Silent Witch

Book 11: Chapter 7: Prickling Pain

To take the place of the king who was ill and bedridden, the First Prince Lionel and his mother, Queen Vilma, managed the new year's ceremony which was able to be carried out smoothly.

The decorations and scale of the ceremony were not much different from previous years, but some of the greetings have been simplified.

Taking her seat which have been specially prepared for the Seven Sages, Monica, with her hood pulled over her eyes, looked around surreptitiously to see the participants.

Up on stage and delivering the new year's greetings in a cheerful voice was the First Prince, Lionel Brehm Edward Ridill. The man whom she had just met in the garden a few moments before.

Behind him was where two queens sat. Queen Vilma, the mother of the first prince, and Queen Phyllis, the mother of the third prince.

The second prince's mother, Queen Irene, died soon after giving birth to Felix. Therefore, they are the only two queens in the country at present.

Queen Vilma has reddish-brown hair and a dignified face. As the princess of the neighboring Kingdom of Randall, she seemed to have served in the front line, wielding a sword as a woman, thus having a much more muscular body than most men. It seems Prince Lionel took after his mother.

In contrast to Queen Vilma, the third prince's mother, Queen Phyllis has a petite figure as well as modest blonde hair. Before marrying into the royal family, she was the daughter of Marquis Ainsworth, but recently her family has begun to decline which puts her in a difficult position in many ways.

And seated closest to the podium were Felix Ark Ridill, the second prince, and Albert Frau Robelia Ridill, the third prince.

Recalling the bare minimum of knowledge that Raul had told her before the ceremony, Monica shifted her eyes to the side of Felix's seat.

Seated closest to the royal family sat a male nobleman over sixty years of age. He had grayish-blond hair with a sharp look.

He is indeed Duke Crockford, Darius Knightley.

Monica swallowed her saliva, letting the faces of the people in this placeor more accurately, the numerical' measurement of their faces, burn into her eyes.

Up until now, Monica has been indifferent to politics and has never tried to properly remember the faces of the people in this room. As a result, she entered Serendia Academy without knowing Felix's face, leading to a major blunder.

So what she needs to do first is to memorize the faces and names of the people here, and also to grasp their relationships with each other.

After the ceremony concluded, the next procession is a banquet.

Since there were far fewer female guests at the new year's ceremony, the atmosphere was more akin to a standing buffet party than a ball.

This may be the reason why more alcohol was served during the annual event than at a normal evening party, but not necessarily to the point where it was deemed impolite.

As they left the ceremony hall, Bradford, the Artillery Magician, spun his shoulders around and said, "Man, finally the formalities are over. Now it's time to drink! Hey, Barrier Man! Let's have another drink competition!"

"Oh, have you already forgotten about the disgraceful conduct of yours last year?"

"Gahaha, I don't recall such a thing happening before!"

Bradford didn't pay any regard to Louis's spiteful remarks. Half-shouldering him, he dragged Louis to the banquet hall.

Emanuel, the Jeweled Magician, looked at them with mocking eyes, but when he saw some distinguished nobles come out of the ceremony hall, he plastered an amiable smile on his face and approached them.

As for Mary the Star Oracle Witch, she glanced at the three remaining young Seven Witch and spoke to them.

"I'll go to the venue after changing my clothes, but what about you guys?"

"We'll go there as well, of course!"

Monica was shaking her head franticly, but Raul answered immediately, holding tightly to Ray's robe in his right hand and Monica's in his left.

"N-No, I-I think I will take my leave here"

"Of course, you two will come with me as well, right, Monica, Ray?"

The moment Raul showed them his pure smile, Ray's expression changed into despair as if he had peeked into the depths of the darkness.

"He's already addressing me by my given name This is why I dislike people who have no sense of distance"

"You can address me by my name too, Ray! We're friends after all."

Raul slapped Ray's shoulder, resulting in his thin body slumping, and leaned against the wall effortlessly.

"F-R-I-E-N-D-S is either colleague and camaraderie, but what makes them different from each other? And there's no relationship that I want except a love relationship. Besides, can you feel how terrible it is to have a friend whose face was more handsome than mine? In the first place, when a shaman like me attended the banquet, people tends to talk behind my back like an ominous person on the auspicious occasion' You know I hate it I absolutely hate it I wanna kill myself"

"It's alright, it's alright! You're just thinking too much!"

Raul walked away humming in a good mood, dragging Monica and Ray by their robes. He did not pay attention to them even when he heard Monica's mumbling and Ray's ranting.

"I-I don't think my mind can take it I-It's just impossible for meeee I wanna back to my roooom"

"Wannadiewannadiewannadiewannadiewannadiewannadiewannadiewannadiewannadie"

"Hahaha! You two sure so lively!"

The only person in high spirits was Raul himself.

Looking at the three, Mary the Star Oracle Witch sent them off with a gentle smile.

"I'm glad you've made some friends, Raul."

I'm glad my decision to let him pick Monica and Ray from the garden was not in vain, so thought Mary in her mind.

It was just a concern of her love for beautiful boys who were worried about her former beautiful boy.

After being dragged to the banquet hall in trembling by Raul, Monica tried to shrink her body as much as possible behind Raul's back to hide. Incidentally, Ray was doing the same thing, so their body looked like stuck firmly in Raul's back.

Aaaaah! What should I do, what should I do

It is very likely that she may run into Felix and Cyril at the banquet hall. Perhaps other students from the Serendia Academy may also be there.

Anyway, she must leave this place as soon as possible

"Lady Everett."

Hearing the pleasant voice bouncing with joy, Monica's hair on her body was standing on end.

Hiiieeeeek!

After screaming internally, she tilted up his head a little bit, and she could see Felix's figure, eyes glistening, coming to her position at a quick pace.

Now Monica knew that Felix was somehow involved with Duke Crockford, it just makes him become the most person she must be wary of and also the last person she wanted to see.

Did you know what Duke Crockford did, Your Highness?

Have you ever wondered if Duke Crockford may have had anything to do with your father's death?

Such questions run through Monica's head.

However, Felix, oblivious to Monica's conflicting feelings, drew closer and smiled at her.

"I just wanted to thank you for your help in the Duchy of Reinberg. Has your left hand been better since then?"

No matter where he was, Felix, the second prince, always stood out from the crowd. Naturally, all eyes were on Monica and the group.

Furthermore, Felix and the Silent Witch are both heroes who defeated the cursed dragon in Reinberg.

The gazes directed at the two ranged from admiration to a mixture of political machinations.

Having been the center of attention as never before, Monica was about to have a mental breakdown.

Anyway011235somehow81321345589I have to leave this place at once144233377610987 aaaah, I want to escape to the number world!

As Monica was half crying under her hood, Ray was chanting something in a whisper and pointed secretly at Monica.

Then an eerie pattern appeared on Monica's left arm and glowed. The light disappeared in a few seconds, but it had enough impact on the observer.

Monica jolted up her own left hand, and Felix turned pale.

"Lady Everett! Did the curse from the cursed dragon still"

As Felix grew paler, Ray rolled up Monica's left sleeve and said with the most convincing look on his face can make.

"Yes, she needs to go back to her room and get some rest."

Such a blatant lie. While her left hand still hurts, that mysterious luminescence was most likely a bluff. Ray made up an excuse for her to escape from the situation.

Lord Abyss Shaman Thank you so much!

After expressing her thanks to Ray mentally, Monica pressed her left hand over her robe as if it was in pain and turned away, bidding Felix farewell.

"Please hold on, Lady Everett. I'll ask someone to accompany you to the"

Monica shook her head bumblingly and ran at full speed away from the scene battered.

Running through the banquet hall would have been a very unsightly thing to do at a ball, but since most of the guests at today's banquet were drunk, no one faulted her actions.

I'm almost there the exit

In terms of physical, she is really in need of exercise, but she made her way to the exit with a rough breath.

"uh ha haa"

The smell of alcohol made her dizzy, and she bumped into someone walking ahead of her.

Monica, who had fallen on her buttocks, tried to apologize to the other party as quickly as she could but stopped herself from speaking.

Because she was too surprised, she didn't realize the air she inhaled did not smell like alcohol, but cool and refreshing.

"Pardon me. Are you hurt?"

Cyril Ashley was reaching out his hand to Monica.

If this scene were to happen in the Serendia Academy in the same situation right now, Cyril would probably be scolding Monica as he raises his eyebrows and says, don't run in the corridor!'

But the current Cyril standing in front of her was a gentleman who was reaching out his hand to help her.

As she grab his hand timidly, Cyril gently helped Monica to stand up.

"I presume you are Lady Silent Witch?"

Cold sweat broke out all over her body. Despite her will wanting to calm down, her body was shaking on its own.

"I may be presumptuous to ask this out of the blue, but have we met somewhere before?"

A polite words with a good mannerisms. Such statements were obviously never meant for Monica Norton but for Monica Everett the Silent Witch.

Monica is aware, sooner or later when she left the Serendia Academy, she would meet her acquaintance from the school, not as Monica Norton but as the Silent Witch. She already knows it. She already knows it's bound to happen.

Even then

I hate it.

She feels the same way when it happened in the garden.

Her chest felt like has been prickled by needles when she saw Cyril treats her like a stranger

Felix's friendly attitude towards her, the Silent Witch, may be shocking in a different way, but when it comes from Cyril, she felt something different.

I hate it when Cyril treats me as a stranger.

"Lady Silent Witch?"

Perhaps Cyril was thinking Monica was not feeling well when he saw her hanging her head down, so he tried to look at her face with concern.

But the fear of being treated as a stranger has enveloped all her body.

I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.

Shouting the voiceless words, Monica pushed Cyril with both hands.

Not only her injured left hand had made her lose her strength, but she also can't even move Cyril's body when she pushed him. Still, Cyril sensed Monica desperately pushing him with both hands, and he backed off a little.

And suddenly the pain enveloped her left hand.

"o-ow."

Her weak grunt escaped from her mouth as Cyril looked surprised, and afterward, she run past him.

Cyril was astonished as he looked at Monica run away but did not chase after her. Even then, Monica paid him no heed and kept running.

"Haah Haah Haah"

She kept running down the hallway even after reaching the exit of the banquet hall.

Eventually, she can't run anymore as her strength reached its limit, so she leaned her hand on the wall and slumped down to her knees.

I should have understood.

Monica Norton is just her fake persona.

Once she leaves the Serendia Academy, Monica will no longer be able to interact with Cyril and her acquaintances from the school the same way she has in the past.

That's why she decided to make many precious memories at the Serendia Academy and keep them in her heart for the rest of her life.

But when she saw Cyril treat her as a stranger, her blood ran cold. She felt like her heart is pricked by needles.

She wants the usual Cyril who always scolds her.

I know I'm being greedy.

Monica slowly reorganized her breath as she was raising her head from looking down, but then she felt a sudden presence from behind.

What would she do if it was another of her acquaintance from the school, thought to herself while turning her head with trepidation, only to find a man she did not recognize standing there, who appeared to be a servant.

"Do you have a moment, Lady Silent Witch? My master, Lord Crockford, would like to speak with you in his private quarter."

"yes?"

She finally calmed her heart down, but it began thumping against her will.

She could hear her heartbeat echo loudly from inside.

Duke Crockford. The most suspicious man who perhaps has caused the incident of the cursed dragon and the death of Monica's father.

This is her chance to get closer to the truth.

She clutched the robe in her chest with her right hand and took a slow breath before saying, "Okay, I'll meet him. Please lead the way."