In a place that looked like a fairytale, it was breathtakingly beautiful. There were pristine waterfalls, a well-kept forest, gardens, animals living in harmony, and most captivating of all, a gigantic tree, 500 meters tall, standing in the center of it all like a heart or a pillar.
The air was incredibly calming, and the trees always bore fruit, ensuring no one within would ever go hungry. A small child could be seen running about, a delicious-looking red apple clutched in his tiny hand.
His messy pink hair flew in the wind, his chest heaving from exertion, but the smile on his face never faded—in fact, it grew wider until his little teeth showed.
"MAMA! MAMA!"
"LOOK, I BROUGHT YOU A RED APPLE!!" the little boy shouted.
A young woman, who had been sipping tea under a tree, paused. She turned to the child and gave him a loving smile, the kind a mother gives her son.
"Yes, sweetie, Mama sees you," the young woman replied gently.
The little boy ran up to her, breathless and tired. But he didn't stop, handing the red apple to his mama. She accepted it gladly and took a bite.
"Mmm, this is delicious," his mama said.
"Just so you know, I had a really hard time finding it," the little boy said, seeking attention.
After finishing the apple, the young woman lifted the boy onto her lap and hugged him. "Carsel, you're so sweet. Come here, Mama wants to give you kisses."
The young woman kissed the little boy's face all over, without missing a spot, while he giggled with delight.
Five years have passed since that event, the young woman thought to herself. Althair, Alex, Alicia, Rio... are you watching me? I'm a mom now, haha.
---
5 Years Ago - Clara von Remelton's Point of View
I arrived in a breathtakingly beautiful place, but I wasn't captivated at all, because I immediately collapsed.
Remembering what had just happened, tears streamed down my face unbidden. My chest trembled violently, and even clutching it with my hand did nothing to stop the shaking.
I hugged myself, and then everything went dark. I must have passed out. Unbeknownst to me, from the moment I arrived, I was already being watched by the inhabitants of this place.
3 hours later
Where?
Where am I?
Why am I here?
What happened?
I opened my eyes, but my vision was blurry, probably from dried tears. When I finally managed to focus, I saw a deer staring at me.
"AAAAA!" I was completely and utterly startled.
I scrambled backward, using my hands and bottom to push myself away.
Thud!
My back hit a tree, stopping me short. I was shocked not because I was unprepared, but because the deer was standing up like a human.
Hearing my scream, the deer covered its ears with its hands. "Lower your voice."
The deer approached, trying to calm me, its arms reaching for me. Behind it, a group of rabbits appeared, their fur as white as milk and their eyes just as beautiful.
One of them said, "Calm down, don't worry, you're safe here."
I took a deep breath and let it out, trying to process the situation. I remembered everything. I was in Heartwood now.
The place said to be the heart of the world.
Suddenly, a monkey dropped down from above. It handed me a drink in a cup made of wood; I couldn't tell what kind.
I saw that the drink was milk. I looked up at the monkey, who gestured with its head for me to drink it.
I accepted it hesitantly, a little scared. "It's okay, we won't hurt you," the monkey said.
Finally, I took the cup and drank. It was delicious—sweet and fresh all at once. The milk flowed down, wetting my dry throat.
I drank until not a drop was left, then handed the cup back to the monkey. I looked at all of them, trying to think of the right words.
"Um... T-thank you, everyone," I said in a low voice.
"You're welcome," the deer replied.
"What's your name?" the deer asked me.
"Clara. Just Clara," I answered, leaving out the name Remelton. I had decided to discard it ever since the Stellaris Empire was attacked.
"Alright, Clara. My name is Rey," said the deer.
"I'm Maru!" the monkey beside me chirped, pointing to himself.
I decided not to ask for the rabbits' names; it would be too much trouble.
"It's nice to meet you all," I responded to their friendliness.
"Alright, kids, give us some space for a moment," Rey said to his friends.
The rabbits obeyed and hopped away. Maru pouted. "I want to stay here too..." he pleaded.
Rey was about to refuse, but I stopped him and allowed Maru to stay. He jumped for joy.
"I know you must have gone through some hard times. Based on your condition when you arrived, you looked depressed," Rey said, getting straight to the point.
I just nodded, my way of saying 'yes.'
"I want to know what's happening in the outside world," Rey said to me.
"What happened to you? Were you running from something, or...?" he asked.
My chest swelled as I began, "My home was attacked, so I ran, but they chased me. I had no choice but to come to this place for protection."
"I wasn't alone. I was with my friends, but they all died, one by one."
"And... and I-I was also with a b-baby."
Wait a minute—the baby? CARSEL!? Oh my God, I completely forgot about him.
I shot up and searched for an artifact in my storage ring. Maru and Rey watched me, confused.
I ignored them and took out the artifact where Carsel was. A brown door immediately appeared before Maru and Rey.
I quickly opened the door and went inside, with the monkey and deer following me. Maru and Rey looked around the space in awe, as if seeing a masterpiece.
I focused, scurrying to the baby's crib. There, sleeping soundly, was a baby weighing 3.1 kg—he was so cute.
Thank goodness, huff.
I collapsed to the floor, so relieved that Carsel was okay. Maru and Rey, meanwhile, moved forward and stared at Carsel with wonder.
"REY, REY, REY! IT'S A HUMAN BABY!" Maru exclaimed.
"HE'S SO CUTE!" Rey replied.
I was startled. I got up and, "Shhh.... Be quiet, you fools, he's sleeping."
"Oek! Oek! Oek!"
Just like that, Carsel woke up and started crying. I immediately went to him and tried to hold him in a koala hug.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh... it's okay, Carsel," I said, swaying my body from side to side.
But instead of stopping, his cries grew louder, making my, Rey's, and Maru's ears ring.
"Hey, please bring that milk over here," I said to Maru and Rey, pointing to a table where there was some diluted cow's milk.
[I just learned that there was no formula milk in the Middle Ages. In the previous chapter, I wrote about formula milk, so it seems I made a mistake.]
"No, I'll go get milk from here. Trust me, it's better," Maru said before leaving the space.
I could only trust him. Previously, Emperor Arthur had given us diluted cow's milk enchanted with magic, and that's what I had been feeding Carsel.
"Is that your son?" Rey asked me.
I looked at Rey. "Yes, this is my son," I lied. I was sure Althair wouldn't want anyone to know Carsel was the emperor's child.
"Who's his father? As you know, a female can't get pregnant on her own," Rey asked.
"He's dead," I replied.
"Oh... I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
Maru returned 15 minutes later with a wooden cup filled with white milk, just like the one I had earlier.
"This is milk from the goats here. Don't worry, it's nutritious," Maru said, offering it to me.
"Just put it on the table over there, and please hold my son carefully," I said.
I handed Carsel to Maru, who received him with great care. I quickly took an item from my storage ring.
It was a baby bottle. I filled it with the milk Maru had brought and immediately gave it to Carsel.
He sucked on it greedily.
"Thank goodness," I murmured in relief.
Rey and Maru watched the scene with curiosity. "How old is the baby?" Rey asked.
"One month," I answered vaguely, continuing to feed Carsel. How was I supposed to know if Emperor Arthur never told me when his son was born?
"Is this your son??" Maru asked innocently.
"Yes."
At Night - In Bed
This place also had a sun, weather, and everything else. It was similar to our world, but prosperous.
It was nighttime now, and I was trying to sleep, but I couldn't. No matter how hard I tried, their shadows always lingered.
I had insomnia. Since I couldn't sleep, I started looking through the items in the storage ring Emperor Arthur had given me.
Just to pass the time, really.
Then I noticed a small notebook. Curious, I took it out of the ring.
I opened the first page, and what greeted me was:
If you are reading this, then you must be in a safe place, in Heartwood. If not, I'm sure you would have ignored this book.
[We'll use the real-world calendar, just to keep things simple.]
Althair, my son Carsel was born on the 31st of the 12th month (December) of the year 999. My beloved wife gave birth at night, which is basically the 1st of the 1st month of the year 1000.
But for some reason, the doctor recorded it as 999/12/31. I don't really care about that. I just want to ask you to please be a father to Carsel.
Raise him as your own son, but don't keep him cooped up in Heartwood. One day, he must leave that place—to face the outside world.
He has my blood in his veins; he inherited the Stellaris destiny and its power. He must fulfill his own destiny, and you must not stand in his way. Just teach him about humanity.
"This isn't Althair's writing, plus he mentions Althair's name as if he's talking to him. This must have been written by Emperor Arthur."
I quickly turned the page and continued reading. I'll summarize the rest of the note—it was about how to get out of Heartwood.
You just have to go to the giant tree. There, you'll find a gate like the one at the initial entrance. That gate will let you out of Heartwood.
And where do you land? The location is random.
"Simple enough."
The book also said that Elena Rose, Carsel's biological mother, had an allergy to shrimp—she couldn't eat it. So, there was a chance Carsel might have inherited that allergy.
As I was reading, I didn't realize that my own shadow was moving on its own, as if it didn't belong to me.
Suddenly, I heard a baby crying. It had to be Carsel.
"Oek! Oek! Oek!" The sound was louder than usual. What was happening to him?
I rushed out of my room and towards where Carsel was. "Oek! Oek!" His cries echoed, making me panic even more, but then I remembered—there couldn't be any enemies here, right?
When I got there, huff, thank goodness, Carsel was fine. There were no enemies, but why was he crying? I tried to pick him up and rock him back to sleep.
15 minutes.
30 minutes.
1 hour.
"Shhh, shhh, shhh... Carsel, come on, go to sleep," I whispered, pacing back and forth with him. My legs were cramping from standing for so long, and despite all my efforts, Carsel wouldn't quiet down.
Why was this child so active? He wasn't even a week old. Was this inherited from Empress Elena?
Elena was known for her boundless energy. Haha, I'm sure Carsel will be an extrovert in the future.
Okay, let's focus on the problem at hand. I'd already given him milk, but he was still crying. Maybe his diaper was wet?
I laid Carsel down in his crib and unwrapped the cloth around his bottom. Sure enough, it was wet and smelly.
"Oh, my goodness," I mumbled, holding my breath.
I had zero experience taking care of a baby. Of course, I didn't. I was a noblewoman. Even if my father saw me as a tool, I at least had wealth, servants, and some small measure of power.
With trembling hands, I cleaned Carsel with a wet cloth from the artifact. He kept squirming and crying even louder.
"Just a moment, Carsel, you'll feel comfortable soon..." I whispered, trying to change his diaper with a clean cloth.
After I finished, Carsel was still crying. I tried to give him more milk, but he just threw up what he'd just drunk all over my shirt.
"Oh, for goodness' sake!"
Now my shirt was dirty, Carsel was still crying, and I was about to cry myself from being so overwhelmed. I wiped away my tears and resolved to try harder. I tried to think of what could make a baby uncomfortable.
Too hot or too cold. Right, it must be one of those.
I felt Carsel's forehead. No fever. But his body felt cool.
"Maybe he's cold," I murmured, then took a blanket and wrapped Carsel more snugly.
Slowly, Carsel's cries began to subside. His little eyes started to look sleepy.
"Thank goodness," I whispered, holding him gently.
But that peace only lasted an hour. Carsel woke up and started crying again.
Do you think it ended there? No, it went on for a very long time. My sleep schedule was a mess, my eyes had dark circles like a panda's, and even Maru stepped in to help. The monkey would massage my legs and shoulders.
Rey helped by fetching things I needed and sometimes sang a song to put Carsel to sleep. I don't know what song he sang, but sometimes it worked.
I was so exhausted. I never knew being a mother was this much trouble. I suddenly thought about the fate of the common people.
My family was noble. When I was little, I was cared for by many servants. But what about the commoners? Their money was likely just enough for food.
They must have had it so much harder, but the proof that their children still grew up was a sign they never gave up, and I respect them for it.
---
Back to the Present
I don't resent those times at all. In fact, I tried to accept and even enjoy them.
I love watching Carsel grow into a cheerful boy. He loves to chatter, and I always listen to him.
His hair color is the same as Empress Elena's, pink. But it's his eye color that always makes me wonder.
They're pitch-black. His mother had amber irises, his father sapphire-blue—so where did this black come from?
Furthermore, his irises defy science. When someone is in a dark place, their irises might look dark, but when the sunlight hits them, their true color appears, maybe dark or light brown.
But not his. His pitch-black eyes seem to absorb the light itself. It's the first time I've ever seen anyone with irises like that.
Carsel was born a swordsman-mage, like his father. He is five years old now, which automatically makes me twenty-two.
I train Carsel, not excessively, in fact, it's very lenient. And it was Carsel himself who asked to learn.
I didn't actually want to follow Emperor Arthur's instructions. I wanted Carsel to know nothing of power, and I intended to keep him here forever. But in the end, Carsel himself saw me using my healing powers.
I was using my healing magic to treat a cut on myself—my finger was bleeding from something sharp, and I was trying to heal it, but unfortunately, Carsel saw me.
Carsel is very talkative. He kept asking how a green light could come from my hand, asking if he could do it too, and so on.
I refused to explain, but Carsel begged with such a cute face that it would have been cruel to refuse him.
In the end, I started training him lightly, just as he wanted. Carsel is very enthusiastic; he loves to learn.
[A person's role is determined from birth.]
"Mamaaaa," Carsel said to me.
"Yes, sweetie," I replied.
"I want to be spoiled. Give me a huggg."
"Come here."
I immediately hugged Carsel's small body and stroked his head gently. It was quiet. Carsel was enjoying the moment, and my focus was entirely on him.
"Carsel," I called softly.
Carsel immediately looked up. "What is it, Mama?"
"Are you bored here? Do you want to live somewhere new?"
Carsel answered my question without hesitation. "No! I always want to be by Mama's side, wherever that is, as long as it's with you. I don't want to be far away."
"Aww, you're so cute." I looked towards the giant tree in the center of Heartwood as Carsel fell asleep in my lap.
Althair, Alex, Alicia, and Rio... I hope we can all be friends in any life. I miss you all so much.
I'm depressed, but I never show it to anyone. I always tell them I'm fine, when in reality, I'm not fine at all.
I'm half-living in memories. The memories of our friendship, the five of us, always haunt me, chaining me to a past where I had friends who were like family.
And I like it.
I like living in memories, not because I'm a coward afraid of reality—but because I feel more alive in those past memories.
Even before I sleep, I always create scenarios in my head. Scenarios of what would have happened if the tragedy never occurred, of what life would be like if we lived in peace until we were old.
Happy until the very end.