Chapter 142: Discovery – 1

The door opened, and Bishop Baristan of the Las Order and Knight Leopold entered.

Tttttttt…

Along with them, there was an odd, disturbing sound.

Although Vivian was curious about what was making the sound, she couldn’t pay much attention to it.

The thought of Kailo meeting Gisela was too distracting for her to focus on anything else.

Baristan, upon seeing Vivian’s reddened eyes, looked surprised.

“…I’ve heard the story, but I’m more worried than I thought. Are you alright?”

There wasn’t a trace of genuine concern in Baristan’s expression.

Then again, that was how everyone was.

Everyone wore a mask in front of her.

Baristan’s reason for visiting today was clear:

He must have suspected her.

Even if he couldn’t immediately figure out her witch identity, there was something about her that made him uneasy.

He couldn’t be blamed.

Though Vivian had come up with various excuses, she had never been friendly toward the Las Order.

Being a witch, she had thwarted their activities and driven them out of the territory.

She was still opposed to them re-entering.

She suspected that even if witches had swarmed Loctana, it wouldn’t be strange at all.

After all, the Order could no longer enter her lands.

“…Ha.”

Vivian let out a bitter laugh.

Now that she thought about it, there had never been a time when the safety of her territory truly mattered to her.

Hadn’t she allowed witches to infest it?

Why should she care about people who had turned their backs on her?

Vivian had never had grand ambitions or ideals.

She was selfish.

She had lost her family, and with it, her purpose and goals.

She had never truly wished for the revival of her family.

Only after Kailo entered her life did she begin to develop a desire to be with him.

That’s why her memories of him were the most precious to her.

She had deliberately ignored this obvious truth.

Forget about the womb.

Kailo was far more precious than having his child, than the future of the Rondor family, or the well-being of Loctana…

Kailo alone was infinitely more important.

He was more precious than the faces and names of thousands of strangers… more important than anyone who had extended their hand toward her.

Now, she could finally admit it to herself.

How selfish she had been.

How much of a poor ruler she was.

“Vivian?”

“…I’m fine.”

She whispered, then wiped her face to compose herself before sitting at the desk.

Tttttttt…

The disturbing sound hadn’t stopped since they entered the room.

“…What is that sound?”

Vivian finally asked.

“Oh, you’re asking about that sound.”
The bishop pulled something small and bell-like from his robe.

“This is a relic of our Las Order. It holds sacred power and helps track witches.”

Vivian’s heart skipped a beat.

Even though she was tired of the world, the dagger pointed at her throat always felt chilling.

“…A witch?”

“That’s right. A witch.”

“…You always trouble me with such things. How long will you continue this madness?”

“I regret bothering you, but this relic has been speaking to me, and I couldn’t ignore it.”

Baristan gently stroked the relic.

Tttttttt…

“…See, it says that a witch is nearby, doesn’t it?”

Vivian looked at the relic for a while, then expressed her honest thoughts.

“Does it always sound this bad? For something that says a witch is near, it’s surprisingly quiet.”

“You’re absolutely right. This relic vibrates according to the witch’s power. If a witch was nearby, it would be much louder, but… right now, it’s quite subdued.”

“…Then why are you bothering me again instead of tracking the witch with this? There’s no place for you here…”

Vivian paused, her words trailing off.

She suddenly froze, her mouth fumbling.

Why…

Why was she stuttering again?

Even though she wanted to speak, her tongue felt stiff, as if it was betraying her.

She was stuck in a loop of repeating the same words.

Her old childhood stutter was resurfacing.

“…Ah.”

When she stuttered like this, people had always disregarded her.

The psychological scars from that time resurfaced.

She felt like she had returned to being a helpless girl who couldn’t do anything.

Shame and fear surged up, and she wanted to hide in a corner.

Her eyes trembled.

Was it because death was so close?

Was it because she was afraid?

…Was it because Kailo was gone?

Was it because the one person she could rely on had disappeared?

But Baristan continued.

“I didn’t come here to ask for land. As the Duchess acknowledged last time, witch hunts are carried out in the name of His Majesty the King. I’ve come to track the witch.”

Vivian swallowed her saliva and answered.

She stuttered, trying to hide the shame she felt.

“Ah, earlier you mentioned that if there’s a witch nearby, the charm will ring loudly, right? But… I don’t think there’s any witch near me.”

Baristan sighed deeply.

“This is really strange.”

“Yes, that’s what I said, but even if we try to track it, the charm quiets down as soon as we leave Loctana. However, as soon as we enter Loctana, it starts ringing again… especially in this Rondor castle, where it’s ringing the loudest in this situation.”

“W-what are you trying to say?”

Sir Leopold, the knight, interrupted.

“There’s a witch in this castle.”

“And we need to find that witch.”

Vivian looked at Baristan and Leopold.

A bishop and a knight.

Looking at them, Vivian turned to her side.

-I’ll do it my way. You two should get lost.

It was as though she could hear a familiar male voice ringing in her ears.

If he was here, he would have definitely said that.

Since he wasn’t here, it was Vivian who had to speak.

“W-what do you mean, ‘your way’? I-I’ll handle it myself.”

“But why are you suddenly stuttering? Is there something you’re worried about…?”

Vivian’s ears turned red, but she couldn’t find the words.

Baristan’s gaze was fixed on her.

She knew that look very well.

It was the same look she had received all her life.

Suspicion, hostility.

Baristan had dressed his words up, but it was clear he was thinking of her as the witch.

“…Your Grace. We are offering to help voluntarily, but I don’t understand why you refuse. Also, as I’ve already said, this action is backed by His Majesty the King.”

-Then bring the king here and say that.

Kailo spoke again in her head, but Vivian couldn’t say it.

“Are you saying you’ll oppose His Majesty’s will? Would you accept it if we bring the royal knights?”

“The more powerful you are, Your Grace, the more cautious we must be. If you fall prey to a witch’s tricks, so many people under your rule will be affected.”

“S-So, what do you plan to do?”

Baristan smiled.

“We will take away anyone who seems suspicious. We’ll take them away one at a time, ten at a time, far from the territory. That way we can be sure.”

“If we take them far away and the charm keeps ringing, that would mean the witch is with them. But if it stops ringing… we’ll have to search again within the castle.”

A terrifying investigative method.

Vivian could feel the pressure around her throat.

Kailo, if you were here, would it feel less unsettling?

…No.

Kylo would probably have wanted someone like me to die quickly.

Once again, memories of Gisela with Kailo came to mind.

She even remembered the look on Kailo’s face when he was laughing at Gisela.

For a moment, she felt drained.

There was nothing wrong with Baristan’s claim.

Vivian no longer wanted to continue this exhausting fight.

Eventually, she wouldn’t be able to avoid it.

Fighting to avoid what she couldn’t escape would only make it more painful and futile.

It was time to stop struggling.

“…Do as you please.”

Baristan raised his eyebrows, clearly not expecting that response.

“What?”

“Do as you please. If there is a witch in this castle, we must find her.”

“…I see. Now you understand.”

Baristan signaled to Leopold.

Leopold bowed and left the room as if he had something to do.

Ti-ti-ti-ti-tick…

Baristan put the charm back into his pocket.

“In two days, we’ll take ten female servants out of the territory and bring them back. We’ll repeat this, and eventually, we’ll find the witch.”

Vivian nodded.

She could feel the inevitable death closing in on her.

How many days would it take?

Maybe in a month, her identity would be exposed.

-Vivian, even if you don’t have much time left?

Elena’s voice whispered in her head.

Vivian closed her eyes and ignored it.

***

“…But I’ve never thought about it that way…”

I quietly watched Gisela chattering away in a relaxed mood.

Her face wore a polite smile, and her demeanor remained gentle, but my only impression was this:

…It’s boring.

What am I even doing?

Everything Gisela said was boring.

What was the purpose of this conversation?

Why did she bring up a story about some noblewoman I’ve never even met?

And what was so interesting about it that she had to share it with me?

These rude thoughts filled my head.

When I think about it, this was probably the first time I had such a long conversation with any woman other than Vivian.

I did talk to the princess occasionally, but back then, we were both prisoners from the Delrum Kingdom, so there was at least something to talk about.

On the other hand, the conversation with Gisela, which was just for socializing, felt out of place with me.

Still, hiding my boredom, my mental strength was drained.

It was so difficult that I thought it would be much easier to fight with a sword.

Was this also a sign of the commoner’s blood running through me?

I never thought I would have such thoughts, but suddenly, I found myself missing Martin’s crude jokes.

-Hey, Kailo, if it were me, I would have just told her to stop with the boring talk and had some fun. Then it would have been much more interesting.

Wallace would also join in.

-You’re full of that stuff in your head, no wonder even the whores at the brothel hate you. Kailo, didn’t I tell you? You’d have to pay extra to get anything from the brothel.

-Well, I’m such a big deal that the whores can’t handle it, it’s not about attitude.

Valon would step in and stop them.

-Enough, you bastards. The maids are watching.

That ridiculous thought made me chuckle.

“…Ah.”

At that, Gisela, who had been chattering away, suddenly stiffened, flushed, and covered her face with her teacup.

“U-I’m happy you laughed.”

I took a deep breath.

Then I looked outside for a moment before standing up and saying,

“Lady Lute, let’s end it here for today. It’s getting late. Lord Lute will be worried.”

“…Ah.”

The clear disappointment in her expression was visible.

I ignored it.

Innocent, feminine, fragile, and a little weak—she wasn’t the type of person I got along with.

It felt bothersome…

No, wait.

Thinking about it, Vivian was like that at first too.

Fragile, tearful, weak…

But Vivian never gave up on her intense resentment.

I couldn’t stand seeing someone like me, who was left alone, struggling so much.

“Could we not talk a little longer? How about having dinner together…”

“I just returned to my hometown not long ago, and I prioritize family meals for now. I’ll invite you next time, so please go back as planned today.”

Gisela softly bit her lip and then made a suggestion with an exasperated sigh.

“Well, then, would it be okay if we invite you to our house next time? My father is really curious about you…”

Her intention was quite obvious.

Her scheming expression didn’t look good to me.

Still, I forced a smile.

If this was the life of nobility, I had to accept it.

“Of course.”

***

“…Sigh.”

I sighed again while sitting next to my unconscious father in his room.

Washing his body and taking care of the waste made me feel at peace.

The maids offered to do it themselves, but I rejected them all.

Perhaps my father didn’t have much time left.

Before that, as an unworthy son, I wanted to do at least a little bit of filial duty.

“You’re telling me to marry her?”

I lamented to my silent father.

“It would be so boring every day.”

I even complained about things I wouldn’t say in front of others, but I said them to my father.

“…Or maybe that’s how everyone lives. I think I understand now why those kids say it’s hardest to listen to women.”

The “kids” I was referring to were the three of them.

I often told my father about them with a chuckle, but I don’t know if he liked it.

Would he be furious, calling me a disgrace to his noble son?

Well, my father also had a similar personality to mine, so I think he would just laugh it off.

I slumped down in the chair.

I let go of the noble posture and manners I was supposed to have.

If the world knew how casually the heir of the Alan family lived, they might laugh at me.

I sighed again.

It was strange.

This wasn’t right.

I was sure of it when I ran away to my hometown.

Staying with Vivian was absolutely out of the question, so I pushed her away and came here.

The pain of being betrayed by that witch still tormented me intensely.

The memories and past, which were created under the influence of the curse, were frustrating, as they had nothing to do with my own will.

-I told you it’s not a curse! It was your heart!

Anyway, I never wanted to experience the feeling of giving my whole heart and having it break again.

..But why does it feel like there’s no comfort here either?

I’m happy to be able to stay with my family, but… I don’t feel the melting happiness I used to feel when Vivian and I were on good terms.

The bed filled with soft duck feathers from my hometown felt more comfortable than the straw mattress at the punishment unit’s quarters.

There’s no friend with whom I can share my heart.

The cold northern chill is still something I can’t get used to, and the food here is so rough.

The people of this land don’t feel like my people.

The fact that I’m supposed to lead them feels irresponsible somehow.

And no matter how hard I try, I can’t forget Vivian.

“…Can’t you wake up, Dad?”

I asked without realizing, like a little child.

“….I think I’ve lost my way.”

Knock Knock Knock

Then, a sound broke my peace.

Kayla cautiously peeked her face in.

Looking at her, I gave a shallow smile.

“Why, Kayla?”

Kayla hesitated, then spoke.

“Did I disturb you?”

“No, it’s not like that. Tell me, why?”

She held up a book she was carrying.

“I got the book you wanted.”

“The book?”

She slowly approached me with a candle holder in hand.

I took the book she handed me.

‘On Witches and Their Sorcery.’