mindwomanjigrave
(The Witch's Cat)
-The Witch's Cat-
W. Seolha
Trigger Warning,
There are numerous scenes of violence and some graphic depictions of gore that some viewers may find offensive.
Please be careful.
"jungkook jeon"
A low, growling voice echoed again. Only then did Jeongguk, frozen in place, begin to stir. Jeongguk, who had reached out to receive the red plum blossoms resting on Hongwol's fingertips, withdrew his hand and quickly walked toward Taehyung. The white camellia in his hand had long since disappeared beneath his clothes. Hongwol simply watched them from afar. Because of the distance, he couldn't fully hear their conversation. No, he could have, but he didn't bother. Just seeing Jeongguk's cheeks turn violently as he drew near Taehyung was enough to grasp the situation. The sound of "crack" echoed across the lake, and Jeongguk's cheeks were flushed with red from the blow, visible to the naked eye. Taehyung's bloodshot, sharp eyes took in Jeongguk. Their gazes were fierce, filled with murder.
Jeongguk's cheeks rolled back and forth. Only when his lips split open, gushing crimson blood, did Taehyung stop his slap. Hongwol, watching calmly, thought, "How dare he do that to the Seven-Tailed Fox's cheek?" Of course, Taehyung had no way of knowing Jeongguk was the Seven-Tailed Fox, but with his vixen-like, unyielding personality, he always fought back. It was a wonder he was fully accepting that slap. However, Hongwol's composure only lasted so long. Perhaps it was because he sensed Taehyung's sharp gaze, which had been on Jeongguk, avoiding him and instead reaching me. He watched those straight steps as they headed towards him.
"...Can't you let go of this hand?"
Taehyung's arm, swinging with all his might, perhaps to strike my cheek, was stopped by Hongwol. The man's arm, which had been holding the sword for quite some time, lost its way in the woman's thin grip. It seemed as if he could hear the sound of teeth grinding. "Let go," the fierce voice rang out again. Hongwol pretended not to hear, merely staring blankly at the man's back before him. The scent of blood lingered. Taehyung's palm, too, was flushed red, as if he had struck hard. While it was understandable that he was filled with anger, Hongwol simply found it amusing. His faith in the government seemed so shallow that he was so indignant over something as simple as this, over the mere fact that his trusted bodyguard had spoken to me, a witch. Isn't this a constant comparison to Jeongguk's absolute loyalty to Taehyung? More than anything, what's even funnier is the sight of Taehyung, who reacted so sharply and kicked Jeongguk out, looking at him with a pitiful look in his eyes, as if he himself had been kicked out? Hongwol let go of Taehyung's hand, which had been clutched in hers, without a second thought. A red mark was clearly visible on her limp wrist.
“Unlike that pathetic little thing, I am not the type to be treated kindly, so I was rude.”
“...You’re much more shameless than I thought.”
“There is no reason not to be shameless.”
“No, if you knew what position you held within this palace, you would not be so shameless to anyone.”
“....”
“Even if it’s my older brother who loves you so much.”
Taehyung continued speaking, caressing my reddened wrist. Hongwol simply watched the scene. After twisting his wrist a few times, Taehyung made a slight gesture, and Jeongguk, as if he had just been beaten by his master, quickly came to Taehyung's side and stood guard. Hongwol couldn't help but frown, his appearance resembling a trained dog. She had no way of knowing. What potential did the Seven-Tailed Fox see in the man before her that made her so loyal? She had no way of knowing.
“Well, what would a mere monster know?”
“....”
"I know it's rude, and I think you deserve some praise. Still."
“....”
“Even if you are a lowly monster, it seems that you can hear well with both ears. So, let me give you a few words of advice: find your proper position and act accordingly.”
“....”
“Even if she is an immortal witch, wouldn’t she feel pain?”
"I don't want to experience having my fingernails pulled out again," he said, his face tinged with a sly sarcasm. "Look, isn't that a sight that you can't possibly look at kindly?" Hongwol, who had been staring at Jeongguk for a moment, fixed her gaze on the prince again, and those crimson eyes blinked prettily. Taehyung's expression hardened at her calm expression, as if she had never heard Taehyung's sharp words. Hongwol opened her mouth.
“Well, even if I am a lowly being, even if I am a monster, if Your Majesty thinks so, what can I say? Even if you speak to me so sharply, it will be meaningless.”
“...what,”
“If you were to be pricked by a thorn hidden among flowers, wouldn’t it only sting and shed a drop of blood?”
“....”
“How can a single thorn surrounded by flowers cause even a single scratch?”
Hongwol smiled brightly. Taehyung bit his lip and looked at her with a hard expression. Jeongguk was the only one fidgeting, so before he could even react, Hongwol's mouth opened again, and Jeongguk grabbed his forehead.
“I think it was the evening before yesterday, your highness said something to me. Didn’t he say I was like a rose covered in thorns?”
“....”
"I'd like to return those words. It seems to me that there's someone who suits roses better than I do."
Hongwol spread her palm and made a flower bloom. The red petals that had once filled the imperial palace gardens, along with the sweet fragrance of roses, wafted out. It was a crimson rose. Even though Taehyung's expression hardened to a fierce expression, Hongwol insisted on taking his hand. As Taehyung held the rose in his hand, the sharp thorns dug into his calluses.
“Your Majesty, you truly resemble this rose.”
Hongwol smiled. The moonlight brightly permeated her face.
* * *
Light footsteps circled the Hwabindang Hall. They weren't just light; they were footsteps that had so completely erased their presence that no one could even detect them. The person who had been nimbly climbing the wall of the Hwabindang Hall swallowed hard. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have even considered climbing the wall so recklessly. But what could he do? Beyond this wall, beyond the window above, there was someone waiting for him.
"watch of the tiger(At the time of the tigerCome to Hwabindang.”
*Hours: 3:00-5:00
“....”
“Oh, you should try to appease your angry master yourself.”
Jeongguk sighed. With Hwabindang's exceptionally tight security and the palace's owner possessing a different aura, he'd thought he'd never climb this wall, but the opposite was true. Jeongguk quickly reached out. The solid wooden window frame was caught in his firm hands. Strengthening his arms, Jeongguk quickly pulled himself up to the frame and quickly closed the window he'd entered, as if to prevent anyone from seeing him. He caught sight of the palace's owner, smiling brightly. Suppressing the sigh that escaped his lips, Jeongguk slowly walked toward her.
“After getting hit like that, do you think you can walk here?”
“...My lord is not as narrow-minded as you think.”
“Well, for that matter, my cheeks seem more swollen than before.”
Jungkook unconsciously raised his hand. A warm sensation from his cheek spread through his hand. He blinked slowly, feeling it swell to the point of being noticeable, perhaps even slightly plump. It hadn't hurt when he'd been hit, but now he felt a prickling pain.
Hongwol simply stared at Jeongguk, his body stretched out, languidly leaning against his bedding. His hands leisurely caressed the crimson plum blossoms, perhaps grown by the lake. Jeongguk's hand, which had been pressing against his cheek for a moment, suddenly reached out to Hongwol. "Please," he said, fixing his gaze on the plum blossoms. That hand, covered in calluses, entered Hongwol's sight. Hongwol said nothing, merely placing the plum blossoms on his hand, thinking that it was an unusually white hand.
Jeongguk pulled a camellia flower, its petals in full white, from his bosom. Bright red, pure white. Those vibrant colors bloomed side by side in his hand. Fearing someone might snatch them away, Jeongguk quickly hid the blossoms in his bosom and slumped down in front of Hongwol. Hongwol's gaze followed him slowly.
“Let me tell you the third part of the tombstone.”
“Let me tell you in advance, just because you say it now doesn’t mean I can give you the ‘Tiger Flower Fruit’ right away.”
“...Then why did you ask me to come here at this hour?”
Hongwol nodded. "Shouldn't that be conveyed?" Jeongguk thought of the red plum blossom he'd hidden in his bosom and closed his mouth.
"There's one thing you need to make the tiger flower fruit. If you get it, I'll make it into a tiger flower fruit."
“Shouldn’t you be saving it yourself?
“I am an unobtainable material, or rather, a material that is difficult to obtain.”
“....”
“You will be able to get it more easily than I.”
Jeongguk couldn't understand why those words, uttered with a charmingly upturned lip, felt so eerie. It was obvious that he had easily overlooked this so-called witch before him. Jeongguk swallowed dryly. "So, what do you mean by 'material'?" asked Jeongguk. Hongwol burst into laughter. A clear, pure laughter filled the room. Jeongguk, who had been listening to the laughter without understanding the context, couldn't help but blush at Hongwol's subsequent words. Hongwol, watching Jeongguk's expression turn utterly despairing, smiled sweetly. Her joy was palpable. Hongwol's expression, watching Jeongguk stagger to his feet, was filled with nothing but joy.
“Go and take out the prince’s eyes.”
Jeongguk squeezed his eyes shut. The work he did for his master was slowly turning into a blade threatening his neck.
* * *
A clanging sound filled Taehyung's ears. But that was it. Jeongguk, who would have normally opened the door without permission and barged in, was nowhere to be seen, so Taehyung could only stare blankly at his own hand, dripping with blood. It must have been the hand that had slapped Jeongguk's cheek. Taehyung held the shards of the broken glass in his other, pristine hand and brought the sharp shards to his neck. Crimson blood oozed from his hand, his neck, cut and scratched by the broken shards. The shards dug into his hand. Unaware of the pain, Taehyung stood there holding the shard for a long time, but Jeongguk did not come in. With a thud, his hand weakly lowered, and the shard of himself, covered in blood, fell from his hand.
Roses, roses, she said. Taehyung thought. The woman's words etched deeply in his mind. The red petals the woman had given him, now crushed beyond recognition, lay piled at Taehyung's feet. "Flowers," she said. Taehyung wasn't foolish enough not to understand their true meaning. They were beautiful. But that was all. In this palace, where beauty was everything, I was truly insignificant. Taehyung looked down at his hands. Droplets of blood fell with a thud, mixing with the petals and messing up the floor.
"...lowering!!"
"Ah, here he is," Taehyung thought. When he slowly turned his stiff head, Jungkook was already standing before him. Taehyung could only stare silently at his foolish escort, who was staring at his hand with a pale face and stamping his feet. "Hold down, hand, hand, blood," he muttered, but his delicate hands, as they brushed away the shards of glass from his palms, were incredibly delicate.
“Guk-ah,”
“Yes, yes, your Majesty,”
“What did you talk about with the witch?”
Jungkook's movements stopped. Taehyung's eyes were cold as he stared at Jungkook, his lips pursed tightly, unable to respond. He waited for a response, but nothing came. Taehyung stared down at Jungkook, frozen in place, holding onto his hand. He pulled his hand away. Jungkook's unusually cold hand, lost its way, fell with a thud.
“...became,”
“...Your Majesty, your hand, your wound...”
“Let’s go in and take a look.”
Taehyung passed by Jeongguk. His steps as he left the quarters were completely drained, and Jeongguk wanted to grab his master right away, but he couldn't. He knew that if he told Taehyung everything, he would willingly become a monster for the witch. If he discovered the existence of the Witch's Grave, Taehyung would willingly become a Witch's Grave to kill her. It was a hatred for monsters, and even if it was just venting, it was a long-buried rage for Taehyung. Jeongguk knew his master like that. He must not let that happen. That's why he must keep quiet.
“...It is so difficult to keep your will.”
Outside the residence, Suwoldang was faintly visible. He could also see the lake where someone had thrown themselves. Jeongguk muttered, looking at him. If it weren't for someone's will, if it weren't for that request, Jeongguk would have left Taehyung long ago, not caring what he did or whether he became a witch's tomb. Jeongguk's eyes flickered. He knew it was too late. He moved forward, determined to find his master, who was probably wandering Suwoldang with his frail body.
-
Oh my goshㅜㅜ Is it too late?ㅠㅜ
I didn't write it all at once, but rather wrote it scene by scene when I had time, so the flow of the story isn't smooth🥺 Actually, I wanted to edit it and upload it, but if I did, the serialization period would be really really really long, so I'm uploading it for now, even though it's a shame... I'm sorry it's late though😭
And thank you so much for the special award👏👏ㅠㅠ Actually, I'm not sure about the serialization cycle, and I tend to serialize really late, so I didn't expect much when I entered the contestㅋㅋㅋ I'm so happy to have received this special award😊 I'm just grateful for all the support and comments😊♥️ Even though I'm late every time, there hasn't been a single comment urging me to serialize or anything like that!! I'm really, really grateful for this🥰
Thank you to all the readers who have been waiting for me every time. I will try to bring you the 13th episode of Witch's Grave as soon as possible! :)💜
And to our new subscribers!
Actually, my serialization cycle is quite uncertain and I tend to be very late, so you might not like it...ㅠㅠ I don't have a great writing ability and I'm not talented at writing, so it takes me a long time to write even one story that's only about 5,000 characters... Please understand even if you don't like it...!
Still, I'll stick with The Witch's Grave until the very end! I can promise you that, lol.
Thank you so much for reading my article today.
The weather suddenly got cold, so be careful not to catch a cold!
Thank you :)💜