CH 40

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Actually, she didn’t run away. After she figured out how to break the curse, she would be back. She would say that when she met him again, but strangely, she couldn’t say it. Standing in front of the duke, who has a cold, overbearing attitude, made her body shrink.

‘But I still have to say it!’

Luana struggled to say it. But she found his hand wrapped in a bandage and a skinny arm. Her heart began to throb when she saw it. And a different word slipped out than she thought.

“Why are you so skinny?”

“Why are you so skinny?”

The duke asked back as if in awe. He asked her to explain why she ran away, but she suddenly said something else. He couldn’t figure out why. However, she did not keep her mouth shut once she was speechless.

“Your wrists are like twigs. I don’t think it was this bad last time. You didn’t eat?”

Then she walked up to him and touched his arm. She was not afraid and couldn’t read the situation. The duke looked down at Luana, who touched his arm and frowned.

He thought he wouldn’t let her off if he met her again. He decided to take away and control even the small freedom he had given. He thought he’d treat her as a witch, not a person.

“You’re so skinny. I’m upset.”

He was watching her speak like that strangely relieved his heart.

“Why are you upset when I’m skinny?”

“I told you I’d make you gain weight! Of course, I’m upset. I was barely helping you gain weight. Did you have breakfast?”

“No, I don’t usually eat breakfast.”

“But you still have to eat it! You have to eat to stay healthy.”

“But I couldn’t eat it.”

‘The food feels like coarse sand. How can I eat it? I thought it would be better to dig up the soil.’

Luana becomes frustrated after seeing the duke.

‘Is there something to eat, anything?’

While searching in her pocket, she found dried fruit wrapped in a handkerchief she hadn’t eaten. While looking at the diary, Gerald gave her a snack, but she secretly put it in her pocket to pretend to eat it.

“I only have this.”

She didn’t make it herself; it would taste terrible. But, she wanted to feed the duke something.

“Do you want to eat this?”

“I…”

‘I can’t taste anything but what you made.’

He tried to say so, but Luana’s gaze was so pathetic that he shut up again. Perhaps she knew the duke’s feelings; Luana came closer, picked up the dried fruit, and put it around his mouth.

“Try it.”

“It’s useless.”

“But you should eat something! Do you know how thin you look right now?”

When Luana nagged him, the duke stared at her. He lowered his head and slowly opened his mouth. She put dried fruit in his mouth. At first glance, her fingertips seemed to rub against his lips.

“It’s not good.”

While saying so, the duke did not spit out the dried fruit. Seeing him chewing it hard and swallowing it down his throat, Luana gave him another fruit.

“It doesn’t taste good.”

“I’ll make you something more delicious later.”

“When will be that ‘later’?”

At that question, Luana paused and pondered. She had to go back to Gerald’s house and bring her luggage. There were only clothes when she ran away, but her things increased while she lived there. It was because Gerald bought her many things, perhaps because he felt like Luana was his child. She also had to bring her mother’s diary. She paused, and the duke held Luana’s wrist.

“Huh?”

She saw only belatedly and looked up at the duke, but he seemed unwilling to let go.

“How can I trust the witch and let you go?”

His face was fierce-looking at Luana.

“I’m just trying to pack my bags for a moment!”

“I’ll buy you anything you need.”

“There are things that you can’t buy for me.”

“Then we can go there together.”

“That’s difficult.”

She couldn’t reveal the hidden Gerald’s house to the duke because she knew they were enemies.

“I’ll be back to the duke’s mansion in a day. So can’t you just let me go now?”

“I don’t want to.”

The duke said firmly. Then, he put strength into his hand, holding her wrist. He was never going to let go. In that situation, Gerald appeared. She doesn’t know how he came to Luana, but he seemed right in front of her and stared at the Duke.

“Let go of her hand.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

Gerald immediately took out a small bottle.

“Wait, wait!”

Luana, caught in the middle, stepped forward to mediate between the two.

“Look, Luana. After all, that’s the true color of the duke.”

“He hasn’t done anything yet!”

He just grabbed her wrist. Her wrist was a little sore, but it was okay.

“He’ll do something to you soon. Isn’t he the duke?”

“Oh? What would I do?”

“It’s horrible to even talk about.”

“I remember. You were the witch who took Luana back then.”

“I’m glad you remember. If you don’t want to get hurt, release Luana.”

“Do you think you’ll be able to defeat me with the same method again?”

“I don’t know. Do you think you will?”

The atmosphere between the two got worse. Gerald talked to Luana as she stomped her feet, just wondering what to do.

“Hang in there. I’ll save you soon.”

“No, I’m fine. Just talk it through.”

“We can’t have a proper conversation.”

“You can do it! You two can talk it through! Right, Sir Legion?”

“I don’t know.”

‘You have to say yes here.’

She doesn’t know why he was so rebellious. Luana sighed deeply and tapped the Duke’s hand on her wrist.

“Please let me go. I will not run away.”

“How can I believe that?”

The conversation returned. In the end, the problem was the duke’s inability to trust Luana. She should have told him something the day she ran away too.

“I swear by my name.”

“Luana!”

“You can’t break an oath in the name of the witch.”

“No!”

This time, Gerald strongly opposed it. But Luana did not back down and looked directly into the duke’s eyes.

“I sincerely promised.”

“I, Luana, The Gourmet Witch, will not run away.”

Only then did the duke’s hand let go of her hand. After everything calmed down, only then they can talk.

“Calm down, Gerald.”

“Do I look like I’m going to calm down?”

He’s usually a calm person, but now he doesn’t seem that way. He seemed to have managed to calm down only after Luana persuaded him several times. But even in the midst of it, he did not take his eyes off the duke.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Gerald, a witch.”

“I don’t want to be introduced to a witch.”

“But you have to break the curse, right?”

When Luana said so, the duke looked at her.

“Don’t try to find a way to break the curse violently. Let’s just have a conversation.”

Then she calmly explained what she had learned so far. Each witch has a different way of casting and releasing a curse, and the witch who put a curse on the duke’s family has no other way because the witch was already dead. And the most important story remains at the end.

“The witch who put a curse on you is my mother.”

Luana hesitated a lot about whether to say this or not. She was afraid that the duke might kill her if she did something wrong, so she thought about hiding it until the end. But soon, she shook her head.

‘The duke has the right to know.’

Even if it’s about the past, it was him who’s been suffering so far.

Depending on the result, she may not be able to return to the duke’s mansion or may have to run away, but she decided to speak up. At Luana’s bombshell, Gerald moved closer and clenched the vial. The duke looked at Luana with a mysterious stare. She couldn’t read any emotion in his red glassy eyes.

Luana thought it’d be better if he were angry or yelling. That would be less scary. Luana nervously intertwined her fingers. In time, the duke spoke.

“Didn’t you say you lost your mother when you were born?”

“Yes, I didn’t even see her face.”

The baby’s vision isn’t very clear. She wouldn’t have recognised her if someone had put her mother’s face right in front of her.

“Okay, that’s fine.”

“What?”

“It is tiring for descendants to suffer the sins of their ancestors. If you’re really sorry, you just have to stay by my side.”

Gerald trembled again at the duke’s conclusion.

“What nonsense are you talking about?! Why should Luana be by your side?!”

“Because she promised.”

“Luana, is that true?”

“I did.”

Although it was a promise made as a human, she still to keep her promise. It wasn’t wrong because she wanted to cook for the duke.

“Oh, God. Did you deceive a kid? Luana also has her life!”

“Who’s a kid?”

“Luana is a kid!”

Luana replied with a puzzled look.

“First of all, I’m an adult.”

“You’re an adult; then you’re old enough to decide your own business. So you, back off.”

But Gerald seemed unwilling to step down. He couldn’t lose the child of his only friend. He was very nervous and blocked the two of them. Luana approached him.

“I’m really fine. So stop worrying about me, Gerald.”

“How can I do that?”

Gerald sighed and said to Luana. If it were an ordinary person, he might have let her go. But Luana was an adult and an official witch. However, he was worried that the other party was a duke. But Luana said everything was fine. He doesn’t know what to do.

“I think I should let you go.”

Luana’s smiling face looked bright. Since ancient times, there has been no parent who wins over their children. In the end, Gerald lost to Luana.