A Sudden Shift
At first she had laughed and giggled at the elephant’s antics, finding the whole scene delightfully absurd. But as the creature’s behavior grew increasingly bold and unapologetic, her discomfort began to creep in.
Seizing the moment, Nefetia discreetly glanced at the elephant’s rear profile. Then she added in a flat, matter-of-fact tone, “It’s a female. Her tusks are small and short, and…”
She demonstrated the length with both hands, her voice perfectly level. “If it were a male, there would be something of that size swinging between its legs.”
“Stop saying weird things and help me out, will you?” Arkin’s face had turned scarlet.
To make matters worse, the elephant’s trunk suddenly wrapped tightly around his waist and lifted him effortlessly. No matter how tall and broad-shouldered the prince was, the mighty beast seemed to find him utterly weightless.
“Whoa!” Arkin’s feet dangled, and his tunic rode up, exposing everything. He yelped and instinctively curled his legs, bellowing, “What kind of rude thing is this?! Are you crazy?!”
While dangling in mid-air, the prince frantically pushed against the trunk, but the enormous female elephant remained completely unfazed. With a satisfied rumble, she began carrying him toward the opposite side of the beach.
Help me! Arkin’s scream faded into the distance. Nefetia, panicked, shouldered the bag of fruit and hurried after them. But the moment she turned to follow, her mind went completely blank.
The elephant’s white tunic was wrapped around its trunk, visible from afar. Not a single person remained—just clothes dangling and swaying!
Nefetia slammed her eyes shut. “Arkin! Where are you?! What should I do?!”
“Don’t come! Just… just stay there…! Wait!”
Eh? Eh…
Puuhuuu! The elephant shook Arkin’s tunic like a rag, letting out a satisfied trill.
Nefetia sat in the sand with her knees drawn up and chin propped on her hands, listening to the rhythmic waves crashing in the distance. She made a pointed effort not to pay attention to Arkin’s side of things.
Somehow… watching the young female elephant’s shameless courtship made her realize her own actions weren’t so different after all. She had charged in without thinking about how rude it was or how awkward it might make the other person feel. To Arkin, things probably weren’t all that different…
The sky was slowly lightening. Deep indigo faded into lavender, then blushed pink as the night’s veil lifted and dawn arrived.
Nefetia calmly gathered her thoughts.
Until just yesterday morning, she had been tempted to bring up the Hetasept story with Arkin again. What if she simply accepted fate without resistance? What if they could discuss the future somehow? She had thought so. But the more she talked…
“Poor man.”
Never loved, never allowed to become a queen’s consort, only a pleasure slave kept for the king’s ultimate gratification. A man who would be impregnated and discarded.
Throughout her life, Nefetia had always viewed her “Hetasept” as someone who would naturally accept their destiny. Someone who would be thrilled by the king’s grace, embrace glory, and willingly offer her body. But perhaps that wasn’t true. At least for Arkin, it sounded like a terrifying chain and a life of misery.
She had to let him go. Even if he was her Hetasept. Nefetia stared endlessly at the horizon, releasing her feelings into the wind.
He’ll be fine. In a little while, it won’t matter anymore.
After a long while, she continued watching the horizon glisten like boiling gold.
Koong! Koong! Koong! Koong!
The ground trembled with a deep vibration. Nefetia turned toward the source just as her eyes widened in shock.
A colossal elephant strode across the sunlit beach straight toward her, Arkin perched proudly atop its back.
“Come on, Nefetia.”
The prince of Solinar, seated on the elephant’s back, smiled confidently. His golden hair, like threads of sunlight, shone brilliantly, radiating a halo of light. He looked like a young god glowing with inner radiance.
“How did you get up there? Did you tame the elephant?”
Nefetia blinked, hesitating. He seemed like a stranger all of a sudden.
“It took a bit of time for us to understand each other. But we’ve settled it now.”
Arkin sat securely on the elephant’s neck, one hand gently stroking behind its ear while the other rested comfortably on his own firm thigh.
“Step back a little.”
Arkin glanced down at her with gentle affection. “I’ll lower myself so you can mount.”
He lightly tapped the elephant’s side with his heel and whispered softly, “Down. Lower yourself.”
Nefetia was astonished by the gentle giant’s obedient posture and nod.
The moment the elephant lowered itself, Arkin reached out to her. “Don’t just stand there—come here. I’ll help you get up.”
While Nefetia stared at his sun-kissed hand, she stepped closer to the elephant. Even in a flat, prone position, it was still too high for her to climb alone.
“Here, hang on tight. I’ll lift you.”
His strong arms gently hoisted her up. Arkin lifted her by the waist and seated her in front of him.
“It’s risky, so hold on well. I’ll support you from behind.”
Nefetia nodded in a daze. An indescribable feeling washed over her.
“All right, let’s go, Coco.”
The elephant let out a large puff of air in response and began walking with heavy steps. Every slow stride caused the two of them on its back to sway gently. The massive hand would occasionally brush against Nefetia’s side.
Arkin kept his hands slightly away, as if refusing to touch her, yet he still protected her waist out of concern that she might fall.
Nefetia murmured softly, “It’s nice to hear the sound of the waves, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
Arkin nodded. The sound of her cheerful laughter carried on the wind.
While she chatted happily and laughed out loud, enjoying the scenery, Arkin remained silent. He was desperately trying to hold back the urge to reach out and pull her into his arms.
He could see her shoulders bathed in golden light, the sun’s rays slowly spreading across the horizon.
Every time her slender waist—barely fitting his palm—brushed against him, his heart raced violently. The mere thought of her slipping and falling from the elephant’s back made his fear unbearable.
And more than that…
The sweet fragrance of her slender neck. The black hair, tied loosely and swaying, occasionally tickling his chest. The torture was exquisite.
Arkin fought the urge to touch that hair with all his might. Unlike his own, it was as black as coal and as lustrous as oil-coated wood. Every time it swayed in front of him, his mind went completely white.
“Hey, Arkin. You’re going to keep that promise, right?”
“Eh? What promise?”
Arkin, suddenly dazed, answered quickly and looked around.
In the time it took for his mind to catch up, the elephant had already reached the temple. Beyond them, workers with brooms swept the path while pushing handcarts, greeting the dawn.
Her voice came from beyond that scene. “Didn’t you say you wanted to see my eyes someday?”
Ah, yes. She had said she wanted to see his eyes…
Feeling the temple too close, the elephant suddenly shook its head.
A brief silence fell between them as Arkin held her waist lightly.
“So… I’ve always wanted to see your eyes. If you’d let me, I really wanted to go look. That’s why, without any burden….”
Nefetia spoke with emphasis. “You and I… as friends.”
Friends. Yes. The theory of her “fated soulmate” that she had blindly believed was now completely discarded.
Yes. Clean. That was the end of it.
“So you understood why I was angry back then, right?”
“Yeah, now I do.”
Hearing those words from her, his resolve grew even stronger. Whether fate or destiny, it didn’t matter. After all, the king’s consort was nothing more than a bedroom servant. There was nothing left to say.
“Yeah. I’ll invite you. As a friend.”
Arkin spoke firmly.