Chapter 46

“Whenever my mother’s consorts looked at my face, staring persistently to see who I resembled, it was creepy and I hated it. Do you think people like that are truly loyal to me? I don’t think so.”

Nephitia’s voice trembled.

“I found out the day I set foot on this island. It seems the selection of the consorts has already been completed.”

Arkin raised his eyes to look at Nephitia. What was he supposed to say? His chest felt tightly squeezed.

“I haven’t even ascended the throne yet, but as soon as this training tournament ends, I’m supposed to start sharing a bed with them. My mother is rushing things. She probably thinks I need to know a man’s body to properly bear an heir.”

“What kind of…?”

Arkin couldn’t finish his sentence. The blood in his entire body seemed to run cold at a situation far harsher and more miserable than he had imagined. So did that mean she only had six months left now? And that was why she had been so desperate…

Hiding his heavy, conflicted feelings, Arkin with difficulty opened his mouth.

“Then, the one you ‘mistook’ for me… The soulmate you mentioned. The one who supposedly grants ultimate pleasure…”

“Right, the Hetasept.”

“Then if he serves the ruler to produce an heir, does he become the father of the next king?”

“That… he has no authority whatsoever.”

Nephitia chewed her lip.

“What matters is the ruler’s body, not him. He plays the role of spreading fertilizer in the bedchamber by bringing ultimate pleasure to the king, so that her body becomes fertile soil.”

“…Is that all?”

“…That’s all.”

“Then, you don’t even love him? You could at least be lovers.”

Arkin’s tone sounded heavy, like cold, hard ice.

“The monarch of Kepet…”

Nephitia hesitated and spoke softly.

“Can love no one, Arkin. We only take their bodies.”

“What a pathetic man.”

At Nephitia’s words, Arkin let out a bitter smile.

“…In the end, he’s not loved, nor can he become the ruler’s partner; he’s just a bedchamber slave meant to provide ultimate pleasure to the king. A man who impregnates the ruler and gets discarded.”

“That’s…”

“Nephitia, you tried to take me away like that. The moment you happened to overhear that I had no claim to the throne, you lit up with joy and…”

“…I’m sorry.”

Her face flushing red, Nephitia didn’t know what to do with herself. Amidst an awkward silence, she said quietly.

“I know now that I shouldn’t have tried to take you away like that. I was… far too hasty…”

The sound of the waves grew louder. The eastern sky began to brighten little by little. Red and purple hues spread across the horizon.

“Is that so? Then did you also understand why I got angry and called you rude back then?”

“Yes, I get it now.”

She understood, but even so…

Nephitia avoided Arkin’s eyes. Despite all that, she was convinced that Arkin was her Hetasept. Because the physical reactions she felt from no one else were always distinctly transmitted whenever she was near him. It was just that she had realized she couldn’t force him away with her…

The two of them stood in silence on the sandy beach, gazing out at the sea. Cold seawater wetted the tips of their toes and receded.

“Come on, we have to go find the elephant.”

Arkin turned to look at Nephitia and smiled faintly.

Whoosh. The moment the advancing seawater entered their field of vision, the two of them stopped walking simultaneously.

Right in the middle of the shallow sea, something as massive as an island stood tall. At first, they thought it was a rock. But when it moved, Arkin instinctively grabbed Nephitia’s arm.

“Is that it?”

It was an elephant. Since it wasn’t a full-grown adult, he had expected it to be small, but that wasn’t the case at all. Its presence was already overwhelming.

Every time its huge ears flapped in the wind, water droplets around it splattered in all directions. Its long trunk drew an elegant curve as it scooped up seawater and sprayed it powerfully toward the sky. The water droplets, catching the first light of dawn, glittered in the air for a moment before falling back into the sea.

“It looks like it’s playing.”

Nephitia whispered.

Indeed it was. The elephant was playing with the sea. When a wave rolled in, it kicked the water with its front feet, and when the tide receded, it followed. The stream of water spewed up by its trunk surged toward the just-brightening sky, turning into hundreds of tiny droplets as it fell.

“How is it, seeing it with your own eyes?”

Nephitia asked quietly.

“It’s beautiful. And mystical.”

Nephitia glanced sideways at Arkin. Her gaze kept drifting to his beautiful blue eyes, which were filled with a sense of wonder.

The two of them stood side by side, watching the giant creature completely immersed in play in the dawn light.

A sense of awe, fear, and a strange familiarity rushed over them all at once. It was much later when the elephant finally noticed them and gazed at them with its large eyes.

“Let’s go, time to take it back.”

“Yeah.”

The two of them slowly crossed the sandy beach and approached the elephant. It had looked beautiful while admiring it from afar, but the closer they got, the more nervous they felt.

“Goodness. It looks like human eyes.”

Arkin muttered, overwhelmed by the elephant’s massive bulk and presence. Nephitia gestured.

“The sack! We need to take the fruit out of the sack.”

Startled, Arkin thrust his hand into the sack. It was filled with fruits he had never seen before.

“I’ve seen these. I don’t know the name, though.”

Nephitia muttered with confidence, then had Arkin hold open the mouth of the sack while she pulled out a bright yellow fruit from inside.

Arkin reached out and touched it as well. Beneath the thin, velvety skin, he could feel the softly ripened flesh. A fresh and sweet scent hit his nose.

“I’ll try.”

Placing the fragrant fruit on the palm of her hand, Nephitia cautiously walked toward the elephant.

“Be careful, Nephitia.”

The elephant was staring intently at Nephitia as she closed the distance. The giant beast’s eyes blinked slowly, looking back and forth between Arkin and Nephitia. He got the distinct impression that it was a clever fellow.

Thud, thud. Its massive feet moved, cutting through the water current. Luring the elephant, Nephitia stepped back cautiously, bit by bit. Large footprints began to approach, thudding heavily into the sand. Nephitia stopped beside Arkin.

Holding their breath as they watched, the elephant slowly bent its thick trunk and snatched away the fruit Nephitia was holding out. Opening its mouth slightly, the elephant chewed and swallowed the yellow fruit in an instant.

“Whoa.”

With eyes as round as rabbits, the two of them dropped their jaws. When the elephant turned its body completely toward them and began to approach as if asking for more, Nephitia and Arkin instinctively stepped back together.

“It looks like we can keep luring it with this.”

Arkin pulled out a fruit in turn. Stepping forward with confidence, he thrust his hand out.

“Here, try this.”

Hoo-oong. A sound like blowing breath was heard, and the elephant stretched out its trunk once more to snatch the fruit away. But this time, it didn’t end with just that. The elephant whipped up a spray of seawater and leaned its body toward the two of them.

“This guy, it really seems like it wants to play with us.”

Water droplets splattered onto their faces and clothes, and Nephitia burst into a laugh that sounded like a swallowed scream. Arkin brushed back his wet hair and gave an awkward smile. The elephant shook its trunk as if thoroughly enjoying the game.

Then, a strange thing began to happen.

The giant trunk gently brushed against Arkin’s golden hair, and eventually began to stroke his shoulder.

“Wh-what’s this?”

Flustered, Arkin took a step back, but the elephant’s actions grew increasingly bold. The long, flexible trunk slid down Arkin’s back and casually grazed around his waist… behaving just like it was welcoming an old friend.

“What’s this? I guess it likes you.”

Nephitia giggled. But as she kept watching, it was slowly becoming… somewhere along the lines of…

“N-Nephitia, do elephants normally get close to people like this?”

As the tip of the elephant’s trunk began to rub against Arkin’s chest, Arkin’s face dyed a bright beet red.

“Something’s weird. Is an elephant normally this kind of animal?”

Arkin hurriedly grabbed at his clothes, but the elephant paid it no mind and continued to grope his body. It even flapped its large ears and made a sound as if it were happy.

Arkin struggled to get away from the elephant’s trunk, but he was no match for the massive animal’s strength.

“What the heck? This thing is a total pervert!”

Nephitia scrunched up her face in disgust.