"It hasn't disappeared completely," Lucrezia sighed, standing behind
Tinasha in the spacious bath paved with white stone.
Tinasha was sitting on a low stool as she washed her hair, and on her
back was a light-brown mark roughly the size of a child's handprint. After
her magic had recovered and she woke up, the two witches had purged the
traces of alkakia left on her skin. But even after they'd finished treating
Tinasha's whole body, there was one mark that refused to heal.
Lucrezia frowned at the singular blemish marring Tinasha's milky white
skin. "I'll concoct a magic serum later to make it fade in color."
"I really don't mind. It's not a spot anyone will see, after all. Thank
you," Tinasha replied.
"You need to take proper care of it! Although…I suppose this will teach
the man who sees it a good lesson," Lucrezia mused.
"Why would anyone look there? I can't even see it myself."
"..." Lucrezia let out a little sigh. Turning back, she sank into the
deep tub.
They weren't in the bathroom attached to Tinasha's chambers but rather
the sizable Farsas Castle baths. Steam drifted up to the high ceilings of the
expansive room built of ceramic and alabaster. The soaking tub was big
enough to swim in.
Typically, only royalty could use these baths; the two witches were the
only ones present.
Lucrezia amused herself by making bubbles foam up in the water as she
gazed at Tinasha, who was still absorbed in combing out her long black
tresses in the shower area. Lucrezia said to her idly, "I've stuck with you
this long, and you still manage to shock me."
The Witch of the Azure Moon's red lips quirked up as she laughed and
replied, "I appreciate it."
After her bath, Lucrezia immediately returned to her home in the forest.
Tinasha bid farewell to her friend and teleported to her bedroom, where
she began to dry her long hair in front of the vanity mirror. Pamyra noticed
she was back and came in to help her.
"Lady Tinasha, His Majesty would like to see you once you're done
getting ready," she said.
"All right," answered Tinasha, still reeling slightly with sleepiness.
Oscar had come to see her after she'd woken from her coma, but
Lucrezia had shouted, "She needs rest!" and chased him out of the room.
This would be their first chance since the attack on the castle to really talk.
"What do you want to wear? Lady Lucrezia left quite a few outfits,"
Pamyra remarked.
"I'd be asking for trouble if I wore anything that pervert picked out,"
retorted Tinasha. Pamyra gave a weak smile, and the witch sighed. If
Lucrezia had sent over clothing, it was undoubtedly for the purpose of
irritating Tinasha. Indeed, everything she'd picked had to be on the
revealing side.
Pamyra selected a white silk gown for her lady and took pains to dress
her up to match it. She combed Tinasha's long jet-black locks out carefully,
then placed a white silk flower in her hair next to her left ear. The witch's
cheeks and lips were a little pale, so Pamyra applied some light makeup to
give Tinasha some color. Still feeling sluggish and languid, the witch let her
do as she pleased.
Once she was ready, Tinasha teleported to outside the study door. She
knocked on it and went inside.
Oscar was inside, but so were Chief Mage Kumu and several of the
magistrates. They were all taken aback by the beautiful sight of her in her
white gown. The king's eyebrows rose a fraction. "What are you doing? I
would've come to you if you'd just waited."
"I teleported here, so it was no trouble. Am I intruding?"
"Not at all," answered Oscar, gesturing her over. She came over to him,
and he pulled her onto his lap. He checked along her exposed ivory skin to
see if it was healed, then pressed a kiss to her forehead.
As the magistrates observed the king treat the witch as delicately as a
fragile object, they exchanged glances with one another. They weren't sure
if they should leave the room or not. With an awkward look on his face,
Kumu herded everyone out. Once Oscar and Tinasha were left alone, she
gave him a put-out look. "I knew I'd be intruding."
"It's fine. More importantly, I'm going to have you take that off later."
"Why?" she retorted.
"I want to make sure you're all healed."
"I'm all healed!" Tinasha cried, balling her hands into fists and screwing
them up against his temples.
The attack didn't seem to cause Oscar any pain; he was calm as he
persisted, "It won't hurt anything, so just let me do it."
"It'll hurt my mood," the witch shot back, evading his grasp and floating
up into the air.
Her response to Oscar's antics was no different than normal, which left
him feeling suspicious. He hadn't thought he needed to confirm a certain
point with her, but it turned out that he did.
"What am I to you?"
The classic question. Tinasha frowned and answered flatly, "We have a
contract."
Oscar collapsed onto his desk.
Part of him had expected that, but a wave of exhaustion still swept over
him upon his hearing it for real. It went a little past fatigue; helpless
laughter bubbled up inside him.
Tinasha cast a strange look at the man slumped over on his desk and
giggling to himself. She floated downward and ran her fingers through his
hair. "And you're important to me."
"Oh yeah?" Oscar asked, laughing even harder.
Tinasha scowled slightly. Was some aftereffect of the poison making
him loopy? The entire time she'd known him, she had never been able to
tell what would set him off and make him chuckle.
"What is it…?" she asked warily.
"Nothing, it's just…I'd like you to maybe give everything a little more
thought. Okay?" Oscar responded, wiping away tears and sighing with
amusement as he looked up at her. The witch cocked her head in confusion.
Now that he mentioned it, there did seem to be something she needed to
think about. It had seemed so important at the time, but with all the chaos
and being in a coma for three days, she'd forgotten about it. As she left
Oscar to his work and exited the study, she sorted through her memories,
trying to think of what it could be.
When the witch dropped in on the lounge, she found the usual gang of
mages was present, as were Als and Meredina.
Pamyra was there, too. Evidently, she'd invited Als and Meredina
because they wanted to see Tinasha. Everyone gave the witch a warm
welcome when she entered, which embarrassed her. She sank into a chair
and took a sip from a cup of tea Pamyra had made for her. The first topic of
discussion was the poison that had caused all the trouble.
Tinasha drew a circle in the air with her finger. "I caught a lucky break
and was able to create a blood serum for alkakia… So I've asked Lucrezia
to handle the analysis. If all goes well, I think we'll be able to mass-produce
the serum. However, there are still only minutes between alkakia poisoning
and death, so it'll be tricky to administer in other cases."
"Still, it makes a world of difference to actually have some sort of cure,"
insisted Kav, who specialized in potions. He looked very excited. While
alkakia was difficult to obtain, the more significant trouble had been the
lack of an antidote. Once the serum's existence became public, the deadly
substance should fall out of use.
Suddenly recalling something, Als snapped his fingers. "That reminds
me, who was the mastermind behind all this anyway? They summoned
those demonic spirits, planted Clara in the castle, and gave her the poisoned
needle, didn't they? That's not your average scheme. Do you think some
group is behind it?"
"Someone definitely tampered with my wards to launch the attack. They
made a hole in them that I didn't even notice. Obviously, a mage is
involved, but they must be frighteningly skilled. I don't suppose Clara has
said anything?" Tinasha said.
"Not a word. We can't get her to talk."
The culprit behind the attack on the king had already lost her mind.
Because she didn't have any information to barter for her life, it was only a
matter of time before she was executed. While the king had saved her life
once, in the end, she would die because of him anyway. Tinasha really
wasn't sure how to feel when she thought about that.
Regardless, it was Clara's choices that had gotten her here, and these
were the consequences. Tinasha didn't think Oscar needed to change
anything about his way of doing things. As his protector, Tinasha was the
one at fault for failing to guard him. She couldn't raise the precision on his
barrier so high that it could deflect needles; that would impede his daily
life. Even so, she should never have left his side during an invasion.
Though relieved that things hadn't gone past the point of no return, Tinasha
still felt remorse for her part in how things had transpired.
As everyone offered their opinions on the situation, the conversation
strayed into a casual chat. Tinasha recalled what had just happened in the
study and brought it up.
"…So I have no idea why he was laughing," the witch concluded,
wrapping up her story and looking to the group for answers. Their
expressions proved challenging to read. Doan and some others were
doubled over on the table guffawing, just like Oscar. Pamyra was rubbing at
her temples as if she felt a headache coming on.
Kav muttered, "His Majesty truly is something for laughing at that…"
Scratching at his head, Als asked Tinasha, "So you're really not aware?"
"Aware of what?" she responded.
"..."
All save the witch let out a sigh, realizing that while a cure for alkakia
had been made, there was still no cure for this.
Solemnly, Renart said, "Lady Tinasha, you should do some more serious
thinking, just as His Majesty said."
Her attendant's advice made the witch frown in bewilderment. "But I
don't know what I should be pondering…"
"Consider all the things you've done for His Majesty. Have you gone to
such lengths for past contract holders?" Renart questioned.
Tinasha cocked her head. The faces of many people she had known
before came to mind. "Hmmmmmm. It depended on the situation…I
think…"
"But His Majesty is a unique case, isn't he?"
"Probably… Yes, he is," Tinasha replied, and it sounded somewhat
childish.
While the witch wore an uneasy expression, the others observed her
exchange with Renart bearing looks ranging from concern to amusement.
"Why is he special?" Renart pressed, hoping to get his lady to finally
come to realize what her feelings meant.
"I-I'm not sure… Because I'm attached to him?"
The response immediately took the wind out of everyone's sails. All had
thought Tinasha would get it this time, but now they were back to square
one. At this rate, it would take a hundred years for things to work out.
Renart, however, remained undaunted. "Are you not in love with His
Majesty?"
"…What?"
Silence fell.
No one dared say a thing. The witch at the center of it all was
dumbfounded.
As everyone watched her with bated breath, Tinasha suddenly leaped to
her feet and started shaking Als by the neck—likely because he was sitting
closest to her.
"Am I?!" she cried.
"Don't ask me… And stop strangling me, please," he choked out. While
the witch's grip wasn't firm, it still hurt.
She released her hold on his neck, only to grab his shoulders and rock
the poor man that way. "But we have an age gap of over four hundred
years!"
"I don't think witches need to worry about age gaps…," Als murmured.
Magic began to leak from Tinasha, causing the glass panes to rattle in
the windows. Doan, who was sitting with his back to them, ducked down.
How could she be so clueless after all the time Oscar had spent making
very obvious advances on her and after she'd risked her life for him with no
hesitation?
Without saying it aloud, everyone thought some variation of It seems
that enduring four hundred years robs you of many things.
Discreetly, the mages erected barriers to protect against the growing
storm forming in the lounge with Tinasha as its eye.
"Me? Love him?" the witch muttered to herself in total shock.
A magical wind was starting to whip through the room. Kav hurried to
gather up all the books lying open on the desks and tables. Doan extended
his barrier to envelop Als and Meredina.
The gale grew mightier with each moment. Unfortunately, the source of
the gusts was in such a state of bewilderment that she wasn't aware. She
stood in the center of the storm, staring down at her hands. "I didn't think I
could feel that way about anyone…"
"I think you do, though…," interjected Sylvia hesitantly.
At her wit's end, the witch looked to the others and asked, "Would you
mind if we put this to a vote?"
"I don't know why it's come to that, but go ahead…," replied Sylvia.
"Who thinks I love Oscar?" the witch inquired, sounding almost too
easygoing about it.
All present exchanged glances before sheepishly raising their hands.
The witch's jaw dropped. "Wh-what in the world?!"
Very shortly after, there was a loud shattering sound.
Lucrezia was finally relaxing after arriving home when her friend blew in
like a hurricane. The Witch of the Forbidden Forest arched an eyebrow.
Tinasha's hair was all in disarray, and Lucrezia eyed her dubiously. "Did
something happen?"
"No, nothing major. I'm just going to make us dinner, if that's okay?"
answered Tinasha.
"Sure… But first, brew some tea. And change those clothes," Lucrezia
instructed, pointing to the white gown that was not at all suited to
housework.
Tinasha shrugged, unbothered. Even if she'd had the time to put
something else on, she wasn't in the state of mind to consider that. She
borrowed a short black dress from Lucrezia. However, the two witches'
taste in attire was quite different, and Tinasha's legs were quite exposed in
this outfit. Still, it was easy to move around in, so she decided not to fuss
over it.
Tinasha made dinner, and the pair sat across from each other at the
dining table just like old times. Bit by bit, Lucrezia drew the story of what
had happened out of Tinasha. When the meal was finished, she looked
utterly exasperated. "I can't believe you… You've been incredibly slow to
notice. Maybe the last person."
"Really?"
"Yes," Lucrezia stated bluntly, taking a sip of tea so she wouldn't sigh.
Across the table, Tinasha was moaning with a dismayed look on her
face. Lucrezia rested her chin in her hands, losing heart at how Tinasha
looked exactly as she did when facing a particularly difficult-to-parse spell
configuration.
Ever since Tinasha and Oscar had formed their contract, Lucrezia had
felt like she always had to find some excuse to poke her nose into the
younger witch's business.
Wasn't this visit, then, proof that the situation genuinely rattled Tinasha?
Up until now, she had handled everything with perfect aplomb, solving any
issue all on her own—excepting the century before she started living in her
tower, of course.
Lucrezia eyed her friend, who looked to be on the precipice of diving
into a maze of her own thoughts. She set down her teacup and placed one
red-painted finger at Tinasha's forehead.
"I don't understand how you've thought it over so many times without
knowing for sure. How about you just be honest with yourself? You've
loved him for a very long time now."
"Why?!" Tinasha exclaimed.
"Don't turn that on me. I'm the one who wants to ask you—how is it
that you aren't aware? Oh, I'm so sick of spirit sorcerers. This is what
happens when you're laced up too tight for over four hundred years."
"I don't want to hear that from a pervert like you!" retorted Tinasha.
"You're the only one who's always calling me a pervert!" snapped
Lucrezia.
They sounded like squabbling children.
Tinasha realized she was losing her temper and took some deep breaths.
She slumped over the table, then looked up at Lucrezia just like she had
when she was in her teenager's body. "I guess you might be right…"
"I do think that's what it is," Lucrezia said primly.
"Urgh…," Tinasha moaned, entirely at a loss. She didn't understand a
thing no matter how much thought she gave it. She couldn't get a solid
grasp on it.
Lucrezia told Tinasha to be honest with herself, but Tinasha was afraid
that she would change if she acknowledged those feelings.
Again, her thoughts turned to Oscar. His incredibly arresting eyes
flashed in her mind's eye. Unconsciously, she murmured, "…The only thing
I can do is kill him."
"Why has it come to that?! Are you completely out of your mind?"
Lucrezia shouted, slapping the table at her friend's insane methodology.
Then she sagged down, feeling totally drained.
After finishing his work for the day, Oscar tracked down Pamyra and asked
where Tinasha was. The servant was evasive, only answering, "I think
she'll visit you soon," with a wincing smile.
In any case, the witch didn't appear to be in the castle. Instead, Oscar
received a report that a table in the lounge had split in two, and Tinasha
would be paying for its replacement.
"What does she think she's doing…?"
She'd probably smashed the piece of furniture on some whim, and that
also likely had something to do with why she was out of the castle. Oscar
returned to his room and thought back on the conversation they'd had in his
study as he changed clothes.
Tinasha was so unpredictable and difficult to read that it was highly
entertaining. It was a good thing that Oscar never tired of watching her.
Chuckling to himself, he looked out the window and saw that it was
already pitch-black outside. Witch or not, Tinasha was still recovering, and
Oscar worried over whether she'd return by the day's end.
Thankfully, his concerns were unwarranted, as Tinasha teleported
directly into his bedroom without knocking on the window.
Oscar was taken aback by the odd urgency of her actions, but she either
didn't notice this or paid it no heed as she zoomed over to him in midair and
grabbed him by the shoulders. "Oscar, can I talk to you?!"
"Whoa. What's going on?"
"I thought about it and thought about it but really don't understand.
Earlier, I asked everyone's opinions, and I've decided to go with the
majority vote!" Tinasha stated hurriedly.
"What are you on about?" Oscar demanded. He had no idea what she
was saying. This went beyond her usual esoteric behavior. It was outright
incomprehensible.
Feeling a headache coming on, Oscar set the witch down on the floor
and left her there. He went to sit down on his bed and heaved a fatigued
sigh. "Well?" he asked, prompting her to go on.
"Am I in love with you?!" she exclaimed.
"…Even the way you break down is ridiculous."
Tinasha stared at Oscar, truly at the end of her rope.
She felt like, all day long, she'd astonished and appalled everyone she
spoke to. Was it really that obvious?
He is special to me.
That much was self-evident.
Yet Tinasha didn't feel at all confident about giving a name to that
feeling.
This was an emotion she'd never experienced in all her years.
There was an unquestionable heat in the depths of her body and soul.
It was like a pool of warm water—something flickering like a flame that
would never go out.
Left unable to define it, Tinasha wished desperately to give it a name.
Oscar stared at the witch and beheld the earnest intensity of her gaze. A
rueful smile tugged at his lips. He blinked slowly and then turned it into a
proper grin. "Yes. It's about time you realized it, don't you think?"
He held out a hand to her.
She was looking at him with those clear, beautiful eyes, just as she had
when they first met.
"Come here," he invited, low and gentle, and she took one hesitant step
forward.
Tinasha approached carefully, step by step, until she was in his arms.
There was something both childish and mature about her all at the same
time. Gazing up at her, Oscar brushed the tips of his thumbs along her
cheeks. "Why are you crying?"
Tears, like tiny crystals, spilled from the ebon of Tinasha's eyes.
The warm droplets clung to her long dark eyelashes before dripping onto
Oscar's hands.
Now that he pointed it out, Tinasha realized she was indeed crying.
The warmth in her heart had turned into tears and fell onto his hands.
I've finally found my way here.
It had taken so long, but perhaps it was over now.
Tinasha took Oscar's face between her hands. She stared into his blue
eyes, which were trained right on her.
These were the eyes of the man who was more precious to her than
anything. Her voice came out in a shaky whisper. "I can't comprehend it at
all… But…I'm so glad I met you."
After that, she had no more words.
The witch now knew what the emotion she couldn't name was.
Oscar listened intently, feeling Tinasha's words seep down deep into
him, and tenderly wiped away her tears.
"I'm very honored," he replied, as any ordinary young man would've,
and he broke into a happy smile.
She didn't want to go mad. She'd had enough of madness brought on by
strong emotions.
Love and hate weren't needed. Attachments were pointless.
All she had to do was look at everything as if it were a world very far
away from her. As if she were the only odd creature out. There was no need
to get involved with anyone, she wouldn't get too close, and she'd never
change.
That's the way things had forever been.
However, there was no longer any need to walk through the centuries.
She was at her destination.
When Oscar awoke, it was already past sunup.
This was rare for him, as he was someone who rose with the dawn.
Oscar sat up in bed and looked over to see his witch sleeping peacefully
next to him.
As he softly ruffled her hair, he remembered the mark the poison had
left on her body. He could almost see the look of See what you did? on
Lucrezia's face.
That blemish was a warning for him.
Oscar knew that every time he saw the thing, it would needle at him like
a thorn caught in a wound. Holding on to that pain would be part of his life
with her.
Tinasha must have felt his petting because she blinked her bleary eyes
open. She gazed at him sleepily.
"Morning," he said.
"Mmm…," she groaned, giving a little shake of her head. Her long
eyelashes almost shut again.
Oscar stared as she tried to curl up like a cat. "You really do have a hard
time getting out of bed. I knew it."
Back when they had shared a room in the fortress, Tinasha had been a
late riser, though circumstances had left her completely exhausted. Still, it
was very possible that the witch was actually not a morning person and had
just pretended to be high functioning in front of him up until now.
Tinasha rubbed at her eyes over and over again. Holding a hand up, she
stared at the ceiling, then glanced over to see who was next to her. "Good…
morning…?"
Her voice sounded incredibly drowsy. Oscar couldn't help but burst out
laughing.
His laughter brought her back to full consciousness little by little, until
she finally grasped what was occurring. She brought one hand up to cover
her reddening face.
"What's the matter?" Oscar teased, an evil smirk on his face. When she
saw it, she frowned. The drowsiness faded from her dark orbs, and they
flashed with intelligence again.
She sat up gracefully, tugging the blanket over to conceal herself. With
one hand, she reached out to caress Oscar's cheek while she pressed a kiss
to his lips. Then she pulled back, blinked once, and gave him a smile so
radiant it threatened to melt his soul.
"I love you," she whispered in a clear voice, and Oscar beamed and
clutched her tight.
"It's hard to cast spells…," Tinasha sighed, looking down at the
configuration in her palms. She was back in the lounge where just
yesterday, she'd split a table in two. While she had replaced the piece of
furniture she'd destroyed, the best course of action would've been not to
obliterate anything in the first place. That was why she was taking the
initiative to set up a barrier in the lounge, but she was tripping over a very
predictable obstacle.
The usual group of mages was gathered at the new table. Doan sat
closest to her, and he asked, "Miss Tinasha, what's the matter?"
"Ah, nothing… I've just run into something."
She could draw up the framework of the spell just as before, but she now
needed much more magic to activate it. She might have to adjust the
framework itself.
Tinasha cast a few spells that didn't use spiritual magic and examined
them in her palm. She could use these just as she had before, but if she was
going to adjust her spells, she might as well change them altogether. The
witch wasn't at all averse to creativity or hard work. She'd made great use
of both countless times in the past.
Pulling herself together, Tinasha drew up a new barrier spell. "This
should do for now. I guess I'll fine-tune it up to the fifth sequence later."
"Are you changing the basic configuration of the spell?" asked Pamyra,
also a spirit sorcerer, with some confusion.
The witch nodded. "If I don't rearrange it from the bottom up, I have a
feeling it'll mean trouble later."
"…Got it. So that's what happens now that you're no longer a spirit
sorcerer," remarked the king, who shouldn't have been in the room at all.
"Oscar?!" yelped Tinasha in what was practically a shriek.
Oscar, who had just happened to be passing by with Lazar in tow, took
in everyone's gaze and burst out laughing. "Don't let it get to you. I don't
mind if you can't use magic anymore."
"I can use it just fine! I just need to use a little extra!" she snapped back.
"I'll take full responsibility and protect you for my entire life," he said
without hesitation.
"I am your protector! And don't say all that in front of other people,
dummy!" Tinasha spat back, having lost her temper.
Laughing, Oscar took her into his arms. He dropped a kiss on her
forehead, and she puffed out her cheeks in displeasure. Then, abruptly, the
furrows in her brow cleared away, and she smiled wide with joy.