Ch. 76 The Two Witches (56)
by Afuhfuihgs
Witch – Chapter 76 – The Two Witches (56)
“I didn’t just eat it. I put it to sleep.”
“Put it to sleep…? Explain it so I can understand.”
Beryl stopped crying and widened her eyes in surprise at my words.
Realizing that saying “I put it to sleep” wasn’t enough, I quickly continued, seeing Beryl’s tears well up again as if demanding a proper explanation.
“My Ulti… well, Beryl, like your Demon Eye, I can perform miracles. As you know, I can enter someone’s subconscious and, though not omnipotent, I can exert certain powers. Like putting curses to sleep…”
I didn’t mention that I could manipulate memories, emotions, or the mind, fearing Beryl might doubt the sincerity of her own love.
While it’s true that I was the one that made Beryl and Nicks share memories, meddling with their emotions and memories beyond that would go against my principles… Those feelings belong solely to Beryl, so it’s better not to say anything that might cause misunderstandings.
“Isn’t that too reckless? What if you had failed…?”
“I’ve put my own curse to sleep before. So I thought I could do the same with yours, and thankfully, it worked.”
I made it sound simple, but honestly, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. Transferring another witch’s curse into my own subconscious… Even I think it’s absurd.
Fortunately, with physical contact, which allows me to reach the peak of Ulti’s power, and the emotions that fueled the curse’s rampage subsiding, it was relatively easy to put it to sleep… But putting a rampaging curse to sleep was uncharted territory for me.
“Then you could’ve just left it in my subconscious. Why did you take my curse upon yourself…?”
“Because… I don’t know when the curse might wake up again. If it’s in my subconscious, I can put it back to sleep immediately… But I can’t keep entering your subconscious, can I?”
My own curse has been asleep since the day I became a witch, with no signs of rampage, but Beryl’s curse had already gone berserk once, so I had to monitor it.
It’s more efficient to manage it in my own subconscious.
“Give the curse back.”
“No. If I wake the sleeping curse, both of us could be consumed by it.”
Moreover, I couldn’t shake the thought that I might be the reason Beryl’s curse went berserk.
If she hadn’t met me… she would still be in the forest where she originally resides, flashing her Demon Eye and never giving the curse a chance to rampage.
If I had known this would happen, I would’ve put it to sleep sooner… I never imagined she’d put me to sleep and run off to Nicks.
“What if you’re in danger? If it becomes uncontrollable, even for you…!”
“Then, like I helped you, you’ll help me.”
I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,
but if it does, I know Beryl has the power to stop me if I’m consumed by the curse.
“Estelle, I’ll definitely help you.”
Beryl showed her resolve, letting the remaining tears fall.
Beryl might even find a way to destroy the curse that I don’t know about.
Her determination made me feel reassured, and I couldn’t help but smile.
Beryl’s tears were a reflection of her concern for me as a friend.
Though different from pure love, the warmth that tickled my heart felt unfamiliar yet pleasant.
“By the way… what’s with your eye?”
Uncomfortable with the emotional atmosphere, I scratched my cheek and changed the subject.
I had wanted to ask about Beryl’s one-eyed appearance since I first saw it, but it didn’t seem like the right topic given the mood, so I brought it up belatedly.
“I wanted… to see.”
“You wanted to see? But you can see with your senses.”
Beryl could sense the world through her senses, so I didn’t quite understand. Seeing through her senses would give her a wider perspective than using her eyes.
Beryl fidgeted shyly and smiled.
“Sensing is good, but I wanted to see Nicks with my own eyes. His smile directed at me. His gentle gaze. His careful gestures. I wanted to see the world Nicks sees through the same eyes. So I asked the other me for permission and opened one eye.”
I thought she’d say it was the result of both Beryls trying to claim Nicks at the same time…
But her unexpected answer felt like a punch to the back of my head.
The green Demon Eye in her socket might look grotesque and demonic to others, but the love shining in her gaze was tender and beautiful.
Sometimes intense, sometimes gentle. Beyond my reflection in her eyes, I could see the faint image of Nicks.
A woman in love.
Beryl’s appearance was so full of burning love that it made me feel as if I, too, had fallen in love.
This… is love.
The nonsensical love stories I had told Beryl paled in comparison to this real, genuine love.
“I was worried Nicks might be scared of my eye… But he didn’t look away. He kept gazing at me. He said I was lovely no matter what and even kissed my eye.”
‘You’ll experience beautiful love someday too.’
I remembered the time when Beryl and I fought and then became friends, and I preached to her about love. Back then, she made a face like she was chewing dirt, saying it was nonsense… But now, she had fallen into a love more beautiful and happy than anything I had described, becoming a completely different person.
“Thank you, Estelle. It’s all thanks to you. If you hadn’t helped me… I would’ve lived my whole life without knowing this happiness.”
“Hehe. When you’re caught by the Witch of Love, this much is nothing…!”
“Hehe. That’s right. Thank you. Witch of Love.”
The brighter Beryl shone, the more something empty in my heart seemed to fill.
Pure love.
This is what I wanted to see.
Just watching from the side made me feel the euphoria of happiness, the pure love that heralds a happy ending.
“Tomorrow’s the ball, right? You haven’t prepared a dress yet, have you? I’ll make one for you.”
The final destination of the plan is dancing at the ball. As the Witch of Love, I have to see it through to the end.
Since I’ve made all of Josie’s clothes by hand, I can whip up a dress in a day if I have the materials. If I ask Derrick, I can get fabrics from the Laplace family’s collection.
I wanted to make a dress that would suit her even more than a white dress.
“No, it’s fine. I’ll just stay home. Even without the ball… my love has already come true. No, it’s just beginning.”
“Beryl, you…”
A hundred points. A hundred points…
Beryl’s pure love energy was off the charts, making my lower abdomen tingle.
Should I just move to Venetia?
Thinking that I wouldn’t be able to see Beryl and Nicks’s love if I went home made me feel regretful.
But if I keep poking around, I might interfere with their love… That’s unacceptable, so I quickly gave up the idea.
“What do you think about Josie and Leo?”
“What do you mean…?”
“Don’t they look good together?”
While I was basking in the warmth of Beryl’s pure love, her sudden question snapped me back to cold reality.
Josie and Leo look like a perfect pair, a handsome man and a beautiful woman… But considering Leo’s circumstances and what he tried to do to Josie, I can’t see him in a positive light.
Josie’s desire to be with Leo despite everything is also something I can’t understand… I respect Josie, but I’ve been turning a blind eye.
As Josie’s mother, Leo is completely disqualified as a suitor. What does she see in him…!
My thoughts must have shown on my face, as Beryl made a bitter expression. Then she clasped her hands and looked me in the eye.
“Why don’t you trust Josie?”
“I trust Josie more than anyone. And I know her better than anyone in this world.”
This was a kind of warning to Beryl. I didn’t want her meddling in Josie’s affairs anymore. Josie’s mother is me, not Beryl.
Even if Beryl is my friend, there are lines that shouldn’t be crossed… and that line is Josie.
“You’re right. You probably know Josie better than I do. You’re her mother.”
“…….”
“You’ve been by Josie’s side all along, so you must know better than me, who’s only known her for a few days, that Josie has feelings for Leo.”
I tried to suppress my irritation and listened to Beryl’s words. It might be more accurate to say I made an effort to listen.
Beryl, you don’t understand because you’re not a mother.
A mother’s heart, wishing only for her daughter’s happiness.
I can’t forgive any flaws in that.
“Do you remember what you told me? You said the heart of the person you love is the most important thing. To trust your feelings and act as they guide you.”
“…….”
“Josie seems to be doing well, following the guidance of the Witch of Love… What do you think, our Witch of Love?”
The words I had said to Beryl in Venetia came back to me.
For some reason, Beryl’s words made me feel like I was standing in the way of that happiness, and it was unfair.
“I just… don’t want Josie to get hurt.”
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting Josie not to get hurt. Any parent in the world would feel the same.
Even if it means causing Josie a small emotional wound, I don’t want to see her collapse in pain from a major injury.
“What if she gets hurt and decides she’ll never love again?”
Like you, before the curse consumed you.
Even though Beryl and Nicks ended up together… there’s no guarantee Josie will have the same outcome.
“Why don’t you trust Josie’s choice? Josie is my friend, Estelle’s daughter, right?”
When it comes to Josie, my worry outweighs my trust, while Beryl’s trust outweighs her worry. That difference made me feel small at the end of our perspectives.
“Josie will surely overcome any hurt. After all… her mother, the Witch of Love, will be by her side.”
I know. Love isn’t always happy. But at least it can hurt less. That’s why I’ve been so wary of Leo, who’s already hurt her once…
Come to think of it, Josie has never blamed Leo for what happened. Instead, she’s been protecting and caring for him.
I don’t understand it, but I’ve left it alone because that’s what Josie wants.
I’ve had countless opportunities to kill Leo… but Josie wants him to live.
“…Alright.”
I know. I’ve set particularly strict standards when it comes to Josie’s love….
But I’m her mother. I just want Josie to be happy.
“I’ll think about it.”
I wanted to end this uncomfortable conversation as quickly as possible.
Lucent
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