1. A Pact With The Witch

Triana

The wide smile formed on those charcoal lips. Angular cheeks and a sharp nose and chin elongated her wrinkled face. Her thin white hair was left uncovered by her tattered hat this time, perhaps only to enhance her eerie appearance.

Triana, a bright blonde-haired girl, stood at the side of the cluttered and foul-smelling room. She was the antithesis of the witch across from her. Clad in a beautifully embroidered dress, her slender body exuded the scent of flowers and dried fruits. Her eyes depicted a bright spring sky.

"Eternal beauty, you said?" A putrid chuckle escaped the lips, encasing sharp, rotten teeth.

The shrill voice startled Triana from her focus on the decrepit tiny house. She was certain; even her uncle's chicken coop on the farm was much better than this place.

Interlocking her hands, Triana gave quick nods. "Yes, ma’am. Can you possibly do it?"

"Your question belittles me, young lady. I am even surprised you and your dozens of guards managed to reach my nest! Khe khe khe..." The skinny, hunched witch rose from her creaking chair. "Isn't your arduous journey a testament that I am the greatest witch here?"

"You are correct, ma'am. You are the greatest; That's what my mother said, at least," Triana murmured.

"M’m..." The witch glanced at Triana. She stepped closer and stood right in front of her.

The witch's index finger lifted and touched Triana's chin with its sharp, grimy nail. "What was your name again, darling?"

Holding her breath, the girl swallowed and answered, "Triana. Triana Rexa Galev."

"Oh... such a beautiful name for a beautiful girl!" the witch chuckled as she walked past Triana.

"My husband is Lord Stefanus Galev, the Duke of Karton. He has aided in many wars and is one of the king's favorites." explained an elegant middle-aged woman standing beside Triana.

"Impressive, but... did I ask? Khe khe khe..." the witch replied.

Triana glanced at her mother, who wore the same expression of terror as her own. The witch was truly strange, even more so than the rumors.

"Then, can you grant it to my daughter? We will offer a very satisfying amount of money for you," said Triana's mother. Her name was Catherine Rovenia Galev.

"Money. Money is happiness; That's what you greedy folks always rely on. Even beauty..." The witch turned to Triana, smiling broadly. "...you use it to gain happiness, don't you?"

The witch's words made Triana bite her lower lip. She didn't know if it was a coincidence or what, but she had just realized it.

Being born with mesmerizing beauty made many people admire her, even when she was just a baby. A king immediately made an agreement with Triana's father to marry her to his third prince when she turned 19. Unfortunately, by the time she reached 21, the prince had not returned from his grand mission of conquering the neighboring kingdom.

Triana's mother, siblings, aunts, and even her father told her that she was at her peak. But like a flower, it wouldn't bloom forever. After that, she would wither and fade.

If Triana's beauty faded when the prince returned, he might cancel their marriage because he wasn't satisfied with her appearance anymore. He would seek a younger and prettier girl. When that happened, all of the Galev family's hopes would crumble.

Triana realized that her beauty was the source of the happiness and affection she had received. She didn't want to end up like those who had unattractive appearances and were always sidelined. She wanted to maintain her beauty; her happiness.

"God has blessed me with beauty so that I can be useful to my family. Not only to me, but this beauty is also a source of happiness for those around me. This beauty has a deeper meaning than what you mentioned. Only those who possess it understand." Triana said.

"Sweetheart, you shouldn't have said that to her," Catherine whispered.

Triana furrowed her brow. "That's what father told me. He said that I should take pride in my beauty. And I'm doing that now."

"You should understand the situation, love." Catherine replied, sighing.

Suddenly, laughter made both of them turn with wide eyes.

While wiping the corners of her mouth that were wet with droll, the witch nodded. "You're a brave girl, dear. Your words are true. You've been blessed with such beauty since birth. Of course, you should utilize, maintain, and take pride in it," she said. Then her laughter faded, and she continued, "To honor your beauty, I will grant your wish, but with a condition."

"What's the condition? Whatever the price, we'll pay," Catherine said.

"Ops!" The witch pulled her potion back as Catherine's hand tried to reach the bottle. "The condition is for the beautiful girl. Who wants the eternal beauty here? She must do something for it."

"Oh, does she… really have to?" Catherine asked, half-whispering.

The witch squinted her eyes. She stared at Triana and Catherine in turn. "Does it have to be done, or does it not?"

"I'll do it myself, but please swear that my beauty will truly be eternal," Triana spoke.

"Well... khe khe khe..." The witch smiled broadly. "I'll swear if you swear too, sweetie," she said as she opened the bottle.

"I swear I'll do it myself," Triana said, although there was a thin quiver in her voice.

With the smile still etched on her face, the witch extended her palm to Triana. "Your hand,"

After exchanging a glance with Catherine, Triana placed her smooth hand on the rough and wrinkled palm of the witch.

Turning Triana's hand in her grip, the witch pressed one of her sharp nails into the tip of Triana’s finger.

"Ouch!" Triana bit her lower lip as the nail pierced the soft flesh of her finger.

The witch's pinch on Triana's finger made more blood flow from the wound. Then she directed it towards the mouth of her potion bottle. The blood dripped into it.

A smile returned to the witch's face. She released Triana's hand, then went to her potion shelf and added a drop of dark purple liquid to it until the potion turned a dark green color.

"Your oath is now infused into this potion. If you don't give it to that vampire directly, not only will you fail to have eternal beauty, but you will also be hideous for fifty years."

"What?" Triana and her mother exclaimed.

"Hahaha!" The witch laughed, staring at Triana and Catherine with wide eyes.

"Why would you do that?!" Catherine snapped, while Triana began to cry in her embrace.

The witch shrugged as she walked back to her creaking chair. "Didn't she swear to do it by herself? If you two weren't intending to deceive me..." she smiled broadly, looking at both women alternately, and continued, "... you shouldn't be scared now."