Chapter 2
“Well, it’s not like you’ll die if you don’t eat right now, so let’s call it a day. I’ll leave another cup of sugar water on the table—drink it if you feel like it.”
With that, he left, looking extremely satisfied. Gremory, left alone in the overly spacious and luxurious room, sat blankly on the bed for a while.
What the hell… I’m speechless.
“Ha. Wow. Huh. Tch.”
Gremory couldn’t even find the right words to express her disbelief. Her entire life had been filled with hatred and torture, and she was a witch who enjoyed it. But being kidnapped by someone excessively kind? She had no idea how to process that.
On top of that, there was another problem—her contract with Bellita, the summoner she had made a deal with, had been abruptly severed.
Bellita, who had nearly been assaulted by the villagers before dying, had summoned Gremory and made a wish: Make those damn villagers suffer as much as possible before they die.
The contract had been formed, and in exchange for fulfilling the wish, Gremory had planned to keep Bellita’s soul as her servant for ten years.
But then that damn Grand Duke Cession Edel interfered, throwing the contract into chaos. The villagers Gremory was supposed to kill? Cession had slaughtered them all first.
Perhaps because of the disruption, Bellita’s soul—which had always been by her side—suddenly vanished into thin air. However, Bellita’s body still belonged to Gremory.
‘Did the error give me a free body? Even better.’
After some thought, she realized the situation wasn’t so bad. Normally, obtaining a human body permanently required fulfilling an extremely difficult high-level wish, but thanks to Cession, she had gotten one easily. Now, she could roam the human world without being bound by a contract, feeding on others’ suffering. How perfect was that?
‘Fine. Since they gave me a body, I won’t touch this household.’
In a way, Cession—who had granted her such a huge benefit without demanding anything in return—was her benefactor. And by the rules of the demon realm, she couldn’t harm her benefactor or those close to him.
Besides, that man… He seemed to be suffering enough already. The overwhelming aura of pain filling the mansion made that clear. While it was common for troubled households to have dark energy, this place was exceptionally saturated with it.
In other words, it was the perfect gloomy abode for a witch.
Gremory decided she would stay here for a while, playing along with the household’s whims. After all, her ultimate goal was to hide in comfort for as long as possible—and this place fit the bill perfectly.
The next morning.
Gremory had comfortably settled into her new nest. She had hung blackout curtains to keep the room dark even in broad daylight and stuffed all the silver decorations (which witches despised) into the wardrobe. She had considered burning the bed to ashes, but its plushness had grown on her, so she let it be.
Now, all that was left was to figure out the situation in this mansion.
‘But why are there so many vengeful spirits here? Is there a reason? Can I eat them?’
As a witch who fed on suffering, the tormented ghosts drifting around the mansion were excellent snacks. But she needed to assess whether they were safe to consume. If they were spirits of people close to Cession, she couldn’t eat them—a witch with morals didn’t prey on souls connected to her benefactor. That would leave a bad taste in her mouth.
She could try questioning the ghosts directly, but she dismissed the idea. What ghost would say, “Oh, I have no ties to the Grand Duke, go ahead and eat me!”? They’d all lie.
Pretending to sleep, Gremory pulled the blanket over her head and closed her eyes—then linked her vision to a crow flying outside.
The atmosphere outside was oppressively gloomy. The servants trudged around with sullen faces, and the knights looked as haggard as war veterans. With so many vengeful spirits and dark energy filling the mansion, it was no surprise. No living person could endure this for long.
‘They all look miserable. Perfect.’
Then, she spotted Cession Edel walking into the garden. The startled servants bowed deeply before scurrying away like frightened mice.
The knights on guard wore complicated expressions as they watched their lord—like former lovers turned enemies. A common sight in households with dark histories.
Just as she was about to move the crow to follow Cession, there was a knock at the door.
It was the maid from yesterday.
“Miss, may I come in? Oh, right—you can’t speak.”
Without waiting for an answer, the young maid barged in anyway. Gremory peeked out from under the blanket, watching her with narrowed eyes.
The maid was carrying a tray. She dragged a small table to the bedside and set the tray down.
“It’s potato soup—perfect for filling an empty stomach. Try it. I added some common spices, so it should taste good.”
“……”
“Sigh. You really should eat something today. It’ll help your wounds heal faster. Okay? I want you to get better soon.”
The little maid prattled on for a while. Gremory was tempted to just tear into her flesh, but she held back. Her hunger could be somewhat sated by absorbing the dark energy in the mansion.
…Though it would feel like filling her stomach with water. Eating the ghosts would be much better.
The maid kept chattering. Gremory pulled the blanket over her head, hoping she’d take the hint and leave—but instead, the girl sat right beside the bed.
“Oh, I’m sorry for forcing food on you. Come to think of it, you don’t even know my name, do you? I’m Anna.”
“……”
“It’s really dark in here. But then again, most rescued young ladies seem to prefer the dark. It’s probably for psychological comfort…? I read about it in a psychology book.”
“……”
“Even if you can’t speak, it’s a tradition in the Edel family to keep talking to you. The Grand Duke’s younger sister lost her voice after the shock of the witch hunts.”
“?”
Now that was useful information. So that’s why the Grand Duke had been so desperate to rescue witches? Because they all reminded him of his sister? Judging by the gloomy state of the household, it seemed that sister was long gone.
“Most young ladies who lost their voices started speaking again after people kept talking to them. I hope the same happens for you.”
“……”
“Witch hunts are so barbaric. As soon as the bounty rewards for reporting witches disappeared, the hunts stopped. It was all about money in the end. Oh, and politics too. It’s convenient to attack disliked families under the excuse of them harboring witches.”
“……”
“The criteria for being a witch are ridiculous too. Black hair being a witch’s symbol? Seriously. Judging someone based on hair color is so illogical.”
(Black hair was actually unique to witches. For a normal human to be born with it was extremely unlucky.)
“And the idea that witches keep black animals? Like black cats or crows? It’s all superstitious nonsense.”
Gremory, who had just been controlling a black crow, felt awkward.
“Black cats… Speaking of black animals, I just remembered Mina. She was the black cat I used to raise in this mansion. I saw her just a month ago, but now she’s gone. She was my only friend…”
After rambling for a while, Anna suddenly began pouring out her heart.
“I’m really lonely, Miss. I think everyone in this mansion is lonely too. It’s like… the air here makes you feel lethargic, lonely, and scared for no reason.”
“……”
“When I go out to buy groceries, I feel fine. But the moment I step back inside, my shoulders get heavy, and it’s hard to breathe. Time even feels slower. No matter how long I wait, quitting time never comes.”
Gremory’s patience was wearing thin.
‘Do I really have to put up with this? I wish she’d just leave.’
Should she cast a mind-altering curse and drive her insane before eating her? In a place like this, no one would care if a maid went mad and got devoured. And Anna probably wasn’t important enough to Cession for it to matter.
As she was considering it, the maid suddenly stood up, looking refreshed.
“Ah, I feel a bit better after talking. Thank you for listening, Miss. Eat the soup whenever you feel like it. I’ll take my leave now.”
With that, she skipped out of the room.
This kid’s way too perceptive.
Just as Gremory was about to reconnect with the crow, someone else knocked and barged in.
It was Grand Duke Cession Edel.
“Hm. My apologies.”
Despite his words, he walked right in and sat beside the bed—right where Anna had been moments ago.
“Are you feeling better? Ah, you still haven’t eaten anything. I wish you’d tell me what you like to eat.”
As if I would. Just as she was about to scream at him to get out, Cession rested his chin on his hand and murmured, staring into the distance.
“…My sister really loved apples.”
Looks like this family plans to treat the (pretend) mute witch like a sounding board.
