Chapter 24.1

Chapter 24.1

Returning home, Ara was immediately grabbed by the back of her neck by Seol-do, who had been waiting for her. Baekseol, too, tugged at the hem of Ara’s pants, her obsidian-like eyes gleaming.

“If you’re home, you should report in.”

Seol-do interrogated her about every detail since she had left the house—what route she took, what she bought, who she met, and what conversations they had. Every little thing.

Ara recounted everything that had happened along the way.

Everything except for the part about the ghost and the playboy.

“Hmm…”

After hearing the full account, Seol-do rested her chin in one hand, her sharp eyes narrowing as a subtle smile tugged at the corners of her lips.

“Notice the difference?”

Seol-do glanced at Baekseol.

“Yep.”

Baekseol nodded in agreement, her triangular ears twitching along.

“What difference?” Ara, not understanding the context, asked.

Seol-do waved her hand dismissively.

“There’s just… stuff. Anyway, it sounds like you didn’t buy anything.”

“Yeah… it sort of turned out that way. Oh, right, here’s the leftover money.”

Ara dug through her bag, pulling out her wallet.

“Keep it. It’s just pocket change.”

Seol-do waved her hand again, crossing her legs. It wasn’t an awkward display of bravado—she genuinely didn’t care.

Pocket change? This amount of money is more than my two-month living expenses!

Ara grumbled internally but quietly tucked her wallet away. Shameless as it might seem, she couldn’t exactly refuse this kind of material generosity.

“Next time, let’s go together again.”

Seol-do casually suggested a future outing.

Ara instinctively nodded before hesitating for a moment.

Go out again?

What if we run into those guys again? Seol-do wouldn’t trick them like Seok-kyung did—she’d probably just beat them up.

“Um… Can’t you just, you know, use your goblin bat and poof—do it all at once?”

“Nope.”

“Why not?” Ara asked with a sulky expression.

Seol-do paused briefly before answering. “Well, you need to try on clothes in person. That way, you won’t make any mistakes.”

“Oh, please. Since when were you—mmph! Ugh!” Baekseol struggled.

“Shut it. Your breath stinks. Keep your mouth closed.”

Seol-do clasped Baekseol’s snout in her hand, silencing her. Trapped, Baekseol squirmed and kicked in protest.

They get along so well. Like real sisters.

Ara chuckled quietly as she watched the bickering pair. She was about to get up and start preparing dinner when she hesitated and sat back down on the couch.

“Seol-do, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“About Seok-kyung.”

Her large eyes darted around as if checking for eavesdroppers, then she leaned in and lowered her voice to a whisper.

“Is he really a player?”

“What?”

Seol-do frowned, staring at Ara, before bursting into laughter loud enough to make the whole living room echo.

Taking advantage of the loosened grip, Baekseol shook herself free and ruffled her fur.

“Did the king tell you that? That he’s a player?”

“No, not exactly.”

Ara trailed off for a moment, then her eyes lit up as if she were a famous detective about to crack a case.

“It’s just… you know, a hunch.”

“Hey, Na Ara. That’s bullsh—mmmph! Mmmp!” Baekseol barely got a few words out before Seol-do grabbed her snout again. Hugging the struggling Baekseol tight, Seol-do motioned for Ara to continue.

“Kim Seok-kyung is super handsome.”

“Does being handsome automatically make someone a player?”

“Not everyone, but I think it applies to him.”

Ara glanced towards the stairs, checking for any sign of someone upstairs. After confirming no one was around, the weight of the words she’d been holding back seemed to lift, and her lips parted again.

“I mean, he keeps getting all up in my space, right in my face. Honestly, using good looks like that is cheating, isn’t it?”

“Hmm.”

“I can’t even think straight when I look at his face, and he knows it! It’s like he’s just toying with me at this point. Now he’s treating me like a pervert.”

“Huh.”

Seol-do’s responses remained ambiguous, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, as she clamped her mouth shut. The effort to hold back laughter caused her jaw to twitch.

Caught up in her own rant, Ara failed to notice the slight quivering of Seol-do’s lips.

“He said he’s too busy to get married, but come on—that’s an excuse, right? He’s just having fun meeting and dumping people easily, isn’t he? Or maybe he’s picky about relationships and hasn’t found a woman who meets his standards yet?”

Ara listed her points, counting them off on her fingers with a growing sense of certainty.

At that moment, Seol-do finally let go of Baekseol’s snout and adjusted her posture. Even Baekseol, who had lost interest in escaping, focused solely on Ara.

“Na Ara. You know, I’ve got a question myself.”

Seol-do leaned in so close their foreheads nearly touched.

“What does any of this have to do with you?”

Ara was momentarily speechless. Not because she was offended but because she genuinely didn’t know how to respond.

“Whether our king is a player or not. Whether he’s too busy to get married or has other reasons. Whether he’s picky about his marriage partner or not. What’s that got to do with you?”

What does it have to do with me?