Witch – Chapter 53- The Two Witches (33)

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“Beryl, what was that just now? You sly thing! I never taught you that. You’re such a vixen, a real vixen!”

As soon as Nicks left the shop, I released the invisibility spell and hugged Beryl tightly.

I had been worried that Beryl might pounce on Nicks midway, but since the result was good, it didn’t matter.

“Did I… do well?”

“Did you see Nicks’ expression just now? Beryl, he couldn’t take his eyes off you!”

Especially Beryl’s shy remark before Nicks left made my heart flutter too.

Nicks didn’t seem to dislike it either. On the contrary, he seemed busy hiding his embarrassment by avoiding eye contact, so the operation was a great success.

It was worth dressing her in a pure and modest outfit.

Unnecessary exposure would only stir lustful thoughts rather than love.

If he had seen her stitched-up eyes, he might have felt disgusted, but the blindfold added points and caught Nicks’ attention.

Men don’t particularly like it when the person they’re interested in is overly exposed. They want their own woman to be modest, but they don’t care much about women they’re not interested in.

Unless they’re the type to check compatibility first.

Nicks doesn’t seem like that kind of man, and he’s still young, so this is just right.

No matter who Nicks likes or is dating, we’ve succeeded in making him see Beryl as a woman, so it’s time to move on to the next step.

“R-really…?”

“Of course. Didn’t Nicks promise to come alone?”

“What if his party members insist on coming…? Especially that girl Josie.”

She worries about the strangest things.

Josie and Leo would step back if I hinted at them from behind, so there’s no need to worry.

Come to think of it, I haven’t told Beryl that Josie is my daughter.

Every time Beryl mentions Josie, I get a little creeped out, so it’s probably a good idea to clarify now.

“Don’t worry about that. Josie and Leo are part of my group. I’ll make sure Nicks can come to the shop alone.”

“So the mage Nicks mentioned was you.”

“Yes, and Josie is also my daughter. I hate to admit it, but she seems interested in Leo… So you don’t need to worry about Josie.”

I don’t like admitting Josie and Leo’s relationship out loud… but to get Beryl to stop eyeing Josie, I had to say it.

I don’t want to see Beryl attacking Josie out of misunderstanding her as a rival.

“I see… Wait, daughter?”

Why is everyone so surprised that I have a child?

Though I can understand Beryl’s reaction, since Josie and I don’t look alike at all.

“Yes. She’s not my biological daughter, but she’s the daughter of my heart.”

“You should’ve said that from the start! That’s a relief….”

I didn’t want to know what she was relieved about, so I decided not to ask.

“Anyway, the first operation was a great success.”

“First? So… there’s a second one too?”

“Hehe. Of course. The second operation is to get Nicks to call you by your name.”

If the first operation was to make Nicks see Beryl as a woman by showing her appearance, the second operation is to get him to call her by her name instead of “shopkeeper”.

People unconsciously create distance based on how they address each other.

There’s nothing better than calling someone by their name to develop a relationship.

Even though I have no romantic experience,

In the second volume of Aria Chronicle, when the protagonist asked the heroine to call him by his name instead of “hero”, it was a signal that their relationship was starting.

This will definitely work. The heroine started seeing the protagonist differently from that moment.

Calling her “Beryl” instead of the stiff “shopkeeper” will reduce the psychological distance.

From “shopkeeper” to “Beryl”.

From “Beryl” to “dear.”

Just imagining it makes my mouth water.

It’s scary, Estelle…

Is it okay for me to know so much about love?

I’m afraid all the protagonists and heroines might come to me for love advice later.

“My name… I haven’t even told him my name yet…”

“Imagine it. How would it feel if Nicks called you by your name?”

“Uuuuh…”

Just the thought of him calling her by her name made her squirm. It’s maddening.

Considering how she acted during the rehearsal, it’s a relief that she’s relatively calm now….

Even though we’ve started well, there’s still a long way to go.

“I’m not saying you should make him call you by your name right away. When Nicks comes over later, just have a meal together and get to know each other. We’ll start with the name thing tomorrow.”

There are still five days left until the festival starts.

If we make progress day by day and get Nicks to ask Beryl to dance at the festival, it’ll be perfect.

Of course, this is assuming Beryl doesn’t lose patience and pounce on Nicks midway.

“Beryl, that kind of thing is for after you start dating. Moving too fast can ruin the chance for love.”

“I’m not sure… Will I be able to hold myself back?”

“You said you’d do anything I tell you, right? Even if you’re unsure, you have to do it. If you cross the line—”

“If I cross the line?”

“I’ll take your chest back.”

I can’t actually take it back, but it’s good to instill some caution.

Seeing Beryl hugging her chest and curling up made me feel a little relieved.

She doesn’t want to go back to being flat-chested.

“Estelle, how do you know so much about love?”

“Huh? Well, that’s….”

The sudden question made my chest tighten.

If she finds out that I, a virgin who’s never been in love, have been meddling in her love life…

The relationship I’ve built with Beryl might collapse in an instant.

“I’m the Witch of Love! Love is nothing to me!”

“Estelle, you really know everything about love…”

“Hehe. Don’t worry, Beryl. Just trust your big sister!”

If I fail… No, I must succeed.

Beryl is trusting me.

“I’m 400 years older than you, and you’re calling yourself my big sister….”

“It’s just a saying.”

Let’s move past the small stuff.

It would be good to ask Josie to check Nicks’ reactions.

Find out if he likes anyone and ask about his preferences.

It’s better to ask naturally from the side than for me to ask directly. He’ll be less guarded and might reveal his true feelings.

Josie must be curious too, right?

 

---

 

After confirming that Nicks came over for a simple dinner in the evening, I returned to the Marquis’ residence.

What is Josie up to now?

We’ve never been apart for so long while living together.

Even though it’s only been a day, it feels like it’s been a long time since I last saw her.

She’s not crying because she misses me, is she?

When I knocked on Josie’s door and entered, I saw her lying on the bed, unwashed.

It seems even Josie finds it tough to keep up with the schedule of a Stella-ranked adventurer.

She’ll catch a cold if she stays like that.

I told her she must bathe after going out!

“Mom?”

Josie, with half-closed eyes, greeted me as I hurried over to her side.

“How was the monster hunting? Was it very tiring?”

“Hoaaah… It wasn’t that hard, but we had to run around a lot. I didn’t expect to accept five quests in one day.”

Five quests in one day?

Considering that back in the game you could only accept one quest per day, it’s no wonder that guy is a Stella rank….

I can understand why Josie is exhausted.

If Josie, who’s in the rear, is this tired, Leo must be sprawled on his bed by now.

“What about you, Mom? Were you at your friend’s place again today?”

“Yes. I was helping my friend, so I didn’t have time to pay attention to you.”

“When will you introduce me? I wanted to talk with your friend.”

“I’ll introduce you after this is over.”

I’ve made Josie look forward to meeting Beryl, but I haven’t introduced them yet.

There hasn’t been a good opportunity.

Beryl has been so wary and guarded around Nicks that introducing Josie too hastily might scare her.

“Speaking of which, Josie. Can you help me with something?”

“Help?”

Josie’s half-closed eyes widened.

I’ve never asked Josie for help before, so she must be surprised.

She’ll have no choice but to help once she hears the story.

There’s nothing more exciting than a journey of pure love.

“Can you find out what kind of girl Nicks likes? It would be great if you could also ask if he likes anyone!”

“Mom… is this what I think it is?”

“Bingo~”

This is why I love how sharp Josie is.

She understands everything just by hearing a little. Like mother, like daughter.

“…….”

Huh?

I thought she’d light up and jump at the chance,

but instead, she silently glared at me.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“If that’s the request, then no.”

I thought I misheard, but she firmly refused again.

Is today her time of the month?

If it is, then it makes sense for her to react so sensitively.

“It’s the first time I’m asking you for a favor, and you won’t do it?”

“Nicks’ feelings are important too, but you’re trying to do things your way, right? I said no.”

Josie, as if she didn’t want to talk anymore, buried her face in her pillow.

“Fine. Well, Mom has her ways, you know? It’s okay if you don’t help.”

Why is she acting like this?

She seemed to have some dissatisfaction with me, but now I’m the one who’s upset.

If Josie won’t help, I’ll just go to Leo.

“You should wash up before bed, okay?”

“I’ll take care of it myself.”

She’s being so cold…!

Leaving behind Josie, who was acting like a moody teenager, I carefully left the room.