Chapter 3

The Tree of Life in the Elven Kingdom glowed with a faint silver light beneath the moon, but that light was fading.

For three months, its leaves had been turning yellow one by one. It was a sign that the very lifeline of the elven race was withering away.

I stood beneath the tree and stared at the dying leaves. There was a tired look in my eyes.

Three days ago, I had learned from the elven prince that only the witch's spring water deep within the forbidden forest could save the Tree of Life.

The price was ten years of my lifespan.

I agreed.

Now, having just returned from the forbidden land, I held a crystal vial filled with spring water that glowed with a faint blue.

A single strand of gray hair had appeared on my head.

"Your Highness, I've brought back the spring water." I handed the vial to the elven prince, Arthur Thrall.

Arthur took it. A flicker of surprise appeared in his eyes before it was quickly masked by indifference.

His gaze lingered for a brief moment on the gray strand in my hair. Something unreadable passed through his eyes before it vanished.

"You've done well," he said. "This will be recorded in the contract."

I nodded and prepared to leave.

"Wait." Arthur suddenly called out. "You're handing this to me just like that? Aren't you afraid I might go back on my word?"

I turned back to face him. "Your Highness, you're the elven prince. Your word carries weight, and–"

I paused. "I trust you."

His lashes twitched slightly. He then snorted.

"Trust me? Leah, do you know what I hate most? It's this kind of self-righteous trust humans like you have."

His tone turned harsh.

"You think trading ten years of your life for spring water will make me grateful? That I'll see you differently?"

I froze.

Arthur walked closer. His gaze was cold.

"Leah, let me make this clear. This is nothing but a transaction. Once the Tree of Life is restored, you leave as agreed. Don't delude yourself into thinking I'd ever make an exception for you, and don't even think this kind of self-sacrifice will move me."

Color gradually drained from my face.

"Your Highness." My voice trembled. "I never–"

"Never what? Delude yourself?" Arthur cut me off. "Then why trade your lifespan for the spring water? Why not negotiate terms first? Why not ask what I could give you in return?"

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

Why?

When I saw him standing beneath the dying Tree of Life, the pain in his eyes reminded me of that rainy night years ago.

He had saved me when I fell from a cliff. He used the magic potion of the elves to keep me alive.

I thought that was kindness.

I thought returning the favor didn't require any conditions to be met.

"Because I wanted to repay you," I finally said. "You saved me back then. I just–"

"Repay me?" Arthur sneered. "Leah, do you even know why I saved you?"

My heart clenched.

"Because both the werewolves and the vampires had already taken you in. If the elves didn't step in, it would have made us look bad among the three races," Arthur said.

"Do you think you're special? That three races fought to raise you? It was nothing more than a balancing act."

I staggered back a step. My back hit a tree trunk.

"So, all these years–" My voice came out dry.

"All these years, you lived here, ate our food, and used our resources. Did any elf ever truly treat you well?" Arthur's gaze drifted past me into the distance. "My mother thought you were an eyesore. The elders ignored you. As for me–"

He looked at my pale face and spoke calmly. "I was simply fulfilling a transaction. I raised you in exchange for the tri-race contract. Fair and square."

My tears finally fell when I heard that.

The next second, I slowly retrieved the parchment bearing the contract between me and the three races.

There was one minute left until midnight.

I bit my fingertip and let a drop of blood fall onto the parchment.

The witch had told me that once the contract expired, and if I'd written my name on it, I would forget all three of them completely.

At that moment, two figures burst into Elven Kingdom almost simultaneously.

Augustus hadn't even folded his bat wings yet, and Noel's pupils had contracted into vertical slits.

When they saw what I was doing, their expressions changed instantly.

"Leah! Stop! It's not midnight yet!" Noel growled.

Augustus clenched his fist. For the first time, a flicker of panic I had never seen before appeared in his blood-red eyes.

I looked at them and suddenly laughed.

"Your Excellency, you were right. The moment I was summoned, I'd come. I'd cut my own wrist. I was more obedient than a blood servant."

I turned to Noel. "Don't worry, Noel. I never once thought I'd be marked. I never mistook myself for one of your shewolves."

Finally, I looked at the frozen elven prince, Arthur.

"Your Highness, your words rang truest. It was only a transaction. I used ten years of my life to repay that vial of medicine from back then. Fair and square."

With that, I wrote my name on the parchment without hesitation.

[Leah Adams.]

In the very next instant, I felt an intense headache, and I passed out completely.