Vilda had always envied Leah, from the time she hid in the shadow of the house and watched the golden-haired girl dance gracefully in the sunlight.
She’s so beautiful~
Golden hair like the sun, her clothes are also so pretty, colorful, even prettier than flowers.
The young elf girl, who couldn’t appear openly before the world, hid in a remote corner, observing her entire world with curious eyes.
Behind her, her “mother” placed a hand on her head and whispered softly to her:
“That is your twin, also the missing half of your soul. Fate has destined you to become the happiest lovers.”
‘Twin? Other half? Lovers?’
The young elf girl didn’t understand the meaning of these words, but that didn’t stop her from knowing that she would have a very close relationship with that pretty girl.
She was so happy, so happy.
In the corner, she opened her beautiful black eyes and asked her “mother” joyfully.
“Can I be with her forever?”
“Of course.”
Her mother’s words gently seeped into her heart.
“Once Mother awakens, you will be inside Mother’s body, forever, forever and ever together.”
Forever together!
The young elf was happy about this phrase for a whole week.
A week later, her mother took her to the palace.
It’s so big here~ Completely different from the room she lived in.
Sunlight actually came in; there was no strange smell in the air; even when she spread her arms wide, she wouldn’t touch those terrifying, terrifying things.
Soon, she saw her twin again.
She was still so beautiful, her golden hair still so dazzling, her dress still so gorgeous.
Standing before her, she only felt how ordinary she was.
Her hair was black, looking like intertwined black snakes; her clothes were plain white without any pattern; her eyes were not beautiful emerald green, but a black filled with deathly stillness.
In an instant, inferiority crushed her spine.
She lowered her head, but just missed the sparkle in the golden-haired girl’s eyes when she saw her.
“Dad! I want her to be my friend!”
Little Leah didn’t know who she was, but she had finally met a child her age, and the desire for friendship had already overwhelmed everything.
Alvain agreed to her request and had Elaril step forward to introduce them.
“Your Majesty, this is my child, and also the candidate I have chosen for the next High Priest of the Sacred Wood Monastery.”
The elf girl actually didn’t hear what her mother said next.
When she came to her senses, her mother and that terrifying-looking adult had already left.
She looked up, and a pair of emerald eyes mixed with curiosity and joy suddenly burst into her sight.
They were too close.
She could even smell the fragrance on her, and saw her own “ugly” reflection in her eyes.
“I heard from Aunt Elaril, your name is Vilda, right?”
Little Leah grabbed her hand, the warmth reaching her heart in an instant.
“My name is Astria, you can call me Leah. From today on, you are my friend!!!”
‘Leah… Leah… What a nice name~ Friend… Friend… Can friends be together forever?’
She finally gathered the courage to say her first sentence.
“If we’re friends, can we be together forever?”
Leah had never heard such a statement before, and was so startled she didn’t know what to say.
But her bewilderment was taken as rejection by Vilda, and the courage she had mustered scattered in that moment.
If they couldn’t be together forever, then she wouldn’t become friends.
“Uh… being together is a bit difficult. After all, your lifespan is nearly infinite, but as a Light Elf, I will return to the Sacred Tree after a hundred years. So I can’t be your friend forever.”
Leah suddenly grabbed her hand,
“But I promise! As long as I live, we are the closest friends!”
‘Closest friends?’
Vilda was happy about this word for a day, but Leah’s mention of returning to the Sacred Tree made her very puzzled.
That night, when she returned to that cramped dark room, she asked her “mother” this question.
“The Sacred Tree is our Mother, and returning to the Sacred Tree is returning to Mother’s body.”
Elaril gently rubbed her head, her voice seeming to have a strange magic that made one want to believe.
“We will all return to Mother, that is our destiny. Only by returning to Mother can we be together forever, happily and joyfully, inside Her.”
Forever together.
Innocent little Vilda only heard the last sentence, and she beamed a bright smile at her “mother.”
“Then I want to return to the Sacred Tree together with Leah!”
“Of course, my good child.”
Elaril smiled from the heart.
That night, Vilda was pleasantly surprised to find she didn’t have to hide in the cramped dark room.
The next morning, her “mother” brought her the third prettiest clothes she had ever seen, dressed her, and took her to the palace.
Her mother told her:
“The Elven King wants her to be Princess Leah’s attendant.”
In that beautiful room, Vilda saw Leah again, beautiful and lively like the sun.
Leah had changed clothes again; now she was wearing the fourth prettiest clothes Vilda had ever seen.
“Vilda! Come quick, come quick!”
Leah’s eyes lit up when she saw her.
The adults had gone elsewhere to talk about adult things; now it was children’s time!
And the first thing she was going to do was get rid of that ugly dress Vilda had on!!!
“You’re a bit smaller than me, so my old clothes should fit you perfectly.”
Leah opened her wardrobe, which was full of little dresses from various countries and styles.
Vilda’s mouth formed a round “o” in surprise, realizing she had lost count of which number prettiest clothes she was wearing.
So, in some little notebook in her heart, she wrote the first line:
Leah likes pretty dresses.
“Shh~ Don’t make a sound. If they find out I snuck out, they’ll definitely catch me and take me to Father!”
Vilda was extremely nervous.
This was the first time she had been exposed to so many people’s gazes.
She tightly gripped Leah’s hand, her black pupils both nervous and curious as she observed the bustling crowd.
The Living Root Station was the largest trade district in the Natural Forest, filled with products from all over the world.
“Vilda, look at this, isn’t it pretty?”
Leah took a liking to a golden crystal diamond ring, took one out, put it on her ring finger, and happily showed it to her.
“Mm, very pretty.”
Vilda’s gaze wandered, not sure if she was talking about the diamond ring or the slender fingers.
Hearing her praise, Leah was especially happy.
She bought all the gem accessories from the entire shop, and also picked out a black diamond ring and put it on Vilda’s ring finger.
“This is your gift for accompanying me out to play today~”
Leah continued wandering around the station with a pile of colorful boxes, while Vilda lowered her head to stroke the black gem, silently writing another line in the notebook in her heart:
Leah likes pretty diamonds.
“Vilda, see? I told you it’s prettier to come here at night, right?”
When they grew older, they evaded the patrolling guards and secretly came to the Wisteria Corridor.
This was the most beautiful place in the Natural Forest: countless wisteria intertwined into an inverted purple cloud sea, thousands of flower clusters swaying in the wind like a gradient tide.
Legend has it that there is also a romantic tale: if a couple walks one full round in the corridor, their souls will be dyed with the fragrance of wisteria, never to be separated for eternity.
Vilda didn’t know if Leah had heard this legend, but they both tacitly didn’t bring it up.
On a night known only to the moon, they walked ten full rounds in the Wisteria Corridor.
After returning, Vilda wrote another line in the notebook in her heart:
Leah likes beautiful flowers.
A bit older, and they had maidenly troubles.
“Vilda, do you know how to make my chest bigger?”
Leah gradually discovered the biggest flaw of elven women compared to other races — flatness.
Very flat, really flat.
In the entire elf race, it was hard to find even two women with orange-sized assets.
Thinking about that princess of the Empire who started developing at twelve, Leah felt her life was bleak.
Vilda had accompanied Leah for a full twelve years, having helped her solve countless troubles, and had recorded countless things Leah liked in her little notebook, but she still turned a page and wrote:
Leah likes bigger chests.
But… she hadn’t found a way to solve this.
Vilda was a bit disappointed.
She didn’t know if the elf race had some curse, because even when she used magic, she saw no effect.
She thought such days would continue forever, until the night before Winnidith and the others appeared, her “mother” found her and told her that the Sacred Tree Festival was coming.
“Normally, the King will return to the Sacred Tree at the festival, and Leah will become the new Elven King.”
Elaril looked at her bewildered eyes and said with a smile.
“But once she becomes the Elven King, you will never have a chance to be together again.”
“Like the current King and me.”
‘Like mother and the Elven King?’
Vilda suddenly felt a surge of fear.
If Leah became the Elven King, would they become like her mother and Alvain?
She didn’t want that!
“I know what you’re thinking. So…”
Elaril gently hugged her.
“Return to Mother together with Leah. Inside Mother’s body, your light will never be separated from you.”
‘Never be separated… But why is it so dark here?’
‘Where is her light?’
“Vilda! Wake up! The Sacred Tree cannot make us stay together forever! Your mother is lying to you!”
‘Lying to me? Mother is lying to me?’
‘Leah wouldn’t lie to me, so it’s Mother lying to me!’
Vilda opened her eyes, saw that it was still dark before her, and her body began to tremble in fear.
‘Mother lied to me! The Sacred Tree cannot make us be together forever!’
“Hold on! Don’t be influenced by its thoughts! I’ll find a way to save you!”
“After we destroy it, we can go to the Living Root Station together, or go to the Wisteria Corridor again, we can even go to the Empire and taste the cake Isabella talked about!”
“After it dies, we will have unlimited time together. No matter what you want to do, I’ll be with you!”
“So, you must survive! With all your might, live on!”
‘Live on… Live on.’
Vilda was horrified to find that the pull of the black mud around her was getting stronger.
Countless black mud like tentacles were forcefully tugging at her body, seemingly trying to suck her into an eternal dark vortex.
She wouldn’t have that!
Vilda’s body strained outward.
At that moment, only one thought remained in her mind.
“I want… to live on!!!”