The clothes slipped from her shoulders easily, so easily that it fluidly slide away down to the ground, making Belle toes to curl deeper to the floor.“It’s off,” Leon slowly spoke as if announcing it slower to make this time move in a turtle phase for him.Belle gulped, she held to her last piece of clothes as he slowly led her to the bathtub.“You… will stay?” She whispered, startled when her own voice echoed.“I do have a spell to finish. I don’t want you coming out still smelling with her. If one day you faint like that in front of me again,” he drawled, his eyes darkening when he said, “I won’t be able to take it peacefully anymore.”Belle felt as though her heart had jumped on his statement. She can find his worries on his eyes but was still unsure, “You were that worried?”Leon looked up. He wasn’t dumb not to know Belle was testing him. He could lie. He knew he was a good liar. Yet despite himself he said, “I was. A hell lot.”As she felt giddiness that spread over from her ch
Leon leaned forward, bending his legs so his knees touched the wet floor. Seeing it, Belle was quite alarmed, “You’re going to get wet!”“If I tell you,” Leon dismissed her worries and instead started on a serious conversation that took her breath away. “If I tell you to sacrifice one thing you love the most for me, would you do it, sweet Belle?”Belle, who stared at him felt as though she had been placed into the edge of a cliff. With her answering either revealing her love for him or turning him down. She didn’t want misunderstanding but didn’t know if it was the right time for her to confess. When she thought whether or not she could sacrifice one thing she love the most for him… the question was too heavy for her to answer. The one thing she love the most would be her family. Could she sacrifice everything for him?“In exchange of what?” She asked, staring back at his red eyes. “In exchange for your what?” She revised her question.“My life,” he answered, never once did his eyes
Evenora walked toward the woods. Being the highest witch, she was used to walking with people. However, tonight she had chosen to walk alone through the woods.Stopping at the familiar house which looked ancient in age, she went forward, pulling her wrist out of her sleeve to knock on the door only for the door to be opened before her knocks.A sigh slipped from Edith whose eyes looked tired underneath the black veil she wore.“You’re a pain, do you know that?” Edith clicked her tongue seeing Evenora who lifted her face to pull a smile. “Suddenly giving me a student who look exactly like my teacher.”Evenora hung her head down. The high witch who always proudly brought herself in pride could only look apologetic to the point her expression looked pitiful to Edith. “I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you about it since the beginning.”“No, it wasn’t your fault. I do know how much the hatred against me is. Whatever happening in the coven, I am always kept in the dark. After all, they can’t have
Leon had followed her through his magic as she arrived at Mr. Dante’s mansion. Everyone around her had worn the same black attire as she did. She looked at the crying faces of people feeling as though she had been pulled to her traumatic incident where she had hosted her sister’s funeral.To make it worse, this was the funeral of her sister’s fiance.She walked toward the room only for one lady who noticed her first. The woman stopped next to her, wiping her tears that was still warm in her eyes.“I am glad to see you, Miss Belle.”Belle looked across her shoulder to find it was Lady Evan, the older sister of Mr. Dante.She bowed to the woman, expressing her sincerest greeting, “My condolences, Lady Evan. I … don’t know what to say to you.”“Don’t mind that,” Lady Evan sharply took her breaths, “I wouldn’t say I expected it but maybe somewhere in my heart, I did. Dante… his only love was your sister.” The woman sobbed as she pursed her lips to stop her tears.Belle could only hung her
Belle clutched her hand to the person who felt like her only savior. She settled her head close to his heart where she believes the warmth comes from.Feeling his hands on her back soothed her to the point she felt like breaking out.Belle sniffled her tears pulling herself together. She didn’t realized how big of a trauma Rachel’s death was to her that when death was involved such a big anxiousness and nervousness came biting her heart, wearing her down.“Think about it,” Leon said to her. “Don’t you feel something is wrong?”“About Mr. Dante’s death?” Belle questioned seeing his tacit confirmation she slowly nodded her head. “I know how sometimes people hide their feelings, pretending to be alright. However, I find it different. Mr. Dante really didn’t want to die.”“He didn’t,” Leon confirmed.“But he did and it wasn’t because of the curse,” Belle pulled her brows together. She find it strange how Mr. Dante decided the other way out when he didn’t want to do it. His family also cla
Edith looked at her even as she entered her house. They had sat on the greenhouse again as it appeared for Edith that the place was safer than her main house.“What is it?” Edith started. “I’d be happy if you could tell me more about how this problem of yours started.”Belle looked at Leon who nodded in response. She felt more secure seeing how he trusted her and her choice.She looked at Lady Edith and began to explain everything that had occurred. How she had made a contract with Leon, how she had went to hell, finding out her sister’s coffin empty, and meeting someone who appeared like her sister.Lady Edith’s face changed between their conversation.First she looked taken aback hearing she had travel to Hell. Her eyes narrowed when hearing how Rachel’s coffin was empty and how she had met someone looking like Rachel.Belle thought it better to keep a secret about the other princes of Hell as they didn’t have anything to do with the problem.“You went through a lot,” Edith sighed.
When Lady Edith stepped out from the house, Belle noticed how the woman didn’t move. She wondered if something was wrong and stared at her, “Is there something wrong?”“Nothing,” Lady Edith quickly brushed off. She gulped hard enough for a loud gulp to be heard by everyone including Belle. She also noticed how her teacher’s hand was slightly trembling as she clenched her hands together. They walked away as Lady Edith posed a strong figure as she left her house, making sure she didn’t appear shaken as she was.Belle looked at Leon as though asking if he knew what happened but he shook his head. They continued their way to the foot of the hill before Lady Edith spoke, “Give me your hands, we will teleport there.”Belle gave her hand to the woman, her other hand holding Leon’s as the witch and him doesn’t want to touch each other’s hands except hers.“Are you alright?” Belle whispered to Lady Edith whose face showed a mixed and puzzled expression.“It’s just been a long time since I st
As Damian left, Belle brought Lady Edith away to her room. On the staircase, Lady Edith let out a long hum. “That is your little brother?”“Yes, do you know him?” Belle questioned. It doesn’t look like it was their first time meeting each other. Nothing how easily Damian had accepted her to be Lady Edith. After what happened, Damian had always been on edge, being careful on all their acquaintance but he had only looked once at Lady Edith before letting her into the house. “The coven isn’t that wide and spread out. Every rumors travel even faster than wind some times. Of course, I know about your brother. How much of a genius he is that is.”“Genius?” Belle looked at the woman. She knew indeed her little brother was an intelligent young man who is always composed and know what to do.But she was certain this genius wasn’t something academically.“Yes. He is a well known witcher in our coven. A boy who is very cool headed, handsome, and…”“And?” Belle urged. She frowned as she thought
As she settled her hand on Gorgolta’s hands, the man instructed, “Imagine the face of the person. You’re doing great.” Belle’s closed eyes moved slowly as she avoided the bad memory and sight of her bloody sister, only focusing on the man’s face that stood behind Damian. She tried to make it clear but alas, his eyes were blackened in her memory. But even though she couldn’t see the man’s eyes, she was certain she had seen every part of the man’s face, starting from his hair down to his neck. Leon looked at the drawing that Gorgolta had sketched instantly. The charcoal shades left dusts over the parchment but the drawing that started from a line slowly formed a face of a person. Meanwhile, back at her home in that afternoon, Damian who woke up felt a sudden itch from his wound that was given by the strange old woman he had seen two days ago. He felt his throat parched and pushed himself from his coach only to feel dizziness hitting his head and his bod losing balance to the poi
Belle followed right behind Leon, finding the two elderly men had quickly jump on their feet and looked behind as if trying to find another way to escape. Leon sighed, bringing the boy in front of him that stopped the two men at once.“Wait! Wait! Don’t harm him!” Shouted the first man whose hair had turned all gray. While the man beside him who looked less older also stopped and raised his hand to show he won’t escape again.“We can talk about this. Release that child,” said the second man.“When did I say I would harm this little one?” Leon scoffed. “Which one of you is Gorgolta?”A faint sigh could be heard from the second man’s mouth as he stepped forward, raising his hand, “That would be me. If you’re business if with me—”“He won’t harm this boy,” Belle cut in. Gathering the two’s attention that looked surprised seeing her face, more startled when he saw her eyes were blue instead of red. She noticed this and offered them a smile to break the tension in the room. “We only wish
“We should go now,” said Leon, offering his hand for her to touch.“I do know his face but I can’t describe it for you well enough,” Belle started, looking at him who was smiling, “Do you have an idea?”“Of course I do,” Leon closed his eyes which she followed before feeling a pull that shake her body that happened in a second. As she opened her eyes again the next second, she found herself in a different space. They were standing in front of a pub where men and women gathered but with most of them ignoring their presence, as though Leon’s presence matter so less to their eyes.“Where are we?” She asked, looking around again at the place they had stood at.“The slum of Hell, where only those who are born from the lowest type of demons come,” he pulled her hand, holding her tight. “In here they would sell anything, even the people they just met in exchange for their livelihood. Don’t stray away from me.”Belle noticed the eyes that watched her after a while. It wasn’t that they hadn’t
Helios frowned, trying to remember Belle’s face but couldn’t as he didn’t put much thought in remembering the person whom he was set to kill. As there would be no use in remembering the person’s face and name when they would die in the next second. “I don’t remember,” brushed Helios aside, thinking that there was no use in remembering the woman's face again. “I thought Leon would become more obedient now, seeing how he had kept quiet for the few decades. But I could see now how he’s slowly rebelling like what he did in the past. He never learned from his mistakes.”Rachel crooked her eyebrows, folding her hand underneath her bust, “So you’re saying that he brought a witch, is that correct? Can it be the soul of the witch whom you asked for him to bring?”Helios scoffed, as if refusing her words, “He should be done with it by now. I asked him and he told me the soul is already in his possession. If that’s true, the witch must’ve been long dead by now. If everything went to the plan th
Belle stayed beside Leon until morning, carefully watching his wound and making sure he was at the most comfort. She found out that truly there was no medicine from the side effect he suffered due to breaking the contract.By morning, the blackness that appeared on his arm had disappeared which took around eight to ten hours.“It’s better now, you don’t have to look at it that way,” Leon chuckled seeing how her blue eyes carefully studying his arm.“Is this really the only side effect?” Belle asked him only to see him smile.“My brother could have killed me but I guess he thought it would be a shame since I haven’t finished what he told me to do,” Leon moved his finger, frowning a little that made her worried.Deep down she had the urge to question what Helios had ordered him to do but couldn’t knowing how it would only trigger the same wound to appear again on him. She didn’t want him to suffer from the pain or to have being at unease as he didn’t want to lie to her.“Don’t worry ho
Leon looked at her face, noticing the pain that hurt his heart. He quickly shook his head, holding both her hand gently as a way to reassure her.“No. I do not have a lover,” he responded firmly. “In the past there was indeed someone who I fall in love for. But it was only an attraction.”“But the masked man told me,” she whispered. “It’s a doll,” Leon answered to her. “They don’t know feelings or emotions but perhaps to their mind they associate friendship as lover.”Belle trusted him and nodded but she wondered how the doll didn’t have feelings or emotions as she saw it by her eyes how the doll would risk itself to protect her.“And who is that person?” She carefully questioned, “The one who you fell for.”Feeling Leon’s red eyes studying her, she quickly waved her hand, “It’s not what you’re thinking. I know that it’s been a long time and I’m not asking because I want to put you to the corner. I was just curious.”“I know,” Leon chuckled. He rested his head on the head rest which
Belle was shocked seeing how Helios pulled out his sword, ready to cut down the servant who had used his life as a shield to protect her. Not wanting him to get attacked, she closed her eyes, wrecking her mind to remember the magic spells she had seen from the books she read. She then remembered one magic and squeezed out a whisper that was difficult for her to say, “A Le’el.”Helios was unprepared for the bright light that suddenly appeared from the woman whom he thought was a human. He didn’t have enough time to close his eyes and grunt as he suffered from a bright light that stab his red eyes sharply. Although he couldn’t see, Helios turn angered. The woman whose face he didn’t see well had harmed him. “You’re a witch,” he said, and Belle could hear bell tolling in the back of her mind. She could feel more rage radiating off his words after finding out she’s a witch.Just before Helios would attack Belle, Leon appeared in front of him. His hand quickly placed itself on his elde
The stuffiness that she felt made her tongue tied. Belle fiddled with her hands while the masked man’s gestures turn flustered as he couldn’t comfort nor take back the words he had wrote. He knew the only reason why Leon had brought Belle here was because they had fallen in love for each other. To Leon his castle was similar to his heart. Only a few people could be let to enter his castle and not even his brothers were let invited.And that explain everything of Belle’s presence in the castle.Worried, the masked man wrote quickly, “But lady, that is what happened in the past. By past I mean, hundred of years ago. Lord Leon now looks back at it as simply a past memory.”Maybe, thought Belle silently. But it could be true that Leon’s love stays for centuries that he couldn’t forget his past lover. Belle quickly shook her head, reminding herself that this was only her thoughts and nothing has been confirmed. She needed to talk with Leon and made sure the fact before falling into the r
Looking inside the room it was indeed snow that had turned the room icy and white. Belle reached out her hand as she was hesitant to step in. Feelings the snowdrops on her fingers which disappeared on her touch, she made certain that it was a real snow.“How could there be snow?” Belle whispered her question aloud, finding the masked man quickly pulling the glass quill and the pile of parchment. This time instead of talking he had drawn an easier figure of a book and a human. On the human’s hand was a magic wand.“Magic?” She questioned. “So… Leon could do things like these as well…”The masked man shook his head and wrote, “Not the lord, but a close friend of his.”Belle stepped into the room that was small in size, as though it was built simply to showcase the snowflakes that drops from the ceiling of the room. There she found the crown that was hidden inside a glass case.“But why the snow?” Belle questioned, seeing the masked man’s parchment paper turn slightly wet as the snowdrop