Chapter 98 [The Witch and the Frog (Part 2)]...
After reading all day, Mela's eyes were a little sore, and the characters in front of her seemed to have eaten poisonous mushrooms, starting to dance irregularly.
Lex was also hunched over the heavy pages of the book, quickly skimming through the contents.
Compared to Mela, he was already quite used to it, and could even watch it by candlelight all night long.
Of course, Mela wouldn't allow him to do that.
"Lex, how about we continue the search tomorrow?" Mel stretched.
She sat motionless all day, and her shoulders felt like they weren't even her own anymore.
Lex's response was to jump onto Mela's lap and stare at her without moving.
Melanie reached out and moved Lex onto her shoulder, then piled all the books she had looked at that day together into a small tower to prevent them from getting mixed up with the other books she hadn't yet looked at.
Unfortunately, she and Lex found nothing useful today; perhaps apart from the witch who left a record, no one else had ever seen the magical golden frog.
At this moment, Silas, who had been traveling all day, also returned.
After learning that Lex had unfortunately turned into a frog, it volunteered to catch the culprit—no matter how you look at it, the changes in Lex were inextricably linked to the golden frog that Mela had captured.
Since it could turn Lex into a frog, it could definitely turn Lex back into a human. That's what Silas thought.
Mela thought Silas was right.
If she and Lex fail to find a solution in the book, perhaps this golden frog will be their last hope.
Then the man and the bird met, and both saw the disappointment on each other's faces.
“Never mind,” Mela said, trying to comfort Silas and also subtly reassuring Lex. “It’s only been a day. Don’t be so discouraged. We still have time.”
As long as we can restore him to his original state before Lex leaves.
Thinking about it that way, they have plenty of time; there are still two full months until the end of summer.
“…Why do I find what you said, Mela, so worrying?” Silas’s heart skipped a beat.
There was a premonition that this matter was destined to be fraught with many twists and turns.
As it turned out, Silas's premonition was correct.
For the next few days, neither it nor Mela found anything.
Mela searched through all her books, but still couldn't find the information she was looking for between the lines.
Silas would fly around the forest every day from dawn till dusk. Occasionally, a flash of gold would appear before its eyes, and it would excitedly fly down, only to be disappointed to find that it was just a yellowing weed.
That evening, the man and the bird met in the house and exchanged disappointed glances.
However, considering Lex's feelings, Silas dared not sigh, and could only pretend to be cheerful, saying, "Haha, this stinky frog is really good at hiding, but tomorrow, or the day after! I will definitely find it!"
Mela chimed in, "I've almost finished searching all the books in the basement too. Lex, don't worry, I might find a solution soon."
Who's really in a hurry? Lex sighed helplessly, trying to comfort Silas and Mela, who seemed even more anxious than he was.
It's strange. Lex was the one who was turned into a frog, and if they can't find a way out, he might be a frog for the rest of his life. But looking at how busy Mela and Silas have been for him these past few days, Lex feels incredibly peaceful.
It seems that even if he can't turn back into a human, he can accept the outcome calmly.
The only thing that bothered Lex was that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't speak with the frog's mouth, so he couldn't tell Mela that he had never blamed her for bringing back the golden frog.
Even though it has ruined him and left him in this state.
There's a saying that goes something like this: when fate wants to bring you bad luck, it never makes sense.
Even if there are no golden frogs, there might be silver frogs or red frogs.
In short, it wasn't Mela who brought Lex this undeserved disaster, but rather the disaster that found a way to come to Lex's doorstep.
These past few nights, in the quiet of the night, Lex heard Mela tossing and turning in bed, only to stop halfway through as if afraid of waking him, always thinking how wonderful it would be if he could hold her.
Instead of pretending to be asleep, he dared not let Mela know that he was still awake.
Fortunately, Mela and Silas shared the same indomitable spirit, and the two quickly regained their spirits and started roasting potatoes.
Regardless of whether we have any gains or losses today, we must first fill our stomachs.
Since Lex can't cook for the time being, Mela and Silas have been baking potatoes for the past few days, since potatoes are a delicious food that doesn't require elaborate preparation.
That's right, eating potatoes three times a day, Silas feels like he's almost turned into a potato himself.
It's evening now, time to rest.
Mela, however, had trouble sleeping.
She tiptoed out of bed, sat by the window, and began to stare blankly into space.
She thought that she had secretly sent letters to Erica and Yuriel a couple of days ago, asking them to help her think of a solution, and perhaps she would receive good news from them in a couple of days.
She wondered what would happen if Lex never turned back. She didn't mind living with a frog, but the kingdom needed Lex, and the people needed a king.
Noticing that the pillow beside him had been empty for a long time, Lex's concern for Mela made him abandon his pretense of being asleep and jump out of bed, step by step, onto Mela's lap.
"Hey, Lex, why are you awake?"
Mela didn't doubt that Lex hadn't slept at all; she just assumed he had suddenly woken up and hadn't seen her, so he came looking for her.
"Quack." Lex also wanted to ask Mela why she wasn't sleeping, but instead was sitting on the ground in a daze.
Are you worried about me?
Although she couldn't understand what Lex's every croak meant, Mela would never misjudge the emotions conveyed within.
Lex was worried about her.
"I should be the one worried about you."
Mela chuckled.
She held Lex in her palm, presented him to her, and gazed intently into his eyes.
"Being a frog must be a very uncomfortable experience, right?"
It's easy to imagine that the feeling of going from a living person to a frog, and occasionally being unable to control the instinct to stick out one's tongue and try to swallow flying insects, must be extremely unbearable for Lex.
"Quack." Lex thought it was alright.
Although he sometimes feels the urge to live like a frog, and is even disturbed by his frog instincts, his wavering resolve is strengthened whenever he sees Mela: he is a human, Lex, not a silly frog.
“Actually, after looking at you for a while, you’re actually quite cute. I’m sure you’re the most handsome frog in the world,” Mela suddenly said.
"Quack?" This time, Lex's response carried a hint of hesitation.
Perhaps. He thought.
“I’m telling the truth,” Mela emphasized.
She lowered her head and placed a feather-light kiss on Lex's head.
"No matter what you become, I will always love you."
So, it's okay even if Lex can't turn back. I'm a little sorry, but let the ministers worry about the king's disappearance.
As for what kind of upheaval the kingdom would undergo after losing its king, that was not a question the witch should concern herself with.
"Let's go back to sleep. Goodnight, Lex."
Mela led Lex back to bed and closed her eyes contentedly.
It is a kind of ease that makes one fearless even when facing the worst possible outcome.
Lex stared blankly at Mela for a long time, and then unconsciously closed his eyes as well.
He thought to himself: Goodnight, Mela, may you always have sweet dreams.
The next day, Lex woke up as usual at dawn.
He subconsciously looked at Mela's sleeping face and said, "Good morning, Mela."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lex froze.
He sat up in disbelief, examining his body that had suddenly returned to human form.
Mela, who should have been half asleep, was suddenly awakened by Lex's noise, as if by telepathy.
She stared wide-eyed in surprise. "Lex, you... you've changed back?"
“That’s right, I’m back to normal.” Lex pulled Mela into his arms, letting her feel the real, warm body.
"What on earth is going on?" Mela stroked Lex's powerful chest and firm muscles from top to bottom, feeling utterly bewildered.
Whether it's Lex turning into a frog or suddenly turning back into a human, the whole thing is full of unbelievable twists and turns.
It was as if fate had deliberately played a joke on them.
Although this joke is not funny at all.
However, it's a good thing that Lex can turn back.
After realizing what was happening, Mela couldn't wait to break free from Lex's embrace, jump off the bed, and run downstairs.
"Silas—Silas—"
She kept calling Silas's name.
The intention is to share this good news with it.
Lex stared blankly at his empty arms. After a long while, he chuckled softly.
He turned his head and looked out the window at the cloudless sky, realizing that today was truly a beautiful day.
-----------------------
Author's Note: If there were a bad ending, it would be that Lex, having been a frog for so long, gradually loses his memories of being human, and in the end, he might have to fight against his frog instincts for the last vestiges of his human belief—but, with Mela's true love's kiss, the story will never have a bad ending. That's the power of a young couple! [Sunglasses][Sunglasses]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
