Chapter 25: Want to be a Witch? – 2

The day after the march ended, the order for the Punishment Unit’s deployment came immediately.

After breakfast, we had to go out and exterminate the monsters near the territory.

The target had been decided.

The simplest yet most troublesome monster to kill.

A monster that, if left unchecked, could spread like wildfire, causing great damage.

Goblins.

As the sun was just beginning to rise, I hurriedly put on my clothes.

To move to Vivian’s castle for breakfast, I had to act earlier than others.

I heard that this expedition was scheduled to last about three days.

That meant I wouldn’t see Vivian for around three days.

Lately, I’d been seeing Vivian at least three times a day.

In the morning, at lunch, and at dinner.

Though mealtimes were often more about exchanging glares than conversations, just eating together formed a kind of bond.

The fact that we wouldn’t be eating together for the next three days already felt a bit regretful.

No, I should say I was more worried than regretful.

I entered the hall in silence and looked at Vivian.

She must have sensed my presence because she turned to look at me.

Red hair.

Red eyes.

A beautiful appearance.

No matter how many times I saw her, I couldn’t help but swallow a small breath.

The table was set with food prepared for us.

Well-boiled potatoes surrounded by herbs.

Various types of bread.

Fresh grapes and ripe apples.

Even a soup glowing with a milky color.

Everything was light enough to be suitable for breakfast.

Vivian was sitting on the left side of the table, waiting for me.

She no longer sat at the head of the table.

The change happened because sometimes our legs would bump when she sat there.

I sat on the right side, facing her.

“You must’ve had a hard time waking up early.”

I said.

“…This is what it takes to eat safely.”

Vivian responded indifferently.

Without hesitation, I cut a potato and placed it in my bowl.

Vivian followed my lead and put a potato in her bowl as well.

As I took a bite of the food, Vivian’s eyes briefly glanced at me.

She paused until I swallowed and took another bite.

“It’s well-cooked.”

I said to Vivian, savouring the aroma of the herbs.

Only then did she belatedly take a bite of the potato.

Lately, all our meals had been like this.

I would taste something first, and then Vivian would follow suit.

She wouldn’t touch the food until I had tried it.

To outsiders, it might have seemed like an odd arrangement, but it had become our daily routine.

I scooped up some soup as well and took a sip.

The warmth made my stomach feel at ease.

When I looked up at Vivian, she was staring at the soup.

“Want some?”

At my question, she quietly nodded.

I poured some soup into her bowl, and for a while, the clatter of utensils filled the hall.

Though we didn’t talk much, we communicated a lot with our eyes and actions.

Even now, Vivian’s gaze kept shifting between the bread and the food left on my plate.

She looked at the bread again, then at my face.

She took another sip of soup… and looked at the bread once more.

When you share a table, it’s easy to figure out what someone likes.

Vivian had a particular fondness for bread.

She always ate the most bread, and she enjoyed it the most.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but smirk to myself.

I planned a small revenge for how she had tormented me during yesterday’s march.

Although I tasted all the other dishes, I deliberately avoided touching the bread.

“Ah, I’m full.”

As I hinted that the meal was coming to an end, her gaze lingered even more on the bread.

“…Why?”

I asked with the intent to provoke her.

Vivian was quite prideful.

Especially when it came to me, she acted even more stubbornly.

She would never admit that she wanted the bread.

“…It’s nothing.”

“Is it because you want the bread?”

At my taunt, Vivian scowled.

I found it rather amusing.

“…You, you already know…”

“Just eat it. It doesn’t seem like the food’s poisoned, and it’s unlikely that only the bread is tainted.”

She exhaled lightly through her nose, ignoring my words.

Her rough hand kept scooping up soup.

Only after teasing her enough did I finally reach for the bread.

I tore off a large piece and placed half in front of me.

When I dipped the bread into the remaining soup and took a bite, Vivian, pretending to be uninterested, finally reached for the bread.

At the moment she brought the warm, soft bread to her mouth, I thought I saw a brief sparkle in her eyes, though it could’ve been a trick of my imagination.

I drank a glass of water and glanced behind Vivian.

The maids who had been changed recently were still working.

Curious, I asked her.

“So, did you find the culprit?”

By ‘culprit,’ I was referring to the mastermind behind the poisoning attempt.

Vivian understood immediately and shook her head.

“No.”

Well, I hadn’t expected her to.

There were too many suspects, and Vivian had no allies.

We were walking a precarious tightrope on thin ice.

It made me question why I even wanted to protect someone like her.

…Was it really a witch’s curse?

I couldn’t tell.

“Even if you can’t find the mastermind, you still have to hold someone accountable.”

I said.

Vivian nodded in agreement.

“I punished the cooks and maids… I heard that Seina lost a leg during torture…”

Considering Vivian’s standards, the punishment seemed fitting.

As delicate as she was, I hadn’t expected her to go that far.

Though, when I thought about it, it probably wasn’t her direct decision.

“So, what are you going to do?”

“…?”

Vivian tilted her head slightly at my question, a habitual gesture she made when she was confused.

The sight made my fingertips tingle for some reason, and I averted my gaze as I asked.

“How will you manage your meals while I’m gone?”

Though I said it provocatively, I was genuinely concerned.

Like before, she might end up not eating any food placed in front of her.

Vivian took my words as sarcasm and reacted sharply.

“What kind of nonsense are you talking about? I’ve managed just fine without you. Do you think I won’t be able to eat just because you’re gone? You’re convenient to have around, but you’re not essential.”

“…If you say so.”

I turned my attention to the maids behind Vivian and called out.

“You heard earlier, didn’t you? All the maids and cooks involved in the poisoning were expelled. Don’t forget that.”

They quickly bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

At my warning, Vivian seemed to have something to say, but she closed her mouth and continued eating her bread.

In the past, she might have scolded someone for saying such harsh things, but she was no longer that fragile.

Soon, I stood up from my seat.

After wiping my mouth and hands with the cloth that had been prepared, I looked at Vivian.

We met each other’s gaze for a long time, but in the end, we didn’t exchange any words of farewell.

And so, I set off.

***

Two days had passed since Kailo’s departure.

Vivian couldn’t believe the changes in her body.

Surely, nothing had changed.

The food was still served with the same care, and the composition remained the same.

The chef who cooked the food was the same, the maids were the same, and even the tableware was as it had always been.

However, Vivian’s heart was pounding as if the world had turned upside down, beating wildly like it used to.

Her insides churned with nausea, and her hands trembled uncontrollably.

She couldn’t bring herself to put the food in her mouth.

Since Kailo had left, she hadn’t taken a single bite.

The sight of herself proudly declaring that she didn’t need him anymore now felt so pathetically shameful.

‘Why am I like this?’

She scolded herself inwardly as she thought.

Even though the servants had confirmed several times that there was no poison, the moment Kailo left, she became like this.

It was as if she had been swallowed up by fear like a weak child.

She was supposed to become the head of the House of Rondor and the lord of Loctana, yet here she was, trembling over a mere meal.

By now, even her family, watching her from the heavens, would likely sigh at her.

Vivian looked at the food once more.

Despite the fragrant aroma, her mouth was as dry as a desert.

No matter how hard she tried to compose herself, suspicion tightened its grip on her, and as that suspicion deepened, she became more and more helpless.

She was disgusted by her inability to overcome even this level of fear.

The fork in Vivian’s hand trembled slightly.

It seemed as if the fork itself was laughing at her, mocking her pathetic state.

Vivian quietly set the fork down, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes.

Around the dining table where she sat alone, there was not a single sound to be heard.

Kailo was gone, and with him, her dining table had become as silent as death.

Thinking back, even if she ate poison now, there was no one left to save her.

Back then, Kailo had been by her side, but now he was gone.

As she had seen in this very same place, all the vassals would just look for an opportunity to avoid responsibility.

Vivian, realizing that her appetite would not return, spoke up.

“P-please, take this away.”

She was hungry, but there was nothing she could eat.

Once again, she had succumbed to her own weakness.

Shut away in her room, Vivian couldn’t shake the overwhelming sense of self-loathing.

Now, she knew.

The difference was too stark for her to ignore.

Kailo Alan was far stronger than she could ever hope to be.

He faced every situation with courage and pressed forward.

Despite the hatred, the criticism, and the torment from countless people, he continued to walk the path he had chosen.

He even took on the responsibilities that Vivian herself should have borne, proving his resilience.

On the other hand, Vivian couldn’t even carry her own burdens, stumbling and falling time and time again.

‘When I look at your weakness… I understand your family.’

Kailo Alan’s voice echoed in her mind, and Vivian gritted her teeth.

The more those words became an undeniable truth, the more they pierced her heart.

It was like a curse.

No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t escape it.

But how was she supposed to overcome this?

She didn’t have Kailo’s courage, nor did she have the authority to wield power as he did.

She didn’t know how to command people’s hearts, and she didn’t know how to restore her domain.

Never once in her life had she imagined she would need such strength.

It had always been her brother, Lois Rondor, who bore that burden, not her.

She had simply expected to take a few lessons, marry someone, and live a normal life.

But now that everything had gone awry, she was lost.

Though she hadn’t said it aloud, she wondered if Kailo Alan was secretly laughing at her.

Of all people, she didn’t want to be belittled by him—especially him, her enemy.

‘If only I had some abilities, too…’

Vivian found herself thinking without realizing it.

If she had, things would surely have been better than they were now.

“Do you need help?”

At that moment, a soft woman’s voice echoed from somewhere.

Startled, Vivian quickly turned her body.

And then, she froze at the sight before her.

Her room was on the third floor.

It was too high for a person to climb.

The castle was made of stone, and there was no structure for anyone to hold on to.

Yet the woman in front of her was sitting casually on the windowsill as if it were a comfortable armchair.

With the blue-tinged night sky as her backdrop, the woman’s silhouette was clearly outlined.

A large pointed hat and disheveled blonde hair.

A long pipe from which soft smoke was rising.

A beautiful appearance that looked to be around thirty years old.

A voluptuous figure.

Long legs.

The woman brought the pipe to her lips and leisurely took a puff.

Smoke gently flowed from her mouth and spread into the air.

At the sweet yet bitter scent, Vivian wrinkled her nose.

“…Who, who are you?”

Vivian asked.

But the woman only smiled and asked a question in return.

“Would you like to become a witch?”