What is a dark elf?
The world of the elves is a world of mana. Those with more powerful mana had more respect, glory and held higher statuses. Mana is a gift the gods bestowed upon the elves. However, it seems that the gods aren’t without bias. Mana wasn’t shared evenly. Some had lots while some had little.
Hence, those who had less mana were slightly heretical. They didn’t submit to mana. But they chose the wrong way. They chose to research black magic and relied on sucking the blood of other people to obtain their mana, thus increasing their power. While the results were noticeable, the price they had to pay was that their entire tribe had to forever be cursed by black magic.
Blood-red eyes, sharp teeth, blood sucking……
They were exiled, hunted, betrayed……
That was what their tribe had to bear. They all hid within the forests from as early as they could remember. On full moon nights, they were tortured by their impulse to suck blood, and thus bit the neck of their mother. Others were breastfed, while they sucked the blood of their mother.
Ever since she was young, she asked why she couldn’t settle down in one location, why she couldn’t live in the bustling city at the end of forest, work, live, choose her lover, build a family and have children.
Why couldn’t she?
She had asked her mom countless times, but all she got was a tight hug from her mom as a response. She only received silent hushes and her father’s endless silence.
Finally, after that loud explosion, her father and mother never returned, and she also finally met with the long emerald dress. It was the first time she saw such a beautiful, elegant and kind woman. She was the first elf to greet them instead of attack them. She was the first elf who didn’t look at her with a gaze that showed she had ulterior motives. She was an elf that was willing to reach her hand out and stroke her head.
She was the elven queen, Vyvyan Galadriel… She was the woman she most envied. She was the woman who held her hand and gave her a family, an identity, and the life she wanted.
When she entered the elven imperial capital and looked at the large building before her, she trembled as she asked the queen who was by her side: “Your highness, what can a dark elf like myself do? I… I can only bring harm to others… I don’t know how to do anything…..”
“Many things. You can do anything. You can use your keen sense of smell to make antidotes and medicines to save others, as well as fragrances to let others experience bliss. Harming others is not your only skill. You can bring happiness to others too. As long as you’re willing to bring happiness to others, you will be able to bring them happiness.”
She heard the queen’s voice in her ears. The queen was right.
She was like a goddess in her heart. She didn’t suck blood or eat meat for the sake of getting closer to the queen, and get as close as possible to the queen’s tribe.
But she was forever a dark elf. The curse that her tribe had been cursed with for several centuries would never go away. No matter how she changed, her eyes and teeth would never become normal. But she continued her independent lifestyle, changed her habit of going out at night, got used to eating fruit, and bit her bed sheets on full moon nights to get through those nights…..
She was very happy. Truly very happy. That was the life she wanted.
She had a proper respectable job and had her own home in the city. What else was it did she lack?
She lacked a lover, and a family.
And that’s when he appeared.
He knocked on her door with his fiancée. Her impulse to suck blood that she had suppressed for over ten years resurfaced due to the scent of his human blood. She wanted to leap at him and bite his neck in that moment. It took a lot out of her to suppress her urge. On that day, she found out his highness’s secret.
He was a mixed-blooded elf.
When she opened her door, his expression froze up. Afterwards, he revealed a smile that caused her whole body to tremble. It was like she had returned to the past when she was young and saw her highness’s smile. His smile was brighter than the sun. His eyes, which he used to gaze at her, were clear like a spring.
She felt her heart throb.
If only she understood that what she felt was love back at that moment.
Wait, no. If she didn’t know what love was at the time, it would’ve been great.
She couldn’t compete with Lucia. She could never have his highness. Being able to see his highness’s smile was already far-fetched. Perhaps his highness would be curious why he met her every time she came out. The truth is, she was always searching for his scent every day, so that she could see his smile every day.
That was the most blissful thing for her.
She loved him. She had fallen in love with his highness. She wanted to see his smile every day. But she was a dark elf, so they were destined to never be together.
And so now with her dagger pressed against his throat, she kissed him on his lips.
“Sorry, your highness……”
I love you, but sorry… I don’t deserve to have your love. The love I have for you isn’t worth mentioning right now. The curse that I wanted to escape from follows me like my shadow. Why won’t the curse of the dark elves go away? I have tried so hard already, but I still can’t escape being hunted, being threatened and facing destruction. Is there no way to revert back after making that mistake? Do I have to point a dagger at the person I love just because I’m a dark elf?
Didn’t her highness say that you could love someone as long as you loved them? Why? Why must I hurt his highness when I want to love him? I love him so much yet I have to slit his throat with my own hands.
I’ve never regretted falling in love with you. I’ve never regretted choosing to adopt your lifestyle. Please do not waste your tears on me when your sword pierces my chest. Your tears should be saved for your loved one, not me…… Please do not cry for my sake, otherwise… I’ll have delusions……
I’ll misunderstand that you love me…….
Your highness….. Please do not be sad because of me…….
Go and be a good king. Share your kindness with those loyal to you, and give your love to those who love you. I shall watch over you from the heavens….. I hope you become… an outstanding king……
When her blood flowed out. When she lost her conscious. When she saw his highness’s face in tears, she couldn’t help but start hallucinating……
If you weren’t the prince and I wasn’t a dark elf when we met, could we have reached a different ending?
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