Ch. 20 The Witch and The Prince (9)
by Afuhfuihgs
Chapter 20 – The Witch and The Prince (9)
Josie took a deep breath to calm herself and watched her mother’s retreating figure for a moment before letting out a sigh.
She wondered if something had happened while she was away. Her mother had asked her to fetch water for Leo, who could wake up at any moment. It was a strange request that didn’t make much sense.
She had run back as fast as she could, but the half-empty cup of water made her feel like she could hear her mother’s teasing laughter. If she had used magic to fly, she could have brought the water without spilling it and returned even faster. But since she had to avoid using magic for a while to recover, she had no choice.
Josie placed the cup on the shelf and observed Leo, who showed no signs of waking up.
His neatly combed golden hair, sharp eyebrows, well-defined nose, and chiseled jawline—if she had to choose between handsome or not, she would say he was handsome.
She hadn’t paid this much attention to Leo’s features before, so it felt a little strange.
Usually, Leo acted more like a rebellious younger brother than a prince.
But seeing him sleep so peacefully… it reminded her of the princes from fairy tales, and it made her heart flutter.
“Leo, if you wake up now, I’ll let you skip cleaning the bathroom.”
She poked his cheek with her finger and even offered to exempt him from his least favorite chore, but he didn’t budge.
She thought about shaking him awake, but she wasn’t sure what to say if he actually woke up.
‘Did you sleep well? How are you feeling? That’s too formal, isn’t it? What if I’m too direct and he refuses to talk?’
She felt silly for worrying so much about how to start a conversation, especially after spending a week in bed due to mana exhaustion.
Why was she overthinking this?
She didn’t want to use the extreme methods her mother suggested. Her mother was kind and wonderful, but she was also indifferent to anyone outside their family. It was moments like these that reminded Josie her mother was a witch.
Threatening or attacking others… it wouldn’t be much different from what the people who killed her parents had done. It was also a line she, as a human, didn’t want to cross at all cost.
That was why she had desperately tried to stop Leo’s curse.
“C’mon Josie, pull yourself together.”
She patted her cheeks a few times and got up, opening the window to clear her mind.
A blue butterfly flew in through the fresh morning air and warm sunlight, landing gently on Josie’s head. Since the flowers growing around her often attracted butterflies, she greeted it like an old friend.
“Hello, did you sleep well?”
“Yes, I slept well. I think I slept too much, though. My body feels stiff.”
Wait, did the butterfly just talk?
And its voice sounded exactly like Leo’s.
For a moment, her mind couldn’t keep up.
“Leo?”
“Yes… Josie.”
Thinking she might be hearing things, she called his name again, and once more, Leo’s voice came through. It wasn’t like Leo’s soul had possessed the butterfly… Was her mother playing a prank? She tried sensing the butterfly’s mana, but there was no trace of her mother’s crimson mana.
Then that meant…
She slowly turned around and saw Leo sitting up, looking at her.
Leo’s eyes looked tired, like he hadn’t slept well.
‘Did I make too much noise? Or maybe his body hasn’t fully recovered yet.’
Her worry for him overshadowed the words she had prepared.
“Are you okay? If you’re tired, you can rest more…”
“Why are you worried about me?”
“Huh?”
Josie’s concern was genuine, but Leo couldn’t accept it.
Josie’s misfortune had started because of him. Even though she had saved him from the orcs, he had tried to harm her. He thought it would be better to just end it all… to escape the guilt. When his heart had almost burst, he thought dying wouldn’t be so bad.
The witch who had barged into his mind, digging up his past and spouting nonsense, and Josie, who was always kind and never seemed to get angry—he couldn’t face them.
He wished Josie would just get angry.
He didn’t want to be worried about, he didn’t deserve it.
“I… tried to kill you.”
“I know.”
How could she know and still…?
“You knew, and you still saved me? I tried to break your neck! If it weren’t for your mother, you wouldn’t be here right now! Even now, if I wanted to…”
“I know that too.”
Josie understood the meaning behind his desperate cries.
She had been thinking about it for the past week.
“I’ve thought about it too. About your actions… and what they meant… But even if I could go back, my decision wouldn’t change.”
Josie’s resolve didn’t waver.
If anything, it grew stronger, and she didn’t hesitate to stand in front of Leo.
Her kindness only deepened Leo’s guilt and self-loathing.
He had no choice but to tell her the truth.
Would she still feel the same after knowing the truth?
“You asked me if I was connected to the Heresy Inquisitors, didn’t you? I’ll tell you the truth. I was the one who delivered the letter to them. I’m the one who killed your parents.”
The truth Josie had wanted to hear poured out of Leo’s mouth without restraint.
“That’s not all. The reason I left the kingdom was to join the Heresy Inquisitors and punish heretics! Do you know what that means? The disgusting heretics—I wanted to eliminate all of you!”
“…….”
“Are you satisfied now, Josie? This is the truth you wanted. Your enemy is right in front of you. You don’t need to save me anymore. Do whatever you want.”
His desperate cries filled the room. In the silence that followed, Leo struggled to catch his breath. He was sweating and trembling, but he had said everything.
Leo closed his eyes and waited for death.
“…….”
Even after learning the truth, Josie didn’t feel relieved.
Did Leo really want to die? Josie couldn’t understand him.
She had wondered what she would do if Leo was connected to her parents’ death.
Would her parents want revenge?
Would revenge ease her grief and longing for them?
Would her mother want her to kill someone?
What did she want to do?
Anger surged through her. It was rage, pure and simple. Tears welled up in her eyes. She knew she had to release this anger, to resolve it properly.
Her actions were swift.
Without a word, Josie walked up to Leo and—
Slap—
“…!”
Leo’s head snapped to the side.
By the time he realized what was happening,
“This is for my parents.”
Slap—
This time, the other way.
“This is for trying to hurt me.”
Slap—
“And this is for your big mouth, talking about killing my mother!”
“And finally…!!!”
“……!”
She stopped herself before the last slap landed.
Instead, she hugged Leo tightly, not letting him escape.
“What are you…”
Leo opened his eyes, not to pain but to warmth.
He couldn’t understand why he was being held in Josie’s arms, her tears falling on him.
“Leo, you died today. From this point on, you’re not a prince or anything else anymore. Understand?”
“Stop joking! This isn’t death or anything! Just kill me already. I have no reason or courage to live anymore…!”
How far did she plan to humiliate him?
To Leo, who had nowhere to go and no hope, life itself was a curse.
“You said to do as I please. I’ll do as you wish. This is your curse.”
But it was a curse in name only.
Josie had never learned how to cast curses.
If Leo had no reason to live… even if it was just a meaningless curse, she hoped it would give him the motivation to keep going.
Josie held Leo tighter, not letting him escape, and gently stroked his head.
She thought of her mother, who had always been the one comforting her. If her mother were here instead of her, what would she say?
“I’m the witch’s daughter, so I don’t like granting requests.”
She would probably laugh in her witch-like way and tease him.
“Your life is mine now. You died and came back to life as a new person. So don’t talk about dying so casually.”
“Is that also a curse?”
Thinking of it as a curse made him feel a little better.
He thought he had nowhere to run, but…
Josie had given him a final place of refuge.
“Yes, it’s a curse. How does it feel? Scary isn’t it?”
It was so terrifying that he couldn’t hold back his hot tears.
Lucent
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