A Witch Lives In The Emperor’s Bedroom

After a long ride, the carriage stopped at Jenos’ mansion. Jenos believed that having too much space meant more hiding places for assassins, so his mansion, despite his noble rank as Grand Duke, was not overly large. It was about half the size of the White family mansion, but Jenos still thought it was overly spacious.

“I will open the door.” Phil, who had knocked briefly, opened the carriage door and extended his hand toward Bella. She cautiously took his hand and descended from the carriage. In front of the carriage, there were fluffy slippers that Phil had just brought from the mansion.

“Please put these on. I apologize for the simplicity of the shoes, but the only sizes that will fit are those of the servants.”

“No, I’m thankful. I’m ashamed of showing up barefoot,” Bella replied, carefully putting on the slippers. In front of the carriage, the guards at the entrance were taken aback by Bella’s appearance. Jenos had never allowed any outsider into his mansion before, especially not at this late hour, and certainly not a woman. They exchanged glances but remained silent.

“I will lead you.” Phil politely gestured. Bella took his hand, and with the other, she pressed down the cape to hide her face even more as she passed the guards at the entrance.

As the door opened and the bell tinkled, three maids who had been sleeping in a nearby maid’s room came out.

“Miss Isabella White is the youngest daughter of the White Baron’s family. Prepare a bath for her and serve her warm tea.”

In a daze from their slumber, the maids blink in confusion without answering.

“Have you heard my words?” Phil asked again, prompting the maids to wake up from their drowsiness.

“Yes, butler.”

“Um, what about a nightgown? There’s nothing suitable for a noble young lady to wear here.”

Given that only Duke Jenos, Phil, and the maids were present, there were no clothes suitable for a noble lady.

“I will send someone to get suitable clothing for the lady. For now, start with the bath.”

“Yes, sir.”

After giving the maids the instructions, Phil bowed to Bella and left.

“This way, please.” One of the maids politely guided Bella.

Arriving at the neat bathroom, Bella couldn’t help but let out a soft “woah” of admiration. Even during her time in the White family, there had been moments when she had put on a dress, styled her hair, and put on a false, bright smile to appear in front of others. However, she had never experienced using a comfortable bath like this. In her childhood, she had used the dismal bathroom at the orphanage, and after being adopted into the White family, she endured the dreadful bath in the basement. She thought the orphanage’s bathroom was better. At least it didn’t smell of blood.

“I will help you undress.”

The maids carefully removed her cloak, and Bella heard them gasp unintentionally when they saw the ragged dress underneath. She refrained from speaking and simply allowed them to remove her dress. However, Bella had momentarily forgotten something important: her body was in much worse condition than the dress.

“Goodness!” One of the maids couldn’t help but exclaim as they saw her body—a chaotic mix of old scars and fresh wounds.

“A-are you alright? Your injuries are quite…” The maid couldn’t find the right words to continue her sentence. 

“After the bath, we’ll call a doctor immediately.”

“No, it’s fine. These wounds will heal even without ointment. I’ll take care of it myself.”

“Pardon?”

“Let’s just start with the bath, please.”

Bella looked away, as if to say she wouldn’t talk any further.

After Bella finished her bath, she put on the night dress that Phil had prepared and arrived at the guest room.

“Then, please rest, miss,” the maids attending her bowed and left. It was the first time since she was adopted that she was away from the White Mansion. 

And what a day it was today. Bella looked down at her fingertips and closed her eyes, concentrating her mind. A passage from “Beginner’s Guide to Magic” that she had read at the orphanage came to mind.

 

[After concentrating your mind on your fingertips, vividly imagine the magic you want to cast. When you are good with the basics, you will be able to perform magic quickly without the need for intense concentration.]

 

Bella decided to emit light from her fingertips, just as Jenos had illuminated the storage room. She tried to concentrate and imagine a bright red light emanating from her fingertips…

“Ah, it’s hot!” Bella exclaimed and jumped back. At the same time, flames shot out from her fingertips and onto the bed.

“Ahk! No!” Bella hurriedly folded the blanket in half to cut off the oxygen. She pressed it down with her hands to extinguish the flames, and of course, more than a quarter of the luxurious blanket was already charred. The smell of burning filled the air.

“Miss Isabella, is something wrong? I brought some hot tea.” One of the maids who heard the commotion knocked on the door and asked.

“N-nothing! Everything’s fine! I won’t drink tea, so please go and rest!” Bella shouted towards the door, then sighed as she looked at the charred blanket. She hesitated on how to fix the situation, but in the end, she just flopped down on the bed.

Bella closed her eyes on the plush, smoky bed, choosing to momentarily forget about the complicated matters—being a witch, making a hole in a stranger’s face, and lying in the grand duke’s mansion—and taking a short break.

The scent of smoke was still present in the atmosphere.

 

*      *      *

 

The news of the witch’s execution is spreading quickly. “The witch has been executed!” is being shouted throughout the town.

“Last night, the witch was executed!”

Bella frowned as she heard the loud voices coming from outside the window. She was exhausted and wondered why someone was making so much noise that it would reach the secluded corner of the underground… 

‘Wait.

‘Did I ever have a bed like this?’

Gasp! Bella’s eyes widened. Everything that had happened yesterday came flooding back, and she found herself staring blankly at her hands, which had taken someone’s life.

“Are you awake?”

“Ahhhh!” 

Bella screamed and jerked her head around. Jenos, with his usual calm expression, was sitting on one side of the room. He sat on a wooden chair with intricate red swirls.

“How-how long have you been there?”

Jenos took out a pocket watch from his pocket, checked the time, and put it back.

“Three hours.”

“Three hours?”

Jenos looked at Bella as if asking, “Is there a problem?”

His rudeness and lack of manners were a far cry from what he had displayed at the tea party, where he scrutinized every action and gesture. Bella couldn’t recognize this Jenos’ from that Jenos.

“What’s wrong with the blanket?” He pointed at the charred blanket.

“That, I tried to create light once, and then the fire…”

“Is that so? We’ll have to replace it. Do you have a preference for bedding?”

Bella didn’t even know what types of bedding were available. She shook her head. 

“No, anything is fine.”

“Alright, then. By the way, I don’t need to be so formal, right?”

‘You sure ask fast.’ Since yesterday’s incident, Jenos has been being informal with Bella.

Bella nodded, her head still in a daze. 

‘Could anyone even dare to object in this situation?’

“I’m glad. No one is respectful with a warhorse,” Jenos said with a hint of a smile on his lips. 

“Warhorse… I’m not sure what you mean.”

“We’ll discuss the details after breakfast. I just came to check if your body is okay after awakening. I was concerned that you might have died due to the side effects.”

It was unsettling to hear such a casual conversation about something so horrific.

“I heard from the maids that your body is covered in injuries. Was it abuse from the White family?”

“…When did you start suspecting?”

“From the moment I shook your hand.”

“. . .”

“They claimed to have adopted you after a distant relative of the White family died of a plague. Was that a lie?”

Bella nodded. 

“Not a drop of their blood runs through me. They adopted me based on my hair color and eyes, so no one would suspect if they sold me off if that’s of benefit to the family.”

“Who knows that?”

“Only three people: Marta, Rosalie, and Ethan. The maids know I’m not a direct relative, so they shun and despise me.”

“I see,” Jenos responded without much emotion and stood up. “The maids mentioned that your injuries are severe, so I called a physician. They’ll be here in 10 minutes. You can rest easy, as she’s a lady. Then.”

“W-wait, Your Grace!” Bella got up from the bed and approached him. Jenos, who was heading toward the door, turned to face her. In the well-lit room, his body appeared much larger and sturdier than Bella had perceived the day before. She hesitated for a moment, overwhelmed by his size.

“You should have told me in advance.” 

Jenos frowned, and she continued, “…I heard the witch was executed last night. What happened?”

“I saved a sick newborn and publicly claimed that I killed and burned a baby-born witch. Thankfully, the witch’s corpse had no distinctive features that would set it apart from other humans.”

“Do you… do you mean that His Grace lied to the Empire?”

“Yes. Satisfied with your curiosity?” He immediately left the room without any intention of giving further answers. 

Bella shook her head in disbelief and even pinched her own cheek. It wasn’t a dream after all. 

The enormity of what had occurred began to sink in now, along with the morning sunlight.