Eustar’s expression became dazed upon hearing Laila’s words.

No matter what she had said, he couldn’t have been more surprised or shocked. As if struck on the back of the head with a wooden mallet, his vision swayed and his mind flashed white.

But that reaction didn’t last long—at least not as long as Laila had expected—and soon his face turned even redder than a burning bonfire.

Eustar even seemed to have difficulty looking directly at Laila.

“Your face has turned red.”

As Laila pointed out in a calm voice, Eustar’s face turned even redder. From his forehead to his ears, cheeks, and even the nape of his neck, it looked as if he had been dipped in red paint.

“Are you feeling unwell, Eustar?”

Laila’s voice as she asked again was innocently sincere. Eustar glanced at her face from the corner of his eye and rubbed his flushed face with his bare hands.

“…No, I’m not unwell. It’s not because I’m sick.”

Eustar felt for a moment as if all the nerves in his body were prickling sensitively like the thorns of a rose vine. Scenes that were neither appropriate nor particularly helpful to recall in this situation passed before his eyes one after another.

Clearing his throat again, Eustar spoke carefully.

“That’s right. You… will someday bear a child, Laila. A child that carries both my blood and yours.”

“Doesn’t that bother you at all?”

Eustar’s expression became bewildered once again. He had a foreboding feeling that an ominous conversation was about to follow.

“What do you mean by ‘doesn’t it bother me’…?”

Trying to organize her thoughts, Laila was momentarily unable to answer. She had been unable to shake off the anxiety that had been following her all along, and could only embrace it.

It felt similar to when something sticky gets attached to the sole of your shoe. It tickles your foot through even the thickest sole, making each step feel strange.

The more you try to remove it, the more stubbornly it clings, eventually making you want to throw away the shoe altogether.

The anxiety Laila was holding onto was of that nature. And the shoe to which this anxiety clung was Eustar.

If it had been not long after meeting him, Laila would have chosen to discard the shoe rather than carry such anxiety and worry for a lifetime.

Even if it meant feeling a guilt that tore her heart apart, and even if her bare feet became covered in wounds from treading on rough ground, she would have willingly endured it.

But now the situation had changed. She knew that the promise she had made to Marchioness Himierd, and the future she had firmly resolved for herself with Eustar, had become blurred and altered beyond recognition.

The thought of leaving Eustar to live freely on her own had now almost completely disappeared. Instead, the desire not to leave him had grown vigorously, filling that empty space.

“What I mean is…”

Laila began with difficulty. And after keeping silent for a long while again, she finally said,

“What if I gave birth to your child, and it wasn’t human?”

Eustar’s lips parted slightly. As he remained silent, Laila’s anxiety grew even more. It felt as if the sticky substance was crawling up from her feet and wrapping around her ankles.

“What if that child is also a witch? Witches always give birth to daughters. Without fail, they give birth to daughters. They never give birth to sons. But… even if a son were born, there’s no guarantee that child would be an ordinary human. So, Eustar. What do you intend to do then?”

“Laila.”

Eustar, who called her name, briefly turned his gaze towards the bonfire. But he didn’t seem to be worried about the fire going out. Rather, it was a gesture to calm Laila, who had suddenly become agitated.

But I can’t calm down. Laila thought. As long as this issue exists, I’ll have to live with this anxiety forever. Worrying about him, worrying about the child’s life, everyone will die off like grass withering in winter.

“That’s exactly what Marchioness Himierd was concerned about, Eustar. Because of that… because not even a single drop of a witch’s blood should mix with the royal bloodline… with your lineage, she… wanted me to leave you. She said I had to.”

Eustar grasped Laila’s shoulders.

“Stop it, Laila.”

His eyes, illuminated by the firelight, looked angry. But his face was deeply etched with sympathy and concern for Laila.

“Look at me. Listen to what I’m saying.”

Laila stopped speaking and stared blankly at Eustar. She hoped for an answer. She hoped that he would find a way out of this situation that she couldn’t resolve on her own.

This is unreasonable. Laila thought. It felt as if another voice remaining in her heart had popped out after a long time. You know it’s unreasonable, Laila. He doesn’t have the power to save you. You shouldn’t push him.

Eustar slowly opened his mouth.

“Laila, if you… were to bear my child, I swear, I would rejoice no matter what kind of being that child is. Whether an ordinary human or a witch, that doesn’t matter to me. What matters to me is that a child born with both your blood and mine comes into this world, breathes, laughs, cries, and grows up.”

“But…”

“I’m not finished speaking yet. Whatever Marchioness Himierd says, whatever she thinks, it doesn’t matter. Not just the Marchioness, but anyone’s thoughts are the same. Laila, only your thoughts matter to me. Only your will has meaning to me.”

Laila said nothing. Or rather, she was closer to being unable to speak. No one had ever said such things to Laila before. Even her mother who gave birth to her had never said such things to Laila.

Eustar, who caressed Laila’s cheek that had now warmed up from the fire, smiled warmly.

“So tell me, Laila. Do you want to have a child?”

Laila’s gaze dropped downward. The tips of her clasped hands trembled slightly.

“I don’t know.”

After a long while, Laila said in a small voice.

“I really don’t know, Eustar.”

“Don’t be afraid.”

Eustar whispered gently.

“Think of it this way. What if… we were both ordinary humans? I have no connection to anything demonic, and you’re not a witch. We grew up together in a village as small as Rizikers, and we’ve known each other since childhood…”

Eustar’s voice was soft, and perhaps because of that, his words were pleasant to hear, like a sweet dream.

Without realizing it, Laila’s gaze was fixed on Eustar’s eyes. The beautiful purple-blue eyes and long eyelashes, the hair flowing down the side of his face.

“You’re a cheerful girl who likes to climb mountains. In autumn, you pick mushrooms, gather acorns, and dry woven maple leaves. In spring, you pluck clover to make flower crowns. I always follow you around, worried that you might trip over a stone or go to pick flowers on a dangerous cliff. Even though my father told me to feed grass to the goats, I don’t pay any attention to such words and keep chasing after you all day…”

As the dreamlike story continued, Laila’s body drew closer and closer to Eustar. He embraced Laila’s small shoulders, which seemed to still be trembling, as if tucking her into his arms, and placed his lips close to her ear.

“We grow up together. We understand each other’s hearts just by looking into each other’s eyes. You’re now old enough to know how to make stew with mushrooms, and I’m old enough to handle ten goats. If that were the case, Laila… would you have wanted to marry me? Do you think you would have wanted to have children?”

The words he whispered passed vividly through Laila’s mind as if they were real. Laila was once again climbing the dangerous ravines of Rizikers that she used to climb alone, avoiding people’s eyes.

But this time, she wasn’t alone. When she looked up, she saw the face of a young Eustar reaching out his hand to help her up.

How could I not love him? Laila thought. He was the person who had been with me from the beginning of my fate. He was my lost half. I cherish him and value him as I cherish my flesh and value my blood.

“If that were the case…”

Laila, resting her head on Eustar’s chest, whispered in a small voice.

“I would have happily married you. I would have borne your children and lived together with you.”

Eustar’s lips, curved in a gentle arc, touched Laila’s forehead.

“That’s good, Laila. That’s enough.”

It’s not. The voice in her heart whispered mockingly. What he just said was only a dream. A dazzling and dizzying dream.

“Now, let’s get some sleep. If Muge finds out I kept you up late, she might try to kill me.”

Eustar lay down slowly, holding Laila in his arms.

She could hear both the sound of his heartbeat and his breathing at the same time. The anxiety hadn’t disappeared. But Laila felt a very distinct excitement spreading over that anxiety.

Muge woke the two of them up before the sun had even risen. Looking around at the still dark surroundings, Eustar suggested leaving when it got a bit brighter, but all he got in return was a snort.

“This is brighter. Look at the sky.”

Eustar and Laila raised their heads simultaneously. Staring blankly at the completely black and dark sky, the two realized that Muge’s words were true.

Although it was pitch dark as if it were night, there were neither stars nor moon in the sky. The sun was completely hidden behind thick, black clouds.

The one fortunate thing was that Muge’s statement that “the city is right around the corner” turned out to be true. As they followed along the winding, windswept ravine and the eerie edge of the lake, they suddenly came upon a wide-open plain.

It was a strange landscape that neither Laila nor even Eustar had ever seen before.

There were no mountains, hills, or even a single tree as far as the eye could see to the horizon. Only two massive figures stood facing each other in the dim, vast expanse.

However, upon closer inspection, they were not people but two enormous stones. The height of the stones, with their rounded and pointed heads jutting upwards, was about as tall as two Eustars combined.

“It looks like a gate.”

Eustar said as he slowly walked around the stones. Indeed, it did. However, with no eaves, arched roof, or even walls, it would be more accurate to call it the remnants of a gate in ruins.

Muge said,

“Yes, you’re right. This is the gate to enter the city.”