Chapter 53
The Power to See the Future
The “Child of the Goddess Ella,” who once helped people with the deceitful tongue of a white serpent, began to be branded as a “witch.”
The child of the Goddess Ella with violet eyes—who could see the future—warned her sisters of what was coming. The children of Ella hid themselves among humans. But the White Serpent found them with her followers and stole the crystal orbs they possessed. Through the crystal orbs, the White Serpent absorbed their power.
Fortunately, the violet-eyed Child of the Goddess Ella sought out the Black Serpent, guardian of the earth, and begged for protection from the White Serpent.
“There’s no way I could lose to the White Serpent.”
The Black Serpent was proud.
“If I slay the White Serpent for you, you must grant me what I desire, Child of Ella.”
“And what is it that you desire?”
The Black Serpent said he wished to know what was most beautiful in the world. The violet-eyed child promised to tell him.
“But if you lose to the White Serpent, you’ll be bound by a curse—to protect the children of the Goddess Ella forever. That’s the promise.”
“Hahaha. Fine. There’s no way I could lose to that White Serpent. Of the three of us siblings, she’s the weakest.”
The Black Serpent mocked the jealousy and greed of the White Serpent.
“Please, defeat her.”
The battle between the Black Serpent and the White Serpent began. Their colossal struggle tore the earth apart, and the skies filled with storm clouds and rain.
People trembled in fear.
In the end, the victor was the White Serpent. As the battle concluded, the Black Serpent began to be devoured.
At that moment, the violet-eyed Child of Ella appeared before the White Serpent.
“If you’ve come to be eaten, you’re welcome, Child of Amethyst.”
“Black Serpent of the Earth, please keep the promise we made.”
“Very well. I will keep my promise.”
The violet-eyed child took out her amethyst orb. The White Serpent gazed at it in rapture—but that fascination quickly turned to horror.
The amethyst orb began to crack.
“No! You madwoman!”
“White Serpent, let me give you a prophecy.”
“Don’t! Don’t break the orb!”
“There is nothing more painful than recalling joy in times of suffering. But for you, joy itself will never exist. You who know not true pain—will find yourself trapped in an abyss of endless regret, unworthy even of the goddess’s punishment.”
The violet-eyed Child of Ella shattered her amethyst orb. The White Serpent raged in fury.
Fading with the light, the child told the Black Serpent that one day, when he again saw her amethyst orb, he would finally witness and feel the most beautiful thing in the world. Then she vanished.
As the White Serpent continued to devour him, the Black Serpent found peace in those words and disappeared in light, while the White Serpent screamed in rage.
And so, among all the Children of the Goddess Ella, only one remained—the one with indigo eyes: Musila.
Laurentia looked into Teishar’s crimson eyes. For a moment, she thought perhaps the Black Serpent was watching her through those same red eyes of the Spencer family.
“The red eyes of the Black Serpent can see and feel the most beautiful thing in the world.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“It’s just… something like that.”
Teishar once again kissed the back of her hand. Then, smiling softly, he kissed her fingertips, gently drew her into his arms, and released her.
Seeing her calm expression, Teishar felt deep relief. He had feared that once she learned the truth, she might weep for days, tormented by sorrow. But Laurentia did not take the truth with anguish—she even said it was a relief. He let out a long, genuine sigh of relief.
But even greater than that relief was his joy that Laurentia had finally opened her heart to him. When she leaned against him, pouting playfully, she was so adorable he could hardly bear to look away.
Teishar looked at the tree behind her. Its roots and branches had grown strong—it was still young, but already vibrant and beautiful. He could only imagine how breathtaking it would be once covered in blossoms. He vowed again to help that young tree grow sturdy and full.
“Then are you ready to fall off the cliff, Marquis Spencer?”
“Of course.”
Teishar smiled brightly and embraced Laurentia again.
“Lord Magus, does that mean my real family is in the Polloid Empire?”
“Yes. They’ve been anxiously waiting for you there, Lady Laurentia.”
Learning the secret of her birth was already astonishing. She had believed she had only one family—her mother, Musila. She had never imagined others. She still found it hard to believe. Yet the thought that her real family longed to see her filled her with a fluttering excitement.
“But… won’t they hate me? Because I was born…?”
After all, it was her birth that had led to her mother’s death, and her father, Cain, had vanished. Maybe her true family would resent her for it. Fear welled up inside her.
“No one in your family resents you, Lady Laurentia.”
Startled, she looked at Magus.
“No one could ever hate or blame you, who was born from the love and blessing of Lady Musila and Lord Cain. It’s the being that destroyed them who is evil—not you.”
Magus’s words made Laurentia’s heart flutter with warmth. Emotion rose in her chest.
“So, please don’t worry, Lady Laurentia.”
“All right, Lord Magus.”
“Then, shall we return to the Polloid Empire? To your true home?”
Magus urged her to return. Part of her wanted nothing more than to go and meet her real family—but before that, she had something she must do.
“After the hunting competition ends, I’ll go to the Polloid Empire.”
Magus looked puzzled. What attachment could she still have to the Ishtar Empire that made her want to stay?
“May I ask the reason?”
“I’ll tell you and the Marquis of Spencer about the future I’ve seen.”
“The future? You’ve been using your power?”
Laurentia smiled faintly and held up the amethyst pendant around her neck.
“Yes. I’ve been using it for a long time. At first, I thought it was the crystal’s power—but it wasn’t.”
Now she understood the stabbing pain in her eyes whenever she used it. Her power was too vast for the small shard of amethyst to contain.
“I finally realized—the Child of Ella doesn’t use the orb’s power. They become the orb itself.”
Just as a mage needs a staff and a knight needs a sword, the Children of Ella need a crystal to channel their full power.
The foolish White Serpent might think she held Ella’s divine strength because she devoured the crystal, but she was wrong. The orb only retains traces of power for a short time; soon, it fades completely.
Laurentia gripped her amethyst pendant tightly.
“That’s why it hurts every time I use the power to see the future—because I have to become the crystal orb myself.”
“Then please, stop using that power, Lady Laurentia.”
Laurentia smiled softly and looked at Teishar. He lifted his hand and brushed her cheek and under-eye with his thumb.
“Your eyes are a bit swollen. I’ll need to heal them with a scroll.”
“They don’t seem that swollen. Are they really?”
Teishar studied her face carefully. Every time he looked down at her in his arms, his heart pounded uncontrollably—it hadn’t stopped pounding since.
“Ahem. Teishar.”
“Yes, Father?”
“Perhaps you should sit a little farther from Lady Laurentia.”
Magus coughed awkwardly, watching Teishar gaze at Laurentia with unbroken attention.
“I refuse.”
Teishar tightened his hold around Laurentia’s shoulders and shot his father a clear look of defiance.
“Please don’t ever tell me to part from her again, Father.”
Magus gaped, half in shock. The way his son clung to Laurentia bordered on obsession—something that couldn’t be explained merely by the “serpent’s nature.”
“Teishar, if you keep holding her like that, Lady Laurentia might feel uncomfortable.”
At those words, Teishar’s expression faltered in panic.
“Lady Laurentia, does… leaning on me make you uncomfortable?”
“Not at all. It’s actually quite comfortable.”
The moment she said that, Teishar’s expression softened completely. He cast a rather triumphant glare at Magus, who resisted the urge to look away.
“No matter what anyone says, I will not leave her side.”
“You won’t leave my side?”
“Never. And you mustn’t leave mine either.”
“All right. I won’t leave the Marquis’s side.”
Her words struck Teishar’s heart like an arrow. His heart quivered, trembling with emotion. His lips relaxed into a smile. His body and mind drifted into a dreamlike ecstasy—
the ground felt as soft as marshmallow,
and his heart and mind melted like chocolate.
