Chapter 45

In the darkness of dawn, devoid of even a hint of blue light, Arkin quietly opened his door and stepped out into the hallway.

“Are you the prince?”

Just as he stepped out into the entrance, drawing in the clear, chilly air deeply, someone popped up out of the dark. A short middle-aged man holding aloft a torch tilted his head and peered into the prince’s face. The light suddenly approached, illuminating Arkin’s face before receding back into the shadows.

“Prince Arkin?”

As Arkin nodded, a lively flush immediately bloomed across the good-natured man’s face.

“Oh my, that’s right, isn’t it? Prince Arkin of Solinar? Well, I’m the ‘headman’. I’m in charge of managing the elephants on this island.”

Groaning as he lowered a large sack he had slung over his shoulder, the headman used his rough hand to press a long, lightweight pole into Arkin’s grasp.

Before sending the headman off, Arkin opened the sack he had brought. As he widened the mouth of the heavy sack, a sweet scent rushed out.

“There’s fruit inside. I packed plenty of the stuff elephants go crazy for. If you pull them out one by one from the sack and gently wave them, they’ll be drooling like crazy.”

“Hm.”

Arkin felt the weight of the hefty fruit inside the sack.

“Er, and if they really won’t listen, just tap the ground with this pole. Those fellows are terrified of this sound.”

After fondling the long pole, Arkin became certain that this was a kind of whip. Even if it was an animal, beating it was the last thing he wanted to do. Rather than scaring it, wouldn’t it be better to lure it with its favorite fruit?

“The coastline is wide, though. Where should we go?”

“Ah, yes. Once you head down, just walk a bit further north. The fellow will probably be hanging around near a large boulder about the height of a grown man.”

“Got it.”

He thought that was the end of the conversation. Instead of immediately stepping back, the man hesitated. His expression, illuminated by the torchlight, was twisted with anxiety. Looking around as if he had something left to say, he stammered and opened his mouth.

“Um, you see, Prince, about that elephant. Actually…”

Sighing as if the ground were caving in, the headman let his shoulders droop. He seemed to have a lot on his mind, unsure whether to speak or not.

“What about the elephant?”

“You have to head down with your mind made up.”

“What does that mean? Does it mean it’s dangerous?”

“Well, it’s not so much that… Ha.”

Hesitating, the headman drew right up close to Arkin as if resolved, lowered the torch slightly, and whispered in a remarkably secretive, low voice.

“That Coco fellow is a bit different from other elephants. Extremely cunning. It spends all day making a fuss down by the water, and whenever they lock it up, it has a ghost-like habit of slipping right out… I told the priests over and over that they shouldn’t leave that crazy elephant to a visiting prince and princess. But do those priests ever listen to a word I say?”

The shadows cast by the light danced in a mottled pattern across the face of the headman, whose voice was lowered to the utmost limit. Yet Arkin remained unfazed and shrugged his shoulders.

“Anyway, since it’s a beast raised here, there must be a way to handle it. You just need to tell me what I should do.”

Looking troubled, the headman let his shoulders slump before grabbing Arkin and explaining step-by-step how to train the “crazy elephant.” Even after doing so, he still looked utterly unconvinced as he cast a worried side-eye at Arkin.

“…Can you really do this?”

Arkin walked, treading upon the dew-drenched grassy field. The stars were beginning to dim their lights one by one, but the eastern sky remained black and dark. As the cold, clear moisture seeped between his toes, his mind grew sharper.

He arrived at the spot where the path continued, but Nephitia was not yet in sight. Arkin set down the sack and lantern at his feet and rested briefly. Amidst the silence of all directions, the sound of the oil wick burning quietly yet distinctly was pleasant to hear.

The wind blowing in from the sea swept across the tree leaves. The sound of leaves rubbing against one another was similar to what he had heard in the winter forest, and Arkin fell into a brief reverie. The cold and clear air that seemed ready to cleanse Solinar’s heart, the scenery of the frozen lake, and the forest where he used to hunt reindeer came to mind.

Strangely enough, he didn’t miss his homeland nearly as much as he had worried he might when setting out for this place. He didn’t have the urge to return badly enough to tear at his heart. He had thought he lived his whole life loving only Solinar.

“Why’d you come out so early?”

Nephitia, who appeared belatedly, flashed her even teeth and grinned broadly. Her golden eyes sparkled even in the dim dawn light. He had secretly worried whether she might feel disturbed by yesterday’s confrontation with Petra, but seeing her bright expression as always set his mind considerably at ease.

“Early…? I’m not the one who came early. You’re the one who’s super late.”

At Arkin’s light complaint, Nephitia smiled sweetly and shot back.

“Well, you came out anyway, didn’t you? You should consider it an honor to walk alongside me. If you ever visit Kepet, you’ll know what I mean. Just how sacred a time before daybreak is.”

During their first meeting, that reckless boldness would have given him a headache, but now it brought a smile. Arkin let out a short huff and gathered the lantern and sack he had left at his feet.

“Let’s head down to the shoreline. The man they call the headman packed all sorts of things and told me a likely spot where the elephant would be.”

He thought about mentioning that the elephant was supposedly a bit weird, but closed his mouth. He didn’t want to ruin the mood with unnecessary worry.

The two of them walked side by side down toward the sea. The sound of waves could be heard from afar. Splash, splash. In time with the regular rhythm, the pacing of the two people naturally fell into sync.

“Say, Arkin. You looked completely worn out yesterday. Are you okay?”

The one who broke the silence first was Nephitia. Brief as her playful attitude had been, she seemed to have been genuinely worried, as he could feel her gaze scanning Arkin’s face intently.

“Me? I’m completely fine.”

Arkin purposely straightened his shoulders. It wasn’t just talk to reassure her. In reality, he felt as though his fatigue had been washed away completely. If anything, he was more energized than ever before. Really.

“Isn’t it you? Wasn’t there a chance you actually wanted to come out with Zafiri? And here I was just–”

“What?! Ridiculous!”

Wrinkling her nose, Nephitia made an absurd expression. Then she added quietly.

“Thanks for raising your hand.”

“…Well, that’s a relief, then.”

Holding the lantern, Arkin walked along, swinging his hand idly. They didn’t share any particular conversation. When their eyes met occasionally, their respective gazes scattered and drifted apart. Nephitia brought up another topic.

“What is Solinar’s dawn like? Is it cold?”

“Mm, it’s cold and dark. And quiet.”

Arkin answered. His voice cracked slightly, so he cleared his throat.

“How cold? Like, do your teeth chatter uncontrollably? Is everything covered in cold ice?”

A clear voice tinged with curiosity closed the distance once again. Conscious of his voice, Arkin answered calmly.

“Not always. We have summer and spring, too. But there are places where the snow doesn’t melt even in spring or summer.”

“Really?”

Nephitia’s voice rose.

“Yeah, well, because it’s always cold.”

It was nothing special, yet his chest felt itchy, so Arkin purposely shifted his gaze further away. Beneath the deep, blue-brightening sky, the sound of crashing waves mingled in.

“I’ve never seen it once, so I don’t know. What’s snow like? Is it close to a piece of ice? Or is it similar to sand? Is it soft?”

“It’s not really similar to sand, it’s very white and cold. If you touch it, your hands get so chilled they turn red right away.”

While answering her battery of questions, fine sand began to burrow between his sandals. What’s the big deal about snow anyway?

Since it’s always a cold region, things like that are…

Just as Nephitia couldn’t expect him to know the desert, it was only natural that she didn’t know the winter forest. A fact that wasn’t particularly groundbreaking kept knocking at Arkin’s heart. Looking down at his feet, Arkin answered ambiguously.

“If you get the chance, you might be able to see it.”

“Really? Does that mean you’ll invite me to Solinar someday?”

The moment Nephitia stopped dead in her tracks, their gazes tangled. They had clearly been consciously trying not to make eye contact.

“Well, if it’s possible.”

Arkin hastily changed the subject. There was something he wanted to ask. After hesitating for a long time, he opened his mouth.

“More importantly, Nephitia.”

“Hm?”

“From the very first day, you abruptly told me I was your soulmate. Remember that?”

Hesitating a little, Arkin finally brought up what he wanted to ask.

“Didn’t you say the King of Kepet doesn’t marry, so she doesn’t keep a lifelong partner?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

A calm answer came back, but Arkin’s face grew increasingly flushed. He was thankful it was too dark to see clearly.

“Yet you said you have sixteen consorts.”

A brief silence fell. Only the sound of the waves filled the space between them.

“…Living a life like that, why on earth would you go out of your way to look for a single person called ‘Hetasept’…?”

“Arkin, what do you mean by ‘a life like that’?”

“Ah, I mean…”

“Could it be… you’re wondering why someone who has the chance to sleep with sixteen men would desperately go searching for just one?”

“If that… if I offended you, I’m sorry. I was just…”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Halting in her tracks, Nephitia glared at Arkin. A hint of hurt could be seen in her subdued eyes, causing Arkin to shut his mouth.

Nephitia looked at Arkin. Her black hair fluttered in the sea breeze. In the faint light, the shadows of the two people were gradually growing sharper.

“That’s merely a duty bestowed upon the monarch. Something that must be done whether it’s enjoyable or not. It’s a duty carried out obligatorily so as not to distinguish which man’s bedchamber produced the heir.”

Nephitia sighed and added.

“It might be enjoyable for someone. But not for me. My mother didn’t look particularly happy, either.”

“…So that’s how it was. I understand.”

As he grasped the situation bit by bit, his heart plummeted uncontrollably. He had never imagined it would be such an agonizing thing. It was the moment he realized for the first time that she, too, carried shadows of her own.