Those charcoal-black lips spread a wide smile. Haggard and thin cheeks with a sharp nose and chin made her full-of-wrinkles face look long. Her thin white hair was not covered by a hat this time, just to make her look even more hideous.
A girl with light-blond hair stood at the corner of the messy and smelly room.
She was the complete opposite of the witch on the other side. Her lovely sculpted-by-God body was wrapped in a beautiful dress full of intricate embroidery and emitted the fragrance of flowers, woods, and dried fruits. Her pair of eyes depicted the clear morning sky of the spring season.
"Eternal beauty?" A chuckle escaped from the lips that locked the rows of rotten and pointed teeth.
The high-pitched voice snapped the beautiful girl out of her focus that had been attracted to the condition of the shabby little house. In fact, she was sure the chicken coop on her uncle's farm was much better than this.
The fingers of two hands intertwined, and the blonde girl nodded quickly. "Th-that's right. Can… you possibly do it?"
"Your question demeans me, young lady. I'm even surprised that you and dozens of your guards managed to reach my house. Hihihihi…" The skinny and hunchbacked witch rose from her rocking chair. "Isn't your hard work proclaiming that I am the only great witch here?"
"Yes, you are, ma'am. You are the greatest. At least, that's what my mother said," The girl muttered.
"Hm…" The witch glanced at her. She walked over to her and stood right in front of her small face.
Then, the witch's pointing finger lifted and touched the girl's chin with her dirty, sharp fingernail. "What was your name earlier, darling?"
Holding her breath, the girl gulped and replied, "Triana. Triana Rexa Gelev."
"Oh… Such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl," The Witch laughed as she left the girl named Triana.
"My husband is Duke Stephen Gelev. He has helped in many wars and is one of the king's favourites." explained a graceful middle-aged woman who was standing beside Triana.
"Well, that's impressive. However… did I ask? Hihihi..." The witch replied.
Triana glanced at her mother who had the same look of horror as her. That witch was indeed weird, even stranger than the rumours circulating.
"Then, can you grant our wish for our beloved daughter? We will give you a plentiful pleasant reward," said Triana's mother. Her name was Catherine Rovenia Gelev.
"Money and wealth. They are happiness, indeed. That's what you always, greedy people rely on. Even that beauty…" The witch turned to Triana. She smiled widely. "You use it to gain happiness, don't you?"
The witch's words made Triana bite her lip. She didn't know if this was a coincidence or not. However, she had only just realized it.
Being born with beauty made many people admire Triana, even when she was still a newborn.
A king of their kingdom immediately made an agreement with Triana's father to marry her to his third prince when Triana turned 22 years old. Unfortunately, until at the age of 23, the prince had not yet returned from his great assignment to conquer an over sea kingdom.
Her mother, sisters, aunts, and her father himself told Triana that she was at her peak age. But like a flower, it didn't bloom forever. After that short time, it would close and wither eventually.
If Triana's beauty withered when the prince returned, he might cancel their marriage because he was not satisfied with Triana's appearance which was no longer what he had hoped for. He would look for a girl who was younger and more beautiful than her. When it happened, all of the Gelevs' hopes would crumble.
Triana was aware that her beauty was the source of the happiness and affection she had received so far. She did not want to end up like those who had an unattractive appearance so they were always marginalized. She wanted to maintain her beauty – her happiness.
"God has blessed me with beauty so that I can be useful to my family. Not only for me, but this beauty is also a source of happiness for the people around me. This beauty has more meaning than what you have just mentioned. Only people who have it will understand about it," Triana said.
"Oh, Love, you don't have to tell her that," Catherine whispered.
Triana's frowned. "That was what father told me. He said that I should be proud of this. And I'm doing it now,"
"You have to understand the situation, my love," Catherine replied tiredly.
Suddenly, the sound of laughter made the two women turn their heads in surprise.
While wiping the corners of her lips which were drooling from laughing too hard, the witch nodded her head. "You are a brave girl, my dear. Your words are true. You have been blessed by being born so beautifully. Of course, you have to take advantage of it, defend it, and boast about it."
"In honour of your beauty, I will grant your wish, but on one condition," She continued.
"What is the condition? Whatever the price, we will pay," Catherine said.
"Hihihi... I already said that I don't need money, didn't I? I just want you to do something, beautiful lady," The witch pointed at Triana.
She took a tiny glass bottle filled with a glowing green liquid, and then looked up at Triana. "In the middle of the forest of death, there is an abandoned castle that has imprisoned a vampire, a descendant of Dracula. Make him drink this potion,"
"A Dracula? Weren't... they massacred in the war a hundred years ago?" Catherine asked in horror.
The witch smiled broadly. "There's still the strongest one left." Then, she swiftly waved her hand and continued, "But you don't have to be afraid. He is chained with magic chains. I have a grudge against him and want to make him suffer, but I can't do it alone. And you... you will do it for me,"
Triana and Catherine stared at each other for a moment. Then Catherine nodded slowly before turning back to the witch.
"Very well. I will do-"
"Oops!" The witch pulled the potion back. "I said that the beautiful young lady should do it, didn't I? Who wants to get eternal beauty here?"
"Oh, is that… necessary?" Catherine muttered.
The witch's eyes narrowed. She looked at the mother and daughter in front of her. "Should this be done or not?"
"I'll do it myself. But you have to swear that my beauty will truly last forever." Triana said directly.
"Hm... Hihihi.." The witch smiled broadly. "I'll swear if you swear too," she said as she opened the cap of the tiny bottle in her hand.
"I swear I'll do it myself," Triana said again even though there was a slight vibration in her voice.
With the smile still on her face, the witch extended her palm to Triana. "Your hand, please,"
After briefly exchanging glances at her mother, Triana placed her tiny hand on the witch's rough and wrinkled palm.
Turning Triana's hand that was in her grip, the witch stuck her sharp nail on the tip of Triana's pointing finger.
"Ouch!" Triana bit her lower lip as the nail made her finger bleed.
The pressure on Triana's finger by the witch made more and more blood flow out of it. Then, the witch pointed the finger at the mouth of the potion bottle. Blood dripped inside.
The smile returned to the witch's face. She let go of Triana's hand. Then, she went to her potion rack and added a drop of purple liquid to it.
"Your oath is already fused in this potion. If you don't give it to the vampire yourself, then not only will you fail to attain eternal beauty, but you will also become ugly for fifty years."
"What?!" Triana and her mother exclaimed at the same time.
"Hahaha!" The witch laughed loudly at the faces of the arrogant woman and daughter.
"Why are you doing this?!" Catherine asked loudly, while Triana started crying in her arms.
The witch shrugged her shoulders as she stepped back into her rocking chair. "Didn't she swear she would do it herself? If you women really didn't mean to deceive me..." she smiled widely as she looked at them, "you wouldn't have been afraid now,"