Everything seemed natural

Leona learned about the existence of witch from a widow who knew her mother. Her widow was
wealthy and had three successful sons. Her husband died of a fever and left a large fortune. Her
widow, using her God-given resourcefulness and wealth, wisely reclaimed her husband's
confiscated possessions, educated her sons, and made them wealthy and powerful. Married to
a family. The youngest of her sons is said to have been betrothed to a daughter of the Valois
family. There were also rumours that the widow had an illicit affair with a man as young as her
son.

Leona did not pay attention to these rumors. She admired her widow. Leona's mother
disapproved of their meeting, but her mother disapproved of the woman who had her tongue in
her mouth. To her mother, the widow was the offspring of the devil. She warned Leona to stay
away. For Leona, the widow was a strong, independent woman who displeased a submissive
woman like her mother. They didn't like her, but they were attracted to her, especially men. It
was a powerful light. Leona visited the widow almost every week. Her widow listened to her
carefully and gave advice to Leona. Conversations were often directed at children, men, and
cooking. Her widow would say that it was not the wickedness of men that frightened her, but
their stupidity. Personally, Leona feared evil more than her stupidity. Leona's husband, Enzo,
came home every night to beat her for the most ridiculous things. Food was the most common
motive. The old widow will tell you that Enzo is the fiendish creature that Leona's mother
warned her to break the teeth of the old widow's youngest son. She took Enzo's family to court,
and Leona's father-in-law apologized enthusiastically, causing Enzo to apologize as well. Enzo
had to be knocked unconscious by his father before saying the words "I'm sorry" to the widow
and her son.

Leona tried many things her widow suggested but couldn't stop her beating.In the end, the
widow stood up to Enzo. For the first time in her life, she realizes that Enzo can't be mean to a
woman. He growled and moaned, but said no defiant word. He did not touch Leona for months
until he came home one evening with swollen, closed eyes and beat her for serving an old meal.

Her widow sympathized with her because her late husband was a spendthrift. He drank and
assaulted nearly half of his estate before dying of a severe fever. The widow called him a silly
old darling. She was glad that he died because she was a widow who loved him but had left her
children poor. The widow herself spent her childhood in poverty and disgrace, under the banner
of a respected family that lost its wealth through the mistakes of vicious, stupid and
irresponsible men.

But because of her last name, she was able to marry into Earl's Nouveau Habsburg family and
gain fame on her own through her elderly widowed father-in-law who was an orphan. She was
one of the wealthiest merchants in town.
The widow's father-in-law displeased her with his intellectual gaze, but he was one of the few men the
widow admired. He disapproved of her marriage to her son, but she had to agree after it was publicly
claimed by her late husband.

when they first met. Her widow was charmed by her daring young mistress, slim and popular without her
worldliness, who spent more on perfume than her family could ration. They lived in luxury and had a new
dignity she didn't know.She dined with all the prominent families, met the Pope, dined at the Medici.
However, when her father-in-law died of sudden heart disease, her family fortune passed into her
husband's hands. Within a few years, her husband lost and depleted half of her family's fortune.

Julia's marriage was like that of the old widow, except that Enzo was also violent. He hit her hard and
often. Sometimes she wishes she had never been born. It felt like life was never worth living. The ink of
the present had tainted her memories of the past. Sometimes she wondered if she really had any memories
of her own past. Only the pain, blows, and fears she experienced felt real.

After a particularly severe beating, Leonawent to her widow's house. It took her a week to muster up her
courage. For the first time she became anxious and fearful for her own life. When the old widow saw
Julia's face, she was furious. She wanted to confront Enzo, but Leonapleaded with her. It was her fault,
she claimed. She was not a good wife for him. She could not give him a son. Leonacried to sleep in her
widow's arms. After waking up, she felt safe and unhurried.

In the evening Leonasat in her widow's bedroom and she thought that she must go to his house. The shock
returned. The widow saw Leonasobbing and she said:

"You can't live like that, kid."

"I am afraid for myself, but most of all I am afraid for my children and their future. He will ruin
everything."

"She has to be strong for her, Julia. I know you can You're one of the strongest women I know ”

Leonafeels better. Coming from her, it meant a lot to her.Leonastared into her widow's keen eyes. "I want
to be as strong as you," she said. I want to do what you did

The widow began to speak. you still want to be like me ”

Leonanodded. Her widow tells her to look for her witch Mia.

When Leonaentered her witch house, she couldn't believe her own eyes. She found herself in a room
much larger than it appeared from the outside. Candlelight lit up the room beautifully. Lavender,
rosemary, and a myriad of scents that Leonawanted to know more about. The floor was covered with the
most beautiful carpet you could feel through the soles of your shoes. The walls were lined with sofas on
which her twenty women would sit. All were veiled like her, but each eye was different. Some were
stronger than others. Other, younger. She could see it in those who suffered more than she did. She
couldn't imagine a life worse than hers.
Leonawas sitting next to an olive-skinned girl. Her eyes looked exotic, there was a kind of blotch between
her foreheads, and sitting in front of Leonawas a girl with brown hair and brown eyes. Leonarealized that
the girl was pregnant because she was wearing a dress that was too baggy, and the girl wasn't here to give
birth. It was too early for that. Leonaalmost fainted when her realization hit her. Her fear brought her back
to her own problems: what was she doing here? treated as a witch? I am a terrible, terrible person, she
thought. She remembered her husband, she remembered him as a young, sassy but kind husband. oh! He
used to be very kind to me. if only his father was alive.

But this time Leonadid not blame herself. she deserves a beating. It wasn't her fault that he squandered
most of her inheritance. Beaten and abused, she loved him but could not forgive him for ruining her
children's lives.

it was her turn. She pushed open the heavy arched wooden door. She went inside and was in awe. This
room was larger than her previous room. I had never seen so many objects under bright golden light. She
could only be described as a floating star, a glowing orb that is smooth and pleasing to the eye rather than
glare. Light illuminated everything, but illuminated objects differently. She brought her own hand in front
of her. It was the most beautiful hand she had ever seen. In front of her was a huge table with hundreds of
devices of the most complicated kind, filled with brightly colored potions. Colors she had never seen
before. A scent she had never smelled before.

Leonasaw a small woman with dark brown skin. She had never seen anyone like that. Her hair was curly
and short. Her skin was smooth and shiny like a polished apple. She had heard of such people working at
the port, but she had never seen them before. The brown woman searched for a book among thousands of
books lined up from floor to ceiling to the roof in the back. Hundreds of jars lined the walls like books,
jars of various shapes and sizes holding life forms she had never seen before. There were also chairs,
clocks and chests. Scanning the room, Leonaspotted a woman reading a book at the bar table across the
room. I had fair skin. She was taller than most men Leonahad seen. Her high cheeks and sharp chin did
not indicate that she was over 30. A bright red word flew into her head.
While the red lady was engrossed in her studies, Leonastood madly in love with the lady.

She is "Julia," said the woman.

These words brought Leonaout of her trance. She should have asked how the woman got her name, but
her suspicions did not cross her mind. It was as if all despair had been blown out of her existence. She
vaguely remembered feeling the opposite. Fear and worry obscured their existence. Standing in this
magical place, Leonafelt immense love welling up in her heart. She became one with the Red Woman.
The one where all the women sit outside. One with a brown girl. She was so happy, she was in awe, she
never felt protected. She no longer felt like a lonely and frightened animal, but she was part of the whole
she had nurtured and cherished.Leonafelt part of her sisterhood. .

A woman took the veil from Julia. Then, arm in arm, the woman led Leonato the desk. She gestured for
Leonato sit in her chair and the woman brought her chair across from her. Leonawas mesmerized by her
feminine hair, her thin neck and her lips. She had never seen such red lips in her life. The woman noticed
Leonaand she said:

She said, "She has lip color on her lips. When I first met the Chinese emperor's concubine, I asked her
about it, and she told me what her lip color was. Deciding on her ingredients, she created her very own lip
color. ”

"Are you a witch?" Leonaasked, but she soon regretted it.

A woman leans back in a chair and she says, "When a woman is confident and powerful, she is called a
witch. And Mia the potion brewer is better than Mia the witch."

"How do you know my name?" Leonaasked

"I know you very well. I know you have two girls. you have a godly mother And you have an abusive
husband.

Leonaalmost cried. Mia leaned over her and took her Julia's hand and said, "Julia, you are a strong
woman. Do you know how many women waste their lives like this? It's easier to live like a slave than to
break the chains of tradition and decency. "

"I'm doing this for my children," Leonasaid.

"An ounce of blood," Mia replied.

"Blood? Why?" Leonaasked.

"I need them to make potions," Mia said as she stood up and approached the workbench where all the
tools lay. The brown girl was rushing next to Mia

"I must make Aqua Tofana," said Mia, "bring me dragon's blood, belladonna, arsenic, and lead."
The girl hurried off as Mia boiled her liquid in her pot. When the brown girl returned she had mixed all
the ingredients and Mia poured her contents into a glass jar. The potion appeared colorless. For some
reason, Leona expected Mia to be as red as her hair. With long, elegant steps Mia approached Giulia and
pressed the vial into her hand. The potion felt warm. Polina's hands got hot as she put a gentle hand on
Julia's face.
Leona hugged this strange woman who felt like a sister to her.

"Come back and give me some lip colour," said Mia with a smile.

Leona nodded and she asked, "Did you give the same medicine to her widow?"

Mia nodded and said, "Be strong for your children. Your husband has had a fever for her three days. Don't
come suddenly." Everything will look natural. ”

Leona was sick for three days before she died. Everything seemed natural.