Trinity the last White Witch - Chapter 65

[Trinity’s POV]

“Who are you?” The girl spat the cloth in her mouth and looked at each one of us with her piercing eyes.

Dorothy stood in front of her and jabbed a finger. “I think the right question to ask is who are you? Are you really the Earl’s daughter?”

I shook my head. She really needs to improve her interrogation skills. Anyone could answer that question with a yes if they wanted to.

“That’s right!” the girl said, almost screaming. “I’m the real daughter of the Earl! That woman with my father is fake! She stole my appearance!”

My ears were ringing from her high-pitched voice. “Don’t shout. We can hear you perfectly fine. Or you’d rather have the soldiers hear your voice?”

The girl smacked her lips tight.

She didn’t have to explain herself. I knew who she was. Even the others couldn’t see her real appearance. I could. She was definitely the Earl’s daughter, Nadia. Just the color of her hair and the resemblance of her face to the Earl was enough proof.

“Do you have something to drink? I’m parched.”

Nadia snatched the bottle that Michael gave her and chugged it all down before she asked a series of questions. “Who are you guys? Are you here to save me? Why are you wearing hoods and masks?”

“Wait.” She stared at us suspiciously. “Are you going to sell me?”

Yep. She was a noble’s daughter, alright. Probably around sixteen years old. What a crazy imagination.

“Why would we want to do that? Risking our life from the soldiers and the Church so that we could sell you? To whom? No offense but you wouldn’t even fetch a high price in the slave market,” Dorothy said in incredulity.

“Because you look like bad guys,” Nadia pouted.

Dorothy placed her hands on her titled hips. “Between the two of us, you look more like the thief than me.”

As the two children bicker, Michael signaled me with his eyes. We walked towards the edge of the cave before he asked in a hushed voice.

“What now? Can you interchange their soul?”

I nodded. “I just needed them to touch and chant some spell, and everything will be good like before.”

“You mean bring Nadia inside the Earl’s mansion again? I doubt we could enter it with her in tow after what happened.”

My lips quirked up on the sides. “No. We’ll bring that girl here.”

“. . . I see.” Michael stretched his arms. “Then, I’m confident that Ric and I could kidnap her. Just say the words.”

“No. You might be immune to witches’ spells, but Ric isn’t.”

“You said that girl isn’t a witch.”

“The one backing her is. And with the commotion we caused, I bet Vexana already placed a spell in the mansion.”

“Can she do that even if she’s away? Or is she inside the estate?”

“No, she never leaves the safe confines of her domain and altar. But yes, she can definitely do that.”

All she needed was a familiar that would connect her and the girl . . . or . . . a special item that would channel her powers to the other side.

Michael was silent for a moment. “Are you afraid of her?”

I looked over at him. “We should be.”

“. . .”

My gaze flickered to Nadia. Her soul was flickering, and soon her body would start deteriorating. The body needed its original soul to sustain it. Without it, it would only be a matter of time before it rots.

That girl who made a deal with Vexana probably didn’t know that. And what’s worse . . . she also probably didn’t know that making a contract with a black witch always ended with death.

Does the life of a noble lady really attract her to the extent of killing another human and sacrificing her soul in the process?

“Who’s that girl who is posing as you?” I asked.

Nadia’s face crumpled in disgust. “She is called by the name Grimora. She’s a flower girl living alone in a small village near our town.”

“How did you two meet?” Michael questioned.

Nadia sneered. “I don’t know. I don’t even leave the house without a veil. I didn’t even know her until a month ago when she stole my appearance.”

Nobles, especially girls, weren’t allowed to show their faces in public until their debut in high society. But I wonder. Nadia should have her debut by now if she were already sixteen years old like I guess.

“Probably because I’m popular, and she wanted to be me,” Nadia added, “All the girls in the village and towns wanted to be me, so I couldn’t blame her.”

Dorothy’s brows rose, and it seemed like she wanted to hit Nadia’s head.

I wouldn’t stop her. The girl was really full of confidence that only noble brats possessed. Or was it youth?

“Are we really going to help her?” asked Dorothy, “We should probably just surrender her to the soldiers and move on with our lives.”

Nadia’s face went pale. “What? How dare you! I’m a noble and should be protected. Our existence is precious as we are the only chosen few who could afford education and govern this town. Without us, where do you think you folks be?”

“In a little village doing make-up,” answered Dorothy with a sneer. “I don’t care if you’re the Saintess herself, but without our tax, you wouldn’t be able to afford even that scrawny lace on your dress.”

“What did you say? I have you know that I have a lot of money.”

“Daddy’s money, you mean?”

“My dead mother!”

“Stop with the bickering.” I went between the two of them and removed my hood and mask. “We are here to help you in the hope that we could have an audience with the Earl.

Nadia blinked and questioned with her big round eyes. “You believe me?”

I nodded. “Yes. We deal mostly with nonhumans and witches, and right now, you and Grimora are under a witch’s spell.”

“Curses.” Nadia bit her thumb. “I knew it! Those rotten heretics should all be burned to hell.”

It was one thing to see Dorothy frown, but Michael’s smile also disappeared from his face. I didn’t know why I felt happy, though.

“If you want to return to your original body, then you must follow everything that we say.”

Nadia looked at me before she swept her eyes suspiciously. “How can I trust you? I don’t even know your name.”

“You have to. You have no choice in the matter. We are the only ones who can save you.”

“. . . Why are you doing this exactly?”

“Like I said. We want your father to owe us a debt. We need something from him.”

Nadia chuckled without humor. “My father didn’t even notice that her daughter is an imposter.”

“He might be under a spell, too,” Dorothy chimed in.

Nadia rolled her eyes. “Or he’s busy and didn’t care whether her daughter is fake or not.”

Sparks flew between Dorothy and Nadia.

“Whatever it is . . . we will save you and save your father in the process. And in return, house Roselake will owe us. Deal?”

I stretched my hand at her. Nadia took a moment, studying my outstretched fingers before she accepted it with a groan.

“Deal.”

“By the way, how are you exactly going to save me and undo the curse? Are you like one of the Church’s emissaries?” asked Nadia.

“More than that. I’m a witch,” I said. There was no use in hiding it since it would be easier to explain things later.

“And if you’re thinking of reporting me to the authorities, then don’t bother. We just made a deal, and if you break this deal, there will be consequences. You don’t really want to mess with a witch,” I threatened.

Nadia’s face paled before a scowl lined her forehead. “Great. What did I do to be surrounded by heretics?”

“Be careful,” Michael stepped in, and I was stunned with the hostility in his voice when he spoke, “the one who tried to kill you is an emissary of the Church while the one who saved you is a witch. So if I were you, I’d rethink my allegiance.”

Nadia took a step back and visibly trembled at Michael’s oppressive aura. I didn’t know that he could act scary too. I thought he was always soft towards women.

Maybe because Nadia was still a girl, and he didn’t see her as a woman yet?

Anyway, something was bothering me.

“Why is the Earl hastening the process of your wedding with the son of Earl Perlington?” I asked. Not bothered when Nadia couldn’t look me in the eyes.

I couldn’t blame her if she felt uncomfortable towards me. Humans were conditioned to fear the unknown, and it would take a lot of time for them to suddenly change their beliefs that were ironed in them since young.

Except for Dorothy and Michael since they were driven mainly by their desires than anything else.

“I don’t know.” Nadia pouted.

“Then tell us something you do know,” Dorothy mocked.

Nadia cut her a glare. “Maybe it was that beggar!” she gnashed her teeth. “She wanted my life and wanted my fiancé too! I haven’t debuted in high society, and it’s supposed to be the highlight of my life! But instead, she’d be the one who would debut with my fiancé, no less!”

She stomped her feet and contained her shriek. “Ogh! This makes me so mad!”

Dorothy ignored her and faced me. “Maybe the Earl is under some kind of spell?”

“. . . I see.” I then looked at Michael. “Change of plans. We’ll storm inside the estate and have Nadia and Grimora meet.”

“. . .”

“. . .”

Egh?!

Ric’s stoic face broke a little.

Dorothy’s mouth dropped open.

Michael looked at me with wide eyes.

And a flower was about to sprout from Nadia’s head. “Huh?”

My hips tilted to the side, and my lips rose in a confident smirk.. “We’re going to break into the Earl’s estate again.”