Chapter 212 – When the Glass Tips (1)

After exchanging contact information with Champi.

[If anything arises, I’ll contact you then.]

“Yes, let’s hope nothing happens.”

I reached out to Seong Ji-ho and concluded the conversation I hadn’t been able to finish due to Champi.

My task is to escort Sansuyu during the Forest Keeper Selection tournament. While that’s the official reason, Seong Ji-ho seemed to hope that I’d be there as her friend.

– Click.

As the call disconnected, I slipped my cellphone into my back pocket. I had learned a great deal.

The circumstances surrounding Sansuyu and Cheondo, and their inner struggles.

“Ha.”

One by one, things I didn’t know were revealed, and a sigh escaped me first at the realization that the situation was darker than I had thought.

At the entrance to the house, I opened the door with a somber expression.

– Creak.

“Hm?”

Through the gap in the door, Shiba, wearing a yellow apron, locked eyes with him.
She had been waiting for her father.

“Dad!”
“Ah, Father Shiba!”

Shiba clung to his lap.
He hugged Shiba tightly and looked at Shin Hye-young, who was whisking something in the kitchen.

“What are you doing?”
“Oh, hehe. I was making cookies.”

Hye-young showed him the butter in the bowl with a bright smile, characteristic of a kindergarten teacher.
Upon closer inspection, Shiba’s cheeks were also smeared with flour.

“Cookie!”

Shiba lifted the whisk and exclaimed confidently.
His Shiba was now having fun even without her dad.
He felt bittersweet yet relieved.

“Can I help you too?”
“Would that be okay? Making treats with your daughter will also create good memories. Ah! I’ll take a picture for you.”

Hye-young grinned as she grabbed the camera from the corner of the table.

Shiba had returned to her spot and was mixing butter and egg yolks.

I sat down right next to Shiba and took hold of the whisk alongside her.

“Should we mix it together?”
“Beep!”

Gently, with the strength of Shiba.

As she shook the whisk, Shiba hummed excitedly.

“Beep~♪ Beep~♬”

Perhaps it was fun because experiences like this were rare. Shiba wasn’t even a year old yet. Anything she held in her hands must have felt new and delightful.

Seeing Shiba’s happy face, I couldn’t help but smile. I would be incredibly busy soon, so I needed to share moments like this with her.

“Oh, were you doing this earlier?”

Just then, Azalea came out of the room and giggled when she saw Shiba. Her hands were filled with chocolate.

There were four of us: me, Azalea, Shiba, and Shiba’s nanny, Hyeyeong.

“Ah, Shiba! You can’t eat that.”
“Choco?”
“Yes, choco. We’ll put it in the cookies. Choco cookies.”

Being together brings a sense of calm.

As I watched Azalea snatch the chocolate from Shiba with her quick tongue, and Shiba struggling with all her might to keep it, I couldn’t help but laugh alongside Hyeyoung.

* * * * * * * *

“Ha… ha…”

The sound of her breath, heavy with desire, against our entwined skin.

It had been weeks since Azalea and I began our nightly rendezvous.

With our passionate encounters showing no sign of slowing down, it was no wonder that the affection in her eyes remained unshaken. Whether it was my imagination or not, her hips seemed to have widened, and her body had taken on a more sensual allure. The once innocent girl now appeared to have transformed into a sultry temptress, bathed in pink hues.

Azalea wrapped her arms around me and whispered into my ear.

“…Will you be leaving soon?”

“That’s the plan.”

“I wish I could go with you.”

The Forest Keeper Selection Tournament. I had received the basic information and schedule just this morning.

Although I had been neglectful in my training, I had no choice but to face the instructor’s sighs and resigned gaze. However, as if acknowledging my skills, he silently encouraged me, giving me a supportive push on the back.

– Just don’t get into trouble and come back.
– Yes, I understand.
– And please, attend some training.
– I’ll keep that in mind.
– …Sigh. Alright, go on.

I’m departing on a plane tomorrow.

Various media outlets and newspaper articles are filled with content about the upcoming Forest Keeper Selection Tournament. In online communities, discussions about the tournament are likely to emerge regardless of the topic. My name might even become widely known at that point.

Azalea seemed to feel regretful about not being able to accompany me.

She pursed her lips and offered consolation.

“It’s okay. You have a lot to do as well. If you try to take care of all that and participate in the Forest Keeper Selection Tournament, you won’t have any energy left.”
“If you don’t get fucked by a cock, you’ll only think about me, turning you into a pervert, right?”
“Pervert… hey.”

“You always teased me, even when I was sleeping… Even when bathing.”
“You were supposed to visit occasionally.”
“It’s not enough.”

Azalea glared at me with a pout.

“You’re going over there to have wild times with another girl.”
“Do I look like that kind of guy?”

– Nod nod nod nod.

I had nothing to say.

I inserted my tongue into her mouth to silence Azalea.

“…I still like it, though.”

After our final kiss, we changed into each other’s clothes. Wearing a dress shirt and turning her back, Azalea caressed her hair and asked me.

“Is it better to have my hair braided…? Like a professor.”

Azalea gathered her light pink hair behind her, revealing the nape of her neck. A stray strand of hair that hadn’t been lifted brushed against her fine down.

Her skin was always as white as a baby’s.

“What kind of hairstyle do you like?”
“I think it’s fine just the way it is.”

“Not that… how about long hair? I’m thinking of growing it out.”

Medium-length pink hair.
It is neat and perfectly captures Azalea’s usual demeanor.

What would happen if her hair were to grow longer?

Azalea’s large pupils, which fill my vision, gaze at me.
Azalea with long hair. I envisioned her smiling in bright yellow attire during spring.

“I think it’ll be fine. You look great as you are, so anything will suit you.”
“Really? You’re not just saying that?”
“No.”
“Hehehe.”

Azalea, smiling contentedly, approached me and embraced me.
Lately, when it’s just the two of us, we find ourselves pressed close together like this.

– Gently, gently.

Slyly pressing her thigh against me, as if to rile me up.
She’s made her move.

“If anything happens, be sure to contact me.”
“Alright.”
“…Don’t be disheartened because of your different status. Even if other nobles look down on you, you know you’re not lacking in any way, right? I don’t mind you declaring yourself as my husband. Alright?”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
“Will you not worry if I go far away?”

What a concern.

“Well, I guess I would… but…”
“Then just accept it quietly. And if you’re short on money, let me know.”

There are a lot of worries.
Indeed, Lee Se-Young must have felt this way when looking at me.

We went to the kitchen and passed the time with light-hearted conversation.

“Drink this.”

Azalea handed me the tea. The petals were floating, and as I brought it to my lips, the tea was sweet with honey, its aroma waft”It’s okay. Don’t worry.”
“Will you not worry if I go far away?”

What a concern.

“Well, I guess I would… but…”
“Then just accept it quietly. And if you’re short on money, let me know.”

There are a lot of worries.
Indeed, Lee Se-Young must have felt this way when looking at me.

We went to the kitchen and passed the time with light-hearted conversation.

“Drink this.”

Azalea handed me the tea. The petals were floating, and as I brought it to my lips, the tea was sweet with honey, its aroma wafting strongly.

“…This.”
“Don’t just look, drink.”

Her eyes sparkled menacingly.
Wordlessly, I sipped the honey tea.

The scent of Azalea’s honey was even more potent than the fragrance from the petals.
I always have it, but consuming it this way feels quite different.

“How does it taste?”
“Not bad.”
“Because I added a lot.”
“Ah, yes.”

-Slurp.

It was a delightful cup, nonetheless.

“…Shiba will have to be apart from her father for a while too.”

As they sat at the table conversing, Azalea furrowed her brows in sympathy while looking at Shiba’s room.

“So, you have a mother.”
“…Hehe.”

Azalea laughed at my words. She seemed truly proud to be called Shiba’s mother.

‘Well, there is a real mother, but.’

【 The World Tree of Purity puffs up its cheeks. 】

I also think that Azalea is closer to being Shiba’s mother than the World Tree of Purity.
Isn’t it normal for the parents who raised a child to be more like parents than their biological ones?
No matter how strong the blood ties, someone who leaves their child in the care of others doesn’t deserve to be a mother.

【 (Negative) The ‘World Tree of Purity’ earnestly disputes with you. 】

It would have been nice if I had met her face-to-face from the beginning.
This kind of child having a 100% affinity is unbelievable.

When Shiba’s father was kidnapped, leaving her alone in her room shivering in loneliness, it was Azalea who rushed to her side first, like a celestial maiden.

“…What are you thinking about?”

“Huh? I like you.”
“What? What are you saying all of a sudden?”

The corners of my mouth curl upward.

“Go inside. I need to get to work soon.”
“…I’m not sure what you’re doing. Do I have to do it by tonight?”

I have to. Flower extraction will never cease.

At least as long as my safety isn’t guaranteed. I couldn’t rule out even the slightest possibility of a threat to me.

“Take care. Don’t get hurt.”

I put on suitable clothes and left through the door.

At night, the sky above the academy was as bright as that of a large city. Taking a step there, I stretched out from the second-floor complex and landed on the ground in an instant, lifting my phone.

I hope there’s a fruitful harvest today.

Lately, Flower’s actions have suddenly decreased, making it even more difficult for me to discover them.

‘They must be preparing as well.’

The forest guardian contest.

On that grand stage, something must be prepared to burst forth all at once.

Everyone is honing their blades, waiting for the same moment, the same event. Still, I’ll search, just in case.

‘Stepping on a tail isn’t an easy task.’

It’s because they met their end at my hands, but at most, they were minor figures. I know nothing about the higher-ups.

I did meet a subordinate officer, but he didn’t seem specialized in combat. He appeared to be involved in the drug trade.

With a sigh, I picked up my phone and cleared the unread messages.

– *Click!*

The notification chime rang at that moment.

Who could it be at this hour? Did Azalea try to contact me?

I immediately tapped the message to check.

– Me: When do you want to drink? – 1 week ago
– Cornus: Now

A response to a text I sent long ago. I was so startled that I nearly dropped my phone.

I never imagined Sansuyu would send a message at this time.

-Me: Now?

When I sent a reply, there was no answer for quite a while. Had 10 minutes passed? Sansuyu spoke again.

-Sansuyu: Now
-Sansuyu: Is it not possible?

‘…Unbelievable.’

Just before starting work. After scratching the back of my neck and checking the time, I sighed and called her.

-Ring, ring.

A long, ringing phone sound. Soon it was cut off, and Sansuyu’s voice came out.

[…Hello?]

How rough must her experience have been for that bright girl’s voice to sound so lifeless?

I decided to scrap today’s plan immediately. I stopped putting on the mask I was about to wear on my face and asked her.

“Where are you now?”

* * * * * * * *

Sansuyu gazed at the pillow, her face flushed and vacant as though she had caught a cold.

– Drip.

Sweat trickled down. Panting, her breathing was erratic. Her cold head felt as if it didn’t belong to her.

‘…Dizzy.’

Sansuyu could only experience the stimulation through pain.

A penetrating loneliness burrowed into her waist. She had never felt anything like it. There was no one by her side, except for her secretary and escort. There couldn’t have been anyone to share her private space with.

Even if she were to talk with her cousins, they would all disappear somewhere.

‘…Why?’

Sansuyu stared at her phone, feeling bewildered.

—-
(Lee Siheon)
Call – 2:35
—-

[Where are you now?]

Why did I call all of a sudden?

Her confusion deepened. Sansuyu spoke with an expressionless face, devoid of emotion.

“…Home.”

[Home? …Huh. Permission?]

“No one knows.”

[Can you sneak out?]

Sansuyu surveyed her surroundings. She seemed to conclude that it was impossible given her current physical state, and continued speaking to Si-heon.

“It’s difficult.”

[…]

Lee Si-heon was at a loss for words. Was it truly too much to ask?

As Sansuyu pondered this, Si-heon offered a solution.

[Stay still. I will go there.]

For some reason, this response was pleasing to Sansuyu.