The Devil’s Cursed Witch

Once the two shapeshifters left the palace, Draven turned his attention  to his servant, Erlos.

“Bring the horses to the front yard.”

Even without him speaking, Erlos understood that the King would be seeing his mate off. Just as Draven was about to escort Ember to the entrance, she looked at her long dress and sandals. “Uhm, I think I need to have a change of clothes first. This dress won’t be comfortable for horseback riding.”

“Miss, take your time. I will prepare our horses and meet you at the front yard,” Erlos spoke.

After a while, Ember went to the entrance of the palace after changing into a comfortable leather dress and boots, suitable for horseback riding. Draven and Erlos were talking, pausing their conversation when she arrived. Only two horses were waiting out front, a familiar chestnut mare and white stallion  that were the same horses Erlos and Ember rode back when they visited the White Tiger Clan. This time, her two servants could not accompany her. They were visiting the territory of the witches and this particular race kept their guests to limited numbers.

Erlos climbed on the reddish brown horse while Ember was ready to climb the saddle of her pure white horse. Since this was her third time riding it, she didn’t focus on trying to climb the horse but took time to appreciate the elegance and beauty of the horse. She somewhat remembered how Draven caressed that horse’s crest from the last time, and thus, she did the same. The soft and beautiful white hair along the crest felt amazing under her hand and she looked at the horse’s eye on her side.

“I will be in your care today. Even if I trouble you, please bear with me.”

The horse let out a snort, its tail swishing as it enjoyed her delicate hand caressing the crest.

“She will be good to you,” Draven assured.

“She? Eh? Is this a female?” In her mind, she had always referred to this horse as a white stallion. It should have been a white mare. But Draven nodded, and he had no reason to lie to her.

“This horse looks so strong and valiant that I thought it’s a male,” Ember commented. “Doesn’t she have a name? I didn’t ask last time.”

“Her name is Albina,” Draven replied.

“That’s a lovely name,” Ember continued to caress the crest.

“Miss, Sire was the one to name her. Her coat is pure white so her name is what suits her—Albina. You see, Sire is so good with names.”

Ember didn’t deny this claim. Her name was also given by Draven and she loved it.

“Take care of me, Albina,” Ember talked to her horse with a smile. “You are a beautiful female horse.”

“Miss, what do you think about Sire’s horse? Male or female?” Erlos asked.

Ember recalled that beautiful pure black horse that seemed to be a splitting image of Albina, only its coat was of the opposite color and it was slightly larger in built. Since she thought Albina was a stallion, then that meant she also mistook the gender of that wild horse.

“That horse is also like this one. Must be a female.”

Erlos laughed loudly. “Miss, other than you, there is no female who Sire allowed to be close to him. Not even animals. Our Midnight, Sire’s pet owl, is a male as well.”

Draven offered his blabbermouth of a servant a flat glare while Ember smiled lightly. She found this adorable as she remembered how he was stuck to her side the entire night like a snake. So he didn’t allow any other female to come close to him. But then…

“He allows Isa.”

Draven and Erlos both didn’t expect Ember to say this. Draven stared at her in disbelief. ‘She sure knows how to hold grudges.’

Erlos laughed louder this time. “T-This…I can’t…does she even count as female? She is like a little sister or child to Sire. She is not counted.”

“Even a wild animal like a horse counts, what more a fox?” Ember said sarcastically as she turned to climb the horse.

“Let me help you,” Draven was about to hold her waist but—

“I can do it myself,” Ember rejected his help and climbed the horse on her own. Though it was not as swift and smooth as Erlos, she tried her best, trying not to lose her face when she clearly rejected the help.

Draven watched her climb with amusement in his red eyes.  ‘Anger can get the best out of her.’ He then fixed her dress around her legs and caressed the crest of the white horse. He spoke to the horse in a casual tone, “Make sure to not anger her.”

Ember heard it and she narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Is he teasing me? What does he mean not to anger me?’

“Miss, are you all good? We can go if you are ready,” she heard Erlos speak.

Draven looked at her. “If there’s anything, just tell Erlos.”

She nodded and the two horses started moving towards the gate. As their ride trotted leisurely, Ember felt relieved to find she didn’t fall off, her body seemingly more adapted to sitting on the saddle this time. She could not help but turn her head to look back, wondering if Draven had returned inside the building, but to her surprise, he was still standing outside the main door, looking at her leave. The corners of her lips pulled up as her chest warmed with happy feelings. It felt good to see him there, and even after she turned her head to look forward once more, the smile remained on her lips.

After their horses passed through the outer walls of the palace, Erlos asked, “Miss, are you comfortable?”

“Yes. I think I got a little used to it. Maybe, I’ll be able to ride even better after a couple more times.”

“That’s good to know. This is why Sire made you ride a horse when he could just teleport you there and return. He wants you to be more independent,” Erlos informed. “Maybe in your free time, you can ride horses for fun.”

“Oh!” was all she said and felt glad about her mate’s intentions.

“Moreover, the route towards the witch territory is fascinating. We will pass through part of the Forest of the Elves on the way. This way, you will  get familiar with the other elf clans in the kingdom.”

“Right!”

Along the way, they crossed various small villages and towns in the vicinity, Erlos continued to tell her about those who lived there.

“Miss, are you up for a challenge? Since you are already more used to riding, you can try to speed up your horse a little. Look at how I do it.” Erlos made his horse trot faster by lightly squeezing the horse’s body with his legs.

Ember tried it and it worked for her, though she felt like she would fall, she had learned to balance her body along with the rhythm of the horse’s movements.

“Yes, like that! Miss, you are a quick learner. No wonder Sire trusts in your learning ability. You look like a beautiful royal princess riding a horse.”

“Do I?”

Erlos agreed, continuing to shower her with praises and encouragement. It was a different thing that Erlos already knew she was a princess from the human kingdom, and the more he looked at her, the more she embodied one. But Erlos knew he could not tell her about her true identity.