Chapter 466
Chapter 466
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 466
Chapter Title: Held Hands (2)
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1.
If there was one unique charm to raw material extraction work, it was that your body ended up soaked in the most wonderful fragrances.
After an eight-hour extraction session, Siwoo—drenched in a medley of delightful scents—returned to the perfume shop.
Alone.
In truth, the extraction work itself wasn't quite finished.
Extracting essential oils from roses, like he'd done yesterday, was a simple process of just steaming one type of flower thoroughly, so all it needed at the end was a single cleaning of the distiller's interior.
But excluding jasmine—which was especially common in perfumes—the rest of the flowers and fruits required frequent cleanings to switch between them, naturally delaying the process.
Besides, there was simply too much material to finish in just eight hours anyway.
"What's the big deal..."
Even so, Amelia had stubbornly pushed Siwoo's back, insisting he return to the shop.
She'd handle the rest herself, she'd said.
He'd volunteered to help her, so he'd planned to stick it out to the end even if it was tiring.
Normally, he'd have stubbornly insisted on staying to work together, but her order to leave felt so resolute that he'd ended up coming back alone.
"No point in being here alone anyway..."
At least while working, they could chat a little.
But there wasn't a single book to read here.
Sitting around twiddling his thumbs while Amelia worked her tail off alone felt wrong, but going back to help would probably earn him an earful.
Since he was already here, Siwoo resolved to at least give the shop a thorough cleaning. He grabbed the tools and headed upstairs.
2.
Meanwhile, the Amelia who'd sent Siwoo home first.
Once she saw him disappear through the workshop door's gap, she immediately finished the final checks on all the distillers and hurried to Sophia's house.
Amelia had resolved not to hesitate any longer.
But enthusiasm alone couldn't handle everything.
That's why she was seeking advice from her friend—the expert in this field who'd given her so much guidance before.
This was the last dawn of the year.
There was something she desperately wanted to give him before it ended.
*knock knock knock*
About thirty seconds after Amelia knocked on Sophia's door, it opened amid the sound of meowing cats.
"Amelia."
True to her regular sleep schedule, Sophia had clearly just woken up. Dressed in pajamas, she blinked in slight surprise at the unexpected guest, her mind flooding with possibilities.
Whenever Amelia had knocked on her door before, it had always been to seek advice over some misunderstanding or fallout with Siwoo.
'Has some trouble cropped up again?' The worry took precedence.
"May I come in?"
But as Sophia calmed her startled heart and looked at Amelia again, she realized her concern was unfounded.
This wasn't the face of someone who'd shown up out of the blue to vent after getting slapped in confusion.
There stood Amelia, her resolve firm even amid evident anxiety.
Relieved, Sophia let out a sigh and smiled.
"Of course. Come on in."
Sophia's cozy mansion, thick with the aroma of coffee.
True to her moniker of Beast Witch, she kept over a hundred cats indoors.
And since they all adored Amelia's fragrant scent, she had to endure their excessive welcome—pouring in from every corner—until she reached the drawing room.
"I'll make some coffee. Dawn calls for coffee over black tea, right?"
"Thank you."
Amelia, who normally shrank from cats, had no spare attention for them now.
By the time Sophia briefly stepped away to brew coffee, Amelia had become a cat tower: two on her lap, three on the armrests, two on the backrest, and five at her feet.
No way to talk like this.
"Shoo, shoo. Go play over there, kitties."
Sophia waved her hand, and the cats grumbled but scattered to various spots.
Finally, a somewhat orderly atmosphere.
"So, what's going on?"
"I need some advice."
It was expected from the moment Amelia showed up—and deeply burdensome.
Until recently, Sophia had actively offered counseling, hoping Amelia would open up more to others.
She'd even fanned the flames between Siwoo and Amelia to create common ground.
The problem was, even without malice, her meddling had caused them considerable harm.
How could she take it lightly when a client on the brink of ruin from her greed now sought consulting again?
Especially her closest friend.
Even stock, safe advice felt risky—like it might backfire spectacularly.
As if sensing that, Amelia struck first.
"I know what you're worried about, Sophia."
"Yeah, I've learned that it's better not to give rash advice at all."
Amelia replied to the abashed Sophia.
"Your advice has helped. I just couldn't acknowledge it."
"Still... isn't there someone else?"
"I want it from you. You're my most trusted friend, and this is important."
Sophia made a face like she'd been struck by Amelia's shyly laid-out words.
Her eyes welling up, Sophia dabbed them with a handkerchief and steeled her resolve.
She'd mobilize every bit of intel she'd gathered so far to help Amelia—and this time, handle any fallout perfectly.
"So, what kind of advice?"
"......"
But when Sophia finally composed herself and asked, Amelia started hemming and hawing.
She chewed her lip for a long while, mumbling so softly it was barely audible, as if unsure how to phrase it.
"Today, with Siwoo..."
Even Sophia's sharp ears couldn't catch it.
Sophia tilted her head, and Amelia tried again, a bit louder.
"Today, with Siwoo...... I want to..."
The gap felt like a blank because Amelia had dropped her voice so low that only a hissing whisper escaped through her teeth...
But with her composure vanished, face flushed beet red, and that faint 's' sound, it was easy to guess.
Still thinking it too quiet, Amelia declared it firmly once more.
"I want to have... sex... with Siwoo."
Only after the third repetition did Sophia's brain register Amelia's words, which had breezed past.
It wasn't just a kiss, as she'd half-hoped—it was sex.
Love really does change people, she thought anew.
The ever-stoic, ticking-clock Amelia was blushing like a girl in the throes of first love, seeking such counsel.
Was that innocent charm contagious?
It stirred a long-forgotten flutter in Sophia's chest, like a spring breeze.
Calm down.
Sophia swallowed hard.
It was a bit embarrassing and direct, but she had to ask.
"Just one question?"
"Yes..."
"Do you really want to?"
Amelia's small head nodded vigorously up and down.
Her entire head looked red-hot, like you'd get burned touching it.
Amelia wasn't asking naively—she knew full well the gravity of intercourse and how mortifying this consultation was.
"Can I ask why?"
Sophia steadied herself with a deep breath.
Before discussing 'how,' they needed to cover 'why.'
She was self-aware of her overprotectiveness.
Even if Amelia had changed through various experiences, her knowledge of relationships wouldn't have suddenly deepened.
They needed to check for any distorted views or misread situations.
Caught off-guard by the question, Amelia nonetheless answered earnestly.
"Because... I want to get closer to him..."
"Did he ask first?"
"No, not that, but..."
Her shyness faded as she gathered her thoughts.
Amelia laid out her reasoning step by step.
"Of course... mixing bodies without marriage is promiscuous... Sorry, I didn't mean you, Sophia. The world's changed a lot lately..."
"No, I don't mind at all. Go on?"
"I want to give precious things to Siwoo... Even if he doesn't reciprocate... I want to give him everything."
Amelia rarely coveted anything outside of magic-related matters.
Especially in relationships—she was a staunch conservative, scolding Sophia that sex must wait until after marriage.
For such an Amelia to want to give unconditionally, without conditions or pride...
Honestly, even as a close friend, Sophia felt envious—a tiny spark of jealousy.
She'd never met someone who stirred such feelings in her.
No more confirmation needed.
"Alright, how can I help?"
"Um... pajamas. Like the ones from before. The ones you left at the villa..."
"Oh, the babydoll, maybe?"
On the day Amelia and Siwoo first headed to Border Town.
Sophia hadn't just prepared the villa for them—she'd even stocked it with very provocative babydoll pajamas.
The reason Amelia mentioned it...
Was practically a declaration of intent to seduce Siwoo!
Well, Amelia could probably tempt him without any props, but wanting to go all-out was understandable.
"Yeah, first times are always nerve-wracking."
Sophia laughed and led Amelia to the closet.
Just as Sophia had encouraged her toward mature lingerie, she had a stash of sexy pajamas prepared as future gifts.
She just hadn't dared offer them since Amelia recoiled at the mere mention of pajamas after that day.
"Ah..."
A collection tailored to Amelia's measurements.
Nay, barely qualifying as clothes—a secret arsenal unveiled in a row.
Amelia's face, which had started to calm, flushed even deeper.
Designs that exposed skin, breasts, and even privates depending on the type.
They weren't shameful in themselves, but wearing them in front of Siwoo would mortify Amelia to no end.
"D-Do they look too tacky?"
"If I were a guy, I'd lose my mind over them. Want to try one?"
Sophia picked a black negligee with scant fabric overall.
Amelia's current dress could probably make six of them.
Unlike the frozen Amelia, Sophia was in a state of extreme excitement.
She tried to stay calm, but her heart wouldn't settle.
"Let's pick one out carefully together."
The perfect chance to dress her friend up like a doll!
Sophia cheered on her friend's romance with an eager smile.