Leona's voice faded, but the silence that followed was deafening.

No one moved. No one even breathed.

Every elf standing around the bonfire stared at her in utter disbelief.

Some mouths hung open.

Some covered their lips with trembling hands.

They couldn't believe what they had just heard.

If this announcement had been made when Luca first arrived—when he was still a stranger, an outsider, a human intruder—then perhaps they would have accepted it.

They would have been cautious, even frightened of him. It would have made sense then.

But now…

After everything he had done—after curing their loved ones, giving them hope, laughter, and life again—they trusted him. They believed in him.

And now, to hear that he was being banished?

It was like watching the sun itself fall from the sky.

Whispers broke out among the crowd. Confused, frightened, angry whispers.

"Why would she do this?!"

"It doesn't make sense—he saved our families!"

"Our Grand Matriarch sacrificed herself for him...How can we just send him away?"

"Can she even do that?"

"No...This isn't right...This isn't right at all…"

The murmurs spread, rippling through the crowd like a rising tide of unrest.

But among all those voices, one rose above the rest.

It was Lulu's.

Her small fists were clenched, her face red with fury as she pointed straight at her father.

"It was you!" She shouted, voice raw with fury. "Damn it—I know it! I know it was you!"

She stomped forward, eyes blazing.

"Mother was fine earlier! She was helping Luca! She was smiling—she was happy! And then you two go off into the forest for one of your 'private talks,' and suddenly she's against him?"

"It doesn't make sense! You said something—you twisted her mind!"

She whirled toward Leona, pleading now.

"Mother, there's no need to listen to that bad guy! Just take it back! Please—take back what you said!"

But to Lulu's utter shock, it was not Julius who argued but her mother who accepted it so easily.

"I will admit..." She said quietly. "...that Julius and I discussed it. But the decision…" She looked down at her daughter. "...the one who made the decision, was me, Lulu."

The young elf froze.

"This was not his doing." Leona continued. "It was mine, and mine alone—as your Matriarch, I made this choice for the safety and the future of our village."

Lulu's lips parted, but no words came out.

Her bright eyes were full of disbelief.

She had been so sure, so sure that her father was behind this. That her mother would never do something so cruel on her own.

But now, hearing her mother say that she herself had chosen this...she felt the ground vanish beneath her.

The crowd was just as stunned, while Julius hid his satisfaction behind a solemn expression, quietly admiring how well Leona had taken the blame as he intended.

Leona, on the other hand, could barely meet her daughters' eyes. The sight of Lulu's trembling lip, the heartbreak in her face—it tore her apart inside.

She wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

And that was when she felt the softest tug at her sleeve.

She looked to her side.

It was Luna.

The older twin was standing right beside her now, holding onto her sleeve gently, her golden hair swaying in the firelight.

But what broke Leona was the expression on her daughter's face—a trembling smile, full of love and faith, as though she still believed her mother would listen.

"Please, Mother." Luna said gently. "Change your mind."

Her voice shook, but she smiled through it—so genuinely, so earnestly that it made several elves hearts ache.

"You...You may not know this." Luna continued, her tone delicate and full of emotion. "But Luca and I have already talked about so many problems in the village."

"And he told me that not only can he cure this sickness...but he's going to make sure no one ever suffers from it again."

The words came tumbling out of her mouth, as if she feared she wouldn't be able to say them fast enough.

"Isn't that amazing, Mother?" She said, smiling wider, her eyes glistening. "He said it himself—no one will ever have to suffer again! Not just now, but in the future too!"

She turned toward Luca briefly, her smile full of hope, before looking back at her mother.

"And not only that." She continued. "He promised he'd teach us how to shoot bows properly too! He said he saw how terrible we all are at it—well, except for you, Mother and that he'll help us all become better."

"I-Isn't that wonderful?"

Some elves around them couldn't help but smile faintly, but Luna's words kept flowing, desperate and heartfelt.

"And he also said that he'll teach us how to make new bows, and arrows, and improve our defenses! He said he'd make sure our village becomes stronger!"

"Finally we'll be able to shoot like the proud elves we are!"

She took a deep breath, her voice trembling.

"And the trees too—the Holy Tree, we know it's dying. So many are. But Luca said he has a way to save them!"

"He's not just a healer of people...he's a healer of life!"

Her voice broke for a moment, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"And it's not just what he can do for us...it's who he is."

She placed both small hands over Leona's.

"I know I'm just a little girl compared to you...but I believe in him. With everything in me, I believe he'll change our village for the better—make it brighter, stronger, happier."

Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"So please...as your daughter, I'm begging you. Please let him stay. Let him stay in our village."

Leona shuddered, while Luna's voice grew quieter, more vulnerable as she decided to speak from the heart.

"And the truth is Mother, ever since I was small, I tried so hard to make you proud. I wanted you to smile at me—just once—and pat my head and call me a good girl."

"I practiced archery until my fingers bled. I studied the old songs. I helped wherever I could all so you'd notice."

A sad, trembling smile appeared.

"But it never happened."

Leona's eyes filled with tears. Her chest ached like it was cracking open.

Luna continued, voice barely above a whisper.

"So I thought...I didn't deserve anything from you. I had to prove myself first before I could ask for favors. And one day...when I finally proved myself...I was going to ask for a hug."

She looked down.

"Even though I'm your daughter...I don't think I've ever truly been embraced by you. That's all I wanted."

Leona's tears threatened to spill over.

But Luna shook her head, forcing her smile brighter as she said,

"But right now...I don't want that anymore. I don't want a hug or affection or anything."

She squeezed Leona's hand tightly with both of hers, looking up with pure, desperate, innocent eyes.

"Right now...Please, as your daughter...grant me this one wish."

Her voice broke completely.

"Please let Luca stay. That's all I want. I won't ask for anything else—ever again. Even if you never hug me...even if you never smile at me...I don't mind."

She bowed her head, tears dripping onto their joined hands.

"I-I just want the village safe. Happy. Whole. And he can give us that."

A plea, soft and heartbreaking:

"So, please, Mother...Please."

"Grant me this one wish."

"T-This one wish is all I ask for as your daughter."

By the end, she was trembling so much that she could barely stand.

Her eyes were wide, pleading, full of love and desperation, as she looked up at Leona, the mother she had always wanted to reach.

And hearing Luna's broken, heartfelt plea, several mothers in the crowd began to tear up.

They were mothers too. They had daughters of their own. And hearing Luna speak like that—so raw, so full of yearning was unbearable.

The thought that a child could beg her own mother for a hug...that she could believe she wasn't worthy of even that...it shattered them.

They couldn't help but picture their own daughters standing in Luna's place, their small hands clutching theirs, their innocent voices breaking as they pleaded for love. It was too much.

A few covered their mouths as tears streamed down their faces. Others quietly turned away, clutching at their hearts.

"Poor child…" One whispered.

"How could anyone deny her that?" Said another.

Several of them wanted—truly wanted—to rush forward, to scoop Luna into their arms and hold her tight, to give her the warmth and comfort she was being denied, showing how her words affected them.

But no one was more devastated than Leona herself.

Her entire body was trembling. Her breath came out in shallow, painful gasps. Every word her daughter spoke had pierced her like a dagger.

Especially the part where...she was begging for a hug.

Her sweet Luna—her precious, bright, soft-hearted Luna was begging her for a hug.

The same child she loved more than anything in the world.

The same child she cherished more than her own life.

The same child she'd protected and watched over in silence.

And now here she was, begging for warmth like a starving child begging for bread.

Leona's heart tore apart.

It felt like someone had reached inside her chest and was ripping her heart into pieces, right there in front of her eyes.

It was agony.

Pure, unbearable agony.

Leona's legs shook beneath her.

She could barely stand.

And in that moment, every instinct screamed to give in—to drop to her knees, pull Luna close, whisper how much she loved her, how proud she was, how sorry she was for every cold day.

She didn't care about consequences anymore.

She didn't care about curses or spirits or anything else.

She just wanted to hold her little girl and never let go.

Her body leaned forward, almost of its own accord.

She was going to do it.

She was going to break.

But then—

"...Ahem."

A single cough.

It was quiet. But it was enough.

Leona froze.

She turned her head—and there stood Julius.

He wasn't smiling. He didn't need to. His eyes said everything. That cold, knowing look was more than enough.

It was a warning.

A reminder.

If you go against the will...if you go against me...you know what will happen.

The image flashed in her mind—what the spirit had done before, what it could do again. The curse, the destruction, the pain it would bring to her people if she disobeyed.

And just like that, all the strength drained out of her.

Her hand fell still. Her heart went cold.

She knew she couldn't.

No matter how much she wanted to.

No matter how much it killed her.

She couldn't risk it.

Not for herself.

Not even for Luna.

There was nothing she could do. Nothing.

So when Luna, still clutching her hand, looked up at her with those pleading, hope-filled eyes, expecting her mother to finally bend—finally show warmth—Leona did something that shattered what was left of her heart.

She pulled her hand away.

Luna blinked in confusion, her eyes shimmering in disbelief as Leona then stepped back, her expression trembling and pale.

"I'm...I'm sorry, Luna." Leona finally whispered, her voice breaking.

Luna's mouth parted. "M–Mother…?"

Leona looked down, forcing herself to speak even though it felt like swallowing broken glass.

"I understand your emotions, and your feelings. And I'm sorry for what you're going through."

She said weakly.

"But...this decision isn't about emotions."

"It's about the entire village's future and I have to make the right choice."

Her voice shook.

"And that choice is to reject your proposal and send the Hero away."

"So, I'm sorry to say this as your mother but...I won't be able to grant your request."

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