A witch

" You,  your mother , and along with all your maternal blood line and ancestors , are not human."

Silence reigned for the next few seconds that felt like ages.

contrary to David's expectations, Bethy was calm.

Her face didn't betray any kind of emotion as she held hey gaze staring straight at him, while he tried gauging her expression.

David then reached a conclusion.

' ...she doesn't believe it...'

contemplating whether to speak first or let her take her time, David went on.

" You do know the story behind this empire's creation don't you?" he probed to which she nodded.

"Everything started when Patrick The Great appeared with a magical power to wield the wind at his will and ended the war between the east and the west. He unified the east and west and was named king. Only after he unified the whole continent creating the empire we know this day, did the second person, who's not a descendant of the Dilenhart bloodline, to wield a similar power appear. It was right after the south joined."

he stopped for a moment, letting the informations dawn on her. From the look on her face , David could clearly tell what she was thinking.

'why the hell is he telling me this?' she thought.

But before she could voice anything, he continued.

"The south, at that time, was a very mysterious kingdom. they didn't trade nor did they make any contact with the rest of the continent. no body knew what went on there. And no body felt the need to know whatever happens on a freezing land. And even when some curious folks wondered near it, no body was able to survive. No army could penetrate its defences and no adventurer could navigate its lands. it was fruitless and so they gave up on it. that's how it was named the land protected by God. And even after Patrick The Great showed up and marched down towards it with a huge army of men, they couldn't even go past the coasts in the border. it was recorded in ancient books how the coast' sea kept freezing so no ship could sail. and when they decided to march on the freezing sea , in cracked and thousands drowned. it was then called "the unconquerable south" . why do you think it was so?"

He paused again . He knew, although perplexed, Elisabeth was the smartest person he knew of. and so he was sure she would have already grasped the meaning of his words.

He then heard her words. it was subdued out of doubt, but he could hear it clearly.

" Freezing sea... Your Grace's ZHIR is ....is that....does that have any relation with this?"

Hearing that, his lips curled up. She never disappointed him. although it wasn't the point he wanted her to focus on, but it was interesting how she reached that conclusion.

instead of answering, he asked a question of his own.

"Do you know what the kingdom of the south was named?"

just when she was about to shake her head in negation, the word slipped he tongue.

"...Zhirtamortia.."

seeing how the duke nodded with one side of his lips curled up, her eyes slowly widened.

It didn't matter to her what the story was at this very moment. all she could think about was how.

HOW did she know.

As a commoner, she was never educated. she didn't know how to read or Write. and as a princess, all she was learning was basic etiquette and the ways of nobles. all she knew in history was that the empire was created after Patrick The Great unified the four kingdoms bringing peace thanks to his powers and wisdom.

[ ....Zhirtamortia?..] a little girl's voice resounded in her head all of a sudden. .

[yes.] a boy's now resounded.

it was the same voices she often heard in her dreams or when unconscious.the girl and the boy. as for the girl, it was her young self. she could tell. although the boy's identity was still unknown to her.

[Humm... you're lucky. teacher told me about it just today. it means...]

"the land of magic"

[the land of magic.]

the voice in her head overlapping with the man's in front of her snapped her into reality once again.

Her breath was ragged and she felt cold sweat on her forehead. she sighed deeply in an attempt to compose herself.

When she looked up at him, he was looking at her intently. although he looked a little bit concerned, he didn't ask if she was okay.

Looking back at his behaviour at the party yesterday, she thought they must have been close to some extent. close enough to shed tears of happiness when he saw her again. close enough to be gentle with her when he clearly was nothing like a gentleman. close enough to put her to bed personally when she passed out. To know that she liked fish when she herself didn't know that untill the etiquette class a few days ago.

Close enough to...kiss.

even though the duke had apologized and blamed it on the alcohol, she didn't truly believe it. you don't kiss a friend when drunk do you? nobody would. and although he said so, he didn't look drunk at the slightest. so she thoughts, maybe, he harboured some feelings for her.

But today he was being.... Cold..... and distant.

'you overestimate yourself, Bethy.'

Knock Knock

a knock from the door snapped her out of her useless musings and the duke's voice reverberated in the room letting them in.

" Excuse my rudeness your highness, your grace. His Highness the crown prince asks for the duke's immediate presence. " he informed them.

"I'll be there."

With that, the servant left, leaving them alone in an awkward silence.

Fidgeting with her fingers, Bethy asked:

"before you leave, please answer me. When you said I'm not human, what did you mean, your grace?"

" Zhirtamortia, the land of magic, was called this way because everything in it was full of magic. the land scapes, the atmosphere and everything about it. the most important thing was that it naturally refused non magical existences, including humans. Any human who trespasses the borders will die due to the pressure the magic filled atmosphere will put on their body. "

"Then.....the natives..."

"are anything but human." he completed her sentence.

" Your maternal family is one of the purest Zhirtamortian blood in the empire, your highness. "

Elisabeth gulped at the revelation. Now it made sense. Why the south was unconquerable. Why even though now it's part of the empire, only a quarter of its lands is habitable.

"If....If not human, then....what am I ? " her voice was shaking as if she were about to cry, that it surprised even herself.

" A witch."

All that shakiness and anxiety faded and was replaced by a sense of betrayal. Her face went blank.

' all of this....for him to call me witch ..is just..'

" Are you mocking me right now?" she asked unable to hold it in.

It was the duke's face that went blank this time.

For the southern duke who spent the most of his life in the south, there was no way for him to know that "witch" was a common insult used by commoners in the west to describe ugly and cursed women.

He deduced she was shocked. her reaction didn't make any sense to him otherwise.

and so, he opted to act unfazed and spoke in a serious tone. " Do I look that free to the princess?"

'Oh...don't tell me ..'

"you're being serious..."

"of course.I would like to stay and discuss this further, but I'm afraid I'm running short on time. and i will be quite busy for the days to come, thus I won't be able to visit your highness to answer your questions any time soon. I apologize for that." he said, bowing his head lightly.

"Since you can't come, can I visit you instead? I still don't have the answers I want."

"If you don't mind of course. " seeing him not answering right away, she added.

" You're welcome to visit any time, your highness. untill later then." he bid his farewell in a slight bow, then left, not leaving any room to anymore discussions.

"hahhhh....a witch huh." mumbled Bethy, slamming her butt against the couch.

her mind went back to the voices she heard in her head a while ago.

'was that a memory?'

She's been having quick, random flashbacks since her first week in the imperial palace.

It was mostly just voices echoing in a void with a miriad of emotions.

"Your highness."

looking back at the door, Anne was standing. noticing the slight twinkle in her eyes, Bethy asked curiously.

"Did something happen?"

"Your highness, marquis Istria have arrived and is waiting in the garden. "

"Alex!"

Bethy couldn't hide her excitement at the mention of Alexander. he is her lover and the man she loves after all.

For her , he was one of the few good things that happened in her life.

Fixing her attire hurriedly, she left for the garden.