Chapter 6
Chapter 6
“The lord was being stingy, so we had no choice. Originally, my father said the Black Forest was a very dangerous place and absolutely wouldn’t let me go in.”
“I see. Is that so….”
When the talk of the lord came up, a shadow fell over Candice’s face that had been laughing brightly until just moments ago. When Luke asked why, she shook her head and got up from her spot. Even though the inside of the pumpkin hadn’t all been scooped out yet, she said the work was done.
“It’s late. Go to sleep now.”
Luke didn’t want to sleep yet. There were many things he was curious about her, and many things he wanted to talk about. When he said he wanted to talk a bit more, she didn’t readily grant him permission this time.
“We’re going down to the village early in the morning. So wouldn’t it be better to sleep quickly?”
She lay down on the bed first so that Luke couldn’t say anything more.
Unable to rebel any further, Luke had no choice but to lie on the sofa and cover himself with the blanket. I can’t sleep. He thought so, but as he listened to the crackling sound of the firewood, his eyes gradually closed and he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Candice took Luke and left the forest as promised. She knew the maze-like forest inside and out and didn’t wander even once.
“Here, you can go back home by yourself now that you’ve come this far, right?”
When they reached a place where the village entrance was visible, Candice let go of the hand she had been holding the whole time and stopped. Sensing the parting, Luke came up with a trick out of his desire to be with her a little longer.
“Let’s go to my house together, noona. If I tell my dad that noona took really good care of me, he’ll do something for you.”
“No. It’s fine.”
Even though he tried his trick, the witch only tried to head back quickly before being spotted by people. She kept pulling her hood down deep even though her pointy ears wouldn’t show because of it.
“I ate up noona’s house, didn’t I! I’ll give you the money for those sweets at least! My dad’s sweets are a bit tasteless, but I’ll give you those at least!”
Luke grabbed hold of Candice, who was trying to leave quickly without even a proper goodbye. At his expression that looked almost like he was about to cry, Candice, who had been stiff with tension, burst out laughing.
“Do you even know how expensive those sweets are to be saying that? Money or whatever, it’s fine.”
“It’s true that our house doesn’t have a lot of money… but we have rabbit meat! I can’t make sweets, but the rabbit stew isn’t bad.”
He even brought up rabbit meat because he didn’t want to part. But still, Candice didn’t say yes. She just kept wearing a troubled expression.
He wanted to throw a tantrum, but there was no other way. Luke realized this and bit down on his lips.
To soothe the child who was pouting as if sulking, Candice set a condition like this.
“If you really want to do something for me, come when you become an adult. I might need your help then.”
“I can only meet noona again when I become an adult?”
“Do you want to eat sweets that badly?”
Candice laughed, saying he was impossible. Luke grew angry at her attitude. It was very unfair that she treated him like a little kid throwing a fit because he wanted sweets.
“I want to meet noona. The sweets are good too, but.”
Candice’s eyes went wide in surprise before she beamed brightly. Luke glared at her with his lips still poked out. He was this upset, but it upset him more that Candice kept laughing.
Maybe his grandfather’s words about her being a bad witch were true. He hated her even more because her face was vexingly pretty to the point where it was hard to find fault.
“But no. And don’t tell anyone else that you met me in the forest either. That will have a bad effect on you.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re a good kid, but I’m a wicked witch.”
“Let’s say noona calling herself a wicked witch is one thing, but why do you keep treating me like a child? I’m not a baby!”
“Are you mad because I treated you like a child? I’m sorry.”
She said she was sorry, but her smiling face didn’t seem remorseful at all. She truly patted his back as she hugged him like soothing a child.
Luke felt frustrated and angry. So he took advantage of her letting her guard down and pressed a lip stamp firmly onto her cheek.
“Luke!”
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