The Devil’s Cursed Witch

While Draven had become busy due to the consequences of Aureus’ arrival, Ember spent the rest of her day in an equally serious albeit more leisurely task than her mate–reading scrolls and books. The human girl decided to spend her time in her study, reading the materials kept in the palace library about using one’s elemental powers.

Fire.

As an element, fire represented destructive energy, which could be helpful when controlled, but volatile if left unchecked. It was the type of attribute that reacted most sensitively to its owner’s negative emotions, such as anger and hatred.

‘But I am not my anger.’

She wanted to take control over her elemental power and not let it be ruled solely by her anger. She didn’t like that feeling whenever she got angry and her powers would go out of control. That strong urge of burning and destroying everything overpowered her rational mind, and it was a feeling she didn’t want to feel again. No matter how much she might hate the person in front of her, she would never want to hurt them, even if it was by mistake, with the dangerous power she owned.

‘It’s scary…to get overtaken by my emotions and see everything burn to ash…’

Even up till now, the image of the beautiful butterflies being burnt to death on the balcony haunted her. It was her first-ever attempt at elemental magic, and with every passing day since then, she had started to feel the presence of that strong power growing more and more powerful and she was worried it would rule over her instead of her ruling over it.

As Ember continued reading the book laid open in front of her, she could not help but linger on the pages where runes symbolizing ‘Fire’ and images of raging flames were drawn. Another image was overlapping with them. The dream she had about that chained woman who made a pledge to take her revenge continued to trouble her mind. That dream scared her, but that woman scared her more.

‘I wonder who that woman is? She was terrifying…Her anger felt as if she would destroy everything. I wonder why she was chained, why she vowed to take revenge…How much pain and suffering could one receive to turn a person into something so filled with rage and hatred? What did others even do to her…? Wait, it was just a bad dream. How can I be so sure that it happened for real? What if it was a product of my imagination, something my mind had constructed on its own, after exposing myself to the magic and supernatural beings of this kingdom?’

Just as she was convincing herself that it cannot be real, Ember felt a sudden weight on her chest, and for reasons unknown to her, she felt emotional. Her eyes turned moist, and gradually, tears rolled down from them without their owner registering this fact.

‘What…what’s happening to me?’

Ember tried to stop her tears but she simply could not.

‘Why do I feel in pain thinking about her? Is she someone whose identity I should know? But I don’t know her.’

At this point, all she wanted was to cry her heart out, but why? Wouldn’t she look like a lunatic if she cried without any reason?

Her servants entered the study to check on her in case she needed something but ended up finding their master silently weeping, her shoulders even heaving as if she was in great distress. This made the two young elves panic.

“Miss! What happened?”

“Why are you crying? Are you hurt?”

Ember had no answer to their questions as she continued to wipe those tears with the back of her hands.

“Miss, please tell us. Are you hurt somewhere? S-Should we call a healer?”

“Did someone say something to upset you?” As Reya asked that line, she mumbled as if she was cursing, “But I haven’t seen Young Lady Isa in the palace lately.”

“…Nothing… happened…” Ember replied but even her attempt at smiling was painful to look at.

“Then, why are you crying, Miss?”

“I-I don’t know either…. I just can’t stop crying?” Ember replied in between faint sobs.

“Are you perhaps reading an emotional story?” Reya looked at the book but it was a magic-related book and not a novel.

“What shall we do?” Clio helplessly looked at Reya as Ember continued weeping as if her heart was broken. Both could only attempt to comfort her. Yula was not in the palace and neither was the King. Was there anyone they could ask for help?

“Miss, please have some water,” Reya offered while Clio was ready to go out.

“I will check if His Majesty has returned.”

Before Ember could stop her, the younger elf had already left. As she hurried down the central stairs, Clio reached the main hall, she came across Erlos who was on his way to make preparations for the guest from Megaris.

“Erlos! Wait!” Clio called out to him, her voice echoing loudly enough to cause everyone within earshot to turn towards her direction.

The young silver-haired elf looked at the panicking soul and even before she could say anything more, he asked, “Yes? What happened? Why do you–“

“Is His Majesty back in the palace?” she asked.

“No, not yet. Why? What happened?”

“Miss, something is wrong with Miss Ember. She burst into tears for no apparent reason and she won’t stop. We don’t know what to do. Dame Yula is not here as well?”

“Crying? Didn’t you ask what happened?”

“She said she doesn’t know why she is crying.”

Though confused, Erlos knew enough to attend to anything related to Ember, no matter how trivial it might seem. “Strange. You go back, I’ll be there quickly.”

“Alright. Hurry. Miss is in her study,” she informed and returned the way she came from.

Aureus, who had come out of the guest room, was standing by the railing of the hallway on the second floor and heard the entire conversation. Erlos looked up as he sensed Aureus’ presence and he seemed to have turned into the wind, disappearing from the main hall below the stairs only to appear on the spot in front of Aureus in just a blink of an eye.

The young eagle’s sharp gaze didn’t miss Erlos’ fast movement and it was amazing to see how fast he moved. Aureus realized that Erlos must not be some ordinary elf either, being the last pureblood High Elf in existence– it defined what kind of powers he must have.

“I apologize for disturbing your rest,” Erlos said. “If you need anything in my absence, you can ask any of the passing servants.”

Aureus nodded and heard Erlos continue, “I will have to excuse myself for a while.”

“Go ahead.”

Erlos disappeared in place like the wind, and a few seconds later, he ran so fast his form seemingly materialized out of thin air in front of Ember’s study on the highest floor. Clio was yet to arrive, and onlyReya was waiting for him. Just as Erlos entered the study, he found Ember seated in front of her desk, her crying face causing anyone who saw her to feel her misery.

“Miss, why are you crying? Did something bad happen?”

She didn’t reply for a while, and instead buried her face into her hands. After some more time, Clio arrived while gasping for breath. When finally she looked at her master, Ember was already wiping the last of her tears away. Even her breathing was starting to even out.

Clio was the first to break the silence. “Miss, are you feeling better?”

“I am not sure,” Ember replied, being confused herself. “At least, I stopped crying now.”

Everyone was confused. Erlos decided to take charge for the meantime. “Miss, I guess you should have a nice and warm evening meal, then perhaps you should rest afterward instead of reading. Once Sire is here, he might help you understand what just transpired.”

Ember agreed. More like she was relieved those seemingly never-ending tears had finally stopped. She was feeling like a fool for feeling emotional and crying without a reason. If her crying spell was about missing Gaia, it was understandable but she cried because of some strange woman from her dream.

After making sure the two female servants would have no problems and Ember was truly fine, Erlos returned to attend to the guest.

Meanwhile, the guest in question was inside his assigned guest room, standing by the open window, looking to be in deep thought. He was staring at the starry sky, at the bright moon in particular, and was missing a particular person.

‘I wonder what she is doing at this moment. It’s been so many days since I last saw her. I hope she is doing fine,’ he thought and then shook his head at it. ‘With Dray by her side, she can only be fine. I don’t have to worry about her…but…but I can’t stop missing her.’

Aureus recalled those moments when he used to keep watch on Seren while flying in the sky. He used to wait for her to come out of the balcony so he could go and meet her. Her beautiful purple eyes, the way they shone with happiness upon seeing him, were the most beautiful sight to see.

‘I wonder once she knew I was deceiving her, how would she react? When she learns that her pet is not just an ordinary bird but one that can transform into a man, will she happily greet me the way she always used to be?’

It was a question that already had an answer.

‘I guess not.’ He let out a conflicted sigh. ‘It’s useless thinking about this. I don’t want to tell her. I don’t want to be away from her. I can give up everything and be her pet for the rest of my life. I need nothing but to be by her side, to be able to see her, to listen to her and to be loved by her, though that kind of love is one meant for a mere pet.’

He closed his eyes briefly as an image of her veil-covered face flashed in his mind. Though the lower half of her face was covered with a veil, her eyes showed she was smiling and was happy to see him.

“Seren!”

Unknown to him, he called out her name out loud.

Erlos, who arrived in front of the room, heard it clearly and stood confused in his place. ‘Isn’t ‘Seren’ the name of the Queen of Megaris, the wife of Drayce Ivanov who is his master and lord? Why is an envoy calling her name so intimately?’