The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 17

"Aren't you going to talk about that locked-up Andros anymore?" Thea knelt down to fix Elara's loose hair, her eyes filled with affection.

She still preferred the little one with black hair. But… after the West Sea Witch Ancestor became a Supreme Witch, her brown hair turned jet-black. So, as a descendant of the West Sea Witch Ancestor, if little Elara had black hair before she fully matured, she would stand out too much.

Watching the woman gently fix the little one's hair, Alexander's blood-red eyes dimmed slightly. He had known her for a hundred years, and he had always thought she was naturally impatient.

Elara blinked, feeling a little torn. "Actually, Earl Alexander Stirling is really naive." The fact that he was easy to fool was proof enough.

"Oh, is he?" Thea glared at the fickle little one, then stood up and took Alexander's hand.

Overjoyed, Alexander immediately tightened his grip on her soft hand. He smiled, bent down, and pinched his little friend's cheek. "I have two ruby forehead ornaments in my treasury." I'll keep them for you—you can pick them up at Earl Alexander's Manor in Andrea Capital anytime."

Was this selling her aunt for wealth? Elara glanced at her aunt, who was rolling her eyes, and nodded. "I'll remember. Thank you." She watched the two enter the dance floor, then moved to stand beside her mother. "Alexander Stirling is coveting Aunt Thea's beauty."

Merlyn Dessey couldn't help but smile. She put away the Holy Crow Spirit Dagger and gently hugged the little one leaning against her leg. "If I heard correctly, didn't you just accept a bribe from Alexander?"

"Can't I accept it?" Elara looked up at her mother. "But I couldn't refuse his kindness." She was trying to figure out how to tell her mother about the dream—after all, it was just a dream.

"Of course you can." Although this trip was to resolve many problems, Merlyn didn't regret bringing little Elara. The world was dangerous. As the future ruler of the West Sea Forest, little Elara needed to realize this as soon as possible. "As for what's between Alexander and your aunt—we don't need to interfere."

Elara fully agreed. After all, the two of them were thousands of years old combined, and Alexander's one-sided affection made up most of it. But her aunt had always been proud of being from the West Sea Forest—she would never be fooled by Alexander's good looks or sweet words.

On the dance floor, Alexander Stirling held Thea's slender waist, looking down at her calm face as he moved to the music. "Why did you go to see that slave Fred earlier?"

"No reason," Thea looked up and smiled faintly. "I just wanted to see if he regretted his past choices? Abandoning humanity, without a Moon Glow—he can never walk under the Sun God again. Unfortunately…”

“And? Did he?" Alexander tightened his grip slightly, pulling her closer.

Thea didn't mind him mocking her. "I was disappointed." But she also confirmed that she no longer had any feelings for Fred—he was someone irrelevant to her.

"Fred is living well now," Alexander felt a twinge of jealousy. "If you hadn't asked for him, Alice would never have discovered such a delicious slave in her manor. After being turned, Fred even successfully got into Alice's bed."

"That's normal," Thea knew he was doing it on purpose. She deliberately stepped on his foot. Hidden by her skirt, no one noticed that the two were on the verge of falling out. "When I asked for him, I also wanted him to serve me."

Alexander let her step on him. "Aren't I serving you well enough?" Sophia Larissa's arrival had left this damned woman with a lot of pent-up anger, and he, a noble Andros earl, had become her scapegoat. "Thea, don't provoke me."

"You mentioned Fred first," she thought. Just because he served her well didn't mean their debts were settled.

"Fine, we won't talk about Fred." Alexander led her away from the center of the dance floor. "Let's talk about the Twin Witch. How did the West Sea Forest find out that Poppy Larissa is carrying a Twin Witch? "

"I thought you'd never ask," Thea sneered, but didn't hide it. "Poppy came to my sister on her own. She wanted my sister to kill the fetus in her belly."

Kill the fetus? Alexander raised his eyebrows—this was unexpected. "She went to the West Sea Forest?"

"She couldn't get into the West Sea Forest. We left the West Sea Forest."

Alright, he had been naive. Alexander forced a smile. "Is Lady Merlyn really not going to interfere?"

Why the West Sea Witch Ancestor had been cursed by the Twin Holy Spirits was still a mystery. The Dessey Witches always held a grudge—they would never let it go until they figured out the truth about the West Sea Witch Ancestor's death.

"What do you think?" Thea didn't want to answer this question at all. She glanced at him, then rested her chin on his shoulder and fell silent.

How should he know? Alexander hugged her tightly, unhesitatingly turning his head to kiss her temple. His eyes were unpredictable. Duke Austin Corell hadn't been found yet, and now there was a Twin Witch. He felt like an undercurrent was gathering momentum. His gaze fell on Rocky, who was socializing outside the dance floor.

Feeling this gaze, Rocky Anastas' back tensed, but he didn't dare show any sign of it on his face. He had a bad feeling about Alexander Stirling's sudden visit. He took a small sip of fresh blood and lowered his eyes.

After standing in the corner for a while, Merlyn wanted to take Elara to the dining room to eat something. But the image of the little one feeling nauseous last night popped into her mind, and she felt a little reluctant. She knelt down and instructed, "Wait here for a while. Mother will get some food."

Elara was indeed a little hungry. "I'll go with you." She would have to get used to these scenes sooner or later.

"My brave little Elara…"

"Lady Merlyn." Haina Mullin hesitated for a long time before leading her daughter, Roxane Mullin, across half the hall to the corner.

Merlyn stood up and looked at the visitors, certain. "Do you have business with me?"

Haina Mullin bit her lip slightly, looking down at her young daughter with worry in her eyes. Seeing her like this, Merlyn already had a good idea and patiently waited.

"Mother," Roxane Mullin looked a little nervous. She glanced back at her mother, then quickly lowered her head and leaned closer to her.

After a long while, Haina Mullin finally seemed to make up her mind and looked at Merlyn again. "I want to talk to you alone."

"Of course." Merlyn didn't hesitate. Before her mother could speak, Elara said. "Go ahead. I'll wait here." She patted her large skirt meaningfully.

Haina Mullin also let go of her daughter's hand. Roxane was a little scared, but she had been the one to mention it—her mother was doing this for her.

Watching the two go to a more remote corner to talk, Elara turned to look at the strange girl. "Hello, I'm Elara Dessey."

"H-hello," Roxane didn't expect her to take the initiative to speak. "I'm Roxane Mullin." She lifted her heavy skirt with both hands, took a small step back with her left foot, curtsied, and said. "It's an honor to meet Lady Elara."

Although Roxane was only a few months older than her, she had completely lost her baby fat. Her delicate features were perfectly proportioned on her small face—especially her amber cat-like eyes, filled with timidity, which were quite charming.

Looking at her, Elara couldn't help but suck in her stomach. "You don't have to be afraid." She had evolved successfully in both her past and present lives—her appearance was definitely not intimidating.

But what Elara didn't know was that Roxane wasn't afraid of her—she was guilty.

"What did you say?" On the other side, Merlyn's expression turned cold when she heard Haina Mullin's request.

Haina Mullin twisted her hands tightly together. She knew her request was excessive, but for the sake of her daughter, she had approached this powerful Witch. "Please consider it."

"Can you tell me why you want to buy that ring?" Merlyn's eyes drifted past her to the two children not far away.

"I… I…"

Merlyn curved her red lips and said coldly, "I want the truth."

Haina Mullin froze, her heart tightening. She knew her actions had angered this powerful Witch. She swallowed hard, then finally spoke. "Half a month ago, my daughter Roxane and I came to Anastas City with the clan leader." She had only found out about this yesterday.

"Since arriving in Anastas City, my daughter Roxane has been losing weight. She has nightmares every night." Haina blamed herself for being so careless that she hadn't noticed her daughter's strangeness sooner. Her voice choked. "She said there's a voice calling her constantly in her dreams… and there's blood."

Merlyn's right hand, hanging by her side, slowly tightened. "What does this have to do with the ring?"

"We went into the jewelry shop yesterday because my daughter insisted." Haina raised her tearful eyes, filled with begging. "When she saw the ring, she… she had a feeling that wearing it would make the nightmares go away. I… I know your daughter is a powerful witch." She struggled to say the next words.

"That ring is not for sale." Merlyn glanced at her. "You should know why you and your daughter have been treated so well by the Mullin Manor all these years."

Haina trembled, nodding repeatedly. "I… I know it's because of Lady Merlyn's protection." She bowed slightly and took a step forward. "Lady Merlyn, we won't buy it. Can we rent the ring for a few days at the same price… until we leave Anastas City?"

"In your eyes, do you think Dessey Witches only care about gold coins?" Merlyn was a little annoyed, and her voice couldn't help but rise, attracting the attention of Elara and Roxane not far away.

Wasn't that the case? Elara frowned in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Watching her mother's humble appearance, Roxane's eyes turned red, tears welling up. She ran over without caring about etiquette, crying. "No more… I don't want it anymore."

"No more?" Elara thought of something, staring at the mother and daughter who were hugging each other. Could it be that Roxane was still thinking about the Life Spirit Ring? When she saw her mother walking over with a bad expression, she was almost certain.

Merlyn walked up to Elara and looked down at her.

Elara consciously reached out to hold her hand, but as soon as she touched it, she heard a question. "Why didn't you run over to me like that?"

What? Elara thought she had misheard. "Can you say that again?" That kind of affectionate rush and tearful hug didn't seem like their mother-daughter dynamic. She glanced secretly at the remote corner—the mother and daughter were still hugging, though the crying had stopped.

Merlyn sighed in disappointment. "Never mind." She took the little one's hand and walked toward the dining room. "Have you had any dreams lately?"

Upon hearing this, Elara's hand tightened. Merlyn's eyes darkened, and she heard the soft voice say. “Yes. I dreamed that I turned into a winged elf, flying and flying in the West Sea Forest…"

"That's enough." It was a good dream—Merlyn didn't plan to listen further. Elara looked hesitant. "I haven't finished yet." But the darkness after the good dream wasn't suitable to talk about here. "I'll tell you the rest when we go back after the banquet."

Merlyn nodded casually. “Okay.”