Chapter 181: Ready to ride a dragon?
Just then, from the nearby bedroom, Madame Helene emerged. Her face was less weary, and the dark circles beneath her eyes finally faded, though a shadow of tiredness lingered. And her mood was not still good. Her hand was cut off! How could she feel well?
Aunt Everin sprang from her chair and rushed to Madame Helene, her brows furrowed in concern. "You should have stayed in bed a little longer," she scolded gently, though her voice was laced with love.
Madame Helene shook her head, a weary smile tugging at her lips. "I tried, but I couldn’t. There’s too much to do."
She lowered herself onto the sofa next to Aunt Everin, her eyes softening as she turned to Gloria. A sudden warmth filled the room, a tender beam of light in the midst of the conversation’s heaviness.
"Your mother once saved me from an asshole, and that was when I met your aunt for the first time," Madame Helene said, her smile growing fond with the memory. "She was truly strong, far stronger than most people knew. If it weren’t for the witches, they would both still be here."
The mention of their deaths hit Gloria like a weight, her chest tightening. The thought of her true mother, who she never remembered, being taken from her so brutally was something she could never fully grasp. She didn’t know how to voice the aching emptiness that lingered in her heart. She had lost the mother who had given her life, but in return, the gods had granted her a new mother, one who cherished her and loved her like a rare and precious gem. Yet, still, the mystery of it all stirred something deeper in her.
"Why didn’t the King punish the witches?" Gloria asked, her curiosity pushed despite the sorrow she felt. The question was nonsense, but it needed to be spoken. She was sure he did, but she wanted to hear it. And how! Wishing it was painful enough.
"He did," Aunt Everin replied, her voice grave. "He arrested all the witches, along with anyone who had contact with them. Sunkiath burned them all before the castle gates. Since that day, no one has dared to communicate with those witches again. And people didn’t even know the reason. Because we kept Anarya hidden."
Gloria felt a wave of discomfort wash over her. She had already been nervous about meeting Sunkiath today, but now, hearing this, her worries deepened. The dragon’s power was undeniable, but the thought of being so close to that level of destruction made her uneasy. Would he accept her? She wished he did.