The Devil's Cursed Witch novel Chapter 77

When Erlos led her to the centre of the hall, everyone who had never seen her observed her.

Thin, small and ugly—those were the words everyone agreed upon laying eyes on her. Her body was so thin it could be seen she led a harsh life, and it was probably also due to that same reason her growth was stunted, making her body’s frame tiny in comparison to an average human. This point was further emphasized by her loose elf dress.

The majority of her skin was still covered in bandages, but those exposed had visible burn scars on them. Perhaps the only redeeming point she had was that her hair was the rich colour of mahogany.

The council members frowned at the presence of the human but her presence was needed.

‘She sure is ugly. Was she tortured before coming here?’

‘Well, humans are ugly creatures so we can’t expect them to look like us fairies.’

‘This particular human is not someone pleasing to look at. She must have suffered a lot. Now I kind of understand Elder Leeora’s worry.’

‘Since she suffered outside, she’s lucky she’s given a chance to enter Agartha. She should be satisfied to be allowed to stay in the human villages. At least there, she would not lack food.’

Erlos stopped at the centre of the hall and told her, “Stay here,” before walking away to stand by the King’s side.

She stood there nervously with her head lowered, not daring to look at Draven who was sitting on the throne in front of her. She could feel all the strange gazes at her as if she was some kind of rare wild animal.

However, the gaze that scared her the most was that pair of red eyes in front of her. Anxiously, she started to fiddle with her fingers, scratching the skin of her fingers with the nail of her thumb.

Draven simply looked at her, his eyes carrying no particular emotion even though he could see clearly how her body was trembling in fear.

“Human girl, what is your name?” Halifax asked, his aged voice gentle as he looked at the girl standing in the centre of the hall.

She gulped and answered, “E-Ember.”

“Do you have a family name?” he asked again.

Ember simply shook her head. “I don’t have any.”

The council members looked at each other.

“She’s not a noble, but a commoner.”

“What if she’s not even a commoner but truly a slave? Won’t that mean she has a master? What if she’s a spy?”

“She’s but a young girl though?”

Halifax turned his attention to the King. “Your Majesty, given the poor state of the girl, I believe it will be best to let her stay among her kind, and I will make sure that she will be put under the care of a good human family. She must have suffered a lot, but there is no need for us to keep her with the elves.”

“We shall immediately send her away. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

Draven didn’t answer as he simply stared at Ember. The council members once again exchanged glances while those who knew Ember wished for the King to make the best decision for her.

Seeing how that heavy silence caused the girl to tremble, Halifax let out a sigh. The members of the council cared for their people, but though they have a bias against humans, they weren’t cruel beings.

“Do you have anything to say, human?” the oldest of the elves asked.

Ember let out a whimper. “P-Please…let me stay…I-I promise to be good…”

‘That is not possible,’ the leaders wanted to say, but looking at her pitiful state, another heavy silence descended within the hall, this time more uncomfortable than the last.

“How about we decide after we keep her on the brink of life and death?” Draven spoke, finally breaking the tension among the council members. “If she survives, then she can stay and if she dies, her useless body can be thrown for the wild animals to feed on.”

The entire hall was filled with whispers as they talked among themselves, confused by what their king was aiming for. Leeora and Cornelia felt puzzled while there was a sudden glimmer of brightness in Morpheus’ eyes. However, he didn’t show anything on his face.

“What do you mean, Your Majesty?” Halifax asked on behalf of everyone.

“To leave her to die where even me and my powers cannot save her,” Draven responded. “If she survives then we will consider her like us and let her continue her stay with Leeora.”

Leeora then realized the King’s intention and decided to intercede, “Elder Halifax and the rest of the council, in fact, Ember is not an ordinary human. That is the reason why His Majesty wants to keep her with me, and because of her uniqueness, the humans will have a hard time accepting her for she’s more similar to our kind than the humans.”

The members of the council were puzzled.

Everyone looked at her while she was busy with her thoughts. _{freewёbn૦νeɭ.com}