Two-Faced Princess

nd they’d noticed Uriel, all three of them had sunk to their knees and begun begging for their lives.
An outsider looking in might have thought that Apollonia’s group were the bandits, and they the victims.

––––––– chapter division here

The old woman’s long braid snaked through the air as she carried three bottles of an unknown beverage over to Apollonia, Sid, and Uriel.
Apollonia had watched the earlier raids, and she recognized this old woman as the elderly masked woman who’d led the raid, and even been so bold as to bravely smack Sid in the back of the head.

Uriel was feeling impatient at the woman’s slow pace.
He yanked her collar and pushed her forward.

“For now, since you’ve come a long way,” Tanya interjected, “please take a seat and relax.
Have a drink! I didn’t realize you were the precious people from earlier…”

She handed the bottles to Sid, who looked puzzled.
He seemed like he wanted to say something.

“Grandma, brothers, these people are our guests.
They promised they wouldn’t burn me as long as I guide them to Mt.
Calt.
They’re the ones who gave me enough money to buy us food and clothes.
They’ll give us another reward later, too.”

“Is that true?” Her family members glanced at each other in surprise.
Sid nodded, smiling, and all four of them beamed.

“Oh, my god! Why didn’t you tell us that sooner?”

“I knew it! Just as expected, you’re quite the influential man, aren’t you.
A swordsman like you doesn’t just appear out of nowhere.”

“Aiya… then you should put that down.
I’ll serve you another meal.” The old woman snatched Sid’s bottle out of his hands.

“No, you gave it to us.
We should at least try it – it looks delicious! What’s the name of this drink?” Apollonia said cheerfully, trying to ease the tension in the room.

But the old woman ignored Apollonia, and smacked her arm.
Apollonia jumped in surprise, and dropped the bottle.
The woman kicked it away and glanced guiltily towards Sid and Uriel.

“…!” Sid and Uriel had a simultaneous realization.
Uriel, the bottle poised to drink at his lips,  jerked and threw the bottle across the room.
The old woman picked up the bottles of the transparent liquid from the ground and put them on a shelf.

“Yes.
Those…”

The Bellas.
The reason people called them witches and avoided them… wasn’t just because of their unique appearance.

“…Are poison.”

They were masters of poison and sorcery.