WTBHI 39

Chapter 39

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“Ah, my sister. My shadow that crawls beneath the earth. That day, our fate changed like an eclipse.”

Chesion pointed to the line and explained.

“This passage once made people believe that witches were active during eclipses. But now everyone knows the truth. Eclipses and lunar events aren’t curses by witches or demons—they’re just natural phenomena… Mori? What are you thinking about?”

He looked over at Gremory, who had suddenly gone pale. She stumbled and leaned against him for support.

‘Even back in the Demon Realm, this passage always made me feel strange.’

Maybe it was because her emotions had awakened more in the human world. What once caused a mild discomfort now felt like an overwhelming surge.

“…Pet me.”

“You must’ve been affected by the grimoire. Let’s get out of here.”

“I’m a witch. Grimoires don’t affect me.”

“Right, and the fact that you’re babbling nonsense proves it did affect you.”

Chesion gently stroked her hair and led her out of the underground maze.

Human warmth… really was comforting.

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While Chesion and Gremory were out holding hands, Isollen was drinking alone.

“Well, it happens. The man I once loved and my best friend might fall for each other…”

Anna, who’d been quietly watching, clicked her tongue and brought over some dried snacks.

“Here, eat something. Drinking on an empty stomach is bad for you.”

“Ugh… Anna, sit for a moment. Listen. My clueless best friend is getting all this affection from the Grand Duke, but she doesn’t even realize it’s love. Can you believe it?”

“I can. I totally can.”

“Sure, Mori’s been through a lot with the witch hunts and all, so she’s emotionally… dulled. But it’s so frustrating to watch!”

“Same here. They hold hands openly, sneak into each other’s rooms, and our Miss Mori still doesn’t bat an eye.”

“At this point, I just feel sorry for our Grand Duke. Here, you drink too.”

“Lady Isollen, I’m fourteen. I’ll have cherry juice, thanks. And please stop sighing—you reek of alcohol.”

By the time Anna returned with fruit snacks and juice, Isollen was groaning and swaying.

Anna didn’t like when Isollen got this drunk. She always made a mess. If only Miss Mori were here to deal with her.

‘She’s not my lady, so I can’t scold her outright…’

“Lady Isollen! That’s enough drinking. Please go to your room!”

“Ughhh… Anna, I still want them to work out. The Grand Duke—he’s old and never even had a real relationship. I was worried there was something wrong with him. But it seems that’s not the case, so thank—mmph!”

“No more nonsense. Time for bed!”

“W-Wait! You brought grapes, right? Just let me have one!”

Watching Isollen snatch a grape and pop it into her mouth, Anna sighed in relief. At least this wasn’t going to turn into some messy love triangle with the Grand Duke caught in the middle.

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The next morning, the peace of the Grand Duke’s manor was disturbed by a most unwelcome visitor.

Kenneth Ortega—a mere human—formally requested an audience with Gremory the witch. The butler, hiding his distaste, went to greet him.

“I waited six hours at the appointed spot mentioned in my letter. I understand Mori’s absence was her way of declining. Still, I’ve come in person to try again. Please, let me meet her.”

Surprisingly, Kenneth was extremely polite. He summoned every ounce of etiquette he had learned. Catherine had told him Mori disliked uncultured people.

The butler looked troubled. Knowing Miss Mori’s temperament, she was unlikely to meet him. But Kenneth showed no signs of giving up.

“Then please wait in the drawing room. I will pass along your request, but I cannot guarantee she will agree.”

From the shadows, Isollen giggled. Even hungover, she reeked of alcohol.

“Heh, serves you right, Ortega.”

Anna passed by, shaking her head.

“Poor Ortega…”

“Poor? That guy’s brother treated me like a maid. And he ruined my tea party too.”

The butler went up to Gremory’s room to relay the message. But—

“Zzz…”

She was fast asleep. Chesion had pet her head so much the night before, she’d slipped into a deep slumber.

The butler stood awkwardly by her door, unsure what to do. Anna, having followed him, stepped in.

“I’ll tell her when she wakes. You go handle your duties.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Gremory didn’t wake until 11 a.m., and even then, she lay around for a while before getting up at 11:30.

Once she was finally awake, Anna relayed the message.

“Miss Mori! You have a visitor. Will you see him?”

“No.”

“Don’t you want to know who it is?”

“Not really.”

“Got it!”

Anna went and delivered the response word-for-word. But Kenneth, ever persistent, sat waiting on the sofa in the drawing room, his frown deepening by the minute.

The longer she stayed away, the more his anxiety turned into anger. As one of the most handsome men on the continent, he’d never been rejected before. He didn’t know how to process it—and he was starting to lose his temper.

His perfectly straight posture slouched. His polite smile faded into irritation. His leg began bouncing with nervous energy.

And then—just when he was about to snap—Gremory appeared.

Or rather, she walked past the drawing room. The dining hall was in that direction. She didn’t even glance his way, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Panicked, Kenneth jumped up and blocked her path.

“Mori! Haha! You came to see me after all!”

“…Who are you?”

“Kenneth Ortega. Catherine Ortega’s older brother.”

“Oh. Ortega. The redhead who tried to steal my seat at the tea party.”

There was an edge in her voice. Kenneth flinched and thrust something at her.

“I-I brought this for you! A brooch made of Oriennite, recently found in our duchy’s mines. I figured you’d recognize the name—it’s quite famous.”

“Why are you giving me this?”

“Well, it’s just that…”

“You think a rock can make up for your sister’s rudeness? No thanks. When’s her next tea party? I’ll show up and wreck it myself.”

Her bluntness caught Kenneth off guard.

“M-My apologies. I’ll apologize on Catherine’s behalf.”

“Not good enough. Have her apologize in person—to Isollen, the host of that party. Not me.”

With that, Gremory turned her back and walked toward the dining room, muttering something about being too hungry for this nonsense.

At that moment, Kenneth’s mask cracked.

“I didn’t expect you to be like this, filthy black-haired brat.”

“…?”

“Don’t even know where you came from—picked up off the street—and you dare toy with me? Damn, you should be grateful your master banned witch hunts.”

Gremory raised her middle finger and kept walking.

Kenneth shouted after her:

“You’ll regret this! Even if you beg later, you’ll never get another Oriennite again!”

“Oh, okay.”

And with that, the brooch vanished from Kenneth’s hand—and appeared in Gremory’s middle-finger-wielding one.

He stared at his empty palm.

“W-What? What kind of trick—?!”

“Idiot.”

She strolled into the dining hall and casually handed the brooch to a passing maid.

“Here. It’s yours.”

“M-Me? You’re giving this to me?”

“Yeah. I don’t care about rocks.”

Kenneth watched in silent rage, too proud to ask for it back. He stormed out of the Grand Duke’s estate.

Meanwhile, two people secretly watching the scene allowed themselves small smiles.

 

Isollen and Chesion—each hidden in a different corner—had been observing Gremory the entire time.