Chapter 327
Chapter 327
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 327
Chapter Title: Eloa's Confession
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1.
From the day they returned from their trip, Sharon had been busy sighing to herself all alone.
"Ehh..."
As someone living off the stipend from Countess Jemernai,
she decided to show some restraint from now on.
In other words, she resolved to sincerely carry out the "keep your distance from Siu" advice that Count Alvireo had given her.
Truth be told, it wasn't entirely devoid of self-interest.
After reuniting with Siu and confirming their love through physical intimacy, a sense of trust had somehow taken root.
And with her conscience nagging at her for ignoring the contract and charging ahead recklessly any further, this was the resolution she reached.
That was why, even on the day they traveled together, she had avoided any chance of things turning intimate.
But the incident happened the next morning.
Siu showed up casually, then out of nowhere claimed he'd gotten drunk alone and slept in the carriage.
The twins' odd behavior, as if they had sensed something.
And most damning of all, the footprints on the beach on the way back—and Siu's reaction to them.
Those footprints, fresh as if stamped just the night before, didn't belong to Sharon or the twins.
But judging by the size, they were unmistakably a woman's.
So Sharon had asked,
"You're not lying, are you?"
Siu had replied,
"Why would I lie? I really was alone."
It was a lie.
The claim of being alone was a lie from the start.
And there was a high chance that his talk of his memory cutting out from heavy drinking was a lie too.
Sharon herself hadn't blacked out from alcohol even once since becoming a spirit body.
Still, Sharon didn't blindly suspect Siu.
Up to that point, her trust in him held firm.
After all, hadn't she told him herself?
As long as he came back without forgetting her, she didn't care if he fooled around with other women.
So she figured there was no reason for him to lie—and on the ride back, she inspected the carriage.
And that's when she spotted it.
The bedroom in the corner of the carriage had been tidied up spotlessly, as if cleaning magic had been cast on it.
The state was clearly different from when they'd set out.
In short, Siu had gotten drunk with some witch in the carriage the night before—and with extremely high probability, trashed the place so badly that cleaning magic became necessary.
At that moment, Sharon's heart sank under a crushing weight.
All sorts of stray thoughts flooded her mind, leaving her curled up in bed the entire day—classes aside.
"Come to think of it... he's never once said he loves me..."
Of course, Sharon had never said "I love you" to Siu either.
It wasn't some naive notion like "confessions are the man's job!" while she waited around.
She simply had no desire to bind him or burden him unnecessarily.
Still, she'd believed their feelings were mutual.
That belief had now cracked.
-Knock knock!
Just then, a knock echoed.
Thinking it might be Siu, Sharon bolted upright, straightened her gown, and hurried down to the first floor.
When she flung the door open, a completely unexpected figure stood there.
Pale pink hair and deep magenta eyes.
It was Eloa Tiphereth Duke, drunk and utterly haggard.
2.
The annex reception room was more lavishly decorated than any other space.
That was how seriously they took receiving guests.
Sharon, roped into an impromptu drinking session with the already wasted Eloa, watched as she downed glass after glass.
"Um... Your Grace, what brings you here...?"
"Mind if I finish this drink first, then talk?"
"Of course. Take your time."
Her "this one" had already vanished halfway through a bottle.
With her autonomous defense systems active, acute alcohol poisoning wasn't a concern—but what on earth was going on?
Eloa set her glass down with effort and finally spoke.
"Miss Evergreen."
"Please call me Sharon. I'm not anyone special."
"...I owe you an apology."
The moment those words hit, Sharon's eyes widened.
Amid the dark clouds of anguish piled high within her, a sharp intuition flashed through her mind.
"I... slept with Siu. Without you knowing."
As always, her ominous premonitions never missed.
Sharon felt her heart plummet all the way to her gut.
The shock was so profound she could barely tell if this was a dream.
"Pardon?"
She found herself blurting it out.
Eloa couldn't meet her gaze, clutching the hem of her dress tight.
Shame at airing her dirty laundry and guilt had flushed her ears bright red.
"I came because I felt it was right... to apologize to you."
"You're... joking... right?"
Dizzy with vertigo, Sharon nearly dropped her glass.
Her already tangled thoughts knotted even further.
She knew Tiphereth Duke and Siu were in a temporary master-disciple relationship.
In witch society, master and disciple bonds were profoundly sacred.
An apprentice witch and her witch mentor weren't just teacher and student—they embodied parent and child.
It wasn't mere formality, equating teacher to parent and student to child; the connection ran far deeper and stronger than any ordinary worldly tie.
Of course, the "temporary" qualifier applied, and Siu hadn't received Eloa's stigma, so it wasn't a standard case.
But her confession rang in Sharon's ears like "I slept with my stepson."
Most witches would hear it the same way.
Even amid that bombshell, Sharon's first thought surfaced unbidden.
She couldn't deny the hint of reproach that crept into her voice.
"...Who suggested it first?"
"...I seduced him first."
Strictly speaking, aside from the first time, it was hardly one-sided seduction on Eloa's part.
But Eloa didn't want Siu catching flak from Sharon.
He'd forgotten the memory anyway, and as his master, she felt even greater responsibility—taking all the blame upon herself.
"...Haa..."
The non-smoker Sharon suddenly craved a cigarette fiercely.
As she reeled in confusion, Eloa haltingly laid out the full story.
The reason they'd first become intimate, and the circumstances that made it inevitable.
The feelings that deepened afterward.
Seeing Siu at the beach and sharing their love.
And erasing his memory of it all—she confessed everything.
By the time she finished, tears streamed down her face, blurring her vision.
Eloa braced herself, tense for whatever reaction came.
"Huu..."
A heavy sigh—Eloa felt herself shrinking in fear and sorrow, tears plopping like beads.
Then a soft touch settled on her shoulder.
She barely lifted her head and opened her eyes to find Sharon hugging her, face etched with worry.
Those brilliant mint-green eyes held no anger, no scorn.
Just tears, glistening like Eloa's own.
Sharon had been stunned at first, utterly unprepared for this—thoughts swirling wildly.
But as Eloa poured out her tale, only pity filled her heart.
Unable to even express her love, forced to erase the precious memories they'd built.
How heartbreaking was that?
It didn't feel like someone else's story—there was no room for anger.
"It's okay. Don't cry. I'm not mad at you one bit."
Relief—or perhaps overflowing sorrow.
Eloa's petite frame trembled as if it might shatter.
"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
Sharon gently stroked the back of her head, holding her close so she could sob freely into her chest.
"Kuu..."
Thirty minutes later—with a reddened nose and sniffles—Eloa drifted off in Sharon's arms.
She must have been utterly drained, mentally and physically.
Sharon felt a strange kinship.
And the issue that had plagued her sighs? It was gone.
Siu hadn't lied to her.
He truly couldn't remember—because Eloa had erased it.
That alone filled her with joy.
Listening to Eloa, Sharon clearly felt how deeply she cherished and loved Siu.
The resolve behind erasing his memory, and coming to apologize to Sharon—it was obvious without being said.
So what if they were master and disciple?
Love knew no borders or races.
She had zero desire to blame Eloa.
It was an odd feeling.
She'd expected jealousy, possessiveness—something.
Her chest had ached sharply the instant she heard about Eloa sleeping with Siu.
But now? Loving the same man felt reassuring.
Knowing someone else loved Siu this deeply felt like having a steadfast ally.
"Sleep well, Your Grace."
Sharon quietly stroked Eloa's hair and slipped out of the room.
3.
Rain fell over the desert.
Where no trace of life had stirred on the scorching sands, raindrops seeped in, coaxing tiny wildflowers to sprout—an unreal scene, and all the more beautiful for it.
Amelia stared vacantly down at the public enemy's lifeless corpse sprawled before her.
A witch exiled for using 120 humans as test subjects, then kidnapping travelers and ripping out their hearts—earning her public enemy status.
"Um... Amelia."
Clara approached cautiously, seeing Amelia stand there amid the pattering rain.
Amelia had set out again to hunt public enemies; Clara had quietly tagged along.
She was convinced leaving Amelia alone would break her.
No permission asked, but since Amelia hadn't shooed her off despite the distance, Clara figured she had tacit approval.
Upon reaching the kill list target, Amelia's battle with the public enemy unfolded.
With Amelia unleashing magic in all directions, Clara could only draw near after the fight ended.
"Can I ask you something?"
Amelia's sky-blue eyes, dazed and turning toward Clara, made her flinch.
Battle's afterglow lingered—or perhaps her emotions had been whittled away.
It was a gaze Clara had never seen before.
Transparent to an unfathomable depth, and thus chillingly cold.
Clara tamped down her instinctive intimidation and met Amelia's eyes squarely.
She could easily tell: that look was the desperate last gasp of someone fragile, cornered.
"...Why do you kill public enemies?"
Ripples stirred in Amelia's pupils at Clara's question.
As if she'd become someone else—her fragile, clumsy inner self surfaced.
Clara pressed on carefully, mustering more courage.
"If it's this hard on you, you don't have to do it."
"......"
"I've killed plenty of public enemies too... but if you're not ready, couldn't you just stop?"
Taking a life inevitably brought stress.
And to Clara, Amelia seemed utterly unprepared for it.
Amelia crushing public enemies with overwhelming force only looked like self-strangulation.
"Because I have to."
Clara had accompanied her without getting too close—a consideration for Amelia's struggles.
But now, she couldn't stay out of it.
It was the least she could offer by way of comfort.
"You don't need to feel guilty about killing public enemies... They're the ones who wrecked the world and caused countless sacrifices. If it's too much, just think of it that way..."
Amelia stared at Clara for a long moment, then shifted her gaze.
"I always do."
She thought of someone's ephemeral end: flesh crumbling to flowers, then scattered by the wind.
Held it close in her heart.
"Maybe this witch didn't know what was precious either. Like me. Maybe she was just mistaken."
A bit out of nowhere.
But it was the first glimpse Amelia gave into her heart.
"Maybe... I took away her chance to make things right."
Amelia turned back to Clara.
"Will you listen to my story?"
"Yeah. As long as you need."
Clara answered gladly.