81 CH 77: A Gift
{[Last Time in Tainted Desire]}
Curious, I thought even as I watched Fleur cast a spell to unseal the wine bottle, only to fail and make her realize the protection spells on the bottle were stronger than usual.
She succeeded on the second try, something Appoline reacted only with an amused quirk of her eyebrow.
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{[Now]}
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"So, how are you coping with the absence of your … husband," Appoline continued while Fleur poured a glass for her mother, and my eyebrows rose even higher, my attention shifting from her spectacular cleavage to her word.
The reason for it was the dismissive way she used the last word, showing her contempt effortlessly. Apparently, the Weasley family wasn't the only one dissatisfied with the marriage.
To be fair, Appoline's position was much more justified than the Weasley's, whose rejection stemmed from their inferiority complex.
"It's fine. He's in Egypt, working hard for us," Fleur answered tersely, but by now, I was familiar with her behavior enough to recognize that she was annoyed by the fact her mother was the one asking rather than the question itself.
After all, it would make little sense for her to be actually annoyed at Bill's absence considering their last encounter, where my presence had driven in the message quite effectively.
Fleur leaned forward to pass the glass to her mother, which made her nightie ride up to give me an even better view of her hips, which I enjoyed.
Just because I had seen her naked before didn't mean that I stopped enjoying the sight of her body.
"I see," Appoline murmured in the same dismissive derision as she took the glass from Fleur and brought it to her lips.
I watched in amusement as her expression briefly flared into astonishment as the smell of the wine hit her nose.
Her reaction was understandable, as what she was smelling was one of the best wines from the private Malfoy cellar, and even a whiff was enough to highlight its quality, and corresponding expensiveness. "Impressive," Appoline murmured as she took a sip, closing her eyes to enjoy the wine.
When she opened them back, her eyes were colored with suspicion, and if I wasn't wrong, admiration.
But since Fleur was walking back to her seat, she missed it. It was interesting that Fleur hadn't chosen the closest seat to her mother.
I smirked at the sight even as I silently walked behind Fleur's chair, but careful not to alert the other occupants. "The wine is…" Appoline said, and Fleur stiffened like she was expecting a blow. "… excellent," her mother completed, and Fleur's eyes opened in shock, something Appoline hadn't noticed.
Only then did Fleur take a sip from her glass, her eyes widening even larger. Just like her mother, Fleur was aware of the price range the wine belonged to. "Too excellent, even," Appoline continued without a hint of shame. "I wonder how your husband could afford it with his silly salary from Gringotts."
Fleur didn't react well to the question, blushing furiously. "It's a gift," she answered, clearly unwelcoming of any follow-up.
And just like any classically uncomfortable discussion with a parent, Fleur's discomfort was the only reason Appoline needed to dig deeper, something Fleur was aware of if her sudden stiffening was any indicator.
But unlike most mothers, Appoline didn't dig recklessly forward, but took a deep breath -which accentuated her breasts beautifully, enough to make me cum if not for my extended exposure to Fleur's beauty- and crossed her legs -giving a fleeting glimpse of her core thanks to the absence of any underwear- before speaking once more.
"How curious… I wonder who the gentleman was that gave your house such a delightful gift? Was it the goblins, paying your husband for his loyal service?"
"No," Fleur grumbled, aware of her mother's teasing. I doubted that there was a wizard in history that received a goblin gift, let alone one of their employees.
"A wedding gift from the Prewetts, maybe? Or maybe one of William's brothers splurged on a gift," she extended, chuckling at its absurdity.
She was justified in that, because unless Weasleys sold their home with everything inside it, they wouldn't be able to afford the wine.
Fleur shook her head even though it was completely unnecessary.
Then, Appoline gave a few more names, each unlikelier than the other, something Appoline was very much aware of if her smug smile was any indicator.
"Maybe an admirer of the male persuasion," Appoline said at last, of which Fleur frowned even more, but failed to counter. It was a rather obvious conclusion, after all.
A young and sexy lady like Fleur naturally had a lot of admirers, a majority not terribly bothered by her status of marriage.
The only reason they weren't buzzing around Fleur like bees around a flower was Fleur's sharp rejections, often reinforced by stinging hexes and even the occasional fireball if the suitor was pushy enough.
Except me…
I wasn't surprised by Appoline's sudden realization. After all, I gave them an extremely expensive bottle just to clue Appoline onto the possibility, curious about her reaction. And from what I saw, Appoline was not entirely against it.
Appoline let out a cheerful giggle before continuing to speak while Fleur dipped her head down even lower. "Come on, my sweet daughter, there's nothing to be ashamed of. You're a veela, and you deserve more than the attention of a vagabond."
"It's not like that," Fleur countered heatedly, but Appoline just quirked an eyebrow even as she shuffled around in her seat, which strained the ability of her nightie to keep her assets inside.
"I'm not like you, dallying around with any men that catch my attention just because I'm bored. Unlike you, I didn't get busted in the middle of the living room cheating on my husband," Fleur countered heatedly, and I barely held back a laugh.
After all, it was exactly what happened, though Fleur was caught by her husband rather than a daughter, making the situation even more amusing.
Since Fleur went as far as forgetting such an amusing memory, I decided to start messing with her, especially since Appoline gave me the opportunity by turning her attention to the bottle.
"Did you forget about it already," I whispered into Fleur's ear, my hands over her shoulders to prevent her from jumping up.
She flinched, but Appoline was too distracted by refilling her glass to notice it.
"What are you doing here," Fleur whispered panickedly, looking uncomfortable.
This time, Appoline noticed Fleur's reaction, but from her sigh, obviously, she mistook it for a reaction against her. "Are you still talking about that? You should have written to tell me you were returning early from school. I would have chosen a more suitable location," Appoline said dismissively, not broken up by the fact. "I told you before, my sweet daughter. Men are all the same, and the sooner you accept that and abandon your ridiculous streak of independence, the easier you will live," she said, looking outside the window, using Fleur's silence to give a monologue about her life perspective.
unaware Fleur was silent because of my hands caressing her body by leveraging my invisibility to the limit. "Luxuries like this wine will become a daily experience rather than a rare treat. And as a bonus, you'll get away from this horrible weather," Appoline commented.
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Random Author's Question.
Choice A Power, This Power Was Overpowered:
1) Metapotence
2) Omniarch
3) Autopotence
4) Omnilock
I will judge what you guys will choose.
