Chapter 32

Reneetta had been called by her name only by her wet nurse for a long time after she was born.

She thought that if the wet nurse hadn't called her by her name, Reneetta wouldn't have known her own name.

It was only much later that she realized this was unfortunate, but honestly, even now, Reneetta doesn't really think of herself as unfortunate.

Well, of course. She didn't have any complaints, but she thought that was just how things were.

Even when she was told it was okay to be angry, to lament, to be sad, Reneetta just thought, "Oh, I see," with a feeling that was about that much.

Living in Vais's castle, she sometimes felt a stirring in her heart, thinking that the place she had been in was somehow strange. But that was about it. "Well, it's fine," she thought, and her mind quickly shifted.

Because there were so many things to be surprised about every day, Reneetta's head was incredibly busy. She was amazed that there were so many things to think about. Normal people didn't just think about magic all day, she realized. "Normal people are amazing," Reneetta muttered, and Vais said, "Are you an idiot?" She didn't understand. "Who's the idiot?" Reneetta quietly got angry, but she was laughed at, so she was even more confused.

Vais's words were inherently difficult to understand.

Even though Vais made a face as if he didn't want to answer when Reneetta asked why and how, he still answered, so she was grateful.

Since meeting Vais, being called by her name as a matter of course, having to eat a lot, changing into different dresses every day, not wearing black dresses, being able to go to places she liked, and so on, were all very busy. It was a whirlwind of busyness.

In fact, Reneetta fainted several times before she got used to it. Each time, Vais would sit by her bedside, scolding her for overexerting herself.

For a king who never stayed still, he would sit by the bedside all day, doing paperwork. He had changed.

Just thinking about those times made Reneetta feel a bit restless. She had changed a lot.

Because, no matter how she thought about it, it felt like it exceeded her processing capacity, but Reneetta wasn't bothered by it. She was surprised. Even though she was overwhelmed, she didn't mind at all.

Sometimes she would get scared and think she shouldn't leave her room, but probably, this was a feeling of enjoyment.

The problem was that she had noticed.

It's fun. I'm happy. Thinking this way made Reneetta feel guilty.

It felt like someone was watching her from behind, like her heart was being gently stroked by a cold hand.

The moment her heart warmed, "It can't be forgiven," her heart was enveloped by cold hands.

Yes, it can't be forgiven.

Escaping from this room alone can't be forgiven. Her heart would always be in this room.

That's why Reneetta, Lunatietta, came back here.

"Reneetta...?"

At the trembling voice, Reneetta turned around.

Sophie was looking at Reneetta with wide, brown eyes.

Reneetta liked Sophie's eyes, which were glossy and gentle, like the tea she drank in Vais's castle.

Reneetta wasn't sure if this was the feeling of "liking" or if she really understood it.

For Reneetta, "liking" was more difficult than being happy or excited. She thought it was presumptuous for someone like her to feel that way. Who did she think she was?

But.

The feeling of not being bothered, wanting to see more, wanting more, was "liking," and Vais had said that such feelings were free.

So, Reneetta liked Vais's smile when he laughed and said, "You're so serious. You don't need to define it. Just go with the flow," and she liked the gentle Sophie.

She felt bad for bringing such a gentle Sophie here. She should have thought about it.

Sophie's green hair, like leaves in the sunlight, and her bright skin, so different from Reneetta's pale skin, didn't fit in this dim place. She must be feeling uncomfortable. She might even hate it.

Reneetta wasn't so foolish as to think she was liked, but still, still...

"...Reneetta, I... I, can I come over there too?"

"Huh?"

Reneetta was surprised. What a bold thing to say.

Why? This place. This place. The cold stone floor, the old desk, bed, and bookshelf, that's all there is.

This isn't a place for a normal, beautiful princess like Sophie. It feels out of place, embarrassing, and she wanted to stop her, so Reneetta shook her head.

"It's cold and dirty."

"That's why."

What is this?

What is this, Reneetta tilted her head.

She didn't want her to come, but seeing Sophie smile and say, "That's why," made her feel happy. Even though she thought they shouldn't touch, she couldn't tell Sophie to stay away.

Don't hate me. Stay by my side.

"Oh."

Sophie, like Reneetta, climbed through the large hole and entered, squeezing through the iron bars.

Reneetta didn't know what to do and gripped her chest tightly.

"Hey, Reneetta."

Sophie's voice was gentle.

When Reneetta slowly raised her face, Sophie's eyes narrowed gently.

They look like honey in tea, Reneetta blinked. The beautiful maid who always smiled and said, "Let's have tea," and served tea with honey, "Lunatietta-sama, you like honey, don't you?" That's when Reneetta realized, "Oh, I like honey."

"What's happening here right now?"

Right now, right now. Right now, that's it.

She had to do something about this room.

She was here because she was told that a curse was spreading in the country.

She had to show the outside world to everyone. She had to destroy everything.

That was Reneetta's role now.

She had to pull herself together. Reneetta brushed her fallen hair behind her shoulder.

"...We were witches from the moment we were born."

Where should she start? Reneetta wasn't used to talking. Could she do it? She gripped her right hand with her left.

"Witches who kill countries. That was our name. That was the reason we lived."

"...Hey, Reneetta. Is this related to what the noble lady sometimes says?"

"...Yes."

Sophie was quietly waiting for Reneetta's words.

Was her magic working? Reneetta was relieved that Sophie's smile didn't change even in a place where thoughts and magical power swirled.

"There were countless witches who kill countries, more than I can count. Some, like me, had names, but most witches didn't have names. But it didn't matter because there was only one witch who killed countries at a time."

"Only one in an era?"

"Yes, that's right. A witch who kills countries is born suddenly in the royal family. As long as one is alive, the next one won't be born. When one dies, the next one is born. A cursed witch, a witch with black hair and black eyes, is born in every era."

The moment Lunatietta opened her eyes after being born from the queen's womb, she was no longer a princess.

Princesses with black hair and black eyes had always been erased from history.

"Just because the color of the hair and eyes is different...?"

"...It can be said that way, but it can also be said differently."

It's complicated, Reneetta searched for words.

It's not wrong to say that a witch who kills countries is born because of black hair and eyes. But it's not just about the color. Reneetta and the others were truly special, born with more powerful magic than anyone else.

As if it was etched into their souls.

"Long, long ago. The first witch had pitch-black hair and eyes and possessed terrifying magic."

The witch's name was Sarnet. Her beautiful appearance and voice made her name taboo in this country. No one calls her name anymore, the first witch.

"...She was a very terrifying witch, who planned to take over the country and cursed the king, and was executed as punishment."

"Executed..."

Yes, Reneetta nodded.

"Immediately after that, it rained every day for a year, causing floods, landslides, and famine, and the country was in turmoil. ...People feared it was the witch's curse, and when everything finally calmed down, the next witch was born."

The second witch, born with an impossible color from the golden-haired and golden-eyed royal family, was immediately given a special room.

"She was also executed for cursing the country... and again, it rained for a year until the next witch was born."

As this cycle repeated, people realized.

When a witch dies, the country is cursed.

So, they had to make her live as long as possible.

One more year, one more day. In a place where they could see her, but no one else could. They had to keep her alive quietly.

"Even if she died of illness, murder, or natural causes, it was no good. Over generations, the king developed strict sealing magic, and the death curse gradually weakened, and the intervals between the birth of witches became longer. ...But witches continued to be born."

Sometimes Reneetta wonders what it feels like.

To give birth to a witch.

To think of a name, to count the days, but to find out that what grew in her womb was a demon recorded in history. What does a mother think when she sees her child, so different from herself, born with the color of despair?

Reneetta's mother, who had no witches born for years and had a daughter who looked just like her and was incredibly beautiful, had let her guard down.

She thought of a name, made hand-knitted socks, and Reneetta was born at just seven months.

The moment the name Lunatietta became taboo, Reneetta's mother chose to take her own life. Well, she survived and is still alive and well.

Reneetta had only met her mother once, and she was a beautiful person who didn't look like Reneetta at all. Well, probably.

Reneetta, who only knew herself and her wet nurse, didn't really understand what beauty was, but she thought that the shiny things were beautiful. Like jewels and the sunrise. Things people call beautiful are usually shiny and dazzling. That's what she thought. If Vais heard this, he would probably frown and say, "There's no such definition," and Reneetta suddenly wanted to see Vais. It was strange.

Reneetta stroked the spines of the old, worn books packed in the bookshelf.

"...To keep the country at peace, we had to live here and not die so that the curse wouldn't activate. ...Over a long, long time, many witches searched for a way to die quietly. But no one succeeded. Many witches died in this room, sealed with multiple seals, and each time, the country was shaken."

If this were not a country that dealt with magic, it would have ended long ago. Just as the witches who kill countries had continued their research over generations, the people had also continued to support the country over generations.

Reneetta inserted her index finger and pulled out a book.

It was the diary of one of the many witches.

The writing in this diary was messy and a bit hard to read. It seemed she wasn't taught to write properly. Yet, she came up with many interesting spells and wrote them densely, making it very hard to read. Despite being hard to read, it was interesting to read. Reneetta called her the "hard-to-read witch."

"We are terrifying witches who can kill the country at any moment. That's why we are called witches who kill countries."

"You're wrong."

Reneetta looked up in surprise and saw Sophie frowning and blushing.

"Are you feeling unwell...?"

"...No, no. No, Reneetta!"

"Eh, eh?"

What's going on? Did I do something? No, it must be because of the strange story I told.

What should I do? Reneetta's mind raced, but the senior witches who taught her everything about magic were silently silent in the bookshelf behind her.

Of course, that's right. No one had ever entered this room on their own, not by order or punishment. The beautiful princess, who was so beautiful that even a hundred witches couldn't match her, shed tears and said, "You're wrong."

Eh, tears? Yes, tears. No way, eh, I made her cry. I made her cry. What should I do?

Reneetta was confused. She was in a state of confusion.

That night. Reneetta had somehow ended up at a ball in another country, a place she didn't understand.

It didn't matter much, and Vais was laughing and saying, "You're famous," so she didn't pay much attention.

But Sophie, in the midst of all that, was like a shining jewel and dress, bowing gracefully and smiling gently, "It's an honor to meet you. Is there anything you need help with?" She didn't laugh at the out-of-place Reneetta but genuinely worried and spoke kindly.

A perfect, kind, and beautiful young lady who taught Reneetta to take it easy, like a manners teacher.

Such a Sophie! She was crying!

As Reneetta, holding the book, reached out, Sophie said, "You're wrong," and grabbed Reneetta's hand.

What's wrong? What is it? What should I do? Maybe she's cold. Should I cover her with a blanket? But this thin blanket is probably musty and dirty because she fled the castle and never changed it. She always used purification magic, but no one was doing that now. Should I use magic to warm her? I'm in trouble. I'm in trouble.

Reneetta frowned. Hmm.

She quietly chanted in her heart. There was no response. Of course not.

Sophie wiped her tears forcefully.

"I'm not unwell, it's not your fault, it's not your fault, you, you and your kind, you haven't done anything wrong...!"

"Eh"

Reneetta blinked.

"You could have escaped from here at any time. You could have retaliated. But you didn't, right? Instead of finding a way to escape, you kept searching for a way to die... a way to not give birth to the next witch... because you felt responsible...!"

"Eh,"

Reneetta blinked.

Amazing, she thought.

Amazing. Sophie is amazing. Yes, Vais was like that too.

Even though Reneetta couldn't speak properly at all.

Why did someone she didn't know from a country she didn't know just a few days ago pick up on their voices?

No one could understand that none of the witches who lived here ever resented anything, that none of them ever cursed anyone. No one could understand.

Hey, everyone! Isn't Sophie amazing?

Reneetta felt happy and hugged the book in her hand tightly.

"Because, even so, we were still princesses of this country."