Chapter 6: CHAPTER 6. Subterfuge

He had nothing to lose.

Both his body and dignity, be it as tarnished as they were, could still serve some purposes.

After dinner, the witch retired to her chamber—the same destination he currently had in mind.

Although it pained him to stoop that low, he decided it was worth it.

After some thorough planning, Julius arrived in front of the witch's bedroom.

It was roughly half an hour after they had finished dinner.

Julius lightly knocked on the door. However, it caused the door to swing open instead.

"...Ms. Witch?"

No reply.

Within his sight was a spacious room. The room had a table and a sofa right in the middle, along with a large wardrobe at the side of the room. However, what caught his attention was the canopy bed on one corner of the room. Or, to be more precise, the figure sleeping on top of it.

Again, the reason was due to the inconspicuousness.

The figure of the girl lying on top of the red velvet blanket was wearing a white sleepwear.

Slowly, he approached the bed.

Even when he was already standing beside her, she didn't stir.

As the witch laid down without a care in the world, both of her hands were spread beside her.

The sight didn't ease his wariness in the slightest.

After all, the door to her room wasn't even locked.

Rather than seeing it as a sign that the witch was being careless, she probably left it that way because she knew he was no match for her.

In terms of magic, anyway.

There were other ways to outdo the witch.

However, that wasn't of top priority.

After a quick glance around his vicinity, the contract consigning his fate was nowhere to be found.

He expected it to be hard.

He didn't dare poke around, either.

It could be the witch's trap.

At any given time, the witch would have revealed that she was awake all along, and caught him red-handed, which would cause his initial plan to go down the drain.

His initial plan, which is...

...As he climbed on top of the bed, Julius undo-ed the buttons of his shirt. Both his cloak—which stored all his high-grade amulets—and sword were left in the previous room. Not that he needed them, anyway. Especially when his main objective was to gain the witch's trust.

As he hovered on top of the witch, his shirt softly slid down his body, revealing a broad, muscular, back. Meanwhile, before the sleeping witch, his sturdy chest and well-defined abs were in full view.

All that was left was to act as if the witch was a girl he had been yearning for his entire life.

Which wasn't too difficult, to be honest.

In such a close distance, he could perceive her long eyelashes, slender nose bridge, silky cheeks, and peach-colored lips. Ebony locks were scattered all around her—their gloss akin to silken thread. The witch's appearance wasn't rough on the eyes—was all he was going to say.

As he leaned in, his loose hair flowed down his shoulders, before falling on top of her black hair. The gold and the black intermingled, as he hesitantly reached for the witch's palm, and intertwined their fingers.

For a moment, he dwelled on the soft, delicate sensation which was her palm.

As he casted his shadow upon her, the witch, maybe sensing a presence above her, started to stir.

Before long, he was once again met with a pair of dark eyes, which luster resembled that of an onyx. To which his smile was reflected upon, as he greeted the witch—

"Good evening, Ms. Witch."

*** 

As the witch became submerged in drowsiness, her mind drifted through the sea of memories.

Today was such an eventful day...

The highlight of that day was her meeting with Julius, which was the main cause of her tiredness.

At the same time, she was also grateful towards him.

After all, I feel this peaceful thanks to Julius' magic!

Regardless, she wouldn't deny the notion that said sensation had caused her to be negligent. She had forgotten to bring up the topic regarding that case to the dinner table.

There was still tomorrow.

Besides, she could already guess all his answers.

It'll probably be something that barely scratches the surface of the matter again...

As her mind went afloat, even though both her eyes were closed, she could feel that it was somehow getting dimmer.

Faintly, she could hear a creaking noise.

Not to mention, there was a weight on top of her hand. Said weight didn't only cover her entire palm, but also felt rather callous.

...?

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

Long, silky, blond hair, which shone like the brightest star at dawn under the glimmer of light. Pair of eyes with the color of gleaming steel. Firm lips, which were currently curved upwards.

As she lowered her gaze, she saw a heavenly sight. 'Heavenly' because she was sure such a masculine, chiseled, body had been displayed in the church, in the form of a statue.

At the same time, there was also a nagging feeling that she had seen it somewhere else, very recently...

But she quickly ceased that thought.

Indeed.

The sight truly didn't belong to that world.

Ah, I see, I'm dreaming...

She could see the angel's lips forming some words, but she was too bedazzled to comprehend them.

Slowly, she extended her hand. If it was a dream, surely, the moment she touched him, everything would vanish.

At the same time, she couldn't shake off the feeling of curiosity.

How would it feel to touch an angel? Would he burst forth into a dazzling light? Or, would her hand be enveloped inside his radiance, instead?

It was neither.

As her fingertips trailed his jaw and went upward, she could feel the smoothness of his chin.

Perplexed, her fingers were drawn to his lips. The tip of her index finger caressed his lower lip. At the same time, his smirk further deepened. Again, he spoke.

"Ms. Witch, are you getting impatient?"

But that time around, she heard him clearly. His hot breath too, was felt clearly by her.

"Huh?"

Instantly, she was wide awake.

In the next second, she sat right up.

 Julius, the adept warrior that he was, reflexively withdrew. The crash between the top of her head and his chin was subsequently avoided.

"Julius!? For how long did you wait!? I ended up falling asleep for real!!"

Confusion briefly appeared within his gaze. However, in the next moment, his playful expression returned.

"...I apologize, Ms. Witch. Did I make you wait for long? Rest assured, for I will soon make it up to you."

As he said so, he began to crawl towards her.

However, in the next moment—

—!!

Noticing her surprise, Julius paused once again.

"...What's wrong?" He asked, as if concerned.

"No... It's just, because I'm too surprised, I forgot to add honorifics..."

Once again, a furrow appeared between his brows. Regardless, in the next moment, he grinned.

"...It's fine. I rather liked it."

"No, it's not! Especially considering what has happened today! Come! It's this way!"

"Wai—"

Before she realized it, she was already pushing him towards the exit. If not for the smoothness of his skin, she'd literally thought she was pushing a heavy statue.

The hall outside her room showed two other rooms adjacent to her.

In the next moment, they arrived inside the room on the farther left, instead of the one right before her own.

"This shall be your room from now on!"

The room was as spacious as her own, but not as eccentric. Clean white sheet draped the single-sized bed. Wooden furniture with glossy surfaces also adorned the vicinity of the room. All in all, the room gave of a refreshing, clean, atmosphere.

Despite this, the man beside her showed an odd look.

She can roughly guess the reason.

"Don't worry. All your equipment is right there. I took the liberty of tidying them up, but that's all."

While explaining, she pointed at the other side of the bed, which wasn't visible from where they were standing.

That was right.

It was the same room she had 'thrown' him into not too long ago.

"The sheet is also new. Ah, I've also switched the mattress to the one from the next room. Don't worry about that, either, I have a few unused beds."

Julius alternately gazed between her and the room's interior. In a rather low voice, he uttered, stupefied.

"Ms. Witch... All of this, and even the mattress... I..."

"Now, now, all you need to worry about is getting proper rest! Judging from your appearance, isn't that what you're dying for?"

Only after she had pointed it out did he realize it. Shortly after, Julius' expression, which was tinged with astonishment, showed a hint of crimson. While averting his gaze, he quickly reached for his shirt and attempted to shield his bare torso from view.

Even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

It was quite common for someone to prefer sleeping shirtless, or naked, even.

Despite so, for him to no longer care about the state he was in, and barge into her room to inquire about his sleeping arrangement...

...I made him wait that long, huh...

"Alright, then. Have a good night's rest."

As the witch began to take her leave, she felt his lingering gaze.

Julius stood glued on spot, wordlessly gazing at her.

Regardless, even after she had closed the door behind her, no further words were exchanged.

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***

‘Thank you.’—

—were the words he had almost spilled.

Even though he had no reason to.

As Julius laid on top of the freshly-changed sheet, conflicted, he could smell the fresh linen.

He’d be lying if he said he was uncomfortable.

Not only was he served a gracious meal, a lavish room had also been prepared for him.

Which was why it was so frustrating—he felt like a kept man. Even though he had succumbed to such a role, his pride simply wouldn’t.

When he first stepped into the room, he thought the witch was rubbing the fact that he was at her mercy on his face. After all, it was the same room where she had humiliated him.

Had she truly intended to drill in the fact that he was her pet, was there a need to switch the mattress?

The witch probably arranged the room while he was still in the shower. Regardless, during that passage of time, he hadn’t felt any sign of magic.

...Did she do it by hand?

Julius shook off such an inconceivable notion from his head. His opponent probably just excelled at hiding any traces of magic.

But, better yet, why didn’t she just switch rooms? Why the need to go to such length?

The conclusion he had reached only gave rise to more questions, and the lack of information on his part caused him to dwell on it.

The face of the witch, who was ignorantly grinning, resurfaced on his mind.

Finally, he decided that she did it on a whim. After all, if there was anything he had learned from their interactions today, it was that the witch had a knack for unpredictability.

The only reason he felt that bothered was probably because his upbringing disallowed him from letting a woman handle such a task alone.

But that woman was also a witch.

A potentially dangerous one, especially considering the fact that her resident carried the same scent as the numerous crime scenes.

That was the sole reason for his suspicion.

Even if he only got one lead, it was sustainable. An essence of magic is an essence of magic still—a scent that was only peculiar to one witch.

If his assumption was correct, more leads should've resurfaced soon.

...Roughly an hour later, something did happen.

The entire time, Julius stayed awake.

He laid beneath the blanket, which covered up until his neck, while his back was facing the door.

That was when he heard the faint noise of the door being opened.

The dark room grew dim after receiving the light from the hall.

Whoever did that intent to do so as quietly as possible. For obvious reasons, Julius didn't miss it. As for whom, he could already guess.

The witch tiptoed towards him. She did her best to conceal her steps, but when facing Julius' trained ears, the effort soon became wasted.

All the while, suspicion ran amok within his mind.

For what purpose did she come?

Did she perhaps wait for him to fall asleep?

The witch was right behind him. For some reason, she decided to just stand there, which added to his unease.

The witch couldn't be harboring any good intentions.

He just couldn't deceive himself otherwise, even if he wanted to.

In the next second, he could feel the witch extending her hand towards his back.

All of the memories regarding his experiences in that room returned at once, and before he realized it, he had already flipped the blanket, and sat right up.

He was met with the confounded look of the witch.

As he saw the figure of the witch, he wore an even more confused expression.

He was so sure that the witch wanted a continuation.

He was so sure she planned to have her way with him, who was supposedly asleep, using her bewitchment or whatever to assault his compromised senses.

Instead of wearing an alluring garb, the girl who stood right beside his bed looked frazzled. Her dress was ruffled, while her hair was disheveled. Layers of sweat could be seen on her forehead. Her bangs also clung to her face. It was as if she had returned from jogging, or something.

"...I didn't mean to wake you."

Lit by the light coming from the corridor, the witch's remorseful smile could be seen.

"...Do you need something?"

While regaining his composure, Julius said under his breath.

"I came to give you this."

The witch turned to the small drawer right beside his bed, revealing a small, round, container. It seemed to be made of copper.

Julius wordlessly stared at it.

"It's a salve meant for a bruise. When you came into my room, I noticed a bruise on the back of your hip, on the right..."

Of course, he couldn't check it right away even if he wanted to, because he had tidied his attire.

As of the present, his shirt was back on his body. Only the top three buttons were open.

"I see..."

"It seems that in our scuffle, I have kneaded you. I'm sorry."

"..."

Despite anything, the word 'thanks' just wouldn't leave his mouth. Or even a simple affirmation.

"I will leave you to your own accord, then. Pardon for the intrusion."

The witch left once again.

***

A quick check on the mirror attached to the drawer at the end of the room revealed that the witch was telling the truth.

There was indeed a bruise on the back of his hip.

Said bruise had begun to turn blue.

Julius returned to the small drawer beside his bed.

At that moment, he realized that the witch had leave two items, instead of one. One of the items was the salve, while the other was a note.

'For the bruise on the back of your hip! Please use it to prevent the bruise from worsening!' Was written in what appears to be round, feminine, handwriting.

It seemed that the witch intended for him to discover it after he woke up.

...Something made her change her mind. Which was why instead of silently exiting the room, the witch decided to wake him.

'To prevent the bruise from worsening.' Was that the reason?

Julius silently took the salve, but instead of using it for its intended purpose, he slipped out of the room. He inserted both the salve and the note into his pocket.

A quick peek inside the witch's room revealed that the girl had returned to bed.

Just for precaution, Julius waited for another hour.

After making sure the witch was asleep, he went towards the exit of the house.

He passed through the drawing room, and possibly the kitchen, with only one thing in mind.

The front door was, as expected, locked.

What was unexpected was the fact that the key was hung right beside the door.

As he thought, was it because the witch was confident of the power she held over him? Which was exactly why he was there.

Julius braced himself, and stepped outside—

—immediately, he was met with the chilly, autumn, night air.

However, that was it.

Julius rushed to check his entire body. He didn't feel any strange sensation. His limbs were also intact.

...So, merely leaving the house didn't count as breaching the contract?

He gazed around his surroundings. His entire vicinity was almost pitch black if not for the waning moon outside.

When he turned around, he discovered that the witch's dwelling had actually been a considerably large villa all along. The outside of the villa was made entirely out of stone, while the doors and windows were of mahogany. The villa itself seemed to be a two-story building. As for the appearance, it wasn't as luxurious as the villas belonging to high-ranking aristocrats he had encountered in the town--in fact, it was quite plain. Probably for concealment purposes.

All around him, was a seemingly dense forest. For some reason, he couldn't shake off the sense of familiarity...

...Holding on to such feelings, Julius delved inside the forest...

...only to find the town 15 minutes later!

No wonder the witch said it was a retreat!

The location of the villa gave off the impression that they were in the middle of nowhere, when the town is actually a walk away!

Julius rubbed his forehead in both frustration and shame.

Regardless, discovering that his home was only 15 minutes away didn't give him any sense of relief...

...For the witch to be in such a close distance to human civilization...

He dreaded to think how many had fallen victims to the witch.

That was when he decided to study his surroundings.

After a detour, Julius started to pave his way through an entirely different path. That time, he chose to explore the area on the right side of the witch's house.

The untouched beauty of Helleborus once again found its way to mesmerize him. After a short period of walking, he found himself before a river. The river trailed through the forest, and as he approached it, he realized that there were a few waterfalls at the end of it.

The sound of the waterfall, along with the rustling of the thicket, gave him a momentary escape from his current predicament.

Soon, tiredness settled in.

It had been a long day, but it wasn't over yet.

Julius knelt before the river, and contemplated the fact that the river spread in accordance to the milky way above. In a way, it was like a river of stars.

Julius washed his face, the icy water restoring some of his focus.

After exhaling a long sigh, he decided to be on his way.

That was when he recalled the extra weight in his clothing.

He reached for the salve and the note inside his pocket.

As he stared at them, a cold glint flashed within his silver eyes.

Then, without further ado, he flung the items into the thicket.

Without even sparing a glance, he went on his way.

 

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