I Would Rather Be a Rogue [BL]-Chapter 119: Unexpected Offer

The new moon finally arrived. And, with the moon gone from the sky, it was the best time for Felix to visit the witch. He placed Vivi in her pram, stashed the envelopes with the money from Kade in his backpack, and turned to Remi, saying,

"I’m going to pay the witch a visit now. I’ll be back later."

Remi only lifted his head, meeting Felix’s gaze for a moment, before lying back down and pretending it was none of his business. Well, Felix had already expected such a reaction, but it didn’t matter. The fox would surely wouldn’t keep the Omega waiting for long, and would leave the house soon...

And sure enough, the moment Felix had closed the door and pressed his ear against it, he could hear faint shuffling coming from within, as the fox scrambled himself off the bed. To give him enough time to prepare, though, he took a roundabout way, going for a little walk, and only arriving at the witch’s house around twenty minutes later, despite the close distance.

This way, by the time he arrived, the witch was already inside and ready. Before Felix could even knock on the door, it opened, welcoming him to the usual darkness filled with purple smoke. He pushed the pram inside - not that anyone would dare steal from in front of the witch’s house, but still - picked Vivi up, transferring her into a carrier, and followed the direction of the smoke, leaving the pram at the door. Navigating the winding maze that led toward the room the witch was waiting in would be rather... challenging to do with a pram, after all, considering how many narrow turns and twists it had.

Although perhaps that wasn’t necessary. The maze was clearly different this time. More spacious and simpler. Felix was still led around for a bit, but it was most certainly not the same maze he had been dragged through before.

Seems like the maze was a result of the witch’s spells, rather than the building’s internal structure.

Either way, he arrived to the witch dressed in... Not quite his usual fashion. Although his chest was still largely exposed, as always, and he had his spiky witch hat with the wide brim that covered his eyes on, he was no longer wearing a dress. His attire resembled more what he had worn during their meeting in the forest, back when he had kissed Felix...

Felix couldn’t help but blush at the memory.

"I-I see that you’re not wearing your, ahem, work uniform today?" he asked, before even uttering a greeting.

What was the point of greeting each other, anyway? They had seen each other less than half an hour ago anyway, in Felix’s house, and would see each other again shortly after leaving this place!

And the witch didn’t seem to care about the greetings either, just answering, "I apologize, I was in a bit of a rush... But we’re so close already, that I assumed that you wouldn’t mind if I showed up looking a little more casual... Was I wrong? Do you perhaps dislike my attire?"

"Ah, no, that’s not it..." Felix’s cheeks flushed harder. "I was just curious, that’s all..."

If anything, his current outfit looked on the witch much better, at least in Felix’s opinion. It was only because it reminded him of the kiss that he couldn’t keep his head clear at the sight...

...Or was that the point? Did the witch dress that way to remind the Omega about their meeting in the forest, and make him flustered? Judging by the smile playing on the witch’s lips, that was certainly possible! The witch had always liked inciting various reactions from people, according to Brielle, which was why he so often wore those provocative, witchy dresses! The dresses didn’t work on Felix (aside from their low cuts, which exposed the witch’s shoulders and chest), but the current outfit...

"If that is the case, why are you still standing at the door?" the witch tilted his head. "Come, make yourself comfortable."

"Ah, yes." Felix nodded and stepped forward to take a seat...

Only then did he notice that there was one more difference in the witch’s house today. That is, next to the table, there was a cradle. With a very soft and fluffy-looking pillow and blanket inside. A cradle that was rocking on its own, perhaps due to some sort of enchantment.

"This is for Vivi," the witch said, noticing Felix’s gaze. "I was worried she might have been uncomfortable last time, so I prepared this for her to rest in as we talk."

There was no need to, really. Felix’s visits to the witch’s house weren’t all that long, and Vivi had previously slept soundly through the whole duration of it. Perhaps she had felt at peace due to the fox’s jasmine scent, which made her feel at home. After all, she spent most of her time in Remi’s presence...

Honestly, at this point, Felix wouldn’t be surprised if his pup became species-confused, and grew up to regard herself as a half-wolf, half-fox. It was certainly a possibility.

Either way, while the cradle wasn’t necessary, Felix was still glad, and happily placed Vivi inside. The little pup stirred in her sleep, but didn’t wake up, looking very comfortable wrapped in jasmine-scented blankets.

"Thank you," Felix said to the witch, and took a seat as well, facing the witch.

"Of course," the witch returned the smile. "May I ask you what brings you here today?"

"Right." Felix reached out into his backpack, taking out the envelopes and putting them on the table. "I would like to discuss this money."

The witch glanced at the envelopes, tilting his head. "What’s wrong with it? I don’t sense any enchantments from it..."

"What?" Felix blinked, confused.

"There’s nothing wrong with this money. It’s not enchanted, cursed, nor fake. You can use it without any worries."

...Was the witch being serious right now? Or just messing around? Probably the latter, Felix quickly assumed. He let out a sigh, and explained (what was most likely already obvious to both of them), "That’s not what I wanted to ask about."

"It isn’t? What is it that’s troubling you, then?"

"I have received those money from Kade Blackstone the other day. He told me that it was on your request... That it was your rent payment."

In response, the witch feigned surprise. "Is that so?"

"Yes. Is that money not from you?"

"Ah, yes. I did indeed ask that wolf to hand the money over to you... But I believe there must have been some sort of misunderstanding. This is not rent money, but fox care money," the witch explained.

Leaving Felix even more confused. "Fox care money?"

"Yes. I would like to support your fox financially."

"Hmm." Felix only hummed in response.

He didn’t think Kade had been lying this time. The witch probably told him that it was ’rent money’, perhaps to annoy him, to declare his territory by openly announcing that he was living with Felix. Foxes were territorial animals, after all. But what did he mean by changing his words now? Not that there was much difference between the witch’s ’rent’ and ’fox care’ in this case...

Either way, that wasn’t the point. "I appreciate your willingness to help... However, I believe the amount of money doesn’t add up. Fox care isn’t that expensive."

"That depends on what you include in fox care," the witch smiled. "Caring for a pet isn’t just about feeding them and giving them a place to sleep, but also about the attention you provide."

"Attention doesn’t cost any money," Felix pointed out, but the witch shook his head.

"But time is money. You have your own expenses, and you’re already busy enough with your daughter at the moment. If you go back to work on top of that to support yourself financially, how are you going to find enough time to care for your fox properly?"

"So what you’re saying is... You’re paying me all that money so that I can spend my time at home with my fox?"

"Yes, that is correct." The witch nodded his head with a smile.

Not quite knowing what to think of it, Felix remained silent for a while. On the one hand, such an arrangement was very convenient for him. On the other... It felt somewhat wrong to just accept that. He hardly did enough for the fox to warrant such an amount of money.

Noticing Felix’s unease, the witch suggested, "If you want to have your own job no matter what, why not become my assistant?"

"...I’m sorry?" Felix blinked, taken aback, and lifted his eyes from the thick envelopes to take a look at the witch.

"My assistant. You would then be able to work at home, or occasionally here, but you would always be able to bring Vivi, as well as your fox, along. The work is not hard, and the pay would be generous. Wouldn’t that be a perfect solution for you?"

For a while, Felix remained silent, not knowing what to say. He most certainly hadn’t expected such an offer. Yes, the witch had referred to him as his assistant before... But that was only reacting to Kade’s words. Felix didn’t take it seriously. The perks did sound good, but...

"What would that job entail?"

"Just regular assistant’s duties. Managing my customers, keeping track of the orders, the stock of herbs and potions, as well as accounting. Nothing too complex."

"I don’t have any experience in such a role, though," Felix shook his head. "I also don’t know anything about herbs..."

"It doesn’t matter," the witch smiled. "I’m sure you will learn quickly."

Felix tapped his fingers on the table. It sure seemed like a lucrative offer... But he didn’t want to make any decision in haste, so he asked, "Would it be alright if I took some time to think about it?"

"Of course. Let me know when you decide."

"As for the money..." Felix looked at the envelopes again, pushing two of them toward the witch, but the witch stopped him.

"Take it. I’ve already given it to you, and I have no intention of taking it back. Just make sure to use it well..."

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l