Ch. 16 The Witch and The Prince (5)
by Afuhfuihgs
Chapter 16 – The Witch and The Prince (5)
Since Estelle had no intention of keeping Leo as a permanent guest, she put him to work starting the next day.
Compared to when he had been captured by orcs, his condition had improved drastically, so Josie didn’t have to worry about him.
Josie’s potions had strengthened his body to the point where it rivaled that of a seasoned warrior. However, it seemed he still needed time to adjust to his new strength, as he often stumbled or struggled to control his power.
Chopping firewood, pulling weeds, household chores, dishwashing, cleaning, tending the garden—Estelle handed over all the tasks she usually handled with magic or left to Josie.
Though the barriers around the house meant he couldn’t escape, she couldn’t let him slack off, so she kept a close eye on him.
“If you grip the crops that hard, you’ll crush them. Is this really that difficult?”
She tossed a neatly pulled carrot into the pile of crushed crops Leo had ruined.
No matter how much he complained about getting dirty from farm work, Estelle had no intention of cutting him any slack.
She didn’t care about his past or how he ended up here, but the thought of him lounging around all day and making Josie’s life harder annoyed her.
“Why do I have to do all this…?”
“Isn’t there a saying in your kingdom? ‘He who does not work, neither shall he eat.’”
Quoting the Holy Kingdom’s doctrine, which bore similarities to the religions of her past life, she silenced Leo’s complaints.
Who would’ve thought he’d hear such teachings from a witch?
“It’s just that I’m not used to this kind of work.”
She hadn’t expected him to be good at it in the first place.
A prince wouldn’t have any experience with manual labor.
“I will let Josie help you until you get the hang of it, so be grateful.”
She waved at Josie, who was happily and carefully pulling up carrots, though not as quickly as Leo.
Why go through the trouble of getting her hands dirty when she could just use magic?
It seemed Josie wanted to do the same work as Leo without relying on magic, hoping it would give them more to talk about and make it easier to ask questions.
“You need to control your strength better…”
It was fine that Josie was teaching Leo, but it didn’t seem like her goal would be achieved anytime soon.
‘Was my presence making him cautious?’ Estelle thought.
Some topics are harder to broach when an adult is around.
When Estelle had gone to reinforce the wards, they seemed to have had a deeper conversation, though Josie hadn’t mentioned it.
“Come inside to wash up when it’s lunchtime.”
Pretending to head inside, Estelle hid in a spot where she could focus her mana on her ears and eavesdrop on their conversation.
She was curious about what Josie would say when she wasn’t around.
“Do you eat all this by yourself?”
“I can’t eat it all alone. I cook and eat with Mom.”
“Don’t witches feed on humans?”
“Huh?”
What?
What on earth did the Holy Kingdom think witches were?
It seemed she had found out the reason the Heresy Inquisitors were so desperate to capture witches. Of course, there were a few witches who enjoyed human flesh. But judging by the lack of recent news, she didn’t know if they were still alive or not.
Come to think of it, since living with Josie, Estelle hadn’t gone outside or interacted with other witches. She hadn’t been curious enough to use the Witch’s Mirror to communicate.
Still, it might be a good idea to take Josie to Venetia soon.
“I’ve never seen Mom eat meat. To say witches feed on humans… that’s too witch-like.”
“But… isn’t that exactly what she is?”
“Anyway, Mom doesn’t eat people. Even if some witches do, there are good witches like Mom in the world.”
“Ah… I see.”
Josie, what are you saying?
A good witch? If she were good, she wouldn’t be a witch.
She could imagine the bewildered look on Leo’s face.
“Leo, do you like carrots? I love carrots the most.”
“I don’t like vegetables. I prefer meat.”
“Why don’t you try vegetables? They’re good for you and taste great. Plus, the carrots we grow ourselves are delicious!”
Their conversation was mostly filled with trivial chatter, so Estelle headed back inside.
She decided to make vegetable stew for lunch.
She’d add plenty of carrots, Josie’s favorite.
“You’ve had a tough morning, haven’t you? Go ahead and eat.”
“Enjoy your meal too, Mom.”
“…….”
While Josie happily ate the carrots floating in the stew, Leo seemed less enthusiastic, poking at it with his spoon.
“…Is there no meat?”
A prince of the Holy Kingdom complaining about the lack of meat at a witch’s table.
“Oh, meat? Sorry about that. I’m a vegetarian, so there’s no meat in the house. Should I go catch something for you? There’s a plump one nearby.”
“…No, thank you.”
Did you hear that?
What are you going to do about it? What can you even do?
Though she didn’t say it out loud, she exchanged a knowing look with Leo and smiled.
“Josie, after lunch, keep an eye on Leo while he chops firewood. If he crushes the firewood like he did the crops, we’ll be in trouble.”
“Picky eating is bad. You need to replenish your energy to chop firewood soon.”
“…Understood.”
What good is a strong body if you don’t eat?
Leo, unfamiliar with manual labor, must be hungry.
But if lunch was stew full of vegetables he disliked?
And it was made by a witch, no less.
“I’m not that hungry…”
“If you don’t eat, you’ll feel weak.”
Despite Josie’s concern, Leo only poked at his stew, refusing to eat.
When he returned from chopping firewood, dinner was more warm vegetable stew. He looked like he was about to die from misery, which only made Estelle more amused.4
Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!
Leo’s stomach growled so loudly it sounded like a dragon was living inside him.
It was so loud that if anyone else had heard it, they might’ve thought it was an air raid siren.
“Go ahead and eat. There’s no meat, but I added beans for protein.”
She had tried to balance the nutrition by adding beans, but still, he refused to eat.
Stubborn, aren’t you?
Whether he was too weak to lift the spoon or simply didn’t want to, Leo sat there, dazed, until Josie stepped in.
She carefully scooped up some stew and fed it to him.
“Mmmph!”
“No!”
Though he was startled by the sudden heat in his mouth, Josie was too angry to care.
“Leo, you’ve been working hard. You need to eat. Even if you don’t like vegetables, if you keep working without eating, you’ll collapse!”
Josie, who had skipped meals and sleep to save Leo, had collapsed herself not long ago.
“I’ll eat it on my… mmmph!”
One spoonful. Then another.
Realizing he couldn’t win against Josie’s persistence, Leo resigned himself to eating the stew.
Though he claimed to hate vegetables, he scraped the bowl clean.
Regardless of his feelings, Josie seemed satisfied.
“Um… sorry, but could I have another bowl?”
“Vegetable stew? Really? I thought you hated vegetables. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to make something else then~”
Estelle’s teasing made his face turn red, and he trembled like a leaf. It was hilarious.
“There’s no need. It was… fine…”
“Fine?”
“It… was tasty.”
After working all day without eating, even food he disliked would taste good.
Perhaps the prince had discovered that hunger is the best seasoning.
“Just a moment. I’ll bring you more.”
While Josie went to get more stew, Estelle and Leo were left alone.
His wary expression amused her.
“Honestly, I’m surprised. I thought you’d try to run away.”
The labor was one thing.
If she were in his shoes—rescued by a witch in the Holy Kingdom’s turf, forced to do manual labor, and then made to eat food she hated—she would’ve planned an escape too.
“Can I even escape?”
“Why don’t you try and see?”
The Holy Eye could pierce the essence of a soul and distinguish good from evil, but it also granted special abilities depending on the user.
In the original series, it could even shoot lasers or store holy power.
Who knows? Maybe Leo’s Holy Eye could summon a holy sword to break through the barrier and escape.
“No, thank you. I still want to live.”
“Do you have somewhere to go?”
As the prince of the Holy Kingdom, which had grown powerful enough to intimidate other nations, it was strange that no one had come looking for him, dead or alive. Adventurers or mercenaries should’ve been scouring the area by now.
He had mentioned going after orcs.
The idea of a prince with the Holy Eye fainting at the sight of a witch was laughable.
If he had been resisting until the very end, so be it.
But he shouldn’t have been begging for his life like this.
Perhaps he was an imposter.
…Or he had been abandoned.
The Holy Kingdom, being a human nation, was likely full of power struggles and schemes.
“Why did you even save me?”
“I was against it, you know? If you’re so curious, ask Josie yourself.”
Whatever Leo’s past was, she would have to wait and see before delving any further.
Lucent
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