The Devil's Cursed Witch

Seeing their master suddenly go quiet, Reya and Clio looked at each other to figure out what happened to Ember.

"Miss, is something wrong?" Clio asked with concern.

Reya was troubled. "Apologies, Miss. Did I make you uncomfortable? I was being too loud and rude. I don't mean to be a nuisance--"

Ember shook her head as her mind was still busy over what to do. Ember put the cup of tea back in the tray and looked at her servants.

"Do you two know if there is a way to resist the scent of your mate?" Ember decided to be honest.

The two ladies were taken aback by the surprising question.

"We are not sure about it as we are elves, Miss," Reya answered.

Clio was thinking something else as she said, "I also have no idea if the other servants could help. Miss Ember, there are some working in the palace who have mates, and from what I heard, they love the scent of their mates. So why would one want to resist it? I don't think anyone ever tried it. We are children of nature, thus we embrace the will of nature."

Ember thought about what Clio said. "It is true that my mate's scent is so good that even I don't want to resist it but..."

"Right?" Reya interrupted her. "Do you feel the same, Miss? How does His Majesty smells like....Ouch?"

Clio patted Reya's head to stop her. "Why do you want to know what His Majesty smells like? It's a sensitive matter between mates."

Reya looked apologetic, and said in a low voice, "I heard from other servants about how their males' scents were like so...I was curious about His Majesty. None of those working in the palace had a divine beast as a partner, you know?"

Clio gave a warning stare as her older cousin was being nosy. "You better not."

"His Majesty smells like the freshest green leaves of the forest," Ember started, breathing deeply as she smiled at the memory of the addictive scent of her mate. "It reminds me of how much I wanted to immerse myself within the rich fragrance of the trees and the dense forest, the complete opposite from that deserted mountain where I grew up."

Ember still had a faraway look on her face.

"It was the most precious wish of mine to be surrounded by trees that are full of life, but I never got to have that experience before coming here to Agartha. When I came here, only then did I get to see living trees up close for real. Oh, and when I was living inside my own tree house in Ronan?  Those were the best days of my life."

"You have never seen trees closely before?" Reya asked as if it was something unbelievable. "Isn't it normal for anyone to be familiar with trees, at least?"

"The mountain where I used to live only had dead trees, and it was because it was a dead forest the place became known as a haunted one, a cursed mountain. Not a single green leaf could be found on any tree. Whenever I smell His Majesty's scent, it makes me feel that my wish is fulfilled each time he's close, as if he embodies the most wonderful fragrance in the world."

Ember didn't realize it, but as she spoke, a pleasant smile lingered on her lips. Her face brightened up the more she talked about her mate's scent.

Reya and Clio shared a knowing glance between themselves, and could not help but think, 'Miss is truly smitten with His Majesty.'

All of a sudden, Ember stood up. "I need to hurry up and find the answers."

"Miss, what happened?" Reya asked in surprise.

"I am going to my study," Ember informed them and hurried out of the gazebo.

The two servants immediately stood up to follow their master with concern on their faces.

As Ember was in the part of the garden that was connected to the training grounds, she would need to run across several hallways to reach the grand staircase that would lead to the upper floors. This made her run past many surprised servants who were doing their jobs nearby.

Seeing their puzzled and worried gazes made her somewhat self-conscious, and due to this, she took a turn in one of the deserted hallways.

'First, I will find books in my study to look for the answers to his questions, and if there are not enough books, I will ask Yula for books from the palace library. I am sure there will be at least one book that can help me. Will a day or two be enough? Then I will go to him and stay by his side to practice resisting his scent. I will finish both tasks by the night of the full moon. I do not want His Majesty to suffer, so we must consummate our bond in time. I should not fail his expectations...'

Because she was deep in thought, Ember did not realize that the hallway she was running in was familiar. She did not even realize that it was empty for a reason--that reason being that one of the rooms in that hallway was the study of the master of the palace who didn't like noise."We need to consummate the bond--"

Thump!

"Ahh!"

Her face felt like it hit something hard and firm. With her eyes closed, she rubbed her nose and covered it with both hands.

"It hurts...Ahh.."

When she opened her eyes to look at what she bumped into, the view of a broad chest in a tailored dark outfit came into her sight.

Covering her nose as it was still sore, she nervously raised her head to look at the owner of that strong chest. Upon seeing those red eyes staring down at her, she stopped breathing.

She took a conscious step back to avoid catching a whiff of his scent and then stood there looking all embarrassed with her head lowered. She tried to bear the pain as she lowered her hands, realizing which part of the palace she was in.

"Apologies, Your Majesty. I didn't mean to run and disturb you..."