Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who's the Witch of Fate’s Great Call - Chapter 43
At night, Vylon tended to get a bit clingy, but by day, he expressed his affection in a more restrained manner.
Lately, however, he’d started to lose control. If he happened to catch sight of Kalynia passing by, he’d quiet his footsteps and approach her stealthily. Then, suddenly, he’d grab her from behind.
“What the—!”
Kalynia was startled every time. Anyone would be if someone grabbed them from behind out of nowhere, leaving her frozen like a startled cat.
“Vylon…”
Only after realizing who it was did she relax. The moment her rigid body softened, Vylon couldn’t help but enjoy himself.
He was the only one who could tease her like this, the only one she would forgive, even if she scolded him for it. That fact made him proud.
But a problem had arisen recently. He’d pulled this prank too often because he liked it so much. So lately, Kalynia didn’t even flinch when he approached her from behind.
“Why are you doing this again, Your Majesty?”
She spoke without even turning to look. Though she didn’t say it aloud, if others were around, she was probably cursing him in her mind, wondering if he’d lost his mind.
It was disappointing that she didn’t react as she used to, but he still found satisfaction in knowing he was the only one who could pull this kind of prank on her.
“Seems like you’re hard at work making something again, Kalynia.”
When he whispered in a low voice by her ear, she would still blush deeply.
“I came because I missed you.”
“……”
“I say that, and yet you just go on with what you’re doing. Is that potion so important?”
Vylon glanced at the glass bottle she clung to and wouldn’t let go of. He found it fascinating that she always seemed so dedicated to making some kind of potion.
He’d heard she made everything from cold medicine to wakefulness potions.
“Come to think of it, Kalynia, I heard you’ve been making a particular kind of potion that bothers me.”
“…A potion that bothers you?”
“Contraceptives.”
“……”
“I heard you’ve been giving them out to young women.”
“Uh, yes. That’s right. I give them to women who need them.”
Vylon chuckled. Her lie was so obvious that even if he wanted to pretend to believe her, he couldn’t.
He wasn’t particularly angry that she secretly took contraceptives. He’d promised to let her go once they had a child. Back then, it had felt easier to make that promise, knowing it would mean she’d disappear.
Now, things were different. Vylon had no intention of letting her go, child or no child.
“Kalynia.”
Calling her name softly, he placed his hand on her chest over her clothes, causing her to gasp.
“Don’t do that here.”
“Are you still embarrassed about doing it in the daylight? We’ve done it plenty of times.”
“It’s not that… If we do it here, it’ll bring back memories later, and that’s… troublesome…”
How could he ever let go of a woman who says such adorable things without even realizing it? He wanted to keep her close forever, to love and cherish her.
“Kalynia, do you often think about what we do together?”
“Not really. That’s not what I meant, ah! I told you to stop touching me.”
As he kissed her neck, Kalynia’s body trembled slightly.
For now, they didn’t need a child. They were both young, and as long as they were happy together, that was enough.
Vylon took the glass bottle from her hand and set it aside. Then he helped her stand up from her chair, his hands stroking her waist and thighs.
As his hand moved up her skirt, lifting it slightly—
Tak, tak.
A noise came from the glass window. It was a room located fairly high up, so it couldn’t have been a person.
It was probably just a bird that had accidentally hit the window while resting.
Vylon ignored it and tried to continue.
But suddenly, the window burst open, and something came inside.
A bird couldn’t have done that.
Startled, Vylon pulled Kalynia into his arms, guarding against the mysterious intruder at the window.
The large, black figure moved oddly, writhing and pulsating. After a moment of stillness, it split in two.
“Phew.”
From within the split mass emerged a woman. Before Vylon could ask who she was, Kalynia ran toward the woman.
“Catherine!”
Before he could grab her, Kalynia had escaped his grasp and ran into the woman’s arms, leaving Vylon’s hands awkwardly suspended in the air.
Catherine.
He recognized that name. From what he remembered, she was Kalynia’s older sister and a witch. Knowing she was a witch explained what he’d just seen.
