Chapter 58
Chapter 8. The Curse
The woman stood barefoot on the grass. She lifted herself onto her toes and stretched her arms as far as she could, struggling to pluck a round fruit hanging from a tree branch.
Her calves trembled as she grimaced and reached out her fingers, but the sweetly ripened fruit merely brushed past her fingertips again and again, showing no sign of letting itself be caught.
Just then, brisk footsteps approached. The owner of the footsteps strode across the grass and, before the woman could even turn around, came right up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Eek!”
The woman let out a short scream. The man supporting her waist with both arms lifted her up effortlessly. She glared down at him, eyes blazing.
“Hey, put me down! Put me down right now, will you?”
“Pick the peach first, Hermane. You can yell at me later.”
The man, with pale silver hair and light blue irises, looked up at her and grinned like a mischievous boy.
The woman, likewise silver-haired with pale eyes, shot him a sullen glare, then reluctantly turned her head back and refocused on what she had been doing.
Thanks to the man holding her up, picking the fruit was no longer difficult.
She easily obtained her target and grasped the plump, fully ripened summer fruit in her hand.
“Thanks for helping me, Promeon.”
“Don’t mention it. But you didn’t seem very thankful earlier, did you? You were yelling at me.”
“I’m sorry about that. I was irritated then. I wanted to try doing it with my own strength this time.”
“Even when there’s someone right beside you to help, do you still have to solve everything on your own? You said it yourself, Hermane. That people have to help each other live—that’s how humanity can survive in this world for as long as possible.”
“That’s true. I still think the same way. But that doesn’t mean I never feel frustrated. If I were tall and strong like you, there are so many more things I could do than now.”
“The difference between males and females can’t be helped. And you’re smart, so it’s fine, Hermane.”
The man shrugged nonchalantly and gently set the woman back down on the grass.
Both of them were barefoot, wearing simple tunics made by cutting animal hides. Their hair was long, reaching almost to their waists.
“Not everyone is smart like me, and not everyone is strong like you, Promeon. Even people who aren’t need the strength to live together.”
The woman spoke seriously. The man shrugged again.
“We have the gods, don’t we? They watch over us—why do we need any other strength?”
“The gods’ power isn’t our power.”
The woman retorted firmly. The man’s gaze darkened.
“Only say things like that when you’re with me. I don’t want to see you torn apart and killed for blasphemy.”
It wasn’t a threat, but a heartfelt plea. The man truly cherished the woman and feared that her intelligence and bravery would draw the ire of the gods.
“Don’t worry. I’ve only ever said things like that to you.”
This time, the woman shrugged casually. She plopped down onto the grass and took a big bite of the ripe fruit.
“Do you want some too?”
“Yeah.”
When the woman held out her hand, the man gladly came closer. He bit into the peach. The tender flesh and sweet juice filled his mouth as he chewed eagerly.
“How is it? Is it good?”
“Yeah, it’s good.”
“Then eat more. Let’s split it in half.”
“Half? You should eat more than half. You picked it.”
“I couldn’t have picked it without your help. Let’s split it evenly.”
Since they had no suitable knife, the two decided to take turns biting into the fruit—one bite from her, one from him, then her again, then him.
By the time they finished sharing it amicably, only the hard pit and a few scraps of flesh stuck to it remained. The woman held the peach pit in her hand with a satisfied expression, turning it this way and that in the sunlight.
“Mmm, that was good. And I even got the pit. I should try planting this one too.”
“Hermane, are you really going to keep planting seeds? You’ve been doing it for years, but not a single one has grown into a tree yet. Hardly any have even sprouted.”
“Hardly any, but not none. If I keep at it, there will definitely be seeds that grow into trees. And from that point on, we can compare them. We can find out why some seeds don’t become trees, and how others do.”
Hermane murmured as if to herself. Then she lowered the seed in her hand and let out a deep sigh.
“It’s so inconvenient not having a way to remember what we’ve observed for a long time. Not everyone has a good memory like me, so they get confused about where which seeds were planted and when. There’s a limit to how much I can remind everyone one by one.”
“What if you used markers?”
“Markers?”
“Instead of explaining everything verbally every time, you leave visible marks.”
“Like the gods do? Um, what was it… letters and numbers.”
“Yeah, exactly.”
“But we don’t have letters. And there are very few people who can even count beyond ten fingers.”
“You’re smart, Hermane. Try making them.”
At the man’s earnest suggestion, the woman fell silent for a moment. The two sat side by side on the grass, each gazing in a different direction.
The woman looked over the distant sky and the land spread out beneath it, while the man watched her.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew, scattering her long silver hair through the air. When a stray strand stuck to her lips, she shook her head irritably.
“Do you think shaking like that will make it fall off? Hold still—I’ll take it off for you.”
“Ugh, thanks.”
Clicking his tongue lightly, the man reached out, and the woman obediently stopped moving. The man leaned forward, closing the distance. The woman unconsciously held her breath.
With delicate fingers, the man removed the strand of hair from the corner of her mouth. When his firm fingertips brushed her lips, the woman shivered involuntarily.
“See? It works better when you use your hands.”
“…Yeah.”
The man spoke proudly, and the woman murmured in response. When she lowered her gaze as if avoiding his eyes, the man’s expression grew serious.
“Hermane.”
“Hm?”
At his call, the woman raised her head. The man took her chin in his hand and gently pulled her closer, tilting his head as if it were second nature and pressing his lips to hers.
The woman’s eyes widened. But her fluster soon gave way to another feeling.
She slowly closed her eyes, entrusting her lips and tongue to the man as she joined him in a sweet dance.
It was a long, long time ago, on a day when a gentle breeze was blowing.
Noxia had a dream that felt unusually real. By the time morning came and she woke up, she would remember nothing, but in the moment of dreaming, it was so vivid and overwhelming that her chest felt as though it might burst.
In the dream, Noxia loved someone, and that someone loved Noxia. They were the only family who loved and understood each other, the closest of friends, eternal lovers.
Each time the person in the dream called her by an unfamiliar name, caressed her sweetly, and kissed her tenderly, Noxia’s heart ached as if it were being cut.
Instinctively, she knew it was a dream, knew that someday she would wake up and have to part forever…
I don’t want to wake up. No matter how desperately she whimpered, the dream inevitably came to an end, and when the darkness of night was pushed away by the light of dawn, Noxia awoke from the dream with a sorrowful heart.
Even that sorrow quickly faded and was eventually forgotten. Noxia wriggled up from her bed, stretched languidly, and with a few yawns, let all traces of the dream drift away.
“Ugh, I don’t want to go to work.”
She grumbled out of habit, got out of bed, and dutifully folded her blanket. After washing up quickly, eating breakfast, and dressing neatly, the unmistakable routine of a working adult began.
Still, Noxia’s mood today was relatively good. For one thing, it was Friday, and she had plans to meet someone precious to her that evening.
Five days after becoming lovers following a kiss with the prince, Noxia had an appointment with someone else.
On Friday evening, after work, Noxia met Karnen at a restaurant near the academy.
“Nox, welcome! You must be tired coming straight from work.”
“I’m so happy it’s Friday. Did you wait long, Kali?”
“No, I just got here too. Here’s the menu. I’ve already decided, so once you choose, let’s order right away.”
After Noxia chose her dish, Karnen called over a server and placed the order.
They enjoyed their meal, chatting casually as friends do, celebrating the start of the weekend.
Then, as she cut into a fish dish drizzled with lemon sauce, Karnen mischievously changed the subject.
“By the way, Noxia, is there anyone among the other staff you’re interested in? Is it too risky to look for a romantic partner at work?”
It was only half a joke, but when Noxia’s cheeks suddenly flushed and her hand stabbing at the salad with her fork wobbled unsteadily, Karnen’s eyes widened.
“What? There really is someone? You’ve got someone you like? Are you dating?”
“Ask one thing at a time, Kali.”
Noxia’s face was still bright red, as if flames had been poured over it. Karnen set down her knife and fork entirely and covered her mouth with both hands.
“Oh my god, you’re dating? Of all people, Noxia Dekan? We should throw a party!”
“A party, my foot… What do you even think of me?”
Though she complained pettily, Noxia couldn’t help but feel a twinge in her heart. It was true that until recently, she’d had absolutely no interest in romance.
And yet now she was dating, with such an obvious pink-hued air around her! As her closest friend, Karnen immediately made a big fuss.
“Tell me everything. Who is it? What kind of person are they? Are you really dating? Or are you still just getting to know each other?”
“…We are dating. We’ve known each other for a while. But I’m sorry, Kali. I can’t tell you who it is.”
“What, is it a secret relationship?”
“Yeah, for now.”
Honest Noxia Dekan didn’t want to deceive her one and only best friend. With a transparent face incapable of lying, any clumsy attempt at deception would only hurt her friend.
But she couldn’t tell the truth either—that she had harbored feelings for this country’s second prince for some time, that those feelings had been fully returned, and that after kissing last Sunday, they had become lovers.
