At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 164
Callan was delighted when he heard Jiwoo’s plan. And true to his nature, he quickly found something to advise.
“It might be difficult to do it all by yourself, you know? It would be good to bring in someone to help.”
“No, it’s a secret until everything is ready.”
“A secret, you say?”
“Yes, until everything is prepared and the party begins.”
“Well, if it’s like that, it would be fun to prepare it together.”
That was true, but in reality, Jiwoo had already done so much of that in the past. The process and outcome were usually predictable.
If she went down that route again, Jiwoo would likely give in to her husbands’ temptations, end up getting served by them, and then simply enjoy the banquet prepared for her by them.
This time, it was a rare opportunity where she could give instead of receiving, so she wanted to handle it herself.
“This time, I want to host it. I just need a few people to help and keep the secret.”
“Ah, so I’ll be one of the chosen few. Have you already sent out the invitations?”
Jiwoo had entrusted the invitations to the people who had traveled with her on the recent business trip. Tevon, who enjoyed being on the move, would likely take care of it with Marron. Helka and Night were probably resting by now.
“Yes, I asked them to take care of the invitations. What the event is exactly is a secret, though.”
“When they find out, I’m sure everyone will be happy.”
As they were deciding on the types of dishes to prepare, a problem arose. Most of the dishes that used chestnuts as the main ingredient were desserts.
The snack Jiwoo had planned to prepare without help involved soaking chestnut kernels in sugar, then repeating the process, which didn’t yield a large quantity of food. It wasn’t nearly enough to feed more than thirty people.
She would have to prepare other dishes, and for that, she turned to Callan for advice.
“If Tevon helps, you could ask him to hunt for the ingredients.”
“Hunt….Would it be okay for me to join?”
“Tevon would probably like that.”
A little while later, the two of them, who had been planning the party, decided to move the discussion elsewhere.
In truth, Jiwoo’s home didn’t have a proper space for cooking. Her husbands always took care of the food and snacks, so a kitchen wasn’t really necessary.
Knock knock.
Just as they were about to leave, a knock sounded at the door.
“Someone’s here.”
“Who is it?”
Callan, seeming to know just by the sound of footsteps, answered without even looking outside.
“Solmih and Kaman.”
“Ugh.”
Jiwoo grimaced as soon as she heard their names. Callan raised an eyebrow.
“Seo Jiwoo, do you find those two difficult?”
“It’s not that they’re difficult, it’s just that you always tease them when they’re around.”
“Tease? They were chosen by you, purely based on their looks, even before Enci. How wonderful must that be? It’s just jealousy.”
Jiwoo, still feeling teased by Callan’s words, pinched his arm.
“…This, right now.”
“Hehe.”
It had been a while since she thought about that time.
When Jiwoo first met the children of Ellandos in Caranazion, after she had healed one of Ellandos’ branches, they were so overjoyed that they casually asked her to pick someone from among them.
When Jiwoo misunderstood the situation and chose someone based on, like who had the prettiest eye color, who had the nicest hair color, or who was a good height. She ended up selecting two men: Solmih and Kaman.
Kaman was the one who had initially tried to connect with Jiwoo during their first night but ended up being embarrassed due to a clumsy mistake. Afterward, the other husbands often teased him.
However, Jiwoo had actually grown closer to Kaman as a result of that incident. She found herself relating more to his occasional awkwardness than to her husbands’ perfect, polished appearances.
“Should I invite them in?”
“Yes.”
Callan opened the door, and Solmih and Kaman entered, both carrying gifts.
“Seo Jiwoo, hello!”
Kaman, with his soft demeanor, stuck his head in first and greeted Jiwoo warmly. He was holding a small snack. Cookies and a bottle of drink.
“We were going to play, but it looks like we’re the guests today?”
“Play?”
Solmih, who had come in with Kaman, shook his head, denying it. When he, who had a strong fragrance, stepped inside the room was filled with the scent of roses.
“It’s already getting chilly. I was thinking of making some winter clothes. If you see anything you like, feel free to choose.”
“Wow, this is warm.”
Jiwoo immediately touched the fabric and admired it.
Solmih had brought materials for winter clothing, all of which were soft and warm. Among them, the most striking was a white fur hide, perfect for a scarf.
“This is something I grew myself. See if you like it.”
Next, he handed her a fruit—something long and cucumber-like, filled with soft cotton-like fibers. Jiwoo had heard of trees that produced cotton-like material, but this was her first time seeing it. It seemed perfect for winter clothing.
While Jiwoo touched and examined the fabrics, feeling and wrapping them around her, Callan, who had been nodding along, suddenly spoke up.
“Ah, but Seo Jiwoo, for a moment…”
“Yes?”
“I’ll excuse myself for a bit. Is that alright?”
Though he worded it vaguely, Jiwoo understood what he meant.
Callan had been yawning a little since earlier, and it seemed he was quite tired, probably from the emotional strain of the past few days since the female manifestation’s visit. Now, with his tension easing, the exhaustion seemed to be catching up to him.
Moreover, since Callan was naturally nocturnal, it was probably the right time for him to rest.
“Tell your type to take care of you instead.”
“Callan…!”
Jiwoo knew exactly what was coming. She quickly pulled Callan along to the bed, as he was teasing again
“Go to sleep now.”
“Uung.”
Callan kissed Jiwoo’s pinky finger and closed his eyes.
He quickly fell into a peaceful sleep. Solmih poked Callan’s cheek with a soft tap and tilted his head.
“He’s sleeping deeply. He doesn’t even notice when you do that.”
“He must be really tired.”
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