Elf’s Forest (6)

Inside the World Tree, a space existing on the boundary of dimensions, a secret room only she could open.

‘Today is better than yesterday.’

Silvia approached Haru with the breakfast she had prepared with utmost care.

“My beloved Haru, good morning.”

Silvia’s voice was sweet. Haru slowly turned around. She tried to read the emotions in his eyes, but as always, it was impossible.

“Silvia.”

“I prepared breakfast myself for you again today.”

As she placed the tray on the table, Haru cautiously approached. No longer was it charred black meat, but reasonably edible-looking food was neatly arranged. Silvia felt the subtle ‘fragrance’ emanating from the food and smiled inwardly.

“Here, try some.”

“I can eat it myself.”

“No. I’ll feed you myself. Taking care of you is my right.”

A flicker of dissatisfaction crossed Haru’s eyes, but Silvia didn’t care.

“Now, open your mouth.”

She watched Haru’s expression. There was a smile on his lips, but his eyes weren’t smiling.

Why won’t he accept it? My sincerity… my love?

“I… prepared it with such care since dawn.”

She whispered, lowering her voice.

“Do you not like it?”

The spirits around her reacted to her anxiety, flashing red.

Haru reluctantly opened his mouth.

‘Good, he’s accepting my love.’

“What would you like to do today?”

“I want to go outside.”

Silvia smiled. Such childish stubbornness. She only felt sorry for him for not understanding her feelings.

“Not yet. It’s for your safety.”

“You’ve been saying the same thing for three weeks.”

After the meal, Silvia took Haru’s hand and led him to the sofa. His body temperature was transmitted through her hand. She wanted to feel this warmth forever.

“Haru, I have a question. What makes me more special than the other party members… what is it about me?”

Haru’s expression hardened. There was no answer. Silvia’s heart began to beat rapidly. The spirits around her emitted an even brighter red light.

“Everyone is a good comrade. I can’t compare.”

“Really? Aris is an old lizard who’s lived for thousands of years, and Seraphin is a hypocritical saint… Aren’t I a much better choice?”

Haru still didn’t answer. A bitter smile crossed her lips. Silvia’s anger slowly rose.

“There’s Nia too, you know.”

“Nia? That cat?”

Suddenly, she laughed.

“If you want, I can catch her later and let you keep her as a pet. You can even make a fur hat in the winter.”

“Silvia, please… please let me out. Being locked up like this is…”

The desperation in Haru’s voice pierced her heart. At the same time, anger flared up. It was a statement that ignored all her efforts and devotion until now.

“So… you like the others more than me? I’m not good enough?”

Her voice became low and cold.

“But it was you, Haru, who made me like this.”

“What are you talking about? I just think of Silvia as a comrade──”

“Don’t lie!”

The World Tree’s magic began to swirl around her. Brilliant green light filled the room.

A comrade. He’s making her angry again. To reduce all the emotions and love she had poured out over the past few months to just ‘comrades.’ As if she was just mistaken.

The World Tree’s magic reacted to her anger. The Queen of the Forest and the World Tree were one. Silvia no longer needed to hide or suppress her emotions.

“From the moment I first came to the forest, you seduced me with that smile. You called me ‘Queen-nim’ and treated me specially.”

The first human to approach her, the lonely Elf Queen. Others only saw her as the guardian of the forest, but Haru treated her as a person named ‘Silvia.’

“You gave me hope, made me dream… and then you did the same to other women?”

Haru’s expression was filled with bewilderment. Silvia moved closer. Close enough to feel his breath.

“The spirits have all been watching. Haru smiling at other elves, accepting their touch…”

Silvia’s hand caressed Haru’s cheek. They were so close, but why did he feel so far away?

“It’s all your fault. You’re the one who made me so obsessed.”

Softly, lovingly… and then suddenly, she gripped it tightly.

“But now you’re saying you want to run away? No, you can’t. You have to take responsibility for what you did to me.”

Haru flinched. She could feel his fear.

He was taking her seriously. She hadn’t completely won his heart, but at least she had captured his full attention.

“I love you, Haru. We are destined. A destiny determined by the World Tree.”

The spirits in the room turned red and circled menacingly. But Silvia saw it as a beautiful light of blessing.

“Just love me. Then everything will be perfect. You made me fall in love, and now you’re going to betray me… that’s a really bad thing, isn’t it?”

Silvia tilted her head slightly and smiled. For a moment, she wondered what she looked like in Haru’s eyes. Beautiful? Crazy? It didn’t matter. The boundary between love and madness no longer mattered.

‘Together forever…’

Love, Silvia repeated the magical word.

*

As the sun set, Silvia held a specially chosen fairy tale book in her arms. She could feel the faint magic emanating from the aged cover.

‘Today’s story will be a lesson for Haru.’

Haru stood by the window every day.

Hasn’t he adjusted yet? It’s okay. Time will solve it.

Silvia approached him and showed him the book.

“Haru, today I’m going to tell you an ‘adult story’ that is never told to young elves.”

She slowly opened the book. Green magic flowed from the pages. The spirits immediately reacted and began to emit small lights.

Silvia turned off the candles in the room one by one. As the darkness deepened, the green light of the spirits became clearer.

“This story is called ‘The Human Who Plucked the Flower.’ It’s a true story from a thousand years ago.”

As Haru sat on the edge of the bed, Silvia sat close beside him. She could feel his body temperature. Close. So close that she was happy.

“Once upon a time, there lived an elf girl at the edge of the forest…”

Following Silvia’s voice, the spirits began to project images into the air.

The image of an elf girl with beautiful emerald hair was drawn before Haru. Silvia was a girl who resembled herself.

“The girl fell in forbidden love. With a human prince she met at the edge of the forest. He was braver and wiser than any elf she had ever seen.”

In the spirits’ illusion, the figure of a handsome human prince appeared. Strong shoulders, sharp eyes, a confident gait… he bore a strange resemblance to Haru.

“The girl gave the prince everything. The secrets of the forest, the fruits of magic, and her pure heart…”

Silvia watched Haru’s expression.

“But when the human prince learned the elf’s magic, he no longer needed the girl. He decided to return to the human world.”

In the spirits’ illusion, the prince was seen packing his bags.

“The girl, filled with sadness, grabbed the prince. But the prince abandoned the girl and ran away.”

Silvia’s voice grew colder. The illusions shown by the spirits also grew darker. The scene of the prince pushing the girl away was depicted violently. Haru’s face was contorted with discomfort.

“As the girl’s tears seeped into the roots of the World Tree, the World Tree became enraged. The roots pierced the ground and rose up, grabbing the prince’s ankles.”

Silvia didn’t take her eyes off Haru’s expression. In the illusion, the face of the prince caught by the roots gradually resembled Haru’s face. It was an intentional manipulation.

“The World Tree decided to imprison the prince forever. Inside the World Tree, in a place where time flows differently…”

Silvia’s hand subtly took Haru’s hand. She squeezed it tightly.

“There, the prince lived forever. Repenting his sins every night, in the embrace of the World Tree.”

In the spirits’ illusion, the prince slowly became part of the tree. Branches grew from his limbs, and tears flowed from his eyes.

The story wasn’t over. The most important part remained.

“But the funny thing is, the prince was happy there. At first, he struggled, but as time passed, he felt that place was his home.”

Silvia slowly closed the book. The magic light faded, and the spirits’ illusions scattered. Only a faint green light remained in the room.

“That… that’s an interesting story.”

“Right? Tomorrow, I’ll tell you the story of ‘The Runaway Cursed by the Moon.’ That one’s even more exciting.”

Silvia slowly stood up. She gently stroked Haru’s hair with her fingers. His soft hair was caught in her trembling fingertips. She wanted to remember his scent forever.

“This isn’t just a simple story, Haru.”

She whispered in his ear.

Before heading to the door, she turned around once more and gently caressed Haru’s cheek.

“Good night, my king.”

Haru’s body stiffened at that small touch. Silvia simply smiled.

“We’ll be together forever… aren’t you happy?”

Without waiting for an answer, she closed the door.

As the gap in the World Tree magically sealed, Silvia’s magic enveloped the entire room.

Haru seemed to be left alone, but in reality, he was never alone. Small spirits were watching him from every corner.

Walking down the hallway, Silvia hoped he would realize it soon. That escape was impossible. That useless resistance would only bring pain.

‘He’ll accept it soon. When that happens, we’ll be truly happy.’

Silvia sincerely believed it. Her methods might be extreme, but they all stemmed from a pure love for Haru. At least, she was sure of it.

***

As soon as the door closed, the tension was released.

Since the magic-infused spirits were still watching me, I pretended to be terrified and slumped down on the bed.

‘It’s going according to plan. Everything is going smoothly.’

Bersiel, Ririlla, the Lavender sisters, Morgana… becoming close to them wasn’t a coincidence. It was a deliberate act to provoke Silvia’s jealousy and make her lock me up here.

Forcibly swallowing Silvia’s ‘special food,’ pretending to be brainwashed by the magic-infused fairy tales, and earning her trust step by step.

Everything was going according to plan.

It was time to proceed to the next stage. Now it was time to enter the heart of the World Tree, the space where ‘time flows differently’ that Silvia had mentioned.

Footsteps were heard in the distance. Silvia was coming back. I quickly closed my eyes and tossed and turned, pretending to be suffering from a nightmare.

I already felt like I was getting closer to home.