The Witch Didn't Raise the Tyrant That Way - Chapter 1: This is How I Raised Him (7)

“Y-yeah…!”

It didn’t make complete sense since books were the most expensive of the lot, but… as we left the bookstore, I caught the bookstore owner giving me a strange look, likely thinking the same thing.

Then, whoosh.

As we stepped into the alleyway, something flew toward me. With a sharp cracking sound, something hit my forehead, and a sticky liquid dripped down.

‘…Ah, great.’

I wiped my forehead with my sleeve, only to find that it was a raw egg. Judging by the foul smell, it was rotten.

“Hey! Witch!”

“There’s no spellbooks here!”

“How dare you strut around in broad daylight without shame!”

Damn it… Spotting my mortified expression, a group of delinquent teens got excited and started throwing things one after another. Potatoes, tomatoes, eggs…

‘If you’re going to throw stuff, at least throw something that’s not rotten.’

I spread my robe wide to shield Kyle and hurried to move in the opposite direction of the kids.

“Hurry up.”

“…”

“To the end of the alley. Quickly. Don’t pay them any attention.”

Kyle was visibly shaken, and I could feel his trembling shoulders beneath the arm I had wrapped around him. “Run away, you filthy witch!” Their shouts echoed from behind, but perhaps they thought I might actually curse them if they got too close, so they didn’t follow.

The barrage of rotten eggs and tomatoes gradually faded.

“Phew.”

At the end of the rather long alley, I rounded a corner and finally felt relieved. “Yeah, get out of here! Don’t ever come back!” The triumphant cheers of the delinquents rang out behind me, but I didn’t care.

Ugh, so tiresome. I thought I could get through today without dealing with this kind of nonsense.

‘I’ll just grab the supplies from the general store and stay holed up for a month.’

If I made arrangements with the store, they might deliver things like milk and eggs regularly, so it could work out. Resolving to do that, I nudged Kyle to head toward the general store.

But just as I started to move, Kyle clung tightly to the hem of my skirt.

“…Are you okay?”

“What?”

“…”

Kyle’s trembling gaze met mine. Even though I had used a potion to make his eyes look like a normal brown, for a moment, they shimmered as if reflecting the sunset on water, glowing faintly with a crimson hue.

He was worried about me. The realization hit me, and my throat tightened.

Kyle was a child I was supposed to protect. I had to keep my distance emotionally so I wouldn’t grow attached, but no matter what, this pitiable prince was someone I needed to raise with care until he became an adult. And yet, this small, powerless child was worried that I might be hurt.

‘It’s like a mouse worrying about a cat…’

Looking into those innocent, earnest eyes filled with concern, the day’s events threatened to overwhelm me with emotions. I forced myself to harden my expression and spoke sternly.

“Hey, didn’t you see me back at the fabric shop?”

“Huh?”

“I timed it perfectly, slapped down a gold coin, and the guy couldn’t even argue. Same at the bookstore, right?”

“Huh…?”

“When I told the lady exactly what book you wanted, she just agreed right away, didn’t she? Isn’t that right?”

“Uh… I guess.”

Kyle tilted his head, as if wondering what that had to do with anything.

“I’m the type of person who gets things done. I only avoided those idiots back there because it wasn’t worth wasting my breath on them.”

“Really…?”

“Yes.”

Kyle’s lips pursed as he nodded slightly, seeming to accept it.

‘Hmm…’

But I couldn’t let Kyle think it was okay to just avoid unfair treatment whenever he saw me do it. That wasn’t the lesson I wanted to leave him with.

“Kyle.”

I crouched down to meet Kyle’s eyes.

“My hands are my life. Do you know how delicately I have to move them when making medicine? With people like that, words don’t work. You have to fight back, but I didn’t want to resort to that.”

“Fight back…?” Kyle tilted his head, looking skeptical, as if he couldn’t quite believe it.

“But you’re different. If those kinds of kids mess with you in the future, thinking you’re easy to push around, you bite back first.”

“Bite… back?”

“Whether it’s glaring at them and yelling or throwing the first punch—strike first.”

Kyle listened intently, hardly even blinking as I spoke.

“The most important thing in any situation is establishing dominance. Instead of wasting time explaining yourself or waiting, act first and let others catch up and figure it out on their own.”

“Like how you put the potion in your eyes earlier?”

Kyle stared at me directly as he said that. My own eyes, which I had treated with the same potion as Kyle’s earlier, would still appear brown, just like his.

“Well, something like that.”

“…Got it.”

Kyle nodded with a surprisingly determined expression.

“Then let’s get moving. We need to drop off the delivery requests at the general store, buy milk and eggs, and head home.”

“Y-yeah…!”

* * *

A few days later.

“Lilliiiii!”

It was after lunch, and I was outside in the yard. I had tasked Kyle with carefully laying out freshly picked herbs to dry in the shade while I inspected the herb garden and jotted notes in my journal. That’s when I heard a familiar voice calling out from afar.

“How have you been? Open the door!”

“Welcome! You’ve had a tough trip. Want some water?”

“That’d be great, thanks.”

The person pulling the cart was Max, the son of the general store owner. He was about my age and had come to deliver the things I’d purchased on my last trip to the marketplace. After my first trip to town, where I bought a ton of supplies to avoid frequent visits, the general store took the initiative to offer regular deliveries, and that’s how I ended up getting to know Max.

By now, he had visited my home a few times and was comfortable enough to navigate his cart around the herb garden and unload the goods in front of the porch. He placed down several items: fabric for making clothes for Kyle, books Kyle had picked out, and a box containing milk, eggs, cheese, and a chunk of smoked ham.

“My dad said you had a rough time when you came to town last time. Those kids can be a bit too mischievous…”

“Mischievous? If they tried those antics twice, someone’s skull would end up cracked.”

“…Sorry.”

“What’s there for you to be sorry about? It’s just the way things are.”

According to Lillithea’s memories, persecuting witches wasn’t unique to this village. It happened everywhere. And it wasn’t like I could forget that Lillithea’s mother had met a terrible end…

I shrugged off the unpleasant memories, and Max awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

Max was one of the few people in the village who treated me kindly. Even though Lillithea had kept to herself since moving to the forest, and Max had only seen me a few times after I started going to the marketplace, he was always friendly. Maybe he felt sorry for me, living alone at my age.

“So, who’s that?”

“Ah.”

Following Max’s gaze, I turned around and saw Kyle standing nearby. He had obediently brought a glass of water as I’d asked. His potion-altered brown eyes were fixed on Max, staring intently.

“Oh, uh, a cousin.”

Even as I took the glass from Kyle, his eyes didn’t leave Max. His expression was mostly blank, but the slight furrow of his brows suggested that his loosened guard had snapped back into place at the appearance of a stranger. I ruffled Kyle’s hair reassuringly and handed the glass to Max.

“My mom’s relative passed away. They said it’d be better for him to be with family than in an orphanage, so someone tracked me down and brought him here.”

“Whoa… For a second, I thought you’d gone full witch and started keeping a slave.”

“Watch it. Or I’ll turn you into one.”

“Oh, scary. If I became your slave, who’d bring your shopping all the way out here?”

“You, obviously.”

Max burst into hearty laughter as he handed back the empty glass. I felt a slight tension in Kyle’s grip on my skirt, as if he’d clenched it tighter.

“So how long’s he staying here?”

“Hmm… until he has somewhere to go, I guess.”

Of course, Kyle’s destination was technically decided, but he wasn’t ready to return to the palace, so I gave a vague answer.

“That sounds like a hassle for you.”

“It can’t be helped.”

“Hey, kid. Don’t give your sister too much trouble, okay? Or better yet, convince her to snag herself a decent guy from town, settle down, and live in the village. If not, you’ll have to say goodbye to her eventually.”

“You really don’t hold back, do you?”

“Well, it’s not like he’s growing up anytime soon, so I guess it’s fine for now, huh?”

Max’s carefree comment made me shrug. He probably meant that an adult man couldn’t live with a witch, but it didn’t matter since Kyle would eventually leave for the royal palace. His words didn’t apply to us.

“Then I’ll see you again in ten days.”

“Sure thing, just eggs and a bottle of milk, right?”

“Yep. If we need anything else, I might send him to town on his own. Be nice to him if you see him.”

“I’ll let my parents know. They were curious about you showing up with a kid last time, wondering what’s going on.”

“Alright. Take care on your way back.”

“See you later.”

As Max pulled his now-empty cart away from our house, I waved him off, then closed and latched the gate. When I turned back toward the yard, I saw Kyle still clinging tightly to the hem of my skirt as if he hadn’t moved the entire time.

What would Mrs. Ivy say if she saw this…!

I tried to pry his hand off, telling him to get back to the task I’d given him, but then I noticed his darkened expression. His pale forehead was creased with fine wrinkles, and his lips, slightly pouted, looked as uneven as a walnut. His eyes even seemed on the verge of tears.

“What’s wrong?”

“My stomach hurts.”

“Your stomach?”

“…”

Did he get indigestion? It had been a while since we’d eaten lunch.

Unable to push down my rising worry, I crouched and slipped my hand under Kyle’s shirt to rub his stomach. It felt a little cold.

“Does it hurt here? Or here?”

“I don’t know… My head hurts a little too.”

“What about here? Does it hurt when I press?”

“Ugh, a little.”

When I massaged the spot between his thumb and forefinger, stained faintly green from handling herbs, his brow furrowed even deeper. Oh no, his stomach really didn’t seem to be doing well.

“Let’s head inside for now.”

I boiled water to make him some herbal tea and fetched peppermint oil. Gently, I applied it to his temples, massaging the area. The cool, minty scent was invigorating, even clearing my own sinuses. Kyle’s slightly drooping mouth turned up faintly, showing the remedy’s effects.

Once the water boiled, I prepared a herbal tea blend to settle his stomach and gave him a hot water bottle to place on his abdomen. Meanwhile, I continued massaging his hands.

“Feeling better now?”

“…Yeah.”

After a little while, Kyle’s complexion visibly improved. His once-cold stomach felt warm to the touch again. Seeing he was better, I closed the cap on the peppermint oil, but Kyle suddenly asked quietly,

“…Who was that?”

“Hmm? Who?”

“…”

“Oh, Max?”

Come to think of it, I’d been so busy making up a story for Max about Kyle that I hadn’t explained things to Kyle himself. While tidying up the empty tea cup and the tray of dried herbs, I replied.

“The general store owner’s son.”

“Are you close?”

“Me? With him? Hardly. If that counts as close, he’s probably close with everyone in the world.”

Max was so naturally friendly despite us barely knowing each other. The image of him chatting easily with Mrs. Ivy popped into my mind, and I chuckled. Out of everyone I’d met since coming here, Max had the least prejudice against witches.

Kyle’s gaze stayed glued to my face, as if he were trying to determine whether I was telling the truth.

“Are you… going to get a slave?”

“What?”

“You said something like that earlier.”

Oh, was he talking about the joke I’d made with Max?

“Why would I need a slave when I have you?”