Can We Not Be HAPPY once?

XXVI. Forgive, Forget, and Fight for Love: The Story of a Witch Queen

Seungcheol sighed deeply, trapped between the weight of decisions that seemed to multiply with every passing moment. His legs moved restlessly, a physical manifestation of his inner turmoil as he searched for a path, for clarity, or perhaps just for something that made sense in the chaos. His gaze turned to you, your silent sobs echoing through the heavy air, breaking his concentration, yet pulling him closer to the truth that lay between you both.

The vampire rose to his feet, and for a brief, fleeting moment, you froze—an instinctive fear that he was leaving you to face your pain alone. But then he closed the distance, his arms wrapping around you in a protective, reassuring embrace. You gasped in relief, and the dam inside you broke, your sobs wracking your body. He gently cradled you, his fingers smoothing over your head and back, the tenderness of the gesture somehow making your grief feel a little less suffocating.

"I'm sorry!" you cried out, your voice thick with emotion.

Seungcheol pulled you closer, his voice soft but steady. "Why?"

You trembled, fighting to hold onto words that felt like they were slipping through your fingers. "I-I should've told th-this to you earlier... I'm-I'm sorry..."

His hand cupped the back of your head, his lips brushing against your hair in a gesture that spoke of understanding far more than words could express. "It's okay... No one could've said it, baby. It's not something small."

A soft breath escaped you as you clung to him, your body trembling with the weight of everything you hadn’t been able to say. "Th-Thanks for understanding..." you whispered, your head finding refuge in the crook of his neck.

"Don't thank me, love," he murmured, his tone a steady anchor in the storm of emotions swirling around you. "You don't need to feel bad for being something you can't control, yeah? Are all of you witches?"

You nodded slowly, the ache in your chest easing just a little with his soothing words. "Hm..." you whispered, before adding, "We all are."

"How did you all end up here, then?" he asked, his voice quiet, gentle.

You took a shaky breath, the weight of the truth finally spilling from your lips. "O-Our people didn't really like the other girls being named as princesses because only Dahyun and Yeri are princesses, being from royal blood—since being named as princess or any member of the royal family automatically makes you stronger, providing you more powers. Witches actually have a queen... it's a queendom, not a kingdom. And eomma didn't want to give up on any of us... she loved all of us equally. She was the queen, and hearing people protest, she sent us here along with our brothers. Maz was always our guardian. So..."

Seungcheol nodded, his eyes reflecting the weight of your words. 'Oh... So that’s the matter…' he thought, the realization dawning on him as he absorbed the complexities of your world.

"Oh..." Seungcheol breathed out, wiping away the last of your tears. "And right now? Who's ruling the place?"

"Me..." you answered softly.

"WHAAA—" Seungcheol's hands shot to his head, his eyes wide in shock. You couldn’t help but laugh at his flabbergasted expression; he was completely stunned. "Baby—" he stammered, cupping your cheeks as if trying to make sense of it all. "So... so... you're the witch queen?!" His voice dropped to a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might make it unreal.

"Umhm... I am," you nodded, meeting his gaze.

His eyes widened even further, if that was even possible. His hand flew to his mouth.

"God damn..." he whispered, then nearly yelled, his voice bouncing off the walls, "You mean I have the witch queen herself? Gahdamn!" You couldn’t help but chuckle at his over-the-top reaction. It was so unlike anything you'd expected, but it felt right. The shock and awe, yes, but his next words were full of admiration.