Chapter One: First Case, First Reward

 

 

 

Chapter One: First Case, First Reward

 

THERE is a witch who devours the misfortunes of others. She lives alone in a dank and dreary manor and has yet to receive a single visitor.

Her manor lies in a narrow alley not far off a bustling main street, one that floods with ladies in dresses the color of the recently melted snow. Yet the stillness that pervades her alley makes it feel like another world entirely.

It was into that world that a tall blond man walked, his eyes on the handwritten map he carried, checking each building along the way before finally reaching his destination: an old two-story house with ivy winding its way up the brick walls. A small signboard was perched next to the wooden front door.

“‘The Witch of the East’s Apothecary,’ eh? I’m not sure if that’s charming or suspect…”

The colored glass window inlaid into the door was fogged over, obscuring the inside from view. The windows were all covered with flowery lace curtains, making the sign’s presence the only hint that the shop was open for business. Ernest knocked and then tried to peer through the curtains. After waiting for a few moments with no response, he opened the door.

“If she put the sign out, that must mean the shop’s open for business, right?”

He was so excited, it made him feel like a child. But why wouldn’t he be? He was about to meet a witch from a distant land, one who could devour the misfortunes of others.

The door lurched open with a creak, followed by the resonant chiming of a bell. The shop was completely dark, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, a unique floral aroma overtook his senses.

He took in the shop filled with the sort of things one would expect from a witch’s shop: jars crammed with plants, frogs preserved in alcohol, unfamiliar powders, and tomes written in a foreign script. There were several shelves, a counter, and a door into another room, but it was on a couch in that back room next to a small window where Ernest’s gaze finally landed.

There sat a petite girl with jet-black hair who couldn’t have been more than fifteen or sixteen.

Her otherwise straight hair was disheveled on one side, as if she had slept on it. While most of her clothes were very much in the Hylantian-style, the shawl-like garment covering her shoulders appeared to be Eastern

“Good day, m’lady…or perhaps I should say, ‘good morning.’”

The girl’s eyes popped open, shocked by the young man’s sudden appearance. Her body went rigid, making her look like a frightened cat. But the stoic expression she wore eclipsed any hint of the anxiety she was feeling inside.

Ernest flashed her a smile, and she rushed to sit up straight.

“A customer? I beg your pardon.”

Embarrassed that she had been caught napping on the job, she took her place behind the counter. The single tuft of hair that bobbed atop her head gave her otherwise subdued demeanor a subtle charm.

Her eyes, festooned by long lashes, were the same arresting black as her hair, a feature so rare it made it clear she wasn’t from Hylant. She was cute now, but would surely grow into a beautiful woman in her own right.

“How can I help you?”

“Ah, yes…I’m Ernest Travis Selden, an attendant to the royal family. By that, I mean I do various jobs for the benefit of our country,” Ernest said, using simple words for this careless girl whom he had caught napping on the job.

“Are you…a nobleman?”

“Yes, I hold the title of count. Might I ask your name?”

“How rude of me. I am Yuuri. Yuuri Watoh. Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Count Selden.”

Ernest was familiar with the Watoh name. The head of Watoh Company himself was the one who suggested Ernest visit the witch’s shop. Watoh Company was well-known as a purveyor of goods from the East, catering especially to the desires of the nobility and the royal family. The head of the company hailed from the East himself, so it should have been no surprise that this girl shared the same last name.

“You’re such a big girl to be helping out in the shop like this. Are you a relative of the Watohs?” he inquired, intending his first words to be a compliment.

But the petite girl went silent, her lips in a pout and her cheeks red, clearly not amused.

“I heard the witch here is an expert in Eastern medicine? Is she here?”

“That would be me,” the scowling girl said curtly.

“Come again…?”

“I am the witch you seek. My grandmother previously held that title, but as she’s passed away, I am all that’s left.”

“You’re the ‘Misfortune Devouring Witch’?”

“I don’t care for that title. …And just so you know, I’m nineteen. You don’t need to talk down to me like a child.”

Ernest stood opposite Yuuri, his eyes fixed on her. Nineteen? By Hylantian customs, that made her an adult.

Sensing his doubt, Yuuri turned away with a loud “hmph” added for good measure.

“…My apologies, m’lady. Please accept this letter of introduction the head of Watoh Company wrote on my behalf,” he said, setting the letter on the counter. He hoped it’d be enough to convince her to help him. Yuuri took her time in reading the letter and ensuring the seal was the genuine article before finally looking back up at Ernest.

“So, you want to learn about medicinal herbs from the East, specifically those from Xingka?”

Xingka was the largest country on the eastern continent, and the continent’s leading power in economics, cultural influence, and medicine.

“Yes. I’m not at liberty to go into detail, but I desperately need books on Eastern herbal medicine. I could order them through Watoh Company, but it would take too long.” Ernest was acting at the behest of the royal family and thus, discretion was paramount.

“So that’s why Watoh Company sent you to me?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Would you mind having a seat over there then? Many of my books are shelved and it will take me some time to find the ones you require,” Yuuri said, indicating the couch beneath the window. There was a table next to it with a teacup and a book written in an unfamiliar script on it. Yuuri shelved the book, cleaned up the remnants of her tea, and headed for the back.

She returned a short time later, accompanied by a gentle flowery aroma. She was struggling to balance a tray with two teacups on it, a sight which did little to convince Ernest she really was nineteen.

“….Here you go. It’s jasmine tea, a Xingkaese specialty.”

“So that’s where that flowery aroma was coming from. …Is your family from Xingka?”

“No, my family is from Hinomoto, which is further east. Watoh Company is heavily involved in trade in that region and much of Hinomoto’s medical knowledge comes from Xingka anyway, so we learn Xingkaese growing up.”

Hinomoto was a small island country, east of the eastern continent, and the farthest place on the planet from the western continents.

“Hinomoto, eh? I’ve only ever seen it on the map. What is the customary way of drinking tea there?”

“Support the base of the cup with your left hand and wrap your right hand around the cup. It’s not boiling hot, so take your time and allow the cup to warm your hands,” Yuuri explained, demonstrating the gesture as she spoke.

Ernest wrapped his hands around the dainty teacup as she instructed and lifted it to his lips. The tea had a strong fragrance and smooth taste, but it left a slightly bitter aftertaste. It was subtle in flavor, completely different from the black tea he normally drank.

“…It’s good. The flowery aroma is strong.”

“Normally, jasmine tea is made using low-quality tea leaves and so the aroma is meant to obscure its weak taste. But here, it’s imported by the aristocracy, and is made using higher quality leaves instead.”

“It seems the royal family, and subsequently the nobles, have taken a liking to Eastern goods. They seem to have developed a great respect and affinity for your culture.”

“I am pleased to hear that. …If you’ll excuse me, I’ll see to your books.”

Yuuri curtsied and headed for the back room. She was so polite and proper, and yet still painfully unaware of the hair sticking up on top of her head. The corners of Ernest’s lips twitched into a smile.

“You might want to take a look in the mirror first. Your hair has wound itself into a most charming state.”

He knew it was rude, but he couldn’t help himself. She froze and her free hand wandered to the top of her head. With a gasp, she rushed out of the room.

“Looks like I made her mad again…” he sighed. He wasn’t normally one to tease young women. And yet, something inside pushed him to tease this young witch he had only just met.

Yuuri returned with an arm full of books just as he was finishing his tea. “Several of these books are hard to find, so please be sure you return them to me.”

“Of course. And thank you. When I return, I’ll see to it you are compensated accordingly. …Until next time, my little witch.”

Yuuri clearly resented being called little. She was seething.

And that was how Ernest Travis Selden met the mysterious witch from a distant land, Yuuri Watoh.

❦❦❦

ONLY three days after his first visit, Ernest once again found himself at the witch’s door.

The jangling of the bell over the door gave him away. Imagining the look on the witch’s face when she saw him back so soon excited him. But Yuuri was nowhere to be found.

“How can she be so careless…?”

Last time she was sleeping, now she was missing. As both a shopkeeper and a woman living alone, she was frighteningly negligent.

A rattling sound shook Ernest from his thoughts. It was coming from an interior door that had been left ajar. The area seemed to be part of her private living quarters. Undeterred, Ernest headed toward the sound.

Peering inside, he spotted her right away. She was perched atop a ladder, her back to him, reading a book. She wore a jacket with a different pattern from the other day and her hair was as shiny as ever.

She evidently wasn’t expecting any customers. The books that once lined an entire section of shelving were now in piles on the floor. Ernest couldn’t be sure whether she was looking for one in particular or just going through them all, but either way, she was so immersed in reading that she hadn’t even heard the bell.

“Hey, Miss Witch! How’s it going?”

“Eek!”

He hadn’t meant to scare her, but he thought it would be creepy of him to just stand there silently watching her. Still, the sound of his voice caught Yuuri off guard and she lost her balance. Both she and the book she was holding came toppling off the ladder.

Ernest charged in and caught her. Even as the ladder and book came tumbling after her, he still managed to catch the petite witch with surprising ease. She refused to look at him after he set her down.

“That was close. Are you all right?”

Even with her back turned, he could see her ears glowing bright red. If he said something about it, he knew she would only grow cross with him. He decided to let it go for the time being.

“I’m terribly sorry. Are you hurt?” Yuuri finally turned in his direction. Her eyes were still downcast as she looked him over to make sure he hadn’t been injured.

“I’m fine. And I should be the one to apologize. I hadn’t meant to frighten you. Why were you reading back here with the door unlocked?”

“I wasn’t originally. When you came to borrow those books, it made me realize I should organize my collection…so…”

“Haha! So, you started going through them and got caught up reading!”

So she was reading instead of minding her shop. His laughter finally got her to look directly at him. And, as he feared, she was mad.

“ANYWAY, why have you come to see me today?”

“…Well, it may take a while to explain, do you have the time?”

Yuuri led Ernest to a couch like the one he had sat on last time and pulled a chair over for herself that looked like it came from her dining table. She prepared a different kind of tea for him this time as well.

“It’s about the books you lent me. A colleague of mine who’s proficient in Xingkaese was supposed to translate them for me, but says he can’t understand them.”

“What?”

He had borrowed these books, knowing they were written in Xingkaese. How foolish he sounded now, complaining he couldn’t understand them.

“I was baffled at first, but I suppose it does make sense. He works as a civil servant, so I expect it was a bit much for him to understand the text of a specialized medical book, even in his own language.”

“So, even though he can speak enough to manage diplomatic exchanges, he doesn’t know enough to read medical texts?”

With her dainty hands clasped around the teacup, Yuuri took a sip. Ernest mimicked her elegant, practiced movements. Finished with his tea, he decided to move on to the main topic at hand.

“You don’t talk much, do you?”

“…I guess not. I don’t go out very often.”

“That’s the impression I’ve gotten. You’re a sharp girl, so you must understand that I haven’t been forthcoming for a reason. We’re willing to reward you handsomely if you’ll assist us.”

“To be completely honest, I do not wish to involve myself in anything troublesome. But, seeing as the head of Watoh Company himself has commanded me to help you, I suppose I cannot refuse.”

“I’m sorry to get you caught up in all of this, Miss Yuuri. But I must ask that you keep this matter between us.”

With that out of the way, Ernest began to divulge the matter he was investigating:

It all started a month prior when the Queen fell ill at a welcome reception for a dignitary from Xingka. Her breathing remained ragged and her eyes bloodshot for hours after the ceremony.

“The Queen has always had a delicate constitution that waxed and waned with the seasons, so we believed there was no immediate cause for concern. And yet…”

A week ago, the Queen once again collapsed. The only known similarities between the two incidents were the Xingkaese tea the Queen drank and the maid who had prepared it for her. But a lot of people drank the tea brought by the ambassador and they were fine. This particular maid had been taught how to prepare the tea by the ambassador and his wife, so she was the one asked to do so this time as well.

The maid was quickly taken into custody and put through an intense investigation, but her story remained the same. She maintained complete innocence.

“The Queen has complete faith in this particular maid. She has ordered that this matter not be made public, convinced that there must be some misunderstanding.”

“So the Queen’s maid and the tea from Xingka are the two common threads.”

“Yes. Many of the maids also drank the tea, including the one in question. The only person who collapsed was the Queen. So it’s not unreasonable to believe her responsible, yes?”

Assuming that no poison had been detected in either the tea or the cup it had been served in.

“Have you considered the possibility that a poison unknown to the doctors of your country could have been used?”

“We have. We searched the maid’s belongings and tested the cup for anything that could be a poison, but we found nothing. Since makeup from the East, particularly from Xingka, has become popular here, we’ve also been evaluating the possibility that a poison could have been smuggled in under the guise of being makeup as well.”

The investigation hadn’t firmly settled on Eastern poisons being the definitive cause. They were merely assessing each possibility,

“I understand. So you would like me to summarize all of the Eastern poisons that could impact the respiratory system. Could you give me ten days?”

“Yes, thank you, we would be incredibly grateful.” Ernest’s generous grin made Yuuri blush. She told him she rarely ventured outside and hardly interacted with anyone beyond her family, so it made sense that she would be unaccustomed to interacting with others.

“By the way, do you have special powers or something?” he asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Like the power to rid yourself of wicked men?”

Everyone called her either the “Witch Who Preyed Upon Misfortunes” or the “Misfortune Devouring Witch,” but in person, she wasn’t the least bit imposing. Her lack of vigilance began to worry him.

“People call me a witch because I brew potions and treat their maladies. I’m more akin to a doctor. I have no mystical powers.” Her answer was matter-of-fact, and yet, she looked as if she would burst into tears.

“Shouldn’t you be a little more careful then? I mean, if I just grabbed your hair right now, you wouldn’t be able to get away.” Ernest would only have to take a step from the couch and the girl would be his. But the girl didn’t seem to be afraid.

As soon as Ernest touched her hair, Yuuri balled her hands into fists and glared at him. “Let go of my hair. If you do anything untoward, I won’t help you.”

Her anger was no more frightening than a kitten’s yowl to Ernest. It actually made him want to see more of her reaction. But he felt he owed her a word of warning for her lack of vigilance.

“If I genuinely wished to harm you, I would have done it long before now. You really should be more careful about keeping your shop locked.”

“No one ever comes to my shop. They’re so afraid of me, they do not dare…so there is no danger. Your concern is unnecessary; please let it go.”

“But, what about me? I’m here.”

“Your work brought you here.”

“Really? Still, I urge you to use caution while bad men such as myself lurk about, dear lady witch.”

Ernest left the shop and the witch with her cheeks red and her head hanging low.

❦❦❦

SCARCELY three days had passed before Ernest returned to the shop.

Yuuri had heeded his warning and was there to greet him when he arrived. And yet, every time he came within striking distance, she quickly moved away. His excessive demonstration the other day had now turned her into a full-on frightened feline.

While Ernest usually only visited the witch for business matters, she fascinated him so much that he decided to visit her on his day off.

“It is a pleasure to see you again, m’lord, but our agreed upon deadline has not yet come.”

“…True, but since you’re open for business anyway, I thought it might be all right for a customer such as myself to stop in.”

“A customer? You’ve never actually bought anything from me! Just stopping in to tease an innocent woman does not a customer make!”

“Hahaha, I suppose you’re right. So, what are you up to?”

The cold look in her eyes told him not to bother her, that she was busy, but he ignored it.

“I’m blending tea. It’s been quite popular as of late,” Yuuri said as she weighed tea leaves and flower petals atop a scale covered with a thin paper. There was a porcelain pot small enough to fit in the palm of one’s hand on the counter, likely also for sale.

“I see…”

Tea from Xingka was extremely popular among aristocratic women, but, as it was still rather scarce in Hylant, it was far from affordable for commoners. Ernest tried picturing a noblewoman deigning to visit the sketchy little shop, but couldn’t.

“You actually get customers here?”

“How rude! They may not actually visit my shop, but…I have to make money somehow!”

“So you don’t get customers then.”

“Watoh Company informs me of their customers’ ailments and I mix the tea for them to sell as their own. The product is extremely popular now that people have heard it is mixed by someone trained in the East.…”

The shelf was lined with many similarly packaged tea mixes, making Ernest think that while the witch herself had no business, her sales under the Watoh Company name enabled her to sell enough to get by. He felt like he finally had some sort of grasp of Yuuri’s relationship to the company, as well as how a shop that sold nothing managed to stay open.

“I see, so you aren’t just slacking off all the time! Think you could spare some jasmine flower tea for a weary nobleman?”

“This isn’t a cafe, you know!”

“All right then, you finish that up and we’ll go to an actual cafe. I have to make it up to you after being so mean. Do you like sweets?”

The word “sweets” caught her attention. She gazed through the lace curtains out the window, then shook her head.

“…I can’t go outside, and besides, I was warned to be wary of wicked men.”

Her expression darkened as she gazed outside. Ernest had to admit to himself that he hadn’t seen many foreigners about town, so her reluctance was understandable.

At the same time, on the wall behind the counter hung a feminine-looking jacket and a parasol, both serving as ample proof that she did actually leave the shop. So why couldn’t she go to a cafe with Ernest?

“Aw, you’re no fun. But why not? It’s so nice out. And I’m not really a wicked man.”

“I don’t care for sunny weather.”

“Would you prefer we go on a rainy day then?”

“I don’t care for rainy days either.”

“You don’t care for anything!” Ernest groaned, plopping down on the sofa by the window.

Yuuri pouted, realizing he was unlikely to leave anytime soon. Finally she relented and went to make some tea. She emerged a short time later with the tea Ernest requested.

“So, how is the work for us coming along?”

“I’ll have what you need in plenty of time, as long as Your Lordship stops interfering with my work,” Yuuri said sarcastically as she returned to mixing the tea.

“You’re such a hard worker. …So I’ve been wondering, is that robe from Hinomoto?”

“Yes. It’s a haori, which is a Hinomotoese-style of outerwear. It was a gift, but I’m afraid wearing it in town will make me stick out, so I primarily wear it around the shop.”

Ernest found himself rather curious about who exactly had given Yuuri the red haori. Could it have been from the president of Watoh Company himself or maybe someone else she knew. Another employee of the company? In any case, the red of the haori complemented her black hair so perfectly that whoever gave it to her must have known her well. This was only Ernest’s fifth visit to the shop, but each time she wore a haori of a different color, so he assumed she had quite a selection.

Ernest had so much he wanted to ask her beyond who gave her the haori. How was she related to Watoh Company exactly? He knew about her grandmother, but what of the rest of her family?

“Are those flowers native to Hinomoto?” he asked, indicating the white and gold flowers dotted vividly against the red background of the haori. The slender petals reminded him of dahlias or perhaps marguerite daisies, but they were a bit different.

“They’re chrysanthemums… In the East, you can even get tea made from them. Here, have a look.”

Yuuri placed something puffy and amber colored on a small plate and handed it to Ernest. It didn’t look anything like the flower pattern on her shirt, likely because it was being dried out to be used in tea.

“Is something wrong?” Ernest asked, noticing Yuuri was staring silently at the chrysanthemum.

“Have there been any developments with the tea incident?”

“The royal doctor has ordered that no one consume it until his evaluation is complete, seeing as it has caused the Queen to collapse twice.”

“Couldn’t you give me a little longer before deciding whether or not it was actually the tea?”

“Possibly, but the tea is so popular. If it got out that tea the ambassador brought caused the Queen to collapse, it could lead to a diplomatic breakdown or even war.”

“I see. But still, you’ve asked me to look into this.”

“Well, we did come to you for a third-party opinion. Perhaps you should have a look.”

“Really?”

“Though that would require you getting more heavily involved…”

Ernest pulled a bulky envelope from his shirt pocket and laid it on the table.

“Miss Yuuri, I don’t believe we’ve actually gone into detail regarding your compensation, have we?” Ernest asked, fixing her with a serious gaze for once.

“I don’t suppose we have. And since this job will take me ten days, it is an important matter.”

“Then please accept this as your advance.”

Yuuri took the envelope and peered inside. She found the envelope filled with more bills than a man at the prime of his working life could hope to make, even over the course of several months.

“What is this? Hush money? …Do I really appear to be in such dire straits? Or perhaps you see me as a woman with loose lips. Either way, I don’t care for the implication.”

Her normally sullen demeanor seemed to be at least partially the result of an embarrassment she was struggling to hide. But in this moment, her displeasure was clearly the result of her irritation at the contents of the envelope. She took pride in the work she did, and thanks to her work ties with Watoh Company, she clearly was holding her own.

“Oh…it appears I’ve offended you.”

“If you’re truly that concerned, then why not just threaten to have me rolled up in a mat and tossed into the sea if I speak a word of this to anyone.”

“How could I say something so dreadful to such an impressionable young woman? Am I to understand you do not require payment…?”

He meant her no harm. But he was hoping that the hush money would at least constitute a confidentiality agreement of some sort with her.

“…Well…what if I were to share my secret with you? It could be a trade of sorts. You would know my weakness. And I would be forced to keep your confidence, correct?”

She was clever. If she accepted the money in exchange for her silence, she was locking herself into a contract. But by revealing a weakness of her own, she was in a way encouraging him to protect her. With both of them knowing each other’s secrets, they were bound by a shared trust, neither able to divulge the other’s secret without having their own exposed. Though he didn’t like the thought of her being so suspicious of him.

Still, this secret had piqued his curiosity. So he gave a deep nod and flashed a wicked grin.

Though the idea was hers, Yuuri found her thoughts difficult to convey, starting and stopping over and over again. Ernest waited patiently.

“I-If you truly want my expertise, simple money will not do. You need to offer something of greater significance…something like blood.”

“Blood? I’m not sure I like where this is headed.”

Try as she might to sound self-assured, her voice wavered. “I am the descendant of vampires. I must drink blood at least once every three months. If I am able to receive the blood of another, that would be compensation enough for me. …That is my secret.”

At any other time, Ernest would have laughed at what she told him. But Yuuri appeared to be on the verge of tears. If he laughed at her now, he could be sure she would never smile upon him.

And I so desperately want to see that smile.

Whether it was anger or embarrassment, Yuuri was certainly an expressive woman. But Ernest had yet to see her smile even once. So, even as dubious as it all sounded, he was willing to take his chances.

“Perhaps that is the source of your otherworldly beauty. All right, that should be fine. How much blood do you require?”

“I only need a little, about as much as what falls from a tiny cut.”

Ernest removed his tie clip and used the pin to prick his index finger. After a few seconds, vivid crimson blossomed on his skin.

“Have a taste.”

Yuuri said she needed to drink blood, and yet she looked afraid. Ernest pressed his finger to those rose-colored lips of hers. As she began to lick the blood on her lips, her expression went slack, as if she were intoxicated.

The timid, wavering Yuuri disappeared, as if she never existed, replaced now by a ravenous woman, wildly lapping up the blood. But the wound was tiny, born only from a pin prick, and so the flow quickly ceased.

No sooner had Ernest pulled his finger away than did Yuuri’s lips find their way to the base of his thumb. She bared her fangs and sank them into his flesh.

“…Ah!” Ernest tensed up at the sudden pain, causing Yuuri to come to her senses.

“I’m so sorry! I-I…”

“I don’t mind. That couldn’t have been enough. Were you that hungry?”

Yuuri burst into tears, clearly dismayed at seeing the pain she had caused him. But he could see now that she had been telling the truth. Her canine teeth were sharp, though not unthinkably so for a human, and she completely changed when she drank his blood.

He heaved a deep sigh and lovingly gazed upon her as she fed. Her tears were heartbreakingly beautiful.

That alone made Ernest feel that fulfilling her request was of the utmost importance, and that other questions, such as what exactly she was, could wait.

When she finally finished, Yuuri fell back, her expression sluggish and dazed. Ernest pulled her close to him, embracing her. Yuuri did not try to pull away, instead choosing to lean into him.

It was something she likely otherwise would never have done.

“What do you normally do for sustenance?”

He wasn’t sure he could handle it if she had drunk the blood of another man. It now felt like such an important task to him.

She was cautious before, like a skittish cat that would run at the first sign of trouble. But now here she was, curling up in his lap of her own free will. This defenseless side of her only made him want to protect her more.

“…I don’t know. This…was my first time…” Yuuri drifted off midsentence.

Ernest now overflowed with concern for the girl who had once threatened him for simply touching her hair.

“First time? Miss Yuuri…? What do you mean? Are you all right? Don’t go falling asleep like a baby after its bottle on me!”

He shook her gently, but she would not wake. He resigned himself to serving as her pillow for the time being.

“M’lady, I do not think you appreciate me enough. If I weren’t the gentleman that I am, it would have been you and not I that was the prey here.”

He felt entitled to at least kiss the top of her head, but thought better of it. They remained like that for over an hour, until she awoke, screaming at him.

❦❦❦

YUURI shrieked and retreated to the other end of the couch.

Her memories of what had happened came flooding back and she quickly apologized, her cheeks bright red. Her expression rolled from one emotion to the next, and Ernest teased her, causing her to become even angrier.

Yuuri noticed the bite marks her feeding frenzy had left and ran off to fetch supplies to treat Ernest’s wounds. By the time she returned, she had finally calmed down.

“I’m so sorry. That must hurt…” she said meekly, attending to his wounds with a disinfectant-soaked cotton cloth. She then carefully applied an ointment with a fragrant herbal aroma.

“The bleeding’s stopped, so it’s fine. I won’t become your servant or something because of the bite, will I?”

“Not at all. But the open wound is at risk of infection, so it’s best to disinfect it.”

The sight of her little hands feverishly attending to his made Ernest smile. It did hurt, but her attention afterward more than made up for it. He felt an odd sense of pride knowing that the evidence of her secret resided on his left hand, hidden just below a bandage.

After replacing the now cold tea from earlier with a fresh batch, Yuuri brought a chair from the dining room and sat across from Ernest. He suggested she join him on the couch, as it was meant to seat three people, but she merely shook her head. It was clear that she was over any desire to be that close to Ernest for the time being. He realized that pain was the price he would have to pay to see her true self. He lamented the fact that she really was like a skittish cat, only wanting to be handled if food was involved.

“…So, please tell me more. What are you, really?”

“…I’m the descendent of the vampires of Hinomoto.”

“You said your grandmother was the ‘witch’ before you. Was she a vampire as well?”

Yuuri gulped and nodded. “My grandmother was a vampire, but my father lacks any vampiric characteristics. While my blood may be diluted, I am much like my grandmother—our ancestral blood flows strong in me.”

“So it’s a sort of atavism, where those traits skipped your father’s generation and made a return in you? …So what of your parents? Are they still alive?”

“Yes. The head of Watoh Company is my father. I don’t look much like him, do I?”

The head of Watoh Company was the one who told Ernest about the witch’s shop. He looked different from most people in Hylant, but his olive-brown hair and eyes were a far cry from the deep ebony of Yuuri’s. Ernest had suspected they might be related, but they certainly didn’t look enough alike to suggest they were father and daughter.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been able to see well in the dark, but that also means I have a hard time in bright places. And my teeth are sharp… If you asked my Hylantian mother, she’d tell you I’m a monster. My mere existence tore our family apart,” Yuuri rattled off these words with the same disinterest one might with a shopping list.

But Ernest sensed something deeper in her apathy, as if she were trying to keep her fragile heart from breaking. After all, her mother couldn’t bring herself to accept that her daughter looked nothing like her beloved husband, couldn’t bear the light, and loved the dark. “Unconditional love” apparently meant nothing to her.

“Is that why you live here alone…?”

“I’ve lived here since I was little. But I had my grandparents with me, so I wasn’t lonely…”

But now she was alone. Her contact with her father seemed mostly perfunctory, so she was more or less alone.

“I see…then it’s decided!”

“What is?”

“I will keep your secret. But if you ever need anything, all you need do is ask.”

In the beginning, it was likely just his fascination with the strange girl from a foreign land. But after seeing the expression on her face as she became intoxicated off his blood, one he was sure she never intended another to see, he resolved himself to become her source of sustenance.

“No, really, I’m all right. I don’t want someone hanging around, treating me like a circus attraction. Please leave me alone.”

“You said you were only going to try my blood, but you drank a lot of it. Was it that good?”

“……”

Yuuri stared at his left hand, wrapped in the bandages she’d painstakingly applied.

“And here I went and gave you an advance and yet, you’re still so cold toward me. I thought I’d give you more if you were honest with me, but…” He was only trying to tease her and act put off, but she continued staring at his hand.

“Aren’t you afraid? You’re not repulsed by all of this?”

The one quaking in fear and disgust was Yuuri.

“You have to feed once every few months, but you won’t hurt anyone beyond that, correct?”

“I don’t think so. My grandmother lived her life in peace alongside my Hylantian grandfather.”

Now that he had served in the same capacity, it was clear to Ernest that Yuuri’s grandfather had been the one to provide blood to her grandmother.

It seemed one thing Yuuri herself was unaware of was that vampires were said to have the ability to charm their prey. Ernest decided he didn’t mind, as long as he was the one and only person she used that ability on.

“Well then, there’s no need for me to be afraid, is there?”

“You’re an odd man. Well, I suppose, until we tire of each other, you’re welcome here anytime.”

He was sure the line about tiring of each other was more for her benefit than his. Until recently, she didn’t know Ernest. And even now, he still seemed like a passing presence in her world. Despite his affable nature, she was still cautious of him. Her words were meant to soften the blow, should that day come when he abandoned her.

Too bad for her. I have no plans of going anywhere. And I rarely tire easily of anyone or anything that strikes my interest.

And so, he willingly became the sole food source for Yuuri Watoh.

❦❦❦

ERNEST visited the witch’s shop once more, one day before he was scheduled to. Perhaps it was because of the secret that they’d bonded over, but she didn’t threaten him or try to run him off as she had before.

“Afternoon, Miss Witch. How’s the job coming along?”

“Oh, it’s almost done. I can bring it to you if you’ll wait here for a moment.”

“No need to worry, I’ll come for that tomorrow. I have some of the tea in question with me and thought you might like to see it.”

A doctor who served the nobility was now in charge of securing the tea and testing it for poison. With his permission, Ernest was allowed enough for one pot, and so he placed it into a small flask and brought it with him.

Yuuri brought out a small saucer and they shifted the bottle’s contents onto it. She squished up the tea leaves with her bare hands and smelled them to ensure they were in fact tea.

“…Was it all right to do that? Do you suspect the tea leaves themselves might be poisoned?”

Naturally, Ernest wouldn’t have given the tea to her if he did not think it safe, but it was clear that she had some suspicions of her own.

“Many people drank it and did not fall ill, and Xingka is a friendly nation, so they wouldn’t knowingly mix poison into it, right?”

“That’s true…”

Yuuri brought out a pair of tweezers and sifted through the tea leaves one by one. As Ernest looked more closely, he realized there were light yellow and red bits mixed in with the brown leaves. Once she finished sifting, Yuuri wrote several words on a sheet of paper.

“This tea is what we call flowering tea. The jasmine tea you love, Count, is also generally considered a flower tea,” Yuuri explained in response to Ernest’s confused head tilt.

Flowering teas like jasmine tea were a common delicacy in Xingka and came in many varieties. Some were made by simply mixing the flower petals directly into their cup, while others relied on a premade bundle of dried flower petals and tea leaves.

The tea the ambassador had brought as a gift was indeed flowering tea, as was the tea mix Yuuri had prepared for Watoh Company a few days earlier.

“This mix has a lot of petals, don’t you think?”

Now that the tea leaves and other pieces were separated, it was clear that the light yellow and red bits were dried flower petals. There was an especially high concentration of the light yellow petals.

“These are chrysanthemum petals.”

“Oh, yes, like the ones you showed me the other day, right? …Does that mean something to you?”

“Just that, maybe, the Queen wasn’t poisoned.”

Yuuri clearly wasn’t one for jokes, yet Ernest found this hard to believe after seeing the Queen collapse firsthand. How could it be anything but poison?

“She wasn’t poisoned?”

“You’ve never heard of someone falling ill because of something they ate or drank?”

Yuuri held out a Hylantian medical journal. It was opened to a page discussing people who, as soon as certain foods touched their lips, broke out into hives and had trouble breathing. And though they hadn’t been able to prove this was the cause, it was believed to be linked to several deaths.

“The tea leaves themselves are the same in Xingka as they are in Hylant. The difference is that, here in Hylant, we don’t normally blend chrysanthemums into our tea.”

She handed Ernest another book. This one he recognized. It was one of the medical books he had borrowed from her originally, but returned after being unable to translate the text. There was a picture of a chrysanthemum on the page she had bookmarked.

“Here. I only translated the section about chrysanthemums.”

Indeed, she had exclusively translated the pages describing the chrysanthemum and its effects, color, and characteristics. At the very end was a warning that chrysanthemums could cause hives, itchiness, or, in severe cases, asphyxiation, in some people.

“There are many foods that can cause this condition, both in Hylant and the East as well. And it isn’t just food. Makeup has also been linked to similar illnesses.”

“So you’re saying it’s not a poisoning! Have we wasted all this time trying to research poisonous plants?”

“No, I am not willing to assert that much yet. Just that, your people should explore other possibilities outside of a targeted poisoning…and that, if this is the cause, it explains a lot.”

Those words were clearly her honest opinion.

Ernest also had his doubts about this being caused by poison. They hadn’t been able to detect any in the Queen’s tea or on her cup, so he had at least suspected it was not a poison common to Hylant. Poison was just one possible explanation, so they couldn’t rule out the other possibilities just yet.

“May I borrow this book? I’d like to hear what the royal physician has to say on the subject.”

“Of course. I thought you might ask.”

“If you’re right, then both the Queen and the maid will be spared. It would be a matter of happenstance and not the maid’s fault.”

The maid had insisted she had no reason nor desire to poison the queen. Since the Queen’s faith in her was so great, she had only been placed under house arrest for the duration of the investigation. It was fortunate that the matter had been kept quiet.

“Still, it’s important to remember that, even though no one meant for this to happen, substances that can cause these types of reactions are still considered poisons by many.”

“You are right. People who know about the Queen’s weakness to such substances, such as yourself, could use it against her…”

If trade with the East continued to increase and flowering teas continued to increase in popularity, there was no guarantee something like this wouldn’t happen again. Only a small amount of chrysanthemum petals had been in the tea that caused the Queen to collapse. A larger amount could kill her. In order to prevent that from happening, palace servants and cooks would need to be made aware, at the very least. But who needed to know beyond that? And how much should be revealed? And then, there was the one person who knew every last detail, and probably shouldn’t.

“What are you scheming?”

Yuuri was a commoner and thus, one of the last people who should know the Queen had such a weakness.

Ernest was carefully considering how he could ensure her silence. “Ah, well, I’m a bad man, so I must be planning something nefarious. Do you really want to know what I’m thinking?”

“…Is it about how you’re going to roll me in a bamboo mat and toss me into the ocean?”

“Of course not! What a horrid thing to say! You’re the daughter of a wealthy merchant; you must have more faith in your position and our relationship than that. And let’s not forget we have our secret to bind us.”

“That is true.”

She had unwittingly stumbled onto this royal family secret. And being as clever as she was, she likely understood the danger that entailed. If the king or queen were the malicious sort, it wouldn’t be unthinkable for them to want to silence her. And yet, she discussed the matter with such detachment, as if someone else were in the danger she currently found herself.

“My, you’re in quite a bit of trouble, aren’t you, my little witch?”

The mother that bore her wanted nothing to do with her. The grandmother that had lovingly raised her was dead. She was truly alone in the world. And yet her flagrant disregard for her own life troubled Ernest.

If only you could boost your social status, eh? …It won’t be easy though…

Ernest smiled to himself. He knew if he told her how he intended to protect her, she would throw him out in a panic. He would be heartbroken if she did, so he elected to keep it to himself for now, at least until she asked him.

❦❦❦

ERNEST Travis Selden was one of King Rodrick the Second’s closest friends. And at that moment, he was in a confidential meeting with the king, queen, and the royal physician in a room just outside the palace.

“Everything the count said was correct.”

King Rodrick nodded along as the physician spoke.

They conducted an investigation into whether the Queen had this reaction to small amounts of chrysanthemums that were consumed in other ways. It was a dangerous experiment, but Queen Adeline had insisted on it to prove the innocence of her trusted servant.

“I see. So, Ernest, or should we say, Watoh’s daughter, was correct.”

Hylant’s young king sat in an ornate chair, resting his chin in his hands. At twenty-eight, he was only one year older than Ernest, and the two shared a relationship that was one part lord and retainer, one part close friends. The two had traveled together quite often in Rodrick’s days as the crown prince.

“Please extend her my sincere gratitude as well. It is due to her efforts that my dear maid’s innocence was brought to light.”

Adeline had suffered greatly out of fear over some unknown malevolence. Though her health still wasn’t completely restored, she appeared to have relaxed upon hearing she hadn’t been deliberately poisoned.

“I am grateful we’ve determined the cause, but I still have some concerns.”

Likely chief among those concerns was how much information about the queen’s affliction to divulge. They would only tell the staff that needed to know. And to those precious few, only the fact that chrysanthemums might cause her a rash.

Their other concern was Yuuri. They trusted Ernest’s assessment of her, as he seemed to have come to understand Yuuri, and yet…

“Are you certain that this Yuuri Watoh will indeed keep this matter confidential?”

“You can trust her, Your Majesty.”

“It does not sit well with me to doubt the one who has been so generous in aiding us… What to do with her…?”

The king had not come to know Yuuri the way Ernest had, and so he was forced to treat her with suspicion. But Ernest had anticipated the king would not trust her so easily and had planned for that possibility.

“If that is your concern, why not make her one of our own then?”

“You mean through an award or honorary title? But then the public would want to know why…”

The people had been told the queen’s collapse was merely due to poor constitution, so rewarding someone for finding a cause was out of the question.

“No, I was actually thinking of making her my wife.”

“What?!” Rodrick had lifted his head and was gaping at Ernest.

“If she were to marry into the nobility, it would then be her responsibility to serve the royal family and maintain their confidence. She will keep your secret. I stake my life on it.”

Yuuri’s father may not be nobility, but their family had riches that rivaled any noble. And it was common for wealthy merchants to try to marry their daughters off to nobles (generous dowry and all). Marrying Yuuri would be a simple matter.

“U-Uh…that is unfair to Watoh’s daughter. And no matter the reason, I cannot force her to marry you.”

“Of course not. I would never dream of asking you to compel a woman who does not love me to marry me just for the secrecy of the royal family. But listen to me. She has all the charm of an aloof cat…”

“Ernest, you cad! So you prefer women who are cold on the outside!” Rodrick shook his head in his hands, long familiar with his friend’s antics.

“I suppose you could say it was love at first sight.”

“So do you think Miss Watoh feels the same?” The king glanced curiously at Ernest, already having guessed what he was thinking.

“Definitely…well, maybe.”

“I wish I knew where you derived your confidence from. Well, I suppose now you need to ask your potential bride-to-be and her father. If she accepts, you’ll have my blessing. Considering the influence he has as a merchant, Watoh’s lack of status should not be an issue.”

“You have my gratitude.”

“That poor girl has my pity though, as does anyone who has caught the eye of an odd man like yourself. Who knows what other shenanigans you’ll pull her into?”

Ernest was shocked by Rodrick’s words. Yuuri’s reticence was what led him to tease her. If she would be warmer toward him, he would gladly whisper sweet nothings into her ear. The thought made him laugh.

“Even your laugh makes me shudder…”

What a cruel thing to say. He was well-aware everyone believed his smile to mean he was plotting something.

It seemed as if all the loose ends in Ernest’s plans to make everyone happy had been tied up nicely. Queen Adeline was equally pleased that, if Ernest married Yuuri, she would be able to thank the girl in person.

“Well, I believe we’re done here. I’m off to inform my little witch of everything we’ve decided.”

And with that, Ernest once again set off for the witch’s shop.

❦❦❦

BY the time Ernest reached Yuuri’s shop, the sun was beginning to set. The pleasant dinnertime aroma of meats and spices filled the streets.

“Well, good evening.”

“Good evening, Count.”

Yuuri lit the oil lamps as she met Ernest at the door.

“I apologize for coming after hours, but I have some news to share.”

He took his usual seat on the couch, but this time, she sat down next to him. She pretended to be annoyed, saying she just sat next to him because it was inconvenient to keep bringing out the chair.

Ernest first reported the results of the investigation and the maid’s return to her station. He also shared the royal couple’s gratitude for Yuuri’s role in finding the cause.

“I see. Knowing that the maid has been allowed to return is thanks enough for me.”

“Miss Yuuri, I still must ask—”

“Ask what?”

“Which title is correct? Are you the ‘Misfortune Devouring Witch’ or the ‘Witch Who Preys Upon Misfortune’?”

Yuuri told him she hated that moniker, period.

But Ernest had another thought. Perhaps the grandmother who had raised and trained her was the one who preyed on the misfortune of others.

“She devoured them, yes. As a young woman, my grandmother served this town by helping people solve their problems, thus devouring those troubles and bringing people good fortune. They gave her that name as a sign of their affection. But…”

Even in the dim orange light, he could see her expression darken.

“But as time went on, the ordinary citizens turned toward more modern medicine and the era of the witch came to a close. She was forgotten.” But the name somehow managed to persist, taking on a life of its own. Because of that, no one dared enter the witch’s shop, spawning a vicious cycle.

“I see. I believe your grandmother would be proud of the way you helped us. You have my deepest gratitude.”

Yuuri looked genuinely surprised for once, the corners of her eyes softening.

“Did you just smile?”

“I can smile just fine, thank you very much. I am not a doll.”

Ernest instantly regretted pointing it out to her. Her bright red cheeks swelled.

“You’re positively adorable when you’re angry, but I hope to make you smile more often. After all, I am your treasured food source. Oh yes, and I wouldn’t mind hearing you call me by my name for once.”

“No.”

“I thought you might say that. You’re so obstinate!”

Ernest sighed. At this rate, he wouldn’t get her to agree to marry him anytime soon.

On the other hand, nothing worth having is easily gained.

“Well, I can be just as stubborn as you, so I expect we make a fine pair.” Ernest laughed while Yuuri’s annoyance only grew.