Chapter 435
Chapter 435
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 435
Chapter Title: Chapter 435 - #91_메리 크리스마스(7)
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 435
Chapter Title: Merry Christmas (7)
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1.
No one can stand upon the rainbow.
Even if they possess the power to create and destroy the world alone.
Even if they hold the power to purge public enemies that disrupt order.
That does not equate to perfection.
Everyone harbors their own contradictions deep within.
Lilith understood this better than anyone—and she knew exactly how to exploit it.
She untangles the knotted, invisible threads of contradiction and pulls them out long.
Then swings them wildly, like hurling stones.
What Lilith decides is the length of the thread and the precise moment to let it go.
Everything that follows—the ensuing chaos—is left to the dice rolled by the gods.
When the taut, spinning cord buzzes past her ears like a bee's wings, she always sinks into contemplation.
Now?
When to release it for the most dazzling festival?
Like toppling a domino tower someone painstakingly built.
Just imagining the chaos and disorder about to unfold brings a smile she can't suppress.
"Kether."
What a grandiose title, Duke Kether.
Lilith uttered the name of her warped mirror image.
The arrogant specter of order who had discarded her like a ragged cloth, abandoned her, forsaken her.
Kether had failed.
That fact sent a delicious sneer rippling through her chest.
"You couldn't stand upon the rainbow either."
Lilith snatched one of the cards Kether had so carefully prepared.
The heart of the 'order' she had built: the witches' city of Gehenna.
How mortifying must it be if those meticulously arranged preparations returned to her bosom as bombs?
Clara swallowed her bubbling laughter and approached Amelia.
Now was the time for stricter control over her expressions.
Amelia trusted Clara, but suspicion is forged from the smallest clues.
"Made up your mind?"
"...Yes."
"Good! Smart choice! Holed up in gloom like that just breeds more depression."
Today was the Harvest Festival.
Clara had urged Amelia to go out.
Since reuniting with Siwoo a few days ago, Amelia had drifted through her days in a stupor.
Plagued by melancholic thoughts, regrets, and the despair of shattered long-held hopes, she had shut out the entire outside world—like some onset of autism.
Except for Clara.
To reach this moment, Clara had played the role of the perfect, cooperative ally.
Maintaining just the right distance and demeanor to avoid triggering Amelia's resistance, she had ultimately disabled the autonomic defenses within her body and slipped self-magic—disguised as mana—into her stigma.
Amelia's world was narrow.
Her woefully immature sense of self and interpersonal skills were simply masked by her icy demeanor.
To Lilith—who had cooked up the half-mad Coward Witch and the deviously sly Witch of Desire—Amelia was easy prey.
"......"
"What? Second thoughts?"
Clara's voice rose a notch at Amelia's sudden silence.
If this were just a casual outing to browse the festival, Amelia wouldn't hesitate like this.
The way she hugged her shoulders in fear now? This outing was merely a pretext.
"You said you wanted to see it with your own eyes."
"Right... I did say that..."
The true purpose of this outing was to meet her one-sided crush, Shin Si-woo.
To confirm his true feelings. To talk.
For 'Whispering' to succeed, she needed to empathize with her target more deeply than anyone else.
She had to dissect every psychological pattern Amelia followed to reach her conclusions, every piece of her past that led to her current state.
Clara held Amelia's thought patterns in the palm of her hand.
She could predict the flows of thought and emotion churning in the vortex of unconscious and conscious mind.
If Lilith shed Clara's skin and mimicked Amelia perfectly, no one would ever notice.
Which was why she must never mock her outright—but gazing at Amelia still drew inevitable smirks.
Who could have guessed she'd cling to such extreme avoidance mechanisms?
Amelia hadn't even properly read the note Siwoo left at their parting—or her master's last will.
An infantile defense mechanism utterly beyond comprehension.
"If there's a misunderstanding, face it head-on. Nothing changes if you do nothing."
"I know, Clara. You've told me plenty."
But that alone changed nothing.
Personal change is almost always sparked by external circumstances.
Clara had invested time persuading Amelia.
Under the guise of heartfelt advice from a friend, she had interfered directly with her unconscious.
She planted seeds of hope in the barren depths of Amelia's mental landscape.
She coaxed this woman—who kept trying to retreat back into isolation—out the door to meet Siwoo of her own accord.
Holding onto hope was crucial.
The higher the pedestal, the more devastating the fall.
Of course, Amelia would never actually meet Siwoo or have that conversation.
Clara wrapped her arms gently around Amelia's shoulders, as if comforting a bird venturing from its cage for the first time.
"It'll be okay. Don't worry too much."
"You always say that... Thank you so much."
"You always say that, but that's what friends do."
Amelia's reunion with Siwoo, born of her last squeezed-out drop of courage.
That reunion would inevitably turn into the worst possible form.
It had to.
Otherwise, there'd be problems.
2.
"Haa... Total disaster. Why does the world keep screwing me over like this...?"
Sharon pouted with a deadpan expression.
She'd been assigned the second day of the Harvest Festival by the council.
A special day didn't require special sex for a special date—but she knew exactly how to please her subtly perverted Siwoo.
When she saw the twins prepping their lovey-dovey game, she'd brainstormed competitively.
She'd even helped Tiphereth Duke, who was pacing cluelessly about what to do alone.
Tiphereth had gone with a bunny girl outfit, and Sharon had ordered her own ace in the hole: the pinnacle of mortal indulgences, the 13-piece adult toy package.
The problem? The smuggled shipment due that morning had gotten caught in a maritime accident and sunk straight to the ocean floor.
Dildos and handcuffs alike became hidden treasures of the deep, never meeting their owner.
"Unbelievable..."
She'd figured it'd be tight on schedule but make it just in time.
Who could've guessed a full-on shipwreck would torpedo the whole thing?
Sharon let out a wry chuckle at her ironically "fortunate" misfortune.
"Haa... I was so looking forward to it..."
The catalog had some pretty intimidating tools that piqued her interest.
Novel playthings helped keep couples bonded, didn't they?
To claim the spot beside Siwoo—witch society's undisputed heartthrob—she knew half-hearted resolve and prep wouldn't cut it.
But whining didn't magically create more time.
Adult toys weren't easy to come by in conservative Gehenna anyway—and even if they were, the ensuing scandal would shame her master.
In the end, Sharon dolled herself up as prettily as possible, dressed to the nines, and sat waiting for Siwoo on a bench in Tarot Town.
3.
To Siwoo, Harvest Festival meant the festive vibe of Tarot Town's square.
Trinity Academy barely changed even for the event, and while Malkuth Gallery had a rep for glamour, it wasn't a place he could roam freely as a slave.
So he'd naturally end up at the White Whale tavern with Takasho, chowing down on dry jerky and draft beer.
"This is straight-up top-tier."
He recalled hearing that one way to gauge personal success was "how awesome are your holidays or special days?"
In that light, the generational shift hit hard.
He'd spent a blissful day with his teacher—one of Gehenna's three dukes.
Tomorrow, he'd leisurely hang with the three O-sisters, apprentice witches of the Jemernai count family.
And today? A date with Sharon, whom his old self wouldn't have dared even speak to.
Objectively, it was overflowing happiness.
Like all festivals, peak hours kicked off in the evening.
It was just past noon, so Tarot Town's square wasn't crowded yet.
Everyone was hunkered down at home with lovers or family, wrestling hangovers from last night's revelry.
Of course, they'd burst back to life in glittering splendor come dusk.
A short walk later, he spotted Sharon on the bench near their meetup spot.
He crept up quietly from behind.
Planning a surprise, like their old pranks.
"Not falling for that anymore."
Just as he succeeded in sneaking up, Sharon whipped her head back, locking eyes with him.
She'd looked lost in thought, but her senses were uncanny.
"You think I'm a fool? Same trick every time."
"How'd you know?"
Her lips pursed in a pout, so he leaned down for a light kiss.
Greetings with Sharon usually started with a peck.
"Can't hide your scent. I've sniffed it plenty."
"Yet you fall for it sometimes."
Playful, fluffy banter without substance.
Sharon had a knack for putting people at ease.
Her first impression was a fierce stray kitten of a girl.
"Ta-da! Whaddya think? Dressed up a bit today."
Sharon stood and showed off her outfit.
Her usually loose hair was swept up in an elegant princess-style updo.
Artisanal butterfly pins and earrings sparkled in the lazy afternoon sun, while her warm winter coat and scarf screamed poised princess on a civilian inspection.
And the midriff's influence, puffing out those thick layers even more voluptuously...
Months of living together under one roof, and her beauty still thrilled him anew.
She was ridiculously pretty.
"Makeup too?"
"What?! So lifeless!"
"You're so stunning, words fail me."
"These are expensive! Praise more."
Pretending to be mad while beaming like that—who could be scared?
Sharon tottered over and hugged him tight.
Soft breaths and enveloping warmth spread out.
She rubbed her head against him playfully, as if marking him with her scent.
"Big sis is covering the date bill today. You just bring your body, Siwoo."
"For real? Cool?"
"Yup~ After all I've eaten mooching off you. Let's shop Malkuth Gallery—got my salary."
Sharon clung to him like a coquettish puppy.
She was always clingy with skinship, but today she seemed extra giddy.
If she had a tail, it'd be wagging furiously side to side.
Seeing her so upbeat, he turned toward Malkuth Gallery.
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