Chapter 35

His Highness Lian’s Curse

Near Magnolia was a writing desk and chair—if she hit them, it would likely cause significant pain.
Depending on how she twisted her ankle, she could end up with a severe injury like mine.

(That was unbelievably… excruciatingly painful!!)

Come to think of it, who healed that injury of mine?

The sudden question was swept away by urgency.

It would be cruel to let her experience that kind of pain.
Having known it myself, I could say that with certainty.

Determined not to let another suffer, I reached out.
But, as expected—I wasn’t fast enough.

“…!”

Even so, I stretched my hand forward, forward.
At that moment—

Suddenly, Magnolia’s body unnaturally froze in place.

“…!?”

My hesitation lasted only a split second.
I immediately grabbed her wrist.

Pulling her toward me with force, I embraced her.

“Are you alright!?”

I quickly stepped back, keeping my hands on her shoulders as I peered into her face.

She still looked shaken.
Her tense expression wavered, her gaze darting before finally settling on me.

“Uh, yes… Um, just now—”

“What?”

When I asked, she paused briefly, then shook her head.

“…No, it’s nothing. Sorry for showing you something unsightly. You’re the Witch of Grief, aren’t you?”

She pushed my shoulders to step away.

Where had her earlier energy gone? Magnolia spoke calmly.

“I’m the daughter of the Everett Ducal House, Magnolia Everett. I came to speak with you, the Witch of Grief.”

“…Yes.”

“Whether you’re truly from five hundred years ago or not, I have a request.”

As expected, she was skeptical of my origins.
She spoke to me matter-of-factly.

“Probably something trivial,” Zax interjected.

“What…!?”

Magnolia’s mouth opened as if to retort, but she quickly cleared her throat.

“Ahem. Let’s ignore that man. I want to become His Highness Lian’s fiancée. So, could you break that curse for me?”

Magnolia seemed to regain her earlier vigor after Zax’s interruption, placing a hand on her hip and speaking clearly.

I—

“…Pardon?”

I let out a dumbfounded sound.
Her [request] was so out of the blue.

(She wants to be His Highness Lian’s fiancée… so I should break the charm unique magic??)

As I stood there, bewildered, Magnolia raised an eyebrow.

“Ugh, you’re so slow! Don’t you get it? As long as that’s there, His Highness Lian can’t have a proper romance. He’s already distrustful of women because of Angela…”

“Angela?”

I asked again.
It felt like we weren’t on the same page.
She had been looking for me, the [Witch of Grief].

(I’m not a witch… Is there no way to fix this title…?)

For the record, I’m not grieving either.
As I mulled this over, I thought for a few seconds.

Tick, tock, tick, tock.
…Ding!

Having reached a conclusion, I clapped my hands.

“I see! Lady Magnolia, you’re in love with His Highness Lian, aren’t you?”

“—!!”

At my question, her face flushed bright red.
Like a perfectly ripe apple.
A very easy-to-read reaction.

(Did I say that too bluntly…?)

Not quite following the flow, I’d blurted it out, but maybe I should’ve kept quiet and read the room.
She looked stunned but quickly flushed again, this time with anger, and raised her voice.

“W-What!? Is there something wrong with that!? …Yes, I love His Highness Lian. That’s why I want to be his fiancée! Because of Angela’s meddling, he won’t even give me the time of day!! So, we need to break that curse! Got it!?”

“He doesn’t give you the time of day because of your personality,” Zax quipped.

“Zax, shut up!!”

Magnolia snapped sharply, cleared her throat with a “Cough,” and spoke clearly to me.

“In short, Witch-sama, that curse is terribly inconvenient for me. It feels like Angela’s lingering attachment is clinging to him, and it puts me in a bad mood. So, if you’re truly the Witch of Grief from five hundred years ago, from the Tsoabella Dynasty, prove your power.”

Overwhelmed by her rapid-fire speech, I was momentarily stunned but then asked:

“Who… is Angela?”

“…You haven’t heard? Angela is—”