WALPURGIA ✔️

Chapter 18- The Goddess's Gift

  

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 Genevieve must have appointed Whitlock to stay around me constantly, as he was following me everywhere at any time. It was beyond bothersome.

But ever since yesterday morning, after breakfast, they had let me be on my own.

This was the first chance I had I could sneak away from Whitlock and I would fucking use it. I swore on the goddess to and dubbed myself crazy if I hadn't done so.

Sneaking into the library, I decided not to play the good girl for an hour the least. Every day, I had to indulge in magical lessons, hexes, jinxes, curses, potion, herbology, flying, offence, defence. I had enough.

I raised my wand, my distinguishing spell wrapping around my body. "Reveal yourself, book of secrets, holder of the truth", I whispered. If I knew one thing about us de Chauvette's, then it was we kept a book with our recent doings hidden in the house. For family members, when they come around and needed to be updated on our matters secretively.

The book appeared out of thin air, gliding down slowly into my open hands.

The only thing that Genevieve had written down in this book was one sentence only: the room to the furthest on the left holds a gift of the goddess. She must have burned the other one – also a tradition of ours. Once we hold too many secrets we get rid of it.

Well, it was something at least. It might also help me for later on. I shook my wand, making the book go back into its hiding spot.

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The door was the same as the others, but bewitched with a locking spell. I looked over my shoulder again, careful nobody saw me, and touched it out of curiosity.

The door sprung open, silently. I carefully slipped into the empty room, only to find a music box in the middle of it. The only light that filled the room came from a single window right in front of me.

As I touched the box, it opened and a woman started dancing. The loveliest tune started playing. A light scent filled the room, and it made my heart warm up. For once, I felt like home. Safe. Comfortable.

I hummed along, enjoying it thoroughly. The room didn't seem as lonely and cold anymore.

Then the tune started getting slower, gradually scratchy, then died.

Scratching noises sounded heavily as Genevieve entered the room.

A painful expression battled with her stricken voice.

"Who impregnated you?"

"What?", I got onto my feet. She drew her wand out and I did mine, out of reflex.

With an angry shout, it was bewitched out my hands, out of reach.

"Don't tell me you were raped! I beg you, please tell me you weren't raped child!", her eyes shimmered wet.

"I wasn't!", I backed away, feeling the window behind me.

"How are you pregnant then?", she lowered her wand.

"What? I'm not pregnant! I can't be – I ..."
"You didn't sleep with any of my servants. I would have known." Genevieve approached me with a puzzled frown.

"Which must mean it happened before you joined my home." "Before I was forc-", my mouth shut against my will.

"The music box was a gift from the goddess, that you know. It only plays around pregnant woman who are unaware of their child. It should serve as a gift for us de Chauvette's. To notify us if we managed to fulfil our desire of having a child. That saved my eldest. I almost went to America without knowing I was pregnant. The witches there wanted to fight with me. I could have lost him."