Lace wandered aimlessly. Since Ortega was kicked out of the Duke's residence, she has been walking nonstop.
"Damn Gremory..."
Because of the contract to live like a human, she could not spread her wings and move. Thanks to this, she was wandering in the mountain valley with a pregnant body.
She just came to the mountains because she wanted to settle peacefully in a deserted place, which was a very wrong choice. She doesn't know if she could use the witch's power, but it was ridiculous to come to the mountains with no strength.
'Is there a cave where you can rest?'
She walked along the stream of water, praying for a cave to come out. She wanted to find a place to rest before the sun went down.
Luckily, she saw a cave not far away. Lace, who ran with joy, soon faced trials.
"Uh..."
She made eye contact with a wild bear that had just woken up in a cave.
Uh-uh-
Facing its prey, the bear happily rushed towards Lace.
"Damn it!"
Lace ran like crazy. The bear leisurely chased its prey, and Lace felt a sense of self-pity. Oh. To be chased, helpless, by such a small creature.
At the same time, she began to respect humans. It was useful to survive in such a weak and Incompetent situation.
"Ugh!"
Lace, who could not see her feet, tripped over the roots of the tree.
A big deal happened. The eerie Lace slowly turned her head and looked back.
Fortunately, the bear no longer chased her. It was thanks to the attention of the deer passing right next to her. Lace took advantage of the gap and barely left the scene.
Eventually, the sun went down. Race wandered through the mountains in the cold and eventually collapsed on the dirt floor.
It was cold, hungry, and sad. She wanted to eat animal flesh or human pain.
At that time, she was about to shed tears because she was miserable. Lace heard a rustling sound behind her. She guessed from the sound that animals were making as they passed by.
Is it a wild animal passing by again?
"I can't stand it anymore."
The hungry Lace lost half of her reason. Contract with Gremory? She didn't know that anymore. She decided to use the witch's power to eat animals.
She looked for food and turned around, and unexpectedly, a young human woman was standing there.
"Uh..."
She was a little embarrassed, but it didn't matter. It's better if you're a human. She wanted to make them suffer and use them as food.
However, a human woman who made eye contact strode up to Lace. Without Fear.
"Oh my God! Are you okay? How did this happen?"
"..."
Lace glared at the woman with caution. As she approached, she noticed Lace's belly slightly bulging, and suddenly she became proud.
"Oh my God, don't worry anymore. I know everything about you."
"What?"
"You also left the house after being beaten by your husband because you have black hair, right? How painful it must have been...!"
"?"
"When has it been proven that there are no witches in the world, but the people in the countryside still believe in such superstitions! I don't know why."
"...?"
"You're very tired, but you have nowhere to go, right? Go to our village and rest."
The woman lifted Lace without much effort. Lace, which was so embarrassed, hardened like a piece of wood on a fork.
"Hey, wait."
"Oh, don't be overwhelmed. It's okay to stay in our village all the time. There happened to be an empty house. It's the perfect house to raise children."
Lace was taken aback by the kindness for no reason. She wondered if she had other Intentions and was trying to kidnap her, but this woman's heart seemed infinitely clean.
The more that happened, the more Lace became more and more intense. The conscience that she didn't even know existed has revealed its presence today. If this woman were a bad person, she would have taken advantage of her without feeling guilty.
"Hey, human woman."
"Yes, what's going on?"
"I'm telling you because you're so kind, but I'm actually a witch. It's not good to keep something like me nearby, so just let me here."
The woman suddenly became furious.
"Did your husband treat you like that? Since you're a witch, he doesn't even want to keep you close?"
"Huh?"
"He's a really funny husband. I guess they had a lot of bed on the theme that it's not good to be close to witches. Seeing that you were even pregnant."
It didn't make sense. Lace felt ridiculous.
"No, I'm a real witch?"
"You can believe that. I would have been beaten and brainwashed for a long time."
"Oh!"
"There is no such thing as a witch in the world. So you should forget the pain of the past and live with peace of mind."
The woman blushed and sobbed. Lace just gave up and hung over the woman's back.
'I don't know. Be as you are.'
It began to be understood how Gremory was able to settle among humans. She was awkward with the warm emotions that rose from the depths of her heart.
***
Three days before Chession's birthday.
In the meantime, Grand Duke Ethel was noisy in preparation for Chession's birthday banquet. First, the Grand Duke's banquet hall was cleaned. The banquet hall, which had never been used since Chession became Grand Duke Ethel, finally came into its job.
Merchants also came and went eagerly. New decorations, curtains, and interior materials were loaded onto carts.
After a long time, the Grand Duke's residence was lively, and the users were in a festive mood.
"The day of the banquet will come at the Grand Duke's residence. But what should we do on the banquet day?"
"That's right. It's my first time holding a banquet, so I don't know what to do."
"Don't you know, maid? You used to work for the Duke of Cerbel."
The young maids glared at the middle-aged maid. The middle-aged maid was in trouble.
"It was a long time ago that I worked for Duke Cerbel. I don't remember much about the banquet because it was so long ago. Do you know anything about banquets?"
The butler chuckled and shook his head.
"I'm also a bit confused. But I know the theory well, so let's do our best."
Alice, who was passing by him, smiled sadly.
"Oh hoho. Just follow me. I have a lot of experience in banquets."
"Oh, that's right, Alice said she worked as a maid in the imperial palace before she came to Seara's nanny, right? Then you know a lot."
The maids, who believed Alice's words, gave her admiring glances. Alice shrugged.
"I've written down in detail what to do on the day of the banquet. It's simple, so everyone should get used to it, hoho."
Before being promoted to a high-ranking witch, Alice survived by being ridiculed by the top-notch witches. Thanks to this, she was used to watching banquets held by the best witches.
The maid took the paper Alice offered and read it. The maid's expression, which had been excited, gradually hardened.
"You need to prepare weapons and ropes to pull out the person who ruins the atmosphere of the banquet? Do the maids really prepare this kind of thing in the imperial palace?"
"Of course. This kind of preparation is essential for a comfortable banquet."
"Why do you prepare a shovel?"
"To make the person who ruined the atmosphere of the banquet cooperative. You can't just kick the customer out, so give them one more chance."
"So, how?"
"Bury it in the ground. Most of them become cooperative during the questioning process."
"...The Imperial Palace is a scary place."
The naive maids believed Alice's words even though they were frightened. The messy butler pointed to his forehead.
"Anyway, let's all get ready! Hoho!"
Under Alice's direction, the maids prepared ropes and shovels. The maids chuckled as they dug a pit to bury people.
"Wow, the Imperial family's way is really amazing! It's a bit exciting!"
"I'm a little nervous. I've never buried someone in the ground before, but I guess I can do it well, right?"
"Let's practice among ourselves! Who wants to be buried?"
The butler thought this situation was somehow very strange. He immediately went to Chession and reported the situation.
"...This is what is happening. No matter how you think about it, it doesn't seem like a normal banquet preparation. Is that okay?"
"Leave it alone. If everyone had fun, that was it."
Chession replied casually, focusing on processing the paperwork.
"Really? Is it okay for the maids to bury the guests in the ground?"
"Ordinary guests don't do anything that can be buried, so it's okay."
Chession thought on the one hand. Maybe a witch disguised as a regular guest will hide. Then, you can quietly bury it in a pre-dug pit.
"I understand what you mean."
The butler tilted his head and walked out of the office. He said he was confused about whether he was strange or whether the people in this mansion had returned to the group.
Chession continued his work peacefully in the morning sun. Outside the window, he heard the maids digging and giggling.
"The Grand Duke's residence is in a commotion today."
Everyone was noisy, as if they were happy to have something to talk about for the first time in a long time. He thought it was unusual, but everyone was having fun, so he decided to do it.
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