City ​​of Witches 733

Chapter 733 – #157_Healing (2)

#733

1.
Rinne, who had told him to wait a moment, headed to the first floor with Yebin.
She had strictly told them not to come out.
It was a bit longer than a moment.
While he was waiting quietly, not knowing what was going on, Rinne returned.

She was holding a tiered food box, commonly seen in Japanese restaurants.

“What is this?”

Siwoo had looked into Rinne’s subconscious, but those memories were mostly limited to her unhappy past.
Therefore, he didn’t realize that it was eel rice and kimosui.

“Open it.”

After going around and around, Rinne’s handmade, heartfelt bride’s eel rice was finally in Siwoo’s hands.

“Wow.”

Siwoo couldn’t help but be amazed when he opened the lid.

As soon as the lid was opened, the fragrant scent of straw fire stimulated his nose.
The eel, with its fine bones carefully removed and cut, was beautifully made up with a sweet and salty soy sauce.

Just looking at it made it look very appetizing.
However, the plating neatly finished the eel rice, which could have looked too greasy and heavy at first glance.

Finely chopped burdock and perilla, and ginger pickled in red vinegar.
The colorfulness, like looking at a garden in the late autumn with fallen leaves, carefully took care of the visual appeal.

“It’s really pretty.”
“Is it?”

Rinne answered indifferently and poured kimosui and green tea into the teacups she had brought with her.

As you know, spirits don’t necessarily need to eat or drink.
The only food she had eaten while living under Rinne, a strict ascetic, was the Moscow Mule she had drunk at the Dignity Down bar.

From that point of view, how could one not be impressed by the outstanding appearance of the eel, which seemed to be bursting with umami?

“It looks delicious.”
“Eat comfortably.”

Rinne, who originally only used chopsticks in traditional Japanese cuisine, even handed over a spoon for her Korean husband.
She pulled a chair next to him and sat down to watch Siwoo eat.

“……”

And then she looked at him with an almost burdensome gaze.
Siwoo, who felt burdened by it, was about to suggest that they eat together without thinking, but then he realized.

And then he made up his mind.
It was a topic that was difficult to bring up suddenly, and the meal would come first.

“Thank you for the meal.”
“Wait.”
“Yes?”

Just as he was about to take the first bite, Rinne intervened.
And with slow but very skillful hands, Rinne took the spoon from Siwoo’s hand.
After a moment of thought, she scooped a spoonful of eel and rice evenly.

Surprisingly, the head of the spoon was pointing at Siwoo’s mouth.

“Say ‘ah’.”
“Ah?”

Siwoo, still unable to keep up with the situation due to the gap Rinne had shown, opened his mouth.
Rinne fed him the rice.

It was delicious.

The texture of the warm, fluffy rice and the eel, which felt bouncy the moment he chewed it.
As he savored the harmony of the seasoning, which brought out the maximum umami without being too sweet or salty, and the charcoal fire, the overflowing eel juice and oil coated his tongue smoothly.

At the same time, the acidity of the pickled ginger, which popped between the rice grains, neutralized the greasiness without him even feeling it.

Even in the bewildering situation, the excellent taste was not dulled in the slightest.

“This is kimosui. It’s a clear broth made from the eel’s liver, so enjoy it together.”
“Ah, yes, yes, thank you.”

After he had chewed and swallowed it all, Rinne handed him a teacup with sprouts and enoki mushrooms floating in it.
The base was salt.
Unlike the eel rice, it had almost no oil, and the clean and refreshing taste was superb.

“This is also delicious.”
“Is it?”

Only after seeing Rinne, who had neatly rolled up her sleeves and was grabbing the spoon again, did Siwoo fully grasp the current situation.

Isn’t this exactly that?
The ‘mother bird feeding’ method, which even the most lovey-dovey couples wouldn’t easily attempt.
Rinne was doing that to Siwoo.

“Here, ah.”

It wasn’t that he disliked it, but it was very burdensome.
Besides, even though there was no one around to watch, the embarrassment was Siwoo’s.

“Master, it’s okay. I can do it myself.”
“I will do it.”
“No, it’s because I’m uncomfortable.”

In the end, he politely declined after eating the second bite.
It felt like he would get indigestion if he ate a whole meal like this.

“…I understand.”

But the confirmation of Rinne’s shocking behavior didn’t end there.

“It’s the first dish I’ve made for you, so I wanted to serve it to you myself.”
“Were you always good at cooking?”
“I learned it recently.”
“……”

Is this really the same person?

Again, even though Siwoo had come to understand Rinne better, and even though he had heard her say that she would serve him as her husband, these actions could not be understood immediately.

The last image he had seen was of Rinne in a cold, frosty glare, in her scolding mode.
And the image he had seen the most was of Rinne in her Yaksha mode, beating Siwoo to a pulp in the training grounds.

If she were to serve him a homemade meal and even try to feed him by hand as soon as they met again, wouldn’t it be natural that he couldn’t adapt?

“I learned that it’s better to leave about a third and eat it with green tea.”

After listening to a lecture on how to eat eel rice deliciously to the end, the meal was over.

2.
It wasn’t what Rinne had intended to show, but Siwoo had unintentionally dug into her secret.
Then it was time for Siwoo to reveal the facts he had been hiding as well.

“Master, actually, there’s one more lie I told.”
“Tell me.”
“It’s about the magic amplification during intercourse.”

This was not to satisfy his desires.
It wasn’t just because of his guilty conscience about the deception.

Rinne was born with the curse of deficiency, and this curse was engraved on her stigma.

If he used the Magic Stick, which was known for its ability to heal stigmas, at least…
Perhaps he could release the collar that Rinne had been wearing since she became an apprentice witch? That was the idea.

It was too sad that she couldn’t feel anything even after eating a homemade eel rice, and that she couldn’t get any sense of reality other than becoming stronger.

Even if Siwoo couldn’t release her collar, it wouldn’t be a loss.

Rinne’s magic power, which had been greatly depleted during the fierce battle with Lydia, would be restored.
And Siwoo would be able to learn a new one of her magnetic magic.
It was a win-win choice where he had nothing to lose.

“Tell me.”

Seeing Rinne’s ears perk up, the warmth he had built up with the meal turned cold.

“Actually…”

Even knowing that, the reason he had postponed it until after the meal was…
He was actually a little scared.

Until now, Siwoo had been hiding the conditions for magic amplification in order to lower his value in any way possible.
As a result, Rinne had to do all sorts of shameful things in front of Siwoo.

If she found out that the above results were due to deception, he was a little, no, very worried that Rinne might get really angry.

“Before that, there’s something I want to say first.”
“Yes, please do.”
“I have stated that I want to serve you as my husband. But I haven’t received an answer. I know I can’t force you.”

She was saying it as if it was nothing, but he could tell.

“I will be a more obedient wife than anyone else. I will make you my other half, and I will become your other half, and I will serve you as my husband until death do us part.”

Rinne was very nervous right now.

“I may not be able to give you a healthy son because I am a witch, but I will dedicate myself to filling that void, and if there are any shortcomings, I will try harder.”
“……”

Because her eyes, which had always looked straight ahead, were wandering here and there without composure.
This was a process for Rinne to confirm her confession.

And as you know, it was a question that Siwoo couldn’t answer right away.

“So please, I hope you will become my family.”

At this moment, Rinne’s gaze was fixed straight on him.
But Siwoo couldn’t answer immediately.

“I… I don’t think I can answer you right now.”

Because just as the Rinne that Siwoo knew and the real Rinne were not the same person.
The Siwoo that Rinne knew and the real Shin Siwoo were practically different people.
There were still many things he hadn’t said, and many things he had intentionally deceived her about.

Would it be anything more than a scammer’s act to just take Rinne away like this?
He had to reveal the truth first.

“First of all, I haven’t lived a life pursuing only strength… and I don’t particularly like fighting.”
“I know.”

Rinne answered immediately without hesitating, but…

“I have many lovers in Gehenna. I still love Duke Tiferet as well. I have to go back to Gehenna.”

Rinne hesitated a little at this part.
But she nodded after finding an answer that she could understand on her own in a short time.

“It doesn’t matter.”
“I’m not sure if it’s a problem that can be easily asserted like that…”
“Do you give your lovers different levels of love?”

Different levels of love?
That was not the case.
His lovers, who were waiting anxiously in Gehenna, were all precious without exception.
As Periwinkle had advised, they were lovers he would love without reservation for all of eternity.

“I guess not. If I can receive the same affection as him, I’m happy to be a concubine. I won’t try to bind you or restrain you. I’ll be happy just to see you come to visit me sometimes.”
“Then, can I tell you what I was going to say earlier, and then ask if you still feel the same way?”
“Okay.”

Finally, Siwoo was able to reveal all the secrets he had been keeping inside.
Just as he was shrinking his shoulders, worried that he might receive a huge amount of criticism.

“I see.”

Rinne nodded even more calmly than she had with the kimosui she had eaten earlier.

She didn’t seem to be angry about being deceived.
At the same time, she didn’t seem to have high expectations about the possibility of the collar being released.

The former was probably because she had chosen the path of an obedient wife, as Rinne had said,
and the latter was probably because she thought it was a far-fetched story.

It was a collar that had tormented her for 400 years.
Rinne was a realist, so she couldn’t believe the fairy tale that her husband, who had suddenly appeared, would release that collar.

“I’ll just confirm one thing.”
“Yes.”
“Even so, is it your preference to have somewhat violent and perverted sex?”
“Um…”

It was slightly off the mark, but he closed his mouth at the words he couldn’t deny.
Rinne didn’t scold or ridicule him for that.

“I am the same.”

She just slowly loosened her clothes and took off her kimono.

“I felt the greatest pleasure on the last night when you overpowered me and made unreasonable demands.”

Siwoo swallowed a mouthful of air.
Because he could see the sticky fluid flowing between Rinne’s smooth, pale, and soft thighs.

“And just being alone with you in a room makes me like this.”

Rinne, who was taking off her panties, which had become useless by sticking to her mound because there was so much fluid, was trying to pretend to be her usual expressionless and calm self, but…
Her face had turned so red that her neck and chest were pink, and she said as if she was crawling into a hole.

“If you’ve finished your meal… please eat me for dessert.”

Rinne’s coquetry, with even the closing line perfect.
It was the honorific speech declaration that Siwoo had ordered before.