327 – Prosperous Western Territory – 7
A huge tree located in the center of the elven residential district. A three-story building next to the tree. While the other buildings are close together, the three-story building, which is isolated, is used as the residence of the elders and the meeting space of the elves. Due to its symbolism, it is an important building that even fellow elves cannot approach without permission.
It was the first time a human tourist had visited such a precious building, but no one showed any signs of excitement or curiosity.
‘It should work out.’
Sitting on the sofa, I stared at the stairs bitterly. While the other party was on the first floor, Ma Jong-gong went up to the third floor with the elder.
After meeting the elder on the roadside and learning that Prince Majong was his only granddaughter, the elder led us to his house. He hasn’t talked about his daughter yet, but the opponent is a person who has lived over 600 years. It seemed that he had roughly guessed it from the dark complexion of Clarisse, the only granddaughter who came alone without a daughter.
Of course, as a mother, it was revealed on her face that she wished it wasn’t so.
“Are you okay?”
Louise, who was constantly touching the already empty teacup and showing an uneasy expression, opened her mouth. Her quivering eyes and hard face seemed to show how mentally driven she was.
“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry too much.”
Since he understood Louise’s feelings, he tried hard to give an acceptable answer. For Louise, Duke Ma is also an opponent with the same prospective husband, but he is a valuable teacher who taught her magic before that. He is a benefactor who showed the way of magic to Louise, who lost her sister at a young age and was in despair.
However, a benefactor and precious teacher has to tell his maternal grandmother the news of his mother’s death. Even to his maternal grandmother, who might hate him too. As a disciple, I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.
“That’s right. He’s none other than Ma Jong-gong. You’ll be fine.”
Irina, who was sitting next to Louise, also held Louise’s hand and comforted her. She is a duke of the Empire, a person who has reached the pinnacle of magic, so she will overcome any difficulties.
Marghetta also nodded her head and gave strength to her Irina’s words, and only then did Louise put on a somewhat relieved expression. No, maybe I’m forcing myself to pretend I’m okay for the comfort of others.
‘I hope nothing happens.’
Actually, I am also anxious. In human society, the Ma sect is invincible, but right now she is just her granddaughter, Beatrix.
So I can only pray that things work out.
***
A room located in the innermost part of the 3rd floor. Perhaps she had a private meeting with her maternal grandmother in the same room that her maternal grandmother used as her office.
She’s fortunate enough to be recognized as her guest, so she has to speak up. I need to tell her about her mother and hear what she thinks of me. But I just couldn’t open my mouth.
Because I saw my grandmother’s expression until I came to this room. I saw the look on the face of a person who was hardened by her despair but at the same time desperately hopeful, suffering the contradiction that her heart could not accept even though her reason whispered of a terrible catastrophe.
‘Mother.’
He thought of her mother as he touched the teacup he hadn’t even taken a sip of. Her mother was a little resentful now.
Why didn’t you tell me about your mother’s family? Why did you fight with your maternal grandmother and end the relationship? Couldn’t there be a little, a little better way?
“My only granddaughter?”
In the meantime, my maternal grandmother opened her mouth first.
“Yes, my name is Beatrix.”
She politely bowed her head in response, but silence fell again. That’s natural. If you have confirmed that I am your only granddaughter, she should ask about her daughter who is not here, and the answer she will come back after asking is too obvious.
So how dare you open your mouth? How can I hold on when the speculation that her daughter is dead after asking for nothing becomes a reality.
“Where is Ariadne?”
But her maternal grandmother put the terrible question in her mouth. Is it because she has a sense of duty as a mother to accept her daughter’s death, or does she hope that the answer will come back saying that her daughter couldn’t come because of circumstances. Either way, a question that requires a lot of courage.
Unfortunately, I had to repay that courage with despair.
“He died 101 years ago in the arms of Enen.”
As soon as she said that, she closed her eyes tightly. I didn’t have the confidence to look at my grandmother’s expression after hearing my answer, and I didn’t have the courage to listen to her grandmother’s resentment.
The silence that came back was broken again by my grandmother.
“I see.”
A short answer pretending to be calm, no, calm. The bite and emotions mixed with that answer could hardly be called calm.
“I ran away from this mother’s arms and she was gone forever.”
I couldn’t even imitate the words that followed. The more her mother-in-law opened her mouth, and the longer she spoke, the more the emotions within her exploded.
“I drove a nail into her chest and went, and instead of pulling it out, I drove something more…”
It was heavy. Every single word my grandmother said felt like a weight on my shoulders. I couldn’t bear to lift her head like her maternal grandmother, so I lowered her head.
Of course, it is a pity that her mother passed away. I am also a victim of the loss of her mother, and I am not to blame for the misfortune. My maternal grandmother and I are just comrades who lost the same family, not the relationship between perpetrator and victim.
But why? Strangely, I feel like a sinner. To someone who hasn’t seen her daughter in 150 years, to her grandmother, whose last conversation was a quarrel, that the first granddaughter to deliver her daughter’s death. This in itself seemed like a great sin.
“…I hate humans.”
Her body froze at those words.
My grandmother who has no choice but to hold grudge against humans, my mother who went out to the human world despite her grandmother’s disapproval, and me with human blood.
“My husband was killed during the time of Apels. Not only my husband, but most of the elves went a long way at that time.”
I softly bit my lip. We know from history that the different races suffered countless damages during the Apels Empire. I heard before coming here that my maternal grandmother was also affected. I didn’t know that the damage would include the bereavement of her maternal grandfather.
“The world capital given by our god burned down, the spirits that were close friends never showed up again, and the fairies fell down crying.”
I know this too. The world tree that the elves regarded as their life, the spirits and fairies that are the best friends of the elves. It all fell apart in Apels’ hands.
“Of course, I know that the current empire is different from Aphels… But a moment of luck doesn’t make the misfortune of the past nothing.”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
A voice mixed with faint laughter. However, my grandmother’s words were words that could never be laughed at or passed over peacefully.
Although I benefited from Kfellofen, the time I suffered from Apels was too long to forget the pain it caused to humans. That’s why I wouldn’t resent Kfellofen, but he’s determined that he doesn’t want to deal with humans again.
“That’s why I stopped Ariadne from going to the human world. Not all humans are devilish, but there’s no guarantee that only good humans will see them. I didn’t want Ariadne to harbor the same hatred I did.”
And that will led to concern for his children. Her husband was also lost to humans, so she worried that her daughter would also be angry with humans, or that she would hate and fear the human race. That worry was enough for her maternal grandmother to stop her mother.
But it failed. The two of them parted ways when he said that if he didn’t listen to her, he would treat her as someone other than a daughter.
“In the end, it will be like this…”
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If her daughter was not hurt, the motherly love she had was unrequited.
What should I do in this situation? As a granddaughter, should I comfort her maternal grandmother? Or should I bow my head as a sinner with human blood?
I don’t know. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t know. If my maternal grandmother had resented me, I think she would have felt at ease.
“Honey.”
My immature thoughts collapsed as soon as my grandmother opened her mouth. Thinking that she might be resentful, her fear outweighed her comfort.
“Can you tell me how Ariadne lived? What you remember is enough.”
A soft smile, a voice that makes you feel like crying at any moment. He silently nodded his head at the pitiful contradiction.
My grandmother’s request is a natural right as a mother.
I said everything I remember. She knew what kind of clothes her mother liked to wear, what food she liked, what kind of weather she liked, what hobbies she enjoyed.
She was kind to the servants of the family, loved her husband, was kind to her daughter, and respected her mother-in-law.
Even though the races were different, that didn’t become a wall. That he was a being loved by the duchy and duchy.
“…I see.”
Each time her grandmother smiled and nodded her head. Like I’m trying not to disturb her memories with her mother.
“Fortunately, you seem to have forgotten about this ugly mother and lived a good life. I’m glad…”
But at those words, her hair went white. Such a conclusion should not be drawn. All your grandmother should know is her mother’s happy memories, not the life she lived without you. She must not think of herself as a mother who has disappeared from her daughter’s memory.
Then, really, really, isn’t it like the last memories of mother and grandmother become a quarrel with last words.
“No.”
That’s why I dared to tell you what I thought.
“My mother would not have forgotten her maternal grandmother.”
My grandmother’s threatening to think of me as someone else if I leave the sanctuary. It is not that the mother took the bluff as it was and cut her ties.
“When my mother didn’t like something, she showed a lot of dislike. When she was dissatisfied, she hugged me when I was still young and complained.”
Actually, it’s not a very good memory. It’s because you mumbled your dissatisfaction with politics and xie jiao that even a child could not understand. How hard was it each time?
“So, if she didn’t like her maternal grandmother, she would have told me all kinds of complaints. She probably didn’t say anything because her mother also felt guilty and longing for her maternal grandmother.”
Upon hearing that, Grandmother opened her eyes wide for a moment, and then she smiled again.
“That’s a mess.”
“Yes?”
“If you had forgotten me, you wouldn’t have even thought of hating me, but of course you wouldn’t have said anything.”
…
Is that so…?
“Come here.”
Just as she was about to bow her head at her embarrassment and the sense of shame that her persuasion failed, her maternal grandmother beckoned her.
“Did you say Beatrix?”
“Yes, yes…”
Then the grandmother’s smile grew wider.
“It was already about 300 years ago. When Ariadne was still a child, she used to sit her on her lap and read her fairy tales.”
After saying that, my grandmother approached me, grabbed me by the shoulders, and sat me on her lap.
“It was a fairy tale made around the time Kfelofen drove away Apels, a fairy tale about the friendship between elves and humans. I didn’t really like it… But Ariadne especially liked that story, so what can I do? I need to read it.”
From then on, my grandmother laughed a little, saying that she had seen sprouts, but I couldn’t help but laugh.
It’s embarrassing. Sitting on someone’s lap at my age. It would be embarrassing for a baby to do this, even on her mother’s knee.
“I couldn’t understand why they liked it. It was made in a hurry, so the content was messy, it wasn’t very interesting, and the probability wasn’t very good. That’s why it’s a fairy tale that has been forgotten for a long time now.”
I couldn’t move anymore thanks to my grandmother who spoke while stroking my hair.
“But in Ariadne’s heart, it has become a fairy tale that will remain forever.”
The hand that was stroking my hair stopped. And I felt two slender arms hugging my body.
“…Unlike me, like a fairy tale, I learned love from humans…”
My arms trembled slightly. No, not just my arms, but my whole body trembled.
I also carefully stretched out my arms and hugged my grandmother. Actions like this would be better than any words right now.
“Like that fairy tale… I left a treasure…”
And the grandmother kept her mouth shut again.
But strangely, the silence was not awkward now.