City of Witches
chapter-297

1.

“Ugh… .”

Thanks to Eloa waking up late, their visit to the Gemini Mansion was significantly delayed.

Siwoo knew that the twins were filthy rich, but this was his first visit to their mansion, so he ended up being awestruck by its grandeur.

The place seemed like somewhere that a Hollywood star or a world-famous athlete would live in if they lived in the Victorian Era.

As they followed the butler who came out to greet them, it took them over ten minutes by carriage to just go through the garden and reach the main building from the front gate.

“Wow, this is even more amazing than I expected…”

However, the main reason why both Siwoo and Eloa looked as if their souls were being sucked wasn’t because they were overwhelmed by the size of the mansion.

Sure, the mansion was amazing and all, but the main cause was the thing that happened earlier this morning.

Right after they finished their late breakfast and headed downstairs, they were greeted by a shocking scene.

Compared to yesterday, there were ten times more witches lounging around in the first floor of the inn.

‘Oh, there he is!’

‘Is that really him? The male who possesses a brand?’

‘Really? That’s him?’

As soon as they saw Siwoo and Eloa, they dropped their forks and knives and rushed over.

They were acting like crazed fans running at celebrities outside a TV station, prompting the pair to make a hasty retreat.

But that didn’t calm things down for them.

The rumor of Siwoo being in the Border Town spread like wildfire overnight, so there were a bunch of witches gathering around the portal all day.

At this point, even the music box became meaningless.

‘Come with me, I’ll give you lots of gift~’

‘Can I spend some quality time with you~?’

Not only were they flirting with him…

‘Please help me with my research!’

Some of them downright went full psycho on him, like asking to study his body was the least creepy proposal of the bunch.

‘Enough of this!’

Even after they scattered like spiderlings at Eloa’s shout, a new batch of witches would soon gather again. The chase only ended when they finally reached the Gemini Mansion.

“I can’t even go outside…”

“Yes… You might need to hide away for a bit…”

Eloa nodded as she sunk her body into the backrest of the carriage.

Even the mighty Duchess seemed extremely exhausted after all that.

At that moment…

-Clip-clop, clip-clop!

The sound of hooves approaching from afar.

Soon, they heard a pair of chirpy voices.

“Mr. Assistant!”

“Mr. Assistant!!”

Of course Siwoo knew whose voices these were.

The twins, who quickly came up and circled the carriage like a pair of hunters surrounding their game.

“Seems like they came to welcome you.”

“Why don’t you go on ahead, Master? I’ll say hello to them.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Siwoo parted with Eloa and got out of the carriage.

The twins, sitting side-saddle on the saddles that were designed for women—they allowed them to gather one of their legs and ride diagonally—looked at Siwoo with eyes full of excitement.

By the way, Odile was riding a black horse and Odette was riding a white one.

Both horses had shiny-looking coats, and with how sparkly their hair looked, it seemed like they used better shampoo than Siwoo.

““Mr. Assistant!!””

“Careful! You might get hurt!”

As soon as they saw him, the twins jumped off their horses and threw themselves into his arms.

Then they started to greet him excitedly, like puppies greeting their owner after a long time apart. From the look of it, they were ready to lick his face.

“Mr. Assistant, we’ve missed you so much! We heard that you were in serious trouble back in the Modern World?”

“Why didn’t you come to our mansion immediately? Right, I’ve been practicing my shooting so hard since the last time!”

“Right! Next time trouble comes to you, talk to us before you do anything else!”

“Also, why didn’t you tell us that you’re going to come today? You’re so mean!”

Their barrages of hugs, kisses, and cheek smooches left him overwhelmed.

“Whoa, whoa, can you not hang off my neck like that?”

“What?! Can’t we do this much at least?! Why don’t you seem happy to see us?!”

“Is there someone else you want to see more than us?!”

Though he was really glad to see them both, he was planning to meet Sharon first.

It wasn’t because he favored her more than them or anything.

The reason behind Sharon’s severe injury was because she was trying to protect the powerless Siwoo from a Homunculus.

He was incredibly worried about her health, considering that the last time he saw her, she was still in a coma.

At that moment, Odile noticed something over Siwoo’s shoulder.

Their Sharon unnie running towards them from afar.

Since Siwoo’s back was facing her, he hadn’t spotted her yet.

Nevertheless, he was dead set to meet up with Sharon first, so he was just about to excuse himself from the twins to do just that, but…

A hint of sweet and fresh body scent, the Gemini Family’s unique perfume, reached his nose.

He could feel a pair of soft lips suddenly being pressed against his.

Overlapping his, as if they were trying to apply their lip gloss on his.

Before he could react, a tiny, playful tongue slipped between his lips, entering his mouth.

“Mm?”

“Mmm…mmm…”

“W-Wait, Sis?! I want to do it too!”

The moment Odile saw Sharon was coming, she immediately gave Siwoo a kiss, then clung tightly to him.

She knew that if she didn’t do it now, it would be Sharon who’d get the first reunion kiss.

Of course, her desire to prove that she was the one Siwoo truly cared about also drove her to do this.

Realizing that they were right in the middle of the Gemini Mansion’s garden, Siwoo quickly pulled away from Odile.

He glanced nervously at the mansion’s windows, praying that the Countess hadn’t seen them.

A chill ran down his spine.

“Ms. Odile, please don’t do this out in the open like this…”

Despite his reasonable argument, Odile pushed back a stray lock of hair, put her hands on her hips and made a declaration.

Her cheeks were blushing, adorning the color of a fresh peach as she did so.

“I don’t care about what other people think anymore! Besides, all of our personal maids already know about this!”

“Me too! I also want a kiss!”

Meanwhile, Odette was hopping around, pleading for a kiss from him.

Knowing that she wouldn’t yield unless he’d do what she asked, Siwoo gave her a quick kiss too.

“H-Hehe… It’s been a while, so I’m a little nervous…”

Odette blushed as she said those words, showing a shy, yet joyful expression.

If the kiss with Odile was like a fierce battle, the kiss with Odette was like giving a princess a first kiss out of love, making Siwoo forget about the situation momentarily, leaving him feeling awkward.

“After what we’ve been doing, what’s the use of acting like that?”

“You just don’t understand romance, Sis!”

“That’s not true! My heart rate shot up to 300 beats per minute in a split second!”

“Alright, you two, cut it out.”

As the twins started fussing over something irrelevant, Siwoo tried to calm them down.

They were just about to get into a catfight as usual, but when they saw him, they immediately pulled him over for a tight hug.

Seeing him made them realize how much they missed him, since he was the one who’d always stop their bickering.

“Mr. Assistant, I missed you…”

“Me too, Mr. Assistant…”

“I missed you both as well, Ms. Odile, Ms. Odette.”

Feeling the warmth of their heartfelt welcome, Siwoo took hold of the reins of their horses and headed towards the main building.

“...”

Odile, seated skillfully on her horse while being escorted by Siwoo, took a glance back. Now, she couldn’t see Sharon anywhere in the vicinity.

This might have been cowardly, but…

“All is fair in love and war.”

“Huh?”

Odile muttered to herself, but Siwoo couldn’t quite make out what exactly did she just say.

She didn’t bother to elaborate either and instead urged him forward casually.

“It’s nothing. Anyway, let’s hurry up, Mr. Assistant! I’ve planned out a picnic for us!”

2.

Sharon slammed the door shut.

After the class was over, as soon as she heard that Siwoo had arrived, she dashed out to meet him.

At this point, she had completely forgotten about her agreement with Albireo to ‘keep her distance from Siwoo’.

When she hurried over, she saw the twins, who had arrived on horsebacks before her, were already with Siwoo.

Then, the sudden kiss from Odile and Odette came, throwing her for a loop and triggered some memories.

First…

She was shocked to see how close the twins’ relationship to Siwoo was.

Second…

She had just remembered the condition that Albireo had stated in their contract due to her overwhelming joy of Siwoo’s return.

Even until now, she still hadn’t figured out the exact boundaries that she had to keep.

“Haah…”

Sharon sighed heavily.

When she was bickering about Siwoo with the twins, she genuinely thought that this whole thing wasn’t a big deal.

She was sure that even if they were to spend more time with him, they still wouldn’t be able to steal him away from her.

That was why she strengthened her resolve to stand beside him as his equal, so that she wouldn’t rely on him too much.

But, the sight of the twins kissing him shook her resolve.

With her resolve pretty much gone at this point and Albireo’s condition lingering in the back of her mind, her steps felt heavy, as if she was shackled.

She couldn’t bring herself to welcome Siwoo anymore.

“Why…didn’t he tell me…?”

Didn’t he tell me that his relationship with those two are more like siblings than anything?

But, what kind of siblings greet each other with a full-on french kiss?

“Are you trying to pick a fight with all the siblings in this world…?!”

Sharon clenched her fist, expressing her frustration and sadness about Siwoo.

But all those feelings soon turned into self-loathe.

Because she realized that, objectively speaking, she was lacking in almost every way compared to the twins.

Money?

She only needed to take a look at the villa she had been using as her accommodation. It would take her unimaginable amount of time to buy something that was similar to this.

In fact, it might take her more than a year just to buy a single chandelier in the lobby.

Rank?

Unless she moved up two ranks within the next few years, she’d be left behind by them eventually.

Numbers?

Unlike her, who was alone, going with the twins was like a ‘buy one, get one free’ deal.

Social status?

While the name Evergreen was respected academically in traditional elemental magic, the Geminis held a more prominent position due to their status as a Countess Household.

Charm?

Though she confidently showed her body off in front of the twins earlier today, they weren’t lacking in appearance.

In fact, they had a cute charm that she could never replicate.

Even if she counted this one as a draw, the result was still her crushing defeat.

She let out a sigh at her own pathetic self for being so smug when she teased the twins about her having slightly larger breasts.

If they were to inherit their brands in the future, and if they could maintain a close relationship with him until then, it would be a great help to him as well, no?

She agreed with Albireo’s words regarding that.

I mean, I can go outside and ask any witches on the street, which one of us would be more helpful to him. A hundred out of a hundred would definitely choose the twins…

No, I can’t do this…

I can’t do this anymore…

Sharon opened a bottle of liquor from the cupboard and poured herself a drink.

”I can’t let you go…like this... I prayed… through the nights... But if I can’t… love you anymore…”

Singing the song she sang together with Siwoo at the coin karaoke, she took a sip of the alcohol in her hand.

At that moment, the door burst open and someone came in.

“Sharon, I’m here!”

She flinched like a startled fox at Siwoo’s sudden voice and tried to hide.

Well, she tried to, but Siwoo opened the door already and walked in.

“...”

Before this, he had ignored the twins’ grumbling and went straight to see Sharon.

What he saw inside was Sharon with the closet door halfway open, about to step inside.

It definitely wasn’t the kind of reunion he had anticipated.

“What are you doing there?”

“...I-I was looking for something inside the closet…”

“...You need to go inside to find it? What is it?”

“Y-Yeah, u-um… W-What was it that I wanted to search again? Ugh… I-It’s so hot over here…”

Fanning her flushed face, Sharon slowly stepped out of the closet.

It was only then that Siwoo was able to take in her appearance after such a long time.

He couldn’t believe how relieved he felt to see her again.

Her flowing, lustrous hair, the perfect blend of emerald green and deep green.

The mint-colored eyes that were moist, glistened, contrasting with her outwardly cold demeanor.

Even in his dreams, he was tormented by the image of her being pierced by a harpoon as she tried to save him.

Now that he saw her safe and sound directly, his emotions surged and tears threatened to flow out of his eyes.

“S-Siwoo…! Mmh!”

Siwoo strode over and hugged Sharon tightly, before immediately kissing her.

In other words, this was the three-second kiss at the doorstep!

Sharon’s body turned stiff as it inexplicably trembled, then she started to lose her strength like a captured prey and leaned her weight against his broad chest.

“Mm…m…!”

At first, it seemed like she was resisting.

But, that impression was completely gone within three seconds of the start of the kiss.

Sharon continued to kiss him, wrapping her arms around his waist as if she was saying that she’d give him all of her.

It was only when their excitement peaked and their breathing became so fast that they could hardly catch their breath that they finally pulled apart.

They had only been kissing for a bit, but Sharon’s face was already a mess due to her tears.

“Hic…sniff… Siwoo… I missed you…”

“I missed you too. Are you hurt anywhere? Feeling better now?”

“Y-Yeah… Waah…! I-I’m okay now… I-I even got my rank back… waaah…!”

“Jeez, look at your face, it’s a mess and a half.”

“S-Stop…making fun of me…! Waah!”

She continued to cry into his chest. Her sobs were so intense that Siwoo grew worried that she wouldn’t be able to breathe.

The longing she felt for him, as well as the anxiety that she might become distant from him…

And the trivial question of who between her and the twins were better suited to be by his side…

None of those mattered for her at that moment.