Chapter 486
Chapter 486
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 486
Chapter Title: Charity Event (4)
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1.
Two days had passed since the New Year's charity event ended.
Amelia and Siwoo were deeply immersed in extracting essential oils.
To the extent that they kept at the extraction work nonstop for a full 48 hours without so much as a wink of sleep.
"......"
Of course, there was plenty of work to justify it.
The raw materials needing extraction had grown ever more varied, which meant Amelia had to stay rooted at the distiller, tweaking the valves to control pressure and temperature.
In truth, she hovered over the instrument panel without rest until the massive warehouse had been emptied three times and refilled four more.
She took no time for sleep or meals, not even a brief moment to stretch her back.
In the midst of this packed schedule, Siwoo couldn't bear to leave Amelia alone and pitched in—but he couldn't shake the thought, 'Do we really need to rush like this?'
The extraction and stockpiling of the primary essential oils were already complete anyway. All that remained were minor ingredients like moss.
If they ran short later, they could always handle it leisurely without any real hitch.
On the first day, he'd attributed the frenzy to Amelia's aversion to procrastinating.
But as the grueling labor stretched into its third day, even Siwoo began to catch on.
This was an excuse of sorts.
More precisely, it felt like she was saying, 'I'm so swamped, I barely have time to talk to you.'
She never initiated conversation, nor did she engage earnestly with Siwoo's attempts.
Siwoo wasn't some naive loner who believed a single night of sex could forge an unbreakable bond between man and woman.
That said, he did feel they'd grown much closer since then.
They'd shared affectionate pillow talk afterward, and the mood had been perfect, right?
But starting from that fleeting New Year's Eve dinner, Amelia's demeanor had turned peculiar.
What was it, exactly?
A subtle sense that she was avoiding him?
Yet it wasn't outright evasion; when he spoke to her, she'd reply instantly, as if she'd been intensely aware of him the whole time.
He wasn't entirely clueless about the cause.
Back at the Jemernai estate.
For reasons unknown, she'd abruptly dragged him into the hallway and attempted paizuri.
Her breasts were impeccably shapely—surprisingly ideal—and average-sized for a witch.
But they weren't quite suited for smooth paizuri in a standing position. After several failed tries, Amelia bolted away in a panic.
That mortifying memory might have left her feeling awkward.
"Amelia-nim."
At long last, they'd emptied the warehouse of its overflowing raw materials, and now the distillers were in for internal cleaning—a forced eight-hour break until it finished.
Siwoo seized the opportunity to approach her.
Once again, a quick glance.
Amelia whipped her head toward him, as if she'd been attuned to his presence all along.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"No."
"Or... has something come up for you?"
"That's not it either."
Amelia averted her gaze slightly as she spoke.
Her reaction screamed lie.
She had a habit of subtly dropping her eyes when she lacked confidence or strayed a bit from the truth.
And now she was pivoting back toward the instrument panel that needed no further checking.
He might have let it slide dumbly in the past, but now he knew playing along would only prolong this baffling standoff.
Siwoo gently took hold of her wrist.
"If there's something you want to say, could you tell me? Whatever needs fixing, I'll fix it."
"......"
Her slender wrist betrayed her pulse thundering away.
"Did I mess up?"
"It's not about you, Siwoo. Really..."
Her heartbeat kept climbing, her face flushing red just from the bare skin of their wrist and hand brushing.
At the same time, Amelia dipped her head a little.
Suddenly, she looked even cuter.
The image flickered in his mind: her refined features twisting into beautiful distortion.
Come to think of it, he hadn't suggested any skinship while she slaved away like an author racing a deadline.
Naturally, he hadn't broached testing the mana replication effect either.
Siwoo swallowed hard.
Then again, could this be a case of 'I want to be with Siwoo, but I can't bring myself to say it outright!'?
That day, Amelia had mustered her courage and gone all-in, only to fail. Maybe now she was quietly hoping he'd take the lead.
"......"
When a guy's in this situation, he has to step up boldly.
Without a word, Siwoo carefully cupped her chin and lifted it.
He didn't consider his hands particularly large, but cradling her tiny face made them seem enormous.
Her lips parted in flustered surprise, a glimpse of crimson tongue visible in the gap.
Clear, doe-like eyes widened in shock, her face aglow like she'd been drinking.
"Mm..."
As he leaned in, Amelia's lips pursed ever so slightly.
Her long, lush golden lashes descended like butterfly wings.
Siwoo inwardly congratulated himself; his choice was spot-on.
He was learning more about Amelia.
"Chu..."
Light pecks followed: smack, smack, smack.
Just as he anticipated a proper kiss, Amelia suddenly pulled away.
The hand that had gripped his sleeve tightly had quietly released the fabric.
A tactful gesture, as if to say pecks were fine, but no tongue-mingling.
Or was it?
Had he misread the situation?
To the flustered Siwoo, Amelia whispered,
"Siwoo, would you... like to go shopping together tonight?"
"Right now?"
"Yeah."
The shopping invite came without giving him time to recover.
This suggested she wasn't rejecting Siwoo himself...
But who could say for sure.
"I'll head back to the shop, rinse off quick, and change. You just tidy up the finishing touches. Meet me out front in 20 minutes."
"Sure, I guess... got it."
Finishing touches?
Amelia had handled everything; there was nothing left to do.
Siwoo scratched the back of his head, staring at the workshop door she'd vanished through.
"What was that?"
Could her earlier 'anything goes' offer have backfired because he'd actually tried ordering her around?
Or was she just now reflecting and feeling embarrassed?
"It's already well past 10 PM, isn't it?"
Tarot Town's night market shut down at 7, so aside from a few spots in Lenormand Town, nothing would be open.
What shopping could she mean at this hour?
Siwoo cocked his head, methodically tidying the warehouse workshop.
2.
Amelia clutched her pounding chest and scrubbed every inch of her body with hot water.
She usually substituted showers with magic, but ever since realizing warm water soothed body and mind, she often sought the bath.
"Haah..."
Sharon. And the twins.
A few days prior, Amelia had waged a desperate battle against them—and by results alone, she'd lost.
Sharon, Odil, Odet—each bound to Siwoo through their own potent 'armaments' and connections.
In the process, she'd even learned of his unique tastes.
Outdoors, or using unconventional spots, or leveraging huge breasts, or enjoying a touch of torment, and so on.
Her clumsy efforts couldn't hope to bridge that vast experience gap.
The Tiphereth Duke alone evoked shocking, unimaginable adult-world exploits that filled her with dread and wonder.
But these past two days.
It wasn't mere dislike for Siwoo or shame over the failed paizuri driving her conversational avoidance.
No.
To be more honest, the latter still made her cheeks burn, but not enough to shun him.
However, Amelia might possess scholarly knowledge, but her feminine expertise was sorely lacking.
The Pandora's box of dense, lascivious intel she'd encountered left her utterly confused on how to process it.
It clashed so violently with her established values.
And over those two days, Amelia finalized her resolve.
This body was pledged to him without reservation anyway.
She'd devised her own approach to fulfilling his desires.
"Okay... I can do this..."
But no matter how solid her ideas and determination, the moment of action sent her heart racing wildly.
"Will he... despise me?"
Was this truly okay?
Even if Siwoo had his pervy side...
Every time she reviewed her own audaciously bold plan, such worries surfaced.
The truth would reveal itself in the results.
With that self-reassurance, Amelia dried off with a towel and spritzed perfume.
Finally, she checked the mirror, neatly combed her hair, and slipped into the outfit she'd prepared in advance.
Time was already running late.
She even heard the doorbell chime on the first floor.
Throwing on the clothes prepped for her plan, Amelia descended to the first floor where Siwoo awaited.
Each creak of the old wooden stairs made her heart thump needlessly.
Hesitation flickered: Should I turn back and change now?
Pushing it down firmly, Amelia faced Siwoo.
"Amelia-nim, thinking about it, at this hour, hardly any shops will be open."
"It's fine. Even a stroll would be nice."
Amelia hopped down the last few stairs, taking the hand Siwoo offered.
His gaze roamed over her form.
"Dressed nice and warm. Were you cold?"
"No."
"Looks soft."
"Yeah, it is."
Spirit bodies weren't greatly affected by cold or heat.
Even midwinter chill amounted to a mere shiver, easily countered with magic.
So Siwoo's question stemmed from the unfamiliar cloak: pure white and thickly woolen, unlike the one from her master she always wore.
In any case, the two held hands as if by prior agreement.
"Where to, then?"
"I'd like to check out the galleries."
And so began their midnight date, geared toward Amelia's ambitiously prepared scheme.