The witch wants to survive
W. Flower Seed
The stinging smell of gunpowder and the loud sound of gunfire filled the mansion. Hannah was startled. The loud gunfire was audible, but the sight of the floor, now stained crimson, left her speechless. This act shattered Hannah's belief that verbal threats were the best she could muster.
“…Tsk, it bounced all the way here.”
Camilla, her face crumpled, clicked her tongue at the sight of blood splattered across the lace. How long had she been in this body? Already, she had become one with the princess. In the past, she wouldn't have cared if blood splattered, but the sight of blood staining the sleeves of her dress suddenly made her feel annoyed. "This dress was bought by V..." Camilla thought it was a shame, and looked down at Karisov, who was groaning in pain after being shot in the thigh, while she fiddled with the lace.
“What the heck, what the heck, what the heck is this!!…”
“Shut up. I should have killed you, but since this body wouldn’t have behaved like this, I only gave you a light warning.”
A warning? You've already bruised her thigh, and you're calling this a warning? The surrounding nobles, seeing the hole in the middle of her thigh, immediately knelt. They weren't fools. No matter how much they coveted the position of head of the family, what kind of lunatic would rush to the princess in this situation, when their leader, Karisov, had been treated like this? The quick-witted ones, sensing it was time to bow their heads, began to make cliched excuses in front of Camilla.
"I did it for the Princess," "It was solely Karisov's unilateral action that insulted the Princess," and so on, they were busy shifting all the blame onto Karisov. How could he be so unexpected? Camilla, rubbing the crimson blood with her fingertips, smiled languidly.
"The warning ends today. Next time, it won't end with your thigh, Karisov."
“Ugh!…”
“Next time I’ll pierce your head, so you better behave yourself.”
You too. Camilla, who spoke to the nearby collaborators and then turned around with a smile, looked so pure that it was hard to believe she had just threatened someone's life.
However, soon darkness fell over the sky, and Camilla had to welcome the night's guest wearing a light slip and a shawl.
“I clearly warned you, but you don’t understand.”
Using the dripping, crimson blood as her footsteps, she struck the fallen assassins with her toes to confirm their life or death. She had only just taken a bath and was about to moisten her lips with wine, but Camilla frowned at the interruption of her night. She had just bathed, but blood was spattered all over her body. How could she possibly have such prudence? I warned her to behave properly during the day… Camilla sighed, put down her sword dripping with blood, and was about to walk to the table, thinking she might at least wipe the blood off her face, when a familiar, low-pitched voice came from the window.
“…You hit it big from day one.”
Camilla wiped away the blood she was trying to wipe away as she watched V lean against the window with his long legs folded. "Okay—" she replied calmly, and V landed from the window, casually stepping over the corpses of the assassins who had died, as he headed toward Camilla. Seeing her slightly furrowed brow, he could only roughly guess at her mood, thinking, "Just a few ants messed with Carcia-sama."
“You look upset.”
“Does it look like that?”
“Yes. I heard you used the revolver I gave you, too?”
V asked, wiping away the blood and gently rubbing the red mark on his cheek with his thumb. He was curious how she knew, but he didn't pry, simply nodding. He figured V wasn't the type to keep an eye on him, and he must have just picked it up on the way. So he told him what had happened that day.
"I didn't know it would be this bad. The Edenbergs are one of the two ducal houses in the empire, so I thought their internal affairs would be well-organized."
“But who would have known that Princess Camilla would be nothing more than a puppet?”
V soon wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as she felt uneasy. Blood splattered all over her slip, enough to make her feel uncomfortable, but he acted so casually, which sometimes made Camilla feel quite impressed.
“I kind of expected it.”
"huh?."
"The more shiny the outside, the more likely it is that the inside will rot. Apples, for example, are no different. Even if the inside is rotten, if the outside is intact, people might eat it without even realizing it."
Besisi- She felt like she was seeing him again when she saw V smiling and meeting her eyes. Since V was always trying to be with her, she wondered when he would do something, but he knew about the circumstances of the empire without her knowing... It was a surprising and amazing moment.
‘It’s not like I just play all day.’
V said, his cheeks puffed out with fearful anticipation.
“You didn’t think I was just playing around, did you?”
“…Ahem!, no?”
“Isn’t that so? Your face has that exact expression.”
He was quick-witted. Before he could pry any deeper, Camilla escaped his embrace and headed to the window, trying to change the subject by asking why he had come. He could have simply said, "I came because I missed you, Carcia-," but the mood was subtly different today. It wasn't anything serious, but he must have come because he had something he needed to tell me.
At first, she hesitated, as if reluctant to answer, but soon, as the questioning continued, she had no choice but to confess what had happened earlier in the day. Camilla's expression changed subtly. It was as if she was saying, "Did Hines do that?" and she felt uneasy. It was unlikely, but she wondered if Camilla might have lingered in her attachment to Emperor Hines. If so, V would risk his life to stop her. After all, a person who betrayed once would betray twice, three times more.
“…It’s definitely strange. My dead body would be no different from any other human’s.”
“Then, does that mean you don’t know anything either, Carcia?”
"Yes. A witch can offer her body to a human while alive. But that doesn't mean she can do the same after death. Even if she possessed powerful magical powers while alive, she's just a human after death."
In other words, the dead Karcia's body was useless. Heins wasn't the type of person to regret betraying her now. If he was going to regret it, he wouldn't have done it in the first place. V sat across the table, watching Karcia's troubled appearance, his fingers moving impatiently. His expression... didn't show any regret or anything.
‘Why am I so anxious…’
When he raised his head, Camilla, who gave off the unmistakable "I'm anxious" vibe, approached him and hugged him. She must be thinking nonsense again...
“Don’t think nonsense. Whatever you imagine, it will never happen.”
"but…"
Why am I so anxious? Unable to continue speaking, V swallowed his words. He couldn't quite figure it out. Was he afraid she'd die at that bastard's hands again? Or was he afraid she'd give him her heart again and never even look at him? Her embrace was infinitely cold, but her heart was warm, and V dug deeper into it, like a child seeking its mother's embrace.
“You must keep that promise. Whatever I imagine… it will never happen.”
"……okay."
The next day. As the bright sun rose in the sky, Camilla's once blood-soaked bedroom was as clean as if the assassin had never broken in. This was all thanks to V's hands. The incredibly delicate hands that disposed of the body and wiped away the blood.
"That guy must be used to it. Assassins coming in and cleaning up after themselves."
While that fact didn't resonate with me, the fact that V had grown so much brought me relief. Whereas before, it had been his responsibility to protect him, now it was his responsibility to protect him that was heartwarming.
“You’ve really grown a lot.”
As she was lost in the nostalgia of old memories, forgetting about the tea before her, several knocks were heard outside the bedroom. Hannah entered, handing her a letter. A gold band, wax, and the imperial seal. Camilla, recognizing it was a letter from the imperial family, looked at Hannah and then the letter, then tore it open with a paper knife and examined its contents.
“A member of the royal family gave it to me personally.”
“…A person from the royal family?”
“Yes. After hearing the story, it seems that soonhunting festival“I heard it’s opening?”
“……!”
I had forgotten that the Imperial Hunting Festival is held once a year.
A place where all the nobles gathered to show off their families. Even when Carcia was alive, she had always participated and won first place. The approaching season also meant she might meet Hines sooner.
[To the next head of the Edenberg family, Princess Camilla Edenberg
Please participate in the annual hunting festival,
May the royal family and family shine brightly.
Emperor, Heinz Ian Helio]
“It’s a hunting season…”
Maybe this is a chance to meet Heinz sooner.