With our hooded robes on, we entered the city. Despite Claudius's massive size, I noticed plenty of other men who were just as big. It was comforting in a way—he didn't stand out as much as I had expected.
The city was breathtaking. Warm lights flickered from floating lanterns, casting a golden glow over the streets. Children ran past us, laughing and playing. Market stalls lined the roads, bursting with exotic goods, fragrant spices, and sizzling street food. The air buzzed with life. I was mesmerized. It felt like stepping into the pages of a fantasy novel, the kind I had always dreamed of. For the first time in a long while, I felt free.
Without thinking, I ran ahead, darting between stalls, inspecting trinkets, and tasting whatever food I could get my hands on. Lassie followed close behind, trying to keep up. "Slow down! You'll get lost," he warned, but he was laughing. Strangely, Claudius remained calm. He didn't scold me, didn't try to stop me. He simply walked, watching. It was a little unsettling, but I wasn't about to question it. Then something odd caught my attention. I hadn't seen many elderly people around. Frowning, I turned to Lassie. "Hey… where are all the old people?"
"Oh, the Eternals?" He seemed unbothered by the question. "The Eternals usually spend their time in…" He paused and said, "other places…" It was so obvious that he changed his mind after a recognizable glare behind me. Uggggh. That made me pause. "Wait a sec, what do you mean by Eternals? How old are we talking?" Lassie shrugged. "Oh, you know… a thousand years and beyond." I nearly choked. "Are you kidding me?"
Before I could fully process that horrifying number, a small child ran past me. I smiled at him. "Cute," I murmured, then turned to Lassie, half-joking. "How old is this kid?" Lassie glanced at him. "Hmm… probably around thirty." I felt my brain short-circuit. I didn't say anything, just stared in disbelief. I was practically a newborn in this world. A slow grin spread across my face. "I think I'm going to like it here."
As we walked through the bustling streets, I couldn't help but notice the number of elegant, almost ethereal-looking women around us. But something felt… off. Lassie must have caught my confused expression because he leaned in with a smirk. "They're not women, you know." I blinked. "What?" "They're actually men." I stared at him, then back at the graceful figures moving through the marketplace. "What do you mean?"
"They're retired soldiers," he explained casually. "Men who served in the military for less than a hundred years; they lost the ability to contain their masculine energy, you know." I frowned. "Why? What happened to them?" Lassie gave me a knowing look, then briefly glanced toward Claudius, who was currently trapped at a market stall. An eager vendor was desperately trying to sell him an assortment of daggers and manual weapons. I smirked. Of all the things in this city, it made perfect sense that sellers would choose him. Claudius would definitely be drawn to weapons.
Lassie sighed dramatically. "It's the famous curse of Ojan and Sojun." Oh my god, this is the moment I will know more about this world. Bring it on, Lassie! Trying to hide my excitement, I focused back on his story. "Sojun? The enemy?" "Yeah," Lassie said, his voice dropping slightly. "Though, once upon a time, they were one and the same." My brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
Lassie's lips curled into a teasing smile. "Oh, dear girl, you need a proper history lesson. Lucky for you, I'd be happy to be your tutor." The way he said it, with a mockingly seductive tone and a dramatic toss of his imaginary teacher's robe, made me burst out laughing. It was refreshing—having someone with a sense of humor in this strange, tense world.
It reminded me of Vivian. Her sharp, dark humor. Her endless sarcasm. For a brief moment, a pang of homesickness hit me. But then I looked at Claudius, still grumbling at the merchant, and Lassie grinning beside me, and I felt this could also be a place I would miss. I was shocked from my thought when Lassie handed me a fluffy white candy.
A thought struck me. "Wait… what about you? Were you in the military?"
Lassie's smirk faded slightly. "I was the right hand of my commander." I remembered Dilson, the recent right-handed knight who often hung around the castle, and realized they had completely opposite personalities. Unlike Dilson Lassie no fear of Claudius at all!
I studied him for a moment. "Then… why did you leave?" His expression shifted, a rare seriousness crossing his features. "I couldn't keep fighting those endless wars," he admitted quietly. "Claudius understood that."
My gaze darted back to Lassie, noting how, unlike the other retired soldiers, Lassie still maintained a strong, lean build—a more male model-like appearance than that of a woman. I hesitated, "So why don't you look like them?"
Lassie chuckled lightly, "Every man in Ojan is a knight. I retired long ago, but I passed my hundred years. That's why I don't resemble them."
An awkward silence settled between us while we were eating our unbelievably delicious candy. Lassie's words weighed heavily on me.
I realized that any soldier who retired from the military would eventually be affected by the Ojan life source, leaking away their masculine over time and developing more feminine characteristics. That was the curse of living in this kingdom.
The only way for a soldier to maintain his physique was to either live in the Shadowland and remain in constant battle or move to Sujan. But that wasn't even an option, as the curse prevented Ojan soldiers from ever entering the city again.
"Wow," I murmured, struggling to grasp the grim reality he had just described. "That's… terrible."
"What about the women?" I asked after a pause. Lassie simply gestured toward the bustling marketplace. I followed his gaze and was stunned. The women selling goods were noticeably more muscular than the men. Their toned arms and broad shoulders contrasted sharply with their delicate jewelry and flowing garments.
And then, just a little further away, I noticed young girls running through the market, their laughter ringing through the air. They were soft, feminine, and graceful—completely different from the women. Lassie sighed. "The women are cursed too."
I turned to him, my stomach sinking. "What do you mean?" "When they reach puberty, they begin to lose their feminine features and grow more muscular." I felt a chill. "Why?"
"It's an ancient curse," Lassie said, his voice laced with irony. "Supposedly, it was meant to protect women from men." I frowned. "That makes no sense." Lassie merely smirked, as if to say, nothing in this world really does.
I noticed a woman holding a man's hand, and they looked like a couple. The girl was less muscular, and the man looked like he was still serving in the military—he was huge! I pointed to them, trying to be positive. "Look at those couples! The lady has a less muscular look!"
He smiled and said, "Because she's in love. The curse weakens once the woman finds a man who she feels safe around. Without this phenomenon, kids won't be an option…"
We kept enjoying our candy after that intense conversation, but suddenly, a realization hit me, and I nearly screamed. Gazing at the scene before me, I blurted out, "Oh my god!" I gasped, horrified. "Am I going to end up like that?" I pointed toward a powerful, muscular woman walking confidently down the street, her strong presence sending shivers down my spine. She shot me a look that could almost pierce steel, and instinctively, I waved awkwardly, an uncertain smile frozen on my face.
Lassie and I exchanged glances, and suddenly, laughter bubbled up between us. We both tried to hold it back, casting quick looks at the woman as she passed and doing our best to hide our amusement. He leaned in closer, a playful grin lighting up his face. "Time will sort it out," he whispered with a wink.
Just as I was about to respond, I felt a sudden presence in front of me. It was Claudius. His voice rang out, low and filled with unmistakable intensity. "What are you laughing about?"
A rush of heat flooded my cheeks as I looked up at him. In that moment, my laughter faded, replaced by the weight of his gaze. Lassie, unfazed, turned to Claudius with a bright grin, clearly puzzled by his serious expression. I felt like I was caught, aware that I was gathering information Claudius likely wouldn't want me to have.
However, the vibrant atmosphere around us gave me the courage to distract him from whatever we had been discussing. "Do you want to join us?" I asked, flashing my most radiant smile and waving my hand invitingly for him to sit beside me.Claudius's expression softened. His ears turned red, and he looked as if he were struggling to decide whether to accept my invitation or not. Suddenly, Lassie went quiet, observing us intently, before bursting into laughter. "My lord!" he said between chuckles, "I've never seen you like this before!"
I sensed that Lassie's remark hadn't helped at all; Claudius's dark expression began to creep back onto his face. Frustrated with Lassie, I stood up and wrapped my left elbow around his arm while my other hand was occupied with the candy stick. In that moment, I accidentally brushed my chest against him,
Heat rushed to my face. I could feel the embarrassment radiating between us, and when I dared to look at him, I saw it—he had felt it too. The tension crackled in the air, thick and suffocating. I tried to play it off, forcing a big smile. "Please, come sit next to me," I said, pretending nothing had happened.