At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 205
For the children of Ellandos, earrings were like… well, like embedding beads in that area.
Once they made that comparison, it hit Jiwoo clearly, and she blushed.
“Th, that really is a bit… provocative, isn’t it?”
“…I told you so.”
Lanset, who had been looking at him with distaste, now seemed to feel vindicated as he nodded in agreement.
As Jiwoo continued to admire the beautiful underwater world with her two husbands, Petar’s face suddenly appeared in front of her, causing her to startle.
“So, what are you going to do about that?”
Petar, who was far ahead in the water and swam much better than them, had quickly appeared right in front of Jiwoo.
“What do you mean?”
“We need that in order to rebuild the village.”
Petar said, pointing to the small pouch Lanset was holding. The one that contained the power of the trees they had gathered yesterday.
Honestly, Jiwoo thought it would be fine to just give it to them, but sensing her thoughts, Arven tightly grabbed Jiwoo’s hand and shook his head.
“You can’t just do all this work for free.”
“I know…”
Still, Jiwoo couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for these people.
“Then, should we sell it to you? I have some decency, so I won’t just ask for it.”
Petar stopped for a moment, crossing his arms, seemingly understanding.
“So, you want to make a trade?”
“…What are you going to sell?”
The idea of them selling something was strange, given their behavior. Petar smoothed his chest with one hand and answered.
“We won’t sell what you’re thinking.”
Then he added with a slight smirk,
“I’d appreciate it if you bought it though.”
“Don’t add anything after that!”
It seemed like the sea and the forest didn’t mix very well. Jiwoo had been getting into small arguments with them for a while, so she decided to step in and block the conversation.
“It’s not like I’m asking for it for free, so it’s fine.”
This seemed like a good enough excuse.
Of course, Jiwoo didn’t intend to work for nothing. It was a matter of not worrying her husbands. But even so, it felt easier to let go of the tree power that was needed rather than continue feeling uneasy about it.
“Hey, Petar, I was wondering…”
“Yes?”
Petar quickly swam over to Jiwoo, moving so smoothly and swiftly it was almost like he was gliding.
“Are you planning to sell those things you sent last time as a reward?”
That was one of the reasons Jiwoo had decided to come here. She had received jewels and other items when she asked them to heal the trees, and those gifts had been pleasing to her.
The resin, which seemed to be the most important item, had been almost taken from them, but there were also many other beautiful ornaments.
“Not just the resin, but the clothes and jewelry you sent last time.”
“Oh, there are those as well.”
“Do you make them yourselves?”
“Of course. We make them ourselves…”
Petar trailed off, lifting his chin with a confident look. He then extended his hand towards Jiwoo. With only his second and third fingers extended, he wiggled the tips of his fingers in front of her.
“We’re very good with our hands.”
“Hey, stop doing that with your hands.”
Petar moved so close to Jiwoo that their bodies almost touched, even brushing against Lanset and Arven’s shins as he casually responded.
“If you’re going to spend time here, I’ll make you clothes that suit the sea.”
“Ahem. Sounds good. Let’s make a deal.”
Jiwoo smiled brightly at the thought of receiving a gift to bring back to her waiting husbands at home.
The children of Elandos, even though the chances were slim, kept clothing and jewelry for women just in case. Since they were skilled with their hands, the quality of the items was excellent and the designs were beautiful.
This was also why Jiwoo had been able to wear women’s clothing when they first met.
She had received lovely clothes and jewelry as part of her reward from the beach group before, but because she had given them all away, it seemed there was nothing left now.
“Can I see what you have first?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
Petar nodded and, riding the current, swiftly swam ahead.
As the conversation between Jiwoo and Petar grew longer, Arven, who had been growing more and more uncomfortable, was grinding his teeth behind them.
“What kind of deal…”
“Hold on.”
But to Arven’s surprise, Lanset stepped in to stop him. He whispered to Arven, making sure Jiwoo couldn’t hear.
“He said he’d make clothes to match the sea.”
“We can make those too.”
Lanset sent a somewhat exasperated look, clearing his throat awkwardly. Then he nudged Arven with his elbow.
“…A swimsuit.”
“Ah.”
At that moment, Arven realized something and his face flushed with embarrassment as well.
While they whispered to each other, Jiwoo swam up to them, looking puzzled.
“What are you two doing? Why aren’t you coming?”
“…Ahem.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Eager to keep moving, Jiwoo took Lanset and Arven’s hands, swimming toward Petar who was already ahead of them. Their hands felt incredibly warm.
As they swam closer, the temperature of the water became more soothing. Despite being in the winter sea, it felt like the kind of refreshing, cool ocean one would want to visit in summer. The brightly colored school of fish swimming in clusters, and everything about the scene seemed completely out of sync with the season.
And then, in the distance, the massive white tree came into view.
“Lanset, Arven.”
“Yes?”
Lanset and Arven, who had been watching Jiwoo, were slower to notice the tree.
“Look at that. I told you it was something good for us.”
Jiwoo had wondered what the Ellandos of the sea would look like. Would they resemble seaweed, or perhaps giant coral? But after seeing the tree up close, it looked surprisingly ordinary, which was unexpected.
However, standing near the towering blue sea tree, Jiwoo felt as if she was flying through the sky.
“I really prefer moments like this, being here with you both.”
While captivated by the scenery, Jiwoo held tightly to Lanset and Arven’s hands and murmured softly.