Chapter 22

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The Witch, The Groom and The Orphan (4)

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-I would like to clear up the recent rumors that have been circulating among the people. Small-scale local wars are taking place along the border, but the stories of Talas’ invasion are completely exaggerated. The government wants you to focus on your own livelihood.

Broadcasts denying the war played on the radio every day.

“Dogs.”

She turned off the radio before Hindley got up.

The Empire was atrocious, but the village and Hindley’s house were peaceful. People continued their daily lives with minimal anxiety. When she woke up in the morning, the sky was still blue. When the drowsy afternoon sunlight poured through the window, the sound of dogs praising the government filtered through the radio waves.

However, airships often appeared in the sky. The trails they left behind remained until the sun went down, so they were not completely fooled by the lies of the government.

She hung dark curtains on the windows and stocked food in the basement. And, as always, she prepared Hindley’s meals.

As Hindley said, nothing had changed.

“Hey, you. Don’t eat that.”

It was just that there was someone who bothered her daily.

“Did you not hear me? Don’t eat it!”

At dawn, the witch crept up like a shadow and stole the boiled potatoes she was holding. Rosen glared at the witch who had taken her food. Emily, with her arms folded, raised her eyebrows cruelly like a step-sister in a fairy tale.

“That’s what I’ve cooked. I’m giving it to Hindley. Why are you touching it?”

“…”

“What do you keep stealing like a rat at dawn? Sit down at the table and eat on time. You’re messy.”

Hindley accused her of being overweight. 

When she sat down at the table and dug into her food, he often ridiculed her and made her lose her appetite. So the only way she could fill her stomach comfortably was to secretly eat the food Hindley had left behind. He was a hungry man, so all he left on the table were bones without any flesh or bread crumbs.

Already sensitive to hunger, she exploded.

“You don’t know because you’re a pig! I’m fat!”

“What?”

“Hindley won’t let me eat because I’m getting fat! What do you want me to do? Do you want me to starve?”

Rosen hated Emily Haworth. It was because the woman hit her as soon as they met, and her sudden appearance disrupted her life. Suddenly, she became the second wife.

What she liked the most about her marriage to Hindley was the fact that he had no other wives. But that perk disappeared when Emily appeared.

Of course, the root of all evil was Hindley Haworth, and Emily and Rosen were victims. But Rosen was too young, stupid, and cowardly at the time to accept that fact. Above all, she loved Hindley as much as she feared him.

Like a dog that wagged its tail at its owner while being kicked. Even if the owner was worse than trash, that owner was the dog’s whole world.

So, she treated Emily as if she was an intruder. It was easier to hate Emily than to argue with Hindley.

How stupid was she? 

Emily went on a trip to get herbs, and he brought a second wife into his house. The second wife brazenly stole the clothes that she used to wear.

As they were uncomfortable with each other, Emily treated her as invisible, so she tried to be like that too. However, it was not easy to avoid each other in this small house.

“Is it a big deal for me to eat a potato?”

“…No, I-”

“I’m hungry, what should I do?”

Her accumulated sorrow exploded. Rosen sat down and cried like a child. She couldn’t make a sound because she was afraid of Hindley waking up, so tears silently poured down her face. Emily couldn’t even get angry at the insults she had spat out, and just stared at Rosen with an absurd expression.

That night, Rosen spoke ill of Emily to Hindley in bed. She was so frustrated that she wanted to do so even if she would be scolded. She couldn’t remember exactly what she complained about. It was likely something that she made up. And her reason for choosing Hindley as a conversation partner was simple.

She was isolated, and the only person she could talk to was Hindley.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t angry about her being noisy. Rather, he seemed happy.

“Let’s get along well. Don’t fight too much with Emily.”

“What?”

“It doesn’t seem like it, but she’s weak-minded and gentle. If you don’t show off and act prideful, she won’t get mad at you.”

“…”

“I hate the noise in the house, but it’s pretty cute that you two are arguing over me.”

He tapped her chest as his greasy face came closer.

At that moment, her boiling anger cooled down. Contrary to what Hindley had hoped for, she became sober, calm, and very rational.

Cute jealousy…

Those words were so disgusting.

She didn’t know exactly how she felt, but she knew it wasn’t jealousy. She suddenly felt like a human again. She thought, forgetting her loyalty to Hindley and her hostility towards Emily.

Jealousy was what you felt when you were afraid of losing your partner to a more suitable candidate.

She imagined Hindley and Emily kissing. 

Was she angry?

She wasn’t.

What if Hindley said something sweet to Emily (even though he wouldn’t)? 

She didn’t care. She decided to think a little bit more extreme. What if Emily was in bed with Hindley now?

She would feel grateful to Emily for doing the hard and painful work, and she would feel sorry for her. Since at some point, sleeping with Hindley gave Rosen more pain than warmth.

She realized.

‘I’m not jealous, I’m just angry.’

Losing Hindley wasn’t scary at all.

She was just afraid of losing the home she had barely found.

She didn’t love Hindley. She loved the shelter that kept her safe from the wind and rain and the food in the cupboard. But Hindley was already taking the food from her.

The sight of him beating Emily like an animal passed before her eyes. The fear she had forgotten, and the instinctive disgust she had been trying to bury in her heart after coming to this house came back to life.

She had always thought he was kind. But a kind man never beat his wife, and never starved his wife because she was overweight. That was a fact that everyone knew.

She felt the direction of her anger gradually change. The sword that was aimed at Emily suddenly turned towards Hindley and herself. To Hindley, who brainwashed her to this point, and to herself, who was just being stupid.

‘Why did you choose me?’

‘Why do you…’

‘Why do you leave me alone?’

Hindley, as usual, fell asleep after satisfying only himself. Rosen stayed up all night because of Hindley, who snored next to her.

The next morning, three boiled eggs lay on the table. At lunchtime, she swept the yard and found a basket of sandwiches on the porch. Neither was made by her. It didn’t look like it was made for Hindley either, because Hindley hated eggs. Seeing Emily didn’t say anything when she ate it all, it was definitely for her.

Rosen continued her train of thought from the previous evening, chewing the hard yolk in the sandwich.

Suddenly, a fundamental question popped into her head.

‘Why should we fight over someone like Hindley?’

***

Only after Emily appeared did the doors to the treatment center open. Patients came rushing in like a tidal wave, as if they had been waiting. Cash piled up in the empty cupboard, and Hindley took it and spent it like water.

In a nutshell, saying that Hindley didn’t like meeting people was a blatant lie. He just couldn’t go out because he didn’t have money. He was a horse racer and frequented gambling venues.

To be honest, Rosen was glad he left the house, because she didn’t have to cook three meals a day. In a life where there was no time to catch her breath, she was able to finally breathe.

So she followed Emily around and annoyed her. Unlike her, who had nothing to do after completing her chores, Emily was always busy. She cataloged herbs, cared for patients, and kept records of expenses and income.

Every morning Rosen found snacks hidden in the corner of the cupboard and ate them in front of Emily. The crunch of the apple wasn’t loud, but it was enough to annoy Emily.

“What are you looking at?”

“Can’t I look? You don’t own this place.”

“This is my house.”

“This is Hindley’s house.”

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“The documents are in Hindley’s name, but still, this is my home.”

Rosen did not object to that. Even though she didn’t know anything about their situation, it was Emily who was actually running the treatment center.

Rosen couldn’t understand why Hindley needed a son. 

What if he had a son who was just like him?

Emily rolled up the duvet from a patient’s cot and hung it outside in the sun. The wind was cool but refreshing, and the freshly washed laundry felt warm. She was able to feel a little happiness for a short time.

She asked Emily as she sat on the porch and stretched her legs.

“Why did you make sandwiches?”

“There were leftovers.”

“You could’ve thrown it away. Why are you making sandwiches for nothing?”

In a situation where it was enough to say thank you, Rosen played hard to get. Pushing Emily to her limits, who treated Rosen as invisible, was vital for keeping Rosen sane. Emily, who had suppressed her irritation with superhuman patience, couldn’t stand it anymore and glared at her.

“Who taught you how to speak? Did your parents teach you that?”

“I have no parents.”

Rosen took another bite of the apple and replied calmly. She wasn’t sensitive enough to be hurt by those words. It was a familiar taunt, too. But when she looked up, Emily’s face was red.

“…What’s wrong?”

“I was mean, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I shouldn’t have said that.”

Rosen snorted. Ignoring it, she pulled the hem of Emily’s skirt like a child.

“But really, why did you do it? Why are you taking care of me?”

“…Be quiet.”

“Don’t you hate me?”

“Of course I hate you! Why would I make food every morning? It’s because you’re so skinny. Ugh!”

Emily eventually pushed Rosen away. Hindley was right. It was difficult to make Emily angry. Seeing that Hindley had accomplished such a difficult task, he was a real jerk.

Rosen laughed out loud.

“What’s funny? Why are you laughing?”

Emily frowned and poked her in the stomach. Rosen held her breath in surprise. She was fatter than she was in the orphanage, but compared to Emily, she was a twig.

“Look at this. I can’t fight a skinny kid. If you want to argue, do it after you become strong.”

“You beat me first, didn’t you?

“Because there was nothing else I could do. Wouldn’t you have done the same?”

Emily clicked her tongue. 

“…I wouldn’t let Hindley eat this. That’s why I give it to you. I’m telling you to eat properly. When you become strong, you can make decisions that you couldn’t before.”

Rosen laughed again. Emily let out a sigh and turned away. Rosen followed Emily as she did the laundry, but was ignored. Rosen dropped a folded quilt on the lawn and overturned the scented candle that Emily had lit.

Emily exploded.

“Rosen! Hang the laundry if you have nothing to do.”

“Why should I do what you tell me to do?”

“You’ll have to pay for the food if you don’t.”

“Hindley eats even if he doesn’t do anything.”

Grumbling, Rosen quickly picked up the laundry. It was nice to do something together, because she didn’t get to hang out with anyone except Hindley.

“…Fine.”

The pile of laundry disappeared much faster when they did it together. They hung the laundry without saying a word for a while. The colorful fabrics fluttered in the wind. It was Rosen who broke the silence.

“But can’t you do this with magic? Laundry, washing dishes, all that trouble.”

“…”

Emily bit her lip. The restraint still hung around her neck. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary necklace, but it was much smaller and fit tightly around her neck. In the center was a brown gem, which turned green when it suppressed Emily’s powers.

Rosen pouted, interpreting the silence from Emily as affirmative. The witches in old tales could do anything. Fly in the sky, dance with the devil, or sweep away anything that bothered them.

-Walpurg, let me meet someone who hugs me warmly.

The wish she had made to Walpurg as a child was fulfilled. However, it was fulfilled in a twisted way. After all, she met Hindley Haworth.

Had witches been reduced to a trivial existence in this day and age?

“It’s no good to be a witch. I have to wear a troublesome necklace and…”

Rosen picked up the laundry again, ignoring her words. It was then that a furious reply came back.

“I can do that.”

Rosen was dazed.

“Can you show me?”

“…Yes.”

“Is it hard? If you use magic, you pass out because of the restraint, don’t you?”

“This kind of magic is fine, but… Why do you want to see such a thing?”

Emily asked with a look of wonder. 

Rosen wasn’t crazy. It would be weirder if she didn’t want to see magic, right?

“Are you kidding me? It’s magic! Magic! I’ve never seen anything like that in my life! When you were beating me, I was so distracted by your magic that I forgot my pain.”

“What’s good about seeing a witch’s magic?”

“I just want to see it.”

“…”

As Rosen spoke, her eyes lit up. Emily felt as though she couldn’t disappoint her expectations. Hesitatingly, Emily snapped her fingers.

When Rosen blinked, what she was faced with was, she swore, the most amazing thing she had ever seen.

The duvet they were holding flew into the air, and the bucket containing the soapy water washed it by itself. Rainbow colored soap bubbles soared into the sky, like flags swaying in the wind.

“Oh, I did it. It’s been so long.”

“…”

“What do you think?”

When Emily asked with a shy smile, Rosen quickly responded.

“It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Rosen was speechless and stared at the blue sky for a long time. That moment made her forget everything. Hindley, being locked up in the house, and the loneliness that sometimes made her cry at dawn.

“I think I can have wonderful dreams tonight.”

***

That exhilarating feeling was the last happiness she felt for a while. That night, she woke up to the sound of a siren piercing her eardrums. But she wasn’t even annoyed. The siren, which made her head ring, wasn’t just an annoying noise.

A sound that shook the earth, stopped one’s heart, and froze their body with fear.

With the siren in the background, military speakers in the sky began to blast a man’s voice.

[Fellow citizens of Leoarton, I would like to inform you of what’s happening in the Empire. I’m Ian Kerner, commander of the Leoarton Air Squadron. We’re issuing an air strike warning throughout the city. Talas’ fleet is flying toward Leoarton. Please close your doors, pack your valuables, and go down to your basements. Our squadron will do its best to keep you safe. Please stay calm. This is a real alert.]

It was an airstrike alert.

A prelude to the beginning of a long war.

The young man’s voice crackled over the speakers. 

She grabbed the radio with trembling hands. 

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She changed the frequency. The same broadcast was playing on all channels.

[I repeat, this is a real alert.]

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