(EP-305.2) Princess #3
305 – Fairy Princess #3
Then she'll definitely praise me a lot.
With that thought, I hid inside something like a large jar and closed the lid.
I didn't like tight, dark spaces. But the thought of the praise I'd soon receive made me feel better so that I could endure it.
And so, time passed slowly, one by one…
By the time my count had reached several hundred, I suddenly realized—what am I doing right now?
Just then, I heard something move beside me, and with a heightened sense, I opened my eyes. Instead of the cramped jar, I saw nothing but the worn ceiling of the old cabin.
It felt too vivid to be just a dream. There was a strange sense of nostalgia. Was it a memory from my childhood? I got up as I cleared my body stained with emotions. ř𝓪ɴȪ𝖇Ęs
Now I saw that Stella's spot was empty.
When I stepped outside, Stella was meditating in a strange yoga pose in the forest. It was before dawn, and the sun had yet to rise.
I couldn't help but admire her dedication, but it also made me feel like I couldn't just sit idly by. Even though it was summer, the early morning air in the north was cool, and I immediately felt awake.
I sat down lightly and tried meditating myself.
They say that in learning immortal arts, it's good to sometimes empty your thoughts and mind like an unmoving rock.
Of course, meditation was like a muscle that you need to train. For a beginner like me, my thoughts often wandered.
What came to mind was a memory.
The warmth and scent of Elga or Mirna's soft skin, or perhaps the taste of the soap that had covered Aira's body.
Seriously, I licked the soap off someone's body.
Even though it was edible soap, thinking back now, it was an odd but funny situation.
I wonder if Aira thought the same? Ever since she entered Ark and regained some clarity, she hadn't asked me to lick off soap.
Perhaps Aira also realized that it was 'a very strange and embarrassing thing.'
But sitting here quietly , I can vividly recall her breath and that warm touch.
It's been over ten days since we set off for the north. Was it because the hot desires within me was pent up without release?
I need to cut down distractions.
I tried to wave away the thoughts in my head like dispersing clouds. After some time had passed, various other random thoughts started to pop up again.
━I'll come pick you up in a hundred nights. Can you wait?
Counting to a hundred wasn't hard. I didn't say it, but I could actually count to a thousand.
But even when I had already counted near a thousand, no one came to find me.
After quite the time has passed, I realized I had been abandoned. Why didn't they come for me? There must have been many reasons. I just wanted to know why.
If I could understand, I could forgive.
That might be why I'm so obsessed with this body's past.
This guy and I were alike. As if we're the same person. It's like we were always one from the beginning.
So, if I could learn why this guy was separated from his family, it would feel like discovering the reason why I was left alone in the world. That's why I've been clinging to it.
I know that it's not a good look for a grown adult, that can take care of themselves, to be so hung up on the past.
Was that to say I'm not an adult yet?
As I reflected on that, someone tapped me lightly on the shoulder.
When I came to my senses, Stella was looking at me.
"Theo-kun, it's lunchtime. Meditation is good, but do it after lunch."
I realized that the sun was now high above my head. It had been early morning when I first started meditating. I was taken aback by how quickly time had passed.
A wolf then approached us and nodded. It meant one thing.
I handed the apple I had been eating back to Stella and entered the cave where the white wolf was lying down.
━Little fairy child, let me tell you one last story.
The white wolf Tasagan paused for a moment before slowly beginning her tale. The story she shared went :
━Even for the most beautiful lovers, fate can be cruel. The man began to grow weak, slowly marching towards death.
The man—Isaiah's health gradually deteriorated, and his once confident face became gaunt, his cheekbones sharply protruding.
Eventually, it seemed his mind began to falter as well. He wandered the forest at night like a madman, sometimes rambling nonsensically at the empty air.
Pehaps it was the curse that plagued the Angmar family. As I formed my own guesses, the wolf concluded its story.
━Not long after, the man disappeared. No one knew if he had gone back south where he had come from or where he had gone. The nymph was heartbroken, and we were worried.
It was said that all living creatures felt concern for the nymph who was now left alone, as losing a mate was devastating. But the nymph wasn't entirely alone.
━The nymph had a child. A very small child. I still remember the scent—the smell of grass and wildflowers… It smelled just like you, half-fairy, Theo Gospel.
The nymph and the small child were said to be a happy mother and son.
They would look for streams.
They would draw pictures on pebbles, and even built a small cabin and play hide-and-seek inside.
━But the world is often cruel. Death comes without regard for order. One day, the child fell ill. Even Angala-nim's medicine didn't help.
"So, what happened next?"
━The nymph knew the answer. She knew what she had to do. She decided to challenge the master of the north.