CHAPTER 119: CHAPTER 119: CELESTE NAERIS

Author’s POV~

The market still buzzed with whispers long after the bowl had fallen from her hand. But Celeste did not hear them. Her ears rang with her own rage. Her eyes locked on Selene, that girl standing tall with fire in her eyes.

Selene.

The one who had ruined everything.

Celeste clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. She was the daughter of Elder Naeris, the most respected and powerful elder in the entire coven.

From the time she could walk, she had been trained to take her place as heir. For twenty years, she had studied, practiced, and bled to perfect every art of magic. She had never stopped. She had never failed.

Until Selene came.

A girl with no family. No name. No known bloodline. A stray who had suddenly been declared pure-blooded.

The words still burned in her head—pure-blooded witch.

It was supposed to be her. It had always been her. She was the one born to the highest elder, the one who carried the weight of generations. But the moment Selene appeared, all eyes shifted.

"She’s different."

"She carries the ancient blood."

"She might change everything."

Celeste had heard it a thousand times, each word a knife carving into her pride.

She had trained her entire life, but Selene, in one year, had taken it all. She had mastered spells Celeste still struggled with. She had rescued witches from dangers Celeste herself had never dared face.

Even the Witch Mother, who once praised Celeste as the coven’s shining star, now looked at Selene with open admiration.

And tonight, she finally lost it.

But instead, that man—whoever he was—had stepped in. Shielded her. Turned the humiliation back on Celeste herself.

Celeste’s teeth ground together.

Why was the world so unfair? Why had the heavens chosen that girl—a girl with no parents, no family, no name, nothing? What did she have that Celeste didn’t?

"Look at her," Celeste muttered under her breath, her voice shaking with disgust. A child who doesn’t even know where she came from. And yet they call her pure."

She felt bile rise in her throat.

Selene was everything Celeste was supposed to be. The one to carry the coven’s pride. The one to inherit the title of Witch Queen. But now, with the competition drawing near, Celeste knew the truth everyone whispered:

If Selene stood against her, Selene would win.

Not because she worked harder. Not because she deserved it. But only because she carried the bloodline.

The bloodline Celeste herself had trained twenty years to replace.

Her chest burned with jealousy so strong it almost felt like pain. She hated the way Selene looked—calm, strong, as though the insults had not touched her at all.

She hated the way people’s gazes followed her, not with mockery but with respect. She hated the warmth of admiration that seemed to surround her everywhere she went.

"I will never accept you," Celeste whispered, her eyes narrowing. "You do not belong here. And I will make sure everyone sees it. You will fall, Selene. You will fall, and when you do, the title will be mine."

Her breath trembled, but her resolve hardened.

She was Celeste Naeris, daughter of the highest elder. This was her destiny. She would not let it be stolen by a girl who came from nothing.

The whispers from the crowd still rang in her ears, but Celeste’s mind burned hotter than any word around her. She remembered the voice of her mother only hours ago, speaking words Celeste could not forget.

"All the elders have begun to vote in Selene’s favor," her mother had said. "Even those who once stood with us now look at her. They believe she will be the next Witch Queen."

The memory made Celeste’s stomach twist. All her training, all her years of effort, all the pride she carried as Elder Naeris’s daughter—swept aside for a girl with no family.

That was why she had confronted Selene in the market. That was why she had thrown the bowl, why she wanted to see her stained and humiliated before everyone. She had wanted to remind the coven that Selene was not untouchable. She had wanted to crush her light.

But now Selene stood there, replying to her with sharp words, her voice clear and unshaken. And the crowd was listening. The fury in Celeste’s chest rose until she could no longer control it. She finally lost all her reasons.

"How dare you speak to me like that?" Celeste snarled, her hand rising. "I am above you. Do you hear me? I am above everyone here!"

Her palm cut through the air, aimed at Selene’s cheek—

But before it could land, someone moved.

The man.

In a flash, Kieran stepped forward, his hand snapping around Celeste’s wrist. With a sharp twist, he forced her arm behind her back, and before she could even cry out, he shoved her away, sending her stumbling to the ground. Gasps broke through the crowd again.

"You—!" Celeste hissed, her pride boiling over. She scrambled up, her eyes blazing with fury. "Who the hell are you? How dare you touch me? How dare you even come into our coven? Who brought you here?"

Her gaze flicked between him and Selene and then narrowed as she saw how close they stood, how his presence wrapped around her like a shield.

"So this is it?" Celeste spat, her lip curling. "You even found a dog for yourself to follow you around. But he’s nothing. Nothing special at all. Do you think having a human beside you makes you untouchable?"

She laughed, bitter and sharp. "Pathetic."

"Celeste," she said, her tone sharp enough to cut through the crowd’s silence. "If you want to confront me, then confront me. Don’t hide behind dirty words that only show how far beneath me you already are. And do not shame Elder Naeris’s name with this kind of behavior. You’re the one staining it, not me."

The words struck like a blade. Celeste’s breath caught, fury choking her.

Selene didn’t even wait for a reply. She only reached back, took Kieran’s hand in hers, and walked away through the crowd without giving Celeste another glance.

The crowd parted for her, and Celeste was left standing there, her body trembling, her face burning as if she had been slapped instead.

"How dare she," Celeste whispered, her voice shaking with rage. "How dare she mock me in front of everyone?"