Chapter 66
Gremory’s eyes widened as she blinked. Cheshion still held her hand tightly.
Alice, who had been watching from behind, stepped in quietly.
“Hehe, a witch can’t refuse a contract offered first by a human. Mori unnie, you have no choice but to accept it.”
“…This is your trick, isn’t it?”
Gremory’s gaze turned sharp. Alice looked away, pretending not to notice.
“Of course not, ahem.”
“You. Let’s talk when we get home.”
“Yes, let’s go home. We’ll talk there. Hoho~”
Alice grinned shamelessly. Gremory sighed deeply and looked at Cheshion. His purple eyes were warm, as always.
“What should I take from you in return?”
Cheshion’s familiar and missed face was close. Gremory carefully reached out and touched his face.
The sharp knot in her heart slowly melted. And she began to realize something. That all this time, she hadn’t been thinking of Cheshion just because of her strange appetite.
‘I wanted to stay by this man’s side all along.’
Maybe she had wished for him to come find her like this. To say that everything was okay, that he could handle it, and to take her away.
Seeing how peaceful her heart felt now, it must have been a strong wish.
“I’ll make a contract with you. I’ll stay by your side, just as you want. But in return…”
“…”
“Love me.”
Cheshion chuckled softly and pulled her into a warm hug. Gremory melted in his arms without resistance.
“Okay. I’ll love you. No matter what.”
“…Contract complete.”
Gremory’s eyes glowed red. At the same time, a restraint appeared around Cheshion’s neck, with a chain leading to Gremory’s hand. Cheshion touched the restraint and asked,
“What’s this?”
“If you cheat, I’ll pull it.”
“Why would I cheat? You’re the one who always attracts people.”
“I don’t care about anyone else. Everyone except you is ugly.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really.”
Cheshion laughed happily and kissed Gremory while holding her cheeks. Gremory hesitated for a moment but slowly gave in to his touch.
Alice covered Seaha’s eyes.
“Lady Seaha, things turned out well, so let’s go, hoho.”
“O-Okay…”
Seaha shyly took Alice’s hand and left the room.
Cheshion used a return scroll to go back to the Grand Duke’s residence. He was carrying the sleeping Gremory on his back.
He passed by the people who came to greet him and took her straight to her bedroom. As soon as he laid her on the soft bed, Gremory rolled herself up in the blanket.
‘Is this instinct?’
Even asleep, she knew her own blanket. It was kind of amazing. Cheshion sat beside the bed and stayed by her side for a long time.
‘Her face looks bad. I’ll cook her lots of goat meat tomorrow.’
Her once plump cheeks had gotten thinner. Cheshion gently reached out and touched her face.
A witch. A witch, huh.
How could a witch be so lovely? So kind and beautiful.
“Mori. You saved my life. My dark and painful life changed because of you.”
He whispered softly.
“Thank you for coming back. I really love you.”
Gremory moved slightly. Was she awake? Cheshion quietly left the room.
As he closed the door, he ran into someone.
It was Iris, glaring at him.
— Brother.
“What the—? Iris? How can I see you?”
— Probably because you made a contract with a witch. Anyway, brother.
“Wait, are all those black-haired women in the hallway ghosts? Our house had this many ghosts?!”
— Brother. I’m talking to you.
“Oh! Right, Iris! I’m so happy to see you again! How have you been?”
— Not well! You really brought a witch into our home and fell in love with her?
Iris smacked his back repeatedly. Cheshion curled up, dodging her hands.
“Ow! Why are you hitting me?”
— As your sister, I need to say something. It’s lucky Gremory is a good witch. What if she was evil?
“Well, everything turned out fine. Stop hitting me!”
— And seriously, how could you not notice she was a witch? She didn’t even hide it well!
“I did suspect it! I just didn’t believe witches really existed.”
Iris sighed and scratched her head.
— Just take good care of Gremory. And be careful. We don’t know when other witches might show up.
“I got holy relics, and Gremory already dealt with Wraith. We’ll be safe for now. I’ll also put up a holy barrier tomorrow.”
— Don’t rely too much on the barrier. Witches will try to lure you out. They’re not stupid… well, except for Gremory.
“Hey! My Mori is super smart! She handles paperwork so well.”
— That was me. That witch made me do it all. I wished to protect you, and in return, I had to work for her. Oh yeah, I even gave up my soul.
Cheshion’s eyes widened.
“You gave your soul?”
— Yeah. We’re both leashed by that witch now.
“It’s fine. Mori won’t hurt your soul. You’re my sister.”
— You know what? Seaha gave her soul to Alice too.
“…So all the royals are falling for witches.”
— And I have something important to say.
“What is it?”
— I followed Wraith. Here, this is a shard from her orb that Gremory broke.
A small glass piece gave off black smoke. The power seemed to be leaking out.
“You followed a high-rank witch?! Are you crazy? That’s dangerous!”
— I take after you. I’m brave. Anyway, Wraith needed that orb. When it broke, she ran. I followed her and saw her meet another witch. They seemed like friends.
“There’s another witch?”
— Yeah. That’s all I know. She saw me, so I ran away.
“Don’t do that again. What if you got hurt?”
— I’m fine. I have a secret power you don’t know about.
She got close and showed red glowing eyes and sharp fangs—witch traits.
— Actually, I’m a real witch now.
“Waaah!!”
Cheshion screamed and quickly covered his mouth. Iris, a bit embarrassed, hid her witch features again.
— Sorry. Didn’t think you’d freak out that much.
“What?! You were born from Mom! How can you be a witch? Does that mean I’m a demon too?!”
— No, it’s different. Remember when I was almost burned at the stake?
“How could I forget? That was the worst day of both our lives.”
— I was in terrible pain, but then it all stopped. When I woke up, I was a witch.
“So, pain can turn someone into a witch?”
— Not always. My case is special. Other black-haired women didn’t become witches, no matter the pain.
Iris looked sad.
— I chose to die because I was scared the world would find out the truth. I thought it was better to disappear from your life… but maybe that was wrong.
“…Iris.”
— I’m sorry for dying. And I missed you.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad we can talk again. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”
Cheshion hugged her and patted her back gently. The other ghosts smiled warmly, watching the siblings.
That night, Cheshion finally slept peacefully—for the first time in a long time.
The ghosts stood guard through the night, in case other witches came. Iris sat on the roof, watching the stars.
It was a peaceful night.
Que queridos😭❤️