Chapter 56
“Of course! I received both an apology and compensation.”
The victims who regained peace of mind all had bright faces.
“I used the compensation to pay off my debts. It was such a relief.”
“We expanded our general store. Haha!”
I was planning to use the subscription fees wisely.
“That guy has really become a decent person these days. He does volunteer work and even makes donations!”
“Just how did you discipline him?”
They asked a question they had probably asked a hundred times before.
“I sent him to the etiquette class I know well.”
I smiled slightly as I answered. It seemed they still couldn’t believe Alex’s change.
“Can we entrust our grandson too?”
“But he’ll be 10 years older, are you sure it’s okay?”
“Huh?”
The man tilted his head in a confused manner. Not knowing how to explain it, I just laughed it off.
In any case, after being strictly disciplined by the retired divine beasts, Alex was reborn as a refined gentleman.
🫧
“Ugh….”
As the curtains parted, intense sunlight poured in. Cedric opened his eyes with a frown. He had heavily indulged in drinking all night, leaving him with a pounding hangover.
“Where is this…? A bedroom? Ah, the palace. I somehow made it back….”
“Cedric.”
At the ice-cold voice, Cedric’s eyes shot open, instantly clearing the lingering drowsiness.
“Sylvie?”
“Who did you meet this time?”
Sylvie threw the blue robe she had been holding at Cedric. The flowy material was undoubtedly a woman’s garment.
Damn it. He bit his inner lip, struggling to maintain his composure.
“What’s this? Oh, did you buy new clothes, Sylvie? This cutesy style doesn’t suit you at all…”
“It reeks of perfume. The sweet scent like cotton candy, and the forest smell you usually wear.”
Cedric let out an irritated sigh. She was like an annoying woman who couldn’t mind her own business, as always.
“It could only be you.”
“Come now. What are you misunderstanding?”
“You were begging me to save you.”
“Ah ah, I remember now. Someone must have left this robe behind, so I brought it to find the owner.”
Despite Sylvie’s trembling voice filled with rage, Cedric muttered indifferently.
“Always boasting….”
Cedric clicked his tongue and looked up at Sylvie. The beautiful woman with red hair, leaning against the doorframe and looking down at him, was breathtakingly gorgeous.
There was a time when just locking eyes would make his heart race.
‘To think such a beauty liked me, it naturally boosted my confidence.’
Sylvie would give him anything he wanted. He liked her. Or rather, he used to like her.
It had all turned to past tense because Sylvie was too perfect.
“Say that again.”
“Sylvie, being so harsh like, this is why men don’t like you.”
She was too perfect, making him feel insignificant and worthless when together. Cedric didn’t want to be second to anyone.
Sylvie’s golden eyes flickered for a moment as she silently watched Cedric openly yawn in front of her.
“Cedric, who’s so popular with the ladies. So, who did you meet?”
Sylvie stepped forward, closing the distance in one swift movement, and tapped Cedric’s neck with her sharp nails.
If pricked, it would draw blood. Cedric, who had been arrogantly provoking Sylvie, swallowed hard, suddenly tense.
“I’m asking you. Answer properly.”
“…I, I met a bartender.”
“A bartender?”
Sylvie’s voice wavered slightly.
“Y, yes! A cuter and kinder woman than you.”
Cedric spoke shamelessly while inwardly mocking how easily he could sway Sylvie.
What could a great witch like her do? She gullibly fell for just a few words. Now Sylvie would redirect her rage to someone else. Sylvie would surely not leave that bartender alone.
Someone else might own that robe, but how would Sylvie know?
‘How dare she reject me.’
While Johan had tossed Cedric into the frozen land, he instinctively knew he was no match for him. Offering the helpless Sena as a sacrifice would avoid any repercussions.
“Hah, I won’t let this slide.”
Sylvie’s golden eyes glowed fiercely. Watching her, Cedric secretly curled his lips into a smile.
🫧
Sylvie took immediate action. Since Cedric openly dropped hints, it was easy to find out where the cocktail bar was located.
‘If I torment her a little, Cedric will lose interest.’
However, that cocktail bar existed in another dimension. More surprisingly, there was already a gate connecting to her own dimension.
‘What kind of power is this?’
She felt a power that transcended her understanding, freely crossing dimensions without restriction. The bartender who had seduced Cedric might be more dangerous than she thought.
Standing before the cocktail bar in the blowing desert sands, Sylvie pondered briefly before using her witch powers to disguise her appearance. She became an old woman in a tattered cloak and knocked on the cocktail bar’s door.
Knock knock.
Unexpectedly, not the door but a second-floor window opened instead. The bartender seemed drowsy, as if not fully awake yet.
But surely it was past noon?
“Yawn… What brings you here? We’re not open yet…”
Her voice carried a tone of annoyance.
Sylvie was taken aback. What was this attitude? Had she already seen through her disguise?
No, that couldn’t be, or she wouldn’t be leisurely rubbing her eyes.
‘Just stick to the plan.’
Sylvie took out a shiny apple from her pocket.
“I have a pretty apple. One for…”
“We don’t serve peddlers.”
The cold voice was followed by the window slamming shut.
“So that’s how it is?”
Sylvie narrowed her eyes and muttered.
Having decided to confront her directly as a warning, she opened the cocktail bar’s door in her true form.
“Hmm.”
Sylvie scrutinized the interior, scanning it as if exploring. Although she didn’t often drink, she had visited bars a few times, but this place had a different atmosphere.
The ceiling and walls seemed carved entirely from stone, yet it didn’t feel like a cave, instead giving off a cozy vibe.
“Interesting. A cocktail bar in the desert.”
“I said no peddlers… I really don’t have any money.”
Then the bartender came downstairs, yawning.
She was a cute-looking woman with fluffy pink hair like cotton candy.
“Haahh, Sylvie, you don’t have a single trace of cuteness despite your fierce appearance, do you?”
This was something Cedric used to say out of habit.
Just as she thought the bartender’s appearance could indeed bewitch Cedric, their eyes met. The bartender’s sleepy eyes widened.
“Wow, you’re really pretty… I thought you were a celebrity…”
The bartender muttered to herself.
Celebrity? Sylvie tensed at the unfamiliar word and opened her mouth.
“I’m not a peddler. I’m a customer.”
“Oh, sorry. Someone came earlier trying to sell apples, so I thought…”
The bartender straightened her posture and continued.
“We’re not open yet… But since you’ve come all this way, I’ll serve you something. Please have a seat.”
The bartender smiled slightly and offered water first.
Sylvie didn’t touch the glass in front of her. Instead, she untied her pocket string and emptied its contents, spilling piles of silver coins onto the bar counter, overflowing onto the floor.
“I don’t need change.”
Sylvie tapped the bar counter with her ornately decorated nails and ordered.
“Just give me whatever you’re confident in, anything is fine.”
“Actually, I was going to offer it for free…”
The bartender muttered as she picked up the coins from the floor.
“What do you take me for? I don’t accept freebies.”
“In that case, I’ll make you a special cocktail worth this much.”
Sylvie scoffed. She doubted there was a drink worth this much money.
Spilling the coins was a declaration of intent to overwhelm her with wealth.
With the mindset of just watching to see what she would do, Sylvie propped her chin as she watched.
‘She’s doing quite a peculiar thing.’
The bartender rimmed the glass with lime juice and then coated it with a white powder.
Sylvie had never heard of putting such powder in a drink before.
Suspicious of her actions, Sylvie narrowed her eyes and asked.
“What is that?”
“It’s salt.”
🥂
Thank you for reading! ♡
