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.
The palace was in turmoil, not only because someone unsuited to its grandeur and reverence, yet also its splendor and beauty, was present. The emperor's favorite, the unspoken presence, had gradually become ingrained in the palace, so that those who had once trembled and fainted at the mere glimpse of her blood-red eyes could now sense the change even as they casually passed her. Nevertheless, countless people gathered in the vast center of the palace, on the path leading to the empty courtyard. Their gazes were drawn to this presence. The palace was in turmoil.
"My brother, what have you done to my brother!!"
It was a very pitiful cry. A court lady who seemed to be a court lady glared at Hongwol with murderous eyes as if she was going to tear her to pieces. Despite that blazing murderous gaze, Hongwol didn't even blink, and with a final gasp of "Ah," she simply stopped her leisurely steps. It wasn't because of the shout of someone she didn't know. If it weren't for the viscous substance flowing through her jet-black hair, she would have left without a moment's hesitation. Hongwol raised her hand. Her gaze suddenly fell on the sticky substance that was soaking through her hair and onto her hand.
"Vile thing! Terrible thing!"
"....."
"Give me back my sister, you dirty witch!"
Hongwol's head seemed to turn to the side with the dull sound of something breaking, but her expression was so calm that some people thought she hadn't even moved her head after being hit so hard. Even with the unpleasant sensation of her hair dripping down her face, Hongwol was not easily aroused. It wasn't even something that made her feel angry. She just stared blankly at the sticky contents of the eggs that kept seeping out of her hands. Then, when she turned her gaze to the one who had thrown the eggs, there was a palace maid glaring at her with a few unbroken eggs in her hand.
For a moment, Hongwol couldn't even tell who the court lady was, but then she remembered the words she'd shouted at her. "Little sister, little sister." Hongwol's indifferent gaze fell on the court lady's face. Yes, now that I think about it, they did seem quite similar. The upturned eyes, the plump nose, the thinly curled corners of the mouth—if you took them apart, they all resembled a young court lady I'd seen before. Even the way she raised her arm with that grumpy face, throwing an egg at me with a palpable hostility, was similar. Hongwol reached out. It was no easy task to snatch the egg that was flying fiercely at her head again. The egg shattered in her hand and spat its contents mercilessly into Hongwol's hand. Yellow, transparent liquid flowed down her hand, staining the delicate silk robe from the sleeve to the hem of her skirt. As if such things didn't matter, Hongwol's gaze remained fixed solely on the court lady. His crimson eyes scoured her thoroughly. Hongwol remembered how, one day, he had stormed out of Hwabindang to kill Jeongguk. And the young court lady who had been with him. The child who had glared at him with a murderous intent, as if she would tear him apart, and placed a tray of snacks in front of him. Yes, that child.
"Yeah, I remember."
"...! You, you, you bitch...!"
"He remembered my face clearly, because he had so cheekily put poison in my teacup."
"...."
"The way he ran away was so rat-like that even His Majesty couldn't find the four-year-old brother who ordered the poisoning."
As Hongwol's leisurely footsteps approached the court lady, those who had been trying to stop the grumbling court lady, those who had been attending to Hongwol, and those who had been watching the witch being doused in egg water all held their breath. Even the court lady who had thrown the egg. It was because the momentum of her footsteps was so heavy. It seemed as if each step radiated a menacing aura. Everyone froze in place, eyes rolling, following Hongwol's movements. How many people were tense with just that slow step? The court lady's arm, once raised with vigor, had long since dropped. Even so, her mouth couldn't stop pouring out words, as she continued to speak towards Hongwol, who was drawing closer and closer.
"Ho, ho, the fire of the nation, what, what, what's wrong with giving the appropriate punishment to the traitor who made a mockery of the imperial family!"
"A punishment? You're talking as if your younger brother is the emperor of the nation."
"His Majesty the Emperor, the protector of the nation who considers all people, would think that it is the right thing to do!"
"Aha, yeah, ... yeah?"
"That, that's right!! So why can't you just tell me! How dare you do this to my little brother!"
A hint of sarcasm lingered on Hongwol's face. No matter how much I raised my voice, I could see everything. Her hands trembled like aspen leaves, her eyes wandered here and there, unable to meet my gaze, and her legs shook so ungainly that they looked as if they might collapse at any moment. It was so pitiful, how she snarled like a magpie before a tiger, yet couldn't hide her fear except by tucking her tail. That's how she flinched at every step I took. Hongwol stepped closer. Only then could she see. The frightened eyes hidden behind her fiercely raised eyes, the fear hidden in her careless words, the trembling of her lips that seemed to laugh at a mere witch, even her hands tightly clutching the hem of her skirt as if in fear.
"Are you really curious about that?"
A pure white finger grasped the court lady's chin. The sticky, viscous egg liquid on the tip of her finger moved to the tip of her chin. With just one finger, he held the court lady's chin, looking down at her face for a long moment. Because Hongwol's vision was so high, the court lady took the contemptuous gaze at face value and shivered. It was just a finger. A long, straight, delicate white finger. It looked so fragile, as if it could be crushed at any moment, yet he dared not pull his head away or open his mouth, which had been so fluent just moments before. He could not even snarl at the witch for her impertinence. Red eyes tightened around the court lady. Their gaze was like a snake's. With their hard scales and slippery body, they bound him tightly, unable to move.
"If you're so curious about that..."
"...."
"I guess it wouldn't be a bad thing to go through the same thing as your brother?"
Hongwol, who had lifted her chin with one finger and now held it firmly in her other hand, spoke. Only then did the court lady realize something was wrong and struggled desperately to escape his grasp. Despite her ungainly struggles, she couldn't even fling away one of his delicate arms. Hongwol met her terrified eyes with her own red ones. A smile of immense satisfaction spread across her face as she spoke.
"You will be able to resolve any unfinished memories with your younger brother when you go to the afterlife."
Hongwol, who had been clutching the chin of the court lady who was frantically struggling, extended her other hand. In an instant, crimson auras swirled around Hongwol. Just a brush with that aura felt like it would knock her out of her mind, and the people surrounding them, including the court lady, gasped. The red auras were overflowing. Hongwol's gaze, staring down at the court lady who had almost rolled her eyes and looked up at him, was utterly indifferent. Her red auras gathered at the tips of her fingers, forming a blood-red sphere.
Hongwol vividly remembered the moment she killed the child. As thoughtlessly and mercilessly as killing an insect. The crimson aura that had pierced the child's heart. The way its eyes, waiting for an opportunity to escape, turned the whites of its eyes wide, the way it inhaled its last breath, the way it finally spit out its thin tongue and sagged. All of this was vivid in her memory. That image, so strikingly similar to the court lady she held in her hand, made Hongwol put on her dagger. The red orb, revealing its presence, turned toward the court lady.
"stop."
Everyone's gaze turned to the heavy voice. Hongwol was no exception, and the murderous red orb that had been hovering around the palace maid's chest stopped.
"Stop."
"....."
"I will not tolerate any more disturbance."
"Stop making a fuss and go back to the Hwabindang."
"Witch, the reason you are not subject to greater sanctions is simply an extension of the bet you and I made, that's all."
"...! Hoseok!"