Chapter 42
“It hurts, Witch.”
There it was again, ‘witch’.
Kalynia pressed even harder this time.
“Alright. I’m sorry, Kalynia.”
This time, perhaps it really did hurt, as Vylon held her head with his hand, stopping her.
“Don’t underestimate a witch.”
Kalynia scoffed, leaning back against his chest and finding a comfortable position. Even though she had brushed her teeth, there was a lingering sweetness in her mouth, like sucking on a candy, and she found it strangely pleasant.
It really felt like they were a couple in love. One of those sweet, almost nauseating ones…
Kalynia wondered if it was okay to be this carefree. She had planned to make Vylon trust her completely and escape once he let his guard down.
There were many reasons for her to be uneasy, but it seemed she’d succeeded in making him lower his defenses.
‘The mirror is in the treasury.’
The man who’d never told her its location had recently started answering her questions willingly. He must trust her wholeheartedly now.
He’d even told her that the magic shoes were also in there, so now all that remained was to steal from the treasury and escape. She could even do it tonight if she wanted to.
Yet, she hadn’t been able to go through with it because she couldn’t bring herself to betray Vylon and leave.
“You might end up crying your eyes out if you underestimate me.”
Vylon, betrayed by her and crying.
It was hard to imagine him crying, but surely he would feel sad, wouldn’t he?
“Vylon, if I ever leave you, would you be sad?”
“I would.”
See?
The thought of making him sad bothered her. It was quite a dilemma. This was why she couldn’t bring herself to steal the mirror and the shoes and escape.
“If you leave, I really might cry my eyes out.”
So, please don’t leave.
Vylon whispered as he rubbed his nose against her head.
“You’re not going to let me go until I give you an heir, anyway.”
“Exactly.”
“Then, I’ll stay until then.”
It was a promise.
Kalynia resolved to stay true to that promise until that time came.
Oh, but of course, she was still taking her daily contraceptive potion, so there was no way she’d actually get pregnant.
* * *
Catherine felt at a loss in the Snow Kingdom. How on earth was she supposed to find Kalynia in this vast kingdom? In fact, there was no guarantee Kalynia was even in this country.
“They always leave the annoying tasks to me.”
Catherine clicked her tongue. She couldn’t just storm the castle and demand to know what had happened to Kalynia.
Hovering in the sky as she pondered, Catherine decided to land in an empty area first. Returning to her human form, she cautiously stepped onto the street.
The atmosphere on the streets was ordinary. People were busy going about their business, and there was no suspicious crowd gathered to watch a witch’s execution.
As she glanced around the square, Catherine’s eyes fell on someone.
It was a carpenter, repairing a high platform.
“Has there been a witch executed in this country recently?”
“A witch?”
The carpenter, who had been cutting wood, glanced at her and stood up. He folded his thick arms and looked her up and down.
“You’re not from around here. Are you a traveler?”
“Something like that.”
“Why would a traveler ask about that?”
“Oh, well, you see… there’s a rumor that a witch who escaped execution in our village came here.”
“What was the witch’s name?”
“Kalynia. Have you heard of her?”
Catherine feigned hatred for the witch. She added that it had been a regret that they hadn’t managed to kill that wicked witch, and that they’d get her for sure. Usually, that’s all it took for people to drop their guard and share any rumors they’d heard about witches.
“Did you say Kalynia? You’re outrageous!”
There were those who denied knowing anything, hiding what they knew. But she had never encountered someone who, like this carpenter, refused to even speak her name.
“She saved my mother’s life!”
“Saved her? Kalynia did?”
“Yes! My mother was ready to give up on life, but now she’s as lively as ever! She’s healthier than a mule!”
The carpenter erupted in anger at Catherine for calling the benefactor who saved his mother an evil witch.
Catherine was baffled. When she had mentioned killing a witch, humans would usually nod in agreement, right? Why was he angry?
“What’s going on here?”
“This woman dared to call our family’s savior evil!”
The carpenter pointed a finger at Catherine and shouted to the gathering crowd.
Humans who defended a witch, and a witch insulting another witch—it was a strange situation. The commotion attracted more onlookers, who approached to see what was happening.
Seeing people gather around her, Catherine’s heart dropped. She was reminded of the time she had been chased by villagers with torches, and a chill ran down her spine.
She had to escape. Just as she was about to glance up and fly away—
“Ah! That maid!”
Missus Loving recognized Catherine’s face and shouted. The people asked her if she knew who this was.
“She’s the one who stayed at our inn with the Queen!”
“You’re the innkeeper… Wait, the Queen?!”
Hearing the unexpected word, Catherine’s voice broke slightly.
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