Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

It was still dark.

Wayne stood by the well, brushing his teeth, a mouthful of water gurgling in his mouth. A morning breeze blew in from the other end of the yard, carrying the aroma of freshly baked bread from the kitchen.

The panel popped up.

[Wilford Residence - Last Night - Follow-up to the Conversation]

[Wilford's conversation with Celine goes deeper than it appears. His talk of "maintaining good relations" wasn't just polite talk; it was a carefully considered arrangement. He owed you a huge favor, one he couldn't repay. Since he couldn't repay it, he decided to find another way. In his eyes, having his wife maintain those relations wasn't a sacrifice, but an investment.]

[Note: When Wilford was young, he attended a masked exchange hosted by Charman. The theme of that exchange was "Marriage and Exploration Outside of Marriage." Charman's ideas were considered radical in Wiggins' Kingdom; he believed that marriage should not be a constraint, and that both spouses had the right to seek solace outside of marriage. Wilford thought this view was absurd at the time. But people change, especially after twenty years of being worn down by life.]

[Note 2: Wilford can't remember Charman anymore, but Charman's ideas are ingrained in his mind. He feels he understands now, understands perfectly. He's even a little excited, looking forward to what might happen between Celine and you. This anticipation excites him.]

[Note 3: Wilford opened the door to a new world.]

The water in Wayne's mouth paused for a moment.

Charman.

Mask exchange event.

Exploration outside of marriage.

Wayne thought he knew Charman very well.

Now he realizes that he was still too one-sided.

I never expected there would be a story about Charman here.

What kind of person was Charman?

Wayne began to get a little curious about his story.

He scooped up a ladle of water and continued brushing his teeth.

Footsteps echoed down the corridor.

It was very light and moist.

Ella walked over from the bathroom, her hair wet and loose, with a few stray strands clinging to her cheeks. She was wearing a light-colored loungewear set, the collar buttoned up neatly, but the top button was undone, revealing a small section of her collarbone.

Her skin turned a pale pink from being steamed in hot water.

She walked up to Wayne and stopped.

"Owner."

The sound was softer than usual.

Wayne spat out the water in his mouth and smiled slightly.

"Are you done washing?"

"Um."

Ella kept her head down, a slight smile playing on her lips, her fingers fidgeting inside her sleeve. Her gaze shifted from the ground to Wayne's face, lingered for a moment, then quickly looked away.

"I... accidentally got my hair dirty."

Wayne looked at her.

"Okay, I'll wash up."

Ella's ears turned red.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

Wayne reached out and tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

Ella's body trembled slightly.

"Owner……"

"Um."

"I……"

She couldn't continue.

Wayne withdrew his hand.

"Okay, let's get ready for breakfast."

"it is good."

At the same time, Emma came out of the room.

Her hair was still messy, with a single stray hair sticking up from the top of her head and swaying in the morning breeze. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"elder sister?"

Ella's body stiffened for a moment.

"Why did you take a shower again?" Emma walked up to her, tilting her head to look at her. "Didn't you just shower yesterday? Why did you shower again?"

Ella's ears turned red.

My hair was a little dirty this morning.

"Get dirty?" Emma's gaze fell on her head; her wet hair was still dripping, with a few strands clinging to her cheeks. "You only slept one night, how could you be dirty?"

Ella opened her mouth.

"That...is..."

She didn't know what to say.

Emma stared at her for a couple of moments, her pale red eyes darting around before she glanced at Wayne standing beside her. Wayne was washing his face with a towel, his expression calm as if he hadn't heard a thing.

"Sister." Emma's voice suddenly dropped a half-degree.

"Are you...?"

"No!" Ella's voice rose half an octave, then quickly fell back down. "No, don't overthink it."

"I didn't say what it was," Emma said, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Why are you so nervous?"

Ella's face turned red from her ears to her neck.

"I...I'm not nervous."

"You're blushing."

"Not popular."

"It's become famous."

"Not popular."

Emma stepped forward half a step, almost touching Ella's face.

"Sister, you smell so good. It's not just the scent of soap, it's the scent of our master too..." She sniffed, "Did you also sleep while hugging our master?"

Ella took half a step back.

"Is there something wrong with your nose...?"

"My nose is perfectly fine." Emma put her hands on her hips, looked up at Ella, and said, "Sister, tell me honestly, did you do something while I was sleeping?"

Ella's fingers gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.

"no."

"Really not?"

"Really, no."

Emma stared at her for a while, then let out an "Oh," drawing out the last syllable. She turned around, walked up to Wayne, and looked up at him.

"Owner."

"Um."

"Did your sister hold you while you slept?"

Wayne put down his water glass.

"Probably not."

"Then why did she take a shower so early in the morning? Why does she smell like you? Why is her face as red as a boiled shrimp?"

Wayne looked at her.

"Then it must be there..."

"I knew it," Emma pouted. "Why are you all being so secretive again, always making me guess?"

She paused.

"Besides, I'm not a child anymore."

Wayne reached out and ruffled her hair.

"Okay, okay, go wash your face and get ready to eat."

"oh."

After she finished speaking, she ran off.

The corridor fell silent.

Ella stood there, her face flushed.

"Owner……"

"Um."

"My sister..."

Wayne walked up to her.

"She will grow up."

"Yes, I will."

Ella remained silent for a moment.

"Owner."

"Um."

"When she grows up... will you tell her?"

Wayne looked at her.

"Tell her what?"

Ella's lips moved twice.

Tell her I…

Wayne didn't answer immediately, but simply ruffled her hair.

"It's just dust on the pillow, nothing serious."

Ella's lips curved into a smile.

"it is good."

She turned around, took two steps, then stopped and looked back.

"Owner."

"Um."

"I'm very happy."

Wayne nodded.

"As long as you're happy."

Ella's lips curled up even higher as she turned around, her steps much lighter than before.

Ella's figure disappeared around the corner of the corridor.

Wayne stood by the well and hung the towel back on the rack.

The panel lit up again.

[Emily's Update from the Witch Cult this Morning]

Status: The original plan has been abandoned.

[Original plan: Use Shadow Leap to jump directly from her room into the shadows of Wayne's room. Specific execution plan: Before dawn, before you wake up, complete the teleportation. She researched variations of Shadow Leap, for example… she even took a sip of mint water beforehand.]

[Actual: The shadow told her there were no seats available this morning. Emily watched a short film through the shadow and was utterly shocked. She hadn't expected the cult's initial suspicions to be true. But she didn't intend to tell anyone.]

[Note: Emily decided to take it slow. Not because she was giving up, but because the timing wasn't right. She was waiting for a morning when someone wasn't there, or a morning when that person slept even more soundly, or a morning when someone woke up earlier than her.]

[Note 2: Emily believes she's been poisoned, hence this thought. However, she's unwilling to accept it; she has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and she feels compelled to try anything she's considered, regardless of the outcome.]

[Note 3: Emily gave thanks to the goddess this morning.]