Chapter 866
Chapter 866
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 866
Chapter Title: A Common Drama (4)
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1.
Lucy Yesod found the twins near the pier in Border Town.
She couldn't just leave them there, soaked to the bone by the rain and sobbing their hearts out, so she brought them home first.
In principle, apprentice witches weren't allowed to leave Gehenna without a guardian, but the fact that they were loitering around the immigration office made it clear they were dead set on running away.
"Sniff..."
"Waaah...!"
After finishing her remote call with Albreo, Countess Yesod spoke to the twins, who were wrapped in towels and sniffling on the sofa.
"Kids, want some cocoa?"
No matter how sturdy their half-spirit bodies were, getting drenched in this cold weather was a surefire way to catch a cold.
To warm them up and cheer them since they were feeling down, she offered some sweet cocoa—the perfect pick-me-up.
"Thank you, sniff."
"Thank you, Countess..."
"Stay as long as you're comfortable. I'll make sure nothing bothers you."
Odil and Odet, exhausted from taking turns bawling their eyes out, slumped over and took the cocoa.
Their puffy eyes, swollen like they'd been stung by a caterpillar, looked utterly pitiful.
Albreo seemed clueless about why the twins had run away, and by now, curiosity was getting the better of her.
Countess Yesod waited for them to calm down a bit more before cautiously asking.
"Kids, so... why did you run away?"
The moment the question landed, the twins' lower lips jutted out in perfect sync.
Whether their drying tears started flowing again or not, fresh streams poured down their cheeks.
"If it's hard to talk about, you don't have to say."
"No, it's not that... Waaah!"
"Hwaaaah!"
Seeing the twins burst into loud wails like a sports car's exhaust, Countess Yesod inwardly cringed.
She regretted prodding them too soon; she should've waited longer.
"Actually... actually, our little master and..."
"Assistant Siu and..."
Finally, Countess Yesod learned the root of the whole mess from the twins' lips.
"The two of them kissed?"
"Yes... It's so unfair... Little Master and Assistant Siu both."
"They're totally the worst!!!"
"Mother-in-law and son-in-law! Little Master and Assistant Siu!"
Watching the twins erupt again like a volcano pausing before another explosion, Countess Yesod felt her head spin.
"Rest up a bit first."
Countess Yesod left the twins behind and stepped out of the room for a moment.
"I never expected it to come to this..."
It was a fact she'd known all along.
Who else but Lucy had been the first to learn Deneb's true feelings?
Swapping Deneb and Lucy's bodies so Deneb could be with Siu had been Countess Yesod's idea in the first place.
Back then, Deneb had received an effective 'cure' for her lovesickness, and Lucy had gained excellent experimental data by observing the 'witch-apprentice and witch-Siu relationship'—a win-win contract, or so she'd thought.
In the end, Albreo had caught on, leading to a thorough scolding, but she hadn't imagined it would escalate this badly.
Deneb was a witch in the twilight of her life, just before succession, and sharp as a tack, so Lucy had believed she'd quickly regain her composure despite any confusion from her first love.
But to think the snowball would roll this far.
She'd been too optimistic, blinded by the possibility that Deneb could live forever with Diana.
It was hard to say Lucy bore no responsibility either.
"What am I going to do about this..."
Countess Yesod let out a deep sigh.
2.
Siu, Deneb, and Albreo gathered together.
The heavy atmosphere between the three was nothing like usual.
"I'm sorry, Siu. I'm sorry, sister..."
Deneb poured out all her pent-up feelings, half in tears, half in a trembling voice.
It was a secret so mortifying and shameful she'd wanted to bury it forever, but thinking of the hurt twins made it impossible to stay silent.
Siu and Albreo remained silent.
Albreo especially looked grim, her eyes red as if she might burst into tears any second.
And who could blame her?
No one in this room harbored ill intent or was blameless.
Until she'd heard Deneb's side, Albreo had dismissed it as her 'immature' little sister's clumsy first love.
After so many years without even holding a man's hand, it was just her body throwing her off balance—or so she'd thought.
And if it was such a fleeting whim.
Just a momentary lapse.
Albreo had trusted Deneb to pull herself together and let it slide.
She'd blamed the damned son-in-law, or Deneb's late-blooming fancy, viewing it all with annoyance.
All she'd done was sigh over the tangled family tree.
"......"
But she'd never once truly listened to Deneb.
She'd treated it like someone else's problem because it was unseemly for the two who were one in body as Jemernai.
Because she'd brushed off Deneb's feelings as a mere impulse or immature crush, it had come to this—only now having a serious talk.
She should have arranged this meeting long ago.
Albreo felt the full weight of her responsibility.
"It's all my fault."
Her son-in-law stepped forward in a somber tone.
"I should've behaved properly in the fish tank, even if it complicated things. I feel like I caused unnecessary trouble."
"No, that was the best option at the time. I don't see it as your fault, Siu... It's all because I was lacking..."
Now viewing the incident more objectively, Albreo judged that Siu hadn't noticed a thing.
Or rather, he'd vaguely sensed something but deliberately looked the other way.
Siu knew how to draw his own lines and handle things appropriately.
He'd have felt guilty just for entertaining the thought of 'Could my little mother-in-law be into me?'
Watching her son-in-law take responsibility despite it all, Albreo wondered if she'd been seeing him through colored glasses all this time.
"I'll talk to Odil and Odet myself. This is my mess too—I shouldn't have kept the verification a vague secret and complicated things further."
Siu, for his part, felt a sense of responsibility amid his own confusion.
During verification, the situation had been unavoidable, but in the fish tank, he had other choices.
If he'd ignored his little mother-in-law's heated advances and stuck to obligatory honeybee sex...
Wouldn't things be better than this?
People liked to portray love as something spiritual and sublime, but sex had a profound impact on man-woman relationships.
Especially if it was their first time together.
"I understand. Siu, could you give us the room? I need to talk with Deneb."
"No. I think this is something I should be part of too."
"It's sister talk. I'll come to you if needed."
"...All right, then."
Siu hesitated as if wanting to say something to Deneb but quietly left the room.
Only the two countesses remained in Albreo's office.
Albreo gathered her thoughts.
"Deneb, so what do you want to do?"
She used to lash out at Deneb blindly.
She'd begged her to snap out of it, urged her to get over it quickly, even threatened not to watch apprentice witches and concubines bickering until dirt was in her eyes.
But after hearing Deneb's heartfelt story, that wasn't so easy anymore.
"Deneb, if you're really struggling..."
She was even considering turning a blind eye to their meetings—up until succession, with a time limit.
As unseemly as it was, what could she do?
Odil and Odet were utterly lovable daughters, but Deneb was precious too.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say she and Albreo were one body.
How could she call herself the twins' big sister if she didn't stand by her when she was suffering?
Siu already had plenty of lovers, and Countess Yesod maintained periodic relations under the guise of experiments.
If it stayed within those bounds, Albreo was willing to bend her principles.
Of course, she'd have to check with her son-in-law too.
Witches on the cusp of succession typically indulged in whatever they wanted for their remaining years.
She couldn't bear watching her waste away over heartache.
"I'll... give it up..."
But while Albreo pondered a more lenient solution, Deneb's response was swift.
Her voice held no energy, but her resolve rang clear.
"I'll apologize to the twins... and atone with penance until succession."
"You okay with that?"
"Yes, sister. This is how it should've been from the start. Sorry for showing such an ugly side all this time."
The twins' shocked expressions had given Deneb much to reflect on.
How pathetic she must have looked, flailing over one love and losing her senses.
She realized how deeply that could wound the twins.
She finally admitted she couldn't betray Odil and Odet anymore, not even for love.
"Can I go now?"
"You look tired—let's talk tomorrow. Lucy Yesod Countess is watching the twins."
"Okay, sister. I'll visit by tomorrow."
"Tell her I'll come too."
Albreo watched Deneb turn and leave without adding more.
"How did it come to this..."
She could only see her off with pitying eyes for that wistful unrequited love.
Before Albreo could even sit back down, hurried footsteps echoed.
"Big Mistress!"
Vera, one of the twins' dedicated maids, burst in panting.
Still in uniform this late meant she'd been on duty.
"What's wrong?"
Vera, usually composed despite her inexperience, knelt and sobbed.
"Head Maid Galina collapsed! What do we do... What do we do..."
"What? Explain calmly!"
"I found her collapsed in the kitchen annex. I'd heard she had a fever lately... Sob, boo-hoo..."
Why did bad news always come in waves?
Albreo immediately followed Vera.