Misunderstandings, Truth, and the Witch's Name!
The moment we stepped inside, the witch spoke. "Make dinner."
Her black dress was splattered with blood. Crimson droplets fell from the tips of her long nails. The sight of her blood-streaked face made it impossible to refuse.
"Pl-please go inside and rest." Overwhelmed by the atmosphere, I accidentally slipped into formal speech. Until now, I'd thought she was only joking when she talked about chopping off heads. But the witch had sliced through the royal guards' necks without the slightest hesitation. Everything she said was completely... serious.
"What are you going to make?"
"Um... roasted lamb would be good, I think?"
"Aren't sheep your family?"
"We have another family member now. A rotten one."
I pressed down on Lucas's shoulder as I spoke. The witch glanced briefly at his face.
"I assumed you brought him for dinner."
At her words, Lucas's face drained of all color. The witch maintained her blank expression and disappeared into the room.
"You're not actually planning to eat me, right?"
"Th-that's not it."
"You're the only one I can trust. You know I'd have been dead a long time ago if it weren't for you, right?"
Suddenly Lucas was acting all smug toward me.
"What are you talking about? Who was it that stole the mansion and kicked me out to the village?"
"Hey. I may have been nasty, but you're my only remaining family. You think I'd do something like that on purpose?"
"Then why did you do it?"
"Why? If you hadn't left the village back then, the royal guards would have killed you."
"What are you talking about?"
"Think about it. Do you really believe the legitimate heir and the bastard could live in the same village without issue?"
I carefully recalled the old days. When Lucas had inherited the lordship, various nobles kept visiting me and stirring up trouble. They claimed it was improper for a bastard to succeed the title. At the time I hadn't thought much of it and simply let it slide.
"Well, let's say that's true."
"What do you mean, 'let's say'? You were the one who tried to stab me in the back first."
"What backstabbing?"
"You teamed up with the nobles to strip me of my position."
"I never did that."
It seemed a mountain of misunderstandings had built up between Lucas and me. After all, once he became lord, we'd had no contact whatsoever.
"So that's why you drove me out of the mansion?"
"Yes. Right around then, nobles who disliked me were plotting a rebellion."
"I heard about it later."
"If you'd stayed in the village, you would have died with them."
"You did it to save me?"
"That's right. Even though your attempt to betray me was despicable, I never intended to kill you. So I sent you away beforehand."
Lucas's words carried weight. As proof, the nobles who had supported me were purged on various charges the moment I was expelled. Whether they had truly plotted rebellion, I couldn't say. I'd only heard about it secondhand.
"So that's why you tormented me so much afterward?"
"That was part of it. If I hadn't harassed you, the royal guards wouldn't have left you alone. I made the first move to protect you."
Should I believe this or not?
"Then why did you come here to kill me?"
"What else could I do? They showed up as a group claiming you were insulting me with the witch and plotting rebellion."
"So you were going to kill me."
"I was just going to kill the witch and spare you."
"Lies come spilling out every time you open your mouth."
"It's true."
We bickered back and forth as we dragged over a sheep and began preparing it. The witch stood by the door, apparently keeping watch over us.
"Stop that constant chattering. Hurry up, will you?"
"Ah... yes, yes. We're working on it."
Lucas bowed repeatedly and moved with frantic speed. We lit a bonfire and started cooking the lamb. We seasoned the carefully prepared roast with salt and pepper, grilling it to a perfect golden brown. The aroma was fragrant, without the slightest gamey smell.
"It's done."
I called for the witch. She was still wearing the blood-stained dress.
"Witch. Wouldn't it be better to change your clothes?"
"I don't have any."
"Then change into this."
I handed her a white shirt from inside. The witch wore a pouty expression. She clearly wasn't pleased.
"Sorry. I didn't think to bring a dress. I'll bring one next time."
"Buy me more dresses."
"Okay. I've made plenty of money thanks to you, so I'll buy you plenty more."
"Really?"
"Yes. So hurry up and change, then come out."
"Okay!"
The image of the witch who had just massacred the royal guards had vanished completely. The moment I offered to buy her more clothes, her eyes curved into a smile.
A crescent-moon eye smile. When she smiled like that, her chubby cheeks stood out adorably.
Caterpillar...
I went outside first and arranged the roasted lamb nicely beside the bonfire for easy eating. Lucas swallowed hard.
"L-looks delicious."
"Wait. The witch eats first. You get whatever scraps are left."
"I hope she finishes quickly..."
The witch walked out. The moment Lucas saw her, he dropped to the ground in a deep bow.
"Why is he acting like that?"
The witch had come out wearing only the white shirt. It fell to just below her thighs. When she sat on the wooden chair, the space between her legs looked dangerously exposed. My mouth started watering... No. It was the lamb making my mouth water.
"Eat."
"Huh...? I can eat?"
"Special privilege. Just for today."
"Tell that guy to raise his head too."
I nudged Lucas. He scrambled to his feet.
"Th-thank you. But what should I call you...?"
"Call her the witch," I said.
Then the witch spoke in a quiet voice.
"...Serina."
"Huh?"
"Mikael Serina."
"Mikael Serina...?"
"Yeah. I have a name too."
"Lady Mikael Serina! Thank you for allowing me to eat!"
"Just call me Serina."
I stared blankly. She had a name? Why hadn't she mentioned it all this time?
"Why didn't you tell me you had a name?"
"You never asked."
"Ah... that's true."
Feeling awkward, I turned my gaze away. Unfortunately, it landed right between Serina's thighs. J-just a little more—
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?"
"Why does your head keep dropping?"
"You disgusting bastard!"
Gah! Lucas grabbed my face and shoved it away.
"Lady Serina! I have disciplined this ugly pervert!"
"Well done. Sit."
"Yes!"
Lucas rushed to his seat with military precision. His rigid posture screamed of someone desperately fighting for his life.
"O-ouch... it's a misunderstanding."
"Lady Serina! This ugly pervert is making excuses! Shall I deal with him?!"
"Forget it. Leave him be."
I returned to my seat. I hadn't even seen anything. As I sat there stealing glances at Serina, our eyes suddenly met. In that instant when my pupils trembled, Serina slowly crossed her legs. The shirt rode up, nearly revealing the curve of her backside.
Thud. The piece of lamb I was holding fell to the ground.
"Disgusting bastard. Still trying to look...!"
Lucas's fist slammed into my right cheek. Even as I fell, my eyes kept straining toward the space between her thighs.
The witch took one look at me and let out a small snort of laughter. That fox-like woman... She had done it on purpose.
After we finished bickering, I turned to Lucas with a serious expression and brought up the real issue.
"Lucas, there's something I need you to do."
"What is it?"
"You need to lift the ban on importing devil's tongue."
"Absolutely not."
"Is it because of Sylvia?"
"Yes, you rotten bastard. That's right. The reason I came here. How dare you covet my brother's woman?"
Lucas suddenly grabbed me by the collar.
"Don't overreact. There's nothing between us. You're the reason Sylvia dislikes you."
"Sylvia dislikes me?"
"Yes. Would she like you when you act like that?"
Lucas's shoulders slumped. He looked utterly dejected.
"Who is Sylvia?" the witch asked.
"The owner of the pudding shop who came out to greet us earlier."
"Sylvia came out to greet us?"
Lucas stared at me with wide eyes.
"That bitch? The one who was fooling around with you!"
Serina's face filled with rage as she extended her nails.
"N-no, fooling around? I keep telling you it's not like that!"
"What? See? He really is a disgusting guy for touching his brother's woman. Lady Serina, allow me to deal with him."
"Deal with him."
"Kyaaak!"
Only after taking a few solid hits from Lucas did we finally clear up the misunderstanding. Still, Serina's gaze toward me remained icy cold. It was the look a wife might give a husband caught cheating.
"If you don't want to die at Serina's hands, you'd better lift that ban."
"Ugh... if Lady Serina says so, then I suppose I must."
The moment I invoked Serina's name, Lucas became perfectly obedient.
"Do you really like Sylvia that much?"
"Of course. If I could win her heart, I'd do anything."
"Oh...? Really? Then will you do exactly as I say?"
"Is there a good method?"
"If you lift the ban...?"
"I'll do whatever it takes. Just tell me."
Lucas looked desperate. At the same time, I couldn't help feeling a little sorry for the poor guy. I promised to gladly help pathetic Lucas. In return, Lucas swore that the moment he returned to the village, he would lift the devil's tongue import ban for Serina's sake.
At last, it felt like my relationship with Lucas had returned to normal.
"Stay the night," I told Lucas. It was far too dark to head down now.
"S-Serina won't allow it."
"Serina, is it okay for Lucas to stay the night?"
I turned to the witch. She remained expressionless, seemingly indifferent.
"Do as you please," she said with a slightly pouty look.
We tidied up quickly and headed into the room. We finished our bedtime preparations and were about to extinguish the light when—
"Hey. Red hair."
Serina called out to Lucas.
"Yes? Lady Serina."
"Come here and sharpen them."
"What do you mean?"
The witch turned and raised her long, sharp nails. Lucas stumbled backward in terror.
"Wait... didn't you decide not to kill me?"
"Don't be such a coward. Bring a stone and sharpen them."
"Lucas... she wants you to sharpen her nails."
"Ah... you could have just said so... Yes, understood."
Lucas bolted from his seat, went outside, and returned with a nicely shaped stone along with a small cloth.
Scrape. Scrape.
"Haa~! How is it, Lady Serina? Doesn't it shine brilliantly?!"
"Ho. Lucas, excellent work. Your skill is on another level compared to Allen."
"When I was young, I used to polish my father's shoes. Haha!"
"As expected. Completely different from that fool Allen."
"Of course."
What is this feeling? Why am I jealous? I want the witch to acknowledge me too...!