Before long, the queen could bear it no more.
“Sarnette’s curse resides in the girl. She is cursing both the king and the nation.” Those were the rumors the queen put in motion.
The people grew fearful.
Wondering if they would have to suffer once more, voices calling for the princess’s death began to surface throughout the land, and the rain began to fall again.
The king grew fearful once more.
The rain didn’t stop. It could mean only one thing: The god had realized that Sarnette’s soul had returned to this world.
The god was searching for Sarnette.
The king was terrified: Would the persecuted princess gain power? Would the god obtain Sarnette’s soul?
Living in a later age, the eleventh king had no way of knowing the truth. What was certain, however, was that the king was afraid of the god, that the princess had been executed for the crime of cursing her kingdom, and that it had continued to rain. These were the only records to remain.
“Shortly after that, the tenth king drew his last breath, leaving behind the queen and his son. Haunted by nightmares, he’d apparently been unable to sleep or eat as he needed to. They said it was the curse at work, but really...who’s to say?”
Vyce closed the book shut with a smack.
“You know the rest from there, Lunetta,” Vyce said. “Princesses with black hair and black eyes came to be born, and each time the princess died, the kingdom would be visited by disaster. Fearing this, generation after generation of kings continued to confine their black-haired and black-eyed princesses to a heavily sealed room. They neither killed them nor permitted them to live, claiming it was the princess’s duty...even after finding out how it all began.”
Lunetta stared straight back into Vyce’s indigo eyes. “The First Witch was killed by her own kingdom.”
“That’s right,” Vyce answered. “And assuming the second hypothesis is correct, that’d mean it was that fool of a prince’s fault for clinging to his younger sister.”
There certainly were people like that out in the world—it was a big place, after all. No matter whom someone loved, whom they had feelings for, or even if they chose to live their whole life alone, people were free to choose. No one had any right to restrict the heart of another—indeed, even if they loved that person from the bottom of their heart.
They weren’t permitted to steal away another’s sentiments or to wound those same feelings.
“In other words,” Vyce continued, “the princess died at the hands of her own kingdom, and the kingdom found itself targeted by a god.”
“Even then, the Landslayer Witches wished only for the kingdom’s peace. They never cursed a single soul,” Lunetta added.
“That’s right. It’s more like a case of divine wrath than anything.” Vyce glanced down as Azuello crossed his tiny little paws and nodded.
“Likely so,” Azuello said. “If they wished for the kingdom’s peace, then the witches likely added to the seals themselves, wouldst thou not agree?”
Lunetta nodded in reply, her long black hair swaying gently.
She’s so pretty, though... Sophie’s chest grew painfully tight.
“Hast thou not placed a seal upon thine own soul that continues even now?” Azuello asked. “Or perhaps I would do better to call it a barrier to ensure that thy magical energy doesn’t escape.”
Lunetta gave another nod. “It’s a spell that the witches spent generations researching. It’s not just for when we die—the effect is said to be greater if the spell is cast as early as possible.”
“Verily,” Azuello replied. “’Tis a great achievement, despite knowing nothing of the cause. By sealing off their magical energy before it grew to maturity, they were able to keep the god from realizing that theirs was the soul of the girl—Sarnette as thou called her—reborn.”
“And yet even then,” Azuello continued, “when the spell breaketh upon each soul’s expiry, ’tis likely that the fragments of the god left behind and the magical energy that escapes from her react. And in turn, the god discovereth one fact and one fact alone: He hath lost her again. Even now, I would wager he doth continue to search for thy soul.”
Sophie stared at Lunetta as the witch pressed her hand to her chest. The one living here and now wasn’t Sarnette.
Lunetta’s black hair and black eyes were beautiful, but Sophie had never heard her sing, and she’d looked upon gods like test subjects, not with love. She was a small, cute girl that called the king of another kingdom “Your Highness” in a childlike tone.
“Lunetta, you’re you,” Sophie said, with an uneasy, anxious feeling in her chest that she just couldn’t shake.
“You’re right,” Lunetta replied with a nod. “I can’t have some god I don’t even know stalking me, after all.”
“St...?”
Stalking...? On second thought, maybe she isn’t wrong?
“Your Majesty?” Lunetta said.
“Yeah?”
Lunetta stood up. “What is this...?”
In response, Vyce rested the book against his shoulder and tilted his head to the side.
Lunetta’s hair and eyes were glowing red.
“I don’t feel good,” Lunetta said. “It’s like I really, really want to use magic. I can’t really explain it well, but...right here.” She squeezed at her chest. “That’s where it feels bad.”
Even Sophie could tell that Lunetta’s brow was just a bit furrowed. Hmm? Sophie tilted her head to the side. Don’t laugh. No, I can’t laugh, but come on, Lunetta...
“Aaargh!”
The one who erupted so unexpectedly wasn’t Sophie, mind you.
Looking up, Sophie saw Vyce doubled over, laughing like a child. It was the first time Sophie had ever seen an adult laugh like that. She felt her chest tighten just a bit with excitement. What? That’s so cute, though!
“Lunetta, you’re angry,” Vyce said. “You’re angry right now.”
“Angry...?”
“That’s right,” Vyce answered. “I told you—we told you over and over again you could get as angry or cry as much as you wanted to, but you just looked at us like you didn’t have a clue what we meant. You’re angry, Lunetta!”
Sophie couldn’t quite put her finger on why, but Vyce looked like he was having the time of his life. Seeing an adult express their joy so openly for the first time, Sophie felt her chest tightened excitedly again. That’s so cute of him!!! And he’s just a really, really good person too!
But now Sophie understood too.
It was a blessing to be able to cry or get angry or sad. After all, they were all things that you couldn’t do if you didn’t know what it meant to be blessed with happiness in the first place.
Lunetta found herself in the incredibly fortunate situation of being able to realize how unjust it was, how warped it all was. It was something truly worth rejoicing over.
“Your Majesty, is it okay if I get angry?”
“I don’t see why not. Give ’em hell,” Vyce replied with a laugh.
Hearing Vyce’s familiar, cynical laugh, Lunetta blinked. Did she smile just now? Vyce’s smile grew even wider.
Azuello grew larger with a pop. “Master, shall I assist as well?”
“Oh my,” Sophie replied. “Are you sure?”
“Quite,” Azuello replied with a nod. “Leave this matter unto me.”
Sophie rose to her feet and brushed off the edges of her dress. She took a deep breath. Breathe in...and out. In...and out.
Then, Sophie saw Livio, standing behind Vyce with his foot pinning down the king. Those blueberry eyes that Sophie loved so much were sparkling. That excited glint in his eyes was probably his way of shouting, “Go for it!”
Here at the castle that had built up the curse for so, so many years that countless girls had lost control of their emotions and found themselves at their wits’ ends...they were going to help the last witch get angry.
What an honor! Sophie thought, spreading her arms wide, casting a defensive spell.
It was one of the few types of magic that Sophie could use, but it was also a form of magic that made it easy to draw on Azuello’s power.
Sophie wove the spell together—to protect the lives of the people that all of the witches had kept safe so their nation might survive.
Lunetta let out a breath beside Sophie.
Now then, all together, dear readers!
“This. Is. Bullshiiiiiiiiiiiit!!!”
That was the day the beautiful castle of gold and white was completely—and wonderfully!—obliterated.