Chapter 495
Chapter 495
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 495
Chapter Title: Perfume Tycoon (2)
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1.
Wanting to monopolize Siwoo was nothing short of excessive greed.
Knowing that, she maintained a fairly healthy friendship with the twins despite their constant bickering, and even helped the utterly hopeless-at-romance Duchess Tiphereth prepare for the event.
But that didn't mean she was some magnanimous saint who could watch Siwoo flirt with another woman right in front of her without batting an eye.
Especially with Amelia—she felt a particular distance in her heart.
It might have been because she'd spent less time with Amelia, or perhaps because she'd witnessed her putting Siwoo in danger with her own eyes.
Still, Sharon had resolved to apologize to Amelia at least once.
Regardless of her feelings, taunting Amelia about her relationship with Siwoo while she was there to seek forgiveness for past wrongs had been immature.
That's why she'd made a point of booking Amelia's notoriously expensive custom perfume, planning to apologize face-to-face.
But the moment she peeked through the door and saw Amelia about to kiss Siwoo, she couldn't hold back her surge of anger and interrupted them.
She could tell without a mirror that her expression was probably a mess right now.
"……."
In the flowing silence.
Sharon walked over with deliberate steps and sat down across from Amelia.
Like players facing off with a game board between them, sharp glares passed between the two.
Siwoo, oblivious to what had transpired between them, stood there awkwardly in the middle.
Even if both women had accepted their relationship, getting caught trying to kiss Amelia right in front of Sharon was bound to make him uneasy.
Not that the ire would turn on him or that they'd raise their voices sharply, but the pressure had been intense for a while now.
The first to move was Amelia.
Her instruction came flying out, casual as if tossing it aside.
"Assistant, prepare the scent testing board, please."
"Sure thing, Sharon. Let me know if you need anything to drink."
"I'm good, thanks."
At Amelia's direction, Siwoo opened a box from behind the display counter and laid it out in front of Sharon.
Amelia's perfumes were bespoke creations.
They took into account the client's usual attire, preferred fashion and colors, body odor, skin temperature and pH, even the fluctuations of their mana.
But the scents that could be crafted through blending and balancing various fragrances were endlessly varied.
What Amelia thought suited someone wasn't guaranteed to please the client.
That's why they tested scents first—to weed out dislikes, narrow down the appealing range, and then craft the perfume.
But Sharon had lived pinched by debt almost right after her inheritance.
A woman who'd gotten by with body lotion alone, thinking it was enough for any scent, had no experience with this sort of thing.
"……."
Sharon tilted her head at the dozens of white handkerchiefs and tiny vials laid out before her.
Siwoo handed her a fountain pen and a scoresheet, explaining.
"I'll spritz each one with a different fragrance family on these small-cut handkerchiefs. Just rate them from 0 to 20—ones you like and ones you don't."
"Got it, thanks. I'll give it a try."
With Siwoo's help, Sharon began testing in earnest.
Truth be told, up until entering, she'd been in the mood for a showdown, but inhaling these pleasant scents actually calmed her down a bit.
Is this what they call aromatherapy?
Siwoo, as always, deftly spritzed each fragrance family onto small-cut handkerchiefs in sequence and passed them to Sharon.
His movements were quite skilled now, after days of this routine.
Floral bouquet with its safe floral notes, single floral family.
Fruity family capturing the freshness and sweetness of fruit.
Citrus family with the tangy zest of lime, orange, tangerine, and the like.
Green family based on grass and moss scents.
Woody family infused with various wood aromas.
Chypre family like dew-kissed leaves lightly scorched.
Powdery family favored by Countess Yesod.
Aqua family with fresh water notes, or oceanic with a stronger sea scent.
Others included oriental with its sensual Eastern allure, spicy with spice aromas, tobacco leather with tobacco and leather notes, gourmand wafting sweet dessert-like scents.
And chypre, fougère, musk families, and more.
By the time Sharon had sampled and scored them all, thirty minutes had flown by.
"Siwoo, Orange P3, Bergamot R2, Lime R22, Iris P2, Resin O4…."
Amelia took the scoresheet from Siwoo and rattled off dozens of fragrance ingredients for him.
"…that's all for now."
"Got it."
Siwoo, confident in his memory, memorized them on the spot and headed to the storeroom.
Only after he left did the two finally exchange proper greetings.
"It's been a while, Miss Sharon."
"Yes, it has, Lady Amelia."
"Come sit over here."
Amelia gestured to another chair inside the counter.
Sharon stood and followed as directed.
The area behind the counter, lined with essential oils like magical reagents, evoked an alchemist's lab or a bartender's display.
"You have very distinct tastes. What kind of clothes do you usually wear?"
The surprising thing at that point was how utterly composed Amelia seemed with Sharon.
Last time they'd met, her fighting spirit had been at a boiling point, laced with uncertainty and a frantic urgency.
But just a few days later, Amelia was completely different.
She met Sharon's eyes straight on without flinching, her gestures and tone brimming with leisure.
She could pass for someone else entirely.
Every composure has its basis.
What on earth had changed Amelia so drastically?
"As you can see, I dressed up as usual."
"You used to wear more comfortable outfits."
"That was during class."
In truth, the dress Sharon wore was the most expensive in her wardrobe, custom-made two days ago at Flora's Tailor Shop after much deliberation.
Of course, she wasn't fool enough to let that show.
She kept her poise, probing Amelia in turn.
"You look like you have something to ask?"
Sharon snapped to at Amelia's offhand remark, realizing she was staring right back.
"You two seem pretty distant. Calling him 'assistant' and all that stiff speech."
She knew Amelia had a softer heart than she let on.
But caught off-guard by the sudden change, Sharon's words came out sharper.
Her tone even carried a mocking edge.
Yet Amelia wrote on her paper without a hint of disturbance.
"Did it seem that way?"
"……."
What was with this composure?
The Amelia who'd bristled at every jab, taking true damage, was gone.
All that remained was an Amelia where blows landed like punching a thick blanket—zero impact.
"What happened to make you so confident?"
Sharon felt her heart pounding.
One night could build walls between lovers miles high.
She'd experienced firsthand how even trivial triggers could shift relationships.
Realizing she'd stood by without countermeasures might have been a grave mistake.
"Your advice was spot-on. Siwoo loved it."
"Advice?"
She didn't recall giving any specific advice.
They'd just bragged about their relationships with Siwoo, swapping somewhat embarrassing stories.
Stuff like him loving breasts, pleasing him with them, doing anything he wanted, even outdoors.
Her heated barbs had poked at Amelia, who fled like she was escaping.
Their time together gave Sharon a stronger hand.
Amelia's chest didn't seem any bigger.
So what play had she pulled in this short time to…?
"Excuse me."
Then.
Amelia leaned toward Sharon.
"Wha…!"
Amelia gently gripped Sharon's wrist, her face drawing closer.
Even to another woman, Amelia was fairy-like in her beauty.
A dreamlike, mystical aura seeped from her strange composure.
The allure that could captivate even same-sex in an instant washed over her, stiffening Sharon in flustered panic.
A kiss?
Is she going for a kiss?
With Siwoo right there?
Sharon's imagination flared wildly.
'Ever since I saw you, I've been smitten at first sight. Siwoo's long forgotten.'
'It's just you and me here now. Just for a moment, let me rest upon those lovely lips.'
It wasn't entirely unfounded fancy.
Witches had a notably high proportion of lesbians.
Even that lunatic Della Redcliffe had eyed Sharon's body covetously.
But no matter how pretty Amelia was, Sharon had Siwoo.
Amelia hovered lightly near Sharon's nape, unable to move.
The sound of her inhaling tickled her ear.
As Sharon debated shoving her away, Amelia released her shoulder.
"Miss Sharon, your body is undeniably feminine and alluring. Qualities I lack."
Amelia's low voice resonated near her ear.
"But I can give Siwoo more than that. Don't think he'll fall so easily again."
Whispering near her nape, Amelia stood, then sniffed Sharon's wrists, hair, and other areas for her scent profile.
Only then did Sharon realize this was all part of gathering data for the custom perfume.
She'd been thrown off by Amelia's allure attack, losing the initiative—but she wasn't about to sit there dumbfounded.
Regaining her wits, Sharon fired back sharply.
"What exactly did you do to get so smug? You look itching to brag. Spit it out already."
"That's easy enough."
Amelia, about to boast proudly like last time, felt her mouth clamp shut.
"……."
She'd found something Siwoo was thrilled about and done plenty of it, but saying it to Sharon? Nothing could be more mortifying.
Catplay or outdoor romps would've been fine.
But cleaning demos, sex ed using her body as a prop, associate professor roleplay?
How was she supposed to say that out loud?
"…Uh, w-well, anyway. Lots of stuff, you know, lots."
"Suddenly shy? You spilled everything last time. I did too!"
"We did something amazing…! Something you couldn't dream of imitating~~~~!"
Stoking her anxiety only to clam up and hoard it now?
Totally unfair.
Sharon felt her pent-up frustration toward Amelia swelling.
She roughly swept back her bangs and snapped.
"Fine, whatever. I'll just ask Siwoo myself tonight."
"What?!"
Amelia's jaw dropped at Sharon's thunderbolt declaration.
Ask Siwoo directly? Tonight, of all times?
He wouldn't blab about matters tied to her dignity…
Probably not, but the sheer audacity of the idea shocked her.
"'What?' I think I've been plenty generous with you, Lady Amelia. Planning to hog him forever? Siwoo's not yours alone."
"I know… But…! Siwoo and I have plans tonight. Prying about other lovers at the pillowside? That's harlot behavior."
"You're the greedy one acting like that! After weeks glued together, shouldn't you be satisfied by now?"
"You've had months with him."
"At least I didn't try to monopolize someone else's share!"
The initial polite probing war ended in a flash.
With personalities that clashed badly, the two ignited into full-blown conflict.
Amelia swiftly finished checking Sharon's scent and said.
"Fine, let's do this."
"Do what?"
"Let Siwoo decide. We'll discuss the next time later—right now, who he spends tonight with."
"That favors you way more!"
If Amelia thought that fair, she was truly dense.
Sharon furrowed her brows and blurted in anger.
"How is that fair? I'm all for fairness…."
"You know he's super worried about you right now? Think he'll come to me after harsh words? Jeez, who got him into that mess in the first place…."
Seeing Amelia's face harden, Sharon realized her slip and clapped a hand over her mouth.
But it was too late.