Chapter 5: It’s the Witch Who Casts Magic on the Princess

Chapter 5: It’s the Witch Who Casts Magic on the Princess

EVERY day was punctuated by heavy, gray clouds. Cold wintry winds blew autumn away, and the crisp smell of winter seeped into the morning mist. The chill in the air nipping at Rose’s nose foretold winter’s arrival.

Rose had a lot of visitors this year, which increased the need to make more candles. Stocking up on firewood wouldn’t be a bad idea, either.

Now where did I put my winter quilt and robe? There were a lot of winter supplies she had to dig out of storage, too.

She also wanted to go into the capital to exchange produce for rice husks and straw to sow in her field. But she might run into trouble because some of the cityfolk had seen her face this year.

Haa. Her sigh turned white.

Rose was busier than usual as she prepared for winter. Her days consisted of running around, both inside and outside her dwelling. Sometimes she went to the basement and sometimes to the attic, ending up with more dust and cobwebs stuck in her hair with every visit.

In the middle of her most hectic time, she heard the bell announce a visitor. Did Harij come again?

For reasons she couldn’t even begin to comprehend, Harij had ordered yet another love potion and started hanging out at her hovel for long periods of time again. Rose accepted him into her home with a mix of joy and fear, for she felt she was being sucked into some sort of game played by nobility. One she didn’t even know the rules for. It felt like playing a card game with a knife to her throat—ready to stab her at any moment. She would rather he just got the stabbing over with than have to put up with wondering when it was going to happen.

Love kindled over many years is tenacious and unyielding, which is why it can last so long. She had spent many nights crying until dawn, telling herself, “I’ll stop loving him,” but once morning came, her love hadn’t waned.

Hands full, Rose turned her back on the bell. Harij and Tien were about the only guests she would receive at this hour. Assuming those two men could find their way to her without assistance, Rose ignored the bell and resumed her task.

By the time she could finally take a break, darkness had fallen. The sun shone through the thick clouds, painting the mountain ridges golden. Fluffy clouds dyed the color of carrots, eggplant, and jasmine flowers sailed through the sky. The idyllic scene reflected gorgeously on the lake’s surface.

Rose truly loved these moments when she felt as if she were living inside a rainbow.

A cold breeze blew by as she lost track of time gazing at the sky. The sun set awfully early these days. She pulled her shawl closed at her neck and was about to hurry inside the hermitage when she remembered that the bell had rung during the afternoon.

Now that she thought about it, no one had spoken to her after that. Was the bell set off by another animal? It was hard to imagine the beasts of the woods roaming these parts during this season when they also had to prepare for the coming winter.

She peeked into the hermitage, half expecting him to be sitting there elegantly sipping tea at the table that was set up for his visits again. Empty.

Was it just a beast, then? She looked at the forest side and spotted a ball of cloth on the dock.

Annoyed by having to expend the extra effort, Rose grumpily pulled the small boat to her. Whipping her exhausted body into action, she rowed across the scarlet lake. Once at the forest’s shore, she pulled the hood tight around her face, then removed the lantern from the bow and beckoned to the bulging fabric.

“Might you be…a client?”

The bundle of cloth squirmed to life.

So it is a client. Rose stifled a sigh. Hours had gone by since the bell rang. Pick-up service wasn’t generally included in her business, but there was the occasional client who waited endlessly until she fetched them. It looked as if this client had whiled away the time by squatting on the dock.

A witch’s secret potions fetched a lofty price. Therefore, the upper echelons of society made up the better half of her clientele. Nobles didn’t want anyone to discover that they paid visits to such a shady area, so they typically sent a servant in their place. Nevertheless, there were some especially wacky types among the eccentrics who desired potions who liked to make the journey themselves.

And it was those eccentric clients who brought the most trouble to her doorstep.

“Mm? Someone finally came to get me?”

Rose grimly waited for the angry shout or the earful that usually followed.

But what Rose spied through the opening in the balled-up cloth were eyes brimming with youthful intelligence. The person soundlessly rose. Surprisingly, their eyes were almost level with Rose’s. The client folded back their red cloak, revealing their face.

“Are you the Witch? I’m not a client, but I do hope you will welcome me in.”

The visitor was a girl as beautiful as a crystal, with the bearing of a cold winter breeze. Nothing felt out of place about her demanding tone or her refined mannerisms.

Regardless, her face was pale and her lips had turned purple. A likely side effect of sitting perfectly still in the forest for too long in thin attire. The area around the lake was freezing even in the summer months, and even Rose, who lived there, had to take preventative measures to keep warm.

Feeling a little guilty, Rose rowed the girl back to the island and ushered her into the hermitage.

“It’s a bit messy inside…”

Rose had never brought up how dirty her place was before. But the hovel looked even messier than usual with winter supplies strewn about, making her feel the need to at least comment on it.

She remembered the straw bale she’d given up on in the middle of weaving because she had thought I don’t have the time for this! and kicked it to the side of the room. Straw was scattered over the floor.

Sure enough, the girl was so stunned she froze in the doorway. But then she held her head high and took a brave step forward into this unknown land like a warrior princess marching onto a fierce battlefield.

Of all things, the dirtied shoes that poked out from under her cloak were indoor slippers. Rose didn’t know who she was but could tell at a glance that she was the daughter of an esteemed noble family. She sympathized with those closest to the girl who surely had their hands full with her.

“You may call me Lau.”

Her tensed jaw and tightened cheeks showed she was nervous, but not here to belittle the Witch.

“All right, Lady Lau. Please just refer to me as Witch.”

Rose’s gaze wandered around the room, searching for a space where Lau could sit. The usual table and chairs were serving as very effective “temporary storage spaces” while she prepared for winter. Carelessly trying to rearrange the mountain of stuff would likely cause an avalanche. Nothing could be done about it on the spot.

The one place the least affected by the clutter demon’s hands was Rose’s bed. She randomly placed the stuff that had been on it onto the floor, then patted down the quilt. Dust clouds inevitably puffed into the air. This was the Witch’s dwelling place; nothing more should be expected of it.

“You must have been cold outside. Please take a seat.”

Lau’s eyes darted around the room as she briefly hesitated before making up her mind and nodding. Rose heard her muttering “God help me…” as she passed by. Unfortunate as it was, God most likely didn’t watch over a witch’s hermitage.

Lau cautiously perched on the edge of Rose’s bed. The quilt was intricately woven with various colors resembling the forest floor covered with fallen leaves.

“…Not as bad as I thought it’d be.”

“I’m glad you approve.”

A client who had become fond of Rose gave her the quilt as a present a few years back. Some of the nobles who appreciated her potions gifted her various items like this as a bonus. Quite indifferent toward the value of things, Rose used what she could and either stored or sold to Tien what she had no use for.

While Rose added wood to the fireplace, Lau pretended to focus her full attention on stroking the quilt until she finally worked up the nerve to speak.

“…You must have been surprised by my sudden visit,” she said uncomfortably.

“All my clients arrive unannounced.”

Rose poured the hot water from the kettle on top of the stove into the wooden tub. Once the water temperature was just right, she took down a bottle of the “oil to sprinkle on your neck before a date” from the cabinet and added a few drops. This particular potion had a soothing, fragrant aroma.

Rose slid the steamy bucket under Lau’s feet.

“May I?”

“You may.”

They may have gotten off to a bad start, but Lau gave her permission without showing annoyance about the wait. Rose reached for Lau’s feet. She eased off the slippers caked with mud, sap, and leaves. The gorgeous shoes, which placed more emphasis on beauty than usefulness, lacked the ability to protect Lau from the wintry forest. Each of her toenails had been expertly manicured, as would be expected of someone of her status, but her toes were whiter than the ash in the fireplace. Purplish blisters marred her feet here and there.

Usually, Rose was indifferent toward her clients, but it left a bad taste in her mouth to simply look on as a young girl endured such pain alone. Besides that, the guilt of leaving her outside for a long time was gnawing at her conscience.

“You must have been freezing.”

She rubbed Lau’s bluish-white right leg as she submerged it in the tub of hot water. Then she did the same to the left, instantly cooling down the water.

Rose poured boiling water into a cup and added it to the tub. Pink gradually returned to Lau’s cheeks as her feet started to warm up.

Rose pushed the bucket to the side and wiped Lau’s warmed feet with a cloth. Then she proceeded to wrap another thick quilt three times around her legs.

“You aren’t going to inquire about my identity?” Lau’s voice asked from atop the bed.

“You already informed me that you are Lady Lau.”

Lau troubled her lips with a frown at Rose’s response. Uneasiness plowed her flawlessly trimmed eyebrows in a way that was terribly innocent and ran contrary to her demeanor.

She was undoubtedly some princess who was served by a great many servants, but she ventured into the woods with only a thin apple-colored cloak to protect her and not a single maid in tow. It couldn’t have been easy for her to trek out here alone.

“Should I have inquired it of you? As a general rule, witches do not pry into their clients’ lives or speak of those who visit their hermitage. For those who come to rely on a witch’s secret potions, all harbor ardent wishes they can’t accomplish on their own.”

Aside from Lau’s given name, Rose knew nothing about the girl. It was up to Lau if she wanted to speak of the worries and wishes troubling her.

Making the requested potion was Rose’s only job.

Rose intended for the explanation to reassure Lau, but she seemed to have taken it a different way.

“So a person is allowed to seek a potion that distorts another’s mind just because they have an ardent wish?” Lau’s forlorn expression had turned to scorn. She had become so cold, touching her might freeze Rose’s fingers.

She used the same terminology everyone did when they ridiculed a witch’s secret potions. Rose had dealt with similar criticism many times before.

It was a part of the job. Those incapable of magic couldn’t help being suspicious of what witches concocted. It was no different from people who couldn’t wield a sword calling a swordsman cowardly out of their fear for his skill.

“Then would you hesitate to give a doctor’s medicine to a patient on the brink of death who ardently wished to live?”

“Are you comparing yourself to a doctor?”

“In principle, yes. All medicines have effects on the mind and body. Whether they are made by a doctor or a witch.”

Confusion distorted Lau’s beautiful features once more. Her cheeks twitched as if she was about to cry.

“And to a witch, everyone who comes to their hermitage is a very wealthy, valued client.”

Rose’s extra emphasis on wealthy earned a small giggle from Lau that turned into a full “Ahaha!”

“I see. You value all your clients, then?”

“Yes, I do.”

Rose had purposely said it to make her laugh, but she got the feeling Lau was laughing for an entirely different reason.

It was rare for Rose to be so friendly with a client. Her default approach was never to open the door or pull out a chair for them. Lau, however, possessed the kind of charm capable of making others want to do something for her.

After laughing until tears sprung to her eyes, Lau looked down at her hands and confided, “I wanted your potion.”

Rose nodded, careful not to miss the emotion behind her confession.

When Lau had denounced the witches’ secret potions, it wasn’t the witch or the potion that she rejected, but the human heart that sought it.

It was nothing new for clients to speak about themselves that way.

“I am to marry in the near future. Marry off into a far, far, faraway place. I may never again be able to set foot on this land—this land I have always loved and protected—again!”

Her voice embodied all the raging emotions that were bottled up in her chest. Lau paused, seeming to regain control of her rampaging feelings, and fixed her tone.

“I was prepared to someday marry to my family’s advantage. But I have been naive in my estimation of some things. Such as how important it would be for me to be able to give my entire self away.”

“…Would you like me to listen?”

“Yes, please do. I think I have always wanted to tell someone.”

The girl’s tightly clasped hands hadn’t even developed a woman’s suppleness yet. Rose took off her robe and gently draped it over Lau.

“I am to marry a widowed man forty years my senior. Oh, do remember that this is terribly confidential. Four heads will fly if anyone discovered I knew this.”

Had she relaxed enough to joke around? Lau gave a toothy grin.

“…Even if I act prepared for it, I get cold feet whenever I imagine what my life will be like there. Since I can’t bring my loved ones or friends along, I wanted to take something I could rely upon. Yes, you guessed it. What I wanted, Witch, was a certain potion you make…”

The love potion.

Rose blinked once at the words spelled by the lady’s coral lips. The love potion had always been in high demand, though she seemed especially fated to make it as of late.

“With your great beauty, Lady Lau, I fear the potion will be overshadowed.”

“Oh, I’m not going to use it to ensnare another.”

“You aren’t?”

“I am going to use it…to fall in love.”

“To fall in love?”

“As long as I love that man…I’ll want to do my best no matter what happens there, right? Whatever may happen, whatever is done to me, even if I have no friends, or can’t see my family ever again, I must continue smiling. Loving that man will give me the strength to do so.”

The flames in the fireplace danced in Lau’s wavering eyes.

To think that such a heavy load weighed upon such small shoulders, shoulders that were currently wrapped in Rose’s dirty robe. Rose could only narrow her eyes in response for the young Lau, who had to be married off and sent to a distant land.

“I can offer him my name and my body, but I cannot freely control my heart. Thus, I relied on you, Witch.”

Rose was a witch. Witches did not belong to any country, nor were they baptized into any religion. Therefore, kings and gods held no sway over Rose. It was as if they didn’t even exist in her world.

But now, for the first time, Rose felt as though she saw a glimmer of something akin to those entities. Rose was genuinely proud that Lau relied on her and called the Witch’s secret potion a symbol of hope, when most people scorned its use all the while using it for their own aims.

“…I’m honored.”

“Glad to hear it.”

Lau smiled broadly at the words Rose meant from the heart.

“Aaah, I feel so refreshed after talking about it. This is the first time I have openly confided my feelings in someone. It’s also my first time being alone and choosing which path to walk. It was all so new to me this afternoon that I spaced out for a while pondering it, and then night had fallen before I knew it.”

Lau smiled as if she had taken her first breath of fresh air in a long time. She had lived the complete opposite lifestyle from Rose, who did everything alone and always made her own decisions.

But Rose had heard too much about Lau’s circumstances to ever envy her lifestyle.

Rose was heading to the kitchen to make some tea when she heard the bell announce another visitor.

Another one? Today is unusually busy.

She peered into the dark forest through the window. Fortunately, the visitor came with a lantern, immediately giving away their identity.

“Lady Lau, it seems a regular client has stopped by. Please wait here while I go turn them away.”

“One of your regulars? All right,” Lau said without any fuss.

Rose left her on the bed and closed the front door behind her. Then she headed to the boat with a lantern. She affixed the lantern to the bow and rowed to the other shore with familiar ease.

Noticing her from the forest, Harij waved his arms in large arcs over his head.

“Rose! You came at just the right time. I didn’t know what to do without the boat—”

“Please calm down. I apologize, but today—”

“Sorry, but this is an urgent matter. Is there a spell or potion to locate something that’s missing? If you don’t have the right tools or ingredients, I will immediately go—” Harij, who continued to talk over Rose after confusing her with his sudden dead-of-the-night visit, suddenly stopped midsentence.

What in the world is it this time? She followed his gaze to her opened front door.

“Hi!”

The girl stood alone in the garden, illuminated by the faint light spilling from the hermitage. She waved both hands at them while her robe fluttered.

“…Princess Billaura!” Through Harij’s tightly grit teeth slipped out a frustrated sigh and a name Rose should not have heard.

It didn’t matter that Rose wasn’t associated with any kingdom. With the royal capital built right next to the forest where she lived, she was bound to know the names of her neighbors—especially when they were royalty.

“…About that spell to help you find what you are looking for—”

“Sorry. I don’t need it anymore.”

Looks like it. Rose kept her comment to herself.

∴ ∵ ∴

LAU—or Billaura—spoke of wanting a love potion, but she didn’t try to place a new order for one. Moreover, the fastidious and straitlaced Harij had ventured out to buy a dubious witch’s potion because someone he couldn’t refuse had requested it of him.

Rose made it a principle not to pry into her clients’ lives, but she couldn’t prevent information from leaking to her.

“Why are you here…? How in the blue blazes did you manage to make it this far alone?”

Watching how infuriated Harij was with Billaura made Rose vow to never anger the man. He was so furious he didn’t even notice the room was ten times messier than usual. A vein jumped in his temple as he tried to maintain his composure in front of Lau, who sat elegantly on the bed.

“Are you aware of the uproar you caused in the palace? Just how many people do you think are out tearing up the world searching for you…?” Harij’s voice, trembling with anger, abruptly stopped.

Feeling that it would be wrong to stare, Rose had kept her gaze trained on the fireplace, until the sudden silence made her look back at them. They were facing each other in a seemingly endless staring contest. Neither of them said anything. The flickering and crackling fire illuminated their cheeks. Even their shadows on the wall were facing each other.

Lau let some of the tension out of her shoulders and laughed at Harij’s menacing face, which was too scary for a normal person to look at directly.

“I know, I know. Forgive me.”

Rose thought Lau’s practiced smile didn’t suit her age. Though it seemed to suggest Lau had given up on everything and pleaded for forgiveness, it also hid the knowledge that she would be forgiven for anything she did.

She spoke in a lofty manner that offered neither an excuse nor any real apology. Whether Lau’s behavior defanged him or he had finally cooled down, Harij knelt before her with an embittered frown.

“I was out of line. I deeply apologize for my outburst and for not being there to protect you… I’m glad you are safe.”

Lau gave a big nod and accepted his apology laced with great regret.

“Sorry for the trouble.”

“Everyone is worried sick. I humbly request you remember those admirable words until you return to your chambers.”

“Don’t fret. I’ll go home now.”

Lau cheerfully laughed off his concerns and ruffled the hair on top of Harij’s bowed head. Profound affection and trust could be seen in the way she patted him like a race horse that had finished first.

“Witch, I regret that my stay was accompanied by such commotion.”

“…Please stay for tea next time.”

There probably wouldn’t be a next time for Lau, who was about to marry into another kingdom.

Rose still wanted the girl who found hope in the Witch’s secret potions to come make another request any time she liked. She wouldn’t even mind if she just came to spread her wings for a bit without ordering anything. Though she knew Lau wasn’t in a position to do so.

Picking up on Rose’s feelings, Lau smiled.

“I would love to relax over a cup of tea with you. All right…it’s time for me to go.” The moment Lau rose, she seemed to shine more radiantly than the fire. She had shed her “noblewoman” charade and returned to her true identity—the princess.

The sudden powerful aura she exuded stung Rose’s eyes. Blinking, Rose cast down her gaze to where Lau’s feet were. There, the princess’s exposed skin touched the dusty floor after having cast off her muddy slippers.

“Please wait where you are,” Rose requested, then murmured to herself, “I’m positive I have a pair over here…” as she dug through a mountain of clutter. The mountain collapsed in an avalanche of noisy bangs and crashes.

Harij quietly scowled as he finally noticed the room was messier than any existing words could describe.

“Found it.”

Rose had pulled an object wrapped in a jute bag from under the mountain. She shook off a thin layer of dust and pulled open the strings. Inside was a pair of boots. Tien had said they were special boots made from the leather of an adorable, huggable, round creature that lived to the far north called a seal. He bought them as a souvenir for her when he traveled to the northern countries. Rose had yet to wear them since her current boots hadn’t worn out. She couldn’t very well make the princess put those filthy, soaked slippers back on, so she checked to make sure there wasn’t any mold growing on the boots before holding them out to Lau.

Lau was an excellent customer Rose had already received a large sum of money from, and when all was said and done, Rose was the “Good Witch of the Lake.”

“At night, the forest is a dark and dangerous place.”

“I will gratefully accept your kind gesture.”

Rose wrapped hand towels around each of Lau’s feet and slid the boots up her legs. She tied the strings so they wouldn’t come undone along the way. The simple, unadorned seal boots seemed unworthy of the princess’s feet, even just for a walk to the palace. But they were more than capable of protecting her from the frigid winter night.

“Until next time.”

Surely it was just Rose’s hopeful imagination that made it look as if Lau’s elegantly shaped lips curved into a bashful smile.

Harij followed closely behind Lau as she walked to the dock. He stopped as he passed Rose and brought his lips to her ear.

“Sorry about the inconvenience she caused you. I promise to make it up to you…”

Darn it! Don’t get so close to me! Frustrated by how cruelly beautiful he was even in the dark of night, Rose covered the ear his breath tickled.

Harij cocked an eyebrow at her, his hair still a ruffled mess from when Lau ran her fingers through it. Annoyance surged through her.

He’s always so arrogant on a daily basis that it’s frustrating, but when it comes to the princess, he does a one-eighty and humbles himself before her! How many bloody times has he said “Sorry” to me today alone? Everything is all entirely, one hundred percent Harij’s fault for coming to see me almost every day!

Rose had fallen under a stupid misunderstanding, thinking she knew almost everything about him. Her heart ached as if it were being torn to a million pieces every time she witnessed a side of him that she didn’t know or when he showed off the life and bonds he had formed outside her knowledge. It frustrated her so much she couldn’t stand it.

Every time, it forcefully reminded her that he was so utterly out of her league.

“Should I expedite your second order?” she whispered, quietly enough that it wouldn’t reach Lau.

“What?”

“Don’t you need it before Lady Lau’s marriage?”

“Huh?”

Ugh, just stop. Rose cursed herself.

Prying into a client’s personal circumstances went against the witches’ creed. She was horribly ashamed of the unseemly words that emerged out of her jealousy.

Knowing she was saying dumb things did nothing to stop her mouth from running wild.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Didn’t you order that potion to make it so Lady Lau won’t forget you after her marriage—”

“You’re mistaken.”

“Oh dear, then are you planning to force her to elope with y—”

“I said you’re mistaken.”

Harij grabbed Rose’s face with one hand. Suddenly, both of her cheeks were being squeezed together by his fingers, causing her lips to puff out like a fish. She was relieved to the point of tears that he’d put an end to her pointless rambling. Now she didn’t have to continue saying stupid things.

If she had been like a cat ready to scratch a moment ago, she was now more like a cat that had been picked up by its scruff. Harij removed his hand from her face, grabbed her hood, and pulled it down past her chin.

“You don’t usually ask questions like that.”

Her heart sank. She was scared to death she had disappointed him.

Rose was a witch. She was more frightened that he would think less of her abilities as a witch than that he might deny any other aspect of her identity.

Harij, however, smiled away her worries. Had the spot where he grabbed her cheeks turned red? He stroked the area with the side of his hand. A different kind of chill tingled her spine.

“Anyway, I’ll be back soon.”

No sooner did he finish speaking than he hurried to Lau’s side.

Lau flashed a knowing smile from where she watched over them interacting from a distance.

∴ ∵ ∴

“…YOU are back already?”

“I told you I would be back soon.”

Sullenly standing in her doorway was Harij, who had just finished escorting Lau home. Not much time had elapsed since he left. While nighttime clients weren’t all that unusual, she was definitely surprised by this one.

The “soon” part of his “I’ll be back soon” was quite literally too soon. Rose balked because she thought he was being figurative, not literal.

Did some sort of very urgent business come up? He always visits during the afternoon lately, and there’s still quite a distance between the palace and this island.

“What of Lady Lau—”

“I escorted her home. I’m not the only knight at the palace. I left her in my colleagues’ care. Anyway, I wanted to apologize for the trouble she caused you first. Thanks for looking after her. You have my heartfelt gratitude.”

“No need for thanks. I treated her as the valued client that she is.”

“I’m sorry and thank you. I highly doubt she will sneak out of the palace again… Actually, she has never once acted out like this before.”

Was that why Harij was in such a panic to find her? Rose had once heard that the better behaved a person is normally, the more likely they are to make wild snap decisions. No one could have predicted that the well-behaved princess would sneak out of the palace right under the guards’ noses. The palace must have been turned upside down in the ensuing chaos.

“Anyway, are you planning to go somewhere at this late hour?”

His question reminded Rose, who stood there staring up at him, how she was dressed. She was all bundled up like a polar bear to withstand the cold of the nighttime forest.

“Yes, I am. I was about to visit the lake…”

“In the middle of the night?” Harij skeptically dropped his gaze to Rose’s feet. Finding that strange, Rose also looked down at her feet. “…I see you have another pair of boots.”

“Those were my other pair. And that is quite a rude thing to say.”

“Can you blame me for wondering? Last time, you didn’t have clothes—”

“Don’t bring that up …!”

She instantly recalled her blunder—bathing in the lake without knowing Harij was present the entire time. Blushing, Rose’s lips quivered with the rest of what she didn’t want to say.

“Okay, okay. I normally don’t think about it. But I was in such a rush I forgot to bring back the boots she borrowed from you. Won’t you be cold with just one pair?”

Harij’s concern for her—especially regarding her attire—further fueled Rose’s shame.

“You needn’t concern yourself with me. I at least have someone in my life who sends me clothes,” she asserted strongly, becoming upset with him.

She had become far too straightforward with him ever since the love potion incident. In front of Harij, she could no longer maintain her cool facade.

Of course, Tien was the person who sent her things. It was safe to say that Rose had no other close friends aside from him. He was a traveling merchant, which made it difficult for him to stop by her place sometimes, but he always sent Rose what she needed whenever she wrote him.

“…Were those clothes and shoes sent to you, too?”

Harij’s friendlier manner had disappeared, only to be replaced with a scowl.

His sudden change flustered her. Harij never seemed like the kind of man to lose his temper over Rose standing up to him. Or was it not the way she said it, but the way she obtained the items that upset him?

I haven’t done anything illegal. I think. Most likely. Probably.

“The seal boots I gave Lady Lau were indeed sent to me. What of it?”

“You said you gave them to her, yeah? Then we will take ownership of them.”

“Uh, okay. I guess you can…go right ahead.”

From the beginning, Rose had given away the boots to protect the princess’s feet. She didn’t regret that decision, but she also didn’t like the brusque way Harij was commandeering what she’d intended as a gift.

The sour-faced knight seemed as if he had nothing more to say, so Rose pointed at the darkness outside, desperate to redirect the conversation.

“So, um…would you like to come with me?”

Harij nodded, the lit lantern still clutched in his hand.

Rose brought Harij with her and set out by boat on the lake. The completely flat water surrounded by towering trees looked blacker than an inkwell. Harij probably couldn’t tell where the boat was right now. Rose had him sit, saying she would row instead, and she stood with the oars. The oars smoothly scooped through the water, taking the boat to its destination.

“This is it.”

“What’s…” Harij trailed off before he could finish asking “What’s here?”

The moon had poked out from behind the thick cloud cover, shining brilliantly in the sky and the lake. Its light formed a path on the water’s surface that swayed with the ripples from the boat. The dinghy stayed perfectly on the moonlit path and stopped dead center of the moon’s reflection. Rose pulled a tiny bottle from her pocket, reached over the side of the boat, and scooped up the moon.

“This is one of the love potion ingredients. It’s a trade secret, so please keep what you see tonight to yourself,” Rose whispered in a voice meant for his ears only. The moonlight she captured in the bottle still twinkled as if it were in the sky. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” she hummed, entranced.

Moonlight was the prettiest of all the strange ingredients that went into a witch’s potions. She brought the bottle close to her face and gazed upon its beauty. The bottled moonlight illuminated her cheeks.

Harij nodded, his eyes on her. “…It is.”

Thrilled he agreed, Rose softly chuckled in the middle of the dark lake.

After returning to the hermitage, Rose immediately set about extracting the moonlight from the water. Freshness was key. She didn’t have time to deal with Harij.

As she stirred the cauldron, she felt an intent stare on her back. She tried to ignore it and keep stirring, but it was hard to pretend she didn’t notice anymore.

“Please don’t stare at me so much. My hands might slip.”

She hated herself for being unable to tell him to “go home.” Rose was a witch. Witches couldn’t say what they didn’t mean.

Apparently sensing how serious she was, Harij quietly averted his gaze. Not that it did her any good—Rose was too unnerved by the silence that followed that she started talking again.

“The quiet makes me nervous. Please talk about something.”

“You’re more finicky than I gave you credit for.”

She didn’t let disappointment about his new opinion of her show on her face. Rose stirred the cauldron until the liquid swirled on its own, and spun the floating light onto the spindle. She stretched out her arm and twirled the spindle until the clump of light thinned, and then she scooped out more and repeated the process.

“…I’ve never seen a witch’s magic before.”

“There is nothing to gain from showing it off,” Rose answered, not looking at the man who did as she asked but called her finicky.

“…I see. By the way, can you tell when you have a visitor, Rose?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Because you’re always peeking out the window.”

“You noticed?”

“Hard not to.”

The moonlight was being spun into a thin thread of light. Rose skillfully coiled the light around the spindle before it could tangle around her hands.

“You have good eyes… One of my ancestors cast a spell on the bell tied to the forest dock’s pillar to make it ring whenever someone approaches. Sometimes beasts roaming the area will set it off by accident, too.”

“…I see. So am I right to assume that it’s thanks to the warning sound from that bell that you were able to hide from the suspicious people you mentioned before?”

“……”

“…Rose. Are you listening?”

“Sorry. You are distracting me from my work. Please don’t talk to me.”

“Hey. You’re the one who said to talk…,” Harij grumbled.

Rose concentrated on her hands, pretending not to hear him. In the end, she couldn’t answer him until after she finished her work.

“…Sorry, what were we discussing?”

Rose tilted the spindle over a big glass bottle, pouring in the fine thread made of moonlight as she faced Harij. He watched her with exasperation from where he sat on the chair he had carried over to her workbench.

“…You just reminded me that you live in your own little world. Thanks.”

“You are very welcome.”

“…So what time does the bell stop ringing at?”

“What do you mean, stop?”

“…Don’t tell me it rings even this late at night?”

“Asks the client who has stayed until this late hour.”

It was Rose’s turn to be exasperated with him.

I have no idea what business has kept him here this late, but it’s surprisingly dark out. The day must have changed by now.

“Morning, afternoon, night, it rings, regardless of the time. Besides, most people visit witches at night, so I have trained myself to wake up at the drop of a pin. I am the last witch living in these parts, after all.”

Harij looked uncomfortable after being called out for staying past dark. But the more he heard from her, the harder his expression became.

“So you have been neglecting sleep for years?”

“I sleep. I just sleep light.”

“That’s the same thing as barely getting any decent sleep.” Harij stood up in a rush, noisily knocking back the chair. This was the first time the man who always behaved like a nobleman had made such an ill-mannered gesture as scraping his chair across the floor. He captured her hand while she was still processing his unusual behavior. His large palm pulled Rose by her slender, branch-like wrist.

The Witch’s hermitage was compact. The space wasn’t separated by doors, and her bedroom consisted of just a small bed hidden behind a partitioning screen.

He scooped her up since she refused to budge and carried her to the bed where she had Lau sit earlier that evening. Then he gruffly dropped her on top of it like a sack of wheat. Rose tried to push herself upright but was prevented by Harij trapping her beneath him.

“Sleep.”

“Wha—”

His command froze her in place. She couldn’t push herself up on her elbows with him hovering above her, pinning her between his knees.

“Go to sleep.”

Rose’s head spun out of control from Harij’s unexpected actions and the unbelievable position they were locked in together.

“You dare to handle potions that can become poisons with such a slender body without much sleep or food in your system…?”

Since her grandmother’s death, Rose had barely interacted with anyone—it had been a long time since someone had given her candid criticism. Even Tien, the last person she thought of like family, generally let her do as she pleased and didn’t nag her about her lifestyle choices.

Rose darted her eyes away from the argument coming from directly above her. Glaring sternly down at her, Harij closed the distance between them until their foreheads nearly touched.

“But…that’s not…fair… Your lifestyle as a knight is—”

“Knights take shifts. We have breaks and days off. But there is only one of you…” Harij paused. It seemed to finally dawn on him what kind of position they were in right now.

Up close, Rose watched his eyes slowly widen. She was reflected in those eyes framed by long eyelashes.

There, a witch with pale-pink hair stared up, her own eyes misting in surprise and confusion, her lips trembling.

“……”

“……”

They both held the silence, which seemed like the wisest decision at the moment.

After a few long seconds, Harij withdrew from her with great care. He moved so cautiously as if even the slightest shift in his balance would bring about the end of the world.

He lowered his legs, which had pinned Rose to the top of the bed, to the ground. Confirming they had safely dodged the end of the world, they exhaled in unison.

“…I know this won’t sound very convincing right now, but I would never take advantage of a sleeping woman. You have my oath,” Harij vowed meekly.

Rose bobbed her head like a broken doll. “…I know. I’m not worried.”

Harij’s temple twitched, but he seemed mostly satisfied by her response.

“Sleep, then. The bell will ring if you have a visitor, right? I’ll fetch them with the boat if I hear it. Don’t worry.”

There was too much for her to worry about. Like how could she be so rude as to sleep in front of him? She couldn’t let him spoil her like that after how tired he must be with everything that happened with Lau that day. Most of all, relying on him again for something like this would make the nights she spent alone that much harder.

“Don’t think about anything. Just get some restful sleep.”

His gentle voice sunk in and spread through her, soothing her eyelids into closing. Unable to resist the security she felt with him there, Rose drifted off into dreamland.

∴ ∵ ∴

Rose awoke the next morning holding her head. Drool dribbled down the corner of her mouth. Outside the window, a bird chirped and playfully flapped its wings.

Chirp, chirp! Chirp, chirp! It sang at the top of its lungs despite the ungodly hour.

STOP CHIRPING, ANNOYING BIRD!

Although she woke up in the worst mood, her body was in peak condition. She hadn’t felt this good in ages. Her joints were loose and her head clear. Perhaps she had long since passed her physical limit without realizing it.

She didn’t want to know she could become so weak. Determined to always be strong, Rose exhaled her woe into her pillow.

“You’re awake?”

“Yes, sir!”

Harij spoke to her from the other side of the partition. She trembled with fright.

How could I take advantage of his kindness and fall asleep in front of him like this?! I didn’t snore, did I?

All sorts of worries plagued her, but she didn’t have the courage to ask.

“Mm…sorry…for the…trouble…”

“I can’t understand you when you mumble. Take your time washing up before you come out here.”

Witches didn’t dress up like fancy ladies, but she checked her face in the magic mirror randomly placed beside her bed. After wiping her crusty eyes and her drool, she combed her hair with her fingers.

She poked her head around the partition. Her nose twitched. She didn’t have to move to catch a whiff of the delicious smell filling this house for the first time.

“If you’re up, take a seat.”

“Mm-kay.”

Rose sprinted over to the table like a grunt soldier taking orders from their commanding officer. The mess cluttering the table had been neatly moved aside and arranged on the floor. A path to walk and a space to eat had been cleared.

What magic took place over a single night? she wondered as she nervously sat down. A plate of sandwiches was placed on the table in front of her. Rose gasped.

“What the— I mean, what is this?”

“I baked a fish I caught in the lake with the leftover apple butter and placed it between two slices of bread that I brought. Was it okay to use the lettuce that had been chilled in the lake? I also used some parsley from the garden and the salt and spices in those bottles over there. I watered the garden as well. More importantly, I noticed that the bread I’ve brought you hasn’t depleted much. Are you actually eating when I’m not around?”

Rose nodded her head up and down like a broken doll since she wasn’t sure where to start with her reply. She didn’t know there was fishing equipment in her house, or that Harij was good at fishing, or that he was keeping stock of her food.

Still not processing the situation, Rose partially spaced out, murmuring aloud, “Looks yummy… This breakfast…is it even real…?”

The smell of breakfast and the Witch’s hermitage blended together.

“It’s almost as if…Grandma is still here…”

“Huh?”

Harij turned his astonished eyes on her. She quickly shook her head.

It almost felt as if she had returned to the days when her grandma was alive. Back to the days when she had sat around the warm breakfast table bathed in morning sunlight with the little birds that came to sing and play. A much younger Rose always sat at the table sleepily rubbing her eyes. She sipped her grandma’s homemade soup while the older woman nagged her for not combing out her hair first.

For years, she couldn’t remember those sweet moments in time. The actions of a single person restarted the heart she had left frozen since then. Though she knew she would surely regret it later, Harij made her the happiest she had ever felt.

“Thank you very much. I slept well. And you even made me breakfast…”

He placed a cup by her hand before she could finish speaking. The tea he brewed had a similar fragrance to the one Rose always made.

Did he brew it while recalling my song? I’m so happy I could cry.

“I’m going to enjoy every last drop and bite…”

“Go right ahead.”

Harij sat across from her, cup in hand.

Before she even took her first bite, Rose knew this was going to be the best breakfast of her life.

∴ ∵ ∴

AFTER tidying up breakfast, Rose immediately got to work on the potion. She pretended with all her might not to notice how much more her heart ached this time compared with the first. She carefully extracted the remainder of the mixture she made previously, then poured in the moonlight—the final ingredient.

Light flashed before it waned. The Witch’s secret potion was finished.

“Please take it. This is the love potion you ordered.”

Stunned, Harij stared dumbly at the freshly brewed potion Rose held out to him.

“…Uh, wasn’t that too fast?”

“I created a surplus of the mixture during your last order. All I had left to do was the finishing touches.”

Harij had a difficult expression on his face that seemed to say he accepted yet also didn’t accept her explanation.

“Most of the ingredients were ones you collected for me last time, Mr. Client, so you needn’t pay me. I am indebted to you for all you have been doing for me. This makes us even.”

“I looked out for you because I felt like it. I’ll pay for it—is what I’d like to say, but I don’t have the money on me right now.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“To make matters worse, the princess’s bridal procession was moved up because of what happened last night. I will be out of town escorting her to the border next week.”

“Oh, then I finished the potion just in time for you. You really needn’t trouble yourself over the payment.” Rose shoved the potion into his hand, insisting he take it home with him. Harij gave her an incredulous look.

“Has anyone ever told you that you are coldhearted…?”

Witches didn’t interact with others enough for them to ever form an opinion. They neither met up with nor conversed with their clients more than the job required. Thus, there was no foundation for which they could be called coldhearted.

Last time, when she gave him the potion, she strongly believed their time together had reached a definite end. Yet the opposite happened—for some reason, they were once more spending idyllic days together sharing meals at the same table. She didn’t want to be apart from him. She didn’t want to let him go. Stupid as it was, she dreamed these miraculously joyous days would go on forever.

The tablecloth she was able to put away last time might not be so easy to get rid of now. Witches were forbidden such sentiment.

“In my whole life, this is the first time someone has ever said that I’m cold— Give me a moment.”

The familiar ding-a-ling of the bell stopped Rose from finishing her sentence.

Through the window she spied people in the forest. Two men were talking to each other on the opposite shore.

What’s been the deal since yesterday? I’m starting to miss this being such a remote area that I only received a guest once every few months.

“…Those uniforms belong to the City Guard.”

Harij peered outside the window behind Rose. She felt his heat against her back, though she pretended not to care.

“What brings them here?”

“I’m not briefed on City Guard matters, but this area isn’t a part of their normal patrol, right? If not, this means trouble.”

Things just got even more bothersome. No sooner did she think so than she was in for a shock. The men were trying to board the small boat.

“Wh-Why is the boat on that side?!”

“Since you said clients might come in the middle of the night, I sent the boat over with the reel you told me about. I was going to reel it back in before I left.”

I wish he hadn’t done that! Rose thought in panic. They could have just waited them out if the boat was docked at the island, but now the men were already rowing toward the hermitage.

Rose moved from the window, placed the love potion on top of the workbench, and pulled the rug out from under her bed. Hidden beneath was a trapdoor leading to the cellar. Too small to legitimately pass for a basement, the cellar was barely wide enough for one, maybe two people to fit. Harij gawped at the cramped space.

Without a second’s delay, Rose pushed Harij inside and slid the trapdoor back in place. A barrage of protests came from below. Rose brought her face close to the floorboard and whispered loud enough for him to hear.

“Please don’t make a single sound.”

Guessing her intentions, he stopped protesting.

What concerned Rose wasn’t the potential trouble the two men might bring to her doorstep. Her biggest concern was them discovering Harij inside the witch’s hermitage.

No matter what, I mustn’t let the City Guard discover him. He’s one of the nobles who supports this kingdom and serves as the princess’s sword. He’s the last person who should be here.

Rose spread the rug over the trapdoor and pulled her hood back up as if nothing had happened. One of the City Guards knocked with the knocker. They had made it across the lake already.

Nervous tension coursing through her, Rose opened the door.

“Hello. Are you a client?”

“Is this the dwelling of the ‘Witch of the Lake’?”

“It is. I am the Good Witch of the Lake. How may I be of service?”

“Like hell we’d be here for the services of a witch and her ungodly potions.”

One of the guards didn’t even bother to mask his contempt.

Of the clients who visited the Witch’s hermitage, only a small minority tried to curry favor with her—the rest adopted this sort of foul attitude. She was no stranger to being disparaged, but that didn’t mean she needed to take it lying down.

“Is that so? Good day to you, then.” Hand still on the doorknob, Rose started to shut the door in their faces. The arrogant guard panicked.

“Insolent woman! Do you think you can get away with treating us this way?!”

“I do. For I am a witch.”

Rose was a witch. Saying so wasn’t an act of self-depreciation—it meant she had a firm grasp on her background, rights, and occupation.

A witch was different from a normal person, a witch was different from a country, and a witch was different from the law. Witches had been self-governing, independent beings since ancient times. Nowadays, they didn’t possess the great power they once boasted, but due to their scarce numbers and highly valued skills, they were granted special privileges by the world leaders. That alone evidenced that witches were indispensable to those in power.

A witch’s territory was like international waters where, in return for not having any country to protect them or laws to obey, they weren’t liable for anything. Witches lived in a world apart from normal humans.

The reason Rose deemed she had no future with Harij was because she knew they treaded completely different paths in life. They lived in disparate worlds.

“By all means, please leave.”

“Wench! This is what I get for treating you like a woman!”

The guard jammed his foot in the doorway and pushed back against her. In general, the only visitors to the Witch’s hermitage, including servants, were people ingrained with a sense of decorum. So Rose was appalled by the guard’s crude behavior.

“Come on, give the girl a break,” the other guard interjected, either out of pity for the startled witch or fear she might bring out a poison vial to get rid of them. “Pardon his rudeness, Witch of the Lake. We actually have some questions for you.”

“Any questions pertaining to a witch’s knowledge will cost you.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t have any money on me, so I will limit my questions to another matter. Recently, there have been frequent cases of theft around the capital. Affluent merchants and manors belonging to esteemed lords have fallen victim as well.”

“…And?”

Did they actually go out of their way to warn me about a thief on the loose? She looked at the two men through the small gap the guard’s foot made.

“Let me get straight to the point: we have received a tip that a man who regularly visits this dwelling fits all the traits of the thief we are looking for.”

“If you say— Wait, what?!” Rose cried out in surprise. She had a hard time processing this unbelievable turn of events. “A man? …Not me?”

The only man who regularly visited this lake was Harij. But she never imagined they would suspect a knight as straitlaced and upright as Harij of robbery. If they were going to accuse anyone, suspecting the Witch would be the more believable choice.

“I won’t sugarcoat the matter. We have some underlying suspicion that you might be colluding with the thief. Thus, we came to investigate your dwelling.”

Well, I’ll be. Rose blinked several times. Sweat poured down her back like a waterfall.

Tarnishing Harij’s reputation was now the least of her concerns. They might use the Witch’s infamy to cart him off for crimes he didn’t commit.

Of course, Rose didn’t think for a minute that Harij was the thief. The problem was that he was currently in her house—and that Rose couldn’t lie to hide him.

“Witch of the Lake, I need you to understand that we have to protect the people, and that humans who violate the law must be punished to do so.”

“I am fully aware of that.”

“Then please cooperate with us.”

Turning away someone who earnestly requested her aid was too difficult for a good witch. When it came down to it, Rose stayed active as a witch because she wanted to help people.

Taking Rose’s meek expression as a sign of consent, the guards pushed the door hard. Still holding the doorknob, Rose lost her balance. The guards shoved past her as she staggered, barging into her home.

“Please wait. I can’t have you in the house right now.”

“Because you are harboring stolen goods? The heaps and mounds of junk are suspicious.”

“My house is just cluttered.”

“You have far too much stuff for a woman who lives alone. And no woman could stand to live in such a mess.”

You just don’t know how lazy and negligent women can get when they live alone! Rose wanted to yell and teach them a lesson. You’ll find any house like this when they are preparing for winter or spring! I’m sure of it.

“Or could it be you don’t want us to come in because you are sheltering a man?”

“There are no…thieves here.”

“I see. Then you also know nothing of the tall young man with ashen hair reported to frequent this cabin?”

She shuddered.

Rose was a witch. Witches couldn’t lie.

A witch who used the lie of magic could not use lies other than magic.

Rose balled her hands into tight fists inside her robe.

No matter how she thought about it or how many different angles she tried to tackle it from, it would be very bad if they discovered Harij here. The City Guards made it clear how people viewed the Witch with their earlier statement: “Like hell we’d be here for the services of a witch and her ungodly potions.”

Everyone who used the Witch’s services either came incognito or sent a servant. No doubt they did so because her secret potions were ungodly and using them would mark them as a coward and be a blot on their reputation.

Rose loved Harij.

That was why she wanted him to forever walk where the sun shone.

“Yes, of…c-course n-not.”

Her voice cracked; her throat constricted. Every sound felt as if it were coming down a long tube. The area in front of her turned dark, and her vision started blurring. A dull, sharp pain shot through her heart as if it were being squeezed in a vise.

“I d-don’t…”

Air wheezed through her throat as if her windpipe were being crushed. She gasped for air. She could no longer stand upright and had to place her hand on the wall for support. Dizziness crashed into her. She couldn’t focus her eyes.

“…k-know…”

Pain like no other wrenched the air from her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. Cold sweat drenched her body. A bead of sweat slipped off her chin and splattered onto the floor.

“…a-any—”

“Are you okay?”

The voice she heard through the ringing in her ears caused her to tremble. Air suddenly filled her lungs again. She crouched with a hand pressed against her chest that ached from the sudden exhilaration of Harij’s dashing rescue. He placed his large palm on her back for support, then rubbed with gentle and soothing movements as if petting a cat.

“Don’t force yourself when you’re sick. Go get some rest on the bed in the back.”

Rose shook her head. She didn’t understand what he was saying. Why did he come out? Why didn’t he understand the sacrifice she was making for him? Why was he lying? As she imagined all the worst-case scenarios Harij might find himself in now, tears stung her eyes.

“Don’t cause a scene. Just do as I ask,” Harij whispered in her ear, then scooped her up in his arms to carry her to the bed. She wrapped her numb arms around his neck and frantically shook her head. She trembled from head to toe, lacking the strength to resist him.

“I’m just going to lay you down on the bed.”

She shook her head even harder, wordlessly insisting she didn’t want that.

“Then stay here,” Harij said with a sigh, readjusting the way he held her. Then he sat on a chair and plopped her on his lap.

“Sorry for the wait.”

His strong, pointed voice shook the deathly quiet hovel. Harij had completely dominated the room. The guards were unable to censure the strange man who had suddenly appeared, much less move a muscle to stop him.

“What unit are you with? What are your names and ranks?” Harij grilled the dumbfounded guards like a commanding officer might.

“…Excuse me?”

“I’m still not convinced you are real City Guards. Your lack of manners and your high-handed treatment of a lady makes me suspect you are bandits disguised as guards.”

The guards immediately stood at attention.

“Of course, the lady here, who sincerely tried to treat you with civility, must’ve doubted your intentions as well,” Harij criticized as he rubbed Rose’s back, which he leaned against his chest. “You poor thing. They gave you such a fright you nearly passed out when you are already feeling under the weather.” His coaxing tone was unlike anything she had ever heard before. His mellifluous voice, sweeter than any honey or dessert he had brought her, graced her ears.

Unfortunately, the romantic moment was lost on Rose, who was being treated like the love of his life as question marks flooded the only part of her brain that still worked.

She was gradually able to catch her breath since the moment she stopped lying. Color had returned to her face, hidden deep under her hood. Rose tried to move off his lap, thinking she could sit on her own now, but Harij fastened his arm around her waist and squeezed. That only served to produce even more question marks in her head.

One question mark, two question marks, three question marks… The situation was so baffling to her that she started counting and arranging question marks in her head like sheep because at least that gave her something to do with her spiraling thoughts.

“We gravely misrepresented ourselves. I humbly apologize. I’m Naja Hasara, Sixth Patrol Unit with the Arnab Salihafa Guards.”

“I’m Kaph Bizele with the same unit.”

“Arnab Salihafa? You’re with Captain Filsuf’s unit, then?”

“Yes, sir!”

The guards instantly changed their tune.

One look at their faces and it was easy to tell they were being overwhelmed by Harij’s noble aura, which couldn’t be hidden—not that he tried. They started addressing him like a superior officer rather than a suspect.

“Captain Filsuf served under my father when he was younger. He has been good to me since I was a boy,” Harij mentioned as if it were of little consequence while he continued to rub soothing circles into Rose’s back. She could do nothing but stay perched on his lap like a porcelain doll.

“…F-Forgive my rudeness for asking, but may I inquire your name, sir?” the politer of the two guards asked in distress, looking as if he had just been handed a death sentence.

“Harij Azm.”

Rose stiffened. How could he carelessly give away his name like that? Harij’s hand slid down her back to help her relax her spine, which had gone rigid from fear and confusion.

“I’m a Royal Knight. I also happen to be a young man with ashen hair.”

The City Guards jumped to full attention and saluted.

“We have made a grave and unpardonable mistake! Forgive us!”

“We didn’t know it was you, Sir Azm, and made a ridiculous assumption we must apologize—”

“I’m not who you should apologize to. You understand what troubles me…don’t you?”

His hand stopped rubbing her back. A frigid aura poured off him that caused even Rose, who was under his protection, to cringe.

“Lady Witch, please forgive all the trouble we have caused you as well!”

“We will take full responsibility for this case and have the accusations dealt with at once!”

The guards managed to bend their rigid bodies into a bow.

It seemed Harij could tell from the way Rose stirred on his lap that she was going to try to say something. He tightened his embrace to quiet her yet again. Thinking it unwise to defy him in this situation, she maintained her silence.

Anyone who looked at them would think they were a loving couple showing off their affection. Rose and Harij were in their own little world together.

The guards looked away. One of the two interrupted the couple’s moment, prepared for death.

“Sorry to impose, Sir Azm, but why are you here—”

“Shut up, you moron!”

“We have to put something in the report.”

“Let’s just make something up! It doesn’t matter that much!”

“I can’t do that!”

The two men would have gladly jumped into the lake if they were ordered to—that was how badly they looked like they wanted to get out of there.

Harij calmly nodded to them.

“I’m a man; she’s a woman. If any further explanation is needed, I will personally discuss it with the captain of the guard.”

The guards clicked their boots together and saluted.

Rose regained her senses after the guards scampered away like terrified rabbits. When she tried to hop off his lap, Harij’s arms tightened around her. Trapped, she looked over her shoulder, her pale complexion splotched red.

“What do you think you are doing, Mr. Client?!”

“What does it look like, darling?”

Rose was rendered speechless. She didn’t expect Harij to take his stupid joke this far.

“You can call me Harij again.”

Not the least bit put off by Rose’s anger, Harij pulled her hood off.

Things hadn’t been going as planned for Rose, and there were just too many surprises for her to stay levelheaded.

“Why did you lie like we’re a couple?! What’s worse is that you even told them your name!”

“I could say the same, Rose. Why did you protect me?”

He suddenly turned so serious, it was hard to believe he was the same man who had been joking around. His sharp, ultramarine-blue eyes pierced Rose. His gaze seemed to criticize her.

Rose cringed. Criticism was the last thing she expected.

“Because…I thought you wouldn’t…want others to know that…you were here…”

Keeping Harij hidden was all she could think about.

For her entire life, Rose had run from trouble. Trouble wasn’t to be solved, but avoided. It never occurred to her to confront the problem head-on like Harij.

“You had to go so far as telling an untellable lie? A lie you suffered dearly for in the end.”

Why did she do that to protect him? There was but one reason in the whole wide world—Harij mattered more than her own life.

Not that she could admit it.

“I didn’t know it would make me sick. That was my first lie ever…”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“Please answer me first. Why did you carelessly come out of hiding after all I went through to conceal you? You even revealed your real name…”

Losing to the intensity with which Rose wanted to get back to her original question, Harij relented and told her the honest truth.

“In ten days, the princess will be married off and sent to a land so far away from here not even the same winds will reach her. I will be relieved of my duties as her exclusive Royal Knight before any weird rumors have the chance to do damage.”

“I’m glad it won’t negatively affect the princess, but…what about you, sir?”

“Me? I’m not a part of her dowry. Once I finish escorting her to the border, I will be instantly dismissed. Her departure was moved up, so it’ll be some time before I’m reinstated to a new post. I’ll be hanging around the palace for a while with nothing to do.”

“Then this is really bad!” Rose roared.

Does this blundering fool even get it?!

“What’s bad?”

“Th-The…r-rumor…y-you and m-me…love…”

“It’s rare for you to get this upset. Show me your face.”

“Don’t screw with me!”

Rose shoved Harij as hard as she could because he grabbed her chin. But her slender arms didn’t even make him flinch. Instead, she lost her balance and slipped off his lap.

“How am I screwing with you?”

Harij caught her before she could fall, but her self-control, pride, love, and everything in this moment were shattered to a million pieces.

She was sad her efforts to protect him were wasted. But she was also unbearably ecstatic he had treated her like a lover, even if it was just to deceive the guards.

The two contradicting feelings raged like an uncontrollable storm inside Rose. Scrambling off his lap, she grabbed the finished love potion and shoved it against his chest.

“Your business is finished once you accept this, right? I don’t need your money. Get out of my sight. You damned giant devil king of bug shit!”

She pushed Harij outside the house and furiously slammed the door shut.

“Leave!”

That was the first time Rose had ever lost her temper in a string of black curses.

∴ ∵ ∴

EVEN a boiling kettle that shakes its lid will cool off after a night. People are much the same way. This was especially the case for Rose when a servant came to her dwelling the next day with “food my lord bought on a whim” and the love potion’s fee.

“I will be fired if you don’t accept, miss.”

Rose couldn’t turn him away when he implored her while shaking in his boots. She grudgingly accepted the basket that first day, never expecting it’d start a whole ordeal involving Azm’s servant visiting her hermitage once every two days.

What was even more unbelievable was that the servant said they prepared meals for her at Azm’s mansion every day. And if that wasn’t ridiculous enough, the servant was also strictly ordered to not return until after Rose finished eating.

“…Do you have need of a potion to curse your lord?”

“The sentiment is gift enough.”

After his fourth visit, the servant stopped being terrified of Rose.

According to him, Harij was too busy these days to even sleep because of Princess Billaura’s rushed departure. Maybe he visited in the middle of the night that last time because he knew he wouldn’t be able to come by again for a while. But looking at it from the viewpoint of the servant who was forced to deliver food to some witch in the place of his lord, he couldn’t have been happy about it.

The servant, who always wore a stiffly starched shirt, was a man named Safina. Rose felt really horrible that Safina—who appeared to be in his fifties or older—had to trudge through this remote forest every two days just to deliver her meals.

“If I can’t thank you with a curse, then please accept this small token of my gratitude at least. I won’t eat until you do.”

“I humbly accept your gift.”

Rose handed him the “salve that warms you right up if you rub it in your hands.” He was delighted when she informed him that once it cooled down, it could be used to deodorize clothing.

“He already paid me for the potion…so why do all this…?” she muttered.

This time, their relationship as client and witch had been completely severed, so why was he still taking care of her?

Rose was simply at a loss, not expecting to be bothered by this phenomenon again.

She tore a big chunk out of the bread with her teeth. Delicious as it was, she felt uncomfortable receiving charity.

“I have served my lord for a long time, but this is the first time he has asked something selfish of his servants.” Safina, who delivered meals on behalf of his lord, said so with a smile and without any sign of being inconvenienced.

“Could it be…that you are happy about this, Mr. Safina?”

“Indeed, I am. I may be inconveniencing you in the interim, but surely only until my lord returns. You would make this old man, who derives such enjoyment from serving his lord, very happy if you were to play along with his lord’s whims, Good Witch of the Lake.”

She couldn’t refuse him once he called her a good witch.

“If it were me, I’d curse the rude bastards who rejoiced over my death. Say your prayers and hope that she is, indeed, a good witch.”

Since hearing Harij say that one word four years ago, Rose strove to be a good witch.

That single word—a word Harij had likely long since forgotten—stuck with Rose. She even used it as the guiding principle of her life.

Troubled, Rose nibbled on the bread. Did “only until my lord returns” mean that after that, Harij would start bringing her food again? Was he trying to stay on good terms with the Witch in case he had need of her in the future? Even if that were the case, he was going above and beyond in trying to curry her favor. It was almost as if he were trying to become her patron, which did not make her happy.

Pondering and mulling it for hours on end did nothing to enlighten her on what Harij’s intentions were. After all, it was impossible to expect Rose, who had rarely connected with people, to understand the heart and mind of another—especially the heart of the person she loved.

As she concentrated on sipping the pea soup Safina brought with the bread, she heard the faint sound of music. The cold winter winds seemed to have carried the sound out to these parts.

“The capital seems livelier than usual today.”

“A festival is being held to celebrate Princess Billaura’s bridal procession. If you don’t have any other plans, why not check out the evening festivities?”

“Are they worthwhile?”

“In my opinion, they are best in the evening.”

Trusting Safina’s opinion, Rose headed to the capital that night.

This was actually her first time going to a festival. Her grandmother despised crowds and wouldn’t take her. Since she started living alone, Rose always missed the opportunity because the timing didn’t work out or she lacked the motivation to go.

So Rose never knew festivals were so gorgeous. The capital was always full of life, but it was even livelier today.

The streets overflowed with people. A lot more pop-up shops lined the streets than usual. Foreign merchants she didn’t recognize had set up shop, too. Tien might have also set up somewhere, although locating him would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

The buildings were decorated with colorful streamers and flowers as if they had put on makeup. National flags that were hung out of windows to honor Princess Billaura swayed in the wind.

Flowers overflowed from a canopy wagon bedaubed in bright colors. Girls all dressed up for the occasion carried baskets of flowers from the wagon and sold bouquets to the crowds. People decorated their chest pockets, hats, and outfits with the small bouquets they bought from the girls, adding extra color to the city. Some people linked arms and joined in a celebratory line dance.

The delicious smell of grilled meat filled the air. Tables and chairs had been set up in different rest areas, allowing people to forget the time in good conversation.

“Festivals are amazing…”

Excitement and hot air bore down on her. Just watching all those people was overwhelming. There was no way Rose could enjoy the festivities. She fought against her desire to bolt and popped inside the nearest store, where she bought one large basket.

The basket was woven using fiveleaf vines and it shimmered like glossy candy. She had wanted a new one since a squirrel ate through her last basket.

At first, Rose rejoiced, thinking she had scored a good bargain, but she came to regret it soon after. She should have never bought something so big she would have to hold it against her chest to make it through the crowds. Carrying a big basket made her the perfect target for different merchants to try hawking their wares.

“Madame! Buy these apples for the mister!”

“M-Madame…?!”

Rose was shocked by the way he addressed her. But then she realized that was inevitable considering she was wearing an outdated dress, carried a stuffed basket, and looked worn out from the crowds. She was at an age where she could be someone’s wife. She also heard it was normal for women to already have children by this point in life.

“I won’t buy any unless you make it extremely cheap.”

“O-Okay… Did I say something to anger you…?” The merchant marveled, feeling Rose’s quiet anger. “Our apples are delectable, you know? They last a long time if you leave them outside. How about it? I’ll give you five for this much.”

Rose silently bent down one of the merchant’s fingers.

“Whoa now, lady. That’s way too cheap.”

“May Princess Billaura have a blessed journey.”

“Agh! That’s right. Today is a day of celebration! Dammit! Just take ’em!”

Rose caught the apples he tossed with her basket that was already stuffed with different fabrics and leaves. As she paid for the apples, she noticed a poster on the wall.

“Oh, that?” The merchant followed her gaze while counting the coins. “It’s a wanted poster. The City Guard told me to put it up somewhere easily seen.”

The wanted poster described a thief: “a tall young man with ashen hair.”

As the guards had said the other day, Harij matched the description perfectly.

“Have you seen someone like that, madame?”

I’ve seen a man like that, but not the thief they are looking for.

Unable to tell a lie, Rose corrected him in place of an answer. “…I will have you know that I am unmarried.”

The merchant silently tossed her another apple. Rose caught it with her basket and went on her way.

Drained from lugging the heavy basket around, Rose took a break from the crowds. She wanted to head home but needed to recoup energy and stamina to make the journey back. Even short walks were like a marathon for the year-round shut-in.

As she stared at the madder-colored sky, she heard loud fanfare from the main street. Excited cheers and thunderous applause followed the sounding of trumpets. All the activity shook the ground. Curious what was starting, Rose turned just her head and was so surprised by what she saw, she nearly tripped.

She hurried back to the main street as fast as her unsteady feet would take her. People were pushing and shoving against each other for a better spot to wave from as they shouted in excitement.

Orchestra members marched in perfect unison at the front of the procession with instruments strapped to their backs. A luxurious coach decorated with flowers followed directly behind them. Princess Billaura was likely sitting inside the golden coach that was taking her to her groom.

Royal Knights, riding gorgeous stallions, trotted alongside the coach.

Rose tried to weave her way through the sea of people, but her big basket hindered her progress. Even worse, she found herself being pushed back by people who were saying the basket was in their way. The wave of people ended up swallowing her and spitting her out behind everyone.

She stretched up on her tippy toes in hopes of seeing the orchestra, but she only glimpsed the feathers sticking out of their hats.

As she wasted time trying to get higher, the flag bearer leading the carriage came into view—the large flag raised high in the air swayed in the wind. Guided by the flag, the royal coach rolled along. The conveyance rode high for all to see within, which let Rose catch sight of Billaura, too.

The curtains, usually closed, were wide-open today. And yet the minimal exposure given for such an important bridal procession seemed to Rose like an attempt at preventing Billaura from running away.

Billaura waved at her people from the tiny coach window.

Rose thought the quirky girl who had shown up at her hermitage wearing slippers was very pretty, but she was gorgeous beyond compare when dressed as a princess setting out to fulfill her royal duties. The elegant and compassionate princess leaving to get married in a faraway land bestowed the people with her final greeting.

Hands too full to wave, Rose stared at Billaura. As she stood there with a dumb look on her face, one of the knights on horseback vigilantly scanned the area until his eyes found her.

His blue cloak fluttered. Their gazes locked for a fleeting second that was gone in the blink of an eye.

The horse maintained its trot and the knight didn’t stop what he was doing, as evidenced by how much farther he had proceeded down the road.

Still, Rose was positive their eyes had met.

His ashen hair was drawn back under the blue hat that matched his cloak. At this distance it was impossible to see what color his eyes were, although she instinctively knew they were ultramarine blue.

He had shed the shabby clothes he wore to disguise himself in the streets. Dressed up for the parade, Harij’s knightly appearance was a million times more handsome than she could ever hope for.

“Best to go in the evening, huh?”

Safina must have wanted Rose to see his lord in his hour of triumph. Rose went weak in the knees and crouched to stop from swooning on the spot.

∴ ∵ ∴

THE coach halted at the princess’s command. The coachman nervously scanned the area after making the unexpected stop. She had them pause on the outskirts of the royal capital where people were scarce.

Then the coach door opened. A mounting block was placed out for Billaura.

Harij immediately dismounted and offered Billaura his hand. She rested her silk-gloved hand on his palm and glided down. The maids riding with her followed suit. Careful not to let the princess escape, they gathered tightly around her.

Laughing dryly at their wariness, Billaura pinched the sides of her gown so she wouldn’t tread on it as she faced the forest and dropped into a graceful curtsy.

The members of her procession grew tense, wondering whose noble presence they were in. No one appeared from the woods, however.

After all, housed deep within the forest she stared at was only the Witch’s hermitage, emitting plumes of smoke from its chimney.

Only Harij understood the meaning of her curtsy.

“Sorry for the delay. Let’s go,” the princess commanded, lingering regrets washed clean off her face.

Once she was on board, the coach began to move again. The wheels that had started to turn would never stop again.