Return of the Female Knight

Carlisle and Chief Chanatha exchanged greetings as Elena watched from inside the carriage. Finally, she rose from her seat and stepped outside, and Carlisle walked over to her with a worried look.

“You should rest inside.”

“No. I wish to talk to him in person.”

Knowing that it was pointless to argue, Carlisle got off his horse and held out his arm to escort Elena to the meeting place. The tribespeople were awed as the Emperor’s intimidating atmosphere softened at the Empress’ presence.

“I heard that you would come to this place. Are you Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress of the Ruford Empire?”

Chanatha was an ancient man with a mysterious air around him, and while he was polite, he was not servile.

When Elena arrived in front of them, she replied with a nod of her head.

“Yes. I am the empress of the Ruford Empire.”

“Then you are a very precious guest. Despite your pregnancy, you traveled all this way here. Thank you for coming.”

Chanatha pressed his hands together and gave a deep bow. Elena’s eyes were bright with interest. As of this moment, she wasn’t showing yet.

“How did you know I was pregnant?”

“Call it a gift of blindness. As I grow older, I sometimes see things that are otherwise unseen.”

Only then did Elena notice that Chanatha’s pupils stared ahead unfocused. She thought it interesting that her pregnancy was noticed by someone who could not see.

“May I ask why two esteemed persons such as yourselves came to see our tribe?”

Elena glanced backwards at the thousand of soldiers that accompanied them. She couldn’t speak about the curse in front of so many people, and she dropped her voice.

“I’d like to discuss this in a private place.”

Chanatha nodded in understanding. A personal visit from the Emperor and Empress of the Ruford Empire was never a casual affair. Chanatha turned and pointed to a hut inside the forest.

“It’s a humble and shabby place, but I’ll take you inside, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course.”

Elena was eager to speak, and Carlisle, who was listening from the side, spoke in a low voice.

“Zenard.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Zenard came to his side at once. Then, after receiving his orders from Carlisle, he turned to the procession and pointed to the best troops.

“You there will escort His Majesty, and the rest will wait here.”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers Zenard designated marched forward with a loud reply, while the rest stood as still as statues. The tribes people watched the display with interest, while Carlisle took Elena’s hand.

“Be careful not to fall.”

It was as if Elena was the only person in Carlisle’s eyes. Anyone who saw them would notice that the entirety of Carlisle’s being was devoted only to Elena.

An unexpected thrill shivered down Elena’s spine. Despite the situation, it was enjoyable. When did she start to have this feeling? For her, her husband was a man sweeter than any chocolate in the world.

“Yes, thank you.”

Elena took Carlisle’s hand with a radiant smile.

***

Only Chief Chanatha, Elena and Carlisle entered the hut. The rest of the soldiers stood guard outside, but they remained some distance away so they couldn’t hear any conversation. Chanatha offered Elena and Carlisle the cleanest spot in the small abode.

“Please have a seat.”

“Thank you, Chief.”

When the three were seated, the chief once again spoke.

“Now, can you tell me why you visited our tribe?”

“We came all the way here…because I want to know about the dragon’s curse.”

As Elena spoke, she stole a glance towards Carlisle. He didn’t say a word, even though the story was relevant to him. He gave an imperceptible nod of his head, as if to tell her it was alright.

“Curse? The curse of the Great Dragon can vary depending on who you ask, so I can’t give you a clear answer from only that.”

“Well…”

Elena paused to choose her words. She wondered where to start. She didn’t want to reveal the full details of the Ruford royal family as much as possible.

While she hesitated, Carlisle spoke first.

“A human greedy for power ate a living dragon’s heart. His descendants were cursed by madness and a thirst for blood.”

“Th-that…!”

Chief Chanatha did not look like a man who was often surprised, but he trembled in shock at Carlisle’s words. For a tribe who worshiped dragons as god, it was a terrible and blasphemous story to hear. Carlisle continued without regard.

“Is there a way to break the curse of the last dying dragon?”

Chanatha managed to still himself, and he shook his head.

“If there is, it won’t be easy. The combination of hatred and revenge makes the curse stronger.”

Elena, who remained quiet so far, spoke.

“If there’s anything you know, please tell me. Not all descendants are cursed, but it does appear to apply to children who have strongly inherited the power.”

“Do you mean…a human can have the power and curse of a dragon at the same time?”

“Yes.”

“…Interesting.”

Chanatha stroked his chin meditatively.

“Then, is there anything that awakens the ability?”

“I heard that when a child manifests the dragon’s power, the child craves human blood and must drink it. But will the curse go away if the child doesn’t drink blood?”

Chanatha shook his head slowly.

“If it is as you say, then the power and curse are two sides to the same coin. Giving up one side may mean the child may not live.”

After the imbibement of blood, as one’s abilities became stronger, so did the curse. If one tried to suppress the dragon’s power, the curse may become stronger. There was no guarantee that the curse would disappear if one attempted to contain the power. Without knowing how the power and curse were intertwined, it was dangerous to judge or act recklessly.

Elena’s expression darkened when she heard the chief’s words. Meeting the tribe was the easy part, but the more they talked, the more she realized that lifting the curse was not an easy task.

‘…My baby.’

Elena’s hand subconsciously stroked her stomach. She wanted to remove the curse from her child as soon as possible. But if she couldn’t…it wouldn’t change the fact that she loved it all the same.

‘Whatever you are, your mother’s love won’t change for you.’

Sensing someone’s gaze on her, Elena turned her head and saw Carlisle’s handsome face. She gave him a faint smile and took his hand.

In the past, only her father, Derek and Mirabelle could be called her family. But that changed now. Carlisle and their child were precious to Elena. She never expected to be so taken in by them.

“It’s too early to give up. Just trust me, and I’ll find a way.”

At his resolute vow, Elena nodded with a happy smile.

Chanatha observed the trust and contentment between the couple with his unseeing eyes. Where he usually saw darkness was a rainbow of brilliant light. The curse that Elena and Carlisle had asked about was terrible, but the emotions between them were completely different. In Carlisle, he sensed an inky darkness and strength, and Elena, a good heart and the selflessness to sacrifice herself for others.

The child in Elena’s stomach was also extraordinary. It was an abstract feeling to Chanatha’s blind eyes, but his instincts had never been wrong.

‘…Even if I could help, I don’t believe it’s the right thing to tell him.’

The family was cursed for taking out the heart of a dragon. Indeed, Chanatha wasn’t even sure if he could lift the curse.

“Is there anything else you can tell us?”

“I…”

Chanatha was about to speak worriedly, when he suddenly sensed a bright blue glow hovering in his eyes like a firefly. He opened his mouth with a look of surprise.

“Do you have something in your hand?”

“My hand?”

Elena looked curiously downwards. The Dragon’s Orb ring that Carlisle gave her as a child rested on her finger.

“Ah, this ring…or should I call it the Dragon’s Orb?”

“D-Dragon’s Orb? It emerged from the one who was cursed?”

“Yes.”

“Can you show me?”

Elena slipped the ring from her hand and handed it to Chanatha. The chief took the ring with a pious gesture. He was amazed as he sensed the faint but pure blood of a dragon.

‘How could a human make this?’

This was absolutely impossible. Of course, it wasn’t a perfect Dragon’s Orb, but no human had the ability to create such an object.

The image of a cursed man gradually disappeared in Chanatha’s mind. It was true the ancestor had sinned in claiming the dragon’s power in such a blasphemous way, but the descendants were still of dragon’s blood. Chanatha wondered if he should reject the descendants, or worship them like dragons as well.

What was clear, however…

It was no longer necessary for Elena and Carlisle to worry about the curse. The origins of it were terrible, but the family were now descendants of a dragon. If so, Chanatha no longer had any reason to hide what he knew.

“Thank you. Here.”

Chanatha stretched out his trembling hand and returned the Dragon’s Orb to Elena’s palm. He then slowly opened his mouth to reveal the truth.

“I cannot guarantee this will solve the curse. But there is an old legend that has been passed down in our tribe since long ago.”

Elena and Carlisle listened attentively to this unexpected story.

“A dragon and a human fell in love, and a child was born between them. But people who were jealous of their relationship set up a trap, which led to the misunderstanding that the human companion had cheated on the dragon. So the dragon left a terrible curse on his human companion.”

“A curse…?”

Chanatha’s expression turned complicated.

“Her body would rot and decay until death.”

“Oh…”

Elena’s mouth fell open upon hearing the terrible curse. Chanatha continued his story.

“Later, the dragon found out about the misunderstanding and wanted to remove his curse. He then obtained the Zamida fruit to save her.”

“Zamida fruit?”

This was the first time she’d heard of the fruit. But Carlisle, who was listening quietly, seemed to know about it.

“It’s a fruit from the tropics. I’ve heard it’s difficult to find.”

“Yes, that’s right. Zamida, in another language, means ‘god’s blessing’. Legend has it that it is a fruit closely associated with dragons, and that eating it will remove a curse.”

It was unclear if eating the fruit would really break the Ruford royal family curse. However, Elena’s expression lifted upon having obtained such a valuable piece of information.

“Thank you. You have been very helpful.”

“Not at all. However, it won’t be easy to bring the Zamida fruit to the Ruford Empire. It is said the plant bears fruit only once every ten years, and it is sensitive to the environment—”

Carlisle cut in.

“There’s no need to worry about that. Who do you think is sitting in front of you?”

Chanatha bowed his head as if convinced by Carlisle’s words. If Carlisle, the Emperor of the Ruford Empire, wanted something, he would get it.

“I know it wasn’t easy to meet us, Chief. Thank you very much for your time today. Once we obtain the fruit, may I send someone back if I have questions? ”

Chanatha hesitated for a moment, but he soon nodded in acceptance. He also wondered if this curse would lift.

“Yes. But you will have to tell me how it works.”

“Yes. We have also prepared some goods as a gesture of goodwill, and I hope it will help your tribe prosper.”

“Thank you. I’ll accept the offer without refusing. In truth, my tribe has been suffering from a severe drought last year.”

“Of course.”

When the three finished their conversation, they rose to say goodbye. Elena spoke first.

“Thank you very much for today. I’ll see you again.”

“Yes. I hope you will give birth to a healthy child.”

As Carlisle and Elena stepped out of the hut, warm sunlight fell upon them. The weather was as clear as the feeling in their hearts. Today was the first day they had the hope to remove the curse.

Elena turned her head to look at Carlisle, and she saw that he was also looking at her. They smiled happily at each other.