WITCH - The Queen

Chapter 53

Lea

Benjamin and Chloe sat in front of her with petrified faces. Shortly after their arrival at the academy, employees complained about the two. Benjamin was freaked out when he was blamed for laziness. Chloe defended her brother. Neither was welcome.

Lea looked at them sighing. "And you really don't want to tell me what happened from your point of view?"

Benjamin just shook his head.

"No. They were unfair. There's nothing more to say!", hissed Chloe, still upset.

Lea rubbed her forehead. "What do you think about us returning to my estate for the weekend? Maybe a little break will do you good. We leave tomorrow afternoon. And tomorrow morning, I won't send you to the laundry."

Chloe nodded. She seemed relieved. But Benjamin hardly moved. The two siblings held hands like little frightened children. The staff said that instead of working, Benjamin had stared in front of him. And that was unacceptable. The fact that Chloe loudly contradicted them was also poorly received. The staff urged that the two be punished for their bad behavior. Something Lea didn't approve of.

Lea didn't want to send them to work in the morning, but the teenagers insisted. They did not want the other servants to treat them badly out of jealousy. So Lea let them go.

She shouldn't have sent them to work.

Shay also liked the idea of returning to the property over the weekend. And so, the matter was decided. Instead of punishing the children, she took them to safety. Maybe then they would tell her what had happened?

In the evening, Lea went for a walk around the school grounds. The fresh air did her good and helped her to clear her head. She was worried about her two charges.

Dense clouds covered the starry sky. The air smelled of autumn, and the first leaves fell from the trees. Voices could be heard. Curious, she followed them. Two students stood at the wall. Well hidden by tall bushes. Lea wanted to talk to them, but then, she saw how an entrance to a tunnel under the wall opened. The students disappeared into it.

So, that was the escape route from the school grounds. Lea hurried to the tunnel and entered it. Just in time, before the gate closed behind her. An illusion spell and a tunnel under the wall protected by magic. Of course. This allowed the students to bypass the protective spells.

Julia

Everyone was already asleep, but Julia and Leopold were still awake. They snuggled up to each other. Julia's head rested on Leopold's chest, and they talked quietly so as not to wake the others. Josefine had again taken the form of a black cat and slept contentedly on Leopold and under Julia's arm.

"Do you want to be queen?" Leopold asked her quietly. "For the last three years, the topic has been so distant. But now?"

Julia didn't know what to answer. "Maybe?"

"Maybe?" Leopold grinned tiredly. "And if you are MAYBE queen, am I king?"

"If that's what you want?" Julia yawned.

"I want to be with you", he said truthfully. "That's all I want."

"You don't have to be king to be with me. It's enough for me if you are by my side."

"Good!" He stroked her hair. "Juli? I like to hold a sword in my hands. For the first time, I really felt like I wasn't a slave. I thought I would already feel free, but when I held this sword and your sister showed me how to handle it..."

"I understand. It's good that you like it. That it makes you feel better. But I still don't like it. I don't like swords."

"I think Marko loves his sword!" Leopold laughed softly. "For a moment, I thought he wanted to kiss it!"

Julia pouted. "That's right. And Cleo called him a true talent. Peter, on the other hand..."

"Your brother refused to touch a sword in the first place!"

Peter looked in disgust at the sword Cleo held out to him.

"No, thank you. Who knows what's stuck on it? Old blood. Germs!", he grumbled. Finally, Fiete took the sword and sniffed it. And that only made the situation worse. Although the sword looked clean, it clearly smelled of old blood. And Peter started a real uprising. He wouldn't touch something so disgusting.

"Leo?" Julia ran her hand over the fabric of his clothes. "Do you think the dragons let us cross the mountains?"

"I hope so. How else are we supposed to get to the harpies? Swimming?"

"Hm... I hope they let us enter the mountains. For Josef too. He deserves to see his mother's homeland." Julia pressed a kiss on the little cat's fur. Josef purred in his sleep.

(c: sasi)