Chapter 551
Chapter 551
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 551
Chapter Title: Love and War (4)
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1.
Lurue sat there in a daze, leaving Si-woo to snore away in oblivious shock.
The tension and anticipation she'd felt just one or two hours ago had vanished without a trace, replaced in that gaping void by a sense of relief bordering on defeat.
Honestly, did this even make sense?
Even after he'd confessed to her with those hot, sweet words and personally suggested they share a bed, he didn't so much as bat an eye.
To fall asleep snoring within a minute of laying his head down.
And after seeing her bare skin like that in the sauna, he was completely unfazed?
Did her seduction strategy fail to land even a little?
He couldn't possibly be... impotent.
"He should have panted like a beast in heat and pounced on me... No, at the very least, he should have flirted a bit. That's what's normal."
The sound of lips smacking pierced the ears of the bewildered Lurue, reminding her that the whole chain of events was stark reality.
Having whipped herself into a frenzy only to be left high and dry, Lurue felt her energy drain straight out of her.
She crawled sluggishly across the bed and sidled up next to him for no particular reason.
"......"
She poked the cheek of the man sleeping with the utmost peace in the world.
Half in petty spite, she even gave it a light pinch.
But he merely squirmed for a moment before wandering off into dreamland, paying Lurue no mind whatsoever.
What if he wasn't as interested in Lurue as she'd imagined?
Why else wouldn't Italian men shower women with flowery words the moment they laid eyes on them?
Maybe that passionate love confession had just been for show after all—or some one-off flattery...
For a fleeting moment, Lurue felt utterly dejected.
"No, that can't be. No man alive could resist a beauty like me."
But Lurue, whose self-esteem was second to none, shook off the bitter sting of failure in an instant.
"Gasp!"
As she gazed absentmindedly at his sleeping face, a jolt of electricity shot down her spine.
It was a spark of realization.
"No way...!"
Lurue formed a hypothesis and replayed the situation in her mind.
The hypothesis that Si-woo had seen right through Lurue's intentions.
If he'd realized her offer to share a bed wasn't genuine but merely a ploy to lure him into a trap, then everything fell into place.
Exercising superhuman patience, he pretended to sleep in the face of her subtle temptations.
This way, he dodged the trap while signaling, "I'm not the least bit desperate, so you come crawling to me."
Lurue's body trembled just like when she'd discovered that adult toy set.
"What a terrifying man... To see through my scheme in that split second. And with that level of self-control."
Come to think of it, he'd mentioned having lovers up on the surface.
More than one, even.
This "push and pull" was a first for Lurue, but for him, it was everyday routine.
"No matter how exceptional I am, with no experience, I'm bound to lose...!"
At last, Lurue understood the reason for her defeat in this skirmish.
Finding such a clear answer actually put her mind at ease.
Of course, she had no intention of remaining the loser.
She would devise a new plan and come on even stronger.
As she pondered what method to use,
"Come to think of it..."
Recalling the time he'd come at her wildly without restraint, something suddenly clicked.
He'd once claimed he got excited from the scent of her hair—a ridiculous lie.
If that were true, wouldn't it end with just pressing the crown of her head under his nose?
She tilted her head to let him sniff, then promptly gave up on the idea.
"Pfft, as if any guy like that exists in the world."
Apparently, the sting of her failed strategy had hit her harder than she thought.
To even fall for nonsense like that.
"Oh...!"
In that moment, another realization flashed through Lurue's mind.
The way he'd especially praised her hair's texture, or how he'd reached out today to stroke her head.
And his lie about getting aroused from the smell of her hair.
She'd found the connecting thread in all these incidents.
Lies never come without reason.
Even if it was a desperate fabrication, it had to contain at least some kernel of truth.
There are strange fetishes in the world for specific body parts beyond just genitals or breasts—things called fetishes, like hands, armpits, or feet.
Putting it all together, Shin Si-woo had a hair fetish.
"Found it...!"
The key to victory in this round—and his weakness.
With this, Shin Si-woo was as good as in Lurue's grasp.
2.
The next morning.
Probably because he'd finally gotten a proper night's sleep in a comfortable bed.
He opened his eyes feeling the quality of his rest was better than ever before.
"Awake?"
He flinched at the voice right beside him.
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked over to see Lurue seated in an armchair, reading a book.
She wore an expression of supreme smugness.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes."
Lurue usually favored uniform-like outfits or dark-toned dresses that fell to her ankles.
But as she closed her book with deliberate flair and rose to her feet, she looked utterly radiant.
The dress was the same shadowy style, but the fabric was threaded with silver, and the hems were adorned with tiny blue gems.
Like bioluminescent plankton glowing in a pitch-black sea without moonlight.
A small tiara perched atop her head, her blue-black hair combed to glossy perfection.
The very outfit you'd imagine for the "Deep Sea Witch" upon first hearing the title.
"You look... incredibly dressed up."
"Do I? It's not all that different from usual. Just everyday wear for me."
Lurue flicked her hair with stylish flair in response.
Her reaction to the praise was so perfectly her that he couldn't help but chuckle.
"Is that all?"
"No, Your Majesty—your beauty left me speechless for a moment."
"Then praise my beauty more."
They traded light compliments all the way to the dining hall for breakfast.
3.
Lurue was thoroughly satisfied.
His reactions were those of a man utterly smitten.
Of course, this outfit was her ultimate costume, reserved only for special occasions.
An ultra-luxury abyssal dress that couldn't be washed by ordinary means—meant to be worn once and discarded.
And while he'd slept, she'd slipped into the bathroom to brush and wash her hair multiple times, leaving it gleaming more lustrously than freshly steamed rice.
No one could resist going mad for it.
"Your Majesty, there's something I'd like to say."
"Speak freely."
So, what strategy should she use today to continue the war?
As she sank into pleasant contemplation, a thunderbolt of words struck her ears.
"What did you just say?"
Even to her own ears, her voice sounded rigidly tense.
"I want to... get in touch with the outside."
"The outside? Get in touch? Why?"
"Thanks to Your Majesty's grace, I'm spending each day in gratitude. But my friends and lovers who don't know I'm doing well must be worried sick out there."
It felt like being hammered on the head but with all the pain excised—just pure shock.
Lurue stammered as she shot back at Si-woo.
"...Is that really so important?"
Contact with the outside.
For Lurue, it was an event she desperately wanted to avoid.
Her master had warned her early on, hadn't she? With succession so recent, exposing her existence and location to the world.
She'd only met the ancestral witch because of the "pact"—otherwise, she'd never have surfaced.
"It's important to me."
But honestly, such details didn't matter.
What truly shocked Lurue was the request itself—that he wanted to contact the outside.
"What do you plan to do by contacting the outside?"
"First, at least reassure them that I'm fine."
"...First?"
What did that mean?
If contact came first, what was next?
And then she thought of something she hadn't dwelled on before.
To Lurue, Si-woo was everything.
Her friends were practically everything too.
But to him, there were others besides Lurue.
In the midst of anxiety spreading like spilled ink, Lurue voiced a grim question that sent chills down her own spine just to utter.
"You... plan to leave me?"
The moment the vague doubt escaped her lips, she felt as if the sky itself had come crashing down.
Lately, she'd been living the happiest days of her life.
The mere presence of one person lingering in Aquila brought such joy it was astonishing—each day brimmed with fulfillment, each a fresh wave of delight.
Did that mean he didn't feel the same?
Was that why he spoke of "lovers" and dared imply he'd leave someday?
"No, I'm not saying I'm leaving right now."
"Meaning you will leave eventually."
Si-woo fell silent, as if he hadn't expected such a response.
"......"
The emotion that welled up as she looked at him...
Betrayal.
Disappointment.
Violent revulsion toward something unpleasant.
Her rose-tinted heart was mangled beyond recognition amid the murky brew of dark emotions.
"I forbid it."
"Your Majesty..."
"I said I forbid it!"
Lurue's shout rang sharply through the dining hall.
The unexpected turmoil didn't stop there—it ignited into fury.
"You've toyed with me quite well up till now, haven't you? Did you think I'd fall for it?"
That was why she sneered with intent.
Half from the searing betrayal, half to seal off his request at the source.
"I've found it suspicious all along. Come to think of it, you're from Gehenna, aren't you? My master warned me endlessly how vile the witches there are."
"Your Majesty..."
"You were scheming to lure me out of hiding by making contact with the outside!"
Deep down, she knew.
He was absolutely not the type to pull something like that.
But the thought of granting his request—and him vanishing—terrified and repulsed her.
Because what he'd taught her wasn't just the joy of being together, but the loneliness of being left alone.
She absolutely could not tolerate it.
"I don't want to hear it! Get out! Be grateful I'm not severing your head right here!"
Lurue hurled her glass with all her might and turned her back to Si-woo.