The Return of Lilietta - Chapter 247

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 247

The prince’s silver hair flowed down like fallen snow. His blue eyes, like a winter sky, gazed straight at the witch.

“I, I…”

Jurlene swallowed dryly and avoided his gaze. She grasped at Sion’s hand that held her chin as if trying to remove it.

Sion didn’t let go of her hand. He let out a deep sigh and opened his mouth.

“Jurlene, that morning… when I said I would take responsibility, you said you weren’t sure. That you needed time to think.”

“Wh-why are you bringing that up now…”

“If not now, then when? After that, we met the Knight and never had a proper conversation about it. You kept acting like nothing happened. Whenever I tried to bring it up, you’d run away or change the subject.”

“That’s, well…”

“How long do I have to wait?”

“…”

“Do you still need time to think?”

“That’s, ah, uh…”

“Jurlene, do you dislike me now?”

“Wh-what are you saying! That can’t be!”

“Then why do you keep avoiding me? This isn’t something to keep running from.”

“Ugh…”

“Or maybe you want to pretend it never happened? Treat it as a one-night mistake?”

“…!”

“After all, compared to your long life, a human like me is just a fleeting moment, right? Once I leave the Black Forest, this relationship will naturally end? So you decided to just ignore and forget it, but I’m being clingy asking you to come with me?”

“N-no! That’s not it! I’m not, it’s just, I’m just not mentally prepared…”

“I’ve been ready for a while now. I know for certain that I want you. I know how far I’m willing to go for you.”

“Hiuk…”

Jurlene made a hiccup-like sound and hunched her neck forcefully. She seemed to want to run away, but since Sion was still holding her chin, she couldn’t avoid his gaze.

The prince asked again while forcibly maintaining eye contact with the witch’s rolling golden eyes.

“What about you? How do you feel?”

“…”

“Give me an answer now.”

“Uh…”

“You still don’t know?”

“Y-yes! I don’t know! I said I don’t know! How can I decide something like this so easily! I said I don’t know, so why do you keep asking!”

Jurlene, who had tears welling up, shouted angrily and shook off his hand with all her strength.

Elision let her go with a bitter smile.

“Alright. Then I’ll wait longer.”

“Sniff…”

Jurlene rubbed her eyes and sniffled. Sion watched her quietly, then stepped back and continued speaking.

“I’ll wait as long as it takes… so don’t make that frightened face.”

“I-I’m not frightened! How old do you think I am, to be scared of a young human like you!”

“Right, of course.”

He bowed his head.

“I’m sorry for being impatient, Jurlene.”

“Uhiuk…”

Making a strange sound while covering her face with both hands, Jurlene muttered weakly.

“I, I really don’t know about this kind of thing. My Mentor never taught me about this…”

“Jurlene.”

When Sion reached out and tried to approach, Jurlene screamed while still covering her face.

“Enough! Don’t come closer! I’ll come back on my own later!”

She hurriedly turned around and disappeared between the trees.

Elision stood in place watching her, and only after Jurlene’s figure completely disappeared did he turn his head toward the tree where Lillieta was leaning.

“Knight.”

“…I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop on purpose.”

“I know.”

The prince smiled bitterly and let out a deep sigh.

Rita couldn’t find words to say and kept her mouth shut.

She felt bewildered. She never imagined that Elision’s reason for not inviting Jurlene to come along was something like this.

‘So… they spent the night together the day I arrived? And after that… Sion said he’d take responsibility, but Jurlene kept avoiding it, so he had no choice but to wait for an answer.’

It would have been difficult to invite her to leave together when he hadn’t even received an answer about how to handle their relationship going forward.

As Sion had explosively said, from his perspective, Jurlene’s avoidance might have felt like she wanted to cover up their relationship as if it never happened and was waiting for him to leave quickly.

‘The difference in lifespan would be enormous too… that’s also a problem.’

She didn’t know exactly how long Elfborn lived, but ancient elves had an average lifespan of 2,000 years, and since Jurlene seemed to be a half-blood close to elves, she would live at least several hundred years. Elision was a human who wouldn’t live even a hundred years.

‘From the perspective of someone short-lived, it would be difficult to ask someone long-lived to stay together forever. So he waited… His Majesty of Geunkuk-je wasn’t being thoughtless, but rather was thinking too much and considering it more seriously.’

Now it seemed more likely that Jurlene was the one who hadn’t thought deeply about their relationship.

She seemed to have no idea why Sion couldn’t ask her to come with him first and was only waiting.

‘That’s why Sion moved immediately when he heard she was crying from worry. He thought there was a possibility that Jurlene would give him an answer.’

While Rita was busy organizing the situation in her head, Sion rubbed his face once in the silence. Then, without removing the hand covering his face, he spoke in a trembling voice.

“This is embarrassing and delicate, but… I have a personal favor to ask regarding Jurlene. Could you hear me out?”

“Please speak. I’ll help as much as I can.”

Even though Rita answered immediately, the prince couldn’t easily speak. Without looking at her directly and still covering his face, he struggled to open his mouth.

“Jurlene…”

“Yes.”

“…I’m truly sorry to say this, but you seem to be close enough with Jurlene to have seen her crying, and you’ve already heard everything, and also… since you’re a woman like her…”

Even after opening his mouth, Elision couldn’t immediately state his request and rambled on with what seemed like reasons or excuses, then slowly removed his hand and watched her reaction.

Only after confirming that Rita was waiting quietly without much disturbance did he squeeze his eyes shut and get to the point.

“There might be changes in Jurlene’s body.”

“Pardon?”

“She’s being carefree saying there’s no way, but I’m worried… I’d like you to examine Jurlene. There’s no one else I can ask or trust… Please, I beg you.”

At first, Rita didn’t understand what he meant. Changes in Jurlene’s body? Was he talking about something like becoming a monster?

Then, a beat later, while recalling what Sion and Jurlene had been arguing about, she finally understood the meaning.

‘A baby…?’

Rita unconsciously opened her mouth and blinked blankly.

Seeing her reaction, Elision’s face turned bright red. He fidgeted helplessly, then asked in a trembling voice.

“Do you perhaps not know that type of confirmation magic?”

“…No, I do know it.”

Rita answered feeling like her soul was half-departed.

In the Last Line of Defense’s unit organization, Oath aptitude and Oathbinder type were far more important than gender. From Command’s perspective, always suffering from soldier shortages, there was neither luxury nor reason to separate men and women.

As a result, all sorts of things happened within the units, and among them were many cases requiring contraception magic, pregnancy detection magic, paternity confirmation magic, and such.

Therefore, Fabrication Pact Holders inevitably learned such magic due to requests from those around them. Transfer types learned it as part of healing arts.

Elision brightened at her answer. He requested again with an earnest face.

“If you know it, could I ask you to do it? Jurlene won’t even discuss this topic…”

“…That magic only works properly after at least 2 weeks have passed. Even if Jurlene knew related magic, it would be meaningless now, so she wouldn’t have tried it.”

“Ah…”

The prince’s face turned even redder. He apparently had no idea.

‘They both look incredibly innocent, yet somehow they had an accident first… no, never mind. Don’t be curious.’

Rita recalled her experience at the Last Line of Defense and spoke as professionally as possible while gazing into the void.

“But Prince, this cannot proceed without the person’s permission. Try to discuss it somehow. If Jurlene agrees, I’ll try it after more time passes and let you know the results.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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