The Devil's Cursed Witch

"Miss?"

It pulled Ember's attention back to her instructor and she decided to focus on her lesson.

For this session, Helia was trying to teach her on the basics of energy manifestation. Magic spells all began with the energy inside the body being forced to the outside world, and only then could she begin molding magic in whatever form she desired using a spell as a framework.

"...Imagine your energy to a form like 'air' and try to breathe it out of your body. It doesn't matter what form it takes for now. You will have succeeded as long as you are able to manifest your energy outside your body."

Ember tried to do as she was told but something was affecting her from focusing on her lesson. Whenever she tried to focus, her thoughts would wander around towards how Isa had mocked her and now she was talking to Draven as if she had done nothing wrong. Ember was usually a level-headed person, but she didn't know why her temper was so unstable and why she would get affected by others so easily.

"Hmm, how about you observe how I do it, Miss?"

"Look at my hand. Nothing changed yet. But look, if I force my energy out, you can see my palm turn red."

"Another way to manifest is to use an attribute of fire. Feel it, isn't my hand now hot?"

"If I imagine my energy creating a small smile, that works as well. See?"

Despite trying to copy Helia, her attempts were in vain. Again and again and again, she had nothing but failed attempts to show off.

"You look exhausted, Miss. Why don't we take a short break?" Helia suggested.

Ember was feeling disappointed in herself. Despite trying so many times and her teacher instructing her patiently again and again, she failed the entire time. Not just disappointed--she was angry at herself.

Helia could see how Ember was feeling. "Miss, it's fine. It's your first day of trying to manifest the magic. It is normal since you need to be familiar with the process of guiding energy from your core. Still, you did well today, and I am sure soon you will be able to do it in a few days."

Ember looked at her teacher apologetically. Helia was always so patient with her and it made her feel even sad.

"Since you are exhausted to the point you're sweating, rather than a break, I think we should stop for today."

Ember nodded as she knew how much she would try, she too felt nothing would happen today.

After saying a few more encouraging words, Helia left. Rather than her instructor, Ember looked at the empty place where Draven was standing a while ago.

'He saw me failing again and again. He must have left thinking I cannot do it."

Ember felt worse and could not help but feel disappointed at herself, and this turned to anger. She had always felt sorry for herself but never felt angry. She stared at her palms, and suddenly, she felt that she was worthless. That she could not do anything.

Just as she was feeling awful, someone came to make it even worse.

"Tsk, I thought you could at least perform a simple magic trick today and I waited here for so long but..." the newcomer sighed. "Even His Majesty could not tolerate it and left. Such a failure! Even a child without a prominent energy core can perform simple magic manifestations, but you turned out to be worse than a child."

Ember silently glared at Isa who didn't let go of the chance to mock her. Ember was already angry and she didn't want to create any trouble by dealing with this annoying vixen.

Ember turned to leave, not bothering to reply.

"Rude. I cannot believe what I am seeing. To leave without even talking," Isa scoffed. "But I cannot blame you for this. I had heard you don't have a family so you must have been raised without manners. Uncouth and uncivilized.

Ember stopped in her place as she heard the person behind her didn't stop at it and heard her again.

"I wonder about the person who raised you. Did she think it would be fine since you are supposed to rot on your own in some distant mountains anyway?

"How pitiful of you. Whoever that person is, she could still have done better and had taught you how to behave like a person and not some wildling. You truly do not deserve someone as perfect as His Majesty. What? Are you glaring at me? Oh, I apologize. Did I somehow offend you?

"But it is the truth, right? What I do not understand is why you are still sticking to His Majesty living a lavish life inside this palace and living off His Majesty's grace like a leech. Was being that shameless in your nature? Or maybe, that is something you learned? I feel like whoever raised you, that person taught a good-for-nothing like you to leech off someone in power in order to survive."."

Ember finally turned back to look at Isa. Her emerald green eyes were filled with rage.

"Don't say a word about my nanny!"

"Oh, a nanny? Why? Are you some sort of noble or Princess of any kingdom? If you were at least a princess among those useless humans, I would have considered you but you are simply nobody who is raised in the dirt by her nanny."

Isa could see Ember was truly enraged and she enjoyed every single second of it. She could not wait for Ember to do something silly and then get punishment for it. 'It's even better if she harms me, then it would be easy to kick her out of this Kingdom.'

With a cunning smirk, Isa continued, "And why can I not tell the truth? Parents are blamed for their child's upbringing. As you are an orphan, whoever raised you is to blame. I wonder what kind of a woman your nanny must be to raise a child like you. You truly embrace all the ugly things about humankind from your nanny, greedy and shameless and--"

Swoosh!

In just a blink of an eye, large flames erupted seemingly out of nowhere. Isa's body was pushed away by some unknown power while all the trees around the training grounds caught fire, scaring the servants mingling around.

Ember's pretty emerald green eyes glowed in brilliance, looking like they themselves were on fire.

Killing intent. There was killing intent in them.

'Silence! I must silence her! Get rid of her! I must--'

The next moment, someone appeared in front of Ember and hugged her in his warm and comforting embrace. It took a moment for her to calm down as she closed her eyes and went unconscious. With that, the sudden fire disappeared as well.

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This bonus chapter is dedicated to reader "Hollygolightly" Thank you so much for the gift, dear. <3<3