“Until your other mother appeared, Velanthe.”
As she said that name, her tone carried an indescribable emotion—not jealousy, not resentment, but a kind of relief.
“When she came to the battlefield, she was already an Archmage, one step away from becoming a Sage. She was as cold as ice, never spoke more than three words, and didn’t even blink when looking at someone.”
She smiled.
“I didn’t understand back then why someone as sunny as Elariel would fall for her.”
Celia listened quietly, not saying a word.
“But whenever Velanthe appeared, everyone could see Elariel’s gaze change. Everyone could see that what was in it was that she loved her.”
“I still wasn’t giving up,” Aurora continued, her tone full of self-mockery.
“I thought, dark elves, aren’t they supposed to have multiple wives and concubines? How could anyone be into pure love? So I kept pursuing. I pursued even harder.”
“And then?”
Onyxia asked.
“Then?”
Aurora laughed.
“I was rejected again and again, each time very cleanly, very directly, with no room for ambiguity. Elariel never gave me any hope, but she wasn’t angry, didn’t distance herself. She just faced me frankly, like she would face any ordinary friend.”
“What’s even more ridiculous…”
Aurora laughed at herself.
“In the process, I actually became friends with Velanthe.”
Celia was taken aback.
“Huh?”
“Surprising, isn’t it?”
Aurora looked at her.
“I was surprised too. I had clearly gone after her partner, but as I pursued, I actually got close to my rival in love.”
As she thought this, her gaze softened.
“Your other mother was a very shy person.”
“Shy?”
“Mm.”
Aurora nodded.
“I later understood that her cold appearance was just because she didn’t know how to get along with people. And you know what? She actually never stopped others from pursuing Elariel.”
Onyxia’s ears twitched.
“Never stopped them?”
“Right.”
Aurora laughed.
“At first I thought she was proud, that she disdained to contend with those suitors. Later I understood…” She looked at Celia. “It’s because a dark elf’s is too strong.”
Celia’s face flushed bright red.
Olivia let out a “pfft” laugh beside her.
“No—” Celia wanted to refute, but it was indeed the truth.
“I’m not joking. This matter is mainly due to that contract of yours. The dark elf’s Soul Contract can only be formed once in a lifetime. They share life with their partner, pouring all their passion and loyalty.”
“Pay attention to that word, all. I used to think this was a good thing. Loyalty, who wouldn’t want it? Later, Velanthe told me that the moment she signed that contract, all of Elariel’s desires, all of them, were directed solely at her.”
“Think about it,” Aurora spread her hands, looking at Celia.
“How strong a dark elf’s is, you should know better than I.”
“And Velanthe was a mage. A mage with a not-so-strong body. She used to think that being Elariel’s only partner was an honor.” Aurora’s voice softened. “Later she learned it was actually a punishment.”
“Punishment?”
“Mm.”
Aurora nodded.
“Your mother loved her, so all desires were directed at her. But Velanthe’s body simply couldn’t bear it. Velanthe never complained. She said it was her choice and her fortune. Only…”
Aurora smiled.
“Sometimes the look in her eyes when she looked at Elariel held a bit of pleading. Later, after much thought, she learned Healing Art from Aiweier, and only then did she stop having to support her lower back every day.”
Onyxia’s ears suddenly perked up.
“Wait.”
She interrupted Aurora.
“Who is Aiweier?”
Aurora blinked.
“Well, Aiweier. What about it?”
“That name…”
Onyxia looked at Celia.
“We just heard it in the Holy Kingdom a few days ago.”
“She was also…”
Celia ventured.
“…one of the suitors for my mother?”
Aurora laughed.
“That’s right. That Aiweier had her eyes on your mother even earlier than I did. Did you meet her?”
“She’s from the Holy Kingdom, seemed to be… what position? Anyway, it was pretty high. When she came to support the coalition at the Ashen Plains, she saw Elariel and couldn’t move a step.”
“And then?”
Olivia asked curiously.
“And then?”
Aurora spread her hands.
“And then of course she was rejected just like me.”
“Aiweier eventually became friends with Velanthe too. Speaking of that, I actually saw that contract. Velanthe had even stolen it.”
“Stole the contract? What good did that do?”
“She wanted to see if there was any way… well, a secondary re-writing.”
“Secondary re-writing? Can the contract even be modified like that?”
“Of course not. Although Velanthe didn’t regret signing the contract, she felt that if a couple more sisters could share the burden, she could accept it. We even thought of many methods.”
“Did it succeed?”
Olivia asked.
Aurora shook her head.
“A contract is a contract. Once formed, it can never be changed.”
“Velanthe and I studied it for a long time, consulted many people, and finally had to give up. At the time, Velanthe smiled and said, ‘What a pity.'”
The room fell silent.
Onyxia asked softly, “Do you still love her?”
Aurora looked at her, then at Celia, and finally fixed her gaze on some point in the void.
She nodded.
“Yes.”
That single word was very light, yet like a pebble, it fell on everyone’s heart.
“But once the contract was signed, it cut off all my hopes.”
Aurora’s voice was as calm as if she were telling someone else’s story.
“I don’t hate her, and I don’t hate Velanthe. I only hate that I couldn’t meet her earlier.”
“Unfortunately, they’re both gone, whether alive or dead, they’re no longer here.”
Aurora withdrew her gaze from the empty space and refocused on Celia’s face.
“Do you know why I live here?”
Celia shook her head.
Aurora stood up, walked to the window, and pushed open the dusty window.
She pointed into the distance.
There, on the gray horizon, a faint crack could be seen, like a scar on the sky that had been torn open and barely sewn shut.
“That place is where the Demon Race tore open a spatial rift fifty years ago. The previous Pope sealed it at the cost of his life. But the seal needed guarding, so I’ve lived here. That’s been over fifty years now.”
“As for the second reason…”