Chapter 620
Chapter 620
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 620
Chapter Title: Albireo's Breakdown (2)
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1.
Albireo was spending her afternoon tea time with the windows and curtains flung wide open, savoring the gentle breeze that playfully tickled her cheeks.
Over the past week.
Albireo's face had blossomed like the flowers in the garden awakening to spring.
"Heheheum~"
She was in such high spirits that a cheerful hum escaped her lips without her even realizing it.
The pen nib scratched pleasantly across the paper, flowing effortlessly in one go.
If this condition kept up, she felt she could tackle business affairs for over twenty hours a day.
The reasons for Albireo's skyrocketing quality of life boiled down to two main factors.
First, the moment Deneb realized pleasure was linked, she stopped masturbating.
It was only natural for Deneb, who possessed such delicate sensibilities on the surface.
Under normal circumstances, she might have felt even a shred of guilt for stealing away her little sister's secret pleasure.
No, truthfully, she still felt a little sorry even now.
But recalling the days of torment she'd endured because of Deneb—on top of her younger sister's utterly absurd declaration of planning to date her son-in-law without a care—swept away even that feather-light guilt.
If she claimed that pleasure as sweet as dessert didn't even cross her mind, that wouldn't be true.
It had certainly been an impressive peripheral sensation.
Yet why regret no longer having to force down a cake that simply couldn't be left unfinished?
"Still, she hasn't shown up yet."
And the second reason was that after handing the potion over to her son-in-law Si-woo, he hadn't visited even once.
For an entire week, no less!
This was a historic event.
The Gemernai mansion housed not only Si-woo but also his lover Sharon and the Tiferet Duke.
Even without sneaking peeks, a glance at the frequency of bed sheet laundering revealed just how debauched his nightly escapades had been.
After all, Albireo was the lady of the house, no matter what anyone said.
On top of that, the twins mysteriously vanished into the night once a month without fail. Factoring those instances in, his average weekly encounters clocked in at about four or five.
For a man like that to go a full week without requesting the potion!
"You've finally learned some self-control."
How could she not say it?
Of course, from his perspective, it might have felt awkward to approach Albireo just to seek permission for romps with his already overflowing lovers. Or perhaps he'd interpreted the procedure she'd imposed as a gentle nudge toward restraint.
Either way, Albireo was thrilled.
With a touch of calculation mixed in, it was a win for the twins too.
The twins' nighttime frolics with Si-woo were public knowledge, but that didn't make them any less clandestine.
And if Albireo was being honest, she wished they wouldn't until the inheritance was properly secured.
Yet the carnal urges between man and woman were notoriously ferocious.
Even the sharp-as-a-tack Deneb was lost in a lustful haze, wasn't she?
If Albireo stepped in and banned relations outright, it could hand a penalty to the twins, who were already starting from behind.
"If that's the case, let's keep everyone from doing it." That was Albireo's calculus.
"Ah, my stomach."
A sudden wave of heartburn hit Albireo.
The idea of one man snatching both her adorable darlings was bad enough for her gut, but getting dragged into some principal wife tussle?
Who could believe it?
The great Gemernai family, no less.
Her son-in-law's dopey mug floated to mind, making her insides twinge.
-Knock knock knock
Albireo snapped to attention at the knock, smoothing her expression into one of gentle warmth.
Hiding one's raw emotions was a noble lady's virtue, after all.
"Come in."
The visitor who stepped through the door was utterly unexpected.
"Oh my, Marygold. Care to join me for tea? I've got freshly baked scones and cake."
"Thank you, Countess."
Albireo rose from her seat to personally offer her a spot, her face beaming with a sweet smile.
She'd taken a liking to the perfume Amelia had gifted her out of gratitude, but even more, she'd sensed tremendous potential in it.
A fragrance already priced high enough to make eyes bulge—yet it sold out instantly despite the astronomical cost.
If she could charm her into a collaboration, the profits would roll in handsomely.
"What brings you here at this hour, though?"
She'd been buried in perfumery work around the clock lately, scrambling to gather compensation funds.
She'd already burned a full month searching for the missing Si-woo, leaving her reservations piled sky-high.
For someone that hard to spot even around the mansion to come calling like this...
"Is it about that perfume business venture I mentioned?"
"No. As I said before, I don't need it that badly."
"A witch devoting herself to magic research is admirable, but worldly business has its own charms—and it means zero worries about research funding."
"I'm good. I'll mull it over some more."
"Of course, I'm not pressuring you. So, to what do I owe the visit...?"
Disappointing, but there would be other days.
Albireo let it go cleanly and inquired after her purpose.
"......"
But Amelia merely stroked her golden locks endlessly, offering no reply.
As Albireo began to puzzle, Amelia cleared her throat a couple of times and finally spoke.
"I understand your concerns, but this is overly harsh."
"Pardon?"
"Is it really necessary to go that far? Sharing love is a matter for lovers alone. Third parties have no business meddling."
"Excuse me...?"
"The tea was delightful. Duties call, so I'll be off."
"Ah...."
The content was too delicate to spell out bluntly, but Amelia's intent was short and clear-cut.
As one of Si-woo's lovers—with a long unrequited crush from her Trinity Academy associate professor days finally bearing fruit—she was lodging a complaint that Albireo's curbs were excessive.
"...What did I just see?"
And this was a blind spot Albireo hadn't anticipated.
Elegant and aristocratic. Few words, restrained emotions, a subtly sharp edge to her personality.
That was Albireo's image of Amelia.
Especially when it came to decorum and comportment, her upbringing made her rigidly proper, almost to a fault.
Even for inhumane treatment, Albireo had expected a prim, written protest—not for her to utter "love" aloud and gripe about sex itself.
"My god... Is it that good?"
What on earth was sex, to make even Amelia cast dignity aside and plead directly?
Albireo, who'd gleaned indirect experience through Deneb, simply couldn't fathom it.
Was this the gulf between those in love and those not?
As Albireo lifted her slightly cooled teacup.
-Knock knock
The second guest arrived.
"Hello, Countess."
"Come in, Miss Sharon. Isn't this class time?"
"Ah, self-study period. Mind if I come in?"
"Of course not."
It was Sharon, who shouldered the twins' elemental magic lessons.
When they'd first brought her back injured from the present world, Albireo had wondered, "Si-woo's tastes run to such commoner girls?"—she'd seemed oddly shabby back then.
But landing a solid job and dressing sharply had supercharged her natural beauty.
Paired with her inherently sweet personality and voluptuous curves, she'd emerged as a dark horse threatening the twins.
"So, what brings you here?"
"Well, um.... It's just...."
Albireo intuited it the instant Sharon started hemming and hawing.
And her words confirmed it spot-on.
"Could I get the antidote...? No, the potion."
"Sigh.... Did Si-woo put you up to it?"
Albireo felt a slight sting of irritation.
She suspected that scoundrel Si-woo had sicced his lovers on her because he was too sheepish to show up himself.
"No! Absolutely not! He's been dodging relations lately, so I hounded him until.... I figured a bit out."
"Hmm...."
Sharon's face flushed crimson as she waved her hands frantically in denial.
Well, she wasn't the scheming type anyway.
"What did he say?"
"He mentioned it was weighing on him a little.... Feels like a hint to hold back for now, but I'm.... struggling a bit...."
Sharon was a mansion guest, but far easier to deal with than Amelia in various ways.
For one, she was on the payroll.
So Albireo resolved to get answers to Amelia's bombshell from her.
"Miss Sharon, mind if I ask you something?"
"Sure? What?"
"Is it that important?"
Sharon twirled a lock of hair sheepishly at the blunt question, then flashed a bright grin.
"Yeah, it feels like confirming our love. They say it's even grounds for divorce."
"Hmm. Got it. Still, I can't hand it over right away. Tell him to come fetch it himself."
"But...."
"It's for the twins' sake too. Sorry. Bear with me."
She had no intention of altering course.
Sensing the resolve in Albireo's firm tone, Sharon nodded meekly and retreated.
"Haa...."
Two guests during her rare tea time.
The stress stemmed less from their arrival than their motives.
Maybe her brilliant scheme wasn't so brilliant after all.
-Bang!
This time, the door flew open sans knock.
There stood Lurye—the newest addition to Si-woo's harem—eyebrows knit in fury.
"Hey there! Big Host!"
Her fearsome moniker of Witch of the Deep Sea belied a startlingly light, flippant personality—one of the most eccentric witches Albireo had encountered.
In her personal worldview, she reigned supreme, rendering her utterly fearless and impulsive.
That attitude held firm even toward Albireo.
But she got along splendidly with the twins and reportedly held drilling rights to oil fields across the world.
Plus, 23rd Hierarchy status meant Albireo bent over backward to humor her.
Though lately, her patience was fraying.
"Sigh, do come in. Tea?"
"Pass. Got no interest in grass-boiled water."
"Then what can I do for you?"
"Lift the vile curse on Si-woo at once. Fail, and my waves will turn this mansion into a floating wreck! Deadline: tonight!"
"That's a little...."
-Bang!
The door slammed shut before Albireo could respond.
Fist clenched tight, Albireo shut her eyes, feeling her eyelashes quiver with rage.
"Sigh.... That green little....!"
Indulging the immature witch's antics had its limits.
She resolved to give her a proper scolding soon.
Even she had come for the potion?
This mess after just one week?
She couldn't deny her blunder.
It would only ramp up the stress with each passing day.
-Thud thud
Those distinctive footsteps echoed from outside, followed by a knock. Albireo sighed.
At least the twins hadn't shown up whining outright—small mercies.
"Come in. Tiferet Duke."
"Sorry for the unannounced visit."
Where was her usual warrior's poise? The duke shuffled in hesitantly.
By now, Albireo could predict the conversation before it started.
At that moment, she fully conceded her mistake.
"I'm always grateful for the many conveniences you provide. However...."
"Here, Duke. Take it."
"Take what?"
"The potion."
"Really? Ah, no—that's not why I came."
The duke's face lit up in an instant.
Too late to backpedal with fluster.
"Take this, then. And tell Si-woo he doesn't need to come asking for more potion?"
"Of course."
Even that iron-willed Tiferet Duke had melted like butter.
Albireo shook her head in disbelief as she retrieved the potion from her desk drawer.
"Hm?"
She noticed right away.
The potion's volume was slightly diminished.
Subtle, but equivalent to one dose missing.
This was her office. The drawer had security measures.
No rummaging freely.
Deneb could have swiped a drop or two and replicated it effortlessly, so no way she'd botch it this sloppily.
Only one pair would pull a stunt like this: the twins, siphoning it off.
"Unbelievable...."
"Wh-why the tears all of a sudden?"
Tears glistened at the corners of Albireo's eyes.