Chapter 299 - Marriage, Incest, and Lineage
Syvis Rhiannon:
I was saying my prayers to the Great Mother, asking her to bless my day and protect the lives of my friends. I prayed every morning when I woke up and every night before going to sleep, just as I had been taught since childhood.
I was raised within our faith, instructed from infancy about the importance of my lineage. My family was special, direct descendants of the Great Mother, and I understood the weight of that responsibility. The palace and the Church of the Great Mother were my home, and the temple, my second home.
I was taught that the Great Mother is the Goddess of Love and Fertility, and that is why our power to manipulate the life of plants is a direct gift from her. Her love blessed us so that we would never go hungry, allowing the soil to always be fertile and generous. She showed us that we must honor nature, live in harmony with plants and animals, as part of her sacred cycle.
"Great Mother... bless the life of my friend Thyra as well, so that she may find healing for her emotional wounds," I murmured, kneeling before my bed.
I was supposed to meet with Saint Tiffania in a few hours. She was the spokesperson of the Church of the Great Mother and a descendant of a lineage blessed with powerful healing magic, a direct gift from the Goddess herself. The first Saint received this power from the Great Mother as proof of her love and desire to protect her people.
This was the love of the Great Mother. She granted us the fertility of the land so that we would never know hunger, and the power of healing so that we could ease suffering.
Finishing my prayer, I carefully picked up the potted plant in front of me and placed it on a piece of furniture. The Great Mother did not wish for statues in her honor. Instead, she left the Sacred Trees. Each elf prays to these trees, created by her, as a symbol of her essence.
When we are far from our kingdom, we carry a seed from a tree unique to our homeland and plant it in a pot, allowing it to grow naturally. This small sapling is not just a plant, but a spiritual link to the sacred trees. When we pray before it, it represents our connection with the Goddess.
I looked at the pot for a moment and asked for forgiveness from the Great Mother for not being worthy of her love, while also thanking her for blessing my family.
I walked to the window and opened it, feeling the light morning breeze. Our religion is a secret, something no elf reveals to other races. They know we venerate trees, but they do not understand the depth of our faith.
Before leaving, the Great Mother instructed that her name and love should be kept hidden until the day she returned. When that day came, she herself would spread her message of love and healing to all races.
I began my morning routine, tidying my room. Sitting at the head of my bed, I looked at myself in the mirror while brushing my hair. It was a vibrant blonde, and I liked taking care of it to keep it beautiful. I put on my storage bracelet, took my sword from it, and then stored it again.
My sword was an enchanted relic that could be manipulated and changed in form by a wielder of the plant element. It had been passed down from generation to generation. I received it in a ceremony and was expected to treasure it, as it had been with the Rhiannon family for millennia.
History said that the Great Elven Mother forged this sword for the most honored female knight of her order, known as the Dryads, the Green Knights. Unfortunately, after a great incident that divided our people at the time, it was the Dryads who gave their lives to bring peace when the Great Elven Mother was gone. Carrying this sword is a sign of respect to them and to all our people.
I walked to the window of my room. In front of me was a private area overlooking the forest. Only we had access to this place. We used it for our exercises.
Every morning, I saw my friend Nathan wake up and start running. He and Edmund would compete while practicing their exercises to stay in shape.
"They are Transmitters, naturally capable of using mana to enhance their physical strength, and yet they still train… they're dedicated," I murmured and left my room.
I shared my apartment with my… somewhat peculiar friend.
"Ah!" I shouted in shock when I saw her.
"Good morning, Syvis!" she said.
"Thyra!" I yelled. "Put some clothes on!" I covered my eyes.
Thyra was only wearing a bra and underwear.
"Thyra is exercising," she said while doing sit-ups.
"I know, idiot! But I already told you to stop walking around like that inside the house."
I threw a towel over her and turned away, leaving the wolf girl to her antics.
She was always like this.
"And what about when you have a boyfriend? You need to break this habit," I said.
"When Thyra has a boyfriend, that's when Thyra will walk around like this all the time at home. That will make things easier," she said.
I felt my face burn with embarrassment.
"You damn pervert!" I said. "You're only supposed to do that kind of thing after getting married."
And after praying to the Great Mother under a sacred tree for seven days and seven nights…
"Pervert? What are you talking about? Thyra's boyfriend will also exercise with her. Thyra doesn't want a weak boyfriend. That's why Thyra wakes up early and works out," she said as she stood up.
I froze, not knowing what to say, and sighed.
"Forget it… you're crazy…"
"Look at Thyra's abs," she said, giving them a tap. "Look at the definition. Thyra has the perfect belly," she said proudly.
Damn… the worst part is that she's actually in great shape.
"You don't exercise enough," she told me.
I lifted my shirt and showed my stomach.
"Look here, idiot! I may not have that many abs, but I'm toned too. A lady should have a delicate body," I said.
She laughed.
"Even Thyra's abs have abs," she said, showing off. I ignored her.
My friend was peculiar in her own way. She didn't have her eccentric habits out of malice—this was just who she was. Sometimes Thyra spoke normally, and other times she spoke in her unique way. When I asked why she talked like that, she told me that the name 'Thyra' was something important and that she never wanted to forget it.
I became friends with her very quickly. She treated me as Syvis and not as "Princess Syvis." She was always cheerful, but I knew a little of the truth about her past. She came from the Black Wolf Tribe. They were hunted down as traitors and wiped out. Only two survivors remained—Thyra and her aunt Victoria.
Thyra doesn't know that I'm aware of her past, and I would never dare to bring it up or ask her about it. I only learned the story because I asked my father. Thyra lost her mother, and it seems the event was so traumatic that she started speaking that way.
"I'm going for a walk around the academy," I said.
"Wait! Thyra wants to have fun too!" she said.
I sighed.
"Hurry up and get dressed…"
***
We were in the dormitory common room. I found Kinue talking to Princess Melina. Kinue was our senior, and she knew how to cook. I had learned to make a few dishes at the palace, but Kinue was on another level. Everyone wanted to eat her food.
"Looks like it's just the girls in the dorm today," Alice said as she approached.
"Viktor went to train with Edmund in the academy's knight training grounds," Melina said. "I haven't seen Nathan."
Chloe appeared, drying her hair with a towel.
"He went to the city," Chloe said. "So it really is just us girls here."
"Do you think he went to meet a girlfriend?" Alice asked, laughing.
"What!?" Chloe and Kinue said in unison.
"He wouldn't do something like that…" Chloe murmured.
I let out a small chuckle.
We sat down on the couch.
"But it's possible. Just like the rest of us, he's at an age where nobility expects us to at least take steps toward a political relationship… I already have mine," Alice said.
I remembered her situation and felt a bit sorry for her. She was in an arranged engagement. It was a political relationship, and in the human kingdom, that was common. I found it strange.
In the elven kingdom, we also have arranged marriages that some nobles can arrange, but it's different. Usually, the head of the family offers their son or daughter as a potential match, but it's up to the couple to decide whether they accept or not. They can try to build a friendship first or reject it from the start. The relationship is the final stage.
But here in the human kingdom, the engaged couple has no choice. The parents can freely decide to marry someone off, and the children are forced to accept it.
It must be difficult, getting involved with someone you have no feelings for and one day being forced to have children with them.
I feel a slight sadness just thinking about it. My dream is to be a mother, and just imagining myself in Alice's situation makes me pity her.
"But what about you?" Alice asked us. "My cousin here has a long list of people wanting to marry her."
I looked at Princess Melina and saw her face turn bright red.
"Stop that, Alice…" Melina said, her whole face flushed. "I don't think about those things…"
Nathan's little cat was sleeping in a corner. We had learned to live with her. Cylla didn't like anyone touching her, and she would wander around the dormitory and the academy. The moment Nathan arrived, she would run to his apartment with him.
"But what about you guys?" Melina asked, trying to change the subject. "Has anyone caught your interest? It's very common for relationships to form at the academy."
"Thyra got hit on a few times, but Thyra punched them," the wolf girl said, showing her fists.
We all shook our heads in disapproval.
"I don't worry about those things," Kinue said, answering Melina's question.
I stared at my friend. Like Thyra, she was a demi-human, but she came from the fox tribe. She was very beautiful, and her blonde hair was as vibrant as mine. It contrasted with her green eyes.
"You're really beautiful, Kinue. I bet plenty of people have tried to marry you too," Alice said.
Her face turned red.
"There were a few… but I turned them down… I already like someone," she said, embarrassed.
"Who?" we asked eagerly.
Kinue's ears drooped as she realized we were all looking at her, making her even more flustered.
"I like… Nathan…" she said, barely above a whisper, too embarrassed to say it out loud.
"Ohhh," we all said.
I looked at Alice, who had a smirk on her face and gave Kinue a light elbow jab.
"He's really handsome. Do you want to have a master-and-servant relationship with him like in those adult books?" Alice teased.
Kinue turned bright red.
"No… I… I don't think about that kind of thing… at least, not much…" she tried to explain, but only ended up making things worse.
"Kinue?" Chloe asked, also blushing. "I'm going to confiscate all your books…"
We all burst into laughter.
"But he's a high noble… they usually don't marry commoners," Alice said thoughtfully. "But I don't think the Evenharts are a family that cares about political maneuvers, so it's not impossible…"
Chloe let out a small cough.
"I already like someone too…" Chloe said. "But it's a secret…"
We all turned to look at her and saw her blushing.
"Oh, it looks like the girls are being quite bold," Alice said.
"And what about you, Syvis?" Chloe asked me.
They all looked at me.
"We have two princesses here… and both seem way too innocent," Alice said, throwing a pillow at me.
"I… I don't think about that kind of thing," I said. "I want to find someone who can be my friend. Someone who will always be there for me in difficult times and who, one day… I can build a family with. My dream… is to have a daughter…" I said, feeling a bit nervous. Talking about this kind of thing made me blush a little.
Lady Alice burst into laughter.
"Looks like both princesses are equally naive," she said. "Both want a pure love story romance." She said the last part with a small touch of melancholy, and we all looked at her, understanding that she was talking about herself. Deep down, she must have wanted a marriage like that too.
"Don't look at me like that…" she said to us. "I've known about this arranged engagement since I was thirteen. I've already been sad enough over it. I don't need your pity." She threw pillows at us while sitting down on the floor.
"I'm sorry… cousin," Melina said softly.
Alice sighed. "I'm not in a bad situation. Sebastian is well-mannered, and there are plenty of girls at the academy who would love to be with him…"
"Does the royal family always have to go through arranged marriages?" Kinue asked, curious, looking at the princesses.
Princess Melina answered:
"Yes. We have no choice… The future of the kingdom depends on the alliances we form. The suitors of any royal family member are thoroughly evaluated, both politically and magically. It's necessary to consider the impact and benefits the relationship will bring to the kingdom, as well as the magical talent of the suitor. Our parents choose our partners based on these criteria."
Melina paused briefly, her gaze shifting to Alice, who looked equally uncomfortable with the topic.
"At some point, it will be my turn too…" she concluded.
I listened to that and silently thanked my parents for being good people.
"You're the 'spoiled little daughter.' If it were up to them, you'd never have to deal with romance in your life," Alice teased, making Melina blush.
"It's not like that… Even my father had an arranged marriage when he was young. Duncan will have to go through the same thing," Melina said.
"Really? Your mother and father had an arranged marriage?" I asked, surprised.
"Yes… my mother and father are cousins," she said.
Chloe, who was drinking water, choked on the revelation. I was also surprised by that.
"What?" Chloe and Kinue asked.
"Your parents are cousins? Can you tell me more about that?" Chloe asked.
"I'll explain it better. Melina will just make it more confusing," Alice said.
We all looked at her.
"In the previous generation, there were two brothers, and one of them became king. The one who became king had a firstborn daughter, and the one who didn't become king had a firstborn son. So they reunited the family again to avoid divisions. When this happens in our family, the cousins are forced to marry each other," Alice explained. "I was originally supposed to marry Duncan… but it seems my aunt, the Queen, wanted to break that family tradition."
Wow… the king and queen are cousins? That's a little weird… humans are strange.
"I think that was a big revelation," Kinue said.
"But you'll never find that kind of thing in genealogy records. One of the spouses is only listed by name, and their family is never mentioned," Alice said. "Either way, I was already going to have an arranged marriage. My aunt Agnes told me when I was little that I wouldn't have to be forced to marry Duncan, and I foolishly thought that meant I could choose someone… but she had just found another partner for me instead," Alice said. "My aunt and my father, Grand Duke Ryan, had already decided that I would marry Sebastian, and when I turned thirteen, they told me."
I listened carefully and picked up on something.
"Wait, if the queen is the heir to the throne, and her brother is Grand Duke Ryan, then shouldn't he have been the king originally?" Kinue asked.
"No. My aunt is two years older, so she would have taken the throne either way," Alice explained.
Kinue looked confused, and I did too. I decided to just accept it—human noble relationships were too strange.
"In the elven kingdom, we don't have anything like that. The decision is up to the couple, and there's no political pressure," I said.
Alice looked at me.
"Your kingdom has always been a single unified realm with one people. Your nobility is different. Here, we were originally eight smaller kingdoms that became duchies and allied with the greater kingdom, which is the Capital. Together, they formed the human kingdom. So our politics are naturally tied to arranged marriages and unions like this to strengthen alliances," Alice explained. "Or even to keep inheritance and political positions within the same family, which is why there are marriages between relatives."
I had studied human kingdom politics a little before, but hearing her explain it that way made a lot of sense.
"So you don't have any prejudice against cousin marriages?" Chloe asked hesitantly.
"It's common in the capital and in duchies with stronger political traditions. There are even cases where siblings marry," Alice said.
"In my case… my mother said there's a high chance I'll marry my brother in the future…" Princess Melina commented, her expression neutral but revealing a hint of discomfort.
"Seriously?" Kinue asked, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Yes," Melina answered. "My mother explained that the initial plan is for my brother to marry someone else, but there's a very high possibility that I will become his second wife. That would ensure there are no further branches in the main line of succession."
Chloe frowned, intrigued. "But what about your sister, Elara?"
Melina sighed, lowering her gaze. "My mother doesn't consider her a true Asalon… She's only an Asalon by my father's side. Elara isn't in the main line of succession to the throne, and it was decided that she won't be allowed to have heirs. There can't be any more branches in the Asalon family. The bloodline has to remain pure, and for that… I must marry my brother and have a child with him."
I know this is part of their culture… but I still find it strange… Are all humans like this?