TWLW 42

chapter 42

“Haha! Don’t flatter me too much. Hmph. Still, thanks to my wife taking care of me with tonics and health food lately, I’m feeling quite good.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Rudels, watching their conversation, sipped his tea before turning to Akin with a question.

“Come to think of it, the Tyres family doesn’t seem to have arrived yet.”

Akin blinked his eyelashes and replied,

“I heard through someone that their carriage wheels got stuck in the mud on the way. A carrier pigeon came saying they’d be delayed.”

“Tsk, tsk. Tyres, really. I heard there’s been heavy rain in their territory—what a mess.”

The marquis clicked his tongue, agreeing, and sipped the tea before him.

At that moment, footsteps echoed down the corridor.

Since they were all beastfolk, they reacted sensitively to even such faint sounds, rising to greet the one approaching.

“His Majesty the King enters!”

At those words, everyone turned toward the opening doors and bowed.

It was the entrance of the Beast Kingdom’s monarch—King Melford Dian Haires.

“Thank you all for coming here. You’ve gathered well.”

At his words, everyone raised their heads.

Despite being over a hundred years old, the king’s face retained the youthful features of someone in their thirties.

Once King Melford took the central seat, the rest also sat down. And as soon as they did, the king spoke directly to the matter at hand.

“You all know the reason for this gathering.”

He looked slowly around the room as he spoke.

Everyone nodded.

Rudels discreetly glanced at Akin Radiance’s face. Akin, with a calm expression, simply sipped his tea and looked at the king. Meanwhile, Vollepino sat tight-lipped, his eyes shifting around.

Rudels clicked his tongue inwardly at the contrast between the two houses’ representatives.

Both of them only have suspicion, no proof… tch.

It was truly a vexing matter.

The families under suspicion were the Vollepinos and the Radiance. Among them, the most suspicious was the noble faction—the Radiance family.

But neither had any evidence against them. If even Rusel’s men couldn’t find anything, it meant the culprits had moved without leaving behind a single trace.

Rudels closed his eyes, his head throbbing, as he looked at his uncle, King Melford.

Although his uncle had pitied him and arranged this meeting for his sake, the hopelessness remained the same as always.

I wonder if Iriel got inside safely.

If the fact that Iriel was a witch were exposed here, who knew what disaster might occur.

In this gathering, the only ones aware of her true identity were Rudels and King Melford.

She mustn’t come to harm…

Rudels swallowed dryly, trying hard to maintain a calm expression.

Even if he had only brought her along for a deal, he couldn’t help thinking it might have been a mistake.

But… this is the best option we have.

His mouth felt parched with nervousness.

Meanwhile, a pair of brown eyes gleamed coldly as they studied him. Akin gave a faint smirk before returning to a face of attentive composure as he listened to the king—his leonine languidness on full display.

While everyone glanced at each other cautiously, the king turned his eyes toward Rudels.

A subtle nod.

Rudels lowered his eyes, trying not to draw attention.

Then, the king swept his gaze over the still-not-fully-gathered loyal families, and finally opened his firmly shut lips.

“Then, let us now discuss that incident.”

An even heavier and more suffocating tension than during the meeting at the castle slowly filled the Vollepino marquis’s villa.

After parting ways with the busy Rudels, I followed a servant toward the room assigned to me.

“My lady, this will be your room.”

The servant guided me to an ornate door, speaking with a kind smile.

“Thank you.”

I gave a polite nod in return.

“Not at all. Please rest well, then.”

With that, he walked away down the corridor.

I entered the room, glancing around carefully. No one seemed to be watching me.

But not being able to use magic freely is a bit inconvenient.

If I used magic here, there was no doubt I’d be caught, and it could blow up into a national issue.

Especially since His Majesty the King of the Beast Kingdom is here…

Even if permitted, under the nobles’ pressure, it could end with my execution.

Just imagining the worst possible outcome chilled the atmosphere around me.

I shook my head and opened the door.

Absolutely. Positively! I mustn’t use magic.

Recalling the beastfolk’s unnerving sensitivity to magic, I vowed to myself.

That’s the only way I’ll survive. Yep.

I set my luggage not far from the door and headed straight for the bed.

Collapsing into the mattress, I stared at the mirror hanging on the vanity opposite the bed.

Staring back at me was the white hair and strange violet eyes I’d hated so much back in the Witch Kingdom, gleaming faintly.

Blankly, I remembered what Rudels had said to me in the carriage.

[Because of those very traits, you draw people to you.]

Whoosh—

At his words, my face flushed again, my pale cheeks burning red.

Feeling suddenly self-conscious, I fiddled with my hair as I stared into the mirror.

The sight overlapped with memories of my childhood—tearful eyes, trying desperately to hide my hair under my cloak.

“How could I possibly draw people to me?”

It seemed Rudels’s eyes saw me strangely.

After all—

“I was a loner…”

A notorious outcast even within the Witch Kingdom!

And yet, I could tell his words weren’t just empty flattery. They weren’t lies.

But why?

Yawning softly, my eyelids drooped heavily.

Not only Rudels’s words, but the emotional exhaustion in the carriage had drained me, leaving me mentally fatigued.

Sleepiness clouded my head.

“I really should… look around today…”

I needed to confirm whether there were traces of magic here.

But in this condition, if I went out, I’d collapse right away.

Just… a little nap.

Yes. Just until that little hand on the clock moves once.

Pressing my aching head into the soft sheets, I slowly drifted into sleep.

Tick—tock—tick—tock—

The sound of the clock startled me awake.

I sat up quickly and glanced at the wall clock.

Thankfully, it hadn’t been more than an hour.

“Th-thank goodness…”

But when I looked at the window, the sun was already tilting low, and my hands trembled.

“I-I need to hurry!”

I threw on my red cloak, my uncombed hair flying, and rushed outside.

Careful not to be overheard by the servants, I slipped quietly down the stairs and out into the open air. Only then did I breathe a deep sigh.

“Phew.”

Pulling my hood lower, I headed toward the back garden.

“No way they’d leave it out in the front yard.”

If any magic or poison had been used openly there, the beastfolk would’ve noticed immediately.

If such things existed here but had gone undetected, that could only mean one thing.

“A place no one could see, hear, or smell…”

And such underhanded methods, as a witch, I knew all too well.

Because witches always practiced their magic where no one could see.

Though witches often put on a show of flashiness, in truth, they were just as secretive and selfish about magic as sorcerers.

They couldn’t stand to let others gain from their own magic.

That’s why people called witches even more selfish than sorcerers.

Since I had also trained my healing magic in hiding, I could easily sniff out the places most suited for secrecy.

I wandered through the back garden, heightening my senses to detect even the faintest trace of mana.

The hedge maze at the back was especially suspicious.

Beautifully trimmed paths and hedges—an ideal place for someone to sneak in and do something sinister.

Stepping into the maze’s entrance, I glanced around cautiously, then took a deep breath.

Even amid the gentle breeze and fragrant flowers, I searched for any trace of mana.

But I felt nothing, which left me a little unsettled.

Th-this is just the entrance, after all.

I convinced myself and ventured deeper inside.

After some time, passing walls of hedges as tall as myself, I sensed something was wrong.

Wait—where am I?

I had gotten lost inside the hedge maze.

Looking around, I let out a groan under my breath.

“No…”

This can’t be happening, Iriel.

“If you go all the way inside without even thinking of how to get out, what are you doing?!”

Even if I wanted to go back, I no longer knew the way. Panic welled up.

I stomped my feet in frustration, unable to move forward or back.

If I wandered around in panic, I might never escape.

For a moment, I even considered using magic to get out—but this was the marquis’s garden, so even that option felt too risky.

Step. Step.

Then—someone’s footsteps approached.

Ack!

I froze, every hair on my body standing on end.

Should I run?

But the unhurried rhythm of those steps made it impossible to move rashly.