"Lemon...are you still awake?" Elizabeth whispered, her voice barely audible as she stared at the ceiling.
"Yeah..." Celestia whispered back, mimicking Elizabeth, her gaze fixed on the ceiling, and even counted all the titles: 1,786!
"Can I ask you something? When you made the tea, did you happen to add anything special?" Elizabeth questioned, alluding to her concern about why they were still wide awake despite the late hour.
Celestia mentally retraced her steps to recall the ingredients she used. "No, not really. Well, except for those dark beans Mama sometimes uses," she answered, a faint recollection surfacing.
"By any chance...do you remember the name of those dark beans?" Elizabeth asked, though she guessed she already knew the answer.
"It was...um...caf...can...coffee!" Celestia responded, and Elizabeth's guess was confirmed. "Oh...did I do something bad again? Mama always says they're tasty, so I thought they'd improve the tea. I'm sorry—"
"No, no need for apologies," Elizabeth interjected, her tone quiet and reassuring before Celestia could shed a tear. "It's just that you don't add coffee to something so late at night. It tends to keep you awake," she explained, sitting up and offering Celestia a reassuring pat on the head. "It's more suited for morning drinks and definitely not for someone as young as you, so stay away from it, alright!"
Celestia nodded, and while Elizabeth had cleared her mind enough to drift off to sleep, the caffeine in Celestia's tea hindered her ability to actually fall asleep. She didn't blame Celestia—it's an honest mistake—she was just relieved it wasn't anything more bizarre like the spice Celestia told her she added to the Duke's drink. And as she thought that, Celestia also sat up, shifting Sir Bearington from the pillow to her lap.
"What's the little guy's name again, Lemon?" Elizabeth asked, now that they were both wide awake.
"Sir Bearington!" Celestia proudly declared, holding up the adorable teddy bear with a purple bow tie and brown fur for Elizabeth to see. "He's my first and most loyal knight! Papa appointed him to me when I was just a baby. He's bravely stood guard against many of my nightmares. So when Nana warned they would visit you tonight, he quickly volunteered to come and guard you alongside me! You can count on him!"
Celestia made Sir Bearington bow while extending his plush paw for Elizabeth to grab, and when she did, she executed a little bow of her own.
"Well, thank you very much, Sir Bearington," Elizabeth said, playing along with Celestia and enjoying the innocent joy of the moment. But Elizabeth's mind couldn't sit still. "This, Nana, who is she?" she asked, her curiosity piqued by Celestia's continued mention of her.
"Nana...she's like a grandma but doesn't look like one. And...she's The Witch!" Celestia declared with wide-eyed awe and a feverish smile.
"A...witch?" Elizabeth couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle at the unexpected twist, her mind conjuring images from the pages of fairy tales. But when Celestia's expression soured, she quickly stopped.
"No, The Witch!" Celestia clarified, her voice raised with anger. "It's one of the highest titles a mage could achieve in the past! Only one person can bear the title! And only if they possess incredible powers! And Nana has the most incredible power of all—she can see into the future!"
"Oh...I'm so sorry, Lemon. I didn't mean to laugh or upset you," Elizabeth apologized sincerely, her tone gentle and apologetic. "I'm still learning about all these things here. For me...witches are characters from a storybook, so I thought you were joking. I didn't know it was a title someone could attain."
YOU ARE READING
The Duke's Secrets
FantasyFor a decade, the Northern Dukedom of Blakemore has endured the iron-fisted rule of Duke Dominic Samael Blakemore, a ruthless ruler who conceals his face behind a menacing horned mask. Those who have seen him described him as a towering and slender...
