Past Relationships (3)

At first, I thought she was joking.

I asked her if she thinks that a beautiful, good, and long-living elf was the ideal type for a man’s bride.

“It’s ridiculous to form these words in my mouth, but yes, my race is the ideal spouse for humans.”

She was lying so smoothly.

“Oh, and humans value groups, not individuals, right? I have a large following. I am always surrounded by elves who were like counterparts of the knights you have.”

I felt more suspicious as she began to introduce the Sentinels of her tribe like a commodity.

“I have everything His Highness requires.”

I turned to the queen and saw that she was seriously contemplating Sigrun’s proposal.

It wasn’t just because of her appearance, but the values that she had discussed.

The queen asked her with a sincere face.

“You’ve only met Ian for the first time today. Why are you making such a bold proposal?”

Sigrun laughed.

The moment I heard her laugh, the hair on my whole body rose.

I knew that look she has now.

Its how she looks when she finds something she really likes.

Or when she finds something she really dislikes.

Her goodwill and malice always end with the same results.

Destruction.

“From the moment I saw His Highness, I felt that my destiny was bound to him.”

The Elves were a cunning tribe capable of making lies sound like the truth, but there is only one thing that they don’t lie about.

Destiny.

The higher ranking the Elf, the more serious they take destiny.

Sigrun was the Elder High Elf of the Mistletoe Tribe.

She had silver eyes unique to High Elves. They were sparkling like jewels as she looked straight at me. It was a gaze that would send any other man to insane ecstasy.

I felt that my life is going to have a drastic change the moment she told me that our destinies were intertwined.

“You’re really bold!” The queen exclaimed with a red face. She must have taken Sigrun’s words as a kind of confession.

No, it was absolutely not.

I sighed and stood up.

The queen looked at me. I looked at her face and asked her for patience.

“I need to talk with her privately,” I told her.

The queen’s expression changed. She must have misunderstood, but now is not the time to clear her misunderstanding.

“Let’s go.” Sigrun smiled brightly and held my arm.

An act that was deliberately intended.

Sighs flowed from all over the banquet hall. It seemed that everyone was watching us.

The nobles were looking at me with jealousy, envy and greed.

As they saw me walk with a beautiful elf, their natures were blatantly revealed.

With those uncomfortable gazes, I called Carls.

“Find us a place where we can speak in private.

Carls could not take his gaze off Sigrun. Still, he was a triple chain knight, and he handled his emotions well.

Carls brought us to a room that was completely closed, a cozy place prepared for nobles who wanted to rest from the banquet.

“Make sure no one disturbs us,” I told him.

As we walked to this place, I felt like we were secretly being followed.historical

Carls pounded his chest in a show of loyalty and stood with his back at the door.

I closed the door. When I turned around, I saw Sigrun’s beautiful face.

“Sigrun. Speak your real purpose.”

She smiled. “I came to show the alliance between my family and the kingdom. I have no other intentions.”

“I will ask you again,” my voice was firmer, “Elder High Elf Sigrun.”

Her acting stopped when her true identity went out of my mouth.

It was as if a mask was torn off her.

“The Elder High Elf Sigrun, the executioner; the sword of the Elf clan,” I prodded her.

Her expression was lifeless. It was as if she was a wax doll.

“What is your real purpose?”

If it was a simple show of friendship, a High Elf would have sufficed. Not an Elder. Definitely not an Elder who carried out the killings of the clan.

After a few moments, she opened her mouth.

“It’s funny..” Her voice that was as delicate as a bird chirping now sounded as dry as an old tree.

“How did you know about me?”

I didn’t answer. I was forced to step in when she tried to control my fate, but that did not mean I would expose my identity.

“If you knew that I was an enforcer, don’t you think it is stupid to stay silent in front of me?”

“I know that it’s just as stupid as talking in front of an executioner.”

Her eyes narrowed at my words.

Her gaze no longer looked like sparkling starlight. Now, it looked insidious and terribly evil.

As I looked into her eyes, I saw her karma. Countless deaths. Flesh torn to pieces. The karma that she had built for over a thousand years struck me.

But I wasn’t shaken at all. The countless deaths she showed me were of no threat to me.

Because I have my own share of blood and deaths.

“Don’t play around, Sigrun.”

Her eyes went wide open. I knew that she was still acting. She had been doing this for a thousand years. Most of the emotions she reveals were simply learned habits.

“Do not interfere with my destiny,” I warned her, with every bit of my hundreds of years of being a sword and this short, stupid human life.

Whatever I did, I knew that it was insignificant to her.

Her soul has reached a place so high that I could not measure it.

Her eyes, which had already reached transcendence, could have had a glimpse of my past.

Then, I deliberately hid my existence.

That way, she will feel even more curious.

As if she had just seen the tip of the iceberg.

As if she had tasted only a bite of the food that was immediately taken away from her.

“Who are you, really?” She asked.

“I am just a poor prince.”

“No, really?”

“Well.. If you really want to know, you must see it.”

If she could see the past, she would also be able to see the future.

The future I wanted.

Sigrun glanced at me. I waited quietly, then felt her unknown gaze probing inside me. I gave her a little time, before hiding my existence once more.

She shook her head.

“The way the King said it was weird. I asked him, why did you send me on this mission? And he simply answered that I should be able to figure out why..”

Little by little, life began to seep again into her dry voice.

“But now I know..”

Her lifeless face turned beautiful once more.

“It was because of you!”

She laughed.

It was the face of someone who was full of anticipation, like a person enjoying the fragrance of a delicacy being cooked in front of her.

* * *

The eyes of the nobles almost popped out when they saw us return to the banquet hall.

What did you do in the back room?

What did you do with the beautiful elf?

I could see the low curiosity, jealousy, and lustful imagination in their gazes.

I ignored it all and walked silently.

Sigrun followed me with a shy expression, as if she wanted to fuel those looks further.

We stood in front of the queen who was still sitting on the platform.

“I have something to tell you,” I told her.

“Tell me.” The queen’s eyes looked bright. Sigrun with a shy face, her son who looked so determined. It was easy to misunderstand.

And that was exactly what I wanted.

The queen turned to Sigrun, who nodded back at her.

“I decided. I will marry Sigrun,” I announced.

As I did, I felt as if vomit was coming out of my mouth. I never thought of the day I would speak these words.

The queen smacked her armrest in shock. “Marriage with an Elf?”

She was probably thinking about the political advantages we could get with marrying a High Elf.

I continued speaking to the queen.

“But it’s an important issue so we must not decide quickly. We all need time before we finalize it.”

The queen needs time to think.

Sigrun needs time for her prey to mature.

I need time to develop my strength to escape against this lunatic elf.

We all needed time.