Chapter 564 – #116_Trouble(4)
#564
1.
Luelle practically dragged Siwoo out of the Molt Bar.
Her momentum was quite fierce.
It couldn’t be helped.
Her tone and gaze were as if she were interrogating him.
Siwoo’s behavior was absolutely not something a guest should display.
Luelle, already upset about the ordeal-related issues, found Siwoo’s attitude akin to throwing a cigarette butt onto oil-soaked firewood.
Once they were far enough away that their conversation couldn’t be heard, Luelle immediately cornered Siwoo against the wall.
“Why are you acting like this? What are you dissatisfied with? Why are you behaving like a child who hasn’t been taught manners?”
Luelle unleashed her complaints like a machine gun.
She reached up on her tiptoes and pinched Siwoo’s cheeks.
Was he even aware that this was a light punishment, a result of her enduring, enduring, and enduring again?
If he were to smile wryly and apologize here, she had planned to brush off the series of rudeness as drunken banter.
“……”
However, despite Luelle giving him a chance to apologize and explain, he remained silent, not uttering a single word.
Seeing this, Luelle felt anger in two aspects.
“You are my royal consort and my dear friend. It is truly shameful. I do not expect you to have the manners of a noble. But, shouldn’t you at least observe the basics?”
This was the most outwardly apparent cause of her anger.
No matter how upset Luelle was with Siwoo, he was the royal consort of the Nukelavi Kingdom and Luelle’s lover.
She had already subtly bragged about him to Dorothy.
Like any woman boasting about her boyfriend, Luelle had wanted him to show a great image to Dorothy, her only other friend.
“I apologize.”
Luelle realized for the first time that when she was truly, truly angry, her tone became calm.
Even as she watched him bow his head in apology, her heart did not calm down in the slightest.
While the above reasons existed, the real reason Luelle was truly upset was due to a second reason hidden deeper within.
The previous Nukelavi was an exile.
In the rules made as they pleased by the cowards of Gehenna, the previous generation was thoroughly ostracized while receiving treatment befitting their achievements.
Furthermore, they were attacked by Duke Keter, the head of Gehenna, and suffered a major injury.
Although they survived with the help of the True Ancestor Witch, Luelle grew up watching her master suffer from the aftereffects of the battle.
The sight of her noble sea mother and kind teacher coughing up blood and sweating profusely every night instilled in Luelle a deep animosity towards Gehenna.
Even if the actions of the public figures were wicked, Luelle felt psychologically closer to the exiles and public figures.
At least they had never discriminated against or harmed her teacher.
“Tell me the reason.”
After hesitating for a while, Siwoo opened his mouth heavily.
“I do not trust public figures.”
And his answer, as expected, touched upon Luelle’s hidden anger.
She knew where Siwoo’s attitude stemmed from.
He was from Gehenna, and at the same time, he had a Gehenna witch as his lover.
Until now, she hadn’t paid much attention to it, but his outright rejection of Dorothy overlapped with the hypocrites who had made her teacher lonely and miserable.
“Dorothy is not only my friend but also a close acquaintance of the previous generation. Are you saying you will reject her simply because she is a public figure?”
“Yes.”
-Slap!
With a dry sound, Luelle’s hand, swung sharply, struck Siwoo’s cheek.
Luelle was startled by the unexpected pain in her palm and the loud sound.
Seeing Siwoo’s head slightly turned, her heart ached and her nose twitched, but more than that, her dissatisfaction and resentment towards him surged.
She didn’t know how bad public figures were or how bad exiles were.
But seeing his actions, as if he was trying to return to Gehenna as soon as possible, and his attitude towards Dorothy, a sudden anxiety arose.
It was an anxiety about how Siwoo viewed Luelle.
“Your Majesty, I have met three public figures so far.”
In front of Luelle, who was almost about to cry, Siwoo spoke calmly.
Luelle raised her head to look at Siwoo.
“Except for one, they were all really insane bitches. It was natural to almost die, and I suffered a lot of hardships.”
“…I don’t want to hear it.”
Tears finally trickled down Luelle’s face.
In fact, Siwoo didn’t know why Luelle was reacting so strongly.
He was aware that Luelle had an aversion to Gehenna witches, but he had not heard the detailed reasons.
However, seeing her tearful face with such a sorrowful expression, he didn’t think it was due to a minor matter.
“Even if she is Your Majesty’s acquaintance, I found it difficult to trust her, given that she is a public figure.”
As he slightly opened his arms, Luelle hugged him, wrapping her arms around his waist as if she had been waiting for it.
Clinging tightly, she began to speak as if mumbling.
“Dorothy is not a bad witch. Didn’t I also believe in you unconditionally, who became my friend?”
“Yes, I am truly grateful for that.”
“Then, couldn’t you also trust Dorothy? We have been playing together since we were apprentice witches, though we haven’t met since I inherited the throne.”
As he listened to her lament, he patted her back.
It seemed that she had regained some stability just from that, as her breathing became even.
“I understand why Your Majesty is upset. But, as of now, I have some questions. Could I have a conversation with her alone?”
“A conversation?”
“Talking might clear up misunderstandings, and maybe we can even get along well.”
Luelle, who had been staring blankly at Siwoo, widened her eyes and her face brightened.
She hadn’t expected him to say that.
“Is there a need for it to be just the two of you? No, do as you wish.”
Luelle, who had been puzzled, jumped up and down with joy.
Dorothy was someone she couldn’t trust at all just because she was a public figure, but seeing Luelle so happy, he thought a conversation would be okay.
“Then, I would be grateful if you could give me about 30 minutes.”
“Yes, yes. She is a surprisingly humorous friend, so take this opportunity to get to know her.”
“I will go in.”
As he bowed and was about to turn around, his sleeve was suddenly pulled.
“Siwoo.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I am sorry for slapping your cheek. I was upset because it seemed like you didn’t understand my feelings at all. I will never lay a hand on you again.”
He gently stroked Luelle’s head as she hesitated and apologized.
“It’s okay. I get my butt spanked a lot too.”
“H-How dare you!”
He threw a light joke at Luelle, whose face was turning as red as an apple, and then returned to the Molt Bar.
2.
Alright, then.
It was time for a one-on-one with a disgustingly uncomfortable opponent.
Luelle was so upset that he had let it slide, but he still had no trust in Dorothy.
Luelle was naturally naive and trusting of others.
As she had said, hadn’t she given Siwoo, who had no particular connection to her, all sorts of things?
Therefore, for Luelle’s sake, he had to take on the share of vigilance that she lacked.
“You came alone? Where did the Queen go?”
Dorothy, leaning her elbow on the Molt Bar and swirling her glass, turned her pale silver eyes towards Siwoo through the gaps in her languidly drooping eyes.
Compared to Bianca and Aea, who had quite dirty-looking eyes, she had a smooth yet sophisticated impression.
If it weren’t for the nun’s habit she was wearing, one could believe she was a Hollywood actress.
Her acting was terrible, but she was so pretty that she appeared as a figurehead in this movie and that movie.
Moreover, her voluptuous figure, which couldn’t be hidden by her loose-fitting clothes.
Her breasts, which were almost resting on the table, were as large as Sophia’s.
“The Queen went to see a movie. She asked me to have a private conversation with you.”
He pulled a chair next to her and sat down with a thud.
She gave a puzzled smile, as if surprised, and then rested her chin on her hand.
This was also an angle and pose often seen in American dramas.
“Weren’t you supposed to hate me as much as the CEO of a tobacco company?”
“I was ordered to get along with you.”
As she pushed the rocks glass with her fingertip, it slid along the long bar table and was delivered to Siwoo.
“I put a very deadly poison in it~”
She seemed to be joking, but it was unsettling.
“You’re suddenly talking casually.”
“Originally~ I don’t do honorifics. How about we drop the formalities to get closer?”
“No, thank you.”
It didn’t seem like she had actually put poison in it, so he wet his lips and asked directly.
“What is your relationship with Her Majesty?”
“How boring~ Is this an interrogation right away?”
“Let’s call it a process of getting to know each other.”
“I’m her friend’s daughter. I used to play with her a lot~ too.”
Certainly, judging by Luelle’s reaction, it seemed like she had treated her very well.
“How did you get here? It seems like Her Majesty has been hiding away since the succession.”
The previous Nukelavi had made many arrangements for Luelle.
Not only the ordeal, but also after moving the location of the existing workshop, that is, the large passenger ship, they concealed it with magic and issued guidelines to prevent contact with the outside until Luelle completed the ordeal.
“I was leisurely~ taking a vacation on a cruiser when I saw an Akula crew member, you know?”
A crew member?
Not long ago, Luelle had sent the deck officer to a nearby beach to send Siwoo’s message to the present world.
It was a slim chance, but if they had encountered each other then, it made sense.
“Did you come all the way here chasing after a crew member?”
“That friend~ hadn’t been in contact for a while. I just wanted to see their face after a long~ time. I had a hunch, but I didn’t know she would inherit the throne without saying anything~.”
“It seems like you didn’t gain much trust?”
While inwardly understanding, the words he tossed out were a provocation that would have earned him a scolding if Luelle had been listening.
It was a kind of sarcasm, implying, ‘Isn’t it obvious that you weren’t told because you would target Luelle, who had just inherited the throne?’
Dorothy covered her mouth and giggled.
“Do you think you can expose my evil nature~ by doing that?”
Her reaction was so nonchalant that it was almost shameless.
Her calm and collected attitude, as if she had nothing to hide, was even embarrassing.
“The Gehenna scholars are different, but~ hiding a witch who has inherited the throne in the present world is the most basic thing~ I don’t feel particularly resentful towards Shalit~”
“……”
“Still, one of the few friends I had has disappeared.”
Dorothy showed a lonely profile and refilled her glass.
“Shall we have a toast? For the friend who fulfilled their mission and departed.”
Siwoo hesitated, but he felt uncomfortable refusing even that.
What was so difficult about a toast?
As they lightly clinked glasses, Dorothy chuckled and downed her drink.
