The Villain Alpha's Cursed Mate
Chapter 76: The Three Witches

Chapter 76: The Three Witches

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In a modest home situated not far from a mountain, Irwin sat in the living room of his home, sipping his tea with a calm sense of tranquility. The serenity of the moment was interrupted when the door slid open, drawing Irwin’s attention.

His gaze lifted to see a hooded figure walk into his home.

"What took you long? Your mother and I were worried," Irwin remarked, setting down the delicate porcelain cup.

The figure then reached up and pulled back the dark hood, revealing Leonardo’s striking features. Irwin’s eyes widened, not in surprise at seeing his missing son, but at the sight of the dark marks etched on either side of Leonardo’s lips.

While most bore their curse marks on their shoulders, arms or neck, his son’s curse was far more insidious — set around his mouth. The Speech Curse.

Leonardo settled himself on the carpeted floor, crossing his legs. The room was still until the soft shuffle of footsteps signaled Clandestine’s entrance. A moment of pure understanding crossed her face as her gaze fell on the dark marks etched on her son’s skin, but she chose to say nothing.

Instead, she moved towards him where he sat, her hands gently cupping his cheek with a mother’s tenderness, relieved simply at the sight of him unharmed.

"What made you activate your curse?" Irwin asked, though a flicker of realization crossed his face, reminding him that his son couldn’t speak while the curse was still in effect.

"Nevermind," he quickly added, his tone softening. "How long will it stay active?"

In response, Leonardo held up two fingers.

"Two minutes?" Irwin guessed, but Leonardo shook his head. Slowly, the dark marks began to fade, vanishing from his skin until there was no trace of the curse left.

"Two seconds," Leonardo rasped, his voice cracking with strain. Clandestine quickly moved to retrieve his throat medicine from where she kept them. As she left, a sharp look of discomfort crossed Leonardo’s face, his hand rising instinctively to massage his sore throat. When Clandestine returned with the medicine in hand, he accepted it wordlessly.

She placed the vial and a glass of water in front of him, watching with concern as he downed the medicine in one go. The empty glass clinked softly against the table as he set it aside.

"Thank you, Mother," he muttered, his voice still hoarse, though there was a trace of relief in his tone. He knew it would take at least an hour before the searing pain would begin to subside.

Clandestine’s gaze lingered on him, her expression shifting from concern to something more severe. "You know how much pain your cursed powers cause when you use them. Why did you use it if you knew this much? And who did you unleash your cursed speech upon?" Her tone carried a mother’s stern edge, tempered by worry.

Leonardo’s eyes flickered briefly to Irwin before he answered, avoiding her penetrating stare. "I used it on those guards," he admitted. "I... made them disappear. The king believes I’m really missing after Father made that report, but I was the one who got out of there using my cursed speech. It’s been so long since I used it, I guess that’s why my throat is in agony now."

Clandestine’s expression turned worrisome, "Do you need me to heat up some water for you? I’m sure your father forced you to use your curse to get out of there, didn’t he?" Her gaze shifted sharply towards her husband, a reprimand clearly aimed at him.

Irwin’s expression faltered slightly under the weight of her glare, "Are you really going to give me that look? It’s making my heart bleed, you know," he murmured with a feigned pout, and if Clandestine didn’t know him as well as she did, she might have been swayed by his pathetic attempt at remorse.

"You made him use his curse, and now my poor child’s throat is hurting," she chastised, her voice laced with frustration, and Irwin, unable to defend himself, stayed quiet, aware that he was in fact the culprit here. Even worse, Leonardo stood firmly with his mother, silently approving of her scolding.

It was two against one, and Irwin knew he had lost this battle. He knew better than to say anything out of line when his wife was angry, especially when it involved their son.

"I only did it to protect our son, are you truly upset with me?" He ventured cautiously.

Leonardo then interrupted, "why shouldn’t she be?" He pointed at his throat. "I’m in excruciating pain right now."

Without even sparing a glance at her husband, Clandestine rose from her seat. "I’ll make you something warm," she said to Leonardo, placing her attention solely on him as she moved to the kitchen. Irwin watched her go with a pained look on his face, then he turned to Leonardo, whose defiant expression remained firmly in place.

He sighed heavily. "She still spoils you, even now. Aren’t you ashamed of clinging to your mother at this age?" Irwin teased, but Leonardo leaned back, unfazed.

He missed the familiar comfort of his home — his father’s jab, and his mother’s unwavering affection. Memories of the night Irwin had first brought him into his home, cold and afraid, rushed back. But then Clandestine accepted him without question, despite knowing what he was.

Due to Irwin’s terminal illness, a hereditary affliction that slowly ravaged his body, he refused to make his wife give birth to their own child. He couldn’t bear the thought of passing down the same agonizing fate to his children, so he made the difficult decision to let the illness die with him — a sacrifice that haunted Leonardo whenever he reflected on it.

Clandestine had fully supported her husband in making this hard decision, so when he was brought into their lives, they welcomed him with open arms. From that moment on, they made him their own, and even gave him the name — Leonardo.

Though his name was changed to keep his identity a secret.

"What are you planning on doing next now that you don’t want to work in the palace anymore?" Irwin asked his son, and Leonardo let out a soft hum before responding.

"I want to help my brother track down the true bearer of the curse," he said, his voice laced with a hint of seriousness. "It’s the only way we can truly break free from it— by eliminating the one who started it all. What I don’t understand is how our father isn’t the true bearer. Donovan and I grew up believing that he was the one who struck a deal with the three witches, the one who unleashed this curse upon us. But now, to learn he isn’t the origin– it’s all so baffling."

"What three witches?" Irwin inquired, his brows furrowed in curiosity, and Leonardo shook his head.

"I don’t know. Only my father had met them before he became a demon, and they’re the ones who turned him into one. There’s another realm beyond Illyria, and I’ve been planning to go there, to see if I can find them, the three witches."

"Separate realm?" Clandestine repeated as she returned with a glass of warm water. She gave her son a pointed look. "You’re not planning on journeying somewhere alone, are you?" The look on her face left no rooms for doubt. She wouldn’t let her son go anywhere dangerous alone.

Leonardo took the cup of water she handed him and emptied the cup, his voice calm, yet resolute. "I’ll be fine, Mother. And no, I won’t be going alone, either. I’ll go to Donovan first, and I’ll tell him about it. You said he took Esme."

Irwin gave a knowing nod. "Ask your mother, your brother made quite the dramatic entrance. There was thunder and everything." Irwin waved his hand in an exaggerated motion, making his wife and Leonardo exchange weary smiles.

"When will you be leaving?"

"Tomorrow," Leonardo replied with a sigh, shifting to lie more comfortably. He rested his head on his mother’s lap, bringing her hands gently to his face. "But today, I’m stealing you from father. I’ve missed the way you used to massage my head. No one does it quite like you."

Clandestine’s pretty face lit up at her son’s words, her smile warm and loving. "Is that so? Well then, I’ll give you the best massages all day long." Her voice overflowed with affection as she combed her fingers through his hair. "And tonight, I’ll make all your favorite dishes just for you."

"This is why you’re the best, mother." Leonardo casted a taunting glare at his jealous father.

The man, feeling the jab, huffed and took a long sip of how now-cold tea, doing his best to conceal the quiet longing in his eyes. Inside, his heart cried out – he too wanted his wife’s comforting touch, but for now, he could only sit in envy.

Meanwhile, at the shadowspire, Finnian handed Esme a notice he had seen lying somewhere in the vicinity. Esme met his determined gaze.

"I want to attend the school here," he said.

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