Chapter 552
Chapter 552
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 552
Chapter Title: #114 Love and War (5)
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1.
After breakfast, Reryue spent the entire day avoiding Siwoo.
If her feelings could be summed up in one sentence, it would be this:
'Playing with you is the most precious and wonderful thing to me, so why do you have someone else besides me?'
It was a truly childish and immature emotion, and she knew it full well.
She had boldly dragged him here after he slew the Kraken, but with no contact possible, his acquaintances—or lovers—must be worried sick.
Now that she'd heard his explanation, there was no way she hadn't considered that much.
That's why she was avoiding even starting a conversation.
If she heard his full explanation, she'd have to throw a tantrum.
She'd just end up stewing in that sense of betrayal from him all over again.
She might even have to let him go.
She saw avoiding the situation altogether as the best option.
"I thought we'd be together from now on... forever..."
He'd said he was completely smitten with her, looked so happy whenever they were together.
Even while watching movies or doing fun things together, a corner of his heart had been thinking of someone else, hadn't it?
He'd been planning to leave someday, right?
Jealousy and betrayal surged wildly within her.
She wanted to storm over, demand answers, and yell at him—but she knew it would be an unreasonable outburst, so she couldn't.
On the flip side, staying cooped up alone like this was so frustrating it was driving her mad. She wanted to talk about anything.
Caught in these conflicting emotions, Reryue sat at the bar and tilted a glass for the first time in ages, all by herself.
"......"
The loneliness hit even harder, leaving her deeply melancholic.
Lately, even when she drank, Shin Siwoo had been with her.
The stories he haltingly shared about the modern world made for the perfect accompaniment.
Now, brooding alone, it felt like he had vanished and she was beta-testing the future without him.
One glass, two glasses.
Reryue downed high-proof whiskey like it was water, then slammed her glass down.
With a pleasantly buzzed voice and half-slurred tongue, she let loose complaints that no one could hear.
"How blasphemous! To consort with me, the queen of the Nukelavi Kingdom, and yet unable to forget another!"
Her voice cracked with half-sobs.
After all she'd done for him, shouldn't he serve the kingdom eternally?
In the end, her shoulders slumped powerlessly as she bit her lip hard and bowed her head.
"Ugh... ugh..."
Silent sobs escaped as tears dripped one by one onto her clenched fists resting on her thighs.
For a queen, it was utterly pathetic whining.
She was no different from some fool of a woman hanging desperately on one man.
No—in the first place, this whole situation was Shin Siwoo's fault.
Floundering amid self-reproach, resentment, betrayal, and disappointment, Reryue quietly lifted her head.
"Huh...?"
An inspiration flashed through her alcohol-fogged, sorrow-heavy mind.
It was Reryue's inspiration—the one that always pointed to the right answer amid chaos.
Come to think of it, she and Shin Siwoo were still locked in a fierce struggle.
Not some barbaric brawl of shouts, curses, and violence, but an elegant battle of 'who would seduce the other first?'
Reryue felt the alcohol burn away in an instant.
It hit her like a bolt: 'What if his declaration was just an extension of the struggle?'
From the start, he'd rebuffed her skilled seduction in the bedroom with that clever ploy of playing hard to get.
A man versed in the wars of love would surely counter a blow with an even stronger one.
In other words, the whole sequence of events and words was an extreme gambit to put Reryue in the 'desperate' position.
A jealousy-inducement tactic, in short.
Which meant, conversely, that he had absolutely no intention of leaving her.
Because his very talk of wanting contact was just one part of the deception meant to rattle her impatience and unease.
Reryue forcibly wrapped up her anxiety with this positive spin.
She shoved aside the nagging doubt in her chest: 'He wouldn't be that cruel.'
Shin Siwoo was utterly smitten with her; this was clearly a bluff to seize the initiative. If she pretended to yield and granted his request, he wouldn't leave.
She resolved to believe it firmly.
2.
"I'm screwed."
With a deep sigh—he'd lost count of how many today—he scratched his head vigorously.
It was a problem he'd anticipated to some degree.
Reryue had been incredibly warm toward Siwoo, treating him with friendly familiarity despite her authoritative demeanor.
No, 'like a friend' was the wrong way to put it.
To Reryue, who had spent long years in isolation and planned to continue until completing her trial, Siwoo's sudden appearance must have been precious in itself—like a dear friend.
Well aware of his position, he'd long worried that showing any sign of wanting to leave would provoke stiff resistance.
But he hadn't expected this level of pushback just from declaring 'contact'—and that after fully explaining the situation.
No matter how vast, a sealed submarine made it easy to search every nook for Reryue.
The problem was that she bolted like a scared rabbit whenever she spotted Siwoo, refusing even the slightest opening for talk.
All day long.
Her attitude screamed 'don't even bring it up,' so Siwoo had given up for now and holed up alone in his room.
"I'm not even saying I'm leaving right away."
He got it.
In witch society, 'exile' was a massive penalty, and a young witch with combat prowess below her hierarchy rank was mouthwatering prey.
Even as the 23rd Hierarchy Grand Witch, she'd be done for if multiple Public Enemies conspired against her.
That's why her master, Shalit Nukelavi, had drilled caution into her.
Despite her voracious curiosity, Reryue's actual behavior was extremely reclusive.
She was so fascinated by the modern world yet had never once set foot on land—that said it all.
To her, the 'outside' was an utterly unstable place, and she shied away from any connection to it, no matter the form.
Of course, that wasn't the whole story.
Judging by her reaction, it seemed less about anxiety over the outside world and more pure worry that Siwoo might leave.
Siwoo had grown fond of Reryue, too.
He had no intention of slipping away without a proper goodbye.
Once he confirmed everyone he was safe via contact, he planned to fully support her through the trial so she could roam freely afterward.
And power up via the trial as a bonus.
"But with her acting like that... I can't even broach the topic..."
For now, all he could do was wait for Reryue to calm down.
3.
"Mm..."
Her own sleepy tossing-and-turning voice roused her, and she opened her eyes.
What time was it?
Half-asleep, she groped toward the alarm clock on the desk, arm outstretched.
"Huh?"
Something felt off.
The bed in Siwoo's guest room was quite narrow, so stretching his arm fully from lying down would usually dangle it off the edge.
Yet no matter how hard he stretched, his elbow sank into something soft.
It rested perfectly stable on the bed.
Only then did Siwoo fully open his eyes and realize he was on Reryue's bed.
A semi-transparent ceiling offering a full view of the ocean scenery loomed above him.
"...What the."
Was his memory faulty? He rewound his thoughts.
With Reryue sulking, heading off to the trial alone felt awkward.
He must have dozed off while researching magic in his room, waiting for her to come around.
No sleepwalker, he wasn't likely to wander here in his sleep...
This had to be...
"Awakened?"
He turned his head to see Reryue—the prime suspect—kneeling on the bed.
"Eh?"
Siwoo let out a bizarre yelp, utterly shocked.
Beyond the fact that she'd hauled him here in his sleep, Reryue presented two shocking points.
First, though no one might acknowledge it, Reryue had fierce pride as queen.
She absolutely never knelt.
Especially not so neatly, knees primly together, thighs pressed tight.
Second was more straightforward: her outfit.
She usually slept in a light, flowing sleeveless dress.
But now? Underwear—black lace lingerie that revealed her surprisingly ample cleavage, even a hint of areola peeking through.
So provocative it outpaced his brain's processing.
"Awakened?"
"Yes, as you can see... So, what's going on?"
"......"
Reryue couldn't answer right away.
Her head spun with embarrassment.
What she was about to do stemmed from admitting defeat to him.
No amount of rehearsal or preparation could banish the shame.
She still had to flirt and fawn coyly over him.
But holding onto him mattered more than a moment's pride.
Steeling herself once more, Reryue spoke.
"You have won."
"...Pardon?"
"No need to play coy. Your scheme succeeded. I concede defeat."
"No, I really don't get it."
Reryue bristled.
Here she was, graciously admitting defeat for once, and he was still feigning ignorance.
Obviously to wring more concessions in the surrender talks.
How bottomlessly greedy could a man be?
"I already told you! You won! Bravo! Most impressive!"
"So you'll let me make contact?"
"...Drop the obvious act."
Reryue bit her lip tight.
She tossed something at his feet as he kept up the dazed act.
"Th-this... where'd you...?"
It was the black bag holding the all-in-one adult toy set he'd stashed in his room for her someday.
"I know your tastes all too well. Not content with my body, you aim to lord over my mind too—normally, such a scheme would be utterly intolerable."
Shin Siwoo even feigned startlement.
"I'll appoint you Interior Minister by royal decree. All your base desires are hereby permitted."
Reryue took a deep breath and tossed him the switch, now lukewarm from her tight grip.
He'd surely guess its use—and where its paired toy was slotted right now.
This wasn't mere surrender.
It was surrender with belly exposed, fawning shamelessly.
But she wouldn't do it halfway.
If even a chance he said he was leaving anyway, she wouldn't be able to bear it.
"Rejoice. You're the first man to bring me to my knees."
Revulsion at her own cheap, whorish behavior made her face burn hot.
So Reryue deliberately threw out a curt tone.
"Thus, I command you: go nowhere. Stay by my side alone."