Chapter 269: Had The Courage.
"My brother had a habit of drinking and going to brothels," the woman muttered in a low and almost ashamed voice. "That night, he was too drunk and went to one of the brothels. But my father refused to pay for him."
Olivia didn’t interrupt but she already knew what was coming. Her hands clenched around her dress. She just waited, watching the woman fidget with the hem of her dress, hoping to not continue it. But she did not have a choice.
"He got angry and fought with my father. Saying it was unfair and he just wanted to have some fun," she whispered. "Then I was going to placate her at the request of my mother. But before I could talk to him, I heard all of them talking. one of his friends laughed and said he knew a perfect girl who wouldn’t ask for money. That she would agree if they insisted. Then all of them left and I could not hear anymore."
Her voice cracked a little, and she took a deep breath. "I didn’t think anything of it then. I was younger. I didn’t understand what they meant. They left the house, drunk and loud, and I went to sleep."
She paused, her hand tightening on the doorframe.
"In the middle of the night, the village was in chaos. People were whispering that a witch had attacked them and burned them alive. Everyone was saying she was dangerous. She wanted to punish humans and she had snapped and cursed them." Her eyes flicked up to Olivia. "I believed it too. I was scared. No one wanted to question it because we all were afraid of witches. So, we just accepted it."
"And now?" Olivia asked, her tone quiet but sharp. "You know the girl did not want to harm you. She was only saving herself from the monsters."
"Now..." the woman hesitated, the weight of years pressing against her face. "Now I wonder. I remember how my brother used to treat the girls he didn’t pay. How he had come home smug and laughing. I remember how he joked about those girls deserved it. But perhaps, they have not.." she did not continue because she was not sure herself.
Olivia’s voice was calm, but her eyes shimmered with restrained fury. "And because of that, she died with no one to mourn her. No one said her name."
The woman bowed her head, unable to look at any of them. "I never knew her name. I never wanted to."
Liliana’s face was hard, but she didn’t say a word.
"I didn’t think back then. I didn’t want to," the woman continued, her voice hollow. "We lost five men that night, but maybe... maybe they weren’t the victims. Maybe she was. But it did not matter. Even if I had supported her, no one would have believed me. They would have harmed me too for conspiring with the witches."