chapter_0115

115 – Are You Opening the Store Today?

115 – Are You Opening the Store Today?

“…….”

Helen, looking at Max who lay his head on her thigh, kept her mouth tightly shut and stared intently at his face.

Max, with his hair neatly slicked back with oil and wearing the glasses she had gifted him, looked exhausted as he rested his head on her thigh.

The moment she saw Max in a suit for the first time, her heart raced at the sight of his face, which perfectly matched her taste.

It was as if the professor she had only seen in her fantasies had appeared in reality, standing right in front of her.

If it had ended there, she might not have been so distracted.

But the dark circles under his eyes, visible through his glasses, were all too familiar to her.

Many professors at the school, as well as students during exam periods, all bore the same signs.

He must have looked so worn out that it was concerning for his health.

Yet, etched in Max’s eyes, the image was slightly different.

It exuded a sickly charm, even a hint of decadence.

Overwhelmed by Max’s appearance that struck her taste so perfectly, she felt a warmth rising in her lower abdomen.

Helen glanced at Max, whose head rested on her body, and stared at his peacefully sleeping face.

Their first meeting had not been pleasant at all.

She had gone to that shop to uncover Yuris’s weakness.

The indifferent shopkeeper who had emerged from there, a man who refused to bend, insisting he could not reveal his customers’ secrets.

Then he showed her an illusion, and that was the beginning with Max.

It had surely been the worst experience, yet she had been drawn in by the memories of the illusion she had seen and had come this far.

She had even given him gifts and had come to such a shop alone with him.

Helen lifted her head.

The area where the staff were was draped with curtains, and outside the terrace, the view of the empire unfolded, ensuring that she was completely hidden from sight.

This meant that no one could know what she was doing.

‘No one will know what I do.’

Not even Max, the person involved.

Swallow.

Helen gulped.

Then she looked back at Max.

With trembling hands, she gently stroked his hair.

The oil-slicked hair moved along with her hand.

The slightly slippery texture felt unfamiliar.

‘How strange.’

It wasn’t her first time touching oiled hair.

She had brushed her brother Veron’s hair a few times to tidy it up.

She had done it because she couldn’t refuse his request, which he made under the pretense of wanting his sister’s support for victory.

At that time, she had disliked this slippery sensation so much.

‘But it’s okay now.’

Now, it felt fine.

No, it felt good.

As she stroked his hair, she looked at Max.

Watching his chest rise and fall slowly as he slept, she bit her lip.

After wiping the oil off her hands with a handkerchief, she caressed Max’s face.

The slightly firm feeling of his face was strangely different from her soft, pliable one.

She touched his cheeks, then his cheekbones, and finally his solid forehead.

At first, her fingers merely tapped lightly, but they began to grow bolder.

“His earlobes are the same.”

She fiddled with his ear, gently pinching his earlobe.

“Hehe.”

Feeling a surge of pleasure, a smile crept onto her face.

With a faint smile, Helen’s touch became a bit more daring.

“…What about here?”

She lightly tapped Max’s lips with her finger.

Just a touch of her finger on his lips.

Thump, thump.

Her heart raced as if she had kissed him.

Helen’s gaze was fixed on Max’s lips.

Once her gaze was locked there, it wouldn’t budge.

She watched his mouth, which was closed, as his red lips moved with his breaths.

‘We’ve kissed so many times…….’

In her fantasies, there had been times when Max had forced her to kiss him, and times when she had kissed him willingly.

Memories of many experiences in the illusion flooded back, making her face flush.

‘What’s wrong with me?’

Why did such thoughts come first?

Helen covered her flushed face with her hands and let out a deep breath.

“Ahh, I’m getting hot.”

As she fanned her face with her hands, she stole a glance at the sleeping Max.

“…….”

As she watched quietly, desire began to stir within her.

What had started as a mere intention to touch his lips with her fingers grew stronger.

“Hmm.”

She looked around to see if anyone was watching.

Even though she knew her position was guaranteed anonymity, she felt a twinge of guilt and glanced around once more.

Then she thought,

“Okay, just for a moment.”

She pushed her hair back and leaned down towards Max, who had his head resting on her thigh.

Just before their faces were about to touch.

“What are you doing?”

Max’s voice broke through.

Helen’s eyes widened at the voice she shouldn’t have heard.

She met Max’s gaze, who was looking up at her with dazed eyes, as if just waking up.

“Yikes?!!”

A squeaky sound escaped her lips.

Her face turned bright red, a different shade of embarrassment than before.

“Helen?”

“Ah, um, um, well, you see? Just now…”

Flustered and unable to string her words together, she quickly lifted her head and thought of an excuse.

“Uh, I thought there was hair stuck to your face, so I was checking to see if I could help.”

“…….”

Max’s expression clearly showed he didn’t believe her.

Lying on her thigh, he stared up at her intently and spoke.

“You said there was hair stuck to my face?”

“Y-yes!”

“Then please remove it.”

“Huh?”

“You said there was hair on my face. So please remove it.”

“Ah, um…”

What if he finds out it’s a lie?

Unaware of her anxious thoughts, Max closed his eyes again.

“Ah, haha! I must have seen wrong. It wasn’t hair. Haha.”

“Is that so?”

Only then did Max open his eyes again.

He sat up.

The weight he had felt on his thigh disappeared, leaving Helen with a sense of emptiness, and she let out a sigh of disappointment.

“Why, why aren’t you sleeping more?”

“I’m fine. This is enough. I can’t impose on you any longer.”

“Ah.”

But it was fine.

She wouldn’t have minded if he stayed a little longer.

She hadn’t felt the weight of Max on her thigh at all.

“Enjoy the view while having a snack.”

“Should I?”

An awkward silence followed.

But Helen thought even that silence was nice.

It was peaceful.

She looked at the view of the capital with Max.

No, her gaze was fixed a little more on something else than the view.

‘What should I do?’

I was feeling everything.

That Helen had been staring at me intently.

I was so tired that I almost forgot the thought of resting my face on a woman’s thigh, but the sensation of Helen’s soft thigh against my head fully woke me up.

I forced myself to pretend to be asleep, thinking that if I got up now, it would be embarrassing.

And I felt Helen’s gaze piercing through me and her hand brushing against my cheek and hair.

As Helen’s breath grew heavier and she began to lean closer to me.

‘Could it be?’

I sensed a strange atmosphere.

The atmosphere of Helen wanting to kiss me.

Just as I felt her breath.

I suddenly opened my eyes and stopped her.

‘This can’t go any further.’

Helen was the eldest daughter of the Silvester family.

She was the daughter of a prestigious family, and once she graduated from the academy, various proposals would come her way from many families.

There would be marriage proposals that had not come before because she was still a student, and she would marry someone to fulfill family agreements or someone who would support her future.

She was a woman that a commoner-born illusion magician could never dare to approach.

‘I am merely a facilitator for noble ladies to express their desires.’

I was a helper to allow them to view themselves more honestly.

Of course, in the process, I had taken her virginity, but I must not cross any further lines.

‘The way Helen looks at me now is a reflection of the emotions stemming from the process of taking her virginity and the lust that follows.’

Like a fever on a midsummer day.

A fleeting emotion that comes and goes in an instant.

‘Perhaps bringing her here was also to manifest that desire.’

I could see a deep sense of regret on Helen’s face.

I had many guests.

Moreover, the purpose of opening this shop was not only to showcase the best daughters to others but also to generate wealth for the school of illusion magic.

To earn money, it was necessary to continuously attract many guests.

‘If I were to cross a certain line with Helen here.’

I felt like something I couldn’t handle would happen.

‘Stopping here is the right choice.’

So I awkwardly changed the subject.

I suggested looking at the view.

We spent time quietly.

Feeling the strange current flowing in this space.

“…Teacher.”

“Yes, Lady Helen.”

Helen, who called me, was silent for a while.

After a long silence and hesitation, Helen, with her sparkling eyes fixed on me, slowly opened her mouth.

“…Are you opening the shop today?”

“The shop, you say?”

“Yes. If there are no guests, I wanted to buy a little more of your time today.”

“…….”

I hadn’t planned to open the shop.

I was still recovering from the fatigue of working all night.

However, looking into Helen’s eyes as she gazed at me, those words didn’t easily come to mind.

“I wasn’t planning to open, but if an urgent guest comes, I suppose I must.”

“Really?”

Helen hesitated for a moment, then took my hand from the table and asked.

“Then can we go to the shop right away? I want to see your illusion.”

“Sure.”

Amidst the soft music played by the band prepared by the bakery, I accepted Helen’s request.

Thus, after finishing their date, I returned to the shop with her.