Chapter 19- GOOD RIDDANCE, LYCANTHROPE!

Year 273 AGB

Lycanthrope Kingdom

Alpha's Fortress- Central Region

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In an abandoned home within the forest, a face with a crooked pair of glasses on, peeked out behind a slightly opened wooden door.

After looking left and right, the face withdrew and the door closed back. Then it opened fully and after some seconds closed back again with the sound of the lock turning. Strangely, no one could be seen coming out the door nor operating the door lock.

"Pheww." A deep sigh sounded, followed by a low soft tune being hummed. The voice sounded feminine, accompanied by light footsteps.

"Uhn? These are here already?" The voice stopped humming, addressing a wanted poster pasted on the wall of a stall. The picture was that of an extremely beautiful young woman with golden eyes and golden hair. This young woman was wanted for the murder of one young Lord of a noble family residing in the eastern district of the kingdom - Whispering Woods, and a bounty of one thousand gold coins was attached.

"I see the bounty has increased. This looks bad." The voice said, sighing once again before moving on, humming once more.

"Ouch!" A random person on the street cried out, suddenly turning to slap the person behind him.

"What - why would you slap me?!" The man who had just been slapped, cried.

"Why wouldn't I ? Didn't you just bump hard into me?"

"What? I didn't! I was just behind you minding my business so how could I have bumped into you!"

"You tell me then." The man who had slapped the second huffed, poking his finger at the second man's chest. "Who else is around me to be able to bump into me if not you, uhn? Tell me!"

"Fuck this, I didn't bump into you!" The second man cried, making sure to return his strike of blow which immediately led to a fight.

"Now now, I'm sorry I bumped into you but i didn't intend to cause that." The feminine voice from the beginning said from afar. "Anyways, I'm running late for work. Bye."

At the back of a building, there was nothing in sight except for some wooden barrels lying here and there. A young woman suddenly appeared behind one of the barrels. She had an old scarf tied over her black hair, covering most of it, and a pair of crooked dull glasses rested on the bridge of her nose. There were two ugly moles on her face too that wouldn't make anyone look at her twice.

She made the movement of rolling something even though nothing could be seen in her hands, then she proceeded to go into the inn.

The door of the inn opened.

"Kate! You're five minutes late, again! Do you want to loose this job?!" A furious woman let out as soon as she stepped in. This woman was the owner of the inn and thus, her employer.

The young woman who just came in shook her head in response.

"Then get in here and start washing these dishes! Customers will soon start rushing with orders." The inn owner ordered frustratingly. "Haa, what was I thinking when I employed a mute person in the first place!" The woman said, slapping her forehead before moving out of the kitchen to oversee other workers attending to the customers.

After hours of washing loads of dishes non-stop, the young woman was called on to clear the used dishes from the tables. Carefully, she surveyed the area with her eyes while adjusting the crooked pair of glasses before going to clear the dishes.

While clearing the last dish, her ears caught up an interesting conversation two men who sat two tables away from her, were having. They weren't loud but she managed to catch what they said despite the noise in the inn. Subtly with her back turned to them, she moved closer, reducing the pace at which she cleared the dishes.

"Do portals really exist? You must be drunk," one of the men laughed in disbelief.

"I'm telling you I saw it myself! There were some men guarding it and from what I managed to gather from a friend, there's a place with people living there unaware of our own world! No one has gone through the portal yet as they seem to be waiting for someone and will only enter on order, at dawn." The other man said, wishing he could be believed. "It's just below the twin waterfall. Why won't you believe me?"

"Come, it's time to go back home. You've eaten and drunk enough." The first man said, totally dismissing the words of the second guy.

This was the young woman's clue to return to her post.

Slowly, the day turned into evening and the inn kept bustling with customers whereas, dumb 'Katie' had finished with her shift and was now back at the abandoned house, dressing herself up while tying her little belongings in a cloth. She cleaned her crooked glass and a dull reflection of golden eyes appeared on the lenses.

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Meanwhile, somewhere within the castle, Heidi paced back and forth in her chambers, feeling like a prisoner in her own home. The stone walls seemed to close in on her, suffocating her with every step. She longed for freedom, for the ability to make her own choices and live her own life. But as the werewolf princess, she was bound by duty and tradition.

Her parents, the king whom she had never seen, and the queen whom she had never felt close with, both showed her no love or affection. They only saw her as a tool to secure alliances and strengthen their power.

The arranged marriage to a noble man she had never met was the final straw Heidi couldn't take anymore. She felt like she was losing herself, trapped in a life she didn't want.

As she wandered the castle corridors, Heidi stumbled upon her mother's witch, speaking in hushed tones about a peculiar potion. The witch described it as a useless concoction, only able to transform one into small creatures like butterflies or insects. But to Heidi, it sounded like a lifeline.

Heidi waited until the queen and her witch left before sneaking into the queen's chambers. Upon entering, the room was dimly lit, with only a few candles illuminating the space making Heidi's heart race as she approached the shelf where the potion was kept. She grabbed the vial, her hands trembling with excitement and fear.

With a deep breath, Heidi drank the potion in one swift motion. At first, nothing seemed to happen. But then, a strange sensation washed over her, like her body was dissolving and reassembling itself. She looked down and gasped as her hands transformed into delicate wings, her body shrinking into a tiny, iridescent butterfly.

Heidi was ecstatic. She had done it! She flew out the window, soaring into the night sky as the wind rushed past her, exhilarating and freeing. She felt alive for the first time in years.

As she flew over the rolling hills and dense forests, Heidi spotted a glint of gold in the distance. She winged her way towards it, curiosity getting the better of her. As she landed on the golden object, she realized it was really soft. "Is this, ...hair?" She asked herself, trying to confirm her suspicion but her environment started shaking. She wanted to fly off immediately but everything suddenly went dark and that was the last thing she knew.

"Might as well leave earlier since I couldn't find some coals to darken my hair. Not that it will matter from now on." A voice quietly said. It was the feminine voice from this morning. "Good riddance, Lycanthrope!" The voice sounded again, from the top of a hill with the beautiful view of the central region spread far and wide below.