Lulu tilted her head, noticing the utterly bewildered expression on Luca's face.

"What's wrong, Luca?" She asked, peering at him curiously. "You look like someone just shot you in the butt with an arrow or something."

Before he could answer, she actually turned to look behind him and frowned.

"But there's no arrow there. So what's the problem?"

Her innocent confusion made Luna turn as well, her expression soft with mild curiosity. Both sisters now stared directly at Luca, who exhaled deeply and ran a hand through his hair.

"Sorry." He said at last, blinking himself out of his daze. "It's just...I'm really confused right now."

He gestured toward the group near the tree, the so-called family reunion happening before them and continued.

"I thought for sure there was going to be a war or something. You know, all-out hostility. I was even thinking about which side had the better archers—your side or theirs. And expected both sides to be utter dogshit at and I was really to watch a funny show."

"But instead, look at this. Your mother and aunt are chatting away with your father like they're long-lost friends. And neither of them looks mad!"

He looked around at the other female elves who looked nervous, his brow furrowed deeper.

"Meanwhile, the rest of the elves look like they're sitting on a nest of hornets."

"The males are standing there like pompous peacocks, and the females look like they're one glare away from biting their tongues."

"So can someone, anyone, please explain to me what's going on?"

He turned toward Luna, clearly hoping she'd be the one to make sense of it all.

But Luna only gave him a small, weary smile.

"Honestly?" She said softly. "Even I don't know."

"Wait—what?" Luca stared in dismay. "You don't know?"

Luna turned toward her family again, watching her mother's forced smile and her father's smug composure before she looked back at him.

"Even as their daughter, I have absolutely no idea what's going on between those two." She admitted. "It's something I've never been able to understand."

Her tone carried a strange mix of resignation and disbelief.

That answer left Luca even more baffled, so he turned to Lulu for backup.

"You? Please tell me you at least understand something."

But Lulu simply shrugged, her expression mirroring her sister's.

"Nope. I have no idea either." She admitted. "Auntie Nyx doesn't tell us much, and Mother—well, you've seen her. She's not the type to explain."

Luca groaned softly. "So no one in the family knows why your parents are acting like old drinking buddies after supposedly hating each other?"

Lulu grinned sheepishly. "Pretty much."

Both sisters nodded in perfect unison.

"Fantastic." He said as he felt a headache. "If even the duaghters don't know about anything, what am is supposed to do."

Luna sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear before saying,

"But even though I don't know exactly why they're behaving this way, I can tell you how it all started. Maybe then you'll understand a little."

Luca perked up immediately. "Please. That would be amazing. Because right now, I'm swimming in confusion."

Luna nodded gently. "Alright. But I'll warn you. The story's old. Most of it happened before I was even born, so some of the details are fuzzy. Still…"

She looked toward her father again, a flicker of bitterness in her eyes.

"...it's what led to everything you're seeing right now."

She began quietly.

"Long ago, my grandfather—Mother's father—was the patriarch of the entire elf clan. Back then, the males held all the power, and the females followed. That's just how it was."

"My grandfather ruled over everything, and for a long time, things were...peaceful, I suppose. But there was one problem."

Luna paused, folding her arms. "He only ever had one daughter—Mother, Leona. No matter how many blessings he prayed for or rituals he performed, she was the only heir he had with my grandmother."

Luca frowned. "Wait a second." He interrupted, confused. "Only one daughter? But isn't Nyx there? I thought she was Leona's sister."

Luna hesitated before sighing. "They are sisters—but not entirely."

"Not entirely?"

"Mother and Aunt Nyx aren't full sisters." Luna said quietly. "They're half-sisters. You see...my grandfather thought it was my grandmother's fault that he couldn't have more children. So...he took another woman."

Luca's lips curled up slightly. "He had an affair?"

Luna reluctantly nodded. "Yes. And from that affair, Auntie Nyx was born. But her mother died during childbirth."

That revelation hit Luca harder than he expected.

He looked at Luna, then at Nyx—who was still standing near Julius, her expression bright and polite, but her eyes distant.

Luca exhaled slowly. "So even before your father left...there were already cracks in the family."

Hearing this, Luna immediately understood what he was thinking and raised her hands slightly.

"Don't misunderstand, Luca." She said quickly, her tone soft but firm. "Just because my mother and Auntie Nyx weren't fully related by blood doesn't mean there was ever some kind of internal struggle or rivalry between them. It wasn't like that at all."

Luca blinked, curious. "Really? I just assumed—"

"That they'd be at each other's throats?" Luna finished for him with a faint smile. "No. Not even close."

She continued gently. "In fact, both of them were actually very happy together. When my grandmother found out about my grandfather's affair and learned that the woman had died giving birth to Auntie Nyx, she didn't react with anger or jealousy like most would. She didn't reject the child."

"Instead, she brought Auntie Nyx into her own family—pulled her close—and raised her as her own daughter. She gave her love, warmth, and care as if she had been born from her own womb."

"That's why Mother and Auntie Nyx grew up inseparable, like real sisters in every way that mattered."

Luca's brow lifted slightly as Luna's expression softened, a nostalgic smile forming on her face.

"They were barely distinguishable." Luna went on. "Even though Auntie Nyx always knew she was from a different mother, she never cared. Grandmother never treated her differently, and that made all the difference. The two of them grew up happy—really happy."

"Auntie Nyx even used to tell me stories about how close they were. How they played together all day long, how they'd climb trees, race through the forest, hunt little animals, and even steal fruit from the elders' gardens just to share it later while laughing like fools."

Lulu giggled softly beside her. "Auntie Nyx told me those stories too! She said they once got chased by a boar for stealing its fruit and ended up hiding in a hollow tree for hours. They were always getting into trouble together."

"Yes they were." Luna heart warmed with a wistful smile. "But it's hard to imagine, right? Considering how Mother is now...so serious, so cold. But back then, she was cheerful, bright, always smiling."

Her smile slowly faded.

"But that all changed." She said quietly. "It started when Grandfather grew old and sick. Everyone knew his time was coming to an end. And with his death approaching, there came a big problem."

She looked toward the distance, her expression darkening.

"He had no male heir to pass the title to."

Luca frowned slightly. "Why was that a problem?"

"For the elves, lineage and bloodline were everything." Luna explained. "Our family—the Silverleaf line—was believed to be blessed by the spirits themselves, chosen to guide the elves for thousands of years."

"The title of Patriarch or Matriarch couldn't just go to anyone. It had to stay within the bloodline. You couldn't just pick another male from the village to take over."

"So with no son, he had only one option left—Mother."

She paused, glancing at Luca to make sure he understood.

"She was chosen to succeed him. To become the next Matriarch."

"That must've been a huge deal." Luca murmured.

"It was." Luna confirmed. "The female elves were overjoyed. It was the first time in history that a woman would rule the clan. But the males...they weren't happy at all. They refused to accept it. They said it broke tradition, that the balance of power was ruined."

Luca could almost picture it—the growing tension, the division forming between the two halves of the clan.

"Grandfather knew that if he let it continue." Luna went on. "It would tear the clan apart. So he made what he thought was a clever decision."

"He chose the strongest and most respected man among the males—the one they saw as their leader—and married him to my mother."

Luna's gaze shifted back toward Julius, who still stood a short distance away, talking confidently with Leona.

"That man was my father." She said. "Julius Aurendel, the Grand Healer of the village back then."

Luca followed her gaze.

"Back in those days, he was famous." Luna said quietly. "Not just because he was incredibly skilled with healing magic, but also because he was smart, charismaric and...well, handsome."

She gave a tired, almost reluctant smile.

"He was gentle too. He treated women with respect, unlike most male elves who saw females as lesser. That made him popular with everyone. The men admired him, and the women adored him."

"So Grandfather thought, if Mother married someone like him, the males would calm down. They'd feel like the power was balanced—half to the Matriarch, half to the Grand Healer. And at the time, it actually worked. Everyone was happy."

"...Even Mother was fine with it."

Luna looked down, her voice turning tender.

"It was an arranged marriage, but she respected him. She thought he was kind. Grandmother approved too. Auntie Nyx was happy for her sister. Everyone thought it was the perfect match."

Lulu nodded quietly. "Auntie Nyx told me it was such a happy time for them. Everyone was celebrating."

Luna smiled faintly. "Yes. And soon after the marriage, the Ascension Ceremony took place—the day Mother officially became Matriarch. It was supposed to be a beautiful day, a historic moment for our people."

Her tone darkened.

"But that...was the day everything changed."

"What do you mean?" Luca asked wondering how that moment led to their downfall.

Luna's expression grew distant, her voice lowering.

"After that day, something in Mother shifted. I don't know what happened exactly, but everyone said she was different. The warm, cheerful woman they knew vanished. She became colder. Distant. Detached. She started isolating herself from everyone—friends, family, her sister, even Grandmother."

She hesitated before continuing, "Auntie Nyx tried to reach her. She kept visiting, asking what was wrong, trying to cheer her up. But Mother pushed her away. She pushed everyone away."

Lulu frowned softly, her tone subdued. "Auntie said it hurt her a lot when that happened. They were so close, and suddenly, it was like Mother didn't want her around anymore."

"At first, everyone thought it was because of Grandfather's death since it had happened around the same time. That she was grieving." Luna added. "They excused her behavior, saying she just needed time. But even after a year passed...she didn't return to how she was."

Her eyes lowered, sadness flickering within them.

"And when Lulu and I were born, it only got worse. Instead of softening, she became even more distant. She avoided everyone. Spoke harshly. She wasn't cruel, but...cold. As if she'd built a wall around herself."

She drew in a deep breath. "The cheerful woman my aunt used to talk about, the one who smiled easily, who loved laughter—she was gone. Replaced by the mother you see now."

Luca looked back toward Leona again, his eyes narrowing slightly, trying to imagine her as the bright, carefree girl Luna described.

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