episode_0077

Again. Again. Again. Again.

Two girls walking down a shabby hallway.

Clara walked in silence, trying to get as far away as possible so that the people in the conference room wouldn’t hear her conversation.

Zion followed Clara, looking at the back of her head as she led him.

“···.”

I didn’t even have the strength to resist, even though I didn’t know where I was going. I was afraid of hearing the answer and having it confirmed, so I couldn’t even open my mouth.

I was dragged away like a piece of paper in the wind.

My head feels dizzy even when I walk. Nothing is organized.

I was so frustrated that Clara in front of me didn’t say anything.

The situation was visible in Zion’s head. Nothing more was drawn than that.

How could this girl know the inside story?

widely!

Clara stopped walking.

And I look around. There are no human presences or strange magic. Everyone is gathered in the conference room.

‘It should be okay around here.’

A relieved Clara turned to look at Zion and raised her head.

Now is the time to say hello properly.

But what about the greeting?

Clara’s mouth opened wide in shock when she saw Zion’s face.

“Shi, Sister Zion!?”

“Ugh···.”

Jewel-like tears were falling down the elf girl’s cheeks.

The sight of him biting his lips as if trying to suppress his emotions on his gaunt face added to the misery.

Recently, Zion has felt sad many times. However, even when she feels that way, she only feels heartbroken and does not shed tears.

The girl guessed that perhaps she herself had become so dull and worn out that she could no longer shed tears.

In reality, that wasn’t the case.

I was so shocked just now that I couldn’t hold back my tears.

Rohan and Clara.

I was holding on to my senses by recalling the times the three of us spent together.

Perhaps he had been playing on the palm of his hand until now, and that was why the elders were waiting that day.

Just thinking about the possibility made me cry.

“Sister···?”

“You can say it··· My life has always been like this··· Be ready to accept it···.”

Words said while sobbing.

Unlike Rohan, Clara, who did not understand Zion’s reaction, fidgeted and held Zion’s hand tightly.

“You must have had a hard time. I’m sorry I’m late··· Don’t cry···.”

“···?”

Because the girl he was facing also had tears in her eyes just like his own.

Zion suddenly came to his senses.

“Why is your body so cold, Unnie···? Your face is pale too···.”

Clara took a step closer and hugged Zion.

The elf girl moved her limp arms and wrapped them around the girl who was comforting and embracing her.

In the midst of confusion.

Zion felt it keenly.

‘A person’s embrace… is so warm.’

It felt like the cold that had penetrated deep into my bones was blown away in an instant.

No need for long words.

One action will make you realize at once that your thoughts are a black delusion and a shameful misunderstanding.

“Sister Zion···! Don’t worry, my brother is here.”

A slender hand strokes my back, saying it’s okay now.

Zion felt like crying at Clara’s kindness for another reason.

Isn’t she really a lovely girl?

“Clara. I missed you··· I was lonely···.”

“I, I missed my sister too··· Ugh!”

Zion hugged Clara tighter.

The girl’s body temperature was so warm that I didn’t want to leave. It felt like the heat was seeping into my heart.

Just by putting skin on, all the hardships up until now are erased. The consciousness that was cracked by the shock is neatly sewn back together.

Zion, who had been relieving himself by silently embracing Clara for a long time without letting go,

I was startled by an unknown noise coming from the conference room in the distance and let go of my hand.

Clara smiled bashfully with a flushed face as she met Zion’s eyes. The main reason for her smile was that the gloomy mood had disappeared from Zion’s face.

“Even among women, it’s a little embarrassing···.”

“···.”

Zion also felt those words. For a rare moment, she felt ashamed.

A strange feeling, different from the shame of not being able to show off. I keep worrying about whether or not I should put my mask on.

“Sister. How are you? Did you eat well?”

At those words, Zion said that it was okay, took out his water bottle, and drank an unknown amount of water.

After quenching the thirst that had dried up.

He asked the most important point.

“Clara. What happened just now? I still don’t understand···.”

“It’s hard for me to explain because I’m just watching what my brother does···.”

Clara continued to ponder, tapping her pouting lips with her finger.

I don’t know enough to answer for sure.

Still, it’s not like there was no benefit to sitting next to and watching.

Clara also knew one thing for sure.

“I think you’re confusing me with someone else. You’re acting like that person.”

“A mistake? Acting?”

Clara assured Zion that if he sat down and watched for a while, he would see Rohan acting.

At those words, Zion felt even more lost.

Clara’s explanation continued somehow.

“···That’s how I got here.”

“End?”

“Yes···! This is the end.”

“What?”

Zion, who heard the compressed explanation, was unable to understand the content.

From beginning to end, everything is full of questions.

It’s not that Clara couldn’t explain, but every single sentence was beyond my understanding.

‘You’re impersonating me with the information you have? Did you gather it while fighting the leader in the tunnel? What if you make a mistake and get caught?’

Zion was impressed, but worried about Rohan.

Even if the method is bold, isn’t it too bold?

And the gait was also difficult to understand.

Is it possible that the elders’ ability to preserve information is not keeping up with the times?

Is Rohan good at extracting information?

“Sister Zion···.”

“Huh?”

As Zion groaned and listened to the story, Clara pulled at his collar to grab his attention.

The girl leans her head closer and whispers.

“Ho, are the elves here your family?”

“···.”

“If they are precious to you, my sister···.”

Zion understood what the girl in front of him was worried about.

When a situation arises where force must be used, Clara is at a loss as to how to handle it.

‘Family? The elders are my family?’

The time we spent together was longer than that of my parents.

Since they are of Testarossa’s blood, they are also people he must protect.

‘···I might have thought so in the past.’

As the days went by without any clarity, I met Rohan and Clara and my perspective broadened.

Thanks to that, I was able to see and feel more things. I realized that the world is vast and that I was living in a well.

Human relationships don’t become more valuable just because we spend more time together.

The bloodline that the elders had been tied to all their lives as being important did not provide food for them.

“Clara.”

“Yes?”

“I like Clara.”

Clara’s eyes lit up with joy as she heard Zion’s words.

The elf girl exchanged glances and continued talking.

“And Rohan is good too.”

“!?!?”

Clara’s expression was a mixture of joy and confusion.

Zion was so intoxicated with emotion that he poured out his heart without a care.

“I couldn’t forget the short days we spent together, so I thought about them every day. I really enjoyed it.”

“Sister···.”

Clara could relate to those words in many ways.

“If you ask if the elders are family now, I don’t know until I hear the hidden truth. Maybe I was wrong from the start.”

“Okay, I understand.”

“Anyway, what’s certain is that··· I have no reason to take responsibility for them.”

I think Zion has tried its best to burn golden days without enjoying anything until today.

I have no shame in looking up to the heavens about my efforts.

Clara nodded in understanding after hearing a clear answer from Zion.

I asked to confirm one thing. This time it was a completely separate issue.

“Sister Zion.”

“Say it.”

“Sister··· originally had Tigrova citizenship, right?”

This is information I heard from Rohan on my way here.

Zion openly and honestly agreed with the statement.

Clara’s face was colored with a mixture of emotions.

“If it’s Tigrova, maybe your older sister is also polygamous···.”

“Huh?”

Zion asked back at the muttering.

Clara tapped her cheek to come to her senses. Now was not the time to be discussing such things.

“Ah, no··· Go back quickly!”

*****

“You’re here.”

“···.”

The elder exhaled deeply at Rohan’s voice.

Clara returned to the conference room and sat quietly next to Rohan.

Zion, who followed in, stood blankly among the elders rolling around on the floor.

‘I guess this is just my nature.’

Seeing Zion looking at him with a blank expression, it seems like the misunderstanding has been resolved. The story has been roughly conveyed, so there is no hostility in his eyes.

The problem is that the movement itself is so awkward that it seems like Rohan will have to lead it well.

“Levin Maxwell. How long are you going to keep me waiting? If you’re just trying to get on my nerves, I’ll commend your courage.”

“Ahem···! Princess. Please take a seat.”

The elder raised his voice at Rohan’s menacing urging.

Zion took a seat with his mouth tightly shut.

“Princess.”

“What the hell is this? Explain.”

The elder had no intention of explaining the situation.

Rohan is just expediting the work he said he would do.

“I will now tell you the story that the princess was curious about.”

“···Suddenly?”

Unilateral communication.

The elder moved the corners of his wrinkled lips as if telling Zion to listen quietly without answering her question.

“The princess asked. Did Emperor Seolho really cause a disaster in the Testarossa royal family?”

“···.”

This is the part that Zion was so curious about and wanted to hear the answer to.

For Zion, who joined in the middle, it was a topic that came up out of the blue, but it was a story that could not be missed.

“The day the princess and our elders fled from Tigrova. The Great King Seolho was victorious, but did not take anyone’s life.”

“Then father and mother···.”

The elder and Zion’s eyes met.

Greed that showed through the wrinkles. There was no hiding.

Zion’s face slowly turned red with anger.

The elder calmly told the truth.

“As you might expect, I was the one who led Testarossa’s downfall.”

A cold silence fell over the conference room.

The atmosphere was frozen solid.