(A/N):
Drop a meme here that you find funny. Or reflects your mood.
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Few Hours Before...
Witch's Forest...
Deep within the Witch's Forest,
Where the air shimmered faintly with mana and the trees themselves seemed to whisper secrets,
The Witch Queen's Castle loomed in all its eerie, ancient splendor.
The massive throne hall was silent except for the soft flutter of ravens' wings.
Flap~ Flap~
"...."
"...."
"...."
At the center,
The Witch Queen sat upon her obsidian throne, her legs elegantly crossed, one arm resting against the carved armrest shaped like entwined serpents.
Her teal eyes—
Sharp, commanding, and filled with centuries of wisdom—
Were fixed on a floating mirror held aloft by four ravens.
But the mirror was blank, its surface nothing but dull silver fog.
She tapped her long, black-painted nails against the throne, her irritation evident.
"Still nothing,"
She hissed softly.
"...."
"How many letters must one send before a king bothers to reply?"
Her voice, though soft, carried the weight of magic—
Low, velvety, but dangerous.
The ravens cawed uneasily,
Their wings twitching as though they felt their mistress's annoyance ripple through the air.
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes narrowing.
"Dorothy,"
She murmured, the name rolling off her tongue like a spell.
"That sleepy little fool… I sent her one simple task—invite the boy who became Clover's new King. A friendly gesture, a chance for diplomacy, perhaps even amusement…"
Her tone dropped, laced with venom.
"And what do I get in return? Silence."
The Witch Queen rose from her throne,
Her crimson cloak cascading behind her like liquid fire.
Mana flared subtly around her; even the ravens shuddered under the weight of her aura.
She began pacing slowly,
Her heels echoing on the stone floor.
"I sent several letters,"
She muttered, her tone growing sharper with each step.
"Each one sealed with my mark, each one carried by my best messengers—and yet, nothing."
She paused before the mirror again,
Flicking her wrist.
The fog swirled and formed an image—
Dorothy Catnap, sprawled comfortably in her dream realm, snoring softly under her hat.
The Witch Queen's eyebrow twitched.
Twich~
"...."
"Dreaming, again," She muttered darkly.
"That girl would nap through the end of the world."
Then, with another flick,
The image shifted—
To her daughter,
Vanessa Enoteca, lounging lazily in the Black Bulls' hideout,
A bottle of wine in hand, laughing with Finral and the others.
The Queen's lips curled into a tight, dangerous smile.
"And you… my dear daughter,"
She said, her tone dripping with disdain,
"the one of the witch to ever leave my forest and think herself free."
The mirror rippled again,
Replaying Vanessa's earlier words—
Her carefree voice slurred by drink as she waved off the invitation, saying,
"It screams danger, Mother. I'm not walking into that trap."
The Witch Queen's eyes narrowed, her patience snapping.
Frown~
"You ungrateful child,"
She whispered, her voice trembling with restrained fury.
"I created you, blessed you with freedom, and this is how you repay me? By ignoring your Queen's no mother's call?"
Her mana flared once more,
Making the ravens cry out and scatter briefly before returning to their posts.
Taking a deep breath, she regained her composure,
Her expression returning to cold, elegant calm.
"If the messenger witches and my own daughter will not deliver the message…"
She turned toward the open window,
Where the night sky stretched endless and black.
Hundreds of ravens were perched along the castle's edges, waiting, watching.
She raised her hand slowly, her eyes glowing with crimson light.
"Then I will send my raven emissary directly to the King's Palace."
The castle shuddered as her magic pulsed outward by her declaration.
The ravens all took flight at once,
Their wings beating in perfect rhythm as a single dark raven,
Larger than the rest and marked with glowing red runes, descended to her arm.
The Witch Queen smirked faintly, stroking the bird's head.
Smirk~
"Fly to him,"
She commanded softly.
"To Benjamin Salvador Kira… King of Clover. Deliver my invitation personally."
The raven tilted its head, understanding.
With a powerful beat of its wings, it soared through the window, vanishing into the night.
Flap~ Flap~
"..."
The Witch Queen watched it go,
Her smile fading into a pensive expression.
"Let's see, young king… whether you're brave enough to walk into my forest."
Coral Peacock Secret Base...
In the lush, fog-kissed mountains where the Coral Peacock base stood,
Dorothy Unsworth sat cross-legged on a floating cloud couch,
Lazily twirling her hat.
For once, her eyes were open —
Sharp and serious —
As she read the letter that had just arrived in her hands.
The parchment glowed faintly with old forest mana,
Unmistakably belonging to the Witch Queen.
Her expression hardened the more she read, her usual dreamy tone gone completely.
"...."
"By my decree, the King of Clover is to attend the Spring Festival within the Witch's Forest. Attendance is expected, not requested."
Dorothy exhaled slowly.
"Expected, huh…?"
She murmured.
"You're not even pretending it's optional anymore."
Setting the letter down,
She rose from her seat.
Around her, her squad members watched curiously —
It was rare to see their captain awake, let alone this serious.
"Captain?"
Her vice-captain asked, startled.
"Is something wrong?"
Dorothy put her hat on and smiled faintly.
"Mmm. Let's just say… if things go wrong, the kingdom's going to lose its king — and maybe a few witches, too."
Before the vice-captain could respond,
She waved her hand, vanishing in a swirl of shimmering mist.
Few Minutes later...
The doors of the Blue Rose base burst open with a loud slam!
Slam~
Charlotte, seated at her desk,
Blinked in surprise as the sound echoed through her office.
"Dorothy?"
She asked, rising as the Coral Peacock captain hurried in.
Dorothy didn't waste time with pleasantries.
"Charlotte, we've got a problem."
Charlotte frowned.
Frown~
"What kind of problem?"
"The Witch Queen,"
Dorothy said flatly.
"She's done something reckless. She sent a direct invitation to Ben. Not through me, not through intermediaries — she used her ravens to deliver it straight to the palace."
Charlotte's eyes widened in disbelief.
"A direct invitation from her? That's impossible… she doesn't even allow men to set foot in her forest."
She had Dorothy had decided not to sent the invitation back to Ben since theyfelt like it might be a trap to lure him out to the witch forest.
Which is the strong zone for Witch queen.
"That's why I'm worried,"
Dorothy said, tossing the letter onto Charlotte's desk.
"And from the tone of it, she's not going to take no for an answer."
Charlotte skimmed the letter quickly, her expression darkening with every line.
"Spring Festival or not, this sounds like a trap."
Dorothy crossed her arms.
"I thought so too. That's why I came straight here. If she sent it directly, Ben's probably reading it right now. We have to reach the palace before he does something stupid — like accepting it."
Charlotte didn't hesitate for a second.
"...."
She stood, snapping her cloak over her shoulders.
"Then we're leaving. Now."
"Thought you'd say that,"
Dorothy said, smiling as she followed.
Moments later...
A Blue Rose sky carriage soared through the afternoon clouds,
Inside, Dorothy leaned back with her arms folded while Charlotte sat forward,
Her blue eyes sharp with worry.
"Why now?"
Charlotte muttered.
"The Witch Queen's never interfered with kingdom politics before. Why is she suddenly interested in Ben?"
Dorothy sighed softly.
Sigh~
"I don't know. Maybe she saw something in her mirrors… maybe she thinks he's useful for her next experiment. Or maybe…"
"Maybe she just wants to invite him,"
Charlotte finished trying to understand the witch queen.
The two captains exchanged a glance —
Both knowing the Witch Queen was not someone to underestimate.
As the carriage approached the royal castle,
Charlotte tightened her gloves and whispered,
"Hang on, Ben. We're coming before that witch gets her claws on you."
Royal Audience Chamber...
Royal audience chamber as Charlotte and Dorothy hurried in,
Their cloaks fluttering behind them.
The guards opened the grand doors without question —
Their faces pale,
As though they too could sense the urgency radiating off the two Magic Knight captains.
Ben stood near the throne,
A few scrolls spread out before him on a marble table.
His head lifted at the sound of the doors opening,
A flicker of surprise and warmth crossing his face when he saw who had entered.
"Charlotte? Dorothy?"
He said, blinking.
"What a surprise. I wasn't expecting either of you today."
Charlotte slowed to a halt,
Her expression caught between relief and disbelief.
Just last week, she had been curled in his arms,
Murmuring about her workload and how she couldn't see him for a while —
Her hair tangled, her face buried against his chest as he teased her about missing him.
Now, seeing him standing there with that unbothered smile made her heart skip for reasons that had nothing to do with love.
She crossed her arms, masking her concern with a steady tone.
"We came because something urgent came up."
Her gaze darted around the room, checking for any sign of ravens or messengers.
"Ben, did you… receive any kind of invitation lately?"
Ben tilted his head slightly,
His usual calm composure unchanged.
"Invitation? Oh — you mean from the Witch Queen?"
Charlotte's breath caught.
"So you did get it,"
She said sharply.
Dorothy exhaled beside her.
"And? What did you do with it?"
Before either could brace themselves,
Ben gave a small shrug —
Casual, almost cheerful.
"Well, I read it. Nebra was here when it arrived. She warned me it could be a trap."
Charlotte and Dorothy both froze.
"...."
"...."
Ben's words continued, calm as ever.
"But it seemed more like a formal festival thing. So I accepted and sent back a reply."
There was a beat of silence.
Then—
"YOU WHAT?!"
Both women exclaimed in unison, their voices echoing through the vast chamber.
Charlotte's eyes went wide as she stepped closer, her face flushing in frustration.
"Ben! Are you insane?! That's the Witch Queen! Men aren't even allowed to enter her forest without risking their heads!"
Dorothy threw her hat in the air in exasperation before catching it again.
"Seriously, do you have a death wish or are you just collecting dangerous women's invitations for sport?"
Ben blinked, utterly unfazed by their panic.
"Relax, both of you. She called it a Spring Festival. Sounds harmless enough."
"Harmless?"
Charlotte snapped, glaring at him.
"The Witch Queen doesn't do harmless. She's unpredictable — and that forest is her territory where she is invincible."
Dorothy rubbed her temples, groaning.
Sigh ~
"Great. Just great. The last thing we need is our king being turned into a frog because he thought a forest party sounded fun."
Ben simply chuckled, leaning back against the edge of his table.
Chuckle~
"Don't worry so much. I'll be careful."
Charlotte pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heartbeat.
Her initial relief had turned into a storm of panic and —
Though she hated to admit it —
"...."
jealousy.
The image of Ben surrounded by witches, their eyes on him, their voices sweet and dangerous, burned in her mind.
Her tone softened, though her gaze stayed sharp.
"Ben… if you're going, then I'm coming with you. No arguments."
Dorothy crossed her arms and nodded.
Nod~
"Count me in too. If anyone can handle the Queen's forest tricks, it's me. And someone has to make sure you don't get hexed into a squirrel or something."
Ben looked between the two women —
"...."
"...."
"...."
Their fierce eyes and tense stances —
And couldn't help but smile.
"I figured you'd both say that,"
He said softly.
"Alright then. We'll go together."
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(Author's POV)
(A/N)Thanks for reading the chapter!
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