120 Once A Year...Once A Year...
‘Once a year?’
Ember felt like her entire life was a lie. No, she had learned how unfortunate the life she was living as a human. If she didn’t learn this, it would have been fine, but now…she wished to return to the blissful ignorance she had while living on that dead mountain.
‘Gaia was right. Comparisons hurt.’
Reya put the glass of water on the bedside table while Clio brought a soft clean cloth to clean the spilled water.
Ember looked at the two. “For you…really? O-Once a year? Are you sure?”
The two nodded and Clio said, “That is why we were very surprised to hear that humans have it every month.”
“You mean every female in this kingdom gets their monthly….” She stopped and corrected herself as it was not monthly for them and asked, “I mean, estrous cycle only once in a year?”
“The majority, Miss, since we elves and the shapeshifters constitute the largest population in Agartha. Sometimes, it goes like once every two years. But it’s rare and unfortunate,” Reya answered. “Like I said the fairies are spirits so they don’t have them and the witches–“
“Ah, yes, it’s all right,” she cut them off, feeling like a new trauma was forming if she heard that again.
Ember felt like crying at her fate of this monthly cycle. Tears rolled down her eyes but they were not due to the pain in her abdomen but due to the injustice she learned.
‘How unfair it is that I have to bleed every month!’
It worried her two servants. “Miss Ember, is it still hurting? Do you want us to get you something warm? Maybe soup?”
Ember shook her head and looked at the two with an earnest gaze. “Tell me…Tell me…is there a way a human can transform into a witch? No, even the elf race or beastmen race will do…”
She was asking this earnestly, but the two servants smiled and giggled at it.
“Miss Ember, you are so funny–” Clio laughed lightly.
“–and so fortunate to have a monthly estrous cycle,” Reya added.
“Fortunate? How can it be fortunate?” Ember cried out. She felt like these two were making fun of her.
“I am telling the truth, Miss Ember,” Clio said when she realized the human girl was upset. “It is such a precious time we elves cherish. Imagine how it was for those of us who have found their significant others, the couple had to wait for the female to go into heat only once a year, and they cannot miss that chance of mating. They wait for it eagerly, but as humans, you get it monthly and you don’t have to wait for as long. That is why I say you are so fortunate.”
Ember didn’t really understand what they meant and asked, “When did you two have your last cycle?”
“Mine was six months back,” Reya answered.
Ember looked at Clio. The younger elf smiled. “I am yet to get my first cycle, Miss.”
“Even though you look like an adult even older than me?” Ember asked.
“We elves have a lifespan of about a thousand years, Miss. For us, we get our cycles when we are around eighty to a hundred years old. I am only seventy years old, not yet an adult,” Clio answered.
Hearing those, no word could come out of Ember’s mouth and she could only blink in surprise. “And how old are you, Reya?”
“I am a hundred and fifty years old,” Reya answered proudly. “I’m still considered a child as well among elves, Miss.”
“Is this for real? You two look around my age,” Ember asked in shock.
“Humans have short lifespans while we have longer life spans, that must be the reason why our growth rates differ. Though, once we become an adult at two hundred years old, we stop ageing physically until we near the end of our lifespans,” Reya answered. “Only then will we age again.”
Ember felt like her head would hurt with so much shocking information at once. She had spent some time with Leeora, but such conversation was never brought up. She took a deep breath. “Umm, will it be all right to ask you to leave? I want to rest…”
“Of course, Miss.” Clio helped her lay in bed and covered her with a thick blanket.
Ember closed her eyes as only the same words repeated in her mind, ‘Once a year…once a year…’
But as the two servants were leaving, Ember heard their fading voices.
“…His Majesty is so fortunate to have a human mate.”
“Indeed. They don’t have to wait for a year to mate…”
Ember felt confused. ‘What are they talking about?’
——
After Erlos passed the King’s order, Yula being the Chief Steward in charge of the palace affairs carried out that order as swiftly as possible. Each male servant–from the gardeners to the kitchen helpers, regardless of their respective races– all were sent out of the palace and were ordered to not return till the King commanded them to.
Yula went to check on Ember after finishing all her morning duties inside the palace. She looked quite tired after allocating the leftover work of the male servants to the remaining female servants to cover up the lack of manpower. With their absence, it made her wonder if she should open temporary hiring for female servants. She could not let the palace turn into a mess due to the absence of the male servants.
While worrying over this, she reached the top floor of the southwest wing of the palace. She saw the youngsters of her clan, Reya and Clio, standing outside the chamber while talking and giggling.
Seeing Yula, they bowed to her. “Greetings, Dame Yula.”
She accepted it with a nod and asked, “How is Miss Ember?”
“She is currently resting,” Reya informed.
“Miss, it’s Yula. May I enter?” After not hearing anything after knocking, Yula quietly opened the door to check on her, only to find the human sleeping soundly. She went closer and observed her to check if everything was fine with Ember in such a situation.