The Place Where I Was Sold as a Slave Was the Imperial Palace

201 Side Story – The Story of the Western Witch

I watched another woman give birth to the child of the person I love. I watched the child get married and live happily.

Although she never saw them with her own eyes, the Witch of the West has watched them all their lives.

Some would call her life miserable. Maybe it really is. But at least on the other hand, I was happy.

I didn’t have to wait for the future that I didn’t know when it would come. Even in a hopeless situation, that person was living in the reality right in front of his eyes.

In a life that has been repeated for a long time, what is happiness if it is not said to be happiness? The Witch of the West knows no more happiness.

After seeing the man she loved die, the Witch of the West also died quietly. The moment she died, at least she wasn’t unhappy.

***

When a woman turns 15, she enters the social world. A woman whose fiancée was decided attended as his partner and informed the aristocratic society that she had a certain person.

In the absence of a fixed fiancé yet, the debut of a socialite was especially significant. You should find a marriage partner before you turn 18 at the latest.

The female’s reproductive age is very short, and the flower is lost as soon as it blooms. If you slow down, you will miss the marriage period, leaving only the position of a problematic husband or second wife.

If they don’t find it, they are sent to a convent.

Every time the debut season came, both the person concerned and the parents who had to send their daughters away in marriage became impatient.

The competition in the first marriage market is getting fiercer day by day due to the pouring in of newcomers and women from the previous year and the year before, but the situation was not the same for remarriages.

The remarriage market also adds to the number of women who become widows each year.

In the end, it’s difficult for everyone, no matter you or me.

Felicia turns 15 this year, but has not made her debut in the social scene. have no plans to

Instead, she skipped the first marriage market and was immediately thrown into the second marriage market.

This is because they are blind from birth.

Still, the reason she didn’t go to the convent was because she was born with magical powers. Without magical powers, she would have had to live her entire life in a convent with a small dowry.

Today is the day I meet at a banquet with several men whom my father has placed through stories.

She is blind and will never dance at a ball. She just showed up and was sold to the man who liked her the most.

In return for the remarriage, the father seems to have agreed to receive an amount sufficient to forgive the money he borrowed from the moneylender.

In order to get as much money as possible, Felicia had the ladies-in-waiting wash her naked all over the place early in the morning, apply fragrant oil, and cover herself with a beautiful dress that she couldn’t see.

Seeing that it wasn’t a dress with the rough texture that she always wears, it must have cost a lot of money.

If you have money to spend on a place like this, you should be able to use it to pay off the debt, but the father and mother, who are big spenders and conscious of others’ eyes, even decorated Felicia’s neck and ears with expensive jewels.

The jewels seem to have been borrowed again after being mortgaged and stolen from the moneylender. Borrowing things that were originally one’s own for a fee. There really is no answer.

“It’s really beautiful. I’m sure they will like it.”

said the father admiringly.

Although she couldn’t see it herself, it seems that Felicia has silver hair and black eyes.

Was it worth seeing it like that?

The ladies-in-waiting always praised me for being beautiful, but I don’t know. Since he had never gone out or met anyone outside of his family, he had no way of knowing whether those were empty words or the truth.

Felicia took her father’s hand and climbed into the carriage.

A carriage that has never been ridden is said to be pulled by a horse. Felicia, who has lived only in the depths of the mansion, does not know what the horse is. It was just scary.

Suddenly, driven by a tumultuous situation, they go somewhere in a rattling carriage. I was so anxious that I felt like I was going to cry right now.

I don’t even know if my father and mother are by my side.

Her body swayed back and forth from the excessive vibration, but no one held her.

Felicia fumbled and grabbed the long rope attached to the wall and endured only that rattling long time.

I heard that the ball is being held at a certain marquess house. My father didn’t tell me what kind of family it was.

In a way, it is natural.

Felicia did not know what kind of family existed in this world and what position that family held. Talking about it only hurts my mouth.

Felicia received no education because she was blind.

Since he cannot read, he does not know letters, and since he cannot see, he cannot even embroider, which is considered important by most women.

The only thing I learned was [Smile].

They say she is beautiful when she smiles.

Felicia doesn’t know what she looks like, but when she turned 14, a woman had been attached to her for months.

It was a strange woman, and all she taught me was how much to tilt your head and open your mouth to laugh. It was simply that he was persistently accustomed to it.

Perhaps from then on, my father thought of selling Felicia to men when she came of age.

While I was lost in thought, the carriage stopped.

Felicia was taken to an unfamiliar place by her father’s hand.

Dad walks too fast. I almost ran after them, but the sounds from all directions died as if they had entered the building from the outside.

After a while, the sound of music came from some distance away. The sound of people talking, the sound of women laughing, all the scents I smelled for the first time.

My head got dizzy.

But it doesn’t seem like going into a ballroom. There was no sign of getting closer to the sound of music heard in space.

Maybe a long hallway.

Felicia walked for a long time and finally reached a place where the sound of music could be heard from afar.

Father stopped walking.

I don’t know where my mother went. As soon as I got off the carriage, I was separated from my mother.

She’s a cold and unfeeling mother, but for some reason I thought that it would be nice if she was here too.

After waiting for a while, unfamiliar footprints came closer.

“Oh, Baron, is this woman your daughter?”

It was an old voice. It seems that he is older than his father. For some reason, the emotion in that voice was terrifying, and my body trembled.

My father said flatteringly.

“Yes, I turned 15 this year. How are you?”

“You are a lovely lady. Your fearful face is as if a flower is trembling.”

It seems that an old man came up to her side and put his nose close to the nape of her neck. A small scream came out involuntarily at the sensation of inhaling.

I tried to wince, but my father grabbed my arm and held me down.

The old man spoke close to his ear.

“But I don’t know if it’s worth it in this state. I want to go to my room and check it out and decide.”

“That’s a little bit. My daughter has two other appointments besides the Count today.”

“…Unpleasant. How dare you weigh multiple people on the same day.”

The old man and his father started fighting each other. In the meantime, the strength in his father’s hands loosened.

Felicia unwittingly removed her arm and turned her body.

Without even thinking about it, I turned around and started running.

“Feliciat!”

He hears his father’s angry voice. Felicia got even more frightened and ran. The sound of his father’s shoes followed the sound of his own footsteps.

Right behind her, her father grabbed her by the hair.

Felicia fell to the floor screaming. No, I thought so.

But the next moment, she was lifted into the air in someone’s strong arms. Father screams.

“Violence against a weak woman. What is this, Baron Consini?”

“Oh, Your Excellency the Duke! No, that child is my daughter.”

My father was talking gibberish, but I couldn’t hear it.

Only the voice of a strange man lingers in my head.

I knew this voice… for sure.

yes it is this voice He’s the one I’ve been looking for for a long time.

It was as bright as a spark in my head. It was as if the sun had entered my head.

“Uh, what! Pe, Felicia, you, the head.”

I heard my father’s startled voice.

Her silver hair shines white. I couldn’t see it, but I could see it.

“It’s interesting, but could it be the Witch of the West?”

The voice of a man named Duke echoed overhead.

‘Witch of the West…’

The words lingered in my mind for a moment and then disappeared.

Felicia raised her invisible eyes and turned her gaze to the Duke.

“Do you know the Witch of the West?”

The Duke laughed softly at Felicia’s question.

“No, I don’t know. But I’ve heard stories. They say that there have been witches who have used the same name for about 2,000 years. They say they have tremendous magical powers, but I never thought they would manifest in this way.”

A crow rang out somewhere.

oh my crow my precious crow. The crow that the founder made and loved Rudy came to the West Witch.

Felicia put her hand on His Excellency’s chest and gave it a slight push.

“I’m sorry, sir. Please give me a chance to say hello properly.”

The Duke unloads Felicia. Felicia bowed gracefully according to the court etiquette she was accustomed to.

“I am Felicia, the second daughter of Baron Consini.”

“You, you, where did you learn to write like that?”

While her father was talking, the man who was trying to buy her came after her.

“Oh, isn’t that the Duke of Carpender?”

“Earl Randall. Long time no see. I heard you had a grandson this year. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. But…”

Count Rendall hid his voice and looked at his father, Felicia, and Duke Carpender.

A crow landed on the ground near the pillar. It was only then that Felicia was able to see the duke, the count, and her own father.

Wrinkles were carved on the forehead of Earl Rendall, whose hair was white. He forced a smile on his face and looked at Duke Carpender.

“It’s embarrassing, but I’m thinking of remarrying. I was meeting with the baron today because of that consultation, so I’m sorry, sir, but please excuse me for a moment.”

Earl Randall winked at her, and her father came over to her.

But Felicia had no intention of doing as he told her to do.

Even Felicia, who was blunt about world affairs, had heard of Duke Carpender. He is a young duke who inherited the title at an early age due to an accident of his parents. He was eighteen years old and still unmarried. After his parents died when he was 13 years old, he is busy managing the estate, so he has no plans to marry or meet any women.

This time, I met him first than anyone else. Barely, barely, stood at the starting line.

Felicia held out her hand lightly to her father.

Hundreds of crows, who had come nearby and were quietly holding their breath, flew in and filled the hallway in an instant.

Caw caw, a bird’s cry rang out.

“Heo Eok! What is this?”

“What, what. A witch!”

Dad hit his buttock and fell backwards.

Count Rendall was on the verge of fainting.

After confirming that the two had withdrawn from her, Felicia turned to the Duke.

“Your Excellency, don’t you need a witch in the estate?”

“Well, it depends on what the witch does.”

His Excellency the Duke grinned.

Oh, that smile. It resembles Rudy’s smile exactly. It looks almost the same as the one I saw before, except that it’s a little thicker and taller. He still had dark hair and black eyes.

“If you give my father a little money and buy me, it will help you ward off enemies more than earn thousands of horses.”

I heard that the end of Duke Carpender’s territory is close to the grassland where barbarians live. There was a time when a lady-in-waiting said that she couldn’t leave the territory because a petty war was going on. No matter how many soldiers there are, it will be insufficient.

“You’re not quite womanly these days. Interesting. Okay, I’ll take your offer.”

My heart trembled at the grinning peacock’s smile.

The duke gave money to his father on the spot and received a marriage contract.

The father had the marriage certificate in his bosom because he intended to sell her today.

There was also a clause in the contract stating that there would be no legal relationship between the baron and Felicia in the future.

It seems that the father intended to send Felicia in a form close to human trafficking.

‘I’m really out of luck with my family the whole time.’

Felicia’s shoulder dropped a little involuntarily.

Later, if the duke gets permission from the king when he feels like it, the marriage will be established.

Of course, it didn’t matter if I didn’t get permission forever. With the duke receiving the deed, she finally became the property of the person she loved.

Although the form is a little different, the dream she had always wanted has come true.

The duke, who had come up to the ecliptic to meet the emperor, took Felicia down to the manor.

After that, a hectic day followed.

Barbarian invasions are relentless and annoying. When the troops on this side prepared and arrived, they had already fled.

However, Felicia and the crow, who can share vision, can immediately catch their movements.

Felicia’s crows, which were small in number at first, quickly increased in number and gradually became a great help to the duke.

At the same time, she also became an important figure to the duke.

There were demonic creatures everywhere in the manor that came to Rudy.

But they didn’t come any closer than necessary to their master. I just watched from afar, and occasionally appeared near the space where the owner stayed as if I couldn’t overcome loneliness.

Perhaps there was a promise between Rudy and the demonic creature that he was unaware of.

I searched several times, but no trace of Lilitha was found.

And that was the year I turned twenty.

The duke, who had been to the imperial palace alone, said he had an urgent matter and suddenly spoke to him.

“Felicia, do you love me?”

“…”

For a moment, no words came out.

When Felicia stayed still, it seemed that she took it as a negative meaning.

The Duke came closer and spoke in a slightly disgruntled tone.

“I can’t help it even if I don’t love you. You are already my wife recognized by the emperor.”

“yes?”

The reason he didn’t faint was probably thanks to his increased mental strength while fighting the savages.

I was surprised and opened my mouth blankly, but suddenly something warm entered my mouth.

It was only after the warmth had gone that I realized that it was the peacock’s tongue.

“Uh…I…”

“I love you, Felicia. Please marry me. I don’t want to imagine losing you to someone else. Stay with me.”

“…”

I didn’t even want this. They were content with just nominal possessions. I’ve never been this happy before, so I thought it was okay…

“…”

“Am I dissatisfied?”

He shook his head hurriedly at the duke’s question. The peacock’s laughter echoed overhead.

“You’re cute, Felicia. I was attracted to you from the beginning. It’s the first woman I’ve ever seen, but it’s something that catches my eye. I wonder if this means falling in love at first sight.”

It is not. I just couldn’t remember it, but it caught my eye because I had met him before. But it doesn’t matter anyway. I don’t know how long it will last, but at this moment, I’m clearly tied to this man.

Felicia looked up in surprise. Even tomorrow, Lilitha might show up right away. Then this man might go back to the past when he loved her. Just as he recalled the past by meeting the duke, he could be the same.

“Go, sir. I have a request. Please, today, that, please… hug me…”

The voice slowly creeped in.

The peacock gulps. For some reason, I heard a loud swallowing sound that I normally don’t hear.

“Felicia, this is your fault. It’s because you encouraged me.”

The Duke lifted her up in his arms and strode towards the room.

“Cease all business from now until tomorrow. Don’t disturb anyone.”

I heard the duke talking to the butler. Felicia covered her face with both hands and curled up in his arms.

One summer day, a year and a half later, Felicia gave birth to a beautiful daughter.

‘This is the reason I couldn’t find Lilitha.’

Felicia stared blankly into her face as she held her newborn daughter in her arms.

The adorable baby’s face was on the verge of crying.

“Oh, my princess is mad.”

The Duke smiled softly and hugged his daughter, and the child’s face that was about to burst into tears became calm again.

“My daughter loves her father so much.”

The Duke laughs and says.

Well, is that an unmistakable fact?

Felicia paused and asked.

“Have you decided on a name for your child?”

“Well, there are a few candidates, I’ve been waiting to decide with you.”

A smile appeared on Felicia’s face.

“I like the name Lilitha.”

“Hmm, isn’t that the name of the empress long ago?”

“That’s right. I heard she lived a happy life. I want my child to be that happy too.”

“Lilithara, that’s a good name. After hearing it somehow, I can’t think of anything else besides that name.”

The child’s name became Lilitha.

Human ties go round and round without being easily broken. One day, she might be born as Lilitha’s daughter.

Felicia looked at the face of the child her husband was holding and whispered.

“Please take good care of me in the future, Lilitha. Even in the distant future.”