Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The vow of spring was a kind of marriage-like system in Nervana Forest. Similar to Aquilea and the Day of Repose, the descendants continued on through the ritual of the season of spring.

However, compared to Aquilea, where the concept of marriage was very rare, in Nervana Forest, it was very common for a man and a woman to spend the season of spring together without paying attention to others throughout their lives through a system called a vow of spring.

Yaru muttered in a loud voice as she peeled the skin of the green onion.

“Of course, I think Aquilea’s way is very good.”

“That’s right, Yaru, until you gave birth to Yasmin, you rode around like a monkey on this man’s waist and that man’s back.”

Fiarka scolded Yaru and giggled.

Even though the women of Nervana Forest constantly bombarded Enya with questions, they did not insist on an answer or wait for Enya. They giggled while she thought for a moment, cracking jokes with each other again, and then, by the time Enya opened her mouth, they concentrated on her answer with terrifying enthusiasm.

In that way, she also opened her heart right away and enjoyed chatting with them comfortably without realizing it.

It was the first time Enya had had such an experience. It was so amazing that she didn’t feel any sense of alienation or anxiety even though she was in the middle of so many people.

‘…Is this a sense of belonging?’

Of course, when she talked to Ihita and Old Lady Piache, she also felt joy and delight, but this was of a different kind. Never before had it been so exciting to be surrounded by women of her own age and laughing and talking about the day and what had happened that day.

More than anything, Enya was surprised by the fact that Yaru was already a mother of a daughter named Yasmin.

“Yasmin? Aahh. Yasmin, come here!”

With Yaru’s words, a girl who looked to be about twelve years old jumped out of the crowd and ran towards Yaru.

Yaru was almost as small as Enya, and at first glance, she looked like a little boy because of her short hair, typical of the people of the Nervana Forest. It came as quite a shock to Enya that she already had a daughter her size.

“Now, say hello.”

As she watched Yaru take Yasmin in her arms and greet her, she couldn’t help but notice that Yasmin looked very much like someone she knew.

The women of Nervana Forest were all kind and knowledgeable. In addition, most of them had given birth, and some of them had newborn babies. The mothers even tried to give their children in Enya’s arms without any warning.

“N, no! I’ve never held a child before! And if I drop them…!”

They had no hesitation in handing their baby to her, to the point that Enya, who was not immune to this kind of generosity, rather refused.

“Now, it’s okay. I’m sure you’ll hold them at least once anyway. That deputy chieftain wouldn’t just leave Enya sleeping at night with a blanket covered like that.”

“Yes, yes. Everyone practices being a mother like this.”

The women threw jokes that Enya couldn’t handle and almost forced the child into her arms.

The baby she had held for the first time in her life was so small and soft that it would break in her hands at the slightest movement. Enya held the baby in her arms, thrilled that even in that fear, she would miss every breath of this little life.

“You, you are so pretty… This is the first time I have seen such a lovely baby.”

For her, who always had no choice but to peek at the Aquilea women taking care of their child from afar, that moment came as a great impression. Enya gazed down at the baby in her arms, almost with tears hanging from her eyes.

…A life so small and precious wriggled in her arms.

The child’s mother looked at her happily and gave the child’s name.

“The child’s name is Henna. It seems that you like children a lot. You will definitely make a good mother.”

Those words seemed to gently melt Enya’s heart, who had been through only painful experiences like thorns were stuck in her. In the midst of it all, she could not help but admire them purely.

How could people be so kind and unprejudiced?

Enya must have felt almost overwhelmed in her harmonious relationship with the people she was born with and who she was new to.

No one had ever said anything like that to her… except for Tarhan.

‘…What is Tarhan doing right now?’

She thought of Tarhan, who had sent her away that morning, unable to hide his reluctance. She couldn’t imagine what his reaction would be if he were here right now.

He, like Enya, was completely unfamiliar with this kind of human relationship. When she thought that he might blindly avoid this place, perhaps unable to hide his bewilderment, she let out a laugh.

She thought of Tarhan and suddenly couldn’t bear to see him right now. As she gazed down at the newborn baby at the same time, she had a brief flash of something from the past that she hadn’t even thought of.

It felt like something like a needle had been stabbed in her heart.

Of course, the gloomy mood soon disappeared, thanks to the lively energy of the women around her.

“What?! Even before her first blood, she started living in the same hut as that man, and she still has no children!”

The people of Nervana Forest were very interested in Enya, and they wondered everything about her. Among it all, they inquired about the relationship between her and ‘the deputy chieftain’ of the Aquilea tribe.

Then, when it was revealed that Enya had been with Tarhan for over a decade and that the two had no children, they literally bubbled up.

It was a tremendous reaction as if the survival of their clan depended on it.

“No way! That tribal chief, I didn’t see him like that! He must be a seedless fruit!”

They were very puzzled.

At the same time, they made inquiries about very personal and embarrassing things, such as the night with him, the position, and the number of times, without hesitation, making Enya embarrassed enough to roll her eyes several times.

“Have you ever tried other men besides him?”

“Did you really make a vow of spring with such a pathetic man?”

“Don’t worry. The vow of spring is just a vow between two people. There’s no need to get entangled there! Throw away that pathetic man who won’t even give you children and start a new life!”

In the end, the women calmed down after Fiarca, who was watching the situation, raised her finger and cursed at them a few times, saying not to embarrass Enya. However, even after calming down, they gnashed their teeth as though they couldn’t bear it, harboring resentment towards Aquilea’s deputy chieftain.

“I can’t believe it, living with a precious woman like Enya, she still hasn’t been able to give birth to a child! This kind of shock is the first time in my life!”

“I’m not really going to judge people just by their appearance… but Aquilea chieftain, I didn’t see him like that! I was really fooled by the appearance..!”

They raised their foreheads and each shook their heads, making tongue-clicking sounds.

Enya was at a loss for their reaction, her face blushing.

Why was this reaction like this? It was as if Tarhan was the only one responsible for not having children. These were words that made her unable to answer anything at all.

Tarhan is a seedless watermelon.

She had never thought of such nonsense.

Enya bowed her head at the sudden rush of shame and embarrassment. Tarhan’s fertility has never been questioned. Even Old Lady Piache acknowledged that.

She blushed as she thought of the man’s member that stood tall among the lush bush, in full heat, ravaging on her body every night. His thing was always bristly enough to reach her stomach.

She remembered when people tied the mares to poles to mate with immediately after taming wild horses within the tribe. Enya had seen the excited stallion kicking the mare time and time with a loud neighing sound.

The stallion rolled on the floor and jumped on top of the female and, after finishing several times, snorted heavily each time, and what was hanging between the legs dangling.

Even when the tribal women giggled at it as they passed by, she could only blush as it reminded her of Tarhan.

Enya was too weak compared to him. She was incapable of doing anything even until she was old enough to go through the coming-of-age ceremony, so she only thought she was incapable of having children.

As in other fields of medicine, Old Lady Piache, who was well-versed in women’s bodies and childbirth, always said that her body was different from other women’s and was strange.

“Enya’s body is like winter. No matter how many seeds are sown, the sprouts are cold and cannot germinate.”

Every time she heard those words, Enya felt a twinge of sadness, but in the end, she had no choice but to admit her words.

As she said, it was her body that was always as cold as snow in the middle of winter.

Tarhan’s body was hot all year round, like a blazing fire, but her body always felt lukewarm no matter how long she was held by Tarhan. Then, when she was away from him, her skin would become cold again, like a skin before frostbite.

“Ta-Tarhan is fine.”

Even though Enya’s cheeks were almost bursting red, she hesitantly opened her mouth to the women of Nervana Forest. Even if they were sweet and nice, she didn’t feel comfortable disparaging him in this way.

It was her pathetic body that caused her to lose a child each time.

As Enya lowered her head, unable to find words to defend him without putting herself down, Fiarca, who had been silently watching her, opened her mouth.

“Now, now. It must be because the season of spring is just around the corner, so it seems that everyone is in heat. If you’re curious about the situation at someone else’s house at night like this, you better hold on to your man tonight and do something to increase the number of tribal people that are dwindling. What’s good about leaving Nervana Forest when you can live directly with men you could only meet in the spring season? Try your best.”

Hearing Fiarca’s words, some women giggled.

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