The Devil's Cursed Witch novel Chapter 6

High Elder Leeora could only shake her head at the departure of the King. The old lady took efforts to kneel next to the bed and look at the human girl who was hiding under the wooden frame. The girl had a small slender body that made her look as if she had been leading an extremely poor life since young. After Draven had left the guest room, the human girl had a less hostile reaction, but from her stiff body, it looked like she remained wary of the new person studying at her.

She was lying on her sides, curled into a ball under the bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, her delicate legs covered by a long white dress and her face buried in her arms. The rest of her small face was hidden by her long mahogany hair.

“Young lady, would you like to come out? I am sure it’s very uncomfortable under the bed,” Leeora said as she offered her hand to her. Her voice was soft and her tone gentle as she tried to coax the human girl. “I know you must be scared to find yourself in an unfamiliar place, but trust me, you are safe here.”

Still, there was no reply from her. Leeora was a patient woman so she didn’t mind the lack of reaction. On the contrary, she was relieved that she didn’t get bitten like Draven.

“Hmm,” she pondered for a while. “Would you like to see magic, young lady?”

The word ‘magic’ did wonder. The human girl lifted her head a little, just enough to take a peek at the elf from the safety of her arms.

Leeora smiled lightly. ‘She seems to have calmed down.’

The elf slightly pulled back the hand she put under the bed. Afterwards, she made a snatching gesture in the air and her hands emitted mild rays of light which turned into tiny images of silver butterflies which flew like real living creatures across the room.

She heard a very soft gasp of awe coming from the human girl under the bed.

“If you come out, you can see them better,” Leeroa said in a kind voice as she offered that girl her hand once more.

The elf only had to wait for several seconds this time. A delicate hand covered in bandages was placed in Leeora’s warm and wrinkly hand. Slowly, hesitantly, the human girl came out from under the bed and stood up with the help of Leeora.

The moment the human girl straightened herself, the elf realized that the human was taller than what she imagined. It made Leeora torn between deciding if she was a tall young girl or a small young woman.

In contrast to the elf’s confused face, the human had a look of wonder as she raised her head to follow those silver butterflies lively flying around the room.

Under the soft glow of the silver butterflies, Leeora could clearly see the fine facial features of the human girl holding hands with her. A fair delicate skin, an adorably tiny nose, lips like the petals of a rose and large almond-shaped eyes that reminded the elf of the fresh colour of spring.

‘What a beautiful child,’ the old elf exclaimed in appreciation, ‘but…what kind of beast dared hurt her so?’

The human girl’s face had tiny bruises on it, and the bits of skin seen under her dress had many scars and scratches on them. She was incredibly skinny, as if she hadn’t had a decent meal for years, making her look smaller and frailer than her actual age. The long white dress was loose on her thin body, and though the length of the dress fit her height, the collar and sleeves hung limply around her thin shoulders.