That night, moonlight entered the room, illuminating the beautiful face of a silver-haired elf. She was recovering well, thanks to her innate regeneration as a blessed stage person, multiplied by the effects of the inn.
Soon, some time in the middle of the night when everyone—including the hardworking adventurers who had been barrier-hunting for a day—had shut their eyes.
She stirred, her long shimmery lashes trembling before lifting slowly, revealing gem-like red eyes still glazed with lethargy.
She stared at the ceiling for a moment before her eyes widened. Where was she?
Her nephew....was he alright?
She was about to sit up when she felt a soft hand on hers, and she turned to see it was her nephew, falling asleep next to her bedside, like a little cherub.
She calmed down immediately as she saw him, patting his small head.
Memories rushed in her mind, all the way from the attack to until she lost her consciousness. To think that all those people ended up betraying her brother. For what? For a future tyrant? All because the rightful King lost an arm?
An arm the man lost for protecting his home? Protecting them ?
She had always known that many elves, as a race, had a tendency to be heartless. This was because they had always seen themselves as mere part of nature, and had a sort of detachment for sentimentality unlike humans.
She could remember the moment before she lost consciousness. She felt so weak. She had been poisoned, too, but she used much of her remaining abilities to handle it.
When she was dying, she regretted it. If she had just endured a bit more and used the remaining energy to run instead, would they have reached the Inn?
She remembered how, while she herself was so weak, the boy was unconscious. They were powerless in the middle of the danger zone, and all that was left for them was death.
She had wished the boy would wake up at least, so he could go to the inn himself. At the same time, she also wished to see Finn one more time.
She heaved a sigh and finally had the energy to study her surroundings. It was night and dark, but the light from the moon was enough for someone of her level.
She flinched when she saw a familiar man sitting on the sofa near the bed.
And he was awake, and had been staring at her this whole time.
"Finn—"
He stood up before she could sit up, and he gently placed a hand on her shoulder to keep her in place.
"You’re still recovering," he said. "We can talk while you lay down."
Syl blinked, feeling a bit embarrassed and guilty, but also extremely thankful. Now, she was certain this was really a safe place.
Her whole life, all she wanted was to be left alone. She just wanted to live peacefully. And yet, on the verge of death, she ended up asking for a lot of things.
Fortunately...it seemed that for once, her prayers had been answered.
...
Finn scooted over to the inner side of the bed, laying there, so that Syl could talk without having to strain her neck.
"I thought we had taken care of that traitor," she said, referring to her rebellious brother. "It turns out he is still alive and well."
After some thought, she realized she had grossly underestimated him. He might be relatively young, but he was extremely cunning. He was also powerful, reaching a level superior to hers at a short amount of time.
How did he do it?
She bit her lips whenever she remembered. "It’s my fault. I should’ve known."
It was her who investigated the man. It was her who missed so many things. During investigation, she was even hunted down, though that eventually led her to this Inn.
When she returned, fully healed, she should’ve been smarter. If she had, perhaps she would’ve noticed that a lot of things didn’t make sense, and that they had long been betrayed by others, many of whom were elves they used to trust with their lives.
She blinked when she felt a warm hand over her forehead, massaging the wrinkles formed by her crunched eyebrows.
"It is not your fault, Syl," he said. "Anyone else might’ve been killed by them. Wasn’t that even worse?"
Sylwen wasn’t sure this was the case, but it did make her feel a bit better. She turned her head slightly to him, and he rolled over so he was completely on his side, and fully staring at her while they lay.
"He even had more than one heir, a few of whom were older than Athie, and all of them had elven nobility. Many elves took this as another reason for his legitimacy," she said.
Because it was very difficult for elves to conceive, the issue of continuity was much more important than other races. So the new king had complete limbs and his many children were of noble blood—regardless of how it came to be.
The noble where those children were involved would also back him up, even if they didn’t at first.
"Ten years ago, some daughters of elders went missing," she said. "It seemed like he had them all in a secret location...
"Most of them seem truly in love with him, as well, so their families ended up supporting that bastard."
"I’m not sure if my brother is okay, or if it is even safe for any of us to return."
To be honest, she only cared about her brother. No one else in the clan cared for her growing up. Why would she risk her life for them? Especially when she could be the only relative Athie had left.
She can’t go back for now, at least not for Athie’s safety. But to be honest, too many things was happening, and her brain was feeling muddled.
"I think I remember telling you you can come back here whenever you want," Finn said. "Treat this place as home."
He placed a soft kiss on the side of her face. "Our home."