Lai Wei An Se became the Acting Head of Family after the war had largely ended.
But long before the Demon Invasion of the Sea of Trees, she had already been traveling year-round between the borders of the various Forest Domains, coordinating defense across the region.
After the war between humans and demons that had lasted nearly a century had brought the Holy Nation to the brink of total collapse, she was among the first to foresee that the Demon King and the Magi’s ambitions would not stop there.
To unite the Four Great Forest Domains—which had maintained clear boundaries and governed themselves independently for over a thousand years—was a herculean task……
Before the actual Demon Invasion, no one could convince these elves, content in their isolated seclusion, to prepare in advance and guard against future calamity.
But Lai Wei An Se went ahead and did it anyway, because it was something that had to be done.
The Nelf Family was the most distinguished house in the history of the Sea of Trees—the sword and shield of the Royal Family.
Its kin had an obligation to protect the future of the Fairy Race and lead all in standing united against the enemy.
And it also let her escape the immense shadow of her Mother…… as well as the guilt of having turned a blind eye to the tragedy that had befallen her younger sister.
Iruna—merely thinking of that name sent phantom pain through her entire body, made her steps falter, made her question whether everything she had done so far had any meaning at all.
When she learned that her sister had finally agreed to return to the family, and that the daughter she had borne with a good husband was thriving, Lai Wei An Se was overjoyed.
She set aside her affairs and rushed back to Fenglin City, all for the sake of seeing her long-missed sister.
But when she arrived at the Giant Tree, what greeted her was her mother’s icy words:
—Just consider her dead. Not only her bloodline…… but her very heart has been completely blinded by that hateful foreign race.
What could she possibly find out there now? Nothing but a skeleton in the family home and a worthless bastard child.
Only then did she learn that her sister, shortly after “reforming her ways,” had once again abandoned her husband and family to run off to that Forest Land…… and she had even taken her second daughter—regarded as the heir to the Family Head—along with her.
Her mother’s voice rarely carried such emotion.
She truly seemed to have reached the absolute limit of frustration at her daughter’s failure to live up to expectations, which was why she had spoken such merciless words.
And her mother’s words made her recall the last time she had seen her sister—that was when she had just been forcibly brought back from that Human man’s side by the family.
Before being sent to “Silent Reflection” by their mother, she had clutched her hand tightly, begging her for help:
“Help me, help me…… Sister Weiser…… I can’t leave him alone out there! That child is still so young…… and his health isn’t good either……”
Lai Wei An Se thought she was still just as stubborn and willful as before she had left home.
For the sake of some worldly love, she had so decisively abandoned her family, abandoned her brilliant future, and so readily given her body to that man of a foreign race—
“You really should reflect on yourself properly, Iruna.”
She remembered how she had responded to her then. She remembered the disbelief and despair in Iruna’s tear-reddened eyes as she let go of her hand.
Yes. If you just reflect, you’ll become that girl who ran and jumped around by my side again, pestering me to teach you the Leaf Flute.
Look at what you’ve become now?
Your radiant hair has lost its luster…… your once light and beautiful figure has grown bloated and ugly from yielding to that foreign man and bearing children of impure blood.
Her sister vanished from her sight from then on. And in that span of a hundred years, she met the child she had borne with that Human.
Though young, this child feared no authority, possessing a wild, untamable spirit.
She admired this child and resolved, for the sake of her mother’s honor and her own character, to give her a chance.
Lai Wei An Se arranged lodging for her, placed her in the Ranger Corps, and pulled strings in various quarters so that her reputation reached the ears of Senia, who was then still Princess.
In the end, she even became one of the Royal Guard Knights despite being a Half-elf…… If she had continued advancing on that path, she might one day have reached even higher positions.
Too bad she didn’t. One day, that child quietly slipped away from Fenglin City, abandoning everything she once had just like her mother, all to return to that Cabin.
Utterly foolish.
Lai Wei An Se was deeply disappointed.
And beyond that disappointment, she still harbored hopeful imaginings of her sister’s return:
One day, one day I will see her again. Time will make her realize that such feelings were merely a momentary fever of the mind…… just like all elves.
That Human couldn’t wait for her forever either; he surely wouldn’t live long and would leave in disappointment.
Then Iruna would know that she had merely been deceived—
Wait.
What did Mother say…… a skeleton in the home?
To verify this, Lai Wei An Se concealed her movements and went alone to that Forest Land. And there, she finally got her wish to see Iruna after her “Silent Reflection.”
But Iruna was no longer the sister she once knew—the one who ran freely through the woods, played joyfully by the springs, and argued loudly with youths and elders alike at banquets.
She was quiet, docile, her eyes often vacant…… like a flower that had been brutally uprooted and then shoved back into the soil.
She kept vigil before that grave, playing familiar melodies with leaves and various Musical Instruments.
“What exactly is ‘Silent Reflection’?”
“Get out. Aunt. This is the last time I’ll call you that.”
Before she could figure out the answer, she was forced to retreat from the Forest Land, with the child who had discovered her aiming a sharp arrow at her.
Even after returning to Fenglin City, she still couldn’t figure it out.
She wanted to see her Mother…… but she never dared to ask what Mother wouldn’t say, never dared to question what Mother deemed correct.
Even when she heard the news of Iruna’s death in mourning for her lover, she didn’t ask.
But from then on, she did everything she could to avoid that name, to escape the incomparable pain it brought her.
……
……
“Do I run again this time? Do I truly not understand…… what ‘Silent Reflection’ represents?”
“Iyue…… Nefi…… Am I to watch them become like that too this time? Am I to let this pain…… continue endlessly?”
Ignoring the countless eyes fixed upon her, Lai Wei An Se walked toward the Giant Tree without hesitation.
She had to see her Mother.
No matter how absurd or unbelievable everything Iyue had said was, this time she had to confront her Mother face to face.
“……”
The Servants and Guards accompanying her all noticed her unusual demeanor and stayed silent along the way.
She passed through the main district and headed straight for the Giant Tree Nelf.
She entered the Giant Tree through a private corridor, then took an elevator descending ever downward.
She knew where her Mother was. And she suddenly realized it had been a long time since she had last gone to see her Mother on her own initiative.
Over the years, she and Nephtalia had virtually taken over all family affairs.
And those on the outside, recognizing that the old Family Head had withdrawn behind the scenes, no longer sought audiences with her.
In time, even she herself had grown accustomed to her Mother’s absence.
She arrived at the hall of the underground spiral staircase. And the sight in the hall gave her a foreboding feeling—
She found far more Guards and servants gathered there than usual, their faces panicked as they frantically hauled crates loaded with Magic Stones.
She grabbed a high-ranking Butler in formal attire, and found him equally lost and bewildered.
“What’s going on?”
She asked with a frown. These were people who ordinarily wouldn’t bat an eye even if the mountains crumbled before them.
“Ah, Lady Lai Wei An Se……”
The Butler seemed startled by her arrival, hemming and hawing, unable to form words.
“What happened exactly? Speak!”
Under Lai Wei An Se’s sharp urging, he finally tightened his collar and delivered the news that stunned her beyond words:
“The Head of the Household has…… passed away.”
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