ITREF~01

Chapter 01 

 The Girl Was a Great Witch (1)

Mount Solena was considered one of the three most beautiful mountains on the continent.

But the mountain was famous for something else far more than its scenery—

the pure white tower standing at its peak, untouched by time.

The White Tower of the Great Witch Shyloy.

Yet unlike the terrifying image most people associated with witches, the tower possessed an entirely different atmosphere.

Rare flowers bloomed throughout the gardens, and the interior overflowed with expensive paintings and sculptures.

If a stranger ignorant of its owner were to step inside, they would mistake it for the mansion of a powerful noble rather than the dwelling of the continent’s greatest witch.

Crash!

Late one night, a sharp sound of shattering glass rang through that elegant and luxurious place.

Reflected in the broken shards was a woman with hair like cascading crimson rose petals and violet eyes that gleamed like polished amethysts.

A beauty surpassing any masterpiece or sculpture ran frantically through the tower, her face twisted in terror—

like a deer fleeing from a predator.

The towering structure bought the woman precious time.

But even that had its limits.

At last, on the highest floor where there was nowhere left to run, she came face to face with the man who had cornered her.

“So even the great witch is nothing special once she can’t use magic.”

“Borden, how dare you!”

“Did you truly never expect a day like this? If we lined up everyone who wished for your death, they’d circle this tower a dozen times over.”

Including your precious dragon familiar.

The neatly dressed man grinned.

That single smile transformed his once obedient appearance into something sinister.

For this very moment, he had spent twenty years pretending to be the great witch’s loyal servant.

“Cough—!”

The woman desperately tried to cast magic once more, but instead vomited a mouthful of bright red blood.

“I told you already,” the man said with a shrug. “There’s nothing you can do about it tonight.”

From inside his coat, he drew a dagger.

A wicked blade that radiated ominous energy.

“In honor of the years we spent together, I’ll make your death painless.”

He approached lightly, as though walking on air, and plunged the dagger into her chest without hesitation.

Blood burst forth.

The woman’s consciousness rapidly faded.

Strength drained from her entire body, and her eyes slowly closed.

“Ahahaha! Finally! Finally!”

Hearing the man’s ecstatic laughter, she forced out the last of her strength and shouted:

“No matter what you gain from my death…!”

“Marie!”

Just moments ago, that chilling laughter had echoed in her ears.

But now, a familiar voice pulled the girl from her sleep.

“Of course it’s Brother Marey again…”

Still unable to fully open her eyes, she muttered softly.

Bathed in sunlight, the girl’s face looked extraordinarily lovely.

From her fluffy pink hair that resembled cotton candy to the delicate features adorning her small face, she looked like an angel who had accidentally lost her wings and descended to earth.

She had actually heard such praise before.

Mostly from the people living within the duchy, since she had yet to make her debut in society.

But to her second older brother, Marey—two years her senior—she was no angel.

To him, she was simply an arrogant little princess who glared daggers at people and barked back whenever annoyed.

“Hurry up and get out of bed!”

Standing outside her bedroom door, Marey shouted loud enough to replace an alarm clock.

“You stayed up late secretly reading those red-covered books again, didn’t you? Everyone else is already done preparing!”

Thunk!

Instead of an answer, something flew into the door with a smack.

Most likely a pillow.

Marey smirked crookedly.

“Looks like I’m not enough to handle this.”

“Maybe I should ask our dependable eldest brother for help and explain all about little Marie’s delinquent habits.”

The moment he finished speaking, hurried footsteps thundered from inside.

Click!

The bedroom door swung open.

“If you say anything weird to big brother, I’ll kill you!”

“My, what refined language from such a young lady.”

“I told you a hundred times already! The books I read are rated fifteen-plus, not nineteen-plus!”

“You think I’m blind?”

“Of course. Your eyes aren’t the only thing about you that’s hopelessly defective, little brother!”

“Oh? Tiny thing’s getting sharper-tongued by the day. I wonder who’d marry you later.”

“If I walked down the street, the men staring at me could fill twelve carriages, so worry about your own future instead.”

“I should’ve kept my mouth shut. Just hurry downstairs and eat some toast.”

Mariela glared at the back of Marey’s head as he descended the stairs.

‘Everything about this family is perfect except for this!’

Children of proper noble families didn’t personally wake their younger sisters like Marey did.

Even moderately wealthy baron families would have dedicated maids gently waking their young ladies.

Of course, Mariela also had her own maid—Betty.

But on busy mornings like this one, Betty had no choice but to prioritize household duties over attending solely to her young mistress.

After all, only twenty servants worked in this enormous ducal castle.

Apparently, during House Esteban’s glory days, more than a hundred servants had lived here.

‘And it’s all because of that damned witch Shyloy!’

About a hundred years ago, the continent had feared a notorious great witch named Shyloy.

Among witches, she possessed unrivaled magical talent—but her personality was said to be equally violent and arrogant.

Unable to tolerate her overbearing behavior any longer, Shupern Esteban—the head of House Esteban at the time and a highly respected knight—had openly rebuked her.

“If you do not correct your attitude, your end will be miserable. Please conduct yourself with the dignity befitting a great witch.”

Their ancestor’s actions had been noble and courageous.

Unfortunately, blunt honesty rarely ended well.

Especially for someone like Shyloy, who had never been criticized to her face before.

Enraged, she laid a curse upon the entire family.

“Worry about your own end instead! Since you cannot distinguish what should and should not be said, your entire bloodline shall pay the price. No descendant bearing Esteban blood shall ever again grasp glory or prosperity.”

At first, everyone dismissed it as the bitter outburst of an angered witch.

However, the mages cautiously warned House Esteban.

“Witches use magic differently from human mages. Sometimes, even their words themselves become spells.”

Not long after the confrontation, Shupern’s second son died in a riding accident.

He had been a brilliant swordsman, talented enough to one day command the knight order.

The ducal family was plunged into grief, while rumors spread throughout society.

Afterward, House Esteban suffered endless misfortunes—failed trade investments, real estate fraud, and countless other disasters.

People began to whisper:

The great witch’s curse would destroy House Esteban.

And as if spoken fate had taken root, the curse slowly became reality.

The Estebans were generally kind, hardworking, and reasonably talented people.

Yet misfortune followed them everywhere, preventing them from obtaining either honor or wealth.

The family fortune gradually disappeared until, in the present day, they could barely maintain the lifestyle expected of nobility.

‘They even sold the townhouse in the capital and moved back to the estate. That says it all.’

And despite all that, the duke and duchess had adopted an orphan girl from the streets and raised her with endless love.

Mariela could not help but feel grateful.

She truly loved her adoptive parents and brothers.

Which only made her hate the great witch Shyloy all the more for cursing such a wonderful family.

‘That damned witch! She ruined an innocent household and then disappeared without a trace? Wherever she’s hiding, I hope she’s miserable and starving.’

Enough pointless thoughts.

If she delayed any longer, Marey would mock her relentlessly again.

Mariela and her family planned to visit the capital for the Empire’s founding anniversary celebration.

Since they would spend several days traveling by carriage, lighter clothing would be more comfortable.

After quickly washing up, Mariela chose an appropriate dress for the weather.

The soft lavender dress she’d received as a birthday gift last year wasn’t flashy, but the luxurious fabric and comfortable fit made it perfect for traveling.

When she entered the dining room, her family warmly greeted her.

“Did you sleep well, Marie?”

“We made your favorite mushroom soup this morning.”

“Honestly, snail. I woke you ages ago.”

Mariela shot a glare at Marey—the sole source of irritation in the room—before lightly hugging the duke and duchess and taking her seat.

Her eldest brother, Marsen, slid a fresh bowl of mushroom soup toward her, while Betty handed her toast and scrambled eggs.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you get ready this morning, my lady.”

“It’s okay. I don’t even wear makeup, so I don’t really need help.”

“But you should at least apply cream! You need to take care of your skin while you’re young. Oh, after breakfast I’ll braid your hair nicely for you.”

“Okay, thank you.”

“Betty, your effort is admirable, but drawing stripes on a pumpkin won’t turn it into a watermelon.”

“Isn’t that saying more appropriate for Second Young Master?”

“Marey, your problem is that you express affection backwards.”

Watching his younger siblings glare murderously at each other, Marsen shook his head helplessly.

An hour later, the ducal family finally departed the castle.

The duke, duchess, and Mariela rode inside the carriage, while the two brothers traveled on horseback.

Including an additional carriage for servants and luggage, along with six knights escorting them, the procession was rather modest for a ducal family.

“I hear monsters have increased recently. Would it not be wiser to bring more guards?”

“We’ll only travel along roads patrolled by the imperial watch. We should be more concerned about the estate than ourselves.”

“As you wish, Your Grace. Please return safely.”

Perhaps because it had been so long since their last outing, the atmosphere remained cheerful.

For the first two days, even the weather cooperated.

But by the third day, rain began falling little by little.

And on the fourth day, a torrential downpour crashed from the sky.

The duke gazed out the carriage window with concern.

“The mountain roads surrounding the capital are quite dangerous… This worries me.”