Chapter 283
Chapter 283
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 283
Chapter Title: Sharon's Dilemma
-----------------------------------------------------------------
html, body { margin:0; padding:0; }
#63_막간(5)
#281
1.
"Could you please keep your distance from Siu?"
A moment ago, Sharon had been beaming at what was easily the most generous offer she could never have imagined.
Now her face hardened instantly.
It was a scene she'd never experienced herself, but it felt oddly familiar somehow.
Just like in some drama, where a scheming noblewoman offers money with, "Take this and break up with my son."
Of course, Siu wasn't Albireo's son, nor was Albireo his mother, but the resemblance was uncanny.
"...May I ask why first?"
To suddenly ask her to keep her distance...
Even someone as oblivious as Sharon could tell that Siu was close to the twin apprentice witches of the Jemernai family.
She'd even suspected they might be in an intimate relationship.
Wasn't that why she'd been so anxious when the twins showed up before?
Things had blown over without issue then, leaving her relieved, but now this out of nowhere—she could only blame her own complacency.
Albireo explained the situation in a calm tone.
"I think very highly of Siu. Considering his future prospects, the favors he's done me so far, and his character—yes. Ah, but not that I'm coveting him myself; I just want things to work out between him and our twins."
"Are you saying I'm in the way?"
Sharon's voice brimmed with anxiety.
Albireo didn't feel great watching her, like seeing a child robbed of her favorite doll.
But Sharon steeled herself quickly.
Without a hint of hesitation, she slid the contract back across the table.
"I'm sorry. I'm truly grateful for your help with my recovery and for making an offer I never even dreamed of. I won't forget this kindness."
"Hmm..."
"But... I can't accept the suggestion to stay away from Siu. I'm really sorry."
Albireo scanned the contract pushed toward her with her violet eyes.
She'd anticipated a refusal, but not one without even a moment's thought.
The offer was one any witch would find incredibly hard to turn down.
The current countess held the 21st hierarchy.
But that was only because she'd shared part of her stigma with the twins as vessels.
The twins were still naive and clueless now, but one day they'd inherit the Jemernai countess title at the 22nd hierarchy.
By rejecting the contract with Albireo, Sharon had just kicked away her chance to build ties with those twins.
And that wasn't all.
Sharon was drowning in debt.
In a world where money bred more money, scraping together that kind of sum without a penny to her name was no easy feat, even for a witch.
Finally, the recommendation letter for the Veritas Verinomen Conference and the introduction to Trinity Academy.
Letters like those weren't all that special on their own.
Any witch with decent connections in Gehenna could get one by buttering her up with fine liquor.
But stamped with the Jemernai seal? That changed everything.
Getting into the conference meant access to a wealth of research materials and support, courtesy of Duke Erelim's "generosity."
Entry to Trinity Academy would land her an immediate position as chief professor, regardless of any skill gaps, complete with access to rare tomes.
Sharon, hailing from Gehenna, knew exactly what the Jemernai family's overwhelming wealth meant in terms of "support."
Yet she'd refused flat-out.
"Sorry for intruding so late. I'll get ready to return to the present world now."
Albireo paused in thought as Sharon began gathering her things to leave.
Truth be told, she could pressure Sharon by force if she wanted.
Before starting their talk, Albireo had rummaged through Sharon's debt certificates for the first time in ages.
With no real collateral or credit, Sharon had been forced to sign documents riddled with predatory clauses just to borrow money.
She'd just finished her inheritance back then, lacking worldly experience—and options anyway.
Some clauses allowed creditors to demand full repayment if overdue by over ten years.
Others could be chained to inflate interest and principal at will.
She could call in the debt right now, slap her with bundles of cash as intimidation, and forcibly separate her from Siu against her will.
But Albireo had no intention of going that far.
Sharon had clearly supported Siu in the present world somehow; crushing her outright would be unjust.
It might even sow seeds for the twins to drift from Siu, making it shortsighted even pragmatically.
But she couldn't just let it be, either.
"Wait a moment."
Albireo lifted her wine glass and nodded to Sharon.
Sharon reluctantly sat back down.
"Hm, it seems you've misunderstood me a bit. I do tend to rush into the main point, which leads to these mix-ups sometimes."
"......"
Sharon eyed Albireo warily, suspicion unyielding.
"I don't believe people's hearts—especially emotions like love—move purely by calculation of gains and losses. If my proposal felt like a test of your feelings, I apologize."
Albireo bowed her head lightly to Sharon in sincere apology.
"That said, the twins are still children who don't know left from right. Sure, they're of age, but they look like kids to me. Their grasp of emotions is downright immature."
Albireo paused briefly.
"But you're not like that, are you, Miss Evergreen? You're an adult, fully aware of your own emotions."
The twins' feelings for Siu were mostly curiosity plus gratitude for saving their lives twice.
A blank slate, utterly lacking any manual on what true love meant or how to handle it.
"So when I asked you to keep your distance, it was to give the twins a chance too."
Especially since Albireo had deliberately kept the three apart, putting them at a disadvantage from the start.
She felt artificial intervention was needed to even the playing field.
"A chance?"
"Yes. Not to steal him away entirely—just enough distance for a fair competition, at least."
"I never had the right to that from the beginning... I can't control Siu's heart anyway..."
"Don't say that. I feel gratitude and respect toward you too, Miss Evergreen."
Frankly, picking apart Albireo's words revealed them as sophistry.
But that subtle shift in nuance dissolved any sense of brute pressure.
They were witches, but their life experiences differed vastly.
As Sharon's expression grew conflicted, Albireo moved to seal the deal.
"I'm not saying this to push you out or exclude you from the running. It's just a parent's plea for a little leeway with my deficient children."
"......"
"When the twins inherit the stigma someday, if you maintain a close relationship until then, wouldn't that be a huge boon for him? Surely a joyful prospect for you, who loves Siu."
This was the wedge Albireo had held back.
A statement that shook Sharon's heart profoundly.
Even without direct threats, hinting this much let her grasp the implication.
"If it's too sudden to decide now, take your time. Have a good night."
Albireo returned the contract to the dazed Sharon and left the room.
2.
"So depressing..."
Sharon sat on the bed, hugging her knees.
A blue melancholy spread through her chest like tangled stains.
Her head spun and heart ached, naturally conjuring one person's face.
"I miss him..."
She missed Siu.
Ten years of debt-collector harassment and beggar life had soured her on the present world.
Hostile, curt people everywhere, constant repayment pressure, an always-empty wallet...
No good memories there, no matter how she looked back.
That was why she'd resisted returning to Gehenna so fiercely.
But now, ensconced in Gehenna, she had no urge to visit the White Whale tavern in Tarot Town, sample Kipushi's cakes and cookies, or stroll the scenic paths of Lenormand Town.
Instead, her mind drifted to movies watched with Siu in their officetel, the bland beer that quenched her thirst back then.
Patrolling the night city with him under the guise of hunting homunculi—she missed the present world...
What a cruel joke.
But that wasn't the root of her gloom.
Siu would return eventually; she'd see his face then. They could visit the present world later.
Yet the countess's words nagged, preventing peace of mind.
'When the twins inherit the stigma someday, if you maintain a close relationship until then, wouldn't that be a huge boon for him?'
No malice there, but it chilled Sharon's head like an icy douse.
Until now, she'd only taken from Siu.
His money bought her food, his support gave her a comfy bed, even helped her overcome the imperfect inheritance hurdle.
But what had she given him in return?
Nothing.
She was a debtor, a 17th hierarchy witch.
Even promoted to 20th, standing tall before her master, she couldn't compare to the official heir of the Jemernai countess.
Was it truly right to cling to him, only to drag him down forever?
The adorable twins could help him far more than she ever could.
"......"
And it wasn't even full separation, was it?
Had it been, she'd have refused without a second thought.
But Albireo had given only vague boundaries, deepening her dilemma.
Perfectly inheriting the 20th didn't mean instant mastery.
To stop leaning on him and become no burden, accepting Albireo's offer was most realistic.
Then at least she could stand proudly beside him as an equal.
"What a joke..."
Sharon gave a bitter smile.
Dramas and movies were full of this trope.
The frustrating heroine sacrificing her happiness and love for her man's future.
As a third-party observer, it had always annoyed her.
What did some vague future matter? What about prospects?
If being together made you happy, wasn't that enough? She'd pounded her chest in frustration.
Now she understood that feeling.
Even grasped the mindset behind such choices.
"Hoo..."
Sharon's worries deepened with the night.
