Chapter 253: Forty Years Of Love And Affection

Leona looked back at Luca once more, her eyes pleading.

Had she said enough? Could she finally stop?

But Luca just raised the dagger again toward his neck.

Just a little. Just a teasing gesture.

But it was enough to make Leona jump in fright, her heart lurching into her throat.

She whipped back toward the crowd, her voice rushed and desperate.

“After that, Julius’s presence in the village only became worse and worse.”

The villagers, who had been wiping their eyes and composing themselves, snapped to attention.

The story wasn’t over. They leaned in, their grief momentarily forgotten.

“Whenever I wanted to help the villagers—whenever I tried to create new rules, build new structures, do anything that might ease anyone’s suffering—Julius would go against it.”

Leona’s voice grew hard. “Especially if it involved helping the females. He would shut it down immediately.”

“And…I had no choice but to agree.” She said in self reproach.

“I already knew the consequences of going against him. So I swallowed my pride, buried my hopes, and did nothing.”

Fury rippled through the crowd. Faces twisted with anger—not at Leona, but at the man who had stolen her voice.

“It wasn’t just my requests being denied.” She continued. “Julius started making his own demands. More and more absurd requests that went against the female elves and supported the males. And I had to go along with them as well.”

She let out a bitter laugh.

“That’s probably why you all thought I supported the male elves. Because I just went along with whatever they wanted. I was like a puppet, a hollow figurehead with no will of my own.”

Her voice cracked.

“But the truth was, I wanted nothing to do with any of it.”

Her tone grew louder.

“Every time I made a decision that hurt you, every time I sided with them against you, it felt like I was stabbing my own heart.”

“I felt like I was failing every single one of you. Over and over and over again.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“And it hurt…It hurt so much.”

The villagers clutched their chests, their faces twisted with shared pain.

“This went on and on until I had no command over the village at all.”

Leona said in despair and went on to say like she had no choice,

“Whatever Julius said, I followed. If he wanted something, I did it. If I had an opinion, I might speak a few lines—but they were always shut down, thrown away, ignored.”

She looked up at the sky, her voice growing distant.

“The proud Matriarch I once wanted to be—the one who would make my mother proud—I abandoned everything. I lost everything. I became a useless husk, unable to help my own village at all.”

Unable to hold back anymore, an elder broke down.

Her weathered face crumpled, and tears spilled down her cheeks.

“Why, Leona? Why didn’t you tell us!? You could have told us about this curse!”

Others nodded vigorously, their voices rising in a chorus of desperate agreement.

“Yes! We would have helped you, no matter what!”

“You should have told us!”

“We would have believed you!”

Leona shook her head slowly, a sad smile on her lips.

“That’s impossible.”

The crowd fell silent.

“Of course I wanted to tell you. Every day, I wanted to scream the truth from the rooftops.”

“But whenever I even attempted to speak to someone about it—that person would suffer.”

Everyone gasped and before they could say anything, she held up a hand, as if warding off their protests.

“Even a casual mention at dinner would trigger it. They would feel that horrible pain. Right before my eyes. It wouldn’t even take a second.”

Her voice dropped to a whisper.

“That’s when I realized I couldn’t tell anyone. I was stuck carrying this secret all by myself.”

She looked at the crowd with pleading eyes.

“That’s why I hid the truth for all these years. That’s why, even now, I’m scared to say this to you. I’m terrified that something will happen to all of you.”

She glanced at Luca, then back at the villagers.

“That’s why, even though Luca begged me to tell the truth, I refused. I was scared. Scared it would affect you all.”

“Even right now…” She let out a reluctant chuckle. “I’m scared that you’ll all hate me for endangering your lives by telling you the truth.”

The moment she finished, the village erupted.

“WHO CARES ABOUT THE CURSE?!”

“THE PATRIARCH IS DEAD! HE’S GONE!”

“YOU’RE NOT SUFFERING ALONE ANYMORE!”

“I’LL SUFFER ANY PAIN FOR YOU! COMPARED TO WHAT YOU’VE BEEN THROUGH, THIS IS NOTHING!”

The voices rose, fierce and protective. Every single elf protested in Leona’s favor, their anger and love tangling together.

They had seen her suffer in silence for forty years. They would not let her suffer another moment.

Luna stepped forward, her eyes blazing with determination.

“Yes, Mother! I’ll always be by your side. Even if I die the most horrible death right now, I don’t care.”

She smiled, a bright, fierce smile. “I’m just glad you told us the truth.”

Lulu nodded vigorously, tears still on her cheeks.

“Whatever pain comes my way, I’ll fight it off! I’m just happy you opened up to us, Mother. This is what I’ve been waiting for!”

Leona looked at her daughters, at the villagers, at Nyx who was trying very hard not to sob openly.

She had expected fear. She had expected regret.

She had expected them to wish they had never heard any of this.

Instead, she found support. Unwavering, unconditional support.

She had so many people who cared for her. So many people who would stand by her side.

But still, the fear lingered. She didn’t want anyone to suffer because of her. She didn’t want to be the reason they felt that horrible pain.

But then she looked at Luca. He was standing apart from the crowd, his arms crossed, a casual smile on his face.

The moment she saw him, all her fear evaporated.

He wouldn’t lead her wrong. He knew the truth. He knew the curse.

And he was letting her speak anyway.

That meant he had a plan. That meant everything would be alright.

She took a deep breath and continued,

“But of course, despite my situation, I couldn’t just stay still. I couldn’t become an empty husk.”

She smiled. “So even though I couldn’t help everyone as the matriarch, I found another way.”

She paused.

“I became the Spirit of the Forest.”

Gasps. Shocked murmurs. Eyes went wide.

“You mean—”

Leona nodded.

“I realized that the curse only triggered when I showed affection openly. Directly. But what if I did it indirectly?” She said mischievously. “Secretly? What if I helped in the shadows, where no one could see?”

She spread her arms.

“So that’s what I did. I used the identity of the forest spirit. I helped those in need. I did favors. I watched over all of you, and I did it all without anyone ever knowing it was me.”

The crowd erupted. Voices overlapped, frantic and disbelieving.

“All those years—forty years—it was YOU?”

Leona nodded.

“The fence I found fixed twenty years ago…that was YOU?” Another elf asked in shock.

Another nod.

“The medicine for my daughter when I was away…Leona, was that YOU?”

“Yep.”

“The firewood that appeared on my doorstep during the blizzard?”

“That was me as well.”

“The roof that got repaired overnight?”

“Couldn’t you let you sleep with a leaky roof.”

“The basket of bread left for my family when we had nothing to eat?”

“I had extra and wanted to give them out.” Leona chuckled.

One by one, they asked. Favor after favor, gift after gift, miracle after miracle.

And every single time, Leona nodded.

The realization crashed over them like a tidal wave.

They had thought the spirit of the forest was a deity, an almighty being who had manifested to protect them.

They had prayed to her, made offerings, revered her as something divine.

But she wasn’t divine.

She was Leona. An ordinary elf who had sacrificed everything—her happiness, her dignity, her very identity to help her village.

Who had sweated blood and shed tears in secret, asking for nothing in return.

Realising this, some elves broke down completely, sobbing on the ground. Others hugged each other for support, unable to stand on their own trembling legs.

“Leona…how could you?!” Someone wailed.

“You’ve sacrificed so much!” Another whispered.

The elders clenched their fists so hard that blood dripped from their palms. They had looked down on her, criticized her, blamed her for not fulfilling her duties.

But the truth was the opposite. She had gone beyond the duties of a matriarch. She had become a living deity to every single one of them.

Nyx finally let go. Tears streamed down her face, and she didn’t bother to wipe them away.

Lulu and Luna clung to each other, sobbing openly.

Leona watched all of this with growing panic. She hadn’t expected this. She hadn’t wanted this.

“Please, please calm down!” She waved her hands frantically. “There’s no need to cry like this! You don’t have to feel bad!”

“I did this because I enjoyed it!” She quickly added in a fluster. “I-I wanted to see your smiles! I got so much satisfaction from hiding behind trees and watching you laugh!”

She smiled, trying to reassure them.

“It really was no big deal for me at all! It helped me, knowing that I was helping all of you!”

But this had the opposite effect and only made them cry harder.

And Lulu unable to hold back anymore—broke free from Luna’s arms and rushed forward.

“Mother! Mother!”

Luna followed a moment later, wrapping her arms around both of them.

“Mother, I love you so much!”

Leona stood frozen, overwhelmed, as her daughters clung to her.

And then—one by one—the villagers began to approach.

“LEONA, HOW COULD YOU?!”

“BABY GIRL, YOU’VE SUFFERED SO MUCH!”

“LEONAAAA!”

They paraded around her, fighting for a chance to hug her, crying and laughing at the same time.

Even the little ones climbed onto nearby adults to reach her, tiny arms stretching out for their own embrace.

Leona was completely surrounded. Flustered, overwhelmed, and happier than she had been in forty years.

“Please, stop! T-This is too much! There’s no need!”

But they didn’t stop. They just kept hugging her, showering her with the love and praise she had been denied for so long.

Luca stood apart from the crowd, arms crossed, a soft smile on his face.

After all these years, Leona was finally getting the recognition she deserved. The love she deserved.

And watching her squirm under the avalanche of affection—completely flustered, completely overwhelmed was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

He let her have her moment.

She had earned it.

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