Chapter 171 - Who is the Witch? (2)

"This is the great village chief," the stall owner slightly bowed his head to show his respect.

The old man smiled as he took a glance at Luke and I. I knew it couldn't be good news since he had a calculating gaze like he was appeased with something. I took a step back and hid behind Luke.

"You must be the new family moving into the village," He rubbed his chin.

"Yes, our parents will be coming a week from now," Luke answered in my stead.

"I like how your sister looks. She has features of a noblewoman and will certainly grow into a beauty. How about you let your parents know about engaging her to my son?" He laughed.

Luke hid his absolute disgust for the sc.u.m in front of him. He lightly squeezed my hand in anger and dazzlingly smiled back. When I was about to step in front of him to teach the sc.u.m a lesson, Luke shot me a look that he would handle this.

"I apologize, but she is already engaged to me," Luke politely declined.

Luke slightly bowed to show we were leaving as the village chief's jaw dropped from being rejected for the second time. His ears went red from embarrassment while his veins were popping out in anger. The villagers around us started to gossip about his incompetant son, which led the old man's pride to be triggered.

"You peasants will break your engagement and engage the girl to my son," he yelled an order.

"Everyone knows your son is a sc.u.m," I mumbled.

Unfortunately, the village chief heard my comment while Luke sighed. He stomped towards us and tried to separate me from Luke. But Luke pulled me closer to him and the old man ended up falling on the dirt ground.

This was the perfect timing to escape since the old man struggled to get up from his fat stomach gained from starving the other villagers. He shot a look to the villagers who begged to delay their taxes to help him up. The poor villagers scrambled to support him while dusting his clothes off to fix his appearance.

"Stop right there!" He yelled.

"That girl is a witch," he declared to the crowd.

Was this man sane? Just because he didn't get what he wanted, he declared that person to be a witch? I shot a disgusted look towards the village chief like he was a sight of disdain. It was obvious nobody believed him as it was the same day where he declared Olive was a witch. But they chose to stay silent out of fear that they would be claimed as witches as well.

"Oh please, then everyone is a witch!" I shouted.

"Her seductive appearance is a magical spell to bewitch the people around her," he sneered.

"Our Olive was almost framed by her as she was unknowingly a cover for the witch here."

The village chief gestured to his henchman to come out from hiding. The henchman continued to drag Olive like a rag doll before letting her go with another signal from him. Olive stumbled onto the ground with her pitiful appearance where she looked like she was tortured. Her ankles and wrists were burned from the tight ropes while patches of her hair were removed from her scalp.

I wondered if the village chief planned to expose Olive to the other villagers as a warning. The timing was impeccable how she was in the village square at the crowdest time. The old man pretended to help her up as she shivered while accepting his hand.

"It was hard being the victim of a witch, isn't it?" He looked at her with pity.

"No, but-"

"It was hard being the victim of a witch, isn't it?" He raised his hand this time while cutting her off.

"Yes," Olive admitted, closing her eyes, afraid of being beaten again.

"Our Olive was never a witch as she?" He asked the villagers.

The villagers reluctantly nodded to agree as they sent subtle apologetic looks when they met my eyes. It was understandable that they would choose Olive over me since she grew up in this village, but I still felt a pang of betrayal. I knew at this rate, it was either me or Olive becoming the witch.

"Yet she is the one with the magical hands," Luke argued.

"But your girl is the one with the unnatural beauty bewitching others!" A close acquaintance of Olive refuted.

"But she is not able to fix anything like magic!" Luke's statement appeared more credible.

The exchange became more heated as neither Luke or Olive's supporters were backing down. Meanwhile, the village chief enjoyed the scene in front of him, two people who humiliated him fighting to survive. The villagers became more confused as Luke's statements were increasingly persuasive with his cold, hard facts.

"Wait, so who is the witch?" A confused villager looked back and forth between me and Olive.

"Yes Olive, who is the witch here?" The village chief allowed her to make the final decision.

Olive clenched her fists as she did not speak a word. Her determined eyes were stuck on the ground, full of resolution to live. Her mind went numb as the village chief was getting more impatient by the second. He tapped his fingers on his arm to show her that time was ticking with a smile.