Alicia raised her chin in confusion, "What rumor?"
"It came from the north, from Marquis Os's territory. They say there's a magical moving Castle wandering in the extreme snowfields, and a Wizard with magic lives in the Castle.
He's handsome and powerful, and he feeds on the hearts of beautiful maidens. I heard that in that small town, several girls had their souls taken."
Alicia frowned and asked, "Did the families of these maidens report it?"
"I don't know, but that's what the rumor says," the maid replied.
Alicia's brow relaxed slightly. "Alright, you can go now. I need to rest."
The maid nodded. She bowed to Alicia, then carefully retreated from the room.
Alicia silently rose from her spot and fumbled her way back to her bed, but then she distinctly felt another person in the room.
She turned towards where she felt the presence, which was in the direction of the balcony of this bedchamber.
She frowned slightly and said,
"Is there anything else?"
But then, she smelled an incredibly pungent odor, like perfume mixed with a hundred different essences. Her sense of smell was very keen, so almost all the maids in the palace didn't use perfume.
This person wasn't a maid. Almost instantly, Alicia realized this, and her heart tightened at that moment.
"Who are you?" Alicia asked with a frown. "Please leave immediately, or I'll call for help!"
"They can't hear you."
The person spoke, and as expected, it was a female. Her voice was pleasant, but it carried an air of arrogant superiority.
"The decor here is truly simple, completely unlike a place an imperial princess should live. Are you not favored in the royal family?"
Alicia could feel the person gradually approaching her, evaluating her room with a condescending tone as she walked.
Soon, she stood before her, and without even touching her, her magnificent, crown-like eye mask automatically fell off.
The person reached out a hand and lifted her chin, seemingly scrutinizing her face.
A moment later, she spoke again.
"This enviable face, no wonder it attracted that man."
Alicia instinctively took a step back. The pungent scent made her feel a little dizzy. Besides her own breathing and that of the other person, the surroundings were almost silent, a silence that made one uneasy.
"Madam, I think, is there some misunderstanding between us?"
At this moment, she had already realized that the woman before her must have some connection with the mysterious man who appeared at the banquet, and it was highly likely that she also possessed some mysterious powers.
"Misunderstanding?" The person seemed to have heard something amusing. "You are covered in his aura. I wouldn't mistake it."
Alicia was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you want to do?"
"I've come to teach you a lesson."
The woman said, "I want you to understand how foolish it is to anger the Wilderness Witch."
Listening to the woman's almost condemnatory tone, even Alicia felt a surge of anger in her heart.
"You were the ones who sought me out! What does this have to do with me!?!"
Perhaps due to fear, her voice was gradually becoming strange.
"If you must blame someone, blame this face of yours," the Wilderness Witch said.
After a pause, she continued, "Hmm, this is your true appearance."
She paused again, then seemed to remember something. "Oh right, you can't see, that takes away some of the fun."
She seemed to have cast some magic. Alicia only felt as if the black curtain that had previously obscured her vision was pulled open. Her brain began to process the images her eyes were transmitting.
Everything around her was no longer limited to sounds and sensations. She could see things now.
She saw the room she had lived in for nearly twenty years—just as the woman said, it was indeed somewhat simple and unadorned.
Soon, she saw the woman she had just been speaking with.
She was dressed very lavishly, with a mink stole draped over her elbow. Her black dress was encrusted with sparkling diamonds, especially the enormous hat on her head, adorned with genuine dyed ostrich feathers, reflecting shimmering pink, green, and blue from the diamonds, yet still appearing black.
Aside from her opulent attire, her face was also made up exquisitely and beautifully, and her chestnut-brown hair made her look very young.
"Remember to send a message to Merlin."
The Wilderness Witch spoke.
"Tell him I will find him.
Also, do not tell anyone about the curse you have received."
After speaking, she left, just like the man, disappearing without a trace, leaving only the clock on one side swinging back and forth like a death knell.
Soon, Alicia felt that something was wrong with herself. She placed her hands on her face and felt loose, wrinkled folds.
She looked at her hands; they were also covered in wrinkles and were as thin as kindling, with prominent blue veins on the back of her hands and knuckles rising like small hills.
She pulled the black dress to her legs and looked down at her shriveled, aged ankles and feet that bulged out of her shoes. These were the feet of a ninety-year-old, no doubt about it.
Alicia found herself having to shuffle to the glass beneath the clock. In the glass was a slightly panicked face, the face of a haggard old woman, with a sallow complexion, sparse white hair, and somewhat cloudy eyes, staring at her from the mirror, a little unsettling.
The panic came and went quickly, perhaps because she hadn't seen much of her youthful and beautiful self anyway.
"Don't worry, old thing."
Alicia said to the old woman in front of the glass, "You look quite healthy; you should live a long time."
She shuffled to the bedside and sat down, beginning to ponder what she should do now.
She certainly couldn't stay in the palace. The capital had just experienced the incident of Marquis Os being possessed by an evil spirit. In her current state, if she were suspected of being possessed by an evil spirit, these old bones wouldn't be able to withstand those so-called exorcism rituals.
But where should she go?
Alicia was somewhat surprised by her own calmness. She quickly accepted her situation, perhaps because she no longer had to continue her past destiny.
She thought that Prince Ernst probably wouldn't like her in her current state.
Of course, she definitely had to find a way to lift this curse.
Suddenly, Alicia seemed to remember something. She got out of bed and shuffled back and forth.
A Wizard's curse, of course, should be solved by a Wizard. Alicia recalled the rumor the maid had just told her.
The missing person was Marquis Os, and this rumor just happened to come from Marquis Os's territory. Alicia didn't think this was a coincidence. She had a premonition that she might encounter that man again.
Let me think, this dress fits very well, it must be due to magic. I need to bring some money and food. I heard it's very cold there, so I also need to bring my coat and shawl.
Thinking this, she walked towards the wardrobe, every joint creaking with her movement. Alicia had to stoop and walk slowly.
She was quite glad she was a relatively strong old lady. She didn't feel weak or uncomfortable, just a little stiff.
She tottered and took a shawl from the wardrobe, wrapping it around her head and shoulders. Old people couldn't catch a cold.
Then, she put her coat into a piece of blue cloth. Next, she walked to the dressing table, pulled out a drawer, and took out a cross-shaped brooch from it, inlaid with a red gem that glowed with a rosy luster under the kerosene lamp.
"Finding a pawn shop for this should get me a lot of money," Alicia thought.
After confirming there was nothing else to take, she took a deep breath and carefully walked towards the main door.