that no further confirmation was needed.

“Okay, what can I help you with?”
“That… the pajamas. The ones Sophia left at the villa before…”
“Ah, you mean the babydoll?”

The day Amelia first headed to Border Town with Siwoo.
Sophia had not only prepared a villa for them but also a very suggestive babydoll pajama.
The reason Amelia was mentioning it was…

It was nothing less than a declaration that she would seduce Siwoo!
Well, it seemed that Amelia could easily seduce him without the help of such tools, but it was understandable that she wanted to be fully prepared.

“Yes, the first time is always uneasy.”

Sophia smiled and led Amelia to the closet.
Just as it was Sophia’s encouragement that led Amelia to wear mature underwear, she had actually prepared a lot of sexy pajamas to give her as a gift someday.
It was just that she couldn’t bring herself to recommend them because Amelia had been horrified by the mention of pajamas ever since that day.

“Ah…”

Clothes tailored to Amelia’s size.
No, the moment a collection of secret weapons, too embarrassing to even call clothes, was revealed, Amelia’s face, which had been calming down a bit, turned even redder.

Designs that didn’t cover the skin, and depending on the type, didn’t even cover the breasts or the genitals.
There was nothing embarrassing about looking at them by themselves, but the thought of standing in front of Siwoo wearing those clothes brought great embarrassment to Amelia.

“W-won’t it look cheap?”
“If I were a man, I’d be ecstatic? Do you want to try this on?”

What Sophia had chosen was a negligee that was entirely black and had very little fabric.
It seemed that if you disassembled the dress Amelia was wearing now, you could make five or six of those.

Meanwhile, unlike the frozen Amelia, Sophia was in a state of extreme excitement.
She had tried to calm down, but her heart wouldn’t settle.

“Let’s choose carefully together.”

A golden opportunity to play dress-up with Amelia, trying on this and that!
Sophia supported her friend’s love with a smile full of anticipation.