At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 174

Among the men who hadn’t helped prepare the gift this time, they were the ones who had at least been chosen by Jiwoo based on appearance in the past.

“So, were you two trying that again? Trying to seduce me with your looks because you were anxious?”

“…”

Neither of them had anything to say about that, both going silent while their faces turned red.

It was strange how they kept asking what was going on, as if they were trying to seduce her, yet wouldn’t say a word about it. There was definitely something suspicious they were hiding, but since they wouldn’t explain, Jiwoo pressed them with more questions.

She had almost fallen for it, so she was baffled.

“Anyway, now that you know it was a misunderstanding, could you just accept it normally? It took a long time to make this.”

Solmih and Kaman stood there, looking confused, frozen for a moment.

They were supposed to be perceptive, but it seemed that wasn’t the case this time.

“…Thank you.”

“Th, Thank you.”

After a long pause, Jiwoo finally heard the words she had been hoping for.

Still, Solmih and Kaman continued to stare down at the gift box for a long time. It was clear they were genuinely happy, but their outward reactions remained quite reserved.

Moreover, the other husbands, who hadn’t known the full story but had sensed something strange, seemed just as surprised.

“Weren’t you leaving?”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Are you really not leaving?”

“Where would I go without you guys?”

Afterward, as Jiwoo gave gifts to each of the others, she had to answer the same question several more times.

Those who had received their gifts sat together, laughing as they looked at them with amusement.

“Are they idiots? They can’t even trust Seo Jiwoo.”

Tevon laughed loudly, as if holding back earlier. Not just Tevon, but everyone who had known beforehand had been suppressing their laughter while watching. It turned out that everyone here had a pretty playful side.

“Really. How can you think that when you’re receiving such a gift?”

As Jiwoo handed out the gifts, she added,

“I know that since I’m human, our cultures don’t align, and communication is still a challenge. But if there’s anything lacking, I’ll try my best to improve going forward…”

“Lacking?”

“That doesn’t make sense.”

Solmih, who had been staring at the gifts for a while, spoke quietly.

“…We don’t usually receive such precious gifts.”

“You don’t exchange gifts often?”

“No. It’s our job to serve… Normally, we don’t receive this kind of treatment from our spouses. We don’t expect it either.”

“Oh?”

“What are you asking? We don’t get chosen unless we try… ”

They had said this before. They weren’t the ones doing the choosing.

Even if they were to marry, the female manifestation would be the ones to choose them and take them along. They weren’t in a position to openly demand anything, even if they wanted to stay close.

If it was the female manifestation, they would’ve just left without saying anything about parting.

Solmih seemed to hesitate as though he was struggling to explain something, and then stopped, picking up the conversation again.

“So, I thought that even when you left, you would leave something like this behind for us.”

“Ah…”

Jiwoo somewhat understood.

The marriage in El Ragneil was not a union of love. Unlike the noble families of Caranazion, it wasn’t a merger for the benefit of the families.

For them, marriage was simply a means to maintain a long-lasting relationship with the tree, and at the same time, it was the best way to stimulate the female manifestation and provide a valid reason to keep her close. They were best at using physical allure to do so.

In fact, it was surprisingly rare for humans to marry solely for love.

“I’m not like that.”

However, Jiwoo believed that if it weren’t for love, she wouldn’t have stayed in this world and held on to it.

If they were anxious, they could have simply asked instead of resorting to physical pleading.

“So, for me…”

After considering what to say, Jiwoo spoke.

“You can act more spoiled.”

From now on, they would grow the tree together, and as the tree got closer to the capital, both their bodies and hearts would grow closer. They would live long lives, and even small misunderstandings like this would eventually be remembered as joyful moments, just like now.

More than anything, Jiwoo was happy to see them relieved and joyous.

“So, will you accept us as your husbands?”

“Will you share your wedding night with us too?”

As soon as the words left their mouths, Marron and Night asked.

“Shouldn’t you start by deciding on the youngest first?”

Before Jiwoo could respond, someone joked, causing her to laugh.

“Will you start taking one of us on your business trips now?”

“Well, I’ve come up with a fair way to do it. Next time, we can draw lots randomly.”

Perhaps they had been a little disappointed until now.

After all, business trips until now were usually only for those who had gone out. Things were about to change.

“Will you take us to the fantasy mushroom colony too?”

“Of course… wait, who just asked that?”

Jiwoo, who had reflexively been about to answer, realized the question only after she had been startled. It seemed like something had happened there as well.

In fact, there had been times when Jiwoo had worried about not having any privacy, but since this matter was handled completely secretly, it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Eventually, Jiwoo burst into laughter.

“Well, is it okay now?”

The event she had prepared for them went on joyfully throughout the night.

Life here often felt like a dream. Especially when the sky’s light faded into twilight, it felt even more so.

It was as if she was standing on the boundary between reality and fantasy. It had felt that way from the beginning. There were times when she felt like everything would disappear when she woke up, so she spent days sinking into sleep.

But at some point, the sweetness of reality pushed away the intoxication of alcohol and sleep. There was too much that was precious in front of her to indulge in such things.

In times like this, Jiwoo was grateful she was an Akarna. She was grateful to be with them.

If she kept thinking like this, wishing to live like this forever, it would come true.