Chapter 566
Chapter 566
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 566
Chapter Title: Sleeping with the Enemy (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1.
To grandly welcome her friend reunited after ten long years, Lurue threw a lavish banquet.
Not that the banquet had many guests—it was just Lurue, Siwoo, Dorothy, and a bunch of the other crew members.
Chef Anastasia pulled out all the stops with her cooking, filling the dining table with every delicacy under the sun until it nearly buckled under the weight.
Lurue even brought out her precious whiskey—the kind she usually nursed sparingly—and poured it freely to toast Dorothy's arrival.
In that rowdy atmosphere, they ate, drank, and chatted away. Once the meal was done, everyone gathered in the parlor for a game of poker.
The vibe was pure fun and games, but Siwoo's focus remained fixed on watching Dorothy.
By closely observing her gaze, tone, and demeanor toward Lurue, he hoped to pierce through her true nature and intentions, which he still couldn't quite pin down.
But was she just that thorough as a Public Enemy, or was he completely off-base with his suspicions?
There were no glaring red flags.
The only thing he learned was that she was playing along remarkably well with Lurue.
"Your Majesty, snap out of it."
"Huuuh... I’m not... drunk yet..."
Lurue had gotten so carried away with the booze that she was utterly plastered.
For her spirit body to reach this state, she must have downed crate after crate of liquor.
And sure enough, she'd done just that, leaving her unable to walk straight and clinging awkwardly to Siwoo.
Dorothy, lounging on the sofa and idly shuffling cards out of habit, caught sight of them and let out a smirk.
"You two are so close~ Need a hand?"
"No thanks. I'll take Her Majesty to her room."
"Mmm... Come to my chambers... tonight..."
Lurue's drunken ramblings, all slurred and curled up.
Normally, Siwoo would have brushed it off, but the problem was the less-than-welcome audience.
He glanced back at the sofa with a sour expression, only to see Dorothy raising both hands with an amused glint in her eyes, playing innocent.
"I won't get in the way~"
Seeing no point in responding, Siwoo half-carried Lurue toward her bed.
Even after becoming a witch, he still made a point of getting regular sleep when possible, but that was off the table for now.
Who knew what Dorothy might pull while he and Lurue were asleep?
For the same reason, he planned to pause the trials for a bit and talk Lurue out of diving back into them too.
That left keeping an eye on Dorothy to make sure she didn't try anything shady.
As he laid her on the massive bed and moved to stand, Lurue suddenly grabbed his sleeve.
Her face flushed from the alcohol.
"Clothes... Nightgown... Nightgown..."
"You want to change into pajamas?"
"Mmm... Yeah..."
Even in her half-dazed state, Her Majesty was adamant about sleeping in her nightgown.
Siwoo fetched it from the closet, and she immediately started acting spoiled.
"Dress me, you."
"Got it. Arms up. Arms up."
"Arms up..."
Lurue wobbled into a sitting position on the bed, stretching her arms high like a ragdoll.
Siwoo removed her top and unhooked her bra, slipping it off.
The faint marks from the wires somehow made the act of undressing her feel all the more intimate and erotic.
Ignoring the soft sway of her breasts as best he could, he slipped the nightgown over her head. She shook her hair, tousling it back into place.
He neatly removed her pants and started to stand, but she grabbed his sleeve again.
"Siwoo."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Lie down... with me..."
Siwoo had never seen Lurue this plastered before. Her drunk persona seemed to be an utter spoiled brat.
Even as she swayed side to side, barely able to keep her eyes open, her voice dripped with an uncharacteristic cuteness.
"Sure, sure. I'll tuck you in."
Wide beds weren't always as comfy as they seemed—he'd learned that from sleeping in hers.
Of course, no matter how bad her sleeping habits, she'd never roll off the edge. But getting to the middle meant tumbling over a few times.
In the end, he kicked off his shoes, scooped her up, and laid her in the center.
"There we go?"
"Mmm... Perfect."
"I'll sleep a bit later. You go ahead."
Just as he finally turned to leave, her small hand caught his sleeve once more.
"Siwoo."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
"Huh?"
After all the merry eating and drinking, her sudden apology caught him off guard, so he asked again. Lurue mumbled on.
"For slapping... your cheek. I trust you, but you don't seem to trust me... It made me anxious."
"It wasn't a big deal."
"I know. It was my own misunderstanding."
She was talking about that morning's incident.
He hadn't given it a second thought, so he gently stroked her head.
"It's fine. It didn't even hurt much."
"And... and I was furious because it felt like you wouldn't hold me unless I finished the trials... Why? Do you hate doing it with me? Or do you want me to hurry through them so you can leave, so you're tormenting me on purpose?"
Now it clicked why Lurue had been sulky lately.
There was no deeper intent—it was just bad timing—but he patiently listened as she explained her misunderstanding.
"Nothing like that, so don't worry and get some sleep."
Not satisfied, she shook her head and flipped over.
Her hands fumbled at her waist, then she hiked up the hem of her nightgown, baring her plump, perky rear.
The alcohol's flush had spread even there, matching her rosy cheeks.
"Spank it... all you want."
"Pardon?"
"I said you can spank my ass as much as you like... and do whatever you want to me."
Was she taking his earlier joke literally?
It was tempting, even for Siwoo, but the timing was awful today.
He needed to monitor Dorothy alone aboard the ship ASAP and squeeze in some more conversation if possible.
"Your Majesty, sorry, but tonight..."
He started groping for an excuse.
But he didn't need to finish.
"Snooore... Snooore..."
Lurue had passed out cold, nightgown hiked up and all.
Siwoo straightened her clothes, tucked her in properly, and headed back to the parlor.
2.
"Took you long enough?"
Dorothy lounged on the sofa like it was her own bedroom, greeting Siwoo.
She hadn't had time to pull any tricks in that short window, but her nonchalance was surprising.
A cigar dangled from her full lips—one that suited her hard-boiled personality perfectly.
Not that it matched her nun's habit at all.
"Faster than I expected. Her body's in good shape, huh~ But down below, you're kinda limp?"
Another jab not worth dignifying with a response.
"Did you know I'd come?"
"You're the suspicious type~ Gotta keep tabs on a shady Public Enemy, right? Perfect timing. I wanted more drinks anyway."
As he sat on the opposite sofa, he spotted something new on the table.
A crystal wine decanter—or more precisely, the thick red liquid inside.
He knew that viscosity and color anywhere.
Blood.
And it brimmed with mana far denser than any mana water.
His guard shot straight to maximum.
He'd spent hours carousing with Lurue and Dorothy, but his internal trust level with her was still rock bottom.
And now this suspicious blood in a bottle?
"Busted."
Dorothy flashed a smile, more amused by his reaction than the decanter itself.
But oddly, his spike of alarm eased the moment he saw her flaunt it so openly.
Her speech, outfit—everything screamed bad taste. If it was shady, she'd have paraded it like a trophy.
Besides, hadn't she said she was waiting for him to return?
Far from annoyed by his suspicion, Dorothy seemed to enjoy prodding at it.
"What's this?"
"Witch blood."
"Why'd you leave it out?"
Rather than explain, Dorothy demonstrated.
She casually set her cigar in a holder and uncorked the decanter.
Then she dripped blood into a rocks glass half-filled with whiskey.
The whiskey's bright amber turned a murky sepia.
Without hesitation, she took a sip.
Siwoo grimaced at the stomach-churning sight, and Dorothy exhaled blissfully, eyes half-lidded in ecstasy.
She looked like she'd just shot up.
Was she messing with him, or was there something to it?
From the moment she'd called it "witch blood," unease had gnawed at him.
After staring blankly into space for a while, life returned to Dorothy's eyes.
"Wanna try some?"
"Pass. Care to explain?"
"Ran into an acquaintance on the way here. She looked troubled, so~ I helped her out and got some blood donation in return."
"Donation?"
Was she saying she hadn't killed her? Or was it a euphemism?
"Her blood's super unique. Mix it in booze, and you get hit with a temporary curse. Feels great~ And you see the prettiest hallucinations. Like a kaleidoscope."
"......"
It really was a hallucinogen.
"She's usually stingy, so I hardly ever get to indulge. But this haul? Jackpot."
"So you're saying you didn't kill her?"
"Kill her? That'd be like slitting the golden goose. Nah~ Waste of efficiency."
Dorothy chuckled merrily, grinning ear to ear.
Siwoo had sensed it before, but this woman seemed like the type who'd morally twisted up someone like Periwinkle.
Was it her ruthless business acumen, always chasing profit?
Or her taking joy in toying with people as life's greatest pleasure?
"Anyway, since you're here~ Be my drinking buddy?"
Siwoo was already on monitoring duty, and he hadn't gotten a proper probe in since Lurue showed up.
To pry out more info, he decided to play along with the small talk.