NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17
Chapter 17: Two Women (1)
…Aaaaaaah!!!
…Aaah… Aaah… Aaaaaah!!! Aaaaaaah!!!
…Nooooo!!! Nooooo!!!
…Kill me! Please, just kill me!!!
“…”
The screams of the dying remained etched in her chest, even after a thousand years.
No matter how much she tried to forget, the witch would sometimes awaken to the dying cries of her sisters.
These mornings of anguished echoes, arriving without warning or prelude, haunted her like an unending nightmare.
After enduring this torment for years, she began calling those nights “beastly nights.” On such nights, she would retrieve a doll hidden beneath her bed, let her blood drip upon it, and whisper incantations.
Animals near the palace would die in clusters. Some nights, packs of wild dogs. Other nights, herds of palace cattle. And on occasion, the king’s prized lion.
It wasn’t out of spite. She simply hoped the animals’ cries might drown out the echoing screams of her sisters in her mind.
It worked surprisingly well, but recently, she had stopped. She’d found something far more effective.
“Haa…”
The witch sighed into the void. A breath craved and longed for by someone in this palace.
“…Hero.”
She deliberately called him by a title that placed distance between them. Without it, she feared he might come too close, and might claim her throat as his own.
She had already let him cross boundaries too many times, surrendering her flesh to his teeth.
Thankfully, his bites were still the harmless nips of a child’s milk teeth. But she knew he wouldn’t remain a child forever.
Truthfully, the signs were already unsettling. Since bidding farewell to his comrades, the scent of a mature man had begun to linger on him.
“Have the chicks grown yet?”
Uneasy, the witch approached the window to inspect the raven’s nest. She sought the chicks, but the adult birds perched above them only cried sharply at her.
It seemed like rain was coming. The sky above was heavy with ashen clouds, and the faint rays of sunlight barely escaped the gray, a mere handful of light in the gloom.
It already feels like night, she thought, her mind drifting back to his face. After all, he always came to her in the cover of night.
Perhaps the overcast day stirred thoughts of him—an unconscious yearning.
“Ah…”
The idle thoughts escaped as another dry sigh. With her heart unexpectedly scratched open, she repeated her desire aloud to the ravens.
“I can hardly wait.”
…
“I want his heart.”
She wanted his heart.
So she resolved to steal it.
“…”
But why?
Why did her own heart tremble so violently every time she tried to take his?
Shhhhhh…
Heavy raindrops fell, tapping against the window. The rain streamed down, streaking the glass with tear-like trails.
Was the sky mourning the season of loss? That melancholy seeped into the princess’ heart, leaving a hollow.
Unable to endure the loneliness, she clung to me daily, wrapping herself tightly in my arms.
“It’s cold, isn’t it?”
“It grows colder by the day.”
“I suppose the warm days are gone for good.”
“Yes. It seems winter is approaching.”
I responded as if relaying mere facts. My gaze drifted outside, and I imagined snowflakes already fluttering in the wind.
The image of a white-haired woman naturally came to mind in that imagined white world.
Perhaps seeking my attention, the princess repeated a line she had said many times in recent days.
“You know, I wouldn’t mind being a winter bride.”
“…”
“It might be a bit cold, but Alf will keep me warm.”
The words were practically an incantation, something she had chanted daily since the party’s departure, trying to bind my heart.
Some might say it’s just words, harmless to humor her. But repeated words become curses over time, so I gently pushed her away once more.
“You will undoubtedly make a fine queen, Your Highness.”
“And you’ll be a great king, Alf.”
“That’s uncertain.”
“If you marry me, you’ll be king whether you want to or not.”
“As I’ve said before, I—”
“Look, Alf! A bird flying in the rain!”
She interrupted, steering the conversation away to avoid my words. It seemed she was determined to cement her desired future, unwilling to yield.
“A raven. Several, actually. Do you think they’re family?”
“Probably. I saw them building a nest near the window not long ago.”
“Alf, you know everything, don’t you? Where is it? I want to see it too.”
“At the queen’s window.”
“…”
That single remark caught in her throat. Her mind likely flooded with all sorts of thoughts. Held captive by her imagination, she murmured softly.
“I hate birds.”
“Ravens?”
“No. Since that day, I’ve hated anything that flies.”
“Ah.”
“But when you’re with me, Alf, I’m okay.”
It was a clever tactic. Using her supposed trauma to entangle me. The princess likely had no real fear of flying creatures.
If she was truly trapped by something, it wasn’t the dragon. It was me—the hero who had shattered reality and made her dream of a fairy tale.
A girl robbed of her childhood, clinging desperately to a dream she couldn’t let go.
“Anyway, Alf, about today…”
“One moment, Princess.”
“Hmm?”
“It seems we have a visitor.”
Just as the princess was about to bare her attachment again, a knock sounded at the door.
The unannounced arrival didn’t fluster her; only one person in the palace would knock this rudely.
She frowned slightly, anticipating the maid’s words before they were spoken.
“Sir Hero, His Majesty the King requests your presence.”
“I understand. Please inform him I’ll be there shortly.”
“If it’s urgent, then please accompany me.”
“Very well.”
It was a lie. I knew there could be no urgent matter for him. Yet, the king’s summons could not be ignored.
“Your Highness.”
“…Hmph.”
The princess turned her head away, sulking slightly as she watched me go. I gave a polite bow to her retreating figure and followed the maid out.
As soon as I stepped outside, a brisk chill greeted me.
“Fuu…”
“If it’s too cold, I can fetch you a blanket.”
“No need. Moving will warm me up soon enough.”
“It seems winter has truly arrived. Frost has started to gather on the windows.”
The maid echoed my earlier words as she peered outside, then spoke as if in idle conversation, yet her tone held a peculiar weight.
“The higher places are always colder. That’s why we’ve been paying particular attention to the queen’s chambers.”
“The queen’s chambers.”
“Of course, the chill cannot be entirely banished, no matter how much we tend to it.”
There was something curious about the way she spoke, almost suggestive. Her face seemed strangely familiar, though I couldn’t quite place her.
Lost in thought, I barely noticed when we reached our destination. Dismissing the maid, I stepped forward and knocked on the door.
“Your Majesty, this is Alf—”
“Ah, come in, come in.”
The king’s response came immediately. I entered to find him in a somewhat casual state, his arms open wide in a welcoming gesture.
“Quick as always! I hope my hasty summons didn’t trouble you too much. Was your walk here pleasant?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. May I ask what was so urgent?”
“Ah, nothing too pressing.”
The king lifted a large bottle of wine, which answered my question as clearly as words could. I took a seat across from him, reaching for the glass he offered.
As he poured, laughter echoed in the room. His voice, looser than usual, filled the space.
“Don’t take it the wrong way. You see, it’s just the way of fathers sending their daughters off to marry. This creeping loneliness strikes out of nowhere, and without a drink, it’s unbearable.”
“Isn’t it a bit early to be worrying about that?”
“Life moves fast, my boy. One day, you’re sleeping in an inn with your comrades; the next, you wake to find palace maids tending to your bed. Time flows quicker than you think.”
“A sobering thought, the passage of time.”
“Indeed! If there truly is a god of time, I’d slap him silly and make him rest for a month!”
He lamented as he downed his drink. I’d seen him indulge before, but today, his consumption seemed excessive.
And as his voice grew more unrestrained, he continued.
“So, it’s been what, a week since your comrades left?”
“Not quite that long yet.”
“Still, time has passed. Which brings me to my point: when will you take my daughter?”
“Your Majesty.”
“Ah, don’t start with that measured tone again. Of all the virtues of a hero, patience is the most overrated.”
Shaking his head as if weary of me, he poured another generous serving into my glass and slammed the bottle down onto the table.
“A cautious son-in-law is no different from the Grim Reaper. Every day, he watches and waits, preying on his victim’s growing unease before finally snatching their neck. You, Alf, are death to me.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Ah, forgive me. It seems I’ve misplaced my sense of decorum. For some reason, being around you brings it out of me.”
“My apologies if I’ve—”
“No, no. It’s just been so long since I’ve met someone like you. Like stumbling upon a familiar face in foreign lands, you understand?”
He patted my shoulder in a friendly manner, urging me to drink. Once my glass was empty, he filled it again without hesitation.
“You see, I understand. Whatever you’re thinking, I already know. Because we’re the same—you and I. Heroes, through and through.”
“…”
“And above all, I’m a father. I can see what you feel just by the way you look at her.”
“I—”
“If you can’t say it, shall I speak for you?”
Suddenly, he leaned in, wrapping an arm around my neck with startling speed. The unexpected closeness tightened my breath, tension coiling in my chest.
His gaze, devoid of its usual warmth, bore into me with an icy intensity. Yet the next words he spoke dispelled all that unease in an instant.
“Am I truly destined to love just one woman? Of course, that’s what you’re wondering, isn’t it?”
“Excuse me?”
“But you don’t have to, Alf. Not you.”
“…”
“Ah, struck a nerve, haven’t I?”
The king’s lips curled into a grin before he let out a theatrical sigh, raising his face toward the ceiling.
“Ah, women. The bane of men’s existence. And witches? Even worse.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m not some fat-bellied king from a fairy tale. But surely you understand—no man can live without women. Even heroes dream of their own harems.”
“…”
“And only a king can make that dream a reality.”
After delivering his speech, he released me and met my eyes with a more pointed expression. His voice took on a meaningful tone as he addressed me by name.
“Alf.”
“Today, I’ll show you the true perks of being a king.”