At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 202

Lanset seemed genuinely pleased with the fact, his ears perked up as he smiled brightly.

Naturally, Arven, who was standing beside him, asked as well.

“Then do you know the meaning of my name?”

“Arven means green shades.”

He had heard that his name was given because of his green hair.

“It’s a common name, right?”

Arven scratched the back of his head, feeling a little awkward. But Jiwoo shook her head.

Just like how Callan’s golden blonde hair was considered beautiful in El Ragneil, Arven’s hair and name, which reminded her of fresh greenery, were charming.

“I think it’s a lovely name that suits you.” 

Lanset and Arven looked at each other, their ears perking up with joy.

As they continued gathering stones, they started playing a word game, tossing the names of her husbands one by one, something fun to do on a moonlit night.

“What about Solmih?”

“Thornbush.”

Jiwoo had thought Solmih’s name would be something like ‘rose,’ but it turned out to be thornbush. Though, roses have thorns too.

“What about Tevon?”

“Fangs.”

“What about Kaman?”

“Forsythia.”

The sound of splashing water mixed with the names being thrown back and forth, almost like a game of word association.

Jiwoo, splashing the water playfully, asked,

“By the way, who gives all these names?”

“Usually, the older siblings do it. But we didn’t really want to do it, so most of the names were given by Helka and Solmih.”

“Ah, I see.”

Since they were older, it made sense.

Siblings must get along well.

“Then, what about Callan? Ah, I mean Callandein.”

“Golden sweet danger.”

Callandrein’s name was a bit harder to remember. It was a long name, and because they expressed sounds in their language, it was quite long when written out.

“What about Skias?”

“The sighs scattered by the night.”

It suited his appearance, which was like the galaxy of the night sky.

“What about Enciertes?”

“The wind washed away by the morning dew.”

It was a name that reminded her of the refreshing minty breeze she always felt around Enci.

“Then, what about Kim Enci?”

“Kim Enci is… Kim Enci.”

With that last remark, they all burst into laughter.

But then, Lanset and Arven suddenly realized something at the same time.

As soon as they made the realization, their laughter seemed to subside.

“…Hey, now that I think about it, isn’t our naming a bit unfair?”

Some names were simple, while others were poetic. They hadn’t noticed it until they heard it from Jiwoo’s voice, but now they could feel the difference.

And once they realized the cause, they sighed.

“Ah, it’s Helka’s fault…”

“Damn old man.”

In fact, the names that were based roughly on hair color or eye color were Helka’s doing, while the more thoughtful names were from Solmih.

Jiwoo leaned against the edge of the puddle, watching them grumble. Despite the teasing, they were clearly close brothers.

“I think we’re about done here.”

Lanset and Arven, having circled the puddle, gathered almost all the white stones and brought them to Jiwoo.

“Are all these for me?”

“Well, who else would they be for?”

It still seemed like quite a lot. After all, Jiwoo had seen how much stone they used in a year. It looked like a lot to her.

While Jiwoo was inspecting the pile of stones stacked in front of her, Lanset and Arven stepped into the puddle she was in.

“It’s a bit better…”

“Ha…”

Lanset and Arven looked tired. The warm water seemed to be making their fatigue more pronounced.

“It must be the sea making us even more tired.”

“I want to go back… How do these people live here?”

“We’ve finished the work, so we’ll clean up and leave soon.”

At those words, Lanset’s mood brightened.

“Sounds good! Now that these guys are free, who knows what they’ll get up to.”

Up to? Jiwoo asked in worry, remembering the incident from their last trip

“Will they… do something dangerous?”

“Mmm. Tempting Seo Jiwoo?” 

Feeling she was worrying unnecessarily, Jiwoo splashed water at them. Lanset laughed, wiping the water off and pushing his hair back. His hair, usually tied up neatly, had become loose after getting tangled in the whirlpool.

Noticing his discomfort, Arven gestured to him.

“Turn around, I’ll braid it for you.”

“Okay.”

Jiwoo quietly observed as Arven braided Lanset’s hair. She thought back to when they first met. They often complained about Helka, but there was always an affection and respect at the root of it. 

Helka had taken on all the miasma to protect the group, and when he was close to dying, his brothers had cried while keeping his last wishes.

The names given by Solmih were also full of love, weren’t they?

“Honestly, I find it fascinating when siblings get along so well.” 

At times like this, she really felt that she had married someone from a different race.

“Does that mean it’s rare for families to get along?”

“It’s not because of families, but when multiple people’s emotions get tangled up, it usually doesn’t end well.” 

What surprised her most about living here was that the children of Ellandos had such strong possessiveness and jealousy. Normally, the female was the more dominant one, but even so, they were capable of feeling hurt and were happy when their affections were reciprocated.

“I grew up thinking that love was something meant for just two people.” 

Though she had experienced and learned about many kinds of love here, it still felt unfamiliar at times.

“Just me and the other person. Just the two of us. So, if it’s shared with multiple people, I tend to think that the feelings might not be as deep.”

Lanset and Arven seemed to be imagining that situation.

“Think about it. What would it be like if it were just the two of you?” 

Her husbands often liked the more intimate, private moments just between the two of them. Jiwoo knew that they especially cherished memories made solely with her.

So she wondered if they might even prefer a more exclusive kind of love, so she threw the idea out there.