Chapter 78: The Unveiling of Truth

From the very first day she met Anna, Eve always thought such a silly and utterly carefree girl must be truly blessed. It seemed nothing in the world could ever trouble her; she faced each day with a bright smile, bringing nothing but quirky humor and joy to those around her.

Tears, therefore, should never have graced her face.

Yet, the girl clinging to Eve now was weeping.

Anna’s voice held no trace of a sob, only a profound sense of bewilderment about the future. Perhaps she hadn’t even realized that tears were streaming down her face.

This sight, this unexpected vulnerability, caused Eve’s resolve to waver.

Indeed, Anna wasn’t the only one worried about Yulim; Eve shared the same deep concern.

In fact, knowing the full story, Eve worried far more than Anna about the timid, shy little elf’s safety.

After all, it was Eve who had agreed to switch identities with Yulim, granting her permission to act freely.

Eve’s decision to agree hadn’t solely stemmed from Yulim’s almost pleading gaze.

More importantly, it was Yulim’s unwavering determination when she declared her intention to retrieve the sword for Anna that had convinced Eve to believe in her success.

Staring blankly at the night sky, Eve found herself utterly unable to utter the comforting words, ‘Don’t be afraid, Sister Anna, Yulim will always be by your side!’

Yet, in that brief moment of hesitation, Anna released Eve’s embrace.

She reached for the small pouch at her waist.

From it, she retrieved the ring box that had been put away earlier and opened it once more.

She then took out the woman’s ring nestled inside.

“Yulim…”

“You asked me before what marriage means.”

“I’m a bit slow, so I don’t really understand…”

“But what I do understand is…”

“Marriage is about love, about wanting to be with the person you love forever.”

“This ring isn’t just for a clumsy, directionless idiot like me who wants to know where Yulim is…”

“I love Yulim!”

“That’s right! I love you, Yulim!”

“I want to be with Yulim forever! No matter what happens… every single moment… I want to be with you!”

“That’s why I want to marry you!”

Anna, for the second time, extended the ring to the ‘Yulim’ before her. The silver band shimmered with a beautiful luster under the moonlight, mirroring the glistening, flawless eyes in the girl’s reddened gaze.

Anna’s voice, though not loud, clearly conveyed her pure affection to Eve.

The profound impact of that moment caused Eve’s mind to briefly seize.

Anna’s heartfelt words made Eve finally grasp a fundamental truth.

True love is simple and pure.

This wasn’t just true for Anna, confessing to this fake ‘Yulim,’ but also for the real Yulim.

Eve could feel the deep affection the elven girl harbored for Anna.

Anna was willing to offer the ring to Yulim without hesitation, and Yulim was willing to venture into the perilous depths of the Elven Forest to retrieve a sword for Anna.

They had met, understood each other, cherished each other, and accompanied each other.

Neither girl had initially realized that they had fostered a deeper emotion.

Until today, the metaphorical paper screen obstructing their hearts had finally been pierced.

But…

Standing before Anna now was Eve.

Only then did a possibility Eve had never dared to consider begin to form in her mind.

What if Yulim were to fail? What would become of Anna then?

The chasm between joy and utter despair was more than just a matter of semantics!

Eve’s resolve completely shattered.

She finally understood.

In this situation, whether she chose to continue concealing the truth for Yulim or to tell Anna everything, no favorable outcome awaited her.

One path would brand her as a complete deceiver; the other, as a promise-breaker.

Since that was the case, she might as well choose to become the promise-breaker.

Eve accepted her fate readily. From the moment she made her initial decision, she knew that reaching this point was simply her just desserts.

‘Forgive me, Yulim. I never expected I couldn’t even keep it a secret for a single day… As a pure-love warrior, I truly couldn’t bear to see such a tragedy unfold, not even with a one-in-ten-thousand chance…’

She silently apologized to Yulim in her heart.

Eve took a deep breath, then looked at Anna.

The blue-haired girl, believing Eve had made her decision, beamed with joy and prepared to place the ring into Eve’s hand.

However, that hand was gently pushed back.

At the same time, the girl’s voice resonated before her.

“Anna…”

“This ring, it shouldn’t be accepted by me.”

The girl’s voice grew increasingly indistinct with each word, until it was no longer familiar.

A mask materialized in her hand.

In Anna’s bewildered and shocked gaze, Eve placed it upon her face.

****

As her cloak billowed open and her dark golden eyes transformed into crimson, Yulim’s timid aura vanished completely.

Eve had chosen to reveal her true identity as Luosha.

Anna stood stunned for a good while before finally recovering, giving Eve a thumbs-up and giggling foolishly.

“Yulim, you truly are yourself! You just turned into Luosha in an instant!”

“Even though we’re looking for Luosha, the real Luosha won’t appear just because you turn into her, you know.”

“I know my marriage proposal was a bit sudden, but Yulim, you don’t have to use such a strange excuse to reject me! I’m not *that* stupid!”

Eve: ‘…’

‘Damn it, I *am* the real Luosha!’

Several dark lines appeared on Eve’s forehead beneath the mask. She completely deactivated both skills, using her own natural voice.

“Anna, look closely. I am Luosha, not Yulim.”

Anna shook her head. “How could that be? Yulim, your disguise is incredible, true, but at most it changes your appearance and aura, not your inherent physique or body shape.”

“For example, your chest. If you think about it, a Luosha wouldn’t have breasts as big as yours, Yulim.”

Eve: ‘…Anna, I—!’

Her fists clenched. If she weren’t completely outmatched by Anna, Eve would have given her a good two punches.

Anna, however, remained utterly oblivious. She pointed at Eve’s silver hair and continued, “Besides, Yulim, you’ve forgotten your habit. Whenever you disguise yourself, you never change your hair color first.”

“Look, it’s still your original hair color right now.”

Upon hearing this, Eve’s mouth twitched uncontrollably. “I *am* Luosha!”

‘Damn it! I got too clever for my own good. If I knew I couldn’t hide it, why did I dye my hair white for no reason?!’

‘And I’m not even imitating Yulim’s speech anymore! My whole persona has completely broken down, dammit!’

‘Could this idiot Anna really continue to mistake me for Yulim from now on?!’

Anna, however, still didn’t believe her, even retorting, “Hmph, I won’t believe it unless you have something that can prove you’re Luosha.”

Eve truly hadn’t expected this. She was standing right in front of Anna, her actual self, and yet she still had to find a way to prove she was the *real* Luosha?!