The Lone Elephant
However, one elephant has wandered off from our group and is now wandering along the coast. It's as stubborn as Nefetia and Zafiri—no, even more so. Its name is “Coco,” a young female elephant.
Do we just take it?
On what grounds should we keep pairing you two up? Go your separate ways. It's too much for one person to handle alone, so I'm pairing you up.
Seneca let out a deep sigh and glanced around.
Tomorrow, Nefetia starts first. Is there anyone among the supporters on the island willing to help capture an elephant with a princess?
I'll do it.
The words shot out of my mouth and my hand shot up before I could think. Arkin slowly raised his hand and looked at the priest.
The moment every gaze turned to him, Arkin spoke again, this time with force.
I'm going.
It had been an impulsive choice. I didn't even know why I had raised my hand in the first place.
The only reason my heart raced and a cold sweat broke out the moment Nefetia lifted her head and looked at me was because reality finally caught up to me.
“Arkin Prince volunteered, I see. Still so dependable.”
Seneca nodded firmly.
“At dawn tomorrow, a worker will be waiting in front of the lodgings. Bring any tools and food you need. The worker will teach you everything about handling an elephant.”
Petra looked at Arkin in surprise, but Arkin didn't turn toward her. ***
Nefetia finished her meal in silence and set off for the lodgings at a slow pace. For a moment she had been stunned by the punishment she'd received for breaking the rules, but the instant Arkin had raised his hand without a second's hesitation, her heart had begun to race. Even though he looked so tired, he was offering to go with her—for her? And at dawn, just the two of them?
Half worry, half excitement, Nefetia kept stealing glances at Arkin as she walked. Then she learned that Petra had skipped dinner and returned to the lodgings early. What should she do? Should she go talk to her?
Nefetia let out a long sigh and replayed the conversation she had shared with Zafiri just moments ago.
“Zafiri, do you know anything about the Magma Stone? You're older than me and you're already helping with the kingdom's affairs, right? Then you must know far more than I do.”
Zafiri had looked flustered, as if the answer was already decided, but she still wanted to hear the full truth. Even if her heart was bruised by the cold reality, she needed to know it properly.
Kepet, the once-unbreakable Sand Kingdom, was now in crisis. The way they had torn away another country's resources and labeled them as friendly gifts was something else she had to understand.
“To put it simply, everything Petra said is true, Nefetia. It's going to be hard to accept, but that's the reality….”
It was all true.
How foolish she must have looked to everyone else.
“Nefetia, don't take it to heart. I think Petra was just too emotional. She’s passionate and patriotic, so she couldn’t hold back and let out her frustration. But in a place like this, it’s important to let bygones be bygones. Seneca already pointed that out.”
Zafiri had gently patted Nefetia’s back, perhaps feeling bad that she could only blush in silence.
“Yeah? Think about it. If we keep going back like that, every country has hated each other in the past. We were all enemies until Arkin’s great-grandfather stepped up and built the alliance. So forget it, okay?”
“Mhm.”
She hadn’t wanted to turn the blame onto Petra for revealing the truth, but she could still feel Zafiri’s warm heart and gave a weak smile.
“Thank you, Zafiri. I’m going to go talk to Petra and see if we can make up.”
“Really? You’re going to talk to her?”
What part of that had surprised him? Zafiri smiled faintly as he stared at Nefetia.
“Why?”
“Well… you’re becoming more and more charming, Nefetia.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“I thought you were the daughter of the all-powerful Sun God, but I keep seeing new sides of you. Reaching out first is the mark of a brave person. I’ll cheer for you.”
Every time Petra’s voice rang in her ears, it stabbed like a needle. Kepet had been so complacent. Had the blind faith in the Sun God’s protection hidden everyone’s eyes and ears? Had the belief that everything they did was right been the mistake?
Above all, the fact that she hadn’t even noticed she was falling behind while the other successors kept growing and learning pressed heavily on Nefetia’s shoulders. She had no idea that while the princes and princesses of other kingdoms were growing and learning, she herself had been left behind for a long time.
“You don’t need to learn about politics yet. You’ll learn soon enough.”
Mother Queen Mahati had always excluded Nefetia from important decisions. She seemed to want her daughter to be revered only as a beautiful and sacred being. According to Petra, while rushing so unilaterally to take concubines and have heirs…
Why had she called Shadia Aunt to learn about the world and avoid isolation, only to hide the most important matters over and over again?
Even Shadia Aunt sometimes tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand Queen Mahati’s ways.
As she walked down the darkening path, Nefetia felt her heart grow even heavier upon reaching the entrance of the lodgings.
She cautiously scanned the inside of the lodgings, looking for a place where Petra might be. Not long after, she spotted Petra and Stella sitting side by side on a bench near the back courtyard.
“If Elio’s star moves a little more to the right….”
Stella’s calm voice drifted out. It sounded like she was conducting an astrology consultation; Petra sat with her hands resting on the large turtle shell she held, staring blankly at its smooth surface.
“Come on in, Nefetia.”
Stella’s deep eyes found Nefetia first. Because they had accidentally interrupted, Nefetia stood awkwardly for a moment before carefully speaking up.
“Hey, Petra. If you have time later….”
Nefetia’s voice echoed off the walls. Petra still hadn’t turned her head, but her shoulders looked tense.
“I’ll step away for a bit.”
Stella gently covered the turtle shell and stood. She slipped smoothly between Nefetia and Petra and disappeared into her room.
“Um, Petra….”
Now only Nefetia and Petra remained in the center. Under the starlight, the two princesses’ gazes were desperately crossing paths, unable to meet.
“Earlier… I’m sorry.”
Nefetia continued slowly.
“I didn’t know. You’re right—I had a narrow view of the world. I didn’t realize I knew so little.”
Her heart ached and burned with shame. She had believed her entire life that she was perfect, that she carried the gods’ blessing, but now she saw how narrow that worldview had been.
“So what I want to say is….”
Nefetia spoke hesitantly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know. When I become queen later, I’ll be different. I want us to have a good… relationship.”
Petra slowly turned her head. For a brief moment, surprise flickered across her face.
Nefetia spoke from the heart, one sentence after another.
“That’s a past I didn’t know well. But now that I do, I don’t want to repeat the same mistakes. I want to do better. So… I’m sorry again, Petra.”
Please let my sincerity reach you.
Had her earnest words crossed the distance? Petra slowly turned to look at her. Her lips moved slightly as if she were about to speak, but after a long pause, she opened her mouth.
“I… don’t believe people can change.”
“That’s not changing—you’re learning.”
“That’s easy to say.”
Petra’s voice was cool. Yet the sharp hostility that had once filled it was gone. Instead, fatigue and cynicism ran deep. Nefetia clenched her fists in determination and said,
“I’m going to keep learning. I’m going to head in the right direction. So please watch over me.”