Mera
Did I just say Duargana was lively? Sorry, but I need to clear one thing up, which is that not every corner of Duargana was lively. At the very least, the residential area in front of me was very quiet. No elves willing to come into the vicinity of the area. The neatly arranged row of homes was also silent. It was as if everybody had left the area or nobody ever resided there. The only sounds were the sounds of domestic animals’ footsteps and bells ringing.
There was a small yard at the front of every house’s entrance. Animals would lie and enjoy the peace belonging to them in the hay in the small yard. The sound of horse hooves on the stone path disturbed them. The surprised animals watched the man in white and his steed make their way across the street.
He stopped by a house and dismounted. He gently knocked on the timber door. The sound was particularly frightening and eerie due to the area being uninhabited. He stood at the door and silently waited for the person inside to open up. He didn’t actually know if there was someone inside or not. Still, he waited. He stood still and straight as a spear stabbed into the ground. Other than his cloak, which the wind buffeted, he didn’t budge. There wasn’t a single sound in the silent area. His knocks only produced echoes. Then, it’d fall into a silence again. The man didn’t panic, though. He continued to wait and knock at set intervals.
After some time, sounds finally came from inside the property. Someone gently pulled open the timber door. The door seemed as if it was a door that hadn’t been opened in a long time. A woman gently placed her hand in a black glove on the door frame. Behind her black veil was her beautiful face, while her pretty body behind the door was covered in a thin, transparent piece of clothing. With a gentle smile, she asked, “I rarely have guests. Did someone refer you to me?”
“Vyvyan.”
The woman was astonished to hear the name that the man softly enunciated. She replied, “Princess Vyvyan introduced you? That would make you an esteemed guest, then. Please come in. Mm, no, she is not the ruler of elves. She is the same as Inard, nevertheless. Regardless, both of them are superb in their roles. Without them, we dark elves would not be blessed with the life that we now have.”
The man followed her inside. He scanned the furniture and set up of the house. With a smile, he commented, “You’re the same as you were in the past. Your house is set up the exact same way.”
“Hmm?” The woman turned around feeling quite surprised. She politely smiled. Confused, she responded, “I am sorry, Mister, though you are a guest that Princess Vyvyan referred, have we met before? I consider my memory to be very good, but I do not think we have met before.”
“We have, but not here.”
“Ah… sorry, I do not remember where I went in the past. Basically, I almost never leave this place.”
“You don’t need to mind it. The last time we met, we had a happy conversation, and then Princess Vyvyan introduced me to you.”
The man removed his hood. The woman scanned his face then removed her face veil. With a helpless smile, she said, “While I honestly cannot remember where exactly we met, I do recognise you. Your name is… Troy, correct? I do not know why I know your name, either. I never thought I remembered this name before, but the instant I saw you, the name came to mind.”
The man, who was the one who surprised her, became the one who was surprised: “How did you remember the name?”
“Sorry, but I do not know. It is the same as the feeling that you give me. It appears we have indeed met before. I also have a feeling that we have lots of history between us.” The woman softly laughed. She then pulled out a chair to sit down: “Sorry, but I am not in my workshop at the moment. My house is small, so I have to offer you a reception in my dining room. So, did you have a request for me? Just let me know what sort of perfume you need. I will deliver the finished product to you once I have finished.”
“Oh, no, you misunderstand, Mera. I didn’t come here to order perfume.”
“You did not come here to order perfume?” Mera laughed. She then leaned into her chair and hopelessly said, “Princes Vyvyan and I only interact when I make her perfume. If the reason she referred you to me wasn’t because I am skilled at making perfumes, I have nothing else I can offer.”
“No, there is something else that you can do,” corrected the man. He sat down opposite her then looked into her eyes: “She said that it’s nice to chat with you. Coincidentally, I need someone who is good at chatting. Hence, I came here specifically to have a chat with you.”
Mera giggled quietly: “You are good with jokes. Your eyes tell me that you are definitely not someone who does not have someone to talk to. Your gaze is not empty. Additionally, judging from your clothing you are a wealthy individual. If you want to have a chat, I am sure there would be countless people who would be willing to have a chat with you, right? Despite that, you went out of your way to come to a dark elf for a chat? How about telling the truth? Something definitely happened between us, correct? Although I do not remember anything, I can sense my feelings for you. Could we have had a relatively deep romance by any chance?”
Mera looked at the man with a smile on her face. He seemed hesitant about something. Mera didn’t know what she was thinking, either. She never met him before; however, in the instant she saw his face, she suddenly felt romantic feelings as though she once deeply loved him. The question was how did they have a romance when she never met him before?
After a moment of silence form the man, he laughed: “Even if I told you our story, you might not believe me. Furthermore, frankly, I am now struggling to tell which story is true and which world is the world I want. The distinction is starting to become fuzzy for me.”
“If you do not tell me, how do I know if I will believe you? Honestly speaking, whether or not I believe it is not up to whether you think I will believe it or not. It is on me; it is a question of whether or not I am willing to believe it. After seeing you today, I feel that I will always believe you. Therefore, please start.”
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