Chapter 52
At this point, he must have understood. Deep down, a wave of satisfaction surged through him as Serena turned to leave. But then she stopped, her voice cutting through the air with sharp precision.
“Yet, Princess Serena of Lakelium, what qualification do you have to give me such advice?”
What qualification…?
The words sliced into Serena’s chest like a dagger. “Qualification.” She paused, taking a breath, then slowly turned back and fixed Nefetia with a steady gaze.
“Arkin is my betrothed. We promised each other a future… since we were children.”
“Really?”
Nefetia studied Serena’s expression carefully, then let out a soft, knowing laugh.
“What’s so funny?”
The laugh had no mockery in it, yet the mockery was unmistakable. Serena’s temper flared instantly; her eyes widened in outrage.
Nefetia didn’t believe a word of it. If Arkin truly loved Serena as his only match, none of this would have happened. At least, the Arkin she had met here on Credo Island wasn’t that naive.
Whether you liked Serena or not, if he had a future partner he was responsible for, Arkin would never have allowed a situation like this. No matter whether Nefetia arrived alone or with the elephant, he wouldn’t have shown up at dawn just to be with her.
“You once said something like, ‘It is undignified to take too much interest in someone else’s affairs.’”
Serena’s golden eyes burned like twin flames as they locked onto her. “Arkin and my affair are our concern alone. And for you to claim you can read the air between us when you’re not even Arkin’s betrothed—that’s laughable. Just as you read the air between Arkin and me, I can read the air between you and him too.”
Nefetia glanced alternately at Arkin and Serena, then smiled calmly.
“Yeah, looks like nothing’s left between you two anymore. You must be the one clinging desperately, right?”
“…You.”
Serena trembled violently, but she couldn’t speak. She turned and fled, her back disappearing into the distance. Nefetia watched her go, then continued walking slowly. Priest Seneca was calling the trainees together.
***
“It seems your fellow trainees Arkin and Nefetia handled that troublesome elephant quite well this morning,” Seneca said, smiling as he looked first at one, then the other.
“From what you’ve seen so far, caring for an elephant isn’t easy. Today, you must steel your hearts. It’s a difficult and sometimes dangerous task, so I’ll pair you up.”
The priest pulled a small wooden container from his sleeve. Inside were ten bamboo sticks, each carved with a different shape. He shook the container vigorously to mix them, then held one in front of Kaichen, who was standing nearby.
“Draw. Those with the same shape will be paired together.”
“What if I draw the one I want?” Kaichen protested. “I’m not—”
Seneca’s thick eyebrows furrowed in disapproval. “Just draw. Quickly.”
One by one, the container passed from hand to hand, the sticks diminishing.
As his turn approached, Arkin swallowed dryly, his expression tense. It was nothing serious—just a couple of hours caring for an elephant—but the aftertaste of the morning’s chaos still lingered. He shook his head hard, trying to shake off the thoughts that clung to him.
I’ve worked so hard. The thought of having stained my hands in a dishonorable way refuses to leave me. And it wasn’t Nefetia’s fault. It was entirely my own carelessness.
This was supposed to be nothing between us…
Arkin grew sullen and stared at the approaching container. Stella. Amalfi. And Nefetia. Nefetia’s hand stretched out and took the stick. Arkin’s mind, as if by habit, overlaid a different picture over the stick she had drawn—a slender, firm arm reaching through a thin veil, glistening with moisture…
Arkin straightened his posture and sat up straighter. He absolutely could not afford to have such thoughts again. No matter how he fought it, he didn’t want to wrestle with that stubborn lower half of his body again.
Pleasure? Thrills? None of that existed anymore. All that remained was bitter self-reproach.
Just as Arkin had been holding his breath with anxiety all along, his turn finally came.
“Thank you for your hard work this morning. Now, draw.”
Drawing the stick in silence, Arkin looked at the container. Most trainees had already drawn, and only three sticks remained inside.
But once he held it, an unfamiliar feeling stirred within him. This was too much… Yet, deep down, he found himself hoping he would be paired with Nefetia…
He was doomed. Arkin glanced at Nefetia, reached for the container, and squeezed his eyes shut tight.
The thin, smooth bamboo stick brushed against his fingertips. Which one should I choose?
“Your Highness, hurry up! We don’t have all day!” Seneca scolded, but Arkin deliberately delayed, taking his time. When he finally grabbed one, the container vanished. He carefully examined the stick in his hand. A small triangle. Then, what about her?
He didn’t need to look. The moment he raised his head, their gazes locked with Nefetia’s across the way.
“……”
As if they had made a silent promise, both of them quickly looked away. But for some reason, neither could stop glancing sideways at the other.
“Now, let’s verify. First, Kaichen…”
Seneca’s sentence was cut short when Draconis raised his stick high. “A square. Who is it?”
“Waaah! I hate it!”
The one who screamed was, of all people, Petra. Seneca glanced at the pair with contemptuous eyes—Draconis and Petra, glaring at each other with mutual hatred—then sneered.
“What a divine opportunity for harmony. Move on. Next?”
Zafiri held up his star-shaped stick, and Kaichen let out a disappointed sigh, lifting his own. Same shape.
“Haa… I wanted to be with Serena.”
Serena turned her head away in refusal. Ignoring Kaichen’s one-sided complaint, Seneca continued.
Stella and Amalfi paired up with circles, and when Elio drew his rhombus, Nefetia smiled brightly while holding up her matching stick.
Arkin felt a twinge of envy. That Nefetia was paired with someone else was one thing, but more importantly…
“Who is the triangle?”
The one who raised her hand was Princess Serena.
This didn’t feel right. Arkin handed her his stick with a slightly forced smile, his lips curling up in the usual expression. Serena shook hers, her expression neither bright nor dark.
It wasn’t particularly radiant, but Arkin found nothing strange about her. Serena had always been like this.
***
“Can we really care for such a huge beast?” Kaichen asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
“Don’t be afraid. Aside from the mad one, everyone here is intelligent and gentle. Caring for them isn’t difficult.”
The foreman entered the enclosure first. The trainees cautiously approached their assigned elephants. Arkin and Nefetia, who had already tasted the bitterness of the mad one in the morning, stood a little farther back.
“Touch the skin. It’s tough leather.”
Gasps of amazement erupted from all sides. Some grumbled about being made to do such lowly work, while others excitedly poked and admired the elephants’ hides.
The rough skin felt like the bark of an ancient tree, and the trunk moved as flexibly as a giant snake. When one ear the size of a fan fluttered, Amalfi yelped and stumbled backward.
“Just don’t abuse or hit the elephant. They’re generally gentle, but if they get startled, they’ll thrash wildly. One stomp of those pillar-like feet, and your bones will shatter.”
“What, you said they’re gentle.”
Draconis grumbled and quickly retreated. The foreman approached with a long wooden brush made from twigs.
“Use this to smear mud on the skin. The slippery mud chases away bugs and protects the skin. The elephants love mud baths.”
The foreman pointed to another enclosure. Workers were washing the elephants’ bodies in pairs. When the muddy pole brushed the elephant’s hide, it opened its mouth wide and flicked its trunk happily.
“After the mud bath, pour water over them, feed them fruit. Easy, right? Details later—I’ll show you around. Now, get started.”
Following the foreman’s instructions, each trainee was assigned an elephant.
“Hello, Arkin.”
Arkin stepped aside slightly as Serena approached, assuming her usual pale and quiet expression. But the moment she stood beside him, Serena sneered in a voice laced with thorns.
“Disappointed that it’s not the Princess of Kepet, but me instead?”
Arkin blinked in confusion at her out-of-the-blue jab and turned to face her.
“What are you talking about?”
“The atmosphere was nice, with you and Nefetia.”
“The competition’s barely started, Serena.”
“Do you need a period to give someone your heart?”
The two whispered back and forth in low voices as the foreman suddenly stepped between them. It was a terrible time.