Goodnight

"Who are you?"

Alicia was somewhat surprised by her own calmness at the moment. The benefit of being old was that there was nothing left to fear.

"Fire Demon, you can call me Cassifa," Cassifa said.

"You say you are a... Demon?" Alicia stared at the flame in front of her, her expression a little strange.

As if sensing that it was being looked down upon, Cassifa, somewhat unconvinced, made itself burn even brighter, the firewood crackling merrily.

"I am bound here by a contract! I cannot leave this place even half a step."

"Then it seems we are quite similar, both victims of magic," Alicia said.

The crackling sound in the hearth became a little lighter, and Cassifa continued.

"The curse on you is very ancient, and very powerful."

Hearing this, Alicia awoke as if from a dream, "You can tell!?"

Her voice inadvertently rose as she urgently asked, "Can you break this curse?"

The flame burned silently for a while, those eyes scrutinizing Alicia.

"It's not easy to break, it's very complicated. I need to study it."

"How long will it take?" Alicia asked.

"It will take some time." It looked at Alicia, a flash of cunning in its eyes, "How about we make a deal? If you agree to break the contract that binds me, I will break your curse."

Alicia fell silent. Making a deal with a demon was not a wise choice, all the stories she had heard since childhood told her so.

"What are you still hesitating for?" Cassifa said, "Do you want to stay like this forever?"

"People have to go through this stage, don't they?" Alicia said.

"But they enjoyed their youth to the fullest, while you did not," Cassifa said, "This magic has at least reduced your lifespan by sixty years."

Alicia nodded with a solemn expression, "I am not surprised by that."

She looked at Cassifa and suddenly asked the question that concerned her the most, "Who did you sign this contract with?"

"Shaya," Cassifa said, "The Sorcerer Shaya."

It was him, Alicia thought. For some reason, her somewhat uneasy heart calmed down. Perhaps it was because she no longer had to face the unknown.

She looked around again.

So this was his castle.

"Not only am I trapped here and can't move, but I also have to bear the magic of the entire castle," Cassifa's voice became a little wheezy. "I have to meticulously hide its existence, maintain the castle, make it move, and even do things like heating bathwater."

"That sounds very pitiful," Alicia said.

"Extremely pitiful!" Cassifa emphasized, "I am being exploited."

"You are a demon. In all the stories, demons exploit people. No one has ever exploited a demon," Alicia teased.

Although she still didn't quite believe it, it didn't stop her from finding it hilarious.

"He's a very cunning sorcerer," Cassifa said.

Alicia was silent for a moment, she thought carefully, "If... if you can really break my curse, I might agree to your request."

"Deal!" Cassifa said excitedly, its face stretching as the flames grew stronger, "You break my contract, and I can immediately lift your curse!"

"You have to tell me how to break the contract," Alicia said.

Cassifa blinked its eyes at her, then shifted its gaze, "Just as you cannot reveal the curse on you, our contract also has a confidentiality clause. I cannot violate the contract."

"Are you playing me?" Alicia said.

"If you observe and listen carefully, you will find the answer," Cassifa said cracklingly. "Trust me, this will be beneficial for both you and me."

It spoke very sincerely, and Alicia could barely believe it.

"Then it seems I have to stay in this castle, but will that person let me stay?"

"We can think about it slowly," Cassifa said, "Shaya is very casual and helpful. Not long ago, he saved a poor fellow who was about to freeze to death in the snowfield."

"Speaking of which, I still don't know, is he in the castle now?" Alicia asked.

"No, and I don't know when he'll be back."

"Very good," Alicia nodded, "Then hurry up and think, preferably before he returns."

She leaned back comfortably in her chair, waiting for it to think. The flames burned in front of her. It was very silent when it was thinking, quiet except for the crackling sound of the firewood burning.

This white noise made her feel drowsy. She didn't know if it was magic, especially when Cassifa began to chant a song in an unknown language, very peaceful, she fell into a deep sleep almost without any defense.

After an unknown amount of time, with a click, the door slowly opened...

Shaya walked in from outside. He tiredly took off his coat and placed it to the side, then sat on the red sofa on the other side, letting out a soft sigh.

He quietly watched the little old lady sleeping in his chair, without a word.

"I told her what you told me to say," Cassifa said, "Can she really break our contract?"

"Never question Destiny's choices," Shaya murmured softly.

He looked at Cassifa curiously, "How did she get in?"

Cassifa couldn't tell that the old woman was Alicia at a glance; its perception wasn't that strong yet.

"I don't know. When she shouted to stop outside, the castle was instantly out of my control. It took a while to recover, and then she inexplicably broke through my defenses. Was it because of Destiny?"

Shaya pondered for a moment, then shook his head, "Destiny doesn't manifest in this way."

"You mean..."

"The template Destiny uses has distinctions between novels and movies. In the novel, the heroine possesses magic, though she herself doesn't know it.

And in the movie..."

Shaya paused, recalling for a moment, "She should have it too, but due to time constraints, it wasn't specifically mentioned."

Cassifa's eyes widened, and it looked at Alicia curiously, "If that's the case, then her magic is..."

"Word Spirit," Shaya whispered.

"She has this ability naturally. Her talent isn't low," Cassifa said.

Shaya thought for a moment, "She's royalty. Perhaps her ancestor was a very powerful sorcerer, otherwise, they wouldn't have created such a vast empire. This allows mystery to flow in her bloodline.

And because of this, she was chosen to carry this Destiny."

He looked up, quietly gazing at Alicia's profile. As she fell into a deep sleep, the curse on her body revealed another aspect.

Reflected by the flickering firelight on one side, her skin became smooth and rosy again. Her long black hair cascaded down casually. Even though her sleeping posture wasn't very elegant at the moment, it couldn't conceal her beauty.

Earlier at the banquet, the magnificent mask, like a crown, had covered most of her face. While it did give her a sense of mystery, it also hid most of her radiance.

"This should be a form of mind-state manifestation magic," Cassifa said. "Her heart holds an ancientness that doesn't belong to her age."

Shaya nodded, "But it's not just that. It has a second layer."

"Very tricky," Cassifa said.

Shaya smiled, "Only tricky for now."

He rose from the sofa, picking up his coat from the side and gently draping it over Alicia. He whispered softly, "Goodnight, sleep well."

Then, he turned and walked towards the stairs.