Witch – Chapter 35 – The Two Witches (16)

Ｒｅａｄ​ ｏ​ｎ ＫａｔＲｅ​ａｄｉｎｇＣａｆｅ

Josie woke up the next morning.

Thinking she might be hungry, I brought her a light meal from the maid, only to find her dressed and ready to go out.

She seemed in a hurry, not even checking her outfit properly before our eyes met.

“Josie, you’re awake?”

“Mom, I…”

Her flustered expression reminded me of how she looked at Leo yesterday, which made me uneasy.

She must be planning to apologize.

For being stubborn, for causing the mana overload, for almost being eaten by Death Worms…

I didn’t want to hear it, so I changed the subject.

“Your clothes are a mess.”

Starting with the shirt buttoned wrong, the crooked ribbon, and the robe draped over one shoulder, I fixed her outfit.

I straightened her skirt, which was hanging off one hip, and even her shoes, which were on the wrong feet.

After a quick glance at Josie’s disheveled appearance, I adjusted her clothes.

Not a single piece was worn properly.

“There, much better. You look so much prettier now, don’t you?”

I patted her head, and she didn’t resist, so she must not have minded.

“Aren’t you going to scold me?”

“Why? Do you want me to scold you?”

“I did enough wrong to deserve it.”

From insisting on starting immediately instead of waiting three days, to the mana overload, to almost being eaten by Death Worms… there were plenty of reasons to scold her.

A good scolding might make her think twice next time.

But seeing her looking so dejected, like a scared puppy, made it hard to get angry.

“What did you do wrong?”

“I was stubborn without checking my condition… I got distracted while handling mana, and I caused you worry.”

Josie avoided my gaze, fumbling with her words before continuing.

“Actually… I couldn’t sleep at all. When I saw Leo and Emily in his room, my heart just sank. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, even though it had nothing to do with me. I couldn’t stop crying.”

Her slumped shoulders, wilted flowers, and the dark circles under her eyes—I couldn’t ignore how much she had been suffering.

For someone who thought of Leo as just a disobedient younger brother, she seemed more like a girl who had just failed at her first love.

I wondered if she might suddenly cut her hair like in some melodrama.

Should I postpone the plan?

But there was no room for me to meddle in their relationship.

“And this morning, I went to Leo’s room to talk to him. But I ran into Emily again. And… she said she likes Leo. Isn’t that weird? Leo’s just a disobedient younger brother to me. Why was I so angry? You know what’s funny? Part of me thought Leo and Emily looked good together. Compared to me, covered in scars and plants…!”

“Stop. That’s enough.”

I hugged her tightly to stop her from saying more.

Her tears soaked my clothes, but I didn’t care, holding her even tighter.

What I wanted was reflection, not self-blame.

Comparing herself to others and blaming herself was even worse.

I had noticed her feelings for Leo from how she acted around him and how she never pushed him away despite some unpleasant incidents.

But I could no longer ignore the fact she had been denying.

Josie had feelings for Leo.

Even if she couldn’t understand them yet.

Though I had lived longer as a woman than as a man, I had never been in love in either life, so I had no advice to give.

What is love?

In a way, I envied Josie’s worries and pain.

If there was one thing I could do for her, it was this.

“How about a kiss?”

“Huh…?”

Josie, who had been crying into my chest, looked up at me.

Her tear-streaked face, mixed with confusion, looked comical.

I held her face firmly so she couldn’t escape.

“W-What if someone sees!?”

“Mom only sees her daughter, so I don’t know who else is here.”

It’s not like kissing your own daughter is embarrassing, but Josie’s horrified reaction was priceless.

“Eeeek…!”

The maid, who had come in to clean, quickly closed the door and left.

Ignoring Josie’s protests, I kept kissing her all over her face.

Starting with her forehead, then her eyes, cheeks, nose, ears, and finally her lips, I gave her a thorough kiss before letting her go.

I crouched down to her level as she sat there, hugging her knees, and smiled brightly.

Her tears stopped, and her face turned red—my kisses had done their job.

“There, much better. Mom doesn’t fully understand why you’re like this, but one thing’s for sure. You’re amazing, lovable, and beautiful.”

So I hoped she wouldn’t call herself ugly or unattractive.

Whether she had scars or plants hanging from her, she was lovable and beautiful just as she was.

“Next time you upset me, I’ll kiss you even more. Nothing’s more embarrassing for a 15-year-old girl than her mom’s affection, right?”

“Ughhh….”

I helped her up, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes.

Her smiling face was much better than her crying one.

“Feeling better now?”

I fixed her disheveled clothes after hugging her so tightly.

“I’ve been fine since I woke up. I could solve the farmland problem right now.”

She couldn’t even dress properly, yet she talked big.

After throwing a tantrum, she acted tough, as if she didn’t want to be babied anymore. It was adorable.

“No way. You haven’t even eaten properly. Do you know how long you’ve been starving?”

“I’m on a diet….”

Grrrowl.

Her stomach growled right on cue, ruining her argument.

She was already underweight, and here she was talking about dieting.

“Josie, when women lose weight, this is the first place it comes from, you know?”

“I’m suddenly hungry.”

When I pointed to my chest, she finally seemed eager to eat.

“Then how about trying a new dish today?”

“A new dish?”

Since the food I prepared had gone cold, I decided to go out.

I could have ordered more food, but a change of scenery was needed.

“We haven’t explored Venetia yet, have we? Let’s have a date, just the two of us.”

I took Josie’s hand and left the estate.

I mouthed a message to Leo, who was loitering near the room.

‘If you follow us, you’re dead.’

“What about the farmland!?”

She seemed uneasy about leaving unfinished business, but there was no way I’d let that stop our outing.

“It’s fine. Spending time with Josie is more important than the farmland. If anyone complains, I’ll just destroy them~”

I said it jokingly, but I meant every word.

Not that anyone would dare complain.

Josie, knowing she couldn’t change my mind, followed without protest.

Venetia, known as the city of water, was filled with canals, and a large market was at its center.

Discreetly wearing a robe and hat, we entered the bustling market.

The smell of fresh bread filled the air, and merchants selling fish and fruits loudly promoted their goods.

It had been a while since we’d been in such a crowded place. Though noisy, the vibrant cityscape was a big stimulus for Josie, who kept looking around with shining eyes.

“Wow… there are so many people. They sell so much food, and they must sell chickens and cows too, right?”

“Why livestock?”

“Leo’s been complaining about the food. If we could get some new ingredients, we could have more variety. Maybe he’d complain less.”

Even here, she’s thinking about Leo.

“How about buying livestock before we head home? Buying them now would just be a burden. And do you think you can raise them well?”

I’ve never stored living things in my inventory, so it’s a bit tricky.

She seemed to have Leo’s complaints in mind, planning a more varied diet even though I don’t eat much meat.

“Couldn’t I learn from books?”

I could already picture Josie pouting at a cow that wouldn’t give milk.

“Let’s eat first. What do you want?”

“Hmm… anything’s fine!”

The hardest answer to work with.

But I wasn’t about to back down.

We entered the largest, most luxurious restaurant.

It was relatively quiet, as few customers dined out so early.

“Are you ready to order?”

“Bring us everything, from start to finish.”

“M-Mom!? We can’t eat all that!?”

As the waiter waited, I voiced a long-held fantasy.

You shouldn’t have said anything’s fine.

“The rest is your tip. And bring the food in small portions. We can’t eat it all.”

“R-Right away, ma’am.”

I tossed a pouch of gold coins to the skeptical waiter and smiled as he hurried to the kitchen.

“That’s wasteful…!”

“But you said anything’s fine! If anything’s fine, we’ll order everything~!”

I teased Josie, who looked horrified, but she soon gave up and started tasting the dishes as they came out.

Even though I don’t eat much meat, the sweet aroma was tempting.

I cut the well-cooked meat into bite-sized pieces, and she happily ate, looking like a little bird.

“Mom, try some too.”

“Hmm. Just watching you eat makes me full.”

Most of the dishes were meat-based, so I satisfied myself with the occasional salad.

She offered me bites, but there was no way we could finish everything. By the time Josie was full, we got up.

“I can’t eat anymore….”

“Next time, tell me what you want to eat. Otherwise, I’ll order everything again.”

Saying you’ll eat anything is scary to hear.

We wandered the market, looked at livestock, and walked along the canals, losing track of time.

Before we knew it, the evening sun was setting.

We hadn’t done much, but time flew by, and it was time to go home.

I hadn’t realized time could pass so quickly.

Especially when spending time with Josie, I couldn’t feel its passage.

“Josie, shall we head back?”

“Wow…”

Josie’s eyes sparkled as she looked at an accessory shop.

Among the somewhat crude items, a blue butterfly hairpin caught my eye.

“This would suit you.”

I pinned back the hair covering Josie’s left eye, revealing her beautiful eye, which shyly met mine.

My taste was spot on.

I wish we could do this more often.

“Does it look okay…?”

“Yes. It looks great on you.”

Her shy expression, combined with her face flushed from the sunset, was adorable.

There was no reason not to buy it, so I paid immediately.

I even infused the hairpin with magic, causing one wing to glow pink.

The pink was a bit flashy, but Josie seemed satisfied, touching the hairpin repeatedly.

“Shall we go back?”

“Yes!”

Holding hands, we walked back to the estate under the sunset, Josie humming a tune.