The Seed Thief

The document Lulu found detailed a rare phenomenon: the depletion of magic in pregnant mages. It occurred when the unborn child possessed immense magical potential. If such a thing happened to a pregnant mage, the Magic Tower was obligated to protect the mage, who would temporarily lose their magical power, by any means necessary.

Because the child to be born would, almost certainly, become a powerful mage.

A pained expression flickered across Ervandas’s face as he read the documents Lulu had retrieved.

What if Lulu had been a mage of the tower? She would have been cherished, protected. And after she became pregnant, they would have showered her with even more care and affection. She would have lived a life of privilege and comfort, shielded from the horrors she had endured.

Along with the self-reproach and disgust he felt for failing to protect Lulu, he also felt resentment towards the Forest Witch. If only she had sent Lulu to the Magic Tower…

Unable to bear the weight of his guilt, he confessed his thoughts to Lulu. She looked at him, her brow furrowed in confusion, as if he had said something absurd.

“But if I was at the tower, I would never have lived in the forest, and I would never have met Er. I don’t want that.”

Though Lulu’s reply didn’t lessen Ervandas’s guilt, it was a great comfort.

While Lulu was taking over the Magic Tower, Ervandas worked tirelessly to secure her position. Too much power could easily make her a target once more.

He spread the word of Lulu’s victory over the rogue mages who had allied with the enemy, of her plans to implement stricter regulations to prevent future conflicts.

To the citizens and nobles, still shaken by the two rebellions, Lulu soon became a new source of hope.

* * *

As the Duchess reminisced about the past, someone approached the gathering. Seeing the approaching figure, the women hurriedly rose from their seats and bowed. It was none other than Prince Ervandas.

Ervandas approached and said with a smile,

“Lulu, it’s time to go.”

The women, standing there, blushed slightly at his bright smile. Meanwhile, Lulu quickly popped two cookies from the table into her mouth with elegant movements and swallowed them while everyone was distracted by Ervandas.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she took a sip of tea and stood up.

“Well, I’ll be going now. Let’s meet again in the fall.”

After the two left with a brief farewell, the remaining women sat down again, swallowing their disappointment.

“Come to think of it, the two always leave the capital at the beginning of summer.”

“Yes. And they don’t return until fall.”

“Where do they stay during that time? I haven’t heard anything about them staying at a separate palace or villa in another region…”

Listening to the women’s conversation, the Duchess took a sip of the remaining tea. She thought of the forest that Lulu had once told her about. The forest that was said to be very beautiful in summer, where Lulu’s old friends still resided.

The two would go to that forest and spend the summer there.

“No.”

The duchess corrected herself, her voice barely a whisper.

“It’s three people, not two.”

* * *

Four children sat on the lawn of the royal palace’s separate palace, their gazes fixed on one spot.

Dozens of butterflies fluttered before their eyes, their wings a dazzling array of colors. But then, the butterflies suddenly transformed into colorful birds.

“Wow!”

Gasps of wonder escaped the children’s lips. The birds, which had been fluttering around them, soared into the sky. Then, just as quickly as they appeared, the birds vanished, replaced by an equal number of balloons, floating gently in the breeze.

The children chased after the balloons, running across the lawn, each trying to catch one.

Watching them from afar, Kalendas spoke to Ervandas, who sat across from him.

“Why do you have to go back when they’re all playing so well together?”

“Because summer is approaching.”

“That’s why I’m saying you should stay longer at the summer palace. The children are having fun, and Lulu is entertaining them with her magic.”

Ervandas narrowed his eyes at Kalendas’s words.

“After you worked my wife to the bone all winter, you have the nerve to say that?”

Kalendas coughed awkwardly, averting his gaze. It seemed Ervandas still held a grudge about Kalendas asking Lulu to visit various regional territories during the winter, as there were many things that needed attention.

“But still, the children are having such a good time together… You know my children hate summer the most, right?”

“Anticipation makes the joy even greater.”

“Sounds like something a temple knight would say, spouting words like a priest.”

Kalendas grumbled, turning away. Just then, Lulu, who was standing with the children, called out.

“Kalendas! Er! What are you two doing over there?”

“Ervandas, would you mind asking Lulu when she’s going to start calling me ‘Your Majesty’?”

“Give up.”

Ervandas replied flatly.

“But… I’m the king…”

“What does it matter? You’re called ‘Your Majesty’ every day by everyone else besides Lulu.”

“That’s not the point!”

Kalendas shouted, grabbing the back of his neck. At that moment, a woman approached from the main palace and waved to Lulu in the distance, then sat down next to the two men. Lulu waved back and shouted,

“Elia! Wait, I’ll be there soon!”

The woman called Elia waved more enthusiastically at Lulu and turned to Kalendas.

“Just let it go. I like it when she calls us by our names. Who else would do that?”

“Not you too! You’re the queen!”

Kalendas, betrayed by his own wife, groaned. Elia, ignoring his theatrics, watched with amusement as Lulu played with their children.

The two couples’ children got along exceptionally well. It was as if foreshadowing the long and peaceful reign of the royal family.

After a while, Lulu, accompanied by a young girl with the same fiery red hair, joined them at the table.

As the two drew closer, Ervandas stood up and took his daughter’s other hand.

“Well, we’ll be going now.”

“It’s no use holding you back… Fine, go, go. But you’ll come visit again during the winter, right?”

“Of course. And we’ll drop by a few times in between.”

“You always say that, but you’ve never stayed for long.”

Ervandas just smiled at Kalendas’s grumbling. What could he do? Summer was the season when he, Lulu, and their child were happiest in the forest.

“We’re going now! Take care, Kalendas, Elia.”

It was a rather disrespectful farewell to the King and Queen, but Kalendas waved back. Indeed, who else besides Lulu would greet them like that?

The three figures, about to return to the forest, floated into the air. The child between Lulu and Ervandas waved enthusiastically. 

Kalendas and Elia chuckled. She might be their niece, but wasn’t she just adorable?

“Bye!”

The three figures disappeared with a brief farewell.

* * *

Ervandas, landing first on the grassy field, stretched out his arms. Lulu and the child descended from the air. As soon as he gently caught and lowered them to the ground, a loud noise came from the direction of the house in the distance.

Turning their heads, they saw the stone golem running towards them, as if in greeting. It wasn’t just the golem. The scarecrow and the bone crow were with it as well.

Upon regaining her magic and returning to the forest, the first thing Lulu had done was search for traces of her old friends, who had reached the end of their lifespans protecting her.

The broken golem, the scarecrow whose wooden frame had rotted away, the crow whose bones were nowhere to be found.

Lulu, who had spent a long time searching for and gathering traces of her friends, gave them new life. Even though they were recreated from the remnants of her friends, they were different beings now.

They should have become completely new life forms, with no memories of the past.

But as soon as they were brought back to life by Lulu’s magic, they embraced her, clinging to her. It was as if they had met a dear friend they hadn’t seen in a very long time. 

Lulu had cried, holding them close for a long time.

Ervandas called out to the child running towards the golem.

“Heinel! Slow down!”

But the child, ignoring Ervandas, ran quickly and embraced the golem.

Heinel.

That was the name of the child born between Ervandas and Lulu.

When Lulu woke up after summoning summer from Ervandas’s embrace, she called her child that. Heinel.

As if she had been calling her that all along, with such familiarity.

Later, after Lulu took control of the Magic Tower and obtained its records, she and Ervandas found that name in an old document. A witch who had briefly stayed at the Magic Tower long ago, but then left for the forest, spending many years alone before finally, at the end of her life, having a beloved child.

Her name was Heinel.

The name of the one who had given life had become another life, running through the grassy field. A life created by the two of them, starting from a seed, sprouting tender branches, and soon to grow into something lush and vibrant.

Ervandas reached out and took Lulu’s hand.

“Lulu, we should go in and clean the house. We need to wash up, make dinner, and then…”

Ervandas turned his head and looked at Lulu. There she was, the redness that had captivated him from the moment he first saw her, the greedy and lovely thief who had stolen his everything.

The ring they had made together sparkled on their clasped hands, catching the light of the setting sun.

“No, shall we all sleep together?”

Ervandas suggested the most perfect end to the day to the one who had stolen him away.