Incompatible Interspecies Wives

Chapter 47: The World Tree (7)

Arwin suppressed her feelings and continued to follow the words of her father and the elders.

Given their long lives, they must have saw things beyond her understanding.

It was tough... but in time, she would grow accustomed to it again.

Thus, 80 years passed.

Arwin turned 100 years old.

She was only halfway to her adulthood. Her body had grown considerably, making her appear rather grown-up.

Seemingly blessed, she had grown into a beauty that stood out even among the most beautiful elves.

While she couldn't entirely rid herself of her rebellious nature, she was establishing her own set of values.

...Values that encompassed her deep disdain for everything she had experienced.

This was the realization she came to after enduring the pain of her body tearing apart every month for 80 years.

Added to this was the throbbing headache from the continuous sacrifices she made.

Her transformation began in an instant.

But she also knew,

That these feelings were natural.

Of course, no one finds sacrifice pleasant.

It was a rite of passage everyone had to experience and surpass.

Even if she had sacrificed more than others, she also reaped greater benefits.

She was blessed with a lifespan that others could only dream of.

If she could endure just another 100 years, she could freely enjoy the following 1,100 years.

While other elves had a maximum of 600 years after reaching adulthood, Arwin had up to 1,100 years.

Almost double the time.

Perhaps she should be grateful that she didn't have to sacrifice 400 years.

She might become one of the greats, etched into the annals of history.

Among all living beings born into this world, she might become the most perfect being.

Perhaps she could even become a divine being, lacking nothing.

So she resolved to endure another 100 years focusing solely on that life.

She might have to fall asleep and wake up countless times, and scream in pain until her throat would explode millions of times, but time would heal all.

She persevered for quite a while longer.

On days when she was too exhausted to do anything, Arwin would take shallow breaths, weakly flip the pages, and indulge in reading.

Doing so seemed to help her forget, if just a little, the nightmarish pain she felt from the sacrifices.

She liked reading, it was comforting.

Through it, she could experience a life she had never known, even if only vicariously.

Arwin led a life quite distinct from other elves, so her interests differed significantly from theirs.

If there was something that piqued her interest the most, it was the outside world.

The vast territory of Celebrien felt too confined to hold the experiences of 100 years.

There was nothing to see, nothing to feel.

Thus, her longing for the world beyond grew over time.

If her dream had once been to remain within the territory and become a respected elf... now, she yearned to step outside and become something.