WTBHI 36

Chapter 36

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Chesion was in despair.

Kenneth Ortega—of all people, him—was giving Mori dating advice. Even worse, Mori was actually discussing her feelings about him.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve never been in a relationship before, so I don’t think I’m the right person for advice.”

“What the hell have you been doing all this time, then? Tsk.”

“……”

“I’ll just ask Isollen instead.”

“W-Wait! At least tell me what it’s about.”

“I wanted to ask what love really is.”

“Ah…”

Chesion felt like all the blood was draining from his body. Kenneth Ortega—that bastard—was the one teaching Mori about love. Of all the people in the world…

“Love can be defined differently depending on the situation or the person. It’s a complicated emotion.”

“Most of the love I’ve seen seemed simple. Not much different from friendship, really. But overall, it looked happy.”

A tension returned to Chesion’s body. So she did go people-watching. Did that mean she and Kenneth wandered around popular date spots yesterday? This couldn’t go on. Starting tomorrow, he’d have to issue an order to shut down all the romantic locations in the territory.

“But sometimes, love seems to make people do strange things.”

“Like what?”

“I saw a woman being beaten by her husband. She’d given him all the money she brought into the marriage. She’d been thrown out of the house and was crying, so I talked to her. And she told me… she still loved him.”

“That sounds like something the city guards should handle. Which house was it?”

“The white one on 2nd Avenue, El Lupani. I asked her why she still loved him, and she said he used to be a good man. That it was her fault for making him angry.”

“That’s not love. That’s a crime. I’ll send guards to that house soon.”

The sudden shift in the conversation’s tone brought the color back to Chesion’s face.

“Hm… I think I understand most emotions, but love is still hard to grasp.”

“That’s normal. A lot of people struggle with love. You just have to experience it yourself to really understand.”

“Is that so? Then I want to experience it too.”

At that, a wave of gloom washed over Chesion. She must’ve really taken a liking to Kenneth. But at the same time, his own feelings were becoming clearer. He didn’t want to lose Mori to someone like Kenneth.

Summoning his courage, Chesion asked,

“Mori. How was your date with Kenneth yesterday?”

“Hm? Who’s that?”

“That red-haired guy who sent you the love letter. Weren’t you two out together yesterday?”

“No, I was hanging out with your sister’s ghost.”

“…Iris is still around?”

“Always. She says being with me is fun.”

—No! Brother! That’s not it!

Completely ignoring Iris’s desperate protests, Gremory sipped her apple juice through a straw. Meanwhile, Chesion slumped like a person drained by a giant mosquito, his tension finally releasing.

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The peaceful contemplation about love didn’t last long.

That same night, after returning from an inspection tour of the territory that doubled as a date with Chesion, Gremory had a disturbing dream. She was standing alone in an empty black void.

Someone approached her.

It was her mother.

That’s when Gremory realized this wasn’t just a dream. Their consciousnesses had connected. Blood-tied witches could do that—link minds across worlds.

The woman’s flowing black hair shimmered as her crimson lips curled into a smile.

“My sweet girl, what in the world are you doing in the human realm? Your poor mother is sealed up and about to be offered as a sacrifice.”

Gremory’s expression went cold.

Sacrificial offerings to the Demon God were usually sealed up at least a month before the ceremony—to prevent escape. If anyone showed signs of fleeing, the binding happened even earlier.

With less than a month until the worship ritual, her mother would already be tightly sealed. The fact that she could force a mind link despite that… Well, this was the woman who birthed the strongest daughter in the Demon Realm.

“As you can see, I’m in hiding. Because I don’t want to be sacrificed.”

Her mother chuckled, covering her lips with the back of her hand.

“You say that, but it doesn’t look like you’re just hiding. You’re not helping humans because you want to live like one, are you?”

“Not really.”

“Not really? You’ve helped that Grand Duke, Chesion Edel, eliminated his enemies, and even cared for his people.”

“I was paid in black goats, so I fulfilled the contract. And I didn’t care for his people—I just fed myself. They give me meals, so I repay them with medicine. That’s all.”

“Is that so? I see.”

The woman turned as if their conversation had ended. Gremory also turned to leave, but then—

A sharp voice froze her in place.

“You’re a witch who feeds off human misery. You can’t be happy with them. The humans in that manor only like you for now. What do you think will happen once they find out you’re a witch?”

“I’ve never tried to hide it.”

“You just haven’t been exposed yet. Once you fully realize you’re a witch, do you really think they’ll still treat you the same?”

A deep crease formed between Gremory’s brows as her mother’s cackling laughter echoed in her ears.

“If people found out I was a witch… would they start to hate me?”

Until now, Gremory had never cared if people discovered her identity. She never tried to hide it. She simply let the residents of the Grand Duke’s manor interpret her actions however they wanted.

But now, after hearing her mother’s words, she was finally forced to confront the truth.

A witch is a monster who feasts on human misery. So it’s only natural for humans to reject her…

Twisting unfair contracts, pretending to grant wishes only to drag people into despair… a creature that feeds on corrupted souls.

From a human perspective, it made sense that witches would be feared and hated. Witches and humans were predator and prey. And what prey ever loved its predator?

Realizing this, a cold fear crept over her.

If her identity were to be revealed… she might lose everything she’d built. Just imagining the shift in the manor’s warm smiles to cold suspicion made sweat bead down her spine.

“It doesn’t matter how kindly I’ve behaved. To humans, a wolf will always be a threat to the rabbit—even if it smiles.”

She didn’t want to lose it.

The warm glances, the laughter, the comfort—

The safety she had finally found…

Chesion’s embrace.

If it meant losing all of that… then maybe it was better to abandon her witch’s power altogether.

“Oh my… are you thinking of giving up your powers? That won’t do. Without them, you’ll lose your precious humans.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why do you think they like you? It’s because your powers benefit them. They may not realize it, but that’s the reason they’re drawn to you. Without your powers, you’d be nothing but a nuisance. And…”

When Gremory turned to glance back—

Her mother was grinning so wide it nearly split her face.

“You’ll never truly understand love. Because I made sure of that. I sealed your emotions while you were still in my womb.”

“So?”

 

“The positive feelings you’re experiencing now? They’re not real. They’re temporary. They’ll fade. Because you’re a witch! A creature meant to feed on negative emotions. You’re destined to suffer, always…”

“…You’re a witch who should love negative emotions! You’ll never understand love for as long as you live!”

The moment her mother’s voice turned into a shrill scream, Gremory jolted awake.

She sat up with a start, gasping for breath. Cold sweat dripped down her back as she stared blankly at the darkened ceiling.

“…A dream,” she whispered.

But it didn’t feel like one.

Her mother’s piercing laughter still rang in her ears, like a lingering echo. The connection had been real—conscious and intentional.

Gremory wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face.

‘I’m… not supposed to know love?’

‘All the warmth I’ve felt until now… was never really mine to begin with?’

The cozy comfort she had grown to cherish suddenly felt like a fragile illusion—one that could shatter the moment someone found out who she truly was.

But no. She wouldn’t allow it.

‘Even if my emotions were sealed—what I’m feeling now is real.’

The comfort she felt when she saw Chession’s gentle smile.

The flutter in her heart when their hands brushed.

The warmth of laughter shared with the others at the Grand Duke’s mansion.

It was real. Even if it had a time limit. Even if it faded one day.

She wouldn’t let anyone—not even her own mother—take that away from her.

“…I won’t give it up.”

Her voice trembled, but her eyes shone with a fierce light.

Even if she was a witch. Even if she was born to feed on others’ misfortune.

For the first time, she wanted something different.

She wanted to protect what she had.

To choose a new path—one that didn’t end in loneliness and despair.