At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 206

“Ah.”

And then, suddenly realizing something, she laughed to herself.

“I think I wanted to experience love too.”

In fact, Jiwoo felt a bit regretful about how hastily the marriage had been arranged.

Rather than just holding on to her feelings, she wanted to share them in a meaningful place, with a bit of tension still lingering.

That’s why it couldn’t just be in a cozy home. She wanted it to be in a distant, unfamiliar place like this. And to think that it was not only distant but also so beautiful and awe-inspiring.

Connecting with the trees made her feel alive, and now, she wanted to go further. She wanted to share that life with someone. Like this.

“I see.”

“…So that’s what it is.”

It was incredible. Until now, Jiwoo had thought that she was only connecting with the trees while healing them, but now, she realized she could share that with her husbands as well.

Around the white tree, men dressed similarly to Petar were swimming, joyfully observing the trees that had been brought back to life. Their long garments swirled, and they looked like mermaids swimming gracefully through the water.

Originally, the plants around Ellandos tended to turn completely white from the influence of the trees, but the vibrant coral and seaweed remained colorful, creating a beautiful contrast.

The mermaid-like men noticed that Jiwoo had returned and waved at her from afar. Some squinted one eye while smiling widely, but they kept their distance, respecting the space between them.

“Shall we head up now? Your husbands are waiting.”

As Jiwoo followed Petar toward the shore, she asked curiously,

“Do the Ellandos by the beach always keep the sea warm like this?”

“Oh, not exactly.”

Petar gestured toward the area where the tree was.

“In this case, our tree is making an extra effort because we have a guest. If you leave, it will return to being a cold winter sea.”

When Jiwoo first heard the word ‘beach,’ she had hoped for a summer beach, and now, after coming to this world, she longed to visit a coastline she had never seen before.

With the tree making such an effort, it seemed as though she could enjoy a vacation here with her husbands, regardless of the season, almost like a summer getaway. It felt as though the tree had read her mind.

Jiwoo glanced at the spot where the tree had pulled her in, recalling the sensation.

‘What was that eye?’

She had connected with quite a few trees, but that had been a first. It certainly felt as though something had been watching her…

“Seo Jiwoo.”

Jiwoo came to her senses at the sound of her name being called.

“You’ve arrived.”

As if they had been worried the entire time, Solmih, Kaman, and Skiass were waiting as though they were about to leap into the sea.

Despite feeling sorry for causing them worry, Jiwoo couldn’t help but feel glad to know someone was waiting for her.

As soon as she emerged from the water, Jiwoo wrapped herself in the fluffy towel that Solmih was holding, allowing herself to be hugged.

***

“Then, I’ll prepare the items.”

With those words, Petar respected Jiwoo and her husbands’ time and swam back into the sea.

“What does that mean?”

Jiwoo rejoined Solmih and explained what had happened during the time they were apart.

After hearing the explanation, Kaman asked in an unusually excited tone,

“So, are we doing that?”

“What? That?”

Kaman’s olive-colored eyes sparkled brightly.

“Buying souvenirs and exchanging them as gifts.”

Oh, so that’s how it works?

When her husbands had said they wanted to experience romance, even if it was a bit late, Jiwoo had given a few examples, one of which was this. Traveling to distant places together, seeing new things on the way, teaching each other things they didn’t know, and exchanging souvenirs as gifts…

“Now that I think about it, yeah, I suppose so.”

Originally, Jiwoo had planned to just take the reward and return, but now it seemed like their date had been extended unexpectedly. Even a market date, something she’d never imagined in El Ragneil, felt exciting.

Feeling a little giddy, Jiwoo presented the idea to them.

“Then, shall we share these?”

If they were going to exchange gifts, it wouldn’t do to just buy for herself.

Jiwoo counted all the stones they had collected and divided them into six portions.

“…Can I have a little more?”

Kaman suddenly spoke up.

This was unusual for Kaman, who usually went with the flow and rarely voiced his opinions.

“Is there something you want to buy?”

Kaman nodded seriously, though he didn’t give a specific answer, as though he wanted to secretly buy something.

After distributing the stones, Jiwoo split the portions among them, and before she knew it, time had passed quickly.

Solmih suggested.

“Then, let’s rest for the night. Thank you for your hard work.”

“Yes.”

As she spoke, sleepiness began to take over. Lanset and Arven had already started nodding off.

While arranging the bedding, Solmih casually added.

“Most of the beach group is nocturnal, so it might be a little noisy.”

“It’s fine.”

Jiwoo rubbed her eyes, and Solmih seemed to think for a moment before speaking again, as if he had figured out Jiwoo’s intention with the trade.

“…The trade idea was a very good one. It’s a good excuse.”

“Right.”

Jiwoo lay on the cozy bed, listening to the sounds of the quiet village. Mixed with the sound of the waves from the beach, she could hear the hum of people moving about with energy.

It seemed that living with those who had good hearing made her more aware of sounds too.

As she thought about what kind of gift she could buy tomorrow, Jiwoo closed her eyes. It didn’t take long before she fell into a deep sleep, as if swallowed by it like a storm.

“However, we’ll have to sell something ordinary…”

Once she was sure Jiwoo had fallen asleep, Solmih mumbled quietly, sounding a little concerned.

***

The next day, Jiwoo regrettably overslept.

When she woke up, she found herself lying between Lanset and Arven, with the sun already high in the sky.