Chapter 66: 《Bastard》 – (3)
(I)
“Haa… Haa…”
Her entire body burned like fire, yet she felt unbearably cold. Struggling to maintain her balance, Lilianel stepped into the living room, searching for a potion.
“Potion… Potion…”
She was certain there were emergency potions somewhere, but oddly enough, they were never in sight when she needed them the most.
“Damn it…”
Elves rarely suffered from minor illnesses, but instead, they were occasionally struck by their own unique disease—Elven Disease.
It was an illness with no clear cure, and depending on one’s luck, it could be far deadlier than any ordinary plague.
Having suddenly fallen victim to this illness after centuries, Lilianel desperately searched for a potion to lower her temperature.
“Where the hell is it…?”
But no matter how much she searched, the potion never appeared before her eyes. In the end, she collapsed to the floor, her legs giving out beneath her.
“Seriously… why…”
When the body weakens, so does the mind.
Even in the midst of her sickness, she felt unbearably lonely and miserable, with no one around to care for her.
By now, Varius, who had left for Tenma, was likely enjoying a grand welcoming banquet, completely unaware of her condition.
…To be loved by him.
To have a child, raise them together, play pranks on each other, and stay by each other’s side, caring for one another when sick.
She hadn’t wished for much.
Yet, why was it that she couldn’t even have one-tenth of that dream?
She felt as though she had been abandoned, left alone in this vast world.
The sheer misery wrapped around her entire being.
“Khk… Hic… Hic…”
With both her body and mind breaking down, Lilianel wept without stopping.
Her brain sent warnings that falling asleep in this state could truly kill her.
But she had long since given up on clinging to life.
…She surrendered herself to the darkness of her fading consciousness.
***
(II)
‘Huh…?’
How long had it been?
Feeling someone lifting her up with effort, Lilianel, who had lost consciousness, slowly came to her senses.
However, the fever and chills were still severe, and she lacked the strength to open her eyelids and confirm what was happening.
‘Who is this…?’
The person carrying her firmly stepped forward, opening a door before gently laying her down onto a bed.
The scent of oak wood, a favorite among elves, tickled her nose—this was likely her own room.
Then, a damp yet cool sensation pressed against her forehead.
…A wet towel.
‘What…? W-Who…?’
As confusion swirled in her mind, Lilianel could feel herself being taken care of with genuine sincerity.
Other than her mother when she was a child, no one had ever nursed her with such devotion.
“Haa… Haa…”
“….”
As she let out shallow breaths from the fever, the person tending to her gently grasped her hand.
It was a warm touch.
A touch filled with care, worry, and affection—everything she had desperately yearned for over the past decades.
Feeling this rare warmth, Lilianel’s eyes welled up with tears.
“….”
Tasting the saltiness of her own tears, she gripped the person’s hand tightly in return.
And this time, she drifted into a different kind of sleep—one that felt safe, comforting, and peaceful.
***
(III)
“Mm…”
The bright sunlight streaming through her half-opened eyes made Lilianel groan.
The cheerful chirping of birds filled her ears.
“My head hurts…”
Grabbing her aching forehead, she pushed herself up in bed.
Strangely enough, the fever and chills that had nearly killed her the night before had disappeared without a trace.
Aside from some lingering muscle pain and a slight headache, her condition had improved dramatically.
“A wet towel…?”
Her eyes landed on a discarded wet towel lying on the floor.
…The same towel that had been gently placed on her forehead multiple times last night.
Was her recovery thanks to whoever had cared for her?
The warmth of their touch still lingered in her hands.
“Huh…?”
A heavy sensation pressed against her thigh under the blanket.
Lowering her gaze, Lilianel found a young boy fast asleep, resting his head on her lap.
“….”
The boy—Varius’ illegitimate son, Vellius Julius—lay curled up against her, sleeping soundly.
Lilianel was speechless as she stared at the silent shock before her.
‘Why… Why is he here…?’
The child she hated most—the very sight of him disgusted her.
So why was he in her room?
Why was he sleeping with his head on her lap?
“….”
But soon, the answer became clear.
At the foot of the bed lay a basin of water, alongside neatly folded dry towels.
Lilianel immediately understood.
It was Julius.
He had been the one to carry her to bed.
He had been the one to tend to her fever all night long.
…No, in truth, she had already known the answer.
After all, he was the only other person in this house.
There was no one else who could have done it.
It wasn’t like a stranger had broken in just to take care of her.
Logically, it had to be Julius.
But she refused to accept it.
The child she hated more than anyone had nursed her back to health?
The one she despised the most had shown her kindness?
The very person she wished dead had given her the warmth she had long craved?
“….”
She wanted to reject it.
It hurt her pride.
A wave of self-loathing surged through her.
But no matter how much she denied it, the tender warmth of Julius’ hands, the genuine care he had shown her, refused to fade from her mind.
“Haa…”
She let out a deep sigh.
Her thoughts were in complete turmoil, her heart uncertain.
Conflicting emotions clashed within her, making her dizzy.
Her head throbbed once more.
“Mm…”
…And then, as if stirred awake by Lilianel’s sigh, Julius let out a sleepy groan as he stretched.
“Huh…?”
Rubbing his blurry eyes, he blinked a few times before realizing that Lilianel was awake.
His face lit up with joy as he looked at her.
“Mother!—No, I mean, Lilianel! Are you feeling better?”
“….”
The moment he smiled and asked about her health, Lilianel’s face froze.
‘This doesn’t make sense.’
How could he treat her so casually like this?
After all the abuse he had suffered under her?
Hadn’t he been beaten, cursed at, and neglected by her his whole life?
She had even starved him for days at a time.
So why was he standing here, looking at her with such purity in his eyes?
Why didn’t he hate her?
Why didn’t he despise her?
If she had just been left alone, she might have died in her fever.
Then he wouldn’t have to cower in fear anymore.
He wouldn’t have to suffer in silence.
So why?
…
Lilianel couldn’t comprehend Julius’s actions with her way of thinking.
She bluntly pointed at the washcloth and bucket with her finger and asked the gray-haired boy.
“…Did you do all this with the washcloth?”
“Huh? Yes… I did it…”
Perhaps mistaking Lilianel’s blunt expression for anger, Julius answered in a timid, shrinking voice.
Lilianel asked him another question.
“Why did you do it?”
“Huh…?”
“Why… why did you take care of me?”
Why did you take care of me, who has hated and loathed you to death for the past few years? Even though I treated you with such disdain?
Do you want something from me, or are you plotting something? If not, why did you stay up all night taking care of me?
“Ah…”
At Lilianel’s question, Julius nodded as if he understood what she was asking.
Though timid, he answered her question in a voice more affectionate than anyone else’s.
And his answer was simpler than she expected.
“Well…”
“…”
“…We’re family, aren’t we?”
“…!!”
Family.
At that single word, Lilianel’s eyes widened in shock.
Julius smiled awkwardly and continued his answer.
“I’ve been hurt by you too, Lilianel. Even considering that I’m an illegitimate child, I couldn’t understand why you hated me so much, why you tormented me so much.”
“…”
“There were nights I cried and cursed you. It really hurt. But still, but still…”
The gray-haired boy’s jewel-like blue eyes sparkled as he smiled brightly. The warm sunlight streaming through the window illuminated him like the protagonist of a play.
…His affectionate and warm voice pierced Lilianel’s ears.
“…We’re family, aren’t we? And we have been for years.”
“…”
“…No matter how much we hate or despise each other, in the end, we’re family who must love each other. How could I pretend not to see you collapsing in the living room?”
“…”
“Family is there to help each other when times are tough. Even if our positions were reversed, I believe you would have done the same for me.”
Love.
Family.
A relationship where you can lean on each other when you’re tired and struggling.
“Huh…?”
Hearing the words she had longed to hear for decades,
Realizing that she had a true family she had so desperately wanted for decades,
Feeling the empty puzzle piece in her heart finally filled after decades,
“I… tears… I’m crying…”
……Tears began to pour down her face like a waterfall, against her will.
“Huh? Huh? Why, why are you crying! Please don’t cry, Lilianel! I didn’t mean to hurt you…”
Julius panicked at her reaction, unsure of what to do.
Lilianel wiped away the endless stream of tears and spoke to him in a stuffy, tearful voice.
“I… I treated you so horribly… so why… why did you…”
“…Lilianel.”
Hearing her words, Julius silently hugged her tightly.
“As long as you don’t do that again, it’s okay. Even if we don’t share blood, we’re family. We’re people who must love and protect each other.”
“…”
“No matter how you feel about me, if something like this happens again, I’ll take care of you all night, just like today.”
“…!!”
Hearing Julius’s words, an indescribable change came over Lilianel’s heart.
Was this boy truly sincere?
Could this just be empty flattery to win her over?
Was he hiding some ulterior motive?
“Sniff… sob… sob…”
…But it didn’t matter.
Because this boy had given her the emotions she had longed for for decades,
The words she had wanted to hear,
The feelings she had forgotten.
Even if it was just one night of care and a five-minute conversation,
It was enough to fill Lilianel’s empty heart and melt her frozen chest.
“Ugh… sob… sob…”
“…Please don’t cry.”
Lilianel stayed in his arms for a long time, pouring out all the sorrow she had bottled up.
***
(IV)
A small snowball, over time, can grow into a massive one.
“No, that’s not how you do it.”
“Huh? What should I do? Can this be saved?”
“Give it to me. If we knead it again, it should work.”
…After that day, the relationship between Lilianel and Julius changed completely.
The two were always together, laughing and chatting over the smallest things, living a life where smiles never left their faces for a day, a week, a year.
In fact, they wished Varius would hurry up and leave so they could spend more time together. They cherished each other more than anyone else and grew closer than anyone else.
No one who saw them now would ever imagine they had once hated each other so deeply.
“Julius, thank you… always.”
“I’m the one who should be grateful, Lilianel.”
Julius filled Lilianel with the love she had so desperately longed for, and Lilianel reciprocated by treating Julius with all the love she had.
Their values aligned, and they spent every moment together without fail.
…Before they knew it, a feeling beyond mere family had blossomed between them.
“What are you doing?”
“Hmm, I was studying Elvish.”
“Elvish? Really? You should’ve asked me!”
Then, one night as Julius was growing into a fine young man, Lilianel had the chance to teach him Elvish.
“No, that’s not how you write it. The end should curve up a bit…”
“Ugh, it’s harder than I thought…”
The two, who couldn’t help but laugh just by being together, continued their studies with joy and excitement.
“…!!”
“…?!!”
…And as they sat at the same desk, taking notes and teaching the language, their hands brushed against each other ever so slightly.
“…”
“…”
Then, as if someone had commanded them, they stared intently at each other. With eyes filled with a mix of emotions, they gazed at one another.
“Julius…”
“Lilianel…”
A single flickering candle.
Moonlight streaming through the window.
Their feelings for each other.
“…”
And so, their lips met.
They intertwined their tongues, exchanging deep, passionate kisses.
Without a word, they began to undress each other and made their way to Julius’s bed.
Varius happened to be out that night.
……Under the pouring moonlight, Lilianel and the hero’s illegitimate child whispered their love to each other.
“I love you, Julius.”
“I love you too, Lilianel.”
Finally, the moment of true love had come to Lilianel.
—
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