At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 166

When Jiwoo lived in the empire of Caranazion, or rather, in the temple, she was forced into an ascetic lifestyle and couldn’t drink alcohol. Whenever she had the chance, she would indulge in chilled, high-quality liquor.

It was a rare occasion, and she looked forward to it, enjoying the feeling of being drunk.

However, thinking back, she realized that while she occasionally enjoyed beer in the outside world, she often preferred carbonated drinks when available.

Since coming to El Ragneil, Jiwoo hadn’t particularly felt the need to get drunk. The time given to her here was precious and beautiful, and she didn’t want to waste it in a fog of drunkenness.

Moreover, her husbands had shown her that the feeling of being drunk could be achieved in various ways, not necessarily through alcohol.

…And even now.

When Solmih failed to get Jiwoo to reveal her intentions, Kaman started urging her instead. He didn’t ask for permission. He simply leaned in and kissed her on the cheek before quickly turning his head to kiss her lips.

Compared to Solmih, whose kisses were like biting into a fruit with the heavy scent of roses, Kaman’s scent was more subtle, like a floral tea.

While Jiwoo was kissing Kaman, Solmih grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

It seemed as if they were trying to do what they hadn’t done back when Jiwoo had ‘chosen’ them, back when Callan had swiftly taken the opportunity that Jiwoo had left. Even though they were already married, Jiwoo couldn’t quite understand why this feeling resurfaced now.

Maybe it was because Callan was still sleeping. It seemed like the effects of the detoxing had left him unusually tired.

‘This is bad…’

The problem was that Jiwoo couldn’t easily resist her husbands’ playful advances.

At this rate, she felt like she might end up canceling her plans for the next few days and giving in to whatever they asked.

“What are you doing? With someone sleeping in front of you.”

“…!”

Jiwoo jumped, as if caught doing something sneaky.

“Tevon!”

Tevon had entered the room without making a sound and was sitting on the window sill. He had stopped there, unable to enter because of the sticky atmosphere inside.

Jiwoo quickly pushed them away and stood up, wiping her lips with the back of her hand.

“Ugh.”

“Tch.”

Kaman and Solmih, who had failed just when they were so close, clicked their tongues in disappointment.

It was a relief for Jiwoo.

“You’re, you’re here? Is the thing I asked for done?”

“Huh? Oh, the invitation? Yeah, yeah.”

Jiwoo greeted Tevon with an exaggerated enthusiasm, then pulled him into the room, as he was standing by the window.

“Anyway, I have something to do with Tevon about that matter from before. Let’s part ways for today.”

“Can’t I stay?”

Kaman lowered his ears, looking disappointed and made a pitiful expression.

“That’s… for next time. Next time.”

“Next time, huh? You’ve made a promise.”

Jiwoo succeeded in pulling Tevon out of the room. When she glanced back, she saw Kaman and Solmih awkwardly standing there, watching them.

It felt like she was committing some kind of crime…

Her husbands were really good at pretending to be pitiful, and it was becoming a real problem.

* * *

After taking Tevon and leaving the village, Jiwoo sighed in relief when she confirmed that none of her husbands were nearby.

“I thought we were going to be caught.”

“We don’t usually keep secrets between us, so it must seem strange.”

Indeed, there were almost no secrets between the husbands. They shared everything, from what Jiwoo liked to what they did with her at any given time.

This time, however, something was going on that they didn’t know about, so it seemed like they were suspicious.

“Sol is really quick to pick up on things, so let’s get ready quickly.”

Jiwoo nodded and recalled what Callan had suggested earlier.

“Callan thinks it’d be good to prepare some other food, not just the chestnuts. What do you think?”

“Ah, does he want us to go hunting for that too? Sounds good.”

On the outside, Jiwoo seemed fragile, but surprisingly, she had no aversion to hunting animals. Considering the way she had lived, it made sense, but it still felt odd.

As usual, Tevon thought about hunting something beautiful, like a deer with pretty antlers, but since they were cooking, he decided that a bird with tender meat would be better. Or maybe something rarer would be interesting to catch.

As Tevon considered different possibilities, Jiwoo suddenly asked,

“By the way, what do you like, Tevon?”

Since they were preparing this for the husbands, Jiwoo thought it would be good to ask each of them about their preferences.

“Me? I just like meat. I’m a carnivore. You know, I didn’t get the tree’s power when I was born, so I’m a bit more… like this than the others.”

“…Carnivore?”

“Ung. See?”

Tevon pulled his lips with one finger to show her. Jiwoo had often wondered why his kisses felt especially sharp, and now she understood. His canines were sharper and thicker than most, almost like the ones a leopard would have when it opened its mouth.

It was surprising to see them so clearly. He usually didn’t show them much when talking, which was curious in itself.

Amused by Jiwoo’s fascination with his fangs, Tevon grinned and opened his mouth wider, showing them even more. He didn’t care how it looked, and Jiwoo couldn’t help but laugh.

“So, should I cook meat for Tevon?”

“Really? That sounds great.”

* * *

After going home and grabbing comfortable clothes, Jiwoo and Tevon set out on their hunt. Tevon quickly carried Jiwoo for a while, then decided it was time to put her down.

Looking around as she followed Tevon, Jiwoo noticed the path wasn’t properly cleared, so she had to hold onto Tevon’s hand and walk closely behind him.

The area around Jiwoo’s village had a tendency to turn grass and leaves white over time as influenced by Ellandos. But as they ventured farther, the full colors of autumn were clear to see.

As the wind blew, Jiwoo couldn’t resist picking up some falling leaves, forgetting about their hunting plans and getting lost in the beautiful scenery.

Tevon had asked her to come hunting with him, but Jiwoo still wasn’t good at hunting. She knew that most of the animals would be caught by Tevon, and she’d just watch from the side.