Side Chapter Chapter 02
During their stay in Arashan, Lyle and Elaina were treated with the utmost hospitality. The week or so they spent there passed by in the blink of an eye.
On the final day, the king summoned a special guest for Lyle and Elaina. It was an old woman whose entire body was covered by a head veil, leaving only her eyes visible. Only the wrinkles around her eyes hinted at her advanced age. Yet even a single glance at her gaze made it clear that she was no ordinary person.
“Her name is Morai. She is a priestess of great age,” the king explained. “She will read your fortune.”
The prince added further explanation. Morai was the high priestess responsible for royal rites, and she was particularly skilled in divination.
The interpreter hurriedly supplemented the explanation, adding that Morai was the highest-ranking priestess of the Arashan temple, holding a position comparable to that of a pope within the empire. Elaina’s mouth fell slightly open at those words.
“Such an esteemed person, for us…?”
“It is a gift in return for the friendship you have shown us.”
The prince smiled gently as he spoke.
“Ask whatever you are curious about. No matter what it is, Morai will answer.”
Elaina looked up at Lyle. Even if she was told to ask, there was nothing in particular she was curious about. After a brief moment of thought, Lyle opened his mouth.
“When do you think a child will come to us?”
His voice was flat and unembellished, but the moment she heard the question, Elaina’s face burst into flames.
“Lyle! What are you saying all of a sudden?! Honestly!”
“…That’s the only thing I’m curious about.”
When the interpreter translated Lyle’s question, laughter erupted among the Arashan nobles. Elaina’s face turned even redder.
They all knew well, having seen it with their own eyes over the past days, how deeply the imperial grand duke loved his wife, and how devoted the two of them were to each other.
“Truly, inviting the two of you was the right decision,” someone remarked.
Lyle Grant—the unparalleled hero who had brought revival to the northern regions of the empire. His reputation had long since reached even Arashan.
Yet the real Lyle was even more impressive than the rumors suggested.
The splendid golden necklace hanging around Elaina’s neck was proof of Lyle’s victory after crossing blades with Arashan’s greatest warriors.
That such a formidable warrior would ask the greatest priestess of Arashan not about lofty matters of state or destiny, but about when his heir would be born—this was far from what the prince had expected. Amused, he laughed and gestured to Morai.
Morai handed them a container filled with long, split wooden sticks. When she shook it briskly, the sticks rattled and clattered inside.
[Focus your minds and each draw one.]
Morai’s voice was mysterious—at times like that of a very old woman, and at times like that of a very young child.
Within the empire, fortune-telling was seen as a frivolous pastime for unmarried young ladies. A divination performed by a priestess from a distant land might not normally be taken seriously—but Elaina swallowed hard and reached into the container with a visibly tense hand.
Elaina and Lyle each drew a stick. Elaina handed hers over first.
The moment Morai examined Elaina’s stick, it seemed as though a smile touched her lips. Though her mouth was hidden beneath her garments, the deeply wrinkled eyes curved into crescent moons.
As Morai muttered something rapidly, the people of Arashan once again burst into applause.
“Congratulations!”
Congratulations? Completely confused, Elaina could only stare with wide eyes. The interpreter beamed as he explained.
“Lady Morai says that the God of War of Arashan is with you.”
At those words, Elaina recalled what she had heard on the first day they arrived—about the Season of Love. Children conceived during Arashan’s scorching summer were said to be blessed by the God of War.
That night with Lyle, disheveled and drunk. Without realizing it, Elaina placed a hand over her lower abdomen and looked up at Lyle with startled eyes. Lyle, too, looked frozen in shock.
“They say you will be blessed with a remarkable child—one more powerful than a desert sandstorm. A warrior of unprecedented valor will be born.”
The prince continued with his congratulations. Though she had never thought deeply about having children before, just hearing those words made Elaina’s heart begin to race.
“She asks to see the Grand Duke’s stick as well.”
Without a word, Lyle placed his stick into Morai’s outstretched hand. Still smiling, Morai took it—and then her eyes flew wide open.
The old woman stared in disbelief before hurriedly muttering something to the prince.
“W-What is it?” Elaina asked anxiously, alarmed by Morai’s sudden change in demeanor.
Morai could not possibly understand the imperial language, yet she turned to Elaina and held up two fingers.
“Two? What does ‘two’ mean?”
The prince’s face darkened. He asked Morai several more questions in a grave tone. Only after a brief exchange did he turn back to Lyle and Elaina.
“She says… that the Grand Duchess will give birth to twins.”
Compared to Morai’s frightening reaction, it was an unexpectedly anticlimactic answer.
“Twins? Is that something she can even tell?”
It was hard enough to believe she might be pregnant at all—twins seemed even more implausible.
“And even if that were true, is having twins really something so shocking?”
The prince forced a smile and shook his head.
“I mentioned before that children born during the Season of Love are protected by the God of War. In Arashan, there is a myth about the children the God of War had during that season. That is why Morai reacted so strongly. Please do not concern yourselves too much.”
Yet Morai’s expression behind him was far too serious. The nobles who had been applauding and celebrating moments ago now reacted with subdued restraint, avoiding eye contact. Their behavior only deepened Elaina’s unease.
“Are you still thinking about it?” Lyle asked.
“Of course I am.”
On the journey back to the empire, Elaina still wore a serious expression as she stared down at a book. The title read Arashan Mythology. For days now, the book had remained open to the same page.
“It’s just superstition. Don’t worry about it so much.”
“How can I not? What if I really am carrying twins?”
With a grave expression, Elaina held the book right up in front of Lyle’s face.
“Look at this. It says how badly the twins of the God of War got along.”
The Arashan God of War, Rakal, had twin children—Latek and Zara—by the Goddess of Love, Nunu. Born during the Season of Love, the twins inherited Rakal’s fierce temperament and refused to acknowledge anyone who resembled themselves. They despised each other so deeply that they snarled and fought whenever they met.
“I’m not the God of War. And you’re not the Goddess of Love,” Lyle said calmly. “You can’t believe everything that priestess said. We haven’t even confirmed a pregnancy yet. And even if we did have twins, there’s no way our children would be like that.”
Lyle tried to reassure her.
Ever since leaving Arashan, Elaina’s thoughts had been consumed by its myths. She had repeated the stories so many times that Lyle knew them almost as well as she did.
“If you’re talking about siblings who don’t get along, Knox and I were the same once. But not anymore, right? The twins in the myth were the same. So don’t worry too much. Just remember the good parts.”
“…You’re right.”
Some of the tension drained from Elaina’s shoulders. Growing drowsy, she leaned against Lyle, though her eyes still lingered on the book.
The hostile siblings eventually took each other’s lives, and their mother, the goddess Nunu, wept upon seeing their bodies. Carrying their corpses, she sought out her friend, Kalim, the God of Sleep. And then—
“You’re right. There’s no need to worry in advance.”
Elaina closed the book.
“Do you think Knox will like his gift?”
“He will. He’s always been curious about foreign swords.”
“I got so used to wearing thin clothes in Arashan. I can’t believe it’ll be winter when we return. What about you?”
“Same here.”
“Still, I’m glad we’re going home. I hope everyone likes their gifts.”
“One thing’s for sure—Colin will love his.”
Thinking of the potent Arashan liquor that had once rendered Lyle completely drunk, Elaina let out a soft laugh. Lyle’s eyes curved warmly. Relieved that her mood had lifted, he didn’t miss the chance to press a gentle kiss to her soft lips.
