The Virtuous Dark Witch

Chapter 5

"Okay, I'll bring you gifts when I get back," though she had no money, Elara Dessey was certain a living person wouldn't be stumped by misfortune. She lowered her head and continued drinking the soup.

At her words, Mond smiled. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, then pulled out a small linen pouch and set it on the desk. "This is for you." If you see anything you like in the city, buy it." His beautiful little Elara deserved the best, but unfortunately, he had so little to give her.

Huh? Elara stared at the shabby gray linen pouch, a mouthful of soup lingering in her mouth. She didn't need to guess what was inside—from her father's tone, it couldn't be copper coins. Should she take it or not? Two little voices argued in her head.

A tiny figure in a black cloak planted her hands on her hips and snapped at a figure in a white cloak: "You poor thing!" Why can't you take pocket money from your own father?"

The white-cloaked figure shot back just as fiercely: "Father works hard to save money. I'm not a toddler—how can I take it?"

"Heh, you're such a saint. It's a shame you were born into a Dark Witch family…"

Watching his daughter zone out with her cheeks puffed, Mond's heart melted. She was just too adorable. He smiled and gently pulled her back to her senses: "Hey, sweetheart, snap out of it and eat quickly. The soup will get cold soon—you won't like cold ox bone soup."

Elara gulped down the soup in her mouth. "Thank you, Father." She set down her spoon and poured the coins from the pouch onto the desk. Two slightly dull gold coins glinted on the wood.

The coins in this world were about the size of silver dollars from the Republican era in her past life. On the front was engraved the Sapolaya Mother Tree—legend said Andralena, the Mother Goddess of the Andros nobles, was born beneath this tree. On the back was Andralena herself.

Two gold coins equaled two thousand silver coins. Her father was really the family's hidden wealthy man—when he acted, he always impressed.

"Put them away."

"That's too much," Elara obeyed and put the gold coins back into the pouch, but instead of tucking it away, she pushed it toward her father. She held up two chubby fingers: "I only want two silver coins."

Mond raised his eyebrows and stared at her. His daughter had always been so sensible, and it filled him with guilt. If he, David Dessey, and Townsend Dessey, weren't Rozin people, she wouldn't have to bear so much.

What was he thinking? Elara watched as her father's eyes gradually dimmed. She had a hunch he was overthinking, so she added: "It can't be easy saving money behind Mother's back. You can't give it all to me—you need to keep some for yourself…"

Caw… caw…

Two rough, hoarse crow cries came from outside the window. Elara's right eyelid suddenly twitched uncontrollably. She licked her lips and kept her gaze fixed on her father: "What if you and Mother go out someday and you want to buy her something nice? You can't always ask her for money, right?"

Mond was no longer sad. He laughed at his daughter's stiff little expression: "Father has money. This wasn't saved behind your mother's back." He stuffed the pouch into her small hand. "Before your mother and I returned to the West Sea Forest, I asked her to detour to Hambury Manor."

Because of his good looks, he had been treated fairly well by the Hambury family. When he was favored by the powerful Light Witch Poppy, the head of the Hambury family personally gave him a treasure chest. He had taken Merlyn Dessey back to Hambury Manor to retrieve it.

Fine, they had a good relationship. Elara sneakily glanced at the glazed mirror at the foot of the bed—sure enough, her mother's figure was reflected in it. She quickly looked away and slouched over the desk.

Mond glanced at his wife, who had a stern face, then stood up and kissed his daughter's forehead: "My dear, Father will go downstairs first. After you finish eating, leave the plate at the door—I'll ask Townsend to come up and get it later."

"No need for Townsend to come up. I'll bring it down myself," Elara walked Mond to the door, watched him descend the stairs, then closed the door. She sniffled and turned to the glazed mirror: "Mother," she forced an awkward smile. "Did you come to call Father for lunch? He just went down."

"Hmph," Merlyn Dessey was clearly angry, her brown eyes narrowing. "In your eyes, am I really that stupid and…"

"No!" Elara cut her off immediately. "In my heart, you've always been the most beautiful, wisest, gentlest, and strongest. I'm so proud to be your daughter. I never dare to slack off, afraid I'll disgrace your great name."

Seeing the sincerity on the little one's face, Merlyn felt a little better: "The things your father brought back from Hambury Manor have always been kept by him. He doesn't need to hide money from me."

What was going on in that little head? A Rozin person hiding gold coins from his witch wife? How stupid would she have to be to let him hide two gold coins?

"I understand now," Elara stood at attention. "You gain both love and wealth."

Merlyn's anger flared up again. She took a deep breath, ready to scold her—but looking at her daughter's soft, fair face, she suddenly felt ridiculous. She was arguing with a snot-nosed kid. She blinked and sighed: "After you eat, come down and try on your clothes."

The topic shift was abrupt. “Okay.”

"Hurry up and eat," Merlyn sighed, then disappeared from the mirror.

Elara stood there, staring at the glass. After a long moment, she murmured: "Is that it?"

After lunch, David took his brother to get the storage room key and pulled out the carriage. Their task that afternoon was to clean it, preparing for their mother and sister's trip the next day.

Fifteen-year-old Townsend scrubbed the rust off the axle absentmindedly. David carried over a bucket of water and frowned when he saw his brother still working on the same spot. "Townsend, what's wrong with you?"

Townsend paused, looked up at his brother, who was two years older. "David, is Anastas City full of trees too, like the West Sea Forest?"

"You're thinking about that?" David picked up another brush and scrubbed vigorously at the area he had just splashed with water. "I've never left the West Sea Forest, so I don't know what Anastas City is like. But I do know one thing—no matter what it's like, it's not a place for us."

Townsend's eyes darkened. Of course not. They were the weakest Rozin people.

Inside the room, as soon as Elara saw the dress her mother held up, she immediately stopped sucking in her stomach and straightened her back, trying to make her plump little belly more prominent. "Mother, this dress is so beautiful!" She reached out to measure the waist. "But the size is wrong."

Merlyn glanced at her and held the dress higher. "This was mine when I was ten. It should fit you."

Before Elara could refuse, Merlyn flicked her left hand slightly. Elara felt a chill. Before she could scream or hug herself, the dress was already on her body. Her chest felt tight instantly. "It's too small."

"It's not too small," Merlyn adjusted the dress, then knelt down and pushed the soft flesh that bulged over the waistband downward.

Elara strongly opposed this inhumane treatment. She dodged left and right, but couldn't escape Merlyn's "clutches." "This is my flesh! It came from you! Be gentle with it!"

"No," Merlyn softened her movements slightly. "You weighed less than seven pounds when you were born." She couldn't have dropped this much flesh. After pushing for a while, a small roll still stuck out—she knew her daughter was doing this on purpose. “Inhale. Suck your stomach in."

"I can barely breathe!" Elara rolled her eyes and fell backward. This dress was really unwearable—its waist was barely wider than her palm. She wasn't a snake spirit. She threw a tantrum, pretended to faint, and refused to cooperate—until her mother finally lost patience and took out the dress she had worn at eleven.

But as soon as the dress problem was solved, another one arose.

"Why do you want to turn my hair golden?" Elara pouted unhappily at her dear mother. "Do you think I've been ugly all this time?" She struck first to gain the advantage, hoping her mother would reassure her to protect her young feelings.

“Yes.”

What? That wasn't the answer she expected. Elara drooped her head in defeat, feeling hurt.

Merlyn knelt down, held her daughter's face in her hands, and gently brushed her eyebrows with her thumbs. She was laughing inside, but her face was full of apology. "I'm sorry I didn't give you perfect looks." Hadn't she told her she was "flesh from her flesh"? How dare she play tricks?

"Our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents," Elara insisted. "I respect what you've given me. So please change my hair back to its original color." Give her back her sense of mystery—it was her unique charm.

"Then no need to change it," Merlyn stood up. "This is also my gift." It wasn't that she disliked black hair, but as her daughter, going out with black hair now wasn't safe.

That night, Elara sat cross-legged on a chair, surrounded by glowing moonlight. With each breath she took, the moonlight flickered. The full moon slowly drifted westward. The West Sea Forest under the moonlight was eerily silent that night—no insects chirped.

Deep in the forest, on the branch of a towering laurel tree, stood a crow with dull feathers. It stared at the full moon in the sky, its black, bean-sized eyes swirling like thick ink. When the moon passed the branch, its black eyes suddenly changed color—like coagulated colored glaze, beautiful yet noble.

At the exact moment its eyes changed, the seven Andros progenitors far away in Andrea Capital all felt varying degrees of blood suppression. But by the time they tried to trace the source, the suppression had vanished without a trace.

Caw… caw…

With two cries, the West Sea Forest returned to normal, and insects began to chirp again.