NOVEL NEXT 50 – The Territory of the Magical Beast (Part 2)
Chapter c
“Don’t worry about that, Kinue. I know what I’m talking about. Unfortunately, even that idiot Nate... is handsome... and it looks like he’ll only get more attractive because he’s descended from a High Elf. You’ve seen his mother, my aunt Katie, right? Her skin is so fair and smooth, she doesn’t even look like a mom.”
“I was surprised when I found out that beautiful lady was his mother.”
Kinue remained seated, and I started thinking about what I really thought of Nathan. A part of me was reflecting on what we had just discovered. Nate wasn’t fully human; he had elven blood in him.
Does that change anything? Can humans and elves marry? His ancestor married a human… but I heard my mother mention something about laws being broken.
I tried to push those thoughts aside, but some things were beginning to make sense as I analyzed them. Aunt Katie was always praised for her beauty. Her hair was gorgeous, and even when she only washed it with water, it still looked shiny and a bit lustrous. She also had this flawless skin that always seemed well-cared-for, and she didn’t even use makeup. Aunt Katie also looked young for her age, and people often said she didn’t even look like a mother because of her youthful appearance.
My mother told me that in the past, many people asked for Aunt Katie’s hand in marriage, but she always turned them down. She told me a story about how my aunt once saved an idiot on the battlefield, and he even said he would give up everything to stay with his savior. The idiot kept chasing after her and always got into trouble... and at the end of the day, Aunt Katie always had to save him from the messes he created. Eventually, after years of cleaning up his messes, she married the idiot...
My mom laughed as she told me that story. It was kind of romantic...
Aunt Katie also has High Elf blood, so I know she was able to fall in love and doesn’t have the same emotional block as her race. But what about Nathan? Could he inherit the same flaw as the High Elves? I’m just... curious... that’s all it is. It doesn’t mean anything more than that.
I let my mind wander about what I’d learned regarding High Elves, and a part of me grew worried. After all, High Elves supposedly can’t fall in love. I needed to know if that could happen to a descendant of a High Elf, but I was too embarrassed to ask the professor.
If only I could get this question answered by someone...
My eyes widened as I realized that the person in front of me had lived with a High Elf and might be able to answer my question. Not only that, but she was also a descendant of a High Elf.
“Speaking of which, how did a High Elf fall in love with a human? If Nate’s mother is descended from one, and you are too, what do you think happened? I mean, these elves don’t exactly seem like the dating type... you know what I mean,” I said, a bit nervously.
Kinue blushed and tried to play it off.
“Lady Adrihna said it’s something very rare. A High Elf can fall in love, and when they do, all their emotions awaken with it. No one knows how it happens, but it’s like a passion that ignites within them, and even they don’t fully understand it since they don’t feel anything for their own kind.”
“Do you... do you think that maybe because Nate is a High Elf descendant... he might not feel anything for anyone?” I asked, trying to choose my words carefully, still feeling a bit nervous.
“Human descendants of High Elves aren’t affected by the emotional barrier because their ancestor took a giant leap by changing their very nature, falling in love with someone of another species. I’m not affected either since my High Elf ancestor fell in love with a human, and then those mixed humans eventually intermarried with demi-humans, leading to me. So don’t worry, Nate and I are normal.”
"What do you mean by 'you and Nate'?"
“I-I-I meant as descendants of High Elves!” she quickly clarified, clearly flustered.
We continued talking about mana, and Kinue created a small yellow orb of light, showing it to me. It was really beautiful.
"Can I ask you something, Chloe?"
“Me? What could you possibly ask me about? You’re way better at this than I am…” I replied.
She shook her head.
“It’s not about magic. It’s about Nate.”
Hmm… what does she want to know about him?
“What exactly do you want to know about him?” I asked.
“Does he have a girlfriend?”
“WHAT!?” I shouted, immediately feeling embarrassed. “Why do you want to know something like that?”
“N-n-no, it’s not what you’re thinking!” she stammered, her face turning bright red as she waved her hands defensively.
“Then why ask?” I replied, feeling a small flicker of irritation rising within me.
“Well… how do I put this… You know that I’m a demi-human, right? Because of our animal traits, we demi-humans have a keen sense of smell. And there’s something odd I’ve noticed every time I look at Nate.”
“What do you mean? What’s strange about him?” I asked, now curious.
“It’s like… it’s like he’s been marked, as if someone’s claimed him. Like they’re saying he already belongs to someone.”
“What? Are you sure? That’s weird,” I said, laughing a little.
“I thought so too, but I can’t really explain it. It’s not the same kind of territorial marking that you mentioned about that animal wandering the halls at night. This feels more like someone has marked him as their territory, as if to protect him.”
It’s Cylla!
How did I not think of this when she first mentioned it? But now, what should I do?
“I felt a little scared when I noticed that territorial mark on him. It gave me the impression that I shouldn’t mess with whoever marked him...”
“Maybe it’s just some sort of misunderstanding. You and he are both descendants of elves. Could it have something to do with that?” I suggested, trying to steer the conversation away.
“Maybe… I don’t really understand, since I wasn’t raised in demi-human culture.”
We continued talking about other things, and I successfully managed to change the subject.