Chapter 80 The Mad Broom [Final Chapter] "And I, accidentally fell in love with..."
Lucas sat alone at the dining table, idly poking at the almond pudding.
It was just an ordinary noon, and like the previous thirty-three noons, he still hadn't received any good news from Ashlin.
His father's funeral was grand, yet he barely remembered it. Afterwards, once again, he was confined to this exquisite yet cold castle, entangled in state affairs day and night. Even if he could turn into a cat, he had no excuse to leave.
For the past month or so, he couldn't completely leave everything to his sister and mother, but now Elaine was getting used to her crown ("It doesn't suit you at all," Lucas commented, "because you're too dazzling and steal the spotlight from the crown."), and maybe he could go out and have some fun.
“Isn’t this your favorite dessert, Lucas?” the Queen Mother asked. “Don’t poke it, it’s cruel. I can’t bear to watch.”
“Give it a clean cut,” Elaine suggested. Her bowl was already empty.
Lucas put down his knife and fork and was about to get up.
Just then, a servant hurriedly knocked on the door and came in.
“Miss Fiona wishes to see you, Your Highness Lucas.”
Lucas picked up his knife and fork again, stuck a piece of pudding in his mouth, and stuffed it into his mouth.
Fiona had no desire to see him; they utterly loathed each other. The one who truly wanted to see him was Fiona's father, Lord Maurice, who, to this day, hadn't given up on trying to bring them together.
“Tell her I’m eating,” he said calmly. “I’m starving.”
Elaine raised an eyebrow. "Ah, is that so?"
bump!
A sound like fireworks exploded from somewhere outside the window.
Lucas's eardrum shattered on the floor.
Everyone jumped.
"What was that sound?" the Empress Dowager asked anxiously.
“I’ll go take a look,” Elaine said bravely.
Lucas had already guessed what was going to happen. He swallowed the almond pudding, tasting the deliciousness of his favorite dessert for the first time in a month, the silky sweetness spreading through his mouth.
He stood up, struggling to suppress the urge to cheer loudly and dance on the spot, elegantly wiped his mouth, and brushed his hair back behind his ears. If he had a mirror right now, he would definitely look at himself.
Whoosh!
A blurry green shadow burst through the window of the Royal Dining Room with tremendous speed, scattering shards of glass throughout the Deville family's lunch.
The blonde witch clutched her large hat tightly, the flowers and dried mushrooms on it already shattered by the gusts of wind.
Her backpack seemed fuller than before, and it was unclear what it contained. She was riding (or rather, riding) a broom covered in green shoots, the bristles of which were now fully alive.
At that moment, the broom was panting heavily, as if it had caught a bad cold. It carried the witch and spun rapidly around the dining room, knocking over chandeliers, extinguishing candles, and causing the roses in the center of the table to bloom more profusely than ever before, as if it had heard the funniest joke in the world.
“I can see that,” Lucas said.
“I’ll tell Fiona that you really are in trouble,” Elaine told Lucas.
She gestured to her mother and servants, bent low to avoid the frantic brooms, and went outside.
Lucas remained where he was, arms crossed.
"Is there anything I can help you with, miss?" he asked politely.
Ashlinn didn't have time to answer him. To be honest, it was a big improvement that she didn't fill the restaurant with vomit.
Lucas pulled a notebook out of his pocket. Yes, he always carried a notebook with him.
Lucas turned a few pages.
“There is a spell that can help,” he said, dodging the broom. “Repeat after me: Venti secundi, Domare scopam sylvestrem, Pax et quies.”
Ashlin repeated the incantation.
The broom shook, finally slowing down.
Now, Ashlinn finally looked like a blurry shadow. She gasped for breath, stroking the broom.
"Be good, listen to me." She said in a tone she used when talking to a child. "That's right, just like that."
She looked up, her emerald green eyes meeting Lucas's.
Lucas momentarily forgot the rhythm of his heartbeat. A few months ago, he had never imagined his heart would race because of Ashlin; it was a strange thing indeed.
“Long time no see,” he said lightly, then knelt down, took her hand and kissed it gently. “Miss Witch.”
Ashlin laughed and ruffled his hair. "Oh dear! Why so formal? Get up, get up."
"You're recovering well?" Lucas confirmed.
Lucas recalled Maurice's "invitation," but said, "Not at all."
Ashlin happily sat back on the broom and pointed to her shoulder.
"Then let's change forms and get in the car, little cat. By the way, where did you hide Aidan's 276 sheets of sheet music?"
"And what about the next few days?" Lord Maurice asked. "Your Highness can't be unavailable forever, can he? A month has already passed..."
Just then, a shadow flashed past them, and Maurice's hat fell to the ground.
"What the hell?! What is that thing?!"
Elaine turned around and saw Ashlyn Bailey riding on a broom in a much more formal posture than before, with a blue-eyed black cat perched on her shoulder.
Morris's jaw dropped to the ground.
Her dear brother meowed at her and waved his paw.
"Goodbye," Elaine said in her heart. She knew she wouldn't see him for a long time.
Of course, if a problem truly arises that requires His Highness's intervention, she will immediately write to him.
The witch and the black cat soared into the sky. High in the air, Ashlind pulled two thick stacks of papers from her backpack and exchanged a glance with Lucas.
The black cat nodded, and she raised her arm, letting all the musical scores scatter freely in the air.
The people of the royal city opened their windows in surprise, gazing at the sheet music fluttering in the air, thinking it was spring snow.
Ashley is still throwing more.
"It's Ashleigh! The forest witch and her cat! She's awake!" several children shouted.
Sheet music was stuck to the window, pasted on faces, and stuck into tree branches, constantly falling down.
They kept rising until the air grew colder and colder, and milky white cotton clouds appeared all around them.
“Have you ever considered,” Lucas said, “that doing this would actually be giving that guy free publicity?”
Ashley shrugged. "Who cares?"
At that moment, an old voice suddenly broke in.
"I can't go on, Ashlin."
"Meow, who's talking?!" The black cat looked down and saw the old broom panting pitifully. "Your broom can talk?"
Ashlyn looked even more surprised than he did. "Wow, Sanova definitely made some improvements to it."
The broom let out a long sigh.
“I’ll stop right away,” Ashlin said quickly.
She was about to land the broom in a forest when it abruptly shut down before they could land safely.
“Oh, no,” Ashleigh said.
This is a very precise expression.
Lucas's claws sank into her cloak, and the whole cat curled up into a ball of fur next to her neck.
They screamed at the same time.
The broom groaned and fell, landing on a newly sprouted oak tree. Ashlin's cloak clung to the treetop, and her foot barely touched a branch.
Lucas jumped to a safe spot and shook off the leaves from his body.
Fortunately, moving around in trees is nothing special for a cat.
"I've seen your broomstick riding skills firsthand," the black cat said. "From now on, let's stick to normal transportation."
Ashlin rolled her eyes. So what if she landed on a tree? She's a descendant of the forest gods.
She clapped her hands, and the oak tree grew taller; its budding branches and leaves instantly became lush and verdant, forming a pale green barrier. The early spring sunlight filtering through the leaves was also filtered into a golden-green hue.
She stomped her foot again, and the branches beneath their feet quickly copied and pasted, turning into a wooden floor large enough to accommodate two humans.
Upon seeing this, Lucas quickly transformed into a human form with long cat ears.
Otherwise, it might not be romantic enough for him to admit what he's about to do, coming from a real kitten.
Ashlin sat down casually on the wooden floor of her homemade treehouse.
"Make yourself at home, sit wherever you like."
"Can you guarantee that I won't be sitting here and suddenly find myself falling to the ground and shattering into pieces?"
"cannot."
“That’s wonderful.” Lucas sat down as well. The wooden floor beneath him seemed to sense his weight, and several supple willow branches automatically emerged from the edges, weaving into a comfortable backrest that gently embraced him.
"Ashley, there's something I need to tell you..."
Ashlin leaned closer to him, pressing a finger to his lips. "Shh, don't say anything yet! I have some amazing news to tell you."
"What good news?"
She beamed. "I ran into Nova and Ray on my way to find you! They're using the magic of a moving maze to build a house that can move!"
Lucas momentarily forgot what he wanted to say. This was indeed the best news.
"No way!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Did they succeed?"
She looked at Lucas.
Would you like to join me?
“Are you kidding me?” Lucas said in surprise. “Of course I would, my dearest witch. I’ll follow you wherever you go. You said… a witch wouldn’t abandon her cat, right? Well, obviously, the witch’s cat won’t abandon her either.”
Ashlin smiled, revealing her two little tiger teeth.
"I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful, Lucas!"
“Even more thoughtful than you think,” Lucas said, pulling another notebook from his bag.
It's obvious that he's about to become a master of collecting doujinshi.
“Do you remember what we said on… ah, on top of the Yeti’s head? I’ll write a book, and you’ll sell the herbs…”
Ashlin opened the notebook, which was filled with Lucas's elegant and neat handwriting. The notebook began with the story of "Yesterday's Tavern".
“But now it seems that using your abilities to sell herbs is a real waste,” Lucas said. “At the speed at which bards’ poems spread, soon the whole world will know that you’ve turned the Dark Labyrinth into a forest. People will be begging you to plant the flowers in their hair…”
He stopped because Ashlin was laughing so hard she was almost crying.
No, she really cried.
Tears of joy streamed down her face, glistening; he gently wiped them away.
In return, Ashlin touched Lucas's ear and was pleased to hear a snoring sound.
Lucas suddenly straightened his body and turned his head to the side.
"I didn't post this," he immediately clarified.
“Of course not,” Ashlin said, going along with his words. “We must have both misheard. But I did accidentally turn you into a purring cat, didn’t I?”
Lucas grinned and tilted his head back to rub his hand against hers.
"And I, by accident, fell in love with you," he said, trying his best to sound casual.
Ashlin raised her eyebrows.
"Good heavens, that was such an accident."
Ashlin brushed his dark hair back and cupped his face in her hands.
In the palace, his hair had been cut short, but he was still as unruly as before.
They were standing very close, looking down at each other, their hearts pounding.
"I think we should do it this way."
Their kiss was quite discreet, hidden among the green leaves, and no birds or squirrels would gossip about it; only ladybugs and ants knew.
From the cracks, pale purple crocuses sprouted from the wood. Above them, unseen by anyone, pure white snowdrops bloomed from a patch of remaining snow.
Ashlyn could smell the faint scent of mint on Lucas's clothes, the aroma of books and ink emanating from his long hours spent in the library. Her magic flowed from her entire being, like a spring awakening beneath the roots of a tree.
Lucas felt completely absorbed by Ashlin's forest. He felt like he was running wildly through the forest, sometimes crying and sometimes laughing, and he couldn't explain why.
His hand slipped into her fluffy blonde hair, knocking off a few broken twigs.
Magic deliberately opened the green leaf window, letting the refreshing spring breeze flow into the treehouse. The early spring wind is always cool, but they didn't mind at all.
The trees grew taller and taller, reaching straight to the sky; their leaves grew wildly, embracing the two of them like arms.
Beyond the green leaves, there is bright sunshine and a clear blue sky, with a few wisps of clouds drifting by.
At this moment, even if the sun were to fall, it wouldn't disturb them.
Nothing else matters anymore, except for this original little treehouse, the witch and her black cat prince hidden inside, and that pure, sweet kiss.
—The End—
Author's Note: The main story is finished! Let me share my thoughts! I'm a chatterbox, so if you're not interested, you don't have to read this, sob sob.
This is my first novel, and it was a commissioned work. At the time, I only had the first three chapters and no drafts. The outline was also very rough, the plot wasn't very engaging, and there weren't many exciting moments. I know that myself. In the end, because I was too busy, I was a bit rushed, and some parts were handled hastily. The writing style is also quite immature, and the language is Westernized (but considering it's a Western fantasy genre, I'll forgive myself for that. Yay!).
But! I finished writing it, hehe! Anyway, it's my first book, so there are some regrets and shortcomings, but it's better than abandoning it! The fact that people are reading it is the biggest surprise!
Actually, I cut some dwarf-related storylines and removed a lot of Ray's scenes. ...Looking back, you can actually find some unresolved plot points about Ray (←consider it an Easter egg). Also, I revised Aidan's character design many times [laughing and crying emoji]. But, I hope I at least managed to give Ashlyn and Lucas a happy ending, hahaha.
You can see the influence of many other works in this article, most obviously HP and Lord of the Rings, haha, and of course many others!
Towards the end, all the words felt dry and uninteresting, like chewing on cardboard. [Laughing and crying with facepalm] There are still many rushed parts and unsatisfactory descriptions, I'll revise them properly when I have time!
Finally, thank you so much to all the little angels who read this far! I couldn't have continued writing without you all!! [crying][praising] Love you all, sending you love (*▽｀*)
Feel free to leave a comment if you have any requests for extra chapters! I'll still write some even if no one leaves a comment (?) [doge emoji with rose in hand] Comments on anything else are also welcome; I'm very active! (づ)づ~~~
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