Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Because I'm Leonardo's Fiancée
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Laura returned to her room and dismissed the maid before locking the door.
She checked the lock several times to make sure it was secure, then spoke in a trembling voice.
"Now... it's okay."
【You could've just talked right there. You saw how that man who took the necklace reacted, didn't you?】
"I feel more comfortable this way."
【Fine, if that's how you want it.】
As soon as the voice finished speaking, a foreign power surged out from within Laura.
The mass of power slithered about, shaping itself into a human form before transforming into the figure of a woman.
A large conical hat and a purple robe.
With her mysterious smile, she looked just like a witch straight out of a fairy tale.
But what caught Laura's attention wasn't her appearance.
It was the dark crimson eyes that gleamed like dried blood.
And the fact that, even as their gazes met, nothing flowed into her mind left Laura bewildered.
'Nothing... I can't see anything.'
Was it because the being before her wasn't a real person?
As if reading Laura's thoughts, the witch-like figure chuckled and said,
【Don't worry. I haven't sucked away your power. The reason you can't read my thoughts is just a trait I have.】
"How...!"
【Wondering how I know you can read thoughts? Simple—you're a descendant of Senior Enrique. I can tell just from those purple eyes.】
Enrique?
Was she referring to that witch who helped the first Count Clarins?
But that person lived hundreds of years ago—how could she speak as if she knew her?
Various thoughts raced through Laura's mind, but the witch continued in a calm, composed voice.
【Shall I introduce myself first? I'm Francesca, the Witch of Deception. And you are?】
"Laura... Clarins."
【Laura. So the line of the Witch of Enchantment hadn't truly died out after all. Nice to meet you.】
"I'm not a witch! I'm just an ordinary person."
【Huh? What are you talking about?】
"Exactly what I said!"
Francesca tilted her head, looking utterly confused by Laura's outburst.
Then, with a surprised expression, she asked,
【Wait, have you never been to Hegemonia? Did you grow up in the human world?】
"What's Hegemonia? I was born and raised in the Clarins Family."
【Oh dear... No wonder the flow of ether felt off...】
The witch smacked her forehead in disbelief.
She pondered for a moment, as if wondering where to even begin, before opening her mouth.
【No helping it, then. I'll have to explain from the beginning.】
And so Francesca began explaining about witches.
Witches.
In the human world, they were vaguely known as 'humans born with special magical power.'
But that was completely wrong.
Witches were a distinct species from humans.
They resembled humans closely but were fundamentally different.
They possessed far superior magical sensitivity and much longer lifespans than humans.
On top of that, they had a unique power called 'ether.'
Through this power, witches had long reigned as superior beings over humans—
But that supremacy didn't last.
Witches had a fatal flaw as a species.
Infertility among their own kind.
As the name implied, witches had no concept of males.
And same-sex reproduction wasn't possible either, so to sustain their kind, they had no choice but to bear children with human seed.
But even that wasn't easy.
The odds of a child between a witch and a human being born as a witch were exceedingly slim.
At best, one in ten.
And sometimes, the blood only awakened after several generations.
Thus, witches gradually declined.
No matter how superior their power, a species' survival hinged on reproduction.
As human technology advanced and they gained access to magic, the tables turned.
Witches still held the edge in power and technique, but the sheer numbers of humans overwhelmed them.
Humans, now dominant over witches, began to shun them.
They couldn't tolerate a superior species lording over them.
Driven out by humans, the witches gathered in one place.
That became the witches' city, 'Hegemonia'.
There, the witches pooled their knowledge to devise ways to revive their kind.
And they reached a conclusion.
Until they solved their species' flaw, they would infiltrate human society in secret to continue their line, then return to continue their research.
And if a witch was born in the human world, arrangements would bring her to Hegemonia for training before sending her back out to repeat the cycle.
Having explained this far, Francesca asked Laura,
【So, the fact that you've never been to Hegemonia means something went wrong... Was there nothing around you that reacted to your ether? It should have called strongly to you.】
"Nothing. Aside from records that my family's founder was connected to a witch."
【I see. Your blood lay dormant for so long that the arrangements were lost. Senior Enrique went out of contact ages ago, so we couldn't check...】
Muttering to herself, Francesca clapped her hands and said,
【Anyway, it's astonishing. For your blood to awaken after all this time, and for you to have survived so well without any arrangements.】
"......Is it?"
【Yes. This necklace was an arrangement I left for my descendants... but I couldn't just abandon Senior Enrique's bloodline.】
Francesca smiled brightly and extended her hand.
【Come, take my hand. I'll open the path to Hegemonia for you.】
"You mean go to Hegemonia now?"
【Exactly. You've reached adulthood, but you're empty of the knowledge a witch needs. First, learn there, then come back out to continue the line once you're done.】
And while you're at it, remake the arrangements for my share.
Laura gazed at Francesca's outstretched hand as she listened.
She saw the familiar power flowing from it.
A power that proved she was a witch like Laura.
There was a place where people with such power lived together.
If she went there, Laura could finally accept herself as she truly was.
The thought made her heart pound fiercely.
She wanted to go. She wanted to experience it.
A normal life. A society where she could reveal her true self.
And so, as if enchanted, she reached out toward her.
But as Laura extended her hand, someone suddenly came to mind.
Leonardo.
Her fiancé—the first person to accept her.
And at that thought, her hand froze in place.
'If I leave now, what happens to Leonardo?'
A few days might be fine.
But what if it took a month, or a year?
If it took that long to return, would their relationship stay the same?
Laura looked up at Francesca and asked,
"If I leave now... when could I come back?"
【Who knows? It depends on how quickly you learn—but】
Francesca smiled slyly and said,
【At least ten years, I'd say. Since you'd be starting from scratch.】
Ten years.
Ten times longer than she'd imagined.
Her pounding heart sank at those words.
And the hand she'd extended toward Francesca dropped.
"......I can't go."
【Hm? Is something wrong?】
"I just... can't go."
【Why? Living in human society must be tough. Hegemonia has none of that. You won't face discrimination there.】
".........."
【No, you'd be welcomed with open arms. You're the Witch of Enchantment, whose line was thought lost long ago. Everyone would be dying to talk to you.】
Laura trembled at her words.
They pierced her deepest desires perfectly.
Sweet and sticky like honey, they wrapped around her heart.
But Laura shook her head with effort.
"Still... I can't go."
She had always imagined it.
A future where everyone warmly accepted her.
Herself approaching them without the blanket of lies.
But even if that dream came true, it would mean nothing without that one person there.
Leonardo. Her fiancé.
The first to accept her, to hear her truth.
He seemed gruff but was warm; thorough yet clumsy.
As she grew closer to him, Laura had always dreamed of the same future.
A future together with him.
So if he wasn't in that other happy future—
She didn't want to go there.
As Laura looked at Francesca with such resolve, the witch wore a troubled expression.
【Are you sure? The ether in the arrangements isn't abundant—once time passes, you might never be able to go to Hegemonia.】
Laura nodded.
And as if telling herself, she replied,
"It's okay. Because I'm Leonardo's fiancée."
Where he was, that was where she belonged.
Francesca stared deeply into Laura's eyes before nodding.
【Very well, if that's your will.】
Regret laced her voice—
Yet for some reason, the corners of Francesca's mouth curved into a gentle smile.