Chris Shino: check what I've got for you in this chapter! ^^

ScipioPB: that time she was thinking that "maybe she could buy a new one" while repairing the bow although she didn't need it urgently (at least when she did the repairing she didn't think she would need it urgently), I'd say that it's more like she is considering that as one option and that she was at that time torn between wanting to use her father's bow but not wanting to damage it any further (hence a new bow although she is repairing the damaged bow).

"I'm leaving this place." Reine announced just after lunch. She was already prepared with her bow—that she had repaired again—and quiver attached to her body and a thin coat to protect her from the snow that had begun to cover the earth as the mark of the beginning of winter. Neil didn't give any response—not that she cared much about it—and she turned her back.

It was only after she had left Neil noticed the unusual dark cloud looming over the sky. He tried not to care about it, but something in his being—maybe what remained in his humanly heart—kept tugging at his conscience.

Reine realized too late that she had picked a horrendous timing to leave. She was already some distance away when the storm kicked in with a sudden burst of snow thrown at her body. The storm was blowing to the opposite site of where she was heading, blocking her way with more snow started piling on the ground in an accelerating rate. Reine kept trying to take another step forward, but a moment later she heard a sound of growling coming closer.

Wolves? She immediately took her bow and loaded it.

True enough, soon she saw a pack of wolves coming towards her. Their furs were darker than those she usually saw, and even in the midst of the storm, she could clearly see their blood-coloured eyes. When she saw one of them was trying to charge at her, she immediately shot her arrow and managed to hit one of its' legs. However, when that action prompted another wolf to charge at her, and when she tried to shoot at it, her bow snapped again.

Oh, shit.

Reine quickly slung her bow around her body and took her hunting knife, but the wolf had leapt and managed to bite her right leg, the pain of those sharp fangs being drilled into her body prompted her to throw, instead of stabbing, her knife to the wolf. It drove to wolf away, yes, but together with it was her knife.

The pinkette stood up and tried to muster up her courage, now completely unarmed except for her daringness. Maybe she could still run, hoping that the storm would finally mislead the wolves although she knew it would be unlikely if they used the scent of her blood as their guide. In the end, Reine couldn't find a better solution than to dodge the upcoming attack from the remaining three wolves.

Another howl was heard, but this time, it came from behind her. She looked around and there was nothing but sweeping whiteness across her vision field. She was immediately thrown into despair; she knew she couldn't take all four beasts without any kind of weaponry. Another wolf charged at her, and she could hear that the fourth creature was getting increasingly closer to her.

Much to her surprise, the fourth wolf-like creature leapt and charged at the dark-coloured wolf instead of her. It took her a moment to realize that the fourth creature was actually Neil. The pack immediately surrounded him and attacked him viciously, but Neil cleverly focused his attacks on the alpha of the pack despite the barrage from the whole pack. Once the alpha was too injured to press on assault, the whole pack retreated with the two wolves that Reine had managed to injure earlier staggering behind.

Reine stared in disbelief at Neil, but the beast only casted her a quick glare before heading back into the storm, leaving her behind. She didn't even get to thank him.

The pinkette fell onto her knees, feeling that her remaining strength was being sucked by the storm. She didn't know which way to go from there, her sense of direction being thrown astray by the coldness that begun to take a hold of her body.

This way… a faint whisper caressed her ear. Reine turned to the direction of the voice, but of course she found no one there.

Well, I better walk somewhere rather than staying here, anyway. Reine reasoned before she forced herself to stand up and began walking, although frankly she didn't know where she was heading, letting that brief, faint whisper to be her guide, limping as she tried to hold back the burning pain on her leg.

She kept walking straight, or at least she thought she did, but nothing could have prepared her for the shock when she found herself standing in front of the gate that she had walked out from. Reine was stunned in disbelief before finally slumping to the ground. "Why…?" she murmured regretfully, "Why did I come back here…? How…?"

Fortunately, Rod saw a figure before the gate and he went out, and when he saw Reine he immediately went over to her and led her in; Reine was too exhausted and overwhelmed to refuse so she let the much relieved candelabra to lead her back into the enchanted castle. It was as if the spell had bound her to this castle—refusing to let her go.

When she entered the castle, ignoring the stinging sensation every time she moved her right leg, once again she saw the imposing figure of the beast. He turned and glared at her, but that moment she saw a big clawing mark on Neil's right arm. The beast immediately tried to cover the wound from the huntress, but it was futile since Reine had already asked some clean water and a piece of cloth.

She treated him in front of the fireplace, under the anxious watch of many of the servants, since the air was getting colder as well. The thoughts of him being treated by anyone irked him, so he guarded his own wound from her when she tried to clean it.

"Don't be so difficult." she urged, "It will take longer with your childish attitude."

She finally managed to put the dampened cloth on his wound, but the stinging pain that suddenly struck his nerves caused him to cry out in pain and he almost struck her with his arm, only to be evaded by her trained agility. "It hurts!" he groaned.

"If you shut up this will be faster!" she replied, getting impatient as well.

"Who do you think caused this wound?!" He snapped, feeling accomplished for having made such an argument.

"I never asked you to come!" Reine yelled back, leaving Neil dumbstruck since she did have a point.

However, much to his surprise, Reine's expression then took a gentler turn—the gentlest he had ever seen her so far, as she tried to dress the wound more carefully as she murmured, "…but you did come, and you saved me. Thanks…"

Neil felt an unexpected surge of warmth inside of him, but he tried to mask it by scoffing, "Finally you sound a little bit like a girl."

Reine chuckled. "For your information, I'm a girl." She said light-heartedly, "Just saying."

Reine quickly finished with dressing Neil's wound, bandaging it carefully, before she stood up. However, as soon as she got back to her feet, she felt light-headed and she dropped to the floor again.

"Hey!"

"Mademoiselle!" Rod cried out at the same time.

Neil turned her body around and found that her face was chalk white. "What…" his words were cut short as he remembered something, "Were you bitten?!"

Reine was unsure why he had asked such question, but she replied, "On my right leg."

Allen lifted the skirt of her dress carefully, and everyone in that room gasped in horror when they saw the red, slightly swollen lump surrounding a very clear bite mark on her right calf.

"This doesn't look good…" Allen murmured.

All animals affected by the curse would inflict poison to anyone they had bitten, unless that person was also affected by the same curse such as Neil.

However, Reine was a normal human, unaffected by this Witch's Curse. And now, that in itself had cursed her.

Just as Neil and Reine begin to warm up,

danger is looming above Reine.

Whose voice she had heard admist the storm?

What will happen to Reine?

Stay tuned to find out!

Thanks for reading! Please rate and review! ^^