The Devil’s Cursed Witch

Yula was speechless seeing Ember’s child-like eagerness. This human had no idea what she was saying. In fact, Ember looked like a child who was talking about getting swordsmanship training or craftsmanship lessons. How could Yula dispel such an absurd misunderstanding? She worried about how this child would react once she learns the truth.

‘It’s the matter between mates. I should not meddle. But to think of it, it can be a good start between these two. It can build her trust in His Majesty and can bring them closer before they try to be intimate. She needs to be comfortable with His Majesty first as the bond was not initiated out of love. Talking and interacting can help to develop feelings that will eventually lead to consummation.’

“I am sure His Majesty will welcome you, Miss,” Yula assured her. “I shall excuse myself now.”

“Thank you again. I will read this book now,” Ember said and opened the book while still sitting on the window sill instead of going to her study. As she rested her back against the wall next to the window frame, she opened the book and made herself comfortable by putting it on her lap.

—

The book was quite thin, so Ember would not have any difficulty reading the contents of the entire book in one sitting. Despite having Yula tell her about how the bond works for divine beasts, she did not skip those parts that repeated things she already knew.

She read about the first two stages of the bond in detail, even stopping for a bit to look at the illustrations of the male marking his chosen female. Then after the female survives, they would get a tattoo-like mark on the place where the male had bitten them, which would serve as a reminder and warning to others that the female was already another’s mate.

[The mark on the skin takes various symbolic forms as it is the materialization of the inviolable promise between paired mates. The meanings generally…]

‘A symbolic form…a promise…?’

Ember browsed through the images of the most common marks that historically appear on the skin of the female mate and had their interpreted meanings written along with them. Some took the form of ancient runes, others took the form of elements, while others various representations of nature, like animals and flowers.

[The symbol of air means ‘love that embraces all’]

[…]

[The symbol of the four seasons shows ‘love that can grow, feelings that grow’]

[…]

[A peony flower shows the innocence of first love]

[A rose flower means mutual love and affection]

The various symbols could tell the mated pairs’ stories, like how some were ones who met by chance, some were childhood friends, some started with one-sided feelings and some were even initially enemies. Sometimes, the mark was related to the kind of bond the two mates had.

[A sunflower…]

[A daisy…]

Ember searched for the meaning of a mark she had on her neck– that crimson blossom she could not recognize, but there was no such mark described in the book.

‘Is the mark I have uncommon? What are these red flowers on my neck anyway? What is the meaning of it?’

She subconsciously touched her mark and felt disappointed to see she could not find its meaning.

‘What kind of mate bond do we have?’ she could not help but wonder. ‘How can I find out the meaning? I wonder if there are other books that talk about mate mark symbolisms. What if I don’t find it? Since we didn’t know each other before he marked me, what if there’s no meaning at all? What if it means something like ‘a love that never existed’?’

With this thought, her face showed disappointment. She didn’t know why, but there was a strong impulse to look for the meaning of the bond she had with her mate…her husband.

She then flipped the next pages to read about the last stage of the bond which was consummation.

‘I guess now I can finally get proper answers. Though I had guessed it already, it’s good to confirm it.’

The page started with how the mates could smell the ‘true scent’ of their mates, and how it was tailored to the particular preference of the mated pair. It was a sensual and addictive fragrance that could make them lose their senses.

Just as Yula had told her, the book mentioned–no, emphasized the importance of the scent. On the next page, it was written how the delaying of consummation could affect the rationality of the mated pair.

[A mate bond without consummation is akin to an incomplete, imperfect law that could not exist in the perfect balance the world imposes upon its children. The world is impartial, and thus, it will force perfection on the imperfect, completeness on the incomplete, for only then could nature go its course…]

[Thus, even if an intended couple refuses to consummate and complete their bond, the true scent of their other half would gradually deprive them of the factor that prohibits them from perfecting the imperfect. For some, it is rationality, while for others emotion…]

[The effects of the scent equally overwhelms the mated pair, but there were several known factors that could influence the behaviour of the affected mated pair. In general, males are bound to feel a stronger urge towards their females. The strength of the bloodline also plays a part in how long one’s resistance could endure the sanction of the world. However, continuous resistance would only prolong the agony. In the end, a beastman could go berserk after losing rationality… ]

[On the night of the full moon, when the magic of the world is at its strongest, the true scent of the mate would reach its peak. The mated pair would develop stronger reactions to each other’s true scent. Following the course of nature is advised. Any form of resistance or refusal to give in to the completion of the bond would incur great damage to a mate’s spirit, eventually leading to injuries of the mind and the soul…]

Ember had furrowed brows as she flipped to the page where it showed more information about consummation with the picture of the naked male and female being intimate.

‘Is this what we have to do to consummate the bond?’