Inside the transparent coffin made of glass, Eve, bound by thorny vines, slowly opened her eyes.
Her vision was blurry, as if she had just awakened from a deep sleep. Yet, what troubled Eve was not her unclear sight.
It was the betrayal from someone she cherished and believed would cherish her in return.
That bitter emotion forced Eve to close her eyes again.
Instead of facing the cold, sharp reality piercing her wrist like a thorn, she focused her mind on the inside of her eyelids.
In the warm darkness unfolded the trajectory of Eve’s past life.
‘Is this a dream? I’m not dead yet, am I?’
As Eve bitterly smiled, her consciousness sank slowly into the depths of memory.
Unlike a typical elf, Eve was not born out of the union of a man and a woman; she was derived from the flower of the World Tree.
Thus, she was born in the form of a girl without going through childhood… and she vividly remembers the moment she first saw the light of the world.
The first thing she saw was a massive tree that filled her heart with overwhelming emotion just by looking at it.
The moment she laid eyes on the World Tree, she instinctively knew that this great being was her parent… and that it would soon find eternal rest.
-I’m sorry, my daughter. Take care of them in my stead.
Filled with affection and regret, the voice of the World Tree resonated within her. Countless gazes of awe were directed her way.
That was Eve’s birth, and it was the catalyst that determined her thousand years.
‘Looking back now, those were truly hard times.’
Even after the gods embraced the twisted calamity and lay in the graveyard, the chain of hatred did not cease.
Perhaps out of respect for the will of the gods or maybe from looking over the only remaining transcendent being, the Goddess of Love on the surface.
Though full-scale war did not break out among survivors, sporadic skirmishes occurred here and there.
The Great Forest, once a safe haven, the World Tree, once a protector, and even the elven pride had been lost, leaving the elves mere easy prey in another chaos.
But Eve, who had just begun to shed the form of a girl, had to somehow lead such elves.
No one had forced her. However, the will left by the World Tree, the power that resided in her body, and the kin who continued to believe and follow her despite their helplessness all urged her on.
Eve willingly stepped forward.
The elf who became the symbol of her race first practiced hiding her emotions.
Having been born not long ago, she had a tender heart, and the position of a ruler was not something one could endure with a delicate heart.
Even if she couldn’t grow strong immediately, she had to at least give the impression of strength. After all, Eve was now a queen.
So, she wore a smiling facade.
Even if it hurt, was difficult, lonely, or anxious; even when the pressure felt suffocating, and the empty gaze of those who lost their lives because of her mistakes kept haunting her, even in front of powerful and greedy foes,
a relaxed smile always blossomed on Eve’s face.
She could not reveal any weaknesses to allies or enemies. To ensure no one looked down on her, and to instill fear in those with malice.
She worked hard and tirelessly. Until that dubious attitude became second nature.
Thus, the dignified queen Eve started to use the powers left by the World Tree to increase her friends and reduce her enemies one by one.
After the elemental gods lost their holy sites and began to decline, she helped the spirit tribes and forged alliances by creating artificial sanctuaries where the energies of nature concentrated.
How many times did she defeat slave hunters preying on weakened elves or surviving members of hostile cults?
Simply by living fiercely day by day, Eve had transformed into a dark and scheming queen… and a new kingdom was established among the wandering elves.
Not the World Tree’s forest, the Great Forest where the World Tree thrived.
But a completely new forest nurtured solely through the strength and connections built up by elves themselves, without the help of any god.
Thus, it was named Elven Forest.
‘That was the time when Pangrave began to gain attention.’
Despite going through the tiresome Divine War, the reason for continuing conflicts, whether small-scale or not, was simple.
The world had collapsed so much that even the few remaining survivors struggled to maintain their lives.
It was a zero-sum game where resources were woefully insufficient and were seized and taken. Meanwhile, selfish individuals were busy looking after their own interests.
Though the long war of the gods came to an end, the wars of mortals had yet to conclude, leading people to turn their eyes to Pangrave.
Unable to betray the will of the gods, and while a small skirmish was one thing, repeating nightmarish large-scale battles was out of the question, so they resolved to plunder the graves of the gods.
The Goddess of Love understood this desperation and isolated herself in the labyrinth to begin establishing the rules.
Eve, too, joined the flow of the times and entered the labyrinth along with carefully selected guards.
…And there, she saw it. The World Tree, which she thought she would never see again.
Of course, it didn’t take long to realize that the World Tree she saw on the first floor was merely a shadow and an illusion.
Yet, even so, the traces of the World Tree she had once again laid eyes upon were more than enough to drive elves mad.
Countless elves struggled over an extended period to feel the existence of the World Tree once more.
Eve, driven a bit mad herself, even defeated the guardian of the first floor and made a reckless promise to marry the one who inherited the World Tree’s powers.
‘I never thought it would take hundreds of years to summon the floor guardian again.’
Once Pangrave emerged and the elves could once again catch glimpses of the World Tree, they became slightly more vibrant than before.
In fact, they even opened their eyes to a new value called capital, seeing the prosperous city’s scenes.
Though it was an unexpected direction, the rekindling of the extinguished fire within the elves’ souls was undoubtedly a positive development.
Seeing her kin thrive without her leading them, Eve resolved.
It was time for her to retire.
Of course, there was much opposition, and Eve herself hesitated greatly.
By that point, Eve had already reigned as queen for over 800 years.
She had never even had a moment without being a queen since birth, and to the elves, Eve had always existed as their queen, which was only natural.
The title of Eternal Queen was not attached for no reason.
But in the end, Eve pressed ahead with her retirement, leaving the throne of Elven Forest vacant.
As she had expected, the elves thrived just fine without her, and if things continued this way, they would become the most powerful race in Pangrave.
Eve felt a bit of regret for her kin who were doing well without her, but it wasn’t bad in itself either.
In just ten years, the changes were so swift that mixed feelings of pride and sorrow overwhelmed her.
Having received rewards for the hardships endured, Eve, who finally realized she had fulfilled her duties, next aimed to find herself.
It was also why she began creating useless but amusing magical devices, why she kept up business despite being at a loss repeatedly, and why she took in Lemon and Apple, who seemed lost as the children of criminals.
All of it was part of Eve’s journey to confront the self she had lost over the past 800 years…
‘…And that was when I met Jonah.’
It was intriguing that Jonah knew her true identity, but even more astonishing was his nonchalant nature despite knowing.
He saved the lives of Lemon and Apple, whom she had raised like children, having never had offspring of her own.
And without any pretentiousness or fear, he casually gazed into her eyes for the first time in hundreds of years.
Someone who saw Eve as simply Eve, not as a queen or a shadowy figure.
That alone was enough to pique Eve’s interest, but Jonah didn’t stop there.
He was the one who inherited the powers of the World Tree, which she had long given up on. The only man who could fill the void left by her partner.
At the same time, he was a saint blessed abundantly by the Goddess of Love.
Though he was still young, in comparison to Eve, he was basically a child among adults in the world.
From that day on, Jonah became not just an intriguing person but Eve’s destiny.
If she had lived the past thousand years for the elves, she would now live the remaining thousand years for herself and Jonah.
‘…Well, I suppose asking for a slightly higher bride price seems a bit much.’
However, as the first saint of the Goddess of Love to emerge into the world since the Divine War, possessing the powers of the World Tree that no one had yet obtained… along with Basilieus, the symbol of legitimate royal authority.
Preparing a bride price commensurate with that was only natural for someone like Eve, who lived a thousand years ago.
When she first heard it from Jonah’s mouth, it was somewhat… no, it was a huge shock.
Still, Eve had a sense of trust. Though she had temporarily stepped back, she was still the only and eternal queen of the elves, after all.
It wasn’t impossible to take money out of the national treasury, and if that wasn’t enough, seeking help from the wealthy elves of Pangrave was also an option.
Thus, she sought out Tuberose, the most successful owner of the Cradle Association among the elves of Pangrave.
…And she was betrayed.
Enduring the pain of having her powers forcibly extracted by one who devours the twilight, trapped in a cramped glass coffin unable to lie down or sit, and with the sharpness of thorns digging into her wrist, none of it mattered to her.
What broke her was hearing the words that she was no longer needed from her kin, one whom she loved and believed would love her in return.
It felt as though a dagger had pierced her heart, making it unbearable.
‘I dreamed a long dream.’
As a child, she dreamed of becoming a perfect queen; as she grew, she dreamed of creating a new sanctuary. After finding stability, she dreamed of at least encountering the traces of the World Tree, and after retirement, she dreamed of happiness as a woman.
For the past thousand years, Eve’s life had always been about the hustle of dreaming.
‘But dreams are meant to end someday.’
Eve’s final dream shattered in the most miserable way possible.
The shards still embedded in her heart were screaming with sharp pain.
The blade of betrayal would return the favor with a chillier punishment.
The powers the World Tree had implanted in Eve were twofold.
One was the Eye of Truth, which pierced through the authenticity of others. The other was her body, which would never decline until her predetermined lifespan—her longevity.
A sturdy and everlasting physique was indeed a blessing in itself, but wasn’t it slightly lacking to be called the World Tree’s final grace?
Just like Basilieus, who handled both the static effect of accelerating his growth and the dynamic power of nurturing surrounding plants,
there existed another way to use longevity.
To declare her lifespan as today, to give up the protection of longevity in exchange for transforming that power entirely into brute force.
Thus, becoming the Ender, one who has ceased living while ending the lives of others.
As vital as wisdom that sees through deception and unchanging health, isn’t power equally important for a monarch?
Once Eve became an Ender, she would become vulnerable to various things but wield the power to topple even Pangrave with ease.
Now, it was time to wake from her dream.
With poison in her eyes, Eve opened them. Her mind was calm, her sight clear, and the tasks ahead were lucid.
“Ahh.”
As she sighed deeply, about to say that her reign as queen had come to an end.
Clang!
“Eh?”
Suddenly, a black monster that fell and shattered the glass coffin swiftly cleaved the thorny vines binding Eve.
As Eve regained her freedom, looking baffled at Jonah, he flashed a cheeky grin.
“Who would’ve thought you’d be hiding in a place like this. Haven’t you missed me all this time, Eve?”
“…”
Grateful for not being too late to hear those words, Eve cast aside all her masks and spoke her heartfelt truth without distortion.
“Jonah, I’ll give you half of the world. Will you marry me?”
“Haha! I wouldn’t care about half the world! Instead… how about you become my third wife in about ten years, Eve?”
“???”
After mulling over Jonah’s words, Eve finally understood their meaning, let out a gasp, and closed her eyes again.
“Ugh!”
As someone from an older generation with a (forcibly) strict sense of chastity, the declaration of having three husbands was too heavy for her to bear.
