Aella blinked severally to make sure she was seeing properly.
She looked at the person before her from head to toe with speculation in her oceanic orbs.
"What do you want, sweet buns?" the lovely voice rang out with a delicate smile.
The lady standing before Aella was one to be mistaken for a noble maiden in the eyes of many.
From the luxurious forest green gown, she wore with a black outward corset laced behind her back to the extravagant sparkling pieces of jewellery flashing on her porcelain skin.
Her dark orange hair which resembled a shade of caramel cascaded down her shoulders in glamourous curls and the eyes that stared her up with curiosity were a deep shade of brown.
This-This definitely could not be the witch. That was Aella's first thought.
"I-I am looking for the witch, the one you serve," Aella let out with more clarity, deeming the lady in front of her to be only an errands girl to the wicked witch.
"Spare me the jest, I serve no one, mi darling. You are staring at who you demand," the lady placed her hand in the air with a haughty smile.
"W-What?" Aella did a double-take, wanting to find a feature of hers that acutely resembled the image of the witch she had in her head.
Aella had thought the person she would meet would be an old grimly looking lady with a hunched back and overripe pimples all on her wrinkled face.
One that her nails were as thick as wood and dirty like a sewer, she had thought that the mere sight of the witch would be so gruesome that she would have to look away immediately but this,
What she saw in front of her left her mesmerised as well as confused. This lady looked to be the Baron's daughter more than herself!
"I am the infamous witch, the Great Lumen Caramel," the lady muttered with a pleasant smile, seeming joyful at the mention of her name or maybe from the fear in Aella's eyes.
"So what do you want, dear guest? It's been utterly long since I had a visitor in this mundane workshop of mine but my skills of hosting are still very intact, mi dear. What do you desire?" Lumen didn't wait for her to reply before she started rummaging her shelves with vigour.
"I have lettuce and intestines mix, pumpkin mixed with apple cider and nails of a dragon, vinegar and oil mixture with a little bit of liver dust, or my favourite, broccoli with caramel and seashells!" the witch let out the odd menu with a seemingly straight face.
She seemed to have no idea that the mere names of the items she listed out horrified Aella to the core.
"W-Wait a second!" Aella placed her palm, finding it hard to comprehend that she was about to be served by a witch. THE Lumen Caramel.
"What? You don't fancy those?" the witch seemed hurt as she positioned her hand on her chest.
"Fret not! I shall make you some of my new recipes!" She belted out with gusto.
"N-No!"
"I am not here for that," Aella finally found her voice to speak clearly.
"I-I-"
"Wait a twinkling, your face…" the witch moved closer with narrowed eyes, making Aella rigid with anxiety.
What did she mean by her face? Does she like her face that she wanted to use it for one of her notorious potions?!
"You look rather familiar, have we met before?" the witch asked quizzically.
"No! No! This is our first meeting…ma'am," Aella shook her head vigorously.
She didn't even want to imagine where she would have met the Great Witch in the whole of Grenol Kingdom.
"No, I clearly remember you. Dawdle! You are the maiden who stole my gem!" the witch let out accusingly.
Aella's heart dropped to her stomach.
She had forgotten that she was the spitting image of the Aurelia who had taken what belonged to the witch.
Stunned by the accusation, she quickly put her hands in the air to clear off the allegation.
"No, no, I am not the one. That was my younger sister, we merely look the same but she is not me and I am not her!"
"Really?" the witch raised an eyebrow, still with suspicion on her face.
"Y-Yes! I am telling the truth!" Aella nodded her head so hard that she felt a slight ache at the back of her neck.
"I see, well you can't even deceive a witch if you wanted to. So, twin sister of a thief, what have you come looking for in my domain?"
Aella stood like a cowering cat in the presence of a menacing dog as the witch circled her with an air of scrutiny.
"I-I have come to pay off the debt. I don't know how much the gem cost but I brought some money that would hopefully appease your anger," Aella took the pouch from her belt as he handed it to the witch with her head down.
She sincerely hoped for her to accept it without any complaints so that she could just return home and think of today as a nightmare.
When she got no response, Aella lifted her head slightly to dissect why the witch had remained silent.
She became perplexed when she noticed the puzzlement on her face.
Terror gripped her immediately. What has she done to aggravate her now?!
"Heavens! I am deeply offended! How could you bring such a thing here?!" the witch spat.
"I-I am sorry, I know it's not enough but-"
"I don't give two sticks about the money, child! No amount of golden coins can ever buy such a precious gem, that was the only piece left on Earth and your clone took that!"
Aella felt despondency cloud her vision. Had Aurelia gotten into a much bigger problem than they assumed?!
"T-Then what can she do to repay you for your loss?" Aella queried.
"Naught! The gem is gone and nothing can bring it back! You should be thinking of the curse that had befallen your generation instead of coming here with needless pouches of glitters!" the witch waved her off indignantly.
The world crumbled in Aella's sight when she heard the witch's statement.
She was so struck with the shock that her hands lost the strength to hold the sac of money up.
"P-Pardon?" She blanched out, wanting to confirm what she had just heard.
"Why so pale? The gem has a natural order of cursing the one who lays hand on it without claiming ownership. I had owned the jewel but your inquisitive sister touched it without permission, causing a rift in the air to clammer on your entire family. The curse can't be stopped now, doom awaits not just you but the entire generation of your clan,"
Aella's vision had long died down as the witch's words hit her chest with the antagonising downfall she realised Aurelia had gotten them into.
She had brought a curse upon the Glatimors.