✧ Chapter 8 ✧

But what worried me more than myself was that the children were watching this terrible scene.

“Excuse me. Could you please put the sword away? The children are watching. Let’s talk instead…”

But the man seemed too shocked to hear a word I said.

“After all these years, after so many people failed… how in the world did you manage it…?”

Then he continued accusing me endlessly, saying I had brainwashed them or used forbidden dark magic.

Isn’t that too much?

I raised a finger to argue, but it seemed he misunderstood my movement as an attempt to cast magic. My fingertips suddenly burned as if they had touched fire.

This is…

The witch’s knowledge inside my mind surfaced.

Holy power?

Although it was unstable, as if the caster wasn’t fully concentrating, it was still incredibly powerful.

But there aren’t any Holy Knights here…

I looked over the knights lined up inside the cabin. Perhaps he thought I was searching for a way to escape, because the man shouted fiercely,

“What did you do to them?!”

“N-No… You shouldn’t yell in front of children. You’ll scare them.”

Just as I expected, Luka, who was clinging to his left leg while sniffling, burst into loud sobs.

“Waaahhh!”

I opened my arms to comfort him.

Luka tried to run toward me, but the man immediately stopped him.

The crying echoed throughout my tiny cabin, making my head throb.

I let out a long sigh and slowly stood up.

“If you’re really that curious…”

The tip of his sword followed every movement I made.

Still, I didn’t think he intended to kill me—not yet.

He needed to know what forbidden method I had supposedly used to make the children eat carrots.

I picked up the fork lying on the table.

The sword immediately pressed even closer against my neck.

Seriously… what does he think I’m going to do with a fork?

Calmly, I stabbed the fork into the carrot cake on the table.

“…What exactly are you doing?”

I held out the fork toward him.

He stared at me with eyes even more shaken than before.

I smiled as kindly as possible.

“Would Your Grace like to try some of my carrot cake?”

For some reason, his eyebrows twisted together.

“So this is it.”

“…Pardon?”

“That cake.”

“The children couldn’t resist such sweet cake because you mixed a magic potion into it.”

“…You really don’t listen, do you?”

“And now you’re trying to make me eat it too. So you can turn me into your puppet and take control of the Grand Duke’s family.”

This man has quite an imagination.

I stared blankly at the patient standing before me.

“You think such a cheap trick would work on me?”

“If I were really an evil witch, do you think I’d use such an obvious trick?”

Seriously.

People could misunderstand me all they wanted, but now I was starting to get annoyed.

“You were the one who locked these lovely children away and abused them!”

“…Abused?”

I wanted to point out everything he had done wrong, but the Grand Duke only glared at me with eyes as sharp as his sword.

“If things weren’t so bad, why would they choose to stay in my little cabin instead of your luxurious mansion?”

His gaze shifted toward the children clinging to him.

Don’t tell me he’s about to scold them for telling someone about the abuse?

“Excuse me. Instead of blaming the children, maybe you should reflect on your own actions.”

But instead of answering me, the Grand Duke gave an order to the young man standing beside him.

“Daniel. Take that thing.”

“It needs to be examined.”

“The thing” he referred to—as though it were something filthy—was the carrot cake that the children and I had made together.

I didn’t even want to give it to him anymore.

Still, I handed it over without resisting.

They wouldn’t find anything in it.

In fact, this was my chance to clear my name.

After Daniel carefully took the cake, the Grand Duke ordered,

“Luna. Luka. Get in the carriage immediately.”

“W-Wait…”

I flicked my finger.

Bang!

The cabin door slammed shut.

Click.

The lock fastened itself.

“I don’t think you should take the children.”

Everyone’s eyes widened after seeing me lock the door with a single gesture.

One knight immediately pushed against it.

It didn’t move at all.

This cabin might look old and fragile…

But in truth, it was as secure as a fortress.

Apparently, the original owner of this body had many enemies.

Why else would she place such powerful defensive magic over such a tiny cabin?

“Why won’t it open?!”

“Bring an axe!”

As the knights inside and outside the cabin struggled to force it open, the Grand Duke turned toward me.

“Open the door.”

“I can’t.”

“You abandoned the children, didn’t you?”

“What ridiculous accusation are you making now?”

“If they go back with you, you’ll just lock them up again.”

“Lock them up?”

The Grand Duke clenched his teeth.

Then he gestured over his shoulder.

He was pointing at the knights still desperately trying to open the door.

“The one trapping people here is you.”

Well…

He wasn’t exactly wrong.

Maybe I overdid it.

I waved my hand again and removed the magic from the door.

“But promise me you’ll become a good guardian for them.”

“The witch who eats people dares lecture me about being a good guardian?”

The Grand Duke snorted as he brushed his silver hair away from his forehead.

“If we search that oven and find proof you’ve eaten someone, you’ll be executed immediately.”

“That’s not true!”

“Hazel doesn’t eat people!”

“If you give her flowers, she won’t eat you!”

“Lunabel. Lukas.”

“Enough.”

“Get into the carriage.”

His voice was firm, but just like before…

Neither child moved.

“Hazel comes too.”

“Yeah.”

“Let’s take her as our nanny.”

“…What?”

The Grand Duke looked at Luna with completely stunned eyes, as though he couldn’t understand what she had just said.

“What exactly did that witch do?”

“Did you control my siblings?”

Sigh…

After being falsely accused over and over again, I had completely lost the will to argue.

“Absolutely not.”

“Why not?!”

“You always say no!”

“What are we ever allowed to do, you nagging king?!”

“Waaahhh…”

“I’m not going without Hazel!”

Luka sat on the floor crying loudly.

Luna fired sharp words like arrows.

The Grand Duke refused to compromise.

My tiny cabin became complete chaos.

“Little chestnuts.”

The children immediately stopped crying and shouting.

Even the Grand Duke fell silent and looked at me in surprise.

“It’s time to go home.”

Those were the last words I wanted to say.

But legally…

And by blood…

The Grand Duke was their guardian.

I was just a stranger.

I had no right to insist on raising them.

“I’ll write you letters. If you can’t read them yet, ask someone to read them for you.”

Luna looked at me sadly.

Then the corners of her mouth drooped.

“You have to write back too.”

The Grand Duke might not allow us to exchange letters.

But I had another plan.

I’d occasionally send Lady or Daisy to check on them.

That way I could always make sure they weren’t being abused.

Luna, her face red as a strawberry from crying, tugged on her brother’s belt.

“Promise you won’t kill Hazel.”

The Grand Duke narrowed his eyes.

“…Fine.”

“She took good care of us.”

“Say thank you.”

Now even the space between his eyebrows tightened.

“Why?”

“You always tell me not to forget my manners.”

Luna argued confidently.

The Grand Duke looked at me sharply before speaking with what sounded almost like a sigh.

“Thank you… for keeping my siblings safe.”

Finally…

He picked up one child in each arm.

Even though they still didn’t want to leave, he carried them outside.

“Wait!”

I ran after them.

The soldiers immediately blocked my path with their spears.

“These belong to the children.”

“Please take them.”

I was carrying their clothes…

Their shoes…

Their toys…

And the cookies I had baked for them.

After placing the children inside the carriage and closing the door, the Grand Duke walked over.

When I held out the things, he frowned.

“I have no need for an evil witch’s belongings…”

Well…

The Grand Duke’s mansion probably used only the finest things.

Compared to that, everything I bought was cheap.

It probably wasn’t to their standards.

Yet the children had loved every single gift.

They really were little angels.

As I stood there blankly, the Grand Duke lowered his voice.

“If I discover you used evil magic on my siblings…”

“Then even the promise I made to them won’t save your life.”

After all, you merely controlled them.

Leaving behind those cold words…

He turned away without another glance.

I swallowed back my tears and lifted my head.

I couldn’t let the children see me crying through the carriage window.

So I forced myself to smile…

And waved.

“Stay healthy… Thank you so much…”

Before I could finish saying,

“Thank you for filling my lonely life with so much happiness…”

the carriage had already begun to move.

Tonight…

I had planned to make the beef stew they loved.

Tomorrow…

I was going to buy them a pet rabbit from the farm.

Promises I could no longer keep.

People walking farther and farther away from me.

Would I always be left standing here…

Watching the backs of the people leaving me?

Maybe…

The one starving for love wasn’t the children.

Maybe…

It was me.

As I watched the carriage and the line of soldiers disappear into the distance…

I heard rustling near my feet.

Lady and Daisy had quietly come over.

[Are you okay?]

Lady asked with worried eyes.

Holding the children’s belongings tightly in my arms, I wiped my tears with my sleeve and nodded.

“I’m okay.”

The carriage became smaller and smaller…

Until it was nothing more than a tiny dot.

Then even that disappeared.

“They’ll be okay.”

The children had entered my life suddenly.

And just as suddenly…

They were gone.