Chapter 595
Chapter 595
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 595
Chapter Title: I'm Home (3)
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Crossing the central garden of the Jemernai mansion for the first time in ages, Siwoo asked,
"Where are the others?"
"I've sent word. They'll all join us around dinner."
"They're still out looking for me?"
Siwoo's guilt and worry swelled up for no good reason.
"Yep. They'll lose their minds when they see the new girlfriend you brought back."
Albireo jabbed at him.
"Girlfriend? Are you talking about me?"
Rurye, who had been lost in admiring the garden, suddenly perked up her ears.
Here, Albireo pulled a little trick.
She had sent word to his lovers, who were still scouring distant seas in search of him—but with a six-hour delay.
They'd all come rushing back within thirty minutes of hearing he was safe, so this was to buy as much alone time as possible for Siwoo and the twins.
The Jemernai family had already spent a fortune searching for him. What was this little ploy in comparison?
She was confident the twins' charm and cuteness were unrivaled in the world, but her rivals were no joke.
The newly arrived deep-sea witch was one thing, but...
There was Duke Eloa Tiphereth, revered by all; Sharon, who had been living with him since their previous life and claimed the girlfriend spot; and even Amelia, who was buried in debt but boasted unmatched beauty among witches and an insane knack for making money.
With letters and recorded messages delivered, his safety had been all but confirmed a month ago.
They were just searching out of lingering worry, so there was no real guilt in the deception.
As apprentice witches, the twins couldn't compete head-on, so it was only natural for their mentor to step in and help.
"Wait here. The twins are in music lessons, so I'll go fetch them. As for Lady Nukelrabi..."
Albireo glanced from Siwoo toward Rurye.
This was a rare chance for a private reunion.
She had brought them to the reception hall, wide open on all sides to prevent any funny business.
Now it was time to remove the interloper.
With the deep-sea witch hanging around, the touching reunion would turn into a battlefield in no time.
"What is it?"
Rurye, who had been quietly taking in the mansion, met Albireo's gaze with her straight navy-blue eyes.
The way her chin naturally tilted up, as if addressing a subordinate, was almost too perfect.
She was putting on an air of utmost dignity, but Albireo—seasoned through every trial life could throw—could see right through it.
The newly inherited Rurye Nukelrabi from Sharlit Nukelrabi was an incredibly young witch, lacking any real worldly experience.
She tried to maintain her composure, but from the portal in Border Town, stepping off the carriage into the garden, and even the short walk to the reception hall...
Rurye seemed overwhelmed by a massive cultural shock, just like Bovinga when she first set foot on New York soil.
For someone who had spent her entire life under the sea, Gehenna's streets teeming with dozens of witches or the Jemernai mansion's pinnacle of opulence were an irresistible new world she couldn't tear her eyes from.
Using sightseeing as an excuse to peel her away should be easy enough.
Siwoo's companion didn't seem ill-tempered, and with her injuries limiting her to apprentice-level magic at best, there shouldn't be any issues.
"Would you like a tour of the mansion? I can assign a maid to guide you."
Rurye's face lit up instantly.
But she quickly schooled her features into stern dignity and replied politely.
"It pales beside my palace beneath the waves, but it is a fine kingdom, adequately adorned."
"You're too kind. There are even more beautiful spots tucked into every corner."
"Very well. I shall inspect it."
Albireo had already guessed that Rurye used "I" in the royal sense, brimmed with pride as the queen of the seas, and went to excessive lengths to uphold decorum.
Matching her demeanor was no trouble at all.
"Siwoo, I shall take a brief tour. Behave yourself here. And no causing trouble."
"Sure, see you later. You remember what I told you, right?"
Siwoo shot Albireo a look that said, Is this okay? But it was her idea from the start.
With Pecha's help, Rurye disappeared toward the long gallery.
"Is that her normal way of talking? Is she really a queen?"
Albireo asked, staring at Rurye's retreating back.
Even Siwoo had struggled to adjust at first, so he gave a wry smile in sympathy with her bewilderment.
"Uh..."
Albireo had been a bit thrown off by how little was known about the deep-sea witch.
But Siwoo's vague reaction seemed to confirm her suspicions.
"She's a bit prickly and quirky, but not a bad person."
"Who asked you to defend her?"
Still irked, Albireo scolded him and headed off to collect the twins.
They should be in the piano room by now...
"Huh?"
No piano sounds.
Thinking they might be on a break, she opened the door—but neither twins nor their shadows were anywhere to be seen.
"Those girls..."
No wonder Pecha had seemed hesitant.
They had ditched completely and were off slacking somewhere.
Rurye wandered the mansion in a daze, guided by Pecha.
She had inwardly scoffed at Border Town's shabby scenery, but stepping into Ars Magna Town had captivated her with Gehenna's beauty.
And the Jemernai mansion was the crowning jewel.
Far more splendid than the Versailles Palace she'd seen in black-and-white films, its grandeur—from the garden onward—had utterly stolen her soul.
Rose bushes trimmed into perfect blocks without a single stray leaf, fountains sculpted from marble.
Fresh, vibrant scents wafting from flowers in full bloom, not a wilted petal in sight.
And the interior?
Corridors dimmed by curtains even in broad daylight were carpeted wall-to-wall in luxurious crimson rugs, flickering candelabras evoking molten gold.
The long gallery exuded aristocratic elegance, adorned with historic artifacts worthy of being called cultural treasures.
"Hmm, what is this?"
Rurye's wide-eyed wonder drew an unwitting swell of pride from Pecha, who responded like a seasoned curator, reciting the origins of each piece.
She hadn't studied formally, but living in the mansion since infancy had ingrained the knowledge.
"That's a full-length mirror used by Louis XIV himself. The family head bought it at auction a couple years back."
"I see... And this?"
"A painting by Antoine Watteau, the founder of Rococo. It depicts life at the Italian court, or so I've heard."
"And that?"
"A sculpture symbolizing the Jemernai countess line. Commissioned from an artist of the old world by our great-great-grandmother. Name was... Leonardo something..."
"Da Vinci?"
"Yes, that's the one."
Rurye was no slouch in the arts herself, a proper witch with refined tastes.
She could tell any painting on the walls or sculpture scattered about was priceless—steal one, and she'd never want for anything again.
Lost in the whirlwind tour, she suddenly recalled that one of Siwoo's lovers was an apprentice witch of the Jemernai house.
It wouldn't hurt to at least see what she looked like.
"Dost thou know Shin Siwoo?"
"Pardon?"
"The man who travels with me."
"Oh, the male witch? Of course, he's hugely famous."
"I hear one of this mansion's apprentices is among his concubines."
The sharp Pecha realized this referred to Odil and Odet.
After all, his lovers included the lofty Duke Tiphereth, sweet and kindly Sharon, and even Professor Merigold, whom the twins feared.
"C-concubines?"
"Indeed. I myself am his lawfully wedded queen by royal decree. All others are mere concubines, no? I would see her face. Guide me."
Her attitude was arrogant beyond measure, yet she seemed utterly unaware of it.
In other words, this mysterious witch hailed from extraordinarily high birth.
Even so, casually disparaging the adorable twins was enough to spark defiance.
Pecha pursed her lips, bristling.
"No."
No matter how great the witch, this was the mighty Jemernai household.
Treating the staff poorly was tantamount to declaring war.
Trusting in that, Pecha stated firmly.
"What?"
"They're skipping class, so I don't know where they are. Find them yourself."
Stunned that a mere servant dared refuse her imperious command, Rurye faltered.
Was this the boldness of Gehenna maids?
She clearly needed a lesson.
"It seems my renown has not reached this backwater hamlet. Hear me, nameless wench. Dost thou spew such insolence knowing who I am?"
Her sharp soprano—rivaling the twins'—carried a chilling edge that made Pecha flinch.
"Wh-who are you, anyway?"
"I am the ancient witch who struck fear from time immemorial, the legitimate heir worshipped as Mother of the Seas, Sharlit Nukelrabi! Sovereign of the deeps, peerless beneath heaven and earth, queen of the great Nukelrabi dynasty! I who survey all peoples and sink any who defy me without mercy—Rurye Nukelrabi!"
Pecha gaped at the longest self-introduction she'd ever heard, leaving Rurye smugly satisfied.
That should do it. She expected groveling apologies any second.
"Pecha, what are you doing there?"
"Is Master looking for us?"
Two identical voices rang out in perfect unison.
Turning toward the sound, Rurye beheld—judging by their mana flow—apprentice witches.
Jet-black hair meticulously styled and dried, as if tended by hands for hours.
Amethyst eyes gleaming mysteriously, pretty as carved gems.
Full-skirted dresses like noble young ladies, half-bonnets tied with ribbons dangling to their chins.
Up to here, she might have dismissed it as quaint Gehenna fashion.
But there were two of them.
Two doll-like apprentice witches.
Rurye, unaware the Jemernai countess line was famed for twins, was caught completely off guard.
But she couldn't end it here looking flustered.
They were just apprentices, after all.
Since she'd come this far, might as well settle the pecking order.
"Lady Odil...! Lady Odet...!"
Spotting her reliable allies amid the panic, Pecha scurried behind them.
Sensing something amiss from her reaction, the twins fixed hostile glares on the stranger.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Who are you to bully Pecha?"
One pair of eyes clashed fiercely with two.
"Ho?"
Rurye's lips curled in a smile at their audacity, signaling the opening salvo of war.