City of Witches-Chapter 429: Merry Christmas (1)

1.

The Harvest Festival was just a day away.

Eloa was sipping her drink in anticipation when her door suddenly swung open, revealing Sharon, who she had been waiting for.

“Duchess Tiphereth! It’s here!”

Sharon’s bright smile was infectious; the kind that could draw people to her effortlessly.

Carrying a cardboard box under her arm, her mint-green eyes sparkled.

The cardboard’s industrial finish and precise tape wrapping made it clear that this was something from the Modern World.

“I’m so glad that they made it in time. The year-end rush made them delay so many orders. I had to hound them constantly so that this’ll still arrive on schedule...”

This was Eloa’s first time spending the Harvest Festival with a male companion, essentially, a date.

She had no idea what to prepare or how to even begin.

“I seem to always be in your debt, Ms. Sharon...”

“Oh, don’t mention it! That’s what friends are for!”

It was Sharon who eagerly stepped in to help the overwhelmed Eloa.

While yes, the four of them—the two of them and the twins—were rivals, their rivalries were more of a friendly one than the opposite.

Compared to the twins who oddly clashed with Eloa often, Sharon opted to support her instead. Perhaps it was her clumsiness that gave Sharon the urge to help her.

And so, she did just that; she helped Eloa prepare her ultimate secret weapon.

Eloa stared at the box on the table, her expression carried a mix of reverence and anxiety.

Inside the box was the important item she had carefully prepared for this special day.

It didn’t take long for her to open the waterproof-wrapped box.

The rare garments that had crossed the oceans and the great barrier of Gehenna finally reached her hands.

“This...”

Eloa had already heard a thorough explanation from Sharon about the gift and its purpose.

But the moment she held up the outfit, she couldn’t help but question if this was truly the right choice.

The clothes were so unconventional in design that they hardly seemed like typical ‘garments’ meant to cover the body.

“Woah, the material is high-quality! Definitely worth every penny!”

“...”

Sharon was right; the material was undeniably high-quality.

It was just, the overall design was a little odd.

A leotard with a corset that cinched the waist, ending with a fluffy pom-pom tail.

Heels of a height Eloa had never dared to wear before.

Detached shirt cuffs fastened with black pearl cufflinks.

A garter belt paired with over-the-knee stockings.

And, of course, a ribbon styled to resemble bunny ears.

Indeed.

Eloa’s special, secret outfit was a bunny girl costume.

Actually, she had debated for ages between a Santa girl costume and this one. In the end, she chose this one.

She had studied the catalog and discussed the design in depth with Sharon, but seeing it in real life was an entirely different experience.

The garments’ exposure rivaled that of a swimsuit. It was so lewd that Eloa felt painfully embarrassed just by looking at it. Her body went stiff with unease.

“Ms. Sharon, isn’t this a little too much?”

“Too much? No! It looks amazing! It’ll suit you perfectly, Duchess! With your beautiful hair and eyes, you’ll look stunning wearing it!”

Sharon beamed as she said that, as if the outfit was a gift for herself.

During her time living with Siwoo in the Modern World, Sharon had done extensive research online about dating and boyfriends.

Naturally, she had learned from various media that ‘bunny girl outfits fulfill men’s fantasies,’ which explained her enthusiasm.

“...”

But Eloa was different.

Though she had spent years in the mortal realm, 99% of her time was spent in isolated regions, leaving her no chance to encounter such knowledge.

Hence why she couldn’t help but doubt if Siwoo would really like such a provocative outfit.

Still, she couldn’t bring herself to ignore Sharon’s kindness. After all, Sharon had gone out of her way, investing time and effort to help her choose.

If she just stood there embarrassed, she’d be letting Sharon’s efforts go to waste.

I should at least try it on.

Resolving herself like that, Eloa excused herself from Sharon and headed to the dressing room to change.

Each of the guest rooms in the Gemini Mansion was more like small mansions than simple rooms.

Likewise, the dressing room wasn’t just a typical wardrobe or changing room.

It was a humongous room with storage the size of a small boutique and various kinds of mirror—including one that covered an entire wall.

Eloa quickly undressed herself and slipped into the garterbelt, struggling a little to pull on the leotard.

After that, she pulled up her stockings and clipped them to the garterbelt. She was nearly done.

“Ah...”

Looking at herself in the mirror, Eloa noticed her mistake.

The bottom fabric of the bunny girl leotard was far too skimpy.

It didn’t just expose her hips and thighs; even the skin at the creases of her legs was visible.

Since she was wearing her usual underwear, it made the sides of her panties awkwardly stick out.

After a brief hesitation, she removed her underwear, and finally, she wore the outfit proper.

The design formed a bold, provocative isosceles triangle that pressed tightly between her legs.

Her breasts, thighs, and hips all felt so squeezed it seemed like she was wearing something two sizes too small.

“Ugh...”

A strange mix of shame and embarrassment crept up, making her cheeks flush red.

Words like shameless, childish, undignified, or lecherous came to mind.

She was so mortified by her reflection that it brought out every negative thought she could imagine.

To make things worse, the towering high heels felt like they’d twist her ankle any second, making her feel awkwardly tall.

She’d rather not wear anything at all than show up in front of Siwoo looking like this.

“Are you done changing?”

“M-Ms. Sharon, don’t come in!”

“But, I need to check how it looks!”

Despite Eloa’s protests, Sharon stepped inside.

When her eyes fell upon Eloa, they started to sparkle with delight.

Eloa had the tendency to wear only practical clothes; she even preferred to wear loose one-piece dresses when dressing up.

Seeing her in this bunny girl outfit was such a dramatic transformation that even Sharon found it captivating.

And though she wouldn’t say it out loud, Sharon thought she looked incredibly cute.

“Duchess! You look absolutely stunning!”

“Ms. Sharon, I appreciate your help, but I don’t think this is quite right...”

“What? Why not? You look so cute!”

“It just feels...improper. I’m not sure if this even qualifies as clothing...”

“That’s just how these outfits are! They’re only for special occasions, after all!”

“E-Even so...”

Eloa, unsure of what to do, listened to Sharon’s words.

“This kind of outfit is designed to be super appealing to men.”

“How could that be?”

“Maybe because it’s both cute and sexy at the same time?”

“I-Is that so...?”

Since she was pretty much clueless about this, it only took Sharon to keep complimenting her to raise her spirits.

At this point, Eloa had already looked herself over with a mix of skepticism and curiosity.

Caught between her own values and this new perspective, Eloa’s train of thought was interrupted by Sharon’s next comment.

“Also! I’m sure Siwoo would love it!”

“Siwoo would...?”

“Yes!”

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The idea that Siwoo would like it.

Coming from Sharon, who spent the most time around him, her words carried weight.

No matter how embarrassed she was, if it could make him happy, Eloa would be more than willing to wear it..

“...Do you really think he’d like it?”

“Absolutely! Trust me on this.”

After a moment of hesitation, Eloa slowly nodded.

“Thank you, as always, for your help. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you...”

“Hehe, don’t mention it! My late master always said that we witches should help each other!”

Sharon replied with a bright smile.

2.

After the awkward incident with the twins’ mothers, things settled down.

Unlike the Modern World which was ridden with chaos, life in Gehenna passed peacefully.

Siwoo, too, spent his days quietly; researching magic with Sharon, playing with the twins, sparring with his master...

But as he settled into this routine, a major event suddenly approached.

The Harvest Festival, an event he had been secretly looking forward to since his days as a slave, was set to begin that evening.

Since everyone was invited to dine with Countess Gemini, they would be attending the banquet.

The attendees included Countess Gemini, Odile, Odette, Sharon, Eloa, and Siwoo.

However, when he came to the dining table, there was only Deneb Gemini there. Perhaps it was because he came in a little too early.

Just two days ago, Siwoo and Deneb had shared an intense, passionate night.

It was supposedly only for verification purposes, but Siwoo vividly remembered how deeply she had gotten into it.

In any case, she wasn’t someone he’d want to face right now.

But, since they had already made eye contact, running away at this point would only make things even more awkward.

So, he bowed his head politely,

“Thank you for the invitation.”

“Welcome.”

Normally, Deneb would greet him with a poised, elegant smile.

But today, her expression was stiff like a hard bun.

Siwoo had expected someone of her stature to handle this gracefully, but it seemed that hope was misplaced.

“...”

“...”

The atmosphere couldn’t be any more uncomfortable.

He didn’t know what to say to her, but saying nothing felt just as awkward.

“Mr. Siwoo.”

“Yes, Countess.”

“...I-It’s nothing.”

After that, Deneb just quietly stared down at the tablecloth.

Every now and then, she’d glance at Siwoo, only to quickly lower her gaze again.

She seemed like she had a lot on her mind and was waiting for him to say something.

“If there’s something you’d like to say, feel free.”

“Y-Yes, actually, there is. I’ve been thinking about it for a few days now.”

As though she’d been waiting for him to ask, Deneb spoke with a serious tone that gave Siwoo a strange sense of unease.

He was suddenly worried that she’d tell him that the verification didn’t matter anymore, and that he should stay away from the twins.

Her overly serious expression only made his bad feeling worse.

“W-We... We did that, didn’t we...?”

“Um? Yes??”

“At that time, I showed you a rather embarrassing side of myself. Shamefully so.”

Well, context mattered for everything.

Fortunately, it seemed his bad feeling had missed the mark.

Seeing how embarrassed she was about that particular event, Siwoo decided to brush it off.

“No, it was just for verification, it’s not a—”

“That’s not what I meant. I’m trying to say that you shouldn’t misunderstand.”

“Misunderstand...?”

Deneb continued, speaking calmly like she was reading a thesis.

“Actually, I was acting that day.”

“...?”

“To tell you the truth, it didn’t feel that good. I just played along because I didn’t want you to lose confidence. Looking back though, I realized I may have caused a big misunderstanding. Like making you think I was totally overwhelmed with pleasure that day.”

“Oh, I see.”

“I believe white lies are necessary as social grease, but if they lead to confusion, it’s only right to clear them up.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I wasn’t all that into it, honestly. But don’t feel too discouraged. It wasn’t an entirely bad experience for me, so you don’t need to lose your confidence as a man. It just means there’s room for improvement.”

“Yes, yes, I’ll work on it.”

Siwoo had a rough idea of what she was trying to say and just went along with it.

Thinking that he understood her explanation, Deneb suppressed the urge to puff her chest pridefully before speaking gently.

“That’s all I wanted to say. We’ve prepared an especially wonderful meal today, so enjoy it to the fullest.”

“Thank you.”

Apples don’t fall far from its tree, huh?

If Albireo had witnessed that awkward explanation, she’d be probably covering her mouth, holding her tears. Imagining this, Siwoo thought to himself that the twins and their mothers weren’t so different after all.