The Devil's Cursed Witch

The female servant with blue hair in a bun saw her human master together with the King inside the pavilion.

Reya was quick to hide her surprise as she walked closer to the garden pavilion and bowed to the King. "Greetings, Your Majesty. I apologize for intruding, but I am here to inform Miss Ember that her midday meal has been prepared." Then, she paused as if to consider her next words. "Should I let the kitchen know that you two will be dining together?"

But Draven ignored her question. "Her knee is injured. Make sure to take care of it."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said the servant as she kept her head lowered.

Before leaving, Draven was reminded of something as he glanced at his mate for the last time. "Give her casual dresses that are easier to move around," he instructed and left even before the servant could respond.

After he completely disappeared from sight, Reya entered the stone pavilion and looked at Ember who looked lost.

"Miss Ember? Are you feeling unwell?"

"Huh?" Ember blinked at the elf as if she was pulled out of a daze. "I am not--"

Seeing the girl's dirty dress and torn skirt, Reya walked closer and kneeled in front of her. "His Majesty said you have hurt your knee. Please let me take a look."

Ember sat quietly, still dealing with what she was feeling a while ago. She studied Reya who pulled her skirt up to check her knee. Just like Draven, Reya had inspected her wound but Ember realized she felt nothing odd when Reya was doing it so...so why was it different when the King was doing the same thing?

'Wasn't he just checking my wound just like Reya? Then, why was my reaction so strange? My heart, it won't calm down.'

"Miss Ember, it is a mere surface wound so you have nothing to worry about," Reya concluded.

The confused human simply nodded and stood up to go back inside the palace. Even after Reya had brought her back to her chamber and finished treating her wound, Ember was stuck with her memories from the garden.

Afterwards, Reya gave her a simple dress which didn't have a fluffy skirt. It was one the simplest elf-styled dresses in her wardrobe, looking more like the summer dresses humans wear when they go on a picnic.

"I apologize Miss that we failed to consider how comfortable you'll be moving around when we made your clothes," Reya started as she finished helping her into her dress. "We made a lot of gowns and formal dresses we've heard human nobles wear since Dame Yula thought you'd like them better. If we had known it will be like this, we would have made less of those heavy dresses and more comfortable clothes for you--"

"It's all right," Ember said with a smile and then proceeded to have her meal quietly.

Seeing the young human acting strangely since they returned from the garden, Reya and Clio looked at each other. Clio hesitantly asked, "Miss Ember, did something happen that made you upset?"

The two elves had learned from the other servants how the council meeting went. They expected Ember to be in an extremely good mood, but to their surprise, their master looked shaken.

Ember could not answer Clio's question. Something did happen, but whatever she's feeling, it was far from being upset. She needed to think about what it was exactly.

The servants didn't force her and let her have her meal. Once she was finished, Clio informed, "Miss Ember, your study room is ready. Would you like to take a look?"

It surprised Ember. "My study?"

Clio nodded. "His Majesty had ordered for books written in the current human language to be brought in, and they have been arranged in your study."

Finally, something within their expectations happened. The human girl's mood was immediately lifted, and she was back to her curious self. "Is it fine to head there now? I would like to go see it."

"Of course, Miss," Reya chuckled at how adorable she was. "You can go to your study whenever you want."

With smiles on their faces, Reya and Clio guided her way towards one of the many rooms within the southwest wing of the palace. Once they entered the room that was next to her bedchamber, Ember's gaze was welcomed by the huge study room that had various shelves filled with hundreds of books. She took a deep breath, and the musky smell of wood, leather and paper felt familiar and comforting.

'So many books?' Her excited gaze could not help but roam around that large room that looked almost like a library.

Clio gestured towards a long wooden table with small vine-like carvings and a high backrest chair that was kept in front of the large window of the room. "You can sit here while you read your books, Miss."

Ember looked at her sitting arrangement and smiled, "Thank you, Clio. This is wonderful!"

Reya laughed. "No need to thank my cousin, Miss. If you are to thank anyone, thank His Majesty and Erlos. They're the ones who had these books collected for you."

Ember was determined to thank those two at a later time. For now, she could not wait to go through and read all these books.

Ember walked up to the shelves and felt confused which book she should first pick to read as there were so many.

"Are there any story books about magic here?" Ember asked her servants.

Clio was quite flustered, looking deeply apologetic that neither she nor her older cousin couldn't help. "Apologies, Miss Ember, but we can't read the language that is in those books. We, the servants, just arranged them randomly the way we picked them up."

"No need to be sorry, it's fine. I can find what I want to read about on my own." Ember randomly pulled out a book.

She skimmed through it fast and realized It was about a romance story between a noble and commoner. It was the kind of story where a rich man and poor woman fall in love and then they fight for it against all odds, with the ending being their marriage and the epilogue about them having a family. She remembered how she and Gaia used to make fun of these stories in their free time whenever Gaia brought any such book for them to read.

Ember put it back as she wanted something that had supernatural beings mentioned, perhaps a story with elves in them.

Just then, there was a knock on the door and Reya attended to it. There was a servant standing outside who handed over a book to Reya and said, "Elder Leeora had asked to give this book to Miss Ember. From this, Miss Ember can learn the runic language used in most of the books in Agartha."

After the servant left, Reya brought that thick leather book to Ember and passed on the servant's message. Ember could not be happier than this. She immediately got that book and sat in her chair. The thick book let out a heavy sound as she put it on the table.

"Reya, Clio, do you two know this language?" she asked.

"Yes, Miss. We have learned the runic language," both confirmed. "It is the common language used by the different races in the kingdom."

"Will you two help me learn it?" she asked.

The two could not be happier than this.

"Of course, Miss Ember."

"We might also learn human language while we teach you this one."

"Get chairs for you two then. Quick," Ember said excitedly as she could not wait anymore.

There was a reason why Ember was eager to learn the runic language.

'After I learn this language, I will borrow that book from His Majesty's study and learn about magic.'

Ember wanted to know more about the magic, specifically on how to use it. She had learned only a single spell from Gaia--the shapeshifting spell--but she had seen her use more.

'Since Gaia can do it, so can I. Perhaps I can learn more.'

She didn't know why, but for as long as she could remember, she had always been drawn to anything related to magic--be they stories about mythical creatures or folktales or even story books about the people who wield magic. It was possibly due to her nanny's influence, being a person capable of magic, or perhaps something else.

'I am sure His Majesty has the best books about magic in the kingdom. Elder did say he's the most powerful person here,' she thought but then, remembering the King gave her goosebumps. She vividly recalled their encounter in the garden.

'To fall down in such an ugly manner not once but twice? That was so embarrassing.'

She didn't want to remember that moment, but what happened afterward--that awkward yet heart-warming closeness inside the garden pavilion--felt just as bad now that she's recalling it.

'I could not even apologize for intruding while he bathed, and now I've ended up adding more to my embarrassing moments he'd witnessed. I don't think I can even face him now. Right, I am only unusually clumsy when he's around. I should be fine as long as I don't see him. But what about the books in his study? Will he permit me to borrow them if I deliberately avoid him? Well, if worse comes to worst, I will just sneak inside his study during the night when no one is around and then borrow that book...'

"Miss Ember?" Reya called her.

"Ah, sorry. I got distracted. What were you saying?"

Ember got back to her senses and paid attention to her servant who continued to explain the basic characters of the runic alphabet. "This symbol represents..."

Hours swiftly went by as the three continued to talk about the basics of the runes. Ember tried to remember each and everything character they explained, which to her surprise, was pretty easier than she initially thought.

"And this one...?"

"I know," Ember pointed towards each symbol. "This one represents chaos, this one witchcraft, this one heavenly power. This one..." Ember continued to recite.

"Oh, amazing!" The two servants could not help but feel amazed.

"Miss Ember, you learn so fast. You are really so smart."

"It took me a month to remember them all."

Ember was surprised herself. The elves only needed to mention it once, and she could easily grasp their explanation. "Maybe because I find them interesting."

"It won't take you a long time to memorize the contents of this book," Clio assured her.

Ember smiled and thought, 'And once I learn this, I will sneak into King's study and get that book.'

This human girl didn't know that once again she was planning to put herself in trouble.

Ember spent the rest of the day inside her study, learning that runic language without stepping out. When she got hungry, she refused to leave to eat but instead had her servants bring her snacks every once in a while.

"Miss Ember, it's time for dinner," Clio informed her.

"Already?" Ember looked out  the window behind her and realized the sky had already turned dark. She didn't realize this as she had been so focused on reading, but her study was bright due to the various lamps which her servants quietly lit up some time ago.

'How come I didn't notice it? No wonder my eyes feel tired. I have been studying the entire afternoon." Only then did she realize her back and neck ached as well, and she was feeling hungrier than usual.

"Do you want us to bring your meal here in your study?"

"Oh, no. There's no need. I will eat at the dining hall." She closed the book and followed her two servants to the dining hall while stretching her numb limbs.

After a hearty meal, Ember was torn between going back to her study and retiring to her bedchamber, but the latter won as she could not help but let out a yawn.

'Isn't it a bit early in the night? Why am I feeling so weak and lethargic?'

"Miss Ember, would you like to have a bath before going to bed?" Reya asked.

"No, I am so tired," she said and climbed her bed without even caring to change into her nightgown.

"You need to change clothes--"

"I am fine. Just let me sleep," she interrupted Clio and fell  asleep mere seconds after letting out another yawn.

Seeing her exhaustion,, her two servants left her to sleep after adjusting the temperature of the chamber.

------

The next morning, a sweet floral smell spread across the palace. It was so strong that even less sensitive noses could sense it from within their own lodgings. Something like this would have normally been ignored if not for the strange reactions of the servants belonging to the shapeshifters. Among those working in the palace, those with the most intense reactions were the male servants with a beast constitution.

Everyone could not help but wonder about the source of this scent.

'This situation has never happened in the palace before...'

'I know, isn't it irresponsible to leave this be?'

'This sweet scent, who does it belong to?'

'Which female is it?'

A certain king had been soaking in his pool that morning when his entire body tensed upon catching a whiff of this scent. He could recognize this scent anywhere. It was that mixed scent that reminded him of jasmine but there was something more to it--it wasn't refreshing, but rather heavier and sweeter, strong enough to make him go crazy with just a whiff.

'That thing, is she...'

He clenched his fists and came out of the water. Putting on his robe, he stepped out of the side chamber where he found his servant Erlos who seemed acting normally. He was not a beast but an elf so Draven could be relieved that his servant would not be affected by the scent coming from his female.

Sensing his agitation, Erlos bowed to the King. "Sire? Is anything--"

"Have all the males leave the palace, not to return without my order," Draven cut him off.

It shocked Erlos. "What? What happened--"

"Just do as you're  told!" Draven scowled and his elf servant dared not ask any more questions.

Once Erlos left, Draven felt like burying himself somewhere deep underground where he wouldn't smell this scent. He clenched his fists, trying to resist the temptation.

"That thing is in heat," Draven said with gritted teeth.

=====

A/N - Dear readers, the new month will start now from the 1st of august. I wish you all to vote GOLDEN TICKETS to take the novel into the top 5 in the month of August. And I will make sure to give multiple MASS RELEASE with interesting chapters that you all are waiting for.