Chapter 188
Chapter 188
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Twin Rush (2)
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“........”
“........”
In Sharon's life, if she had to pick the most awkward moment she'd ever endured, it would hands-down be right now.
Sitting side by side on the sofa, the apprentice witches from the Gemernai Countess family stared at her with unblinking eyes.
Those four eyes poured down on Sharon without a single gap, like the relentless rain falling outside the window.
The Countess of Gemernai at least had some distinction—her older sister with black personal colors, her younger with white.
But these twins were identical down to the tiniest detail, indistinguishable from one another, and so breathtakingly beautiful that they sent chills down her spine, like gazing at ghosts.
If they're going to stare like that, at least say something...
Ever since Deneb and Siwoo had stepped out together, the twins hadn't uttered a word. They just sat there, gazing intently.
“Um... should I cut up some more fruit?”
Sharon finally mustered the courage to speak.
Once again, their eyes fixed on her in unison.
She wanted to cry.
Why are they staring like that?
“Yes, thank you.”
“I like apples.”
After what felt like an eternity, came their reply.
As Sharon headed to the kitchen, she glanced back—the twins were still boring holes into her with their stares.
Hurrying into the kitchen, Sharon muttered to herself.
“What the heck is this...”
She already knew Siwoo was an honored guest of the Gemernai Countess family.
He carried their signet ring, and she'd heard how he'd casually saved an apprentice witch from peril.
Witches inside Gehenna rarely let apprentice witches venture outside, so the fact that these two had come all this way just to see Siwoo spoke volumes about how close they must be.
“Could it be...?”
Could one of them be among the girls Siwoo had kissed?
Like an ex giving the side-eye to the current girlfriend?
Trained by countless romance movies, Sharon whipped up a dramatic scenario on the spot.
What should she do?
Was she really going to lose Siwoo just like that?
Sharon prettily sliced the fruit and returned to the living room.
“See... but... ... ...... Ah..”
“No, Sis... ..... It can't be....”
The twins, who had been sitting primly like dolls, were now whispering to each other.
As Sharon approached, they snapped back to their original pose, pretending nothing had happened.
Curiosity burned about their conversation, but Sharon played it cool and set down the fruit.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
The twins politely bowed their heads.
One of them speared an apple slice with a long, thin fork and popped it into her mouth before suddenly speaking up.
“Witch, may I have your name?”
“Oh, I'm Sharon Evergreen.”
Strictly speaking, in the witch society's hierarchy, Sharon outranked these mere apprentice witches.
But reality hit harder than titles—Sharon was drowning in 58 billion in debt, while the twins were daughters of her creditor.
Who knew?
These sweet-looking girls might run to the Gemernai Countess in a huff, crying, “Confiscate that wicked woman's entire fortune, Master!”
Naturally, Sharon shrank back.
“I'm Odile.”
“I'm Odette.”
“It's so nice to meet you.”
Finally, a conversation had begun.
Sharon was overjoyed.
No more enduring that awkward, suffocating, incomprehensible silence.
“So, what’s your relationship with our assistant?”
“Do you live here together?”
But the twins' questions made Sharon realize the silence had been preferable.
This wasn't chit-chat; it was an interrogation.
“Well, I had nowhere to go, so Siwoo...”
“Siwoo?”
“Siwoo?”
“Yes, um, he... provides me room and board, and in return, I teach him magic. That's the arrangement.”
Her casual use of his name drew immediate pushback, confirming Sharon's suspicions.
Siwoo and the twins were no ordinary acquaintances.
“...So you're his girlfriend? Like, his lover?”
“Ah, no.”
Strictly speaking, they'd done this and that, but they weren't officially dating, so Sharon answered honestly.
“See, Sis? I told you so.”
“Odette, is that really the point right now?”
“Who was it who said that was the most important thing just a minute ago?”
“No? I just said I'd feel a little betrayed by the assistant if it were that kind of relationship. You're twisting my words, Odette.”
“You're just mad because you lost the bet, aren't you, Sis? You always do this.”
And just like that, the twins erupted into a squabble, leaving Sharon stunned.
She'd braced for something vicious like, “Heh, you owe our family a fortune, don't you? Unless you want it doubled, stay away from our darling!” or “That vixen trying to seduce Siwoo when he's vulnerable?”
Instead, they were bickering like cats and dogs out of nowhere.
“While we're on the topic, your idea was terrible, Odette! The assistant barely even flinched!”
“But your plan to hide in a giant gift box and jump out was even stupider!”
“Stupid? You hack who can't even cast spells as well as me!”
“You're the one acting like a child who can't accept defeat!”
“Um, g-girls, calm down.”
It was their usual cute spat, but new to Sharon, who jumped in to mediate.
The twins turned to her in unison.
Their eyes weren't seeking peace—they wanted a judge to declare a winner.
“Who do you think is at fault, Miss Evergreen?”
“Sis is the weird one, obviously?”
“Y-Yes?”
As Sharon floundered in confusion, Siwoo returned.
2.
Deneb's unexpected departure.
Impressed by how much trust she'd placed in him, Siwoo headed home.
“Huh?”
He'd expected chaos in the living room, but it was quiet as a temple.
Stepping inside, he saw the twins sitting demurely and Sharon frozen in an awkward pose.
Their eyes met, and Sharon shot him a desperate SOS.
That look was one Siwoo often wore whenever the twins went off the rails.
He got the picture.
They'd been arguing noisily until Master returned, then clammed up.
Odette turned slowly and scampered over.
“Assistant! Where's Master?”
“Something came up, so she had to head out for a bit.”
“Whoa!”
“Really?”
With that, the twins shed their apprentice witch masks.
Odile vaulted off the sofa like she was doing a flip, while Odette covered her mouth in delight right there on the spot.
Who knew raising daughters was this pointless? Siwoo was learning the hard way.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! So when's Master coming back?”
“I didn't hear that far. Probably by tomorrow... Gah!”
Siwoo's words cut off as Odile body-slammed into him with a full-body tackle, having launched straight from the sofa.
“Assistaaaant! I missed you so much! Like, soooo much!”
“O... Odile...”
Siwoo's face turned blue from the knee to his gut, but Odette joined the frenzy too, shoving and pulling at his arms as he barely held Odile up.
“Sis! Cheater, always hogging him! Assistant! I missed you too!”
“Y-Yeah... Odile, could you... get down first?”
“Oh! Sorry. I was bummed earlier—Master was here, so I couldn't even greet you properly.”
“Little Master is super sensitive about this stuff... We're not kids anymore!”
“Right, right!”
Odile hopped down from Siwoo's arms and unleashed a torrent of words.
Odette chimed in from the side, of course.
“How've you been, Assistant?”
“Nothing bad happened, right?”
“You didn't forget about us?”
“I was shocked thinking you might dump us for a girlfriend!”
They rattled off stories: studying magic hard to come visit him, wrangling this trip as a birthday gift substitute, plotting sneaky ways to sneak into the present world.
And more.
Hmm.
The twins' high energy after so long lifted Siwoo's spirits.
During his five years as a slave, if he had to pick his best connection, it was hands-down these two bundles of sunshine.
Less than a year had passed, yet their eyes brimmed with teary joy at seeing him.
“It's so moving... I thought we'd be stuck apart for five whole years...”
“You at least got a date with him at the end, Sis! I... I didn't get anything!”
“You're still hung up on that?”
“You say it like it's no big deal! How do I just get over it?”
“Come on, calm down. You're so close—why fight every chance you get?”
“Odette starts it every day!”
“Sis starts it every day!”
“Hey now, that's no good.”
Just like in Gehenna, they devolved into bickering.
Siwoo chuckled wryly and intervened, earning grins from the twins, who would've dragged him into judging otherwise.
That's the smile they'd missed—that's why they'd come.
“It feels like a dream... I always wanted to see the present world... and with you here too.”
“Oh! Right! Assistant! The present world is full of the coolest, most amazing stuff! I studied up a bit to meet you, but it's still mind-blowing!”
“Yeah! Rode in a car for the first time today—impressive, but our carriage rides smoother.”
“The elevator was the coolest for me! Can I ride it again later? Where do I pay?”
Their chatter filled every silence.
Makes sense—lifelong Gehenna dwellers like Odile and Odette would find the modern world wondrous.
Just like Siwoo had been awed by magic when he first arrived.
No room to respond amid their nonstop barrage—it felt familiar.
“You seem thrilled. Makes me happy too.”
“You missed us too, right, Assistant?”
“Sis... why ask something so obvious?”
“Odette's right. I was always wondering how you've been.”
Odile and Odette hugged Siwoo's arms tight, pressing their soft cheeks to his chest and clutching his clothes like he might vanish.
The twins' way of showing affection was always physical.
After clinging to him for a while, they yawned in unison.
Glancing at the clock—4 a.m.
Apprentice witches' semi-materialized spirits needed sleep, unlike perfect spirits.
No wonder the hyper twins were fading.
Siwoo wanted to keep chatting, but Deneb had entrusted them to him—he'd handle it responsibly.
They kept his cushy life going, after all.
“It's late—shall we get some rest?”
“Already?”
“You look sleepy. Eyes all red.”
“They're red from being so happy to see you, Assistant. I yawned because Sis did.”
“No, I yawned because you did. I'm not sleepy at all!”
Stubborn as ever, but Siwoo knew how to handle them.
Or rather, they just obeyed him too well...
“I know a dessert shop you'd love. Sleeping in means less time there tomorrow. How about rest now, up early, and we go together?”
“Yay! But we sleep in the same bed?”
“Afraid not. Deneb warned me—any funny business, and we're toast. I'll take the sofa.”
Deneb hadn't said that, but it was the easiest way to convince them.
Still, after less than 30 minutes with their long-missed Assistant, the twins weren't ready to sleep.
“Assistant, we're not suggesting anything weird. Just sleeping in the same bed?”
“Yeah, we'll just hold hands beside you.”
“Even so, no can do. At least for tonight, please. What if Deneb checks and sees we slacked?”
Siwoo's firm refusal left them pouting, but they nodded.
It made sense.
And so, the twins bedded down in Siwoo's room while he crashed on the sofa.