Chapter 301 - Katherine and Her Dryad Daughter
Katherine Evenhart:
Margie and I spent the entire week going through countless documents, reading each one carefully. They covered the human kingdom, the demi-human kingdom, and the elven kingdom. I also read through my inheritance documents, which I received as a member of the royal family, and I went over Nathan's as well. The sheer amount of what he had inherited after taking the position of Archduke… was immeasurable.
"Half of the trees that produce the crystals used to make healing potions for all three kingdoms… belong to my nephew," Margie said, rubbing her face in disbelief as she recalled some of the things that now belonged to him.
"The entire elven kingdom… is his, along with the king…" I murmured, equally astonished.
Nathan inherited everything that once belonged to the royal family of the High Elves. Since he is nearly a High Elf himself, he is the last of the original family that founded the elven kingdom. Unlike the human kingdom, which is made up of territories from former kings, the elven kingdom has always been a single people. There were never other kings in that land—only the same family, from the very beginning. This family consists of two branches that originated from two ancient High Elf princes.
The High Elf King married the elven daughter of the founding Emperor, forming the lineage that continues to occupy the throne to this day. The brother of this High Elf King continued to reproduce exclusively with other High Elves, creating the pure lineage of High Elves. Nathan, Kinue, and I are from this branch.
Margie took a sip of her drink. Her face was lined with deep dark circles, the result of the sleepless nights we spent reading everything.
"A sacred position…" Margie murmured, recalling all the documents and scrolls brought to us by the representative of the elven kingdom.
"I don't even know how to explain this to anyone…" I murmured along with her.
Margaery picked up one of the documents personally written by the representative in the form of a letter, giving us a clearer explanation. Coming from a different culture, we struggled to understand how an entire kingdom could revere a single family.
"'The High Elf prince inherited the sacred hair of his lineage…'" Margaery read from the beginning of the document.
We had told Adrihna last year about what had happened to Nathan's hair, and because of that, King Haiten was informed. I later learned that he had to report it to the 'High Elf Council'—a group of elves who function as ancient elders, though they all appear eternally youthful due to their race.
"'Prince Nathan Evenhart Rhiannon holds a sacred position in our culture. The white-silver hair is inherited exclusively by the descendants of the Great Elven Mother, who founded Alfheim and guided the spirits of the fae, giving them bodies of flesh and transforming them into 'elves.' From her magic, the Light Elves were born—the race known as High Elves, from which all elves originated.
The Great Mother had a child, the only one who came directly from her. That child inherited the Great Mother's hair—the white-silver color. To harm Nathan Evenhart or any member of the royal family is to harm the memory of our Great Elven Mother… That is why he and the royal family are sacred figures. They are the descendants of the Great Elven Mother and stand above all others of our people, embodying our creator.
Nathan Evenhart is the last of the lineage to bear the sacred hair of our Great Mother, which is why he is considered a sacred treasure of Alfheim, known for the past two thousand years as the Nemesian Kingdom or the Kingdom of the Elves. The return of an elf with white-silver hair will bring back joy to the elven people, who have been in mourning since the passing of the former archduke.
I know we are being intrusive, but we have waited many long years for your arrival. On behalf of all the elven people, I implore Katherine Evenhart Rhiannon and Nathan Evenhart Rhiannon to come to Alfheim and restore the joy and radiance of the light that faded when the archduke passed away.'"
Margie read the letter again, even though we had already gone over it multiple times.
We had asked them to explain a little about their culture, but Margie and I never imagined it would be this deep. The document we were reading was ultra-secret, containing information known only to the elves, yet they had trusted us with it.
Great Elven Mother? Where have I heard that before?
"Holy shit…" my friend muttered, rubbing her face as thousands of thoughts and ideas likely raced through her mind. "This definitely goes far beyond just a political position…"
I nodded.
"I'm at a loss for words…" was all I could say as I processed everything I had just learned about my ancestor's culture.
"Now it makes sense why no one ever mentioned that an ancient High Elf prince had fled. The royal family of that time probably didn't want to cause a massive uproar that would shake the entire kingdom. But the fact that they never went after him… maybe they just wanted to let him live a peaceful life."
Margie was theorizing as she took a deep breath. "A sacred figure… You and Nathan are something far beyond just nobility."
She placed the letter back into the envelope, which had come in a beautifully crafted wooden box adorned with precious jewels. Inside, there was a fabric so fine and silky that I didn't even dare to touch it, fearing how expensive it must have been.
"Now I understand why the Elven King kept saying in his letters that he wanted to send a thousand soldiers to guard Evenhart Fortress…" Margie said, letting out a small laugh. "You two are a sacred pillar of an entire culture…"
"I had heard before that the royal family was considered sacred, but I never imagined it was to this extent," she murmured.
I remained seated in my chair, lost in thought, unsure of how to proceed.
"I'm going to get some air outside…" Margie said, standing up. "I need to process everything I just learned, and we haven't even finished reading the letters from the High Elf Council yet, welcoming you and Nathan and inviting you to visit their home."
I let my friend leave the room and stayed seated.
I don't think there's any escaping this… It's going to follow us forever.
I sighed and stood up. Leaving the room, I began walking toward my laboratory in our mansion in Apsalon. I recalled the words from some of the letters I had read. The High Elves showed deep respect, carefully choosing their words when referring to me and Nathan. Some even apologized for not having the "honor" to send us a letter or for not being "worthy" of receiving a response. At first, I found it strange, but after reading the letter from the representative explaining how elven culture worked… everything started to make sense.
I descended the stairs leading to the dungeon area. None of the maids were present in this underground section of the mansion, as Margaery had asked them to stay away while we read the letters. I went even deeper down the stairs, reaching the lower levels. It was a long corridor with wooden doors and prison cells.
I kept walking until I reached the end of the corridor, where my laboratory was. As soon as I opened the door, I was greeted by a beautiful garden filled with living plants. They looked at me and greeted me in their own way.
Some plants bowed in reverence, others bent so deeply they seemed to be kneeling, and some burst with excitement, moving energetically. As I walked in, one of the trees lowered its branches toward me as if greeting me. I stroked it gently, and it shivered with joy before returning to its normal position.
To my right was a glass greenhouse where I kept my desk with notes. To my left was an artificial lake that I had asked Nathan to create using his High Elf magic. I reinforced the water daily by infusing it with my mana, feeding my plants and making them even more vibrant.
At the center of the room was a massive brown seed, the size of an ox. She was my little daughter, the one we had brought from Evenhart Castle. Beside the seed, there was a chair.
I sat down in the chair, my mind filled with thoughts. I liked sitting beside her, talking for a bit, sharing my daily life, and voicing my concerns. When she was awake, she would answer me. Even in her silence, I knew that, somehow, in her deep sleep, she was listening to me.
"It took me a while to come here and talk to you, my daughter," I said as I settled into the chair. "The past few days have been… complicated."
"Did my brother cause trouble again?" she spoke through my thoughts as I stroked her.
I was surprised—she was awake.
"No," I said, laughing. "This time, Nate didn't do anything."
I paused for a moment, reflecting on everything I had just learned.
"I guess I misspoke—he did cause trouble… but this time, it wasn't his fault," I said, laughing again.
She let out a small laugh in my mind.
"My brother has a natural talent for attracting chaos, Mama Freya," she said, amused.
I sighed.
"I already told you not to call me that. Why do you call me by that strange name? Just 'Mama' is fine," I said.
She hesitated, feeling embarrassed.
"Sorry, Mama. It's just… you remind me of the Great Elven Mother."