The Curse Priestess

Entering The Castle

"Damn it! The play I wanted was simple, but why did I end up being a protector of this kid?" Mark complained while Scarlett was in his arms. He had finished burying the remains of the child's mother. Mark doesn't even know her name, so he wonders why the woman trusted him to care for and raise the child.

"Lord Marcos will kill me for this, but I don't have a choice," Mark uttered and traced the way back to the castle.

Looking at the castle outside, you think no one lives here because it is quiet and dull, but a distinct atmosphere will greet you when you enter. Its interior is more vibrant as gold decorations shine throughout the household.

"This is your father's house, and it will be yours when the time comes ..." Mark said to baby Scarlett.

"And what do you mean by that?" Elizabeth Demittri remarked as soon as she appeared in front of Mark.

"Lady Elizabeth... I-" Mark stammered, seeing the changes in Elizabeth's face. As soon as she smelled the human scent, her fangs and the blood lust came out.

"How dare you bring humans into this castle! Or is that a gift for your new Lord Marcos?" Elizabeth asked while calming herself.

"Forgive me, my Lady Elizabeth, but the truth is, this child is the heir of my Lord Nicolas," Mark remarked while bowing. He couldn't face the sudden sharpening of Elizabeth's eyes.

"An heir? An infant? Did you think Lord Marcos would let you live after this crazy joke?!" Elizabeth's voice thundered across the expanse of the hall while taking a step closer to Mark; her attention focused on the child in his arms.

"My lady, please spare my life ... the mother of this child dies tonight, but before that, she bonds me to this kid. That is why I am forced to bring this child here and keep her safe," Mark explained while trembling.

"Ha Ha Ha! Then the mother of this child is a witch! And a cunning one!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she parted the cloth that covered Scarlett's face. But as soon as she saw Scarlett's eyes, Elizabeth froze. As a child, she could see superiority in her eyes, so Elizabeth backed away and was terrified.

"The child's name is Scarlett. That's all I know. I didn't know her mother's name because she died suddenly," Mark explained, and finally exposed Scarlett's face.

"A child with crimson eyes, she is indeed Nicolas' heir ... And that is the reason for her to vanish from this world!" Elizabeth declared while disgustedly staring at Scarlett.

"My lady, please, I'm begging you ... This child can't die. Her mother made a curse before she died, so we can't kill this child!" Mark said in a trembling voice. He stepped back when Elizabeth's claws came out.

"Are you stupid? When the witch dies, the curses she made vanish with her!" Elizabeth responds as she vanishes from her stand, then appears with her claws bent to pierce Scarlett. But before Elizabeth's claws penetrate Scarlett's little body envelope with a light. And that light burned Elizabeth's body, so she quickly disappeared and hid on the other side of the wall where the light could not reach.

"Scarlett, what did you do?" Mark whispered in shock. He wonders how Elizabeth was burned with that light, but he is not.

"Mark! If you want to live, get that child away from me! Away from this castle!" Elizabeth exclaimed. She came out when the lights coming from Scarlett vanished. Elizabeth checked her skin. The burn is still there, but it is slowly healing.

"My lady, please reconsider. You saw what happened. What if the curse her mother made is not gone? Our land will suffer, and Lord Marcos will not like it," Mark explained. Seeing that Scarlett can protect herself, he feels at peace.

Elizabeth couldn't answer right away. Morris was right. What if the curse created by Scarlett's mother hadn't been removed? That is why she decided to let Marcos know about this and decide.

"Bring that child, and let's hear what Marcos has to say in this case," Elizabeth stated after a minute of thinking.

"Thank you, my lady," Mark affirmed. Since Elizabeth agrees to let Marcos know about Scarlett, getting Marcos' approval is easy. So, while following Elizabeth, Mark thought of what he could say to make Marcos agree to let Scarlett live in the castle.

This is the first time Mark has reached the castle's second floor since Nicolas died; since then, much has changed. Especially the portrait in the hallway.

"Let me talk to him first," Elizabeth said to Mark when they reached the end room.

"As you wish, my lady," Mark quickly responded.

[Three knocks before Elizabeth enters the main bedroom.]

"What do you want this time?" An arrogant voice promptly greeted Elizabeth.

"Leave," Elizabeth commands to Marcos' two mates in bed. This scene is not new, so it doesn't matter to them.

Seeing how serious Elizabeth was, Marcos didn't object. He let the two playmates leave as he stood to get some scotch.

"Speak up," Marcos commanded after he drank.

"Looks like Nicolas left you a significant gift," Elizabeth responded as she walked towards Marcos, snatched the glass in his hand, and immediately drank.

"A gift?" Marcos curiously asked.

Elizabeth gave him a cunning smile before she told him everything about Scarlett.

"Send them in!" Marcos commanded after hearing Elizabeth.

"A wonderful night to you, my Lord," Mark greeted him with a nervous smile.

"There is no need for an introduction. Elizabeth explained everything to me," Marcos states, and comes over and looks at Scarlett.

"My Lord-"

"I will agree. That child can stay in this castle, but you need to hide her," Marcos states.

"Hide her for whom, my Lord?" Mark asked.

"From me! This child reminds me of Nicolas, particularly her eyes!" Marcos answered.

Although Mark disagreed, he accepted Marcos' condition. The only thing that mattered was for the child to stay in the castle.

"All I need to do now is to make sure you grow up strong and safe. And a couple of years is not that hard," Mark uttered and sighed.