Chapter 105
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Dear, I believe you may be misunderstanding.
Chapter 105
"...A witch?"
"Some call us sorcerers, others call us mages. There's nothing good about the world knowing of our existence. We are powerful, yet fragile beings."
The elderly woman chuckled softly, then blew on her hot tea before taking a sip.
Grace Oellin stood frozen, unable to believe what she was hearing, before hesitantly broaching something that troubled her.
"Then...my mother was a witch?"
"To be precise, she was a half-witch. She never possessed the power to summon thunder or command the winds. Well, in a world like this, such things hardly matter. Witches have become nearly forgotten to mankind."
A half-witch.
Mother became a witch, though it came late.
...To protect Grace Oellin.
For her young daughter, whom she had once resented but ultimately came to love.
"Then...did my mother die young because she became that witch?"
The sudden thought made Grace Oellin ask urgently.
The elderly woman said nothing. She could neither confirm nor deny it.
"She missed the proper time and forced her awakening, so her body would have weakened. But...I cannot say it was solely because of that."
"Please explain what you mean properly. I'm begging you."
The elderly woman gazed at Grace Oellin quietly, then reached out her hand.
The old woman's thin, wrinkled hand gently touched the corners of Grace Oellin's eyes.
"...My child."
"...."
"It is only natural for a mother to protect her child."
"Why are you suddenly...."
"Of course, not all mothers are the same.... But most maternal love knows no reason, and is devoted beyond measure."
"...."
"So do not grieve so deeply."
Grace Oellin could not follow what this elderly woman was saying at all.
Yet there seemed to be a reason behind her cryptic words.
Part of her sensed the reason dimly, and so....
She could not bring herself to ask directly.
Grace Oellin simply clenched her lips tightly and forced back the redness creeping into her eyes.
"Oh, I've been forgetting to mention the most important thing."
"What is it?"
"Did your mother perhaps leave you a compass among her belongings?"
A compass....
Mother had left Grace Oellin many things.
But all she possessed now were her mother's worn diary, seven items the marquis had belatedly returned, and an incense burner she had happened to recover.
Grace Oellin shook her head with a melancholy expression.
"It's gone. I was planning to search for it again."
"My goodness.... Then what of the bracelet with the red ruby?"
How could she possibly know about something like that?
Grace Oellin found it remarkable that this elderly woman seemed to know my mother's belongings better than I did.
"That too...."
"Oh my, everything was taken away. Well, your father must have been quite greedy. That's why I told her to make a contract in the first place...."
"A contract?"
"Your mother made a contract with your father before she passed away. It was to ensure her belongings would be passed down to you. But... it seems he didn't even honor that contract."
The Elderly Woman clicked her tongue in disapproval, yet her expression suggested she had anticipated even this outcome.
"Foolish man. A contract demands careful consideration.... He dug his own grave. He did indeed."
She sipped the now-lukewarm tea with a sorrowful shake of her head, yet her eyes remained coldly sharp.
"Tell me, do you have an incense burner?"
At last, the name of the object Grace Oellin possessed came to light.
Grace Oellin nodded vigorously.
"Yes, I have that one."
"Oh, thank goodness for that."
The Elderly Woman suddenly fixed her gaze upon Grace Oellin.
"Do you truly wish to know the truth? Or... would you prefer to bury it forever?"
The Elderly Woman's words carried profound weight. They were far from casual.
The truth.
The truth could be heavier and more cruel than one might imagine.
Happiness might lie beyond the truth, yet it could also be so burdensome as to be unbearable.
And yet....
I wanted to know.
The fragments I could not remember, the hidden facts I had never known.
If I did not bear witness to them, my mother's sacrifice, her love, would scatter into the air and vanish.
I could not allow that.
I could not let her fade away like that.
"Yes, I want to know. Desperately. Absolutely."
I will remember, and cherish these memories in my heart, recalling her whenever I long for her.
I will recall and reflect upon her again and again, never forgetting my mother.
Perhaps this is how I repay the love she gave to me.
"Yes, I see. You are a strong child."
The Elderly Woman's weathered hand reached out toward Grace Oellin once more.
* * *
"May I ask where you're headed?"
"I'll wander wherever my feet take me until I draw my last breath. If I live long enough, I suppose I'll return here in a couple of years."
The old woman chuckled vaguely, her answer deliberately evasive.
The carriage had been repaired immaculately, and the elderly woman climbed aboard with deliberate, measured steps.
"Giddyup."
She tapped her waist, urging the horses forward with a gentle command.
"If I ever need to contact the Elderly Woman, how should I reach you?"
"If she wishes to see me, I will be drawn back to her. Do not worry yourself."
Grace felt a pang of reluctance.
There were still too many unanswered questions to let her depart like this.
As though reading Grace's heart, Kashanu gazed at her intently before offering one final word.
"In the end, the wheel must turn. What matters is not being swept along by it, but moving that wheel in the direction you desire."
"That's a difficult thing to say."
"Child, nothing truly changes. You are you, no matter what you become. Just as the person you love remains themselves, regardless of what they are."
Grace flinched suddenly, her eyes snapping toward Kashanu.
But beneath the old woman's wrinkled eyelids, her faint gaze was impossible to read.
"I've said far too much for the price of a carriage ride. Now I really must go."
"Is there... is there anything else I should know?"
"This is enough. You will do well."
Kashanu held Grace's gaze a moment longer, then seized the reins with surprising vigor.
The old woman's weathered carriage lurched into motion. Grace remained rooted to her spot, watching Kashanu disappear into the distance.
The aged diviner glanced back, observing Grace standing motionless, bidding her farewell.
At last, was the end of this fate drawing near?
A cool, refreshing breeze swept across the old woman's chest, which had been tightly constricted for so long.
A black horse, a golden eagle, a white serpent, a silver wolf....
The Curse, returned in its primordial form.
There must surely be a reason for it.
And so that child could have become a variation of this curse that had dragged on so tediously through the ages.
'Child, I beg you, find your strength. For you, and... for my lonely self.'
You are more than capable.
...Witch of the final act.
* * *
Meanwhile, in a corner of the Garden where Grace Oellin stood alone.
"...Are you feeling unwell?"
Perhaps I shouldn't have left her alone with that old woman after all?
Lucas Black observed his wife's solitary figure from behind a distant tree, standing motionless.
What could possibly occupy her thoughts so thoroughly that she gazed beyond the gate where the carriage had vanished with such vacant intensity?
With a grave expression, Lucas regarded Grace Oellin's back before summoning the devoted attendant who stood at his side.
"Haem."
"Yes, sir!"
"What do you do when your spirits are low?"
"Me, sir? I think about my bank balance! Watching my wealth accumulate steadily never fails to lift my mood!"
It was a thoroughly Haem-like answer, but not the one Lucas Black required.
Wealth accumulating steadily, he said.
For Lucas Black, such matters operated on an entirely different scale of calculation.
Of course, the thought of eventually transferring all of it to Grace Oellin did bring him some measure of satisfaction....
But he could hardly rush over and suddenly present her with twelve gold mines without proper occasion, could he?
"Hmm... Is there anything else?"
"Sir? Anything else... Ah! I indulge in a fragrant bath once a month! It does wonders for fatigue recovery and mental well-being."
"Fragrant?"
"Yes, they call it aromatherapy, sir? Warm water, pleasant scents, and a glass of red wine—that's all one needs!"
'Ah, I see....'
This, at least, seemed plausible.
Lucas Black immediately ordered Haem to fill the bathing pool in the Separate Residence's marital bathroom to the brim.
Even starting now, it would take an hour to complete.
"Wouldn't a smaller pool be more practical, sir? Since my lady is petite, perhaps the bathroom in the Main Building prepared for her...."
"But I wouldn't fit in a small pool."
"...Pardon?"
Did I mishear what he just said?
Haem blinked in disbelief and asked again.
"Surely you don't mean to bathe together, sir?"
Lucas Black glanced down at Haem as if stating the obvious.
"I must soothe my wife's spirits. I cannot allow Grace Oellin to remain melancholy on our first day of marriage, can I?"
"Sir, if you were to bathe together, there's a possibility that my lady's mood might actually worsen...."
...His expression showed no sign of considering such a thing.
Right. I see. Good heavens, how shameless!
But what business did a lowly servant have interfering in the affairs of his master and mistress?
This humble attendant could only bow his head in submission.
"Why are you still standing there? Go on, quickly!"
"Yes? Ah, yes, understood, sir. I'm going right away!"
As Haem dashed off, a thought crossed his mind.
'I need to tell Julie right away!'
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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