Prologue: The Witch Sets Out

 

 

 

Prologue: The Witch Sets Out

 

SHE messily folded her robe and stuffed it in the bag, then tapped the floorboard twice with the tip of her boot.

Her bag, packed with the bare minimum necessities, was light enough for Rose to carry with ease. Thick curtains covered all the windows, making the inside of the house darker than night despite being morning.

This was but a momentary parting, yet subtle sadness filled her.

“…Well then, see you later, I guess.”

Sweeping her gaze over the room one last time, Rose slightly bowed her head.

Of course, the hermitage didn’t respond. The serene, still air neither said anything nor blamed her for leaving.

Refreshing spring air greeted her when she opened the front door. Rose took a deep breath and then, after sticking a piece of paper on the door, departed the lake.

Today Rose was starting her new life—by moving into Harij’s mansion.

Her unrequited love of many years had finally advanced to mutual feelings with the object of her affections after Harij had requested a love potion from her.

Although she was making him wait before accepting his sudden marriage proposal, Rose decided to take him up on his offer to stay as a houseguest at his mansion at night because he was worried about her living in that dilapidated shack after it had already been ransacked once.

While she would continue to go about business as usual at the hermitage during the day, Rose still felt anxious about this new world she was entering because she had never considered moving before.

She wondered whether it was the right choice to leave—and those doubts still plagued her even after she walked away from the hermitage with her bags packed. However, even if she couldn’t be confident in anything else, she believed in her decision to trust Harij at least.

Starting today, she was going to be staying the night at Harij’s mansion. He had told her about the general location of his property the last time they went to the city together.

Apparently, the Azm mansion wasn’t located in the residential area but a little ways from the hustle and bustle of the city. It wasn’t far from the forest where Rose’s hermitage was.

Harij had given her specific directions, too, so she should be able to get there on her own if she took a fiacre. Safina was supposed to pick her up in the afternoon, but she decided to go alone because she didn’t want to add to his work.

It shouldn’t be a problem if I get there before he leaves. With that thought, she left as soon as she finished watering the garden.

And now, after passing through several animal paddocks and shoving her way through the brush, she had finally arrived at Harij’s mansion well before noon with little trouble.

“I-It’s…HUGE!” Rose blurted as she dusted the leaves off the top of her head. “He said it’s the one with a black roof, right…?”

Looking around, none of the other homes had a black roof except for that one.

She had expected the mansion towering before her to be large, but the real thing was even bigger than she imagined. The enormous building was large enough to fit several dozen hermitages and still have plenty of space left. Designed by what could have only been a master architect, the stately home was as elaborate and beautiful as a piece of priceless art. The walls were unbelievably tall and embellished by a shocking number of expansive windows.

Rose had done business with a great many customers during her years as a witch, but not once had they invited her to their homes or given her the opportunity to visit before. Consequently, she could only imagine the kind of extravagant domiciles the aristocracy dwelled in.

A magnificent stable and even a chicken coop were located at the back of the vast mansion garden surrounded by perfectly manicured, green bushes. Excitement grew within Rose; she used to raise chickens at the hermitage while her grandmother was still alive.

Rose quietly approached the wired fence, and the chickens spread their wings as if welcoming her. The nostalgic and distinct smell of a livestock pen—a mix of mud, bird feed, and droppings—hung in the air.

She deeply inhaled that familiar aroma as she made up her mind to have Harij show her around the coop once things settled.

A splendid chimney towered over the weathercock spinning on the rooftop, puffing out a steady stream of smoke. The kitchen staff was likely preparing lunch.

I wonder what’s for lunch today. Rose’s nose twitched in anticipation. She dawdled while gazing up at the billowing smoke and remembering the many delicious treats Harij had brought her.

Suddenly, the door opened, and an elderly woman with her hands full stepped out of the mansion. She wore a plain day dress with an apron and a white mobcap.

The woman’s expression grew suspicious when she noticed Rose. “Who might you be? Do you have business here?”

“Excuse me, is this Sir Azm’s mansion?”

“It is.”

“Good afternoon. Starting today, I will be in your care as—”

“Oh, it’s you!” the woman interjected before Rose could finish. “You’re LATE!”

Rose was taken by surprise by the woman’s loud yell. She didn’t appear as angry as she sounded, but she also didn’t seem very welcoming, either. The woman beckoned her over by moving her whole body in an exaggerated gesture because her hands were full. “Come here!”

Rose stood straight and pulled her shoulders back before running over to her.

“Heavens, child. I can’t believe you arrived this late on your first day. You should be grateful that His Lordship is a lenient man.”

Rose was in shock—here she thought she had arrived earlier than planned, but she ended up being accused of arriving late.

Oblivious to Rose’s reaction, the woman dumped the kitchen waste she was carrying into a wooden container in the garden as she continued rambling. “My name is Tala. You may call me Ms. Tala.”

“Hello, Ms. Tala.”

“Goodness gracious! They didn’t tell me you’d be this short and puny. And look at you! You’re dirty from head to toe like some ragamuffin! This way. Hop to it, lassie.”

Pressed to hurry, Rose rushed after Tala.

They entered the mansion through the back kitchen door. The kitchen had washing tubs filled with clean water, a long wooden table with cutlery and earthenware laid out, and a large stone oven for cooking.

But the most noteworthy thing of all was the sweet, tantalizing aroma filling the air.

When Rose stopped to breathe in the mouthwatering smells, Tala turned back and beckoned her once more from the door into the next room.

“This way, lassie.”

“Coming.”

Rose obediently followed Tala after mentally saying goodbye to the apple compote that had tempted her.

The inside of the mansion was even bigger than it had looked from the outside. Rose stared at everything with wide-eyed fascination as she walked the hallways behind Tala, who kept to the side of the carpet rather than leading her down the middle.

Sun shone through the windows spaced every few feet from each other, warming the mansion. The hallways alone were lined with fancy furniture and decorations. The ceiling—which she thought was just painted with pure-white plaster—actually had artistic patterns carved into it.

Rose was gaping up at the ceiling when Tala beckoned her for the third time. As they ascended the staircase, which had been polished to a perfect amber hue, Tala spoke to her in a barely audible whisper.

“What was your name again? Morée?”

“It’s Rose.”

Tala acknowledged her name with a small nod.

Am I moving in as Harij’s servant? Maybe that’s how he interpreted my request to only stay at his mansion during the night? If that’s the case, then I guess I have to do my best to serve him, Rose absently thought as she stared at the back of Tala’s graying head.

“We’re here.” Tala stopped and turned the unadorned doorknob with her pudgy fingers.

Urged inside, Rose entered a bare-bones room that was the polar opposite of the grand hallways she had just traversed. The décor was painfully simple, with little more than a homely bed, tiny closet, and a single small desk.

The room was far smaller than the hermitage, but it was clean enough that she wouldn’t have to throw things off the bed to sleep at night. There was a small window through which, at least, sunlight seemed to enter.

Tala opened the closet, revealing impeccably ironed liveries hanging from a pole. She then proceeded to pull out several dresses of homespun, plain fabrics, but in suitable colors for a young woman to wear, and held them against Rose.

“There are a total of five servants in this household, including you, Rose. His Lordship mostly looks after himself. He won’t trouble you much—keep your face up, please.”

Rose, who was staring at Tala’s hands, lifted her chin as she was instructed.

“The gardener comes four times a month. There’s a stable boy who comes during the day, but no coachman. As long as you get Mr. Safina’s permission first, any of the men can take you by carriage if you get sent on a long-distance errand.”

“I see.”

“We don’t have many colleagues, so I expect you to remember everything snippety snap, all right? You’re replacing the girl who left to have her baby. Do your best to keep up—good, this seems to be your size.”

Tala handed Rose a rather plain livery consisting of a simple dress worn under an apron with a matching mobcap of the same material.

“You must dress to impress because we can’t have you embarrassing His Lordship. I’ll hang afternoon dress and formal dress liveries of the same size in your closet later.”

“Thank you.”

“Change up lickety-split and return to the kitchen. Things are going to be chaotic with Her Ladyship’s arrival later today.”

Her Ladyship’s arrival later today.

Rose finally grasped the situation after hearing those five words. In other words, she had been mistaken for a newly hired maid who should’ve come earlier that morning. At least it sounded as if they were going to welcome the real Rose as a guest.

“Since you are going to be working here now, you ought to know…” Tala paused, her face revealing her misgivings as she continued in a barely audible voice, “…They say the lady moving in today is a witch.”

Rose listened without so much as batting an eyelash, though she was shaken on the inside. She hadn’t expected Harij to expose her as a witch to his servants aside from Safina, who had already discovered it for himself.

Can I—should I—truly stay with him as a “witch”?

No matter how many times she told herself he hadn’t invited her into his home as a noblewoman, she couldn’t shake the anxiety mounting in her. Her apprehensions entirely had to do with her own wishy-washiness about the whole thing, but she still didn’t know what position she should take in this mansion.

Even Rose had reservations about pulverizing animal livers in a long, dusty, dragging robe while claiming to be the lord of the mansion’s intended fiancée.

She probably wouldn’t start brewing potions in the middle of the living room, especially since she didn’t bring any pots or equipment with her because she couldn’t carry everything. But Rose was deeply moved by Harij’s open-mindedness about her being a witch in his house when she came there with every intention of attempting to be relatively human.

“His Lordship chose her, so she should be a fine lady… But don’t go making her angry or getting on her bad side, lassie. If you do, she might turn you into a frog with a swish of her wand.”

Only the great witches of the past could use such powerful magic, but Rose nodded along with her anyway. Tala laughed with relief after sharing her apprehensions with a kindred spirit.

As expected, the woman seemed frightened of witches, but she trusted Harij more than her innate fears.

Tala was about to leave the room when she seemed to notice Rose still standing there with the clothes in her hands, and she spun on her for one last scolding. “Don’t just stand there, for crying out loud! And why do you look like nothing but skin and bones, child? Did your previous master not feed you much?”

Tala closed the space between them and squished Rose’s cheeks between her hands. She turned Rose’s face right and left to get a better look at her.

“I can see why the girls would be jealous of you with a face like this.”

Tala pulled Rose’s dress down in one fell yank. Rose, who hadn’t had someone undress her in ages, stood erect without even uttering a surprised squeak.

“Good thing the wife of your previous master is a nice lady. She sent an astounding letter of recommendation for you. Even Mr. Safina, the head butler, decided to let you work here without an interview. Work hard, lassie. His Lordship will likely keep you even after the maid who left returns, if your work merits it.”

Tala swiftly dressed Rose as she merely stood there like a mannequin.

“You seem to have been hired as Her Ladyship’s exclusive maid, but as I said earlier, we’re running on a skeleton staff. As such, you will do all the work—lighting the furnace, keeping the fire going, cleaning, washing, cooking, shopping—the works.”

It seemed to take less than a few seconds before she was tying the ribbon at Rose’s neck. She patted her twice on the chest as if to signal she was free to move again.

“His Lordship gives us servants the day after the Starlight Festival off and a present every year—you can’t find a master as good as him anywhere else in the world. Not to mention he’s as handsome as they come. Do your best—but also try not to fall in love with him!”

Rose stood up straight and tall under Tala’s sharp glare. Answering either “Okay” or “No” were both out of the question.

At last, Tala left the room. Rose placed the luggage she brought from the hermitage on the floor and followed her. Tala gave a brief explanation of all the rooms as they walked through the hallways.

“This is the linen closet, and if you turn the corner over there, there’s a bathroom. I already prepared Her Ladyship’s room yesterday. Therefore today you will be helping me in the kitchen. Can you make trippa alla romana?” Tala turned toward her.

Rose could only shake her head. If she could make such extravagant dishes, her meals wouldn’t have consisted of just lettuce all these years.

“Then, how about acqua pazza?”

Rose shook her head even harder.

“Surely you are capable of making a vegetable quiche…” Tala seemed to realize the futility of her question before she finished it—Rose had given her yet another firm shake.

“I can twist a chicken’s neck.”

“We aren’t killing any chickens for dinner. The green pheasant, which will be our main dish for tonight, is already marinating in herbs. Since you can’t cook, go clean the foyer.”

They arrived there just as Tala finished telling her that.

“…Oh? This is the entrance?” Rose pointed at the beautifully carved door.

There was a staircase nearby, so the light spilling from the atrium ceiling softly illuminated the entrance hall. Gorgeous flowers decorated porcelain vases, and a bench and candle stands lined the wall.

“That it is… Don’t tell me you thought the door you came in through was the main entrance? That was the servants’ entrance.”

Rose refrained from admitting that was exactly what she’d thought and opened the real front door to begin cleaning. She pushed the heavy door open with all her strength, and her effort was rewarded with a view of the stunning mansion frontage.

Now she understood the difference between the two entrances—the main was breathtaking in all its glory, so much so that the servants’ entrance looked drab in comparison. Rose, however, maintained her cool veneer as she took in the landscaping before her.

Every bush was flawlessly pruned to the exact same roundness and shape. The colorful flowers must have been meticulously selected and trimmed by the gardener to always be in full bloom.

“All right, use these to clean the place up until it’s sparkling.” Tala pulled a bucket and straw scrubbing brush from somewhere and pressed them into Rose’s hands.

Accepting the tools, Rose fetched water from the specified well and thoroughly scrubbed the entrance. She made acquaintance with the rest of the servants while she was crouched and wiping up the floor.

She had met one of the footmen once before—he was the man who had carried Harij to her hermitage after he accidentally consumed the love potion. He probably didn’t know the Witch’s face, as she had had her hood pulled low over her features at the time. Who could blame him for not realizing that the humble maid scrubbing the entrance until she was drenched in sweat was actually the Witch his lord was smitten with?

Two of the footmen cheerfully greeted her and casually invited her out, saying, “Want to join us in town for drinks next time?”

Once they finished their quick chat, Rose returned diligently to her work.

But when Tala took a brief break from cooking to check on her, she made an X with her hands. “That won’t do, lassie. It’s not sparkling. Watch me. This is how you do it.”

She snatched the brush from Rose, got on her knees, and began scrubbing the floor. The loud sound of bristles scraping over the hard surface spoke volumes about how much pressure and strength Tala put into it.

“That’s the right way to do it. You can do the same thing, right? After you finish— Ouch, ouch, ouch…” After standing up, Tala moaned and placed a hand on her hip.

“What’s wrong?”

“My lower back has been aching a lot lately. Everyone succumbs to the ailments of aging eventually.”

Standing up too quick seemed to have made her pain worse. Rose took the brush from Tala, who was too stiff with pain to move, and guided her by the hand over to the staircase, where Rose helped her sit on the steps.

“Oh no, I can’t sit in the middle of the room,” she protested.

“Why not?”

“Are you honestly asking me that? Servants aren’t even supposed to walk in the middle of the stairs. How could you not know?” Tala marveled at Rose. Apparently, this was general knowledge that the maid who was recommended to the Azm mansion would have known.

“No one is around right now,” Rose responded unapologetically. “And if they do show up, I will take responsibility for it.”

“…Thank you. Sitting down for a bit will make me feel better, so get back to work, lassie.” Tala waved Rose away, embarrassed to be looked after by a younger maid.

Her back seems to hurt a lot. Maybe I should fetch a compress from home. As Rose was pondering how to help Tala, she heard a raucous shout.

“…She wasn’t at home?!”

“She left a note saying she was heading here early, but she has not arrived yet, Your Lordship… I was about to consult with the guards at the station.”

Those were Harij’s and Safina’s voices. They could be clearly heard from outside because Rose had left the door open to clean.

Harij sounded terribly upset and panicked.

Rose dropped her arm from Tala’s shoulder and rose to her feet. “…I forgot.” She rushed to the foyer and poked her head outside.

“What did her note say?!” Harij was angrily questioning Safina as they walked toward the entrance when he just so happened to look in Rose’s direction.

Her eyes locked with his so perfectly it almost seemed to make a sound.

He stopped dead in his tracks. His stunned expression was visible from a distance.

“Oh, Your Lordship! Welcome home.” Tala appeared behind Rose. She bowed to Harij without showing a single sign of her back pain. “I apologize for leaving the door open. We were cleaning the foyer… Go on, dear. His Lordship is home. Greet him.”

“I will be in your care starting today.” Rose lightly bowed her head at Tala’s insistence.

Harij fell completely silent, his large palm covering his face. He was likely trying to understand what he was seeing right now.

By the time he sorted out the situation and opened his mouth to speak, he was interrupted by a breathless shout.

“I-I am so terribly sorry!” A girl rushed up the walkway to the house, her hair flying wildly behind her. “I tried to come as early as possible, but the carriage wheel suddenly fell off in the nearby forest! My name is Mona, and I will be working here starting today. I look forward to serving you!”

Mona—the girl who had just approached the mansion—bowed her head so hard that her two big braids smacked her face.

Tala and Safina curiously looked from Rose to Mona. If they were to believe what the girl who had just arrived said, then she was the maid who was supposed to start working this morning. In which case, that begged the question: Who was the girl diligently scrubbing the foyer all morning?

Of course, Safina was first to arrive at the answer, having visited the Witch’s hermitage many times. He looked up at her with a start before dropping into a respectful bow.

Witnessing the head butler bowing to a maid widened Tala’s eyes, as she had yet to grasp the situation. Two people were scheduled to arrive at the mansion that day—the new maid and the new lady of the house.

It didn’t take a genius to realize who was who with Safina bowing to Rose.

“O-Oh, my lady! Forgive me! How could I make you do such horrible things…?!” Trembling with shame, Tala bowed deeply.

Rose placed her hand on Tala’s shoulder, causing the older woman to timorously raise her head. “Ms. Tala, would you like me to bring you a compress later?”

“…Pardon me?” Baffled, Tala gaped at Rose.

“…I understand what happened now. Tala, Safina, this is Rose, the Good Witch of the Lake, who will be staying in our home starting today. Take good care of her. Do your best, too, Mona.” Harij looked sympathetically at his servants before approaching Rose.

Dressed in fancier clothes than usual, Harij almost looked like an unknown gentleman to her. He was the coolest man in the kingdom, to say the least. He blinded her with his brilliance.

Too embarrassed to stare into the light that was her beloved, Rose sniffed the air instead.

“…What are you doing?”

“You smell of sweat.”

“And whose fault do you think that is…?” Harij placed his hand on his face for the second time. Then he grabbed her hand and rested it on his arm to escort her. “Your room’s ready. Let’s go.”

Tala frantically called after Rose as she was being led away. “M-Milady! The brush! You are still carrying the scrubbing brush!”

∴ ∵ ∴

“THINK of this as your own room back home and relax.”

The room Harij showed Rose to was criminally large. Two, even three hermitages could fit inside it. Several doors leading only God knew where were scattered about. Noticing her giving the doors an evil look, Harij explained their purpose.

“That one over there is locked, but the rest are to rooms that you may use freely. If you need to work with fire at all, do it in the kitchen, please. Let someone know first, too.”

“Okay.” Rose easily agreed to this, since she planned to make all her potions at the hermitage.

The beautifully patterned rug in the room had a deep and luxurious pile that sucked feet right into it, reducing foot fatigue no matter how long a person might be standing for.

Each piece of fine mahogany furniture was polished to a lustrous shine, and the walls were upholstered with green fabric.

It was altogether extravagant and elegant, yet soothing, as though she were still in the forest. The room, unified by greens and browns, showed the care with which Harij had rushed to prepare the space to welcome Rose.

“So? Care to explain why the guest of honor would be cleaning for her own arrival?” Harij asked, a critical edge to his tone, but that petered out when he noticed Rose’s shimmering forest-green eyes taking in the room. He exhaled a loud sigh of defeat. “Tala is getting on in age. Don’t tease her too much. You might surprise the life right out of her.”

Harij flumped down on the ottoman prepared as a part of Rose’s room. Seeing him like this drove home the fact that he truly was a nobleman. He looked made for the space.

Staring at her dashing crush sitting in the middle of the dazzling room, Rose muttered, “…It made me nostalgic.”

“What did?”

“She had a way about her that reminded me of my grandmother. Her graying hair did, too.”

Harij raked his hand through his own hair, messing up the gorgeous locks. “…She can be a little harsh at times.”

“She didn’t scare me one bit,” Rose said with her hand on her heart. Her voice came out softer than usual.

Rose’s grandmother had been a strict woman. She never joked or teased, and she always sounded as if she were angry. Both Tala and her grandmother spoke in harsh tones, but they never insulted her.

Since arriving, Rose had followed Tala around like a baby duckling no matter what she said to her because it reminded her of the time she’d spent with her grandmother. Even if it was only a brief moment of make-believe, she wanted to immerse herself fully in that nostalgia.

“Thanks to her, I was able to set my mind at ease that this is a very nice mansion.”

“I see,” Harij said, taking what she said to heart.

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

Understanding that about her, Harij had to accept her words as the whole truth.

He suddenly stood up, approached Rose, and extended his hand to her. He caressed her cheeks and ran his fingers over her temple. She squirmed under the ticklish feeling of his thumb gently tracing her hairline.

“You can trust everyone in this house. The same goes for the new girl—Mona. Safina chose her, and I trust his judgment.”

“All right.”

“He hired Mona to be your personal maid, but—”

“I will take on apprentices, but I have no need for maids, thank you.”

“I’ll let them know.”

No noblewoman would’ve been allowed to utter such a remark—however, Harij didn’t decline Rose’s request.

In her chest, joy blossomed as his words convinced her that it was okay for her to stay as a true witch in a mansion meant for nobles.

Harij stopped savoring the feel of her cheeks and patted her on the head instead. “Let me officially welcome you.”

“Thank you for letting me stay.”

She faced him and they exchanged formal bows. A refreshing wind blew through the windows and swayed the curtains.