Eneccra's Curse

A few days passed. Admiring Carmel's figure morning and night, engaging in light sexual harassment, and bickering back and forth—my days were not much different from my usual routine. That was, until Shinia brought me a letter from William Roberts.

It's finally here...!

Between this and the invitation to the tea party, the timing was absolutely perfect. Sitting by the window, I broke the seal and began to read.

"Hmm, I see..."

The writing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was concise, yet it possessed a certain refreshing clarity. It was the sort of prose that conjured an image of William's neat, earnest face. Not only was it easy to read, but it was also packed with substance, containing quite a bit of information I hadn't been privy to. Though styled as a letter, it was closer to a highly detailed report—one that dug deep into the inner workings of the Lorencia family.

The current head of the Lorencia family was Reid Lorencia. Naturally, he was the center of power and the very symbol of the family. However, he was well over seventy years old. While he didn't have any immediate health issues, it was high time to consider the succession. To that end, the Lorencia family was reportedly split into two major factions competing for the seat of the next patriarch.

First, there was Elond Lorencia, the eldest son who worked closely by Reid's side. It appeared he was already managing the vast majority of the duchy's affairs. Since I had never heard of any major issues arising in the Lorencia territory, he was likely doing a competent job.

Then there was Luna Lorencia, the eldest daughter and Elond's younger sister. She was currently running a textile business utilizing cotton fabrics. However, compared to Elond, who had already begun the formal succession process, she seemed lacking in many areas.

Hmm... If that's the case, the one who partnered with Carmel is highly likely to be Luna Lorencia.

Elond had absolutely no reason to take such a risk. Barring any catastrophic blunders, the position of patriarch was practically his. He had zero motivation to commit the folly of entangling himself in a conspiracy involving the royal family.

Luna, on the other hand, was at a severe disadvantage. Perhaps she believed that without a daring gamble, she could never turn the tables—entirely unaware that the rope she was clinging to, Carmel, was completely rotten.

Let's play it out. What could Luna Lorencia possibly gain from a deal with the Queen, and what could she offer in return?

What Carmel could do for Luna was clear: make her the head of the Lorencia family, or at least ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠provide the decisive assistance needed to achieve that goal. With the Queen's authority and Carmel's magic, there were countless ways to make that happen.

Then, conversely, what could Luna do for Carmel?

What Carmel desired above all else... was the ruin of the Luistie Kingdom, and my own destruction. It was highly unlikely that the Lorencia family, holding such a lofty position in the kingdom, would actually want the downfall of the Luistie Kingdom itself. Therefore, Luna's cooperation was almost certainly targeted at me.

That would explain why they invited me to their territory. Under the guise of lavish hospitality, they intended to catch me off guard, assess the cards in my hand, and figure out which one they could steal.

I held many cards: my memories of my past life, the Knight Order, my status as a princess, and my Witch's Eyes. If there was even a single card among them that they could potentially take from me...

...it would be the Roberts Merchant Guild.

Reading this detailed report again, it took on a slightly different meaning. Entrusting William Roberts with the investigation of the Lorencia family had turned out to be an exquisite, yet perhaps slightly cruel, assignment. To me, the Roberts Merchant Guild was merely one of many cards in my hand, but to William, it was everything.

If my current guardianship over the Roberts Merchant Guild were to be transferred to the Noble Council or the Lorencia family, there was absolutely no way they would ever return it to William.

No wonder he investigated so desperately.

Well, nothing was set in stone just yet. For now, it was all circumstantial evidence and plausible theories. I would have to continue gathering proof to support my deductions—for the sake of our hard-working little Baron, for the Luistie Kingdom, and above all, for my own happy future.

A woman wearing a black hat stood in a meadow where green grass mingled with withered stalks. At a single glance, she exuded the unmistakable aura of a witch. I knew instantly that I was in a dream. Having spent the last two weeks confined to a single room, suddenly finding myself in an open field could only mean one thing.

The black witch spun around to face me in an instant.

"Hello, Luistie."

She knew me? Well, she was a character in my dream, so I suppose anything was possible.

"Yes, hello. I am Sera Rustier, Princess of the Luistie Kingdom. Who might you be?"

At my question, the witch's eyebrows shot up, as if she had just heard something utterly baffling.

"You do not know me? Luistie... has forgotten me?"

Along with the witch's expression, the surrounding landscape began to warp and distort. A deep, bone-chilling cold began to seep from the depths of my soul. The witch's face, which must have once been beautiful, was now twisted in a hideous glare of pure hatred.

It was a grotesque scene straight out of a horror movie, but I watched it with complete indifference. After all, since it was just a dream, no nightmare could actually harm me.

"Does even the princess not know my name? My devotion, my wrath! Luistie cast it all aside like trash...! Bias Luistie!"

"Bias Luistie...?"

As far as I knew, that was the name of the kingdom's founder. Did that mean this woman belonged to that unimaginably distant past? Why on earth was I having a dream about such a witch...?

The witch's hand roughly gripped my shoulder. Despite being in a dream, I felt a sharp pain. Her hand was as cold as a corpse. Holding me tight, she chanted a phrase that sounded like a spell.

"Princess, Princess! Are you alright? Goodness, you're drenched in sweat..."

"Ah, yes. I'm fine. I just had a bit of a nightmare."

When I opened my eyes, a familiar sight greeted me. A maid was standing by my bedside, looking down at me with deep concern.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Let me wipe you down. It would be best to change into fresh clothes as well..."

"Yes, please."

While the maid wiped away my sweat and helped me change, I pondered the dream I had just experienced. It didn't feel like a simple dream at all. The overwhelming presence of that witch, burning with hatred, was still vivid before my eyes.

Furthermore, that final phrase. I had definitely heard the name Eneccra. Naturally, my mind jumped to the Book of Enekra. The legendary grimoire said to have been used by a witch of immense power. Could the witch in my dream be the very author of that book? Was it because of my connection to the Book of Enekra? There were too many unsettling details to dismiss it as a mere dream.

Once the maid finished her tasks, I spoke to her.

"Could I ask you to run an errand for me?"

"Of course, Princess. What is it?"

"From the library... bring me a few books on the language of the Kakas Tribe, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or rather, the languages of the northern tribes in general. If you ask the librarian, they'll know what to pick out."

"Books regarding the languages of the northern tribes, including the Kakas Tribe? Understood, Your Highness."

As the maid left the room to fulfill my request, I sat up in bed. Perhaps a dream was just a dream. Even if it was a phenomenon somehow linked to the grimoire, there was no concrete proof of any correlation between the two.

Yet, my intuition insisted that it was well worth a try. I walked over to the box—the very one I had failed to open multiple times. The problematic box sealed with a northern proverb.

"Pakeas che Eneccra."

Was that not the right pronunciation? The witch's voice had been so frantic and high-pitched that it was difficult to mimic.

"Pake aste Eneccra."

Still, no reaction. In that case...

"Pakeas che Eneccra."

In that instant, *click*. The sound of a mechanism shifting echoed from within.

Uh... no way. Did it open? It actually opened?

I carefully lifted the lid of the box. A dizzying, dense aura of black mana spilled out. Resting inside was... a branch of mistletoe.

"...A branch?"

No, it was no ordinary branch. Just looking at the concentration of black mana slowly dispersing into the air made it abundantly clear that this was an extraordinary artifact. Was this the item Carmel had desperately hidden, even at the cost of enduring such humiliation?

It seemed wise not to touch it carelessly. If I summoned Monas, he could likely identify what it was... but if it turned out to be something catastrophically dangerous, it would cause a massive uproar, so I decided against it. Besides, I had a promise to keep with Carmel. I closed the lid without touching the contents inside.

The moment the lid shut, another *click* sounded, and the box locked itself once more. In any case, I now possessed the key to opening it. I could investigate it later once I devised a safe method. Yet, the question remained: why did the box open? What on earth was the connection between the witch in my dream and Carmel...?

Before long, the maid I had sent to the library returned, her arms piled high with books. I immediately stacked them up and began to read.