More powerful magic

It was around midnight. Louie couldn't sleep. He felt restless for no reason. So he decided to get out of his room and went to the garden that could be seen from Louisa's balcony. If the window in his twin sister's room was still bright, Louie would have climbed it and walked in.

The Palace was quiet as usual at midnight like this. There was no visible crowd of maids or other workers. Only occasionally did Louie see a sentry knight pass by. There wasn't even anyone in the garden.

"The candle's still burning," Louie muttered as he looked at Louisa's balcony.

With practiced moves, Louie began to climb. Once there, he knocked softly on Louisa's bedroom window.

"What are you doing at this time of night?" grunted Louisa.

Louie grinned widely. From the irritating way she spoke and the pressure marks on the side of her face, it was obvious that Louisa had fallen asleep reading a book. No wonder the candle is still burning.

"Even if you say that, you still open the door for me," Louie said.

Louisa rolled her eyes. "You better get back there. People would be surprised to know you weren't in your own room."

"I can't sleep," Louie admitted. He then lay down on Louisa's bed. "It feels like something is in my room."

"You feel like you're being watched in your room?" Louisa asked warily.

"Not being watched, but… it feels like something is interfering."

"Eh? Ghost?"

Louie chuckled, "From now on, try to stop reading those novels of yours, Louisa."

"I seriously know. There might still be witches who can make ghosts or cast spells on you."

"How could it be. All witches are required to register themselves with the kingdom. And according to the latest data I read, there are no witches in Lamamont."

"Well… it's possible, right? Moreover, the witch is difficult to detect. Mother only realized that she was a witch when she was a teenager, right? It's possible that I or you are actually a magician."

Louie pointed his finger at the table across from him and shouted, "That table over there, fly!"

Of course, the table is not floating. Instead, Louie and Louisa laughed together. But they both immediately fell silent because they remembered something.

The Kings of Vallotton don't like to talk about their mother.

Louie and Louisa grew up never knowing their mother. People say the late Queen Odette died soon after giving birth to them. Apart from their mother being a witch, the twins knew no other story about their mother.

People never talk about it. Even their fathers and uncles tended to avoid talking about Queen Odette. It felt like they were hiding something from them.

But what? Louie and Louisa were sure their mother had not done something so heinous and evil. Because if that were true, King Vallotton couldn't have loved them that much.

"You think Mother could make that table float?" asked Louie.

"Possible. She's a witch," Louisa answered. "It's also possible that Mother can do more powerful magic than just making a table float."

"Like what, for example?"

"Raising the dead?"

"That's called defying fate."

"Then kill the living?"

"If that's all, even a person without magic power can do it," said Louie. He lay down next to Louisa then. "But a witch can definitely do more than just kill. Causing unnatural deaths, killing without the knowledge of others, sending curses…"

"That sounds awful," said Louisa. She leaned closer to Louie and rested her head on his shoulder. "Even if she can do it, Mother never does that, right?"

"Who knows. I guess no. I'll ask later if we meet in a dream."

"Have you ever met Mother in a dream?"

"Once. And, it wasn't a pretty dream."

"It felt like something was chasing you."

Louie and Louisa exchanged glances. The two of them seemed to be talking through each other's thoughts.

They agree that the appearance of Queen Odette in their dreams often leaves a bad impression.

Because in their dreams, their mother, who was a witch in Lamamont, always showed her anger.

***

"Don't open the curtains wide…"

Mariette pulled the blanket over Louie's face, and the twins was trying to get back to sleep.

"You've missed morning practice, Prince Louie," Mariette said absently. "And, Princess Louisa, how many times must I tell you not to open doors and windows for Prince Louie?"

Louisa groaned. "If I don't open it, Louie will break down my windows and doors."

"Anyway, hurry up and take a shower now. It's already noon," Mariette said as she pulled Louisa awake. At the same time, another maid tried to guide Louie who was still half asleep. "This is the last time I see you two sleeping in the same room again, understand? If I wasn't there, what would you do?"

"Where is Mariette going?"

"I'm not going anywhere," said Mariette. "I'll call—"

Before Mariette could even take a step, Louisa had pulled her hand away. She looked at her imploringly.

"Where is Mariette going?" Louisa asked, sounding demanding. "You said you would never leave me."

"I'm not going anywhere, Princess Louisa," Mariette said soothingly. He tried to tidy up Louisa's messy hair. "I'm just going to take a short break."

"Paid leave? It was so sudden. Could it be because of what happened yesterday, huh?"

Seeing Louisa saddened by the incident at her debutante's party, Mariette is forced to lie. "No, not because of that."

"Are you sick again?"

"I am 100% healthy, Princess Louisa."

"Then ... could it be that you have already been proposed to by Sir Anatole and are preparing for your wedding?!"

Everyone who heard this was shocked instantly. Mariette took a long breath at Louisa's guess that she had somehow uttered. She glanced at the maids and motioned for them to quickly pull Louisa into the bath.

"Mariette! You owe me a story, don't you?" Louisa shouted before she disappeared behind the bathroom door.

Mariette shook her head. Because of what Louisa had just said, there would definitely no longer be unfounded rumors about her.

After this, Mariette would discipline the two brothers while there was still a chance. They should learn to keep their mouths shut in front of good servants.

If it's like this, can I take my leave in peace? Mariette thought.