City of Witches Chapter 300

The dining hall of the Gemarnai Mansion's main building.

On the table—which seemed like it would require eight pool tables lined up to match its size—was a flower arrangement made from blooms freshly cut from the garden.

First, at the head seat farthest from the entrance, sat Albireo and Deneb; then, at the next head seat closest to the hosts, Siwoo and Eloa sat facing each other, with the Twins beside Eloa.

Sharon sat beside Siwoo.

Even though only these seven people were attending the banquet, the servants tirelessly served various dishes, eventually filling that vast table to the brim with food.

A feast of delicacies spread before their eyes.

There were pheasant dishes, whole roasted suckling pig, and plenty of high-end seafood dishes hard to come by even in Gehenna.

And why were there so many utensils? Just the forks and knives placed to the left and right of the main plate numbered ten.

Five elegant glass goblets boasting beautiful curves were also set.

He didn’t even know what the spoon and knife placed separately in front of the plate were for.

Was this some other world or something?

Seeing a scene that felt like an upgraded version of something from Harry Potter right before his eyes made him unnecessarily tense.

The servants who served the food didn’t leave but stood waiting behind each guest like bodyguards.

Probably because the table was ridiculously wide, they were likely there to fetch dishes from the far corners or something.

The maid (or so she appeared) standing behind Siwoo filled his goblet with wine as he sat there dazed and whispered discreetly.

“Please let me know if you need anything.”

Unlike the dumbfounded Sharon and Siwoo, everyone else wore calm expressions.

Even Eloa, whom he’d thought was quite commoner-like.

For those positioned in Gehenna’s upper class, this must be a normal dining table.

“Thank you for accepting our invitation, Duke Tiferet.”

“Welcome to our mansion, Shin Siwoo.”

Albireo and Deneb smiled warmly, expressing their hospitality to Siwoo and Eloa.

“…I’m the one who should be thankful.”

“Ah, thank you as well. It’s my first time at such a splendid table.”

“Both of you are important guests of our family.”

“Dessert has also been prepared separately, so please enjoy yourselves comfortably.”

As the two Countess hosts elegantly unfolded their napkins on their laps, the meal began.

But he had no idea what to eat first or how to eat it.

Siwoo watched the Countess pick up the outermost fork and knife first and followed suit.

When he reached out to take the pheasant dish that caught his eye, the maid standing behind naturally served a portion onto his main plate.

This feeling was both convenient and uncomfortable.

It was incredibly burdensome.

“Siwoo, I heard about your exploits in Seoul. Are you injured anywhere? Gehenna has been quite abuzz with talk of you lately. The rumors spread so fast they even reach beyond our mansion’s walls.”

Deneb, who had slightly more connection with him, asked in a kind voice first.

Her dignified smile and tone were a given.

“It was a big deal, but the Duke was by my side. What could I have done?”

“Oh my, I heard you still performed valiantly.”

“Not at all. I was just tagging along, really.”

“Siwoo is always humble. I suppose we’ll have to hear from the Duke about this?”

As she spoke, the gazes naturally shifted toward Eloa.

“…….”

But ever since the meal began, Eloa hadn’t said a word, just staring blankly into space.

She was cutting the steak on her plate without even looking at it, but not bringing it to her mouth.

After slicing the meat into small pieces, she was now chopping up the asparagus garnish.

“Um… Duke…?”

Deneb, seeing the flow of conversation abruptly cut off, called Eloa with a puzzled expression.

But Eloa was still just shredding the asparagus.

“Master.”

“Huh…!”

Only after Siwoo called Eloa’s name did Eloa snap out of it as if waking from a trance, her focus returning.

Looking at the puzzled gazes directed at her, she seemed bewildered, then her eyes met Siwoo’s squarely.

Immediately averting her gaze, Eloa looked at Deneb with a stiff tone.

“Wh-what did you say?”

“We were asking about Siwoo’s exploits in the Mortal Realm.”

Eloa had her own circumstances.

The incident of peeping on Sharon and Siwoo’s sex.

Not stopping there, she had been in a near-panic after her body heated up disgracefully.

Upon hearing Deneb’s words, her mind immediately began constructing thoughts along a peculiar route.

Siwoo => Mortal Realm => exploits.

Rainwater tunnel => magic power replenishment => priest sex.

Her already dizzy mind grew even more muddled by the involuntary mind mapping that connected on its own.

As if trying to cut off those distracting thoughts, her voice rose without her realizing it.

“I, I know nothing about it!”

“Huh? Ah… I see.”

“My apologies, Deneb. It seems the Duke wishes to keep Siwoo’s exploits to herself.”

“How could I not have realized…”

Everyone was flustered by Eloa’s intense reaction.

Albireo tried to smoothly gloss over the situation with a laugh, but the awkward atmosphere was unavoidable.

Truthfully, Eloa still hadn’t shaken off her shock.

The moment she realized she had soaked her underwear, she had hastily fled the villa.

And the aftermath still had Eloa in disarray.

The impact was greater than when she had borrowed Siwoo’s eyes.

Peeping on the sexual scene with Periwinkle had been an accident, not intentional.

Even if embarrassing and shameful, it could be rationalized with the simple explanation that it was an unforeseen accident.

But today.

Watching Siwoo and Sharon entwine their bodies for so long was none other than Eloa’s own choice.

At the time, she had rationalized it with various reasons, but material evidence had shattered her flimsy excuses.

Namely, the love juice that had leaked enough to partially wet her underwear.

Despite claiming to be his Master, even if temporarily, she had recognized Siwoo as a man.

Despite rationalizing that she clung to him out of necessity, she had not only peeped on a sexual scene without a word but also placed herself in Sharon’s position and felt sexual excitement.

The truth realized in this way was enough to plunge Eloa into shock.

She couldn’t even look directly at his face.

Ashamed and guilty, her face burned hot.

“I’m not feeling well, so I’ll take my leave first. My apologies for leaving such a thoughtfully prepared invitation…”

Knowing it was discourteous to leave first from such a sincerely hosted occasion, Eloa abruptly stood up.

Leaving the startled Countess’s gaze behind, she exited the dining hall.

“Siwoo, did I perhaps make a mistake with the Duke?”Deneb blinked her eyes wide at Duke Tiferet's reaction.

As they say, mother and daughter resemble each other—her expression was a perfect match for the Twins'.

Siwoo, having a vague idea of why Eloa had suddenly acted out, explained on his Master's behalf.

"At the time, Your Grace was pushing yourself too hard. Your health hasn't been the best lately. You've been skipping meals often as well."

"Ah, I see. That's a relief then."

"I should introduce you to a good healer."

Anyway, after that minor incident, the meal continued.

Since Deneb and Albireo only asked brief questions here and there, Siwoo could comfortably enjoy the food.

Oddly enough, even the Twins were quiet.

"Sharon, try this too. This is really delicious."

"You eat a lot. I'm fine with this."

"Come on, don't be like that."

"Ugh, I said it's fine."

This time, Sharon replied in a rather chilly tone.

It wasn't exactly cold or icy, but it was a complete contrast to the loving moments they had shared on the bed just a while ago.

Sharon had her own reasons.

Sharon had broken her Contract with Countess Albireo.

Without needing a video review to determine whether it was safe or out, she had hit a home run within three minutes of meeting him.

No matter what, Sharon's employer was the Countess.

She intended to follow the guideline of 'maintaining an appropriate distance' from now on.

Since there was no clear standard, Sharon had decided to be a bit shameless, thinking, 'As long as we don't have sex every day, right?'

If she got scolded later, she'd just establish proper rules then.

But regardless, it felt slightly uncomfortable to openly flirt with Siwoo in front of others.

On the other hand, Siwoo, unaware of these circumstances, could only be as bewildered as he was by Eloa's eccentric behavior.

He awkwardly looked toward the Twins and asked.

"Lady Odil, Lady Odette. Try this. It's delicious."

"It's fine, Assistant."

"We eat a lot, so you should have more, Assistant."

But even the Twins, whom he had trusted, were acting strangely.

Normally—no, just thinking back to how warmly they had greeted him during their first meeting today—

'This dish was made by Chef So-and-so, the exclusive chef of the Gemernai family! It's the famous Such-and-such dish!'

'Of course, the food from the Mortal Realm was delicious too! But you'll fall head over heels for this! It's made by doing Such-and-such with Such-and-such ingredients!'

That kind of reaction would have been normal.

Instead, they politely declined and whispered among themselves.

But the Twins had their own reasons too.

"Sis, did you count?"

"Yeah, while we made eye contact with him four times, Sis Sharon made eye contact with him ten times. And we're sitting right in front of them...!"

"Look at Sis Sharon pretending not to be close with Assistant. That's all just a deception tactic, isn't it?"

"I'm annoyed."

Ever since they had peeked at Sharon and Siwoo's intense sex today,

the Twins had held a strategy meeting.

The key points discussed in the meeting were as follows:

What is the ultimate move that only the Twins can do, even if Sharon can't?

What is needed to wedge themselves between the two, who are already close to being lovers?

However, since there wasn't much time left until dinner, they couldn't have a thorough discussion and were hastily invited to the banquet.

In the end, they had no choice but to hastily observe how Sharon treated Siwoo and how Siwoo treated Sharon during the banquet.

Although they kept their conversations superficial due to the possibility of their Master eavesdropping, the Twins were still putting their heads together and thinking hard.

Thus, Siwoo was left with only the Countess to talk to.

"By the way, Siwoo. How long do you plan to stay in Gehenna?"

"Well? I think I'll be here for about a week."

"Hmm, that's shorter than I expected? If you wish, I could arrange a separate villa for you..."

"Don't you wish to stay as a guest of our family? We'll treat you with all honors as a distinguished guest."

For the Countesses of Gemernai, it would be advantageous to keep Siwoo in Gehenna.

The Countess hoped Siwoo would end up with the Twins.

If he stayed at the Countess's estate, he would have more opportunities to interact with the Twins, and once he tasted the sweet fruit that comes with the name Gemernai, he probably wouldn't find any other Witch appealing—that was her scheme.

"I think that would be too much of an imposition. Thank you for your consideration."

"Hmm, is that so? Oh right, I almost forgot something."

Countess Albireo made a meaningful sniff and gestured, whereupon an attendant standing nearby walked over to Siwoo carrying a small gift box.

It was a small, elegant wooden box. When opened, inside was a card that appeared to be made of platinum.

Naturally, it was engraved with the family emblem, the twin birds, and there was something like a hole on the side.

"This is... what is it?"

"It's a credit certificate you can use while staying in Gehenna. If you show this card, you can put purchases on our family's tab anywhere in Gehenna."

"The limit is unlimited, so please use it without worry."

"Thank you."

Even though it was unlimited, Albireo knew Siwoo's spending habits.

He might buy a lot of food, but he wasn't the type to indulge in outrageous luxuries.

So, this was both a display of wealth to impress both Sharon and Siwoo and a superficial gesture.

Siwoo carefully tucked the platinum card into his pocket and exchanged words of gratitude and miscellaneous conversation with the Countess.

Author's Note (Author's Afterword)

Today's Recommended Song

Quinn XCII - hey goodbye