Chapter 108. The Witch’s Diary

I briefly opened and closed my mouth in disbelief.

It was only after Enoch’s urging gaze that I managed to speak.

“So you can tell such romantic stories….”

Is this what it means to have a taste for poetry?

It doesn’t quite suit him, yet it strangely fits, like an opal with its myriad colors mixed together, possessing a peculiar charm.

“Why, have you fallen for me?”

He laughed like a boy, looking unusually refreshing today. I stepped back slightly to hide my pounding heart and changed the subject.

“Would you really compose for me?”

“Sure, it’s not difficult.”

Not difficult…?

Was composing really that easy? Like making cabbage soup?

“You should do something for me too, Ellen.”

“…Like what?”

Of course, Enoch Bayern would immediately demand something in return. Was he going to ask for something lewd again? I watched him with a suspicious expression.

“Whenever you have time, learn to play the piano from me. And someday, play for me.”

“……”

The unexpected, innocent request left me momentarily stunned. Feeling guilty for treating him like a pervert, I awkwardly laughed and cleared my throat.

“Alright, though I can’t promise I’ll be as good as you….”

And you’re not exactly a good teacher…

No doubt there would be moments of ‘You can’t do this? Why?’.

“Don’t worry. I’ll teach you well.”

“…Okay.”

Though his words weren’t very reassuring, I smiled lightly, hiding my reluctance.

Tonight, the piano room was filled with Enoch’s beautiful music, which resonated like a moonlit serenade under the unusually bright moonlight.

* * *

Katarian lessons with Dona Renève continued even at Evitern Castle.

My Katarian had improved considerably compared to before, but I was still far from fluent.

I was eager to decode my mother’s mysterious diary, but my progress was frustratingly slow.

“Learning a language requires time and patience. But you’re picking it up quickly. You’ll get better and better.”

Encouraged by Dona, I put more effort into the remaining lesson time.

My conversational skills in Katarian were better than my reading comprehension.

“Your pronunciation is excellent, Your Highness. You convey the meaning accurately. If you keep improving at this rate, you’ll be able to handle everyday conversations with Katarian speakers.”

Pleased with Dona’s praise, I smiled slightly. Come to think of it, a delegation from Katar was supposed to visit this year. Around October, after the hunting festival in September…

Since it was July now, if I worked hard until then, my Katarian skills would improve significantly. As a Grand Duchess with one-third Katarian blood, meeting the delegation would be diplomatically beneficial. King Henry would praise me greatly.

‘Personally, I just want to meet and talk with actual Katarians….’

Suddenly, I thought of Laila. It turned out she also had a Katarian father. That’s why she had such an exotic appearance…

‘Laila probably knows Katarian, right? I should ask her to practice with me sometimes.’

…Actually, practicing together was just an excuse, I simply wanted to get closer to Laila.

* * *

Back in my room, as always after Katarian lessons, I slowly deciphered my mother’s diary.

Until now, I had been translating random pages that I could somewhat read, rather than systematically working from the beginning.

But now that my Katarian skills had improved, I decided to start from the front of the diary.

Fortunately, my mother’s diary was written in chronological order.

Given the strange content, I had suspected it might be randomly written, but that wasn’t the case.

Each entry began with a date written in Almaira’s common numeric symbols. I had only recently learned these symbols, so I hadn’t been able to understand the dates before.

The first entry read:

[Those who peek into the witch’s diary will be cursed.]

…That was it. The actual diary content started on the next page.

[January 1, 1841.
I bought a new diary. Sister Ymir scolded me for spending money on unnecessary things again… But this time, I really plan to fill this diary. Although I might write sporadically when I’m lazy?]

It took me a full 30 minutes to translate this single sentence. Still, it was much faster than before… I spent less time wrestling with the dictionary now.

I quickly turned to the next page.

[January 7, 1841.
Sister Ymir was right. I neglected this diary for several days. But I’ll write whenever I think of it. Really…]

[Next Monday, our family is moving to Freuden because of Father’s business. They say Freuden people discriminate against Katarians… I don’t want to go. Can’t Sister Ymir and I stay here? Sister Ymir has a fiancé.]

I paused to think. 1841… My mother was around sixteen then? She married my father at twenty, I think.

So, she started this diary in her teenage years… It felt strange.

[February 1, 1841.
Freuden is awful. I’d rather be in Asir, which is geographically closer to Katar and has more interaction. How can this country be the largest and richest in Europia? It’s infuriating.]

[Sister Ymir already misses her fiancé. Brother Aldebaran is the same as usual. Whether he’s really adjusted to Freuden or just pretending, I can’t tell.]

[Our family decided not to use magic as much as possible here. All mages in Europia are taken to the Mage’s Tower on Rosretzia Island for two years of training. Although we are Katarians from Almaira, as long as we stay on the Europian continent, if we are discovered as mages, the Mage’s Tower might interfere.]

[March 12, 1841.
While shopping with Sister Ymir in the market, I was pickpocketed. Since there was so much gold in my purse, Sister Ymir had to use magic to catch the thief… Unfortunately, a passing mage saw it. He introduced himself as ‘Nov,’ with shimmering silver hair and eyes.
I commented that he looked like fish scales and got smacked on the back by Sister Ymir.]

[March 22, 1841.
Nov visited again at night. He was very interested in our family, repeatedly asking why my magic hadn’t manifested yet. It was annoying.]

[Nov realized we were unregistered, unauthorized mages, but he promised to keep it a secret. He even offered to personally teach me magic… I declined. What if I receive guidance from an impressive mage like Nov, but my magic doesn’t manifest or turns out to be insignificant? That would be embarrassing.]

[April 7, 1841.
Brother Aldebaran scolded me again. I’m tired of being called a weirdo. I hate Father for constantly demanding I be demure, and I hate my meddling brother. Father said he would marry me off to a Freuden man. Does that mean my marriage will be decided without my consent? I hate it…]

[May 30, 1841.
I met a strange guy today.
He attends the Royal Academy, but he doesn’t talk like a Freuden person. He’s peculiar.
He told me to visit the Academy anytime. He said outsiders are allowed on Saturdays and Sundays…
I’m debating whether to go or not.
Honestly, I’m a bit interested in him.
His name is Karthus Werner.]

‘…What?’

Translating the last sentence, I was so shocked I almost fell off my chair.

Karthus ‘Werner’? Could he be from the Werner family I know?

‘Who is Karthus Werner? I’ve never heard Felix mention that name.’

Maybe he died before Felix was born. He could be a distant relative of Felix’s father, Nikolai Werner…

“..….”

I stared blankly at my notebook, then glanced at the clock.

It was already past 7 PM. Enoch would be coming soon to invite me to dinner, as he always did.

Not wanting him to find the diary, I quickly hid the notebook and diary in the bottom drawer and locked it. I put the key in my purse and checked my reflection in the mirror.

If I looked flustered, Enoch would find it suspicious, so I needed to compose myself.

‘Smile. Naturally…’

As soon as I managed a slight smile in the mirror, the door clicked open. Only one person could enter my room so unceremoniously—Enoch.

“Ellen.”

He called my name and approached with smooth, fluid steps. I knew what he would say next. ‘It’s time for dinner.’

“It’s time for dinner.”

As expected.

“What have you been doing? Jasmine said you haven’t left your room.”

I dodged his question.

“Studying Katarian and reading some books.”

“You’re really dedicated to studying Katarian. Is it fun?”

“Well, yes… It might come in handy. The delegation is coming in October, after all.”

“You don’t need to meet the delegation.”

“But wouldn’t it be beneficial for the country if I did?”

“Why? Do you think they’ll be favorable to you because you’re one-third Katarian?”

“Probably…? Maybe? If not, oh well.”

Enoch chuckled at my uncertain response. He had come close and put his arm around my shoulder. His golden eyes curved into a crescent.

…He had a crescent-shaped mark near his heart, left by the love magic.

Seeing that mark always made me uneasy.

“Take it easy, Ellen. You need energy to play with me.”

“…When have you ever considered my energy?”

“I have, in my way. You just don’t know it.”

“Driving me like a beast is your way of considering me…?”

“What? …Your words are getting bolder lately.”

“I don’t know what you mean… I’m just really hungry, so let’s go to the dining hall.”

I slipped out of his embrace and quickly opened the door to the hallway. I thought I heard Enoch’s amused sigh behind me.

Though I’d be caught soon enough, I hurried down the hallway and stairs, lost in thought.

Despite the trivial banter with Enoch, one question lingered in my mind.

Who was Karthus Werner?

Could he be the one my mother intended to cast the love spell on, but it failed—

[An unpulled trigger, a golden arrow missed by the god of love.]

…Was he the one?…