The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 12

Merlyn raised her eyebrows: "Pink and tender—you do look quite sweet." She reached out and gently pinched Elara's neck, feeling the soft, smooth skin under her fingers. "But this short neck would also be easy to bite off." She flicked Elara's forehead lightly. "Am I not feeding you enough? Do you have to use yourself as bait?"

"Haha," Thea poked Elara's neck. "Tell Auntie—where did you get this money-making idea?"

Elara hugged her head, pouting: "I just think this is better than you running around looking for work. Our family's reputation is already ruined—who would dare to hire a Dessey Witch?"

"It's not a bad idea." Thea glanced at her angry older sister, cleared her throat, and said: "But Auntie has to tell you something. The Andros you met today was probably newly turned and still weak—that's why you defeated her so easily."

"A small victory has made you complacent." Merlyn calmed her anger and said coldly: "The Andros population is less than ten million—only a fraction of humanity's. But why have they been able to keep humans under their feet?"

Elara sniffled and replied softly: "Because they're strong enough." She knew she was wrong for wanting to provoke the Andros.

"So you do understand." Merlyn took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "The Andros' speed and physical strength are far beyond ordinary humans. They also have extraordinary healing abilities. You should count yourself lucky that you didn't meet a veteran who was turned long ago."

Having said that, she was more angry with Alexander Stirling. If he hadn't misled her, her obedient little Elara would never have thought of sticking her neck out to tempt Andros. Hmph…

"Darling," Thea pulled Elara into her arms and kissed the top of her head. She loved this little one so much. "If you want to walk around with your neck bare, we need to work hard on our Witchcraft. Do you know? After the West Sea Witch Ancestor came of age at eighteen, she walked alone across the continent with her neck bare.

Elara hung her head: "I understand." So this was a family tradition. She consciously flipped her collar back out of her clothes.

"The Andros aren't unprovokable." Merlyn softened her tone when she saw this. "But darling, mother wants you to weigh your abilities carefully before doing anything. That turned Andros was easy to deal with, but you saw Alexander Stirling tonight."

"He was quite reasonable." It was his reasonableness that had made her have bad thoughts.

Thea chuckled: "Do you know why that bearded shopkeeper was willing to exchange something so precious for the Blood Rose glazed card?"

Elara looked up: "The Blood Rose symbolizes the Stirling family."

"That's right." Thea tapped Elara's forehead. "Most Andros feel more or less afraid when they see a Blood Rose glazed card. Do you know why?"

Elara fell silent as she stared into her aunt's calm, slightly cold eyes—but she knew the answer well.

Because of the Stirling ancestors' pure blood and cruelty, Thea smiled. The Blood Rose represented the Stirling family. If a Rozin Person held that glazed card, ordinary Andros wouldn't dare to harm them.

Harming them would mean disrespecting the Stirling family—and the Stirling family didn't care about kinship when disrespected. But Alexander probably hadn't expected the little one to use the glazed card to pay for her purchase.

That source of income was now gone. Elara thought back to her encounter with Alexander Stirling and realized he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. "Using a single glazed card to ruin a gifted Witch—what a clever trick."

"You're just short-sighted." Merlyn sighed. She needed to teach her little Elara some more knowledge.

"Alexander Stirling is the only son of Progenitors Duke Alexandra Stirling and Duke Lisandra Stirling. Besides him, the other eighteen viscounts of the Stirling family share the surname Stirling but are not descendants of Progenitor Lisandra Stirling."

What was she trying to say? Elara looked at her birth mother, her young heart deeply hurt.

"Given Alexander Stirling's status, he probably wouldn't stoop to using a glazed card to…"

"Sister, we should be almost at the Lord's Mansion." Thea interrupted her at the right moment. She held Elara's plump waist with one arm and pushed open the front window with the other, looking at the magnificent castle glowing faintly under the moonlight in the distance. "I wonder if Rocky Anastas will welcome us?"

Elara glanced at her aunt: "You're asking a question you already know the answer to."

Thea curved her blood-red lips: "Sister, you can continue your topic." She squeezed Elara's plump belly hard. "This dress still seems a bit tight."

"I'm only ten years old." Elara tried to push away the hand pinching her soft flesh, but she wasn't strong enough.

Merlyn frowned as she watched the two fooling around without a care. Veins twitched involuntarily on her forehead. "Thea, you should remember your status."

"What status?" Thea turned to her older sister, looking confused. "Did the Andrea Kingdom grant me a title when I wasn't looking?"

Like mother, like daughter. Elara replied: "Mother means you're my aunt."

"What kind of status is that?" Thea laughed.

Seeing her like this, Elara sighed deeply. She put on a serious face, raised her small hand, and patted Thea's shoulder. "For your sake, I've decided to set a small goal—to have my portrait printed on glazed cards before I turn a hundred." If there was no glaze, she could make glass herself—they weren't that different anyway.

Thea was stunned. She stared at the still-plump little Elara for a long time before suddenly smiling and agreeing: "Okay, Auntie will wait. I'll personally paint your portrait then."

Merlyn, watching the little one stand tall and straight, couldn't help but soften her eyes. None of them noticed the black crow standing on the treasure chest—when the carriage approached the Lord's Mansion, a figure flashed in its black bean-like eyes.

Tap-tap-tap…

Two Andros guards wearing knight uniforms with ruffled collars stopped the carriage at the gate of the Lord's Mansion. One of the bearded Andros said: "Please show your invitation."

"We don't have one." Merlyn tapped the carriage wall lightly. "Look at the clan emblem yourself."

The two Andros frowned but didn't make a fuss. They followed her instructions and examined the carriage. After some difficulty, they found an almost washed-off pattern in the corner. What kind of emblem was this?

"Make way." Merlyn didn't care if they recognized it or not—she had already made their origins clear.

The two Andros exchanged glances and spoke again: "Since you don't have an invitation, please tell us your surname."

"West Sea Forest." Thea leaned out the window. "Can we pass now?"

West Sea Forest? The two Andros' faces turned ashen, as if they had drunk a bottle of verbena juice. They quickly stepped aside to let them pass.

The two old horses held their heads high and pulled the carriage forward. Watching them enter the manor, one of the gate-guarding Andros slipped away toward the castle. Merlyn only shrugged indifferently.

Elara leaned against her aunt's arms, admiring the white castle that looked as if it were built of ivory. "Mother, later we should make the mandala mark on the carriage more noticeable."

"It's fine as it is." Thea's eyes sparkled with mischief. "We don't want to scare people." She stretched her left hand out the window, and her fingers began to dance. As her fingers moved, silver edelweiss petals drifted down from the sky, turning the entire manor into a dreamlike scene. "I forgot to bring a gift—this is for little Anastas."

"Thank you." A tall man wearing a black tuxedo with a ruffled collar and a top hat walked out of the castle. His crimson eyes already revealed his status among the Andros. His black boots stepped on the silver edelweiss petals without leaving a trace.

Merlyn got out of the carriage, followed by Thea, who was holding Elara with a black crow tucked under her arm.

"We apologize for coming uninvited."

"The apology should be from Anastas City." The man raised his right hand to his chest and bowed slightly to Merlyn. "Lady Merlyn hasn't left the West Sea Forest in ten years. Rocky didn't dare to disturb you for such a trivial matter. Please forgive us."

Merlyn smiled: "So you are welcoming us?"

"Of course." The man was none other than Rocky Anastas, Lord of Anastas City. He wore a perfectly timed smile. "The West Sea Forest honoring Adair Anastas' birth feast brings great glory to Anastas City."

Elara was a little confused. Rocky Anastas' behavior almost made her think she was born into a great family. Were the Andros really this hypocritical, or did she have a misunderstanding about her own family?

"In that case, we can rest easy." Merlyn flipped her right hand, and a gold coin engraved with a black mandala appeared in her palm. "This is a gift from the West Sea Forest to Adair Anastas. Congratulations to him for being born into the Stirling family."

When he saw the gold coin, Rocky Anastas clearly looked delighted. "Thank you, Lady Merlyn." He took the gold coin personally. "I'll make sure Adair wears it always." He stepped aside and invited the three of them into the castle.

Elara frowned slightly as she looked at Rocky Anastas. Her mother had actually forged a Moon Glow for her son—she knew that vampires wearing Moon Glow could resist the harmful effects of sunlight. But from what she knew, fewer than five Dark Witches could forge Moon Glow, including her grandmother.

As they entered the castle, a sweet scent hit their noses. Elara hadn't eaten since morning. Although Witch Power could suppress hunger, she was still young—her stomach rumbled immediately.

"This way, please." Rocky Anastas was in a great mood after getting what he wanted. He personally led the three of them to the dining room.

But as soon as they entered the dining room, Elara's stomach churned and she felt nauseous. Blood… it was all blood. Although there was no smell of blood, she was certain the liquid in the wine glasses was blood—and that sweet scent came from it.

"Prepare some pasta and send it to our rooms." Merlyn acted as if she was used to it. She led Thea and Elara past Rocky Anastas, through the dining room, ignoring the surrounding stares, and went upstairs. "The rooms are ready, aren't they?"

“Yes. Please go straight upstairs—Mr. Donner will show you to your rooms."

Elara's face turned pale. There were many Rozin people in the dining room, and they were also holding glasses of blood, their faces showing numb pride. It made her heart go cold.

Once in their room, Merlyn closed the door. She knelt down in front of Elara and looked her in the eyes. "Don't feel disgusted. This is the world outside the West Sea Forest. Not all blood-sucking Andros are evil, and Rozin people don't always represent weakness and kindness."

She understood—but the visual shock made it hard for her to accept certain things.

The Lord's Mansion's service was quite good. In less than ten minutes, exquisite pasta was delivered. Elara ate a little, but it tasted tasteless as wax. She then returned to her own room, sat cross-legged by the window, and looked at the bright moon. When she accidentally touched the ring on her finger, she suddenly remembered something she hadn't done.

She took a silver needle from her skirt, stretched out a finger, closed one eye, and pricked it. She couldn't help but hiss: "Ow." A drop of blood welled up. She quickly applied it to the ring.