The Change in Gabella 5

Translator: Cinder Translations

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"Ahhhhh!" 

Four royal guards charged at Lady Kolrich, the white-haired courtier, shouting fiercely as they gripped their swords tightly with both hands, mustering all their strength.

As well-trained elite guards, they reacted swiftly upon hearing that their foe was a witch, leaving no room for shock. According to legend, witches needed time to cast spells, so they decided to give her none.

"Fools! Do you think I would come in here without preparation?" Lady Kolrich sneered, moving her hands forward in a swift, intricate motion.

Just as the guards' swords were about to reach her, a crystalline shield formed in front of her, translucent and radiant. A closer look revealed that this shield was made of ice.

The swords pierced the ice slightly, scattering small shards, but no more. The guards drew their swords back and struck again with all their might, but each attempt yielded only a few more splinters.

Meanwhile, an intense chill pervaded the enclosed space, and Prince Felix couldn't help but shiver, unsure if it was from fear or the cold. 

The woman before him—the one he once saw as beautiful and graceful—now felt like a distant memory. The court lady Felix had cherished was gone, replaced by a figure as cold as the depths of winter.

"Mortals!" she hissed.

Felix heard sickening sounds, and the guards before him suddenly collapsed. Looking down, he saw ice spikes lodged in each guard's abdomen, piercing their protective armor and spilling blood that stained the ground.

"Your Highness… run… now!" one guard gasped with his final breath.

Felix wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't obey. He looked up at the witch who had so effortlessly dispatched his guards, his eyes meeting hers, and it felt as if his heart had been gripped and twisted. He sank to his knees, his legs soaked in blood.

"K-Kolrich…" he stammered, "How… how can you be a witch?"

The witch didn't rush to kill him, instead answering coldly, "Your Highness, there's nothing extraordinary about it. I was born a witch, born as something people like you despise."

"Despise?"

Momentarily regaining some courage, Felix's lips stopped trembling.

"No, how could I despise you? Oh, my Kolrich, you are beautiful, graceful, and… powerful. How could I despise you? It's impossible. I cherish you!"

"Kolrich!" he pleaded. "Let me go, please! I will repay your kindness… You're strong. Together, we could seize the crown! As emperor, I could give you everything you desire—power, status, wealth. People would revere you and vie for your favor. You would be my queen."

The witch's lips curled into a faint, mocking smile. She stepped over the corpses of the guards and stopped in front of Felix, unfazed by the blood.

"Poor Felix," she sneered. "Even now, you're still dreaming. Do you know how repulsive I found every moment I spent with you?"

"No! Kolrich!" Felix reached out to grasp her leg, but she kicked him back, her boot striking his face.

Felix began sobbing, "Have you forgotten the times we shared, even as friends?"

"Friends?" she scoffed. "If not for Prince Antonio's command, I would've pierced your heart long ago."

A sharp icicle appeared in her hand, seemingly poised to strike his heart.

"Antonio?" The mention of his brother's name ignited a surge of anger that overcame Felix's terror.

Seeing Kolrich's face soften ever so slightly at the mention of Antonio, a fire of jealousy and bitterness blazed in Felix's chest.

"Why, Kolrich? What does Antonio have that I don't?" he demanded, disregarding the fact that she could easily kill him.

Kolrich paused, then replied calmly, "My heart belongs to him."

"No! No! No!" Felix screamed, his emotions unraveling as he stomped around the room, nearly hysterical. 

"Tell me this is just a cruel trick, that it's all an illusion conjured by your magic, and I'll forgive you—please!" He was sobbing uncontrollably now.

"It's enough!" she snapped.

The witch began chanting, and in seconds, a patch of ice formed on Felix's abdomen, growing rapidly. With a loud crack, a massive block of ice fell to the ground in a vaguely human shape.

"Thank Prince Antonio," she said, her cold gaze fixed on the frozen figure. "He ordered that I spare your life." 

(End of the Chapter)

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