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Regardless of how snowy or bloody it is on human soil, the elven lands are always peaceful with birds singing, fragrant flowers and a nice-gentle breeze.
I felt a little perplexed.
‘How long has it been since I’ve been to the elven lands, haven’t seen that ancient tree, haven’t heard the soothing sound of the wind and haven’t flower scents that cross over countless mountains all the way here?’
I haven’t been back to the elven lands in a long time. To me, the elven lands are similar to a place cut off from the world, where I can take shelter from the turbulence. No matter how chaotic the outside world may be, it’s always blissful and warm here.
‘I should go back and see the elven lands. I should go back to take a look around after so much that has happened. I should take Luna back to look around. I should take her back to her hometown to look around. Luna’s home is here. If she didn’t meet with misfortune, Luna wouldn’t have appeared on human soil. She would be shining and radiating the same way the beautiful flowers in bloom here in this small village radiate.’
‘Luna is truly very beautiful. If she was here, she would definitely be very, very beautiful when combined with an innocent smile and a past void of pain. She would definitely be the most beautiful flower. However, would I have been able to meet her then? While I would be in the same lands as her, I’d be at the Imperial Capital as the Elf King living in peace, while she’d be at a tiny village as a ritual sacrifice. I’d accompany Lucia on strolls in the Imperial Capital and spend boring afternoons with her, while Luna would be singing in the sea of flowers and then lie down in the flowers when she got tired to catch her breath.’
‘We would never have met then, would we? If we didn’t meet for the first time at the market, we probably never would’ve met each other. Galle Village is too small. It’s so small that it’s never appeared on the map. I have no reason to come here, and Luna never would’ve come to the Imperial Capital, either. We would’ve travelled different paths that never would’ve crossed. Though we would’ve been in the same world, what happened after we met never would’ve taken place, because my Princess is Lucia, and she wouldn’t need me.’
‘Without that tragedy, without her suffering and without the first most terrible meeting at the market, our after story wouldn’t have existed. That would mean that we wouldn’t have embraced, and we wouldn’t have stargazed together. The touching moments and our love would never have existed.’
I gently held Luna. Luna slept soundly in my arms. I sat in the wind. I looked at the hillside filled with flowers. With Luna in my arms, I murmured, “But even so, Luna, I still want you to stay here.”
‘It would’ve been great if I had Luna stay here when we came here that time. It would’ve been fine if I had left Luna on the elven side. If I didn’t get soft-hearted and bring Luna along, Luna wouldn’t be in an eternal slumber right now. I might’ve been in danger, and I might not have survived that night, but regardless, I don’t want to lose my Luna over that.’
“I hope my company can bring you bliss and happiness, my dear Luna.”
I kissed Luna’s lips that were no longer soft and slowly stood up; however, I then staggered down the hillside a little. Luna’s hair blew in the wind. Her smile was gentle as a butterfly’s wings. I carried Luna slowly through the sea of flowers comparably to watching butterflies dance in the flowers.
There was nobody around. I wanted to send Luna off by myself.
‘Luna must’ve felt lonely when she faced Alice. She must’ve felt very lonely and terrified.’
‘Would Luna hesitate about which way to go when she’s faced with endless darkness? Will she cry?’
‘I don’t know if I can transfer my warmth to her. I don’t know if my embrace will provide her with some comfort. Luna walked to her end alone for my sake. I won’t let her finish the journey alone.’
‘I want to, at the very least, hold her in my arms until the very last moment.’
I’ve already dug a deep hole in the middle of the flowers, and I’ve already placed the casket down there with the flowers that exude warmth spread out on top. The white flowers were akin to shining stars.
‘By placing Luna inside, Luna will be able to see the stars we gazed at together, won’t she?’
I placed Luna down gently on top of the flowers and stroked her cheek one last time… and held her hand one last time.
I looked at the corner of Luna’s mouth and softly said, “From now on, I won’t ever have a personal servant. Luna, you’re my one and only personal servant. No matter where I go from now and no matter what I become, I will never have a second personal servant, so you don’t have to get jealous, Luna. Don’t worry, I won’t betray you just how you didn’t betray me.”
‘I’ll keep that promise.’
‘For me, a personal servant isn’t a post, but a person and someone I will miss.’
‘Besides that, there are no personal servants.’
“Goodbye, Luna. I believe that we will meet again. I’m sure we will. Before we meet again, I will definitely become a monarch that’s strong enough to protect you over on your side. As long as I’m with you, I’ll never let Alice approach you again. So have a good rest, Luna. Have… a good rest.”
Luna slowly disappeared from sight before me as the black casket lid slowly shut and ended the memory of that night.
‘Luna is truly gone. She’s truly gone. Nobody will wake me up gently in the morning again. When Nier and Lucia aren’t around, nobody will wait for me in the middle of the night with a light.’
‘Luna… is gone.’
The long nails were nailed in. The flower petals were scattered on top of the casket. Layers of dirt were shovelled on top, but the levelled dirt could never fill the hole in my heart.
‘Luna was always by my side. Fate brought her to me. Time made her existence natural and right. Betrayal stole Luna away, causing my heart to forever be missing a piece, where painful blood will continue to trickle from.’
‘If I’m going to bleed, there must be others who shed blood. And I’ll make sure they bleed more. I’ll make sure they bleed their blood dry. I will make all those who bring harm to those around me vanish from this world. I’ll drown all the other morons who even think about it with their blood.’
‘I’m no longer afraid of killing people, and I no longer worry about killing people. I have no more mercy. I won’t care about their age. Everybody’s fate is fair before a blade. If I can’t completely eliminate my enemies, then there will be trouble in the future. If I can’t be ahead by one step, I’ll be crying tears of pain before another casket again. I won’t even be able to get revenge.’
‘Mera made me want to become a King.’
‘Luna let me know the meaning of authority and power.’
‘So don’t worry, Luna.’
‘I won’t allow that sort of thing to happen again. I don’t want to use my abilities to conquer people anymore. I’m just going to use my sword. There won’t be any more betrayals, because there will only be two sorts of people in this world. The first type is the one who obeys me. The second type is the dead.’
‘I’ll kill all those who don’t obey or question me as I did the other day. I’ve killed so many people already so I don’t mind killing more, tens more, hundreds more or thousands more.’
‘I just need to have authority and power. I can’t just stay as a lord. I want to become a King as Mom is. That’s the only way I’ll be able to kill all those I want to kill.’
“This is where Troy Galadriel Rosvenor’s personal servant, Luna is buried. I hope that she was full of smiles when she was with me.”
I fumbled to stick the tombstone into the mound of dirt crookedly; then I picked up Luna’s small statue and placed it into the flowers.
‘See? I knew it.’
‘Luna’s smile is more beautiful than the flowers.’
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