Chapter 380
Chapter 380
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 380
Chapter Title: Night of Lingering Regret
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Classes will proceed as normal. Bring the Red Branch and visit my private study by noon.
Siu had been agonizing alone, with no one to consult while Takashodo was away in the mortal world to seal a high-end liquor import deal.
To sum up the short letter from the countess: that was it.
It was a lifeline for Siu, who had been racking his brains over how to untangle the tangled mess.
"What a relief..."
Surprisingly, there was no sign of her prying into what happened last night.
Nor was it a dismissal notice saying something like you don't need to come anymore starting today.
If things had sorted themselves out this neatly, maybe he could call it a win.
He'd even gained a hard lesson: don't swing recklessly.
He'd learn the details once he met the countess, but...
"Still, beggars can't be choosers."
Just getting a chance to prostrate himself and apologize was a godsend.
Vowing never to act rashly again, Siu knocked and entered the countess's private study.
"It's been a while."
At the rain-streaked window.
With raindrops pattering against the glass, Countess Yesode stood there.
"......"
He was momentarily speechless.
For a brief instant, he hallucinated her completely naked.
The soft feel of her breasts, the sweet touch of her lips.
And that surprisingly vulnerable lower mouth.
He'd told himself to keep pure thoughts and handle it properly, but the moment he saw her in that dress, lewd ideas flooded in.
He shook his head to clear the distractions.
"Sorry for vanishing without a word, Siu. Something urgent came up."
"No need, Countess. I fully understand how busy you must be."
As always, she offered him a seat with a refined smile.
Reading between the lines, it seemed Countess Yesode intended to bury the previous incident entirely.
Her perfectly normal demeanor turned his guess into certainty.
To apologize, he'd have to bring up that past event...
But if silence was what she wanted, dredging it up would dismiss her way of handling things.
Better to play it safe.
He clamped his mouth shut and sat on the sofa. The countess sat opposite and began the lesson.
"Where did we leave off last time?"
"Quantifying the Red Branch's shielding rate."
"Ah, right. Any progress since then?"
"Yes."
"My, as expected of you, Siu."
It was an excessively normal conversation and lesson.
But it wasn't entirely the same.
For one, the countess—who usually favored outfits that flaunted her figure—was wrapped head to toe in thick fabric.
She wasn't teasing him with subtle innuendos.
And she stayed firmly across from him, passing papers without ever coming closer.
That discomfort—like excess saliva building up—faded quickly.
With the awkward incident seemingly swept under the rug, Siu could focus on her lecture.
He had a backlog of stuck problems and neatly organized questions, making the four-hour session more productive than usual.
"Good work. Siu, you can resume normal attendance starting tomorrow. Sorry I couldn't warn you ahead."
"Understood."
Some promises didn't need to be spoken aloud to count.
Don't bring it up.
That was the tacit agreement forged during the lesson.
The faint twinge of regret made him realize he hadn't fully reformed yet.
Then.
A deeply ominous change occurred.
A soft, sweet cream scent suddenly wafted in.
The indulgent aroma that always clung to the countess.
Siu had overlooked something.
Previously, he'd deeply inhaled her witch spirit pheromones.
Not just from her crown, but the thick essence from her lower body.
And their relationship had ended without fully consummating.
His body remained utterly unsatisfied.
Like a starving beast catching a whiff of blood.
Even this faint trace triggered a surging erection.
And his reason began to slip away.
"Countess."
Her shoulders twitched at Siu's low voice.
Women were adept at reading the mood.
She sensed his tone and atmosphere had flipped.
"Yes, Siu?"
"This part seems lacking. Could you explain just this?"
"Th-this... part?"
"Yes."
Siu wasn't the only one who'd been inwardly suffering.
The countess had paced anxiously, unable to stay still, before greeting him.
How could her heart be at ease, alone with someone too embarrassing to even meet eyes with?
But during the lesson, Siu hadn't dredged up their uncomfortable history either.
Like a drunken couple speeding past second base, then awkwardly sharing hangover soup the next day—their silence seemed to resolve it smoothly.
What she felt was relief... and a lingering ripple of regret.
During today's private lesson, the possibility of an 'accident' or 'mistake'.
She'd prayed it wouldn't happen—even while secretly hoping it would.
The thought left her flustered.
Does that even make sense?
After such an embarrassing ordeal, she couldn't believe she wasn't in her right mind.
But at Siu's call.
His clearly different tone from the lesson made her swallow dryly and stare at the floor.
"If it's this equation... I'm not sure what part you don't understand."
She glanced at the spot he tapped with his finger, but couldn't grasp the question.
It was a section Siu had already figured out long ago.
No further explanation needed.
"Is that so?"
"Ah..."
"I want to refine it in more detail. Mind if I sit beside you?"
Without waiting for permission, Siu stood.
And the moment he did, it was visible.
His thing—whose shape, heat, and hardness she knew—pitching a tent fit for twenty-four.
Blood drained from the countess's head.
Her breath caught, heart pounding.
She knew she shouldn't, but couldn't stop him naturally seating himself beside her.
"Si-Siu..."
"Yes?"
Thighs touching, just like when she'd teased him before.
Her eyes shook wildly.
She never imagined he'd come on this strong.
She'd hinted at her intentions metaphorically, after all.
"What's wrong?"
Siu asked calmly in a low voice.
His arm casually wrapped around her waist.
So natural, like lovers for whom such gestures were routine.
"Si-Siu?"
The countess hesitated, then finally spoke.
She was afraid.
The etiquette, manners, and refinement ingrained in her body for so long.
They all meant nothing once he touched her.
She'd pant like a bitch in heat, putting on all sorts of disgraceful displays.
But one thing was clear.
After endless vegetarian fare, tasting a single morsel of meat—her mind craved a bleeding steak.
And Siu had caught that hidden desire.
Proof: his hand slithered like a snake to stroke her ass.
Blatant sexual harassment without permission.
Yet she didn't snap at him—instead, her shoulders stiffened.
Groping a lady's body like that.
Not something even a diligent employee or benefactor should be allowed.
The usual countess—or any other man—would have scolded and ejected him on the spot.
With a shout like 'How dare you!'
"Truth be told, I was a bit disappointed. We didn't finish the lesson you suggested last time."
Groping her ass casually, he whispered in her ear.
The perfect reversal of when she'd toyed with him before.
"We agreed to study your body, remember?"
"Siu, that time I was too... reckless. Not something to take lightly... Ngh!"
"I'm hurt. You called me back after running away, so I thought you were ready."
Painfully tight squeeze on her ass.
Like a scolding, she lowered her voice solemnly.
"...How rude. Do you see me, Lucy Yesode, as some loose woman? A tavern wench you can grope anytime?"
"Perish the thought. I've never had an improper thought about you, Countess."
But even in her cold tone, she felt it.
The faint tremble at the end of her own voice.
From anxiety... and equal anticipation.
"I just trust you'll keep your promise."
"Siu... Mmph!"
Whatever retort she'd scraped together was sealed by his light kiss.
He gripped her resisting wrist and kissed her.
Thin, slightly rough lips pressing against hers.
Unthinkingly, she parted her lips and accepted his tongue.
Kiss after kiss after kiss.
Memories of that ecstatic, terrifying night flooded her mouth.
Her clothes were stripped away piece by piece.
No—not stripped, torn.
Even funnier: she offered no resistance.
Despite this rude treatment, which she could easily shake off if she wanted.
She did nothing, stripped bare before him.
A shame incomparable to undressing herself in front of him.
Her porcelain skin flushed red.
"Please take good care of today's lesson too."
Siu's hand seized her breast.
Their bodies overlapped on the new sofa.
In this space, only a male eager to devour and a female yearning to be devoured remained.
He believed it without doubt.