Leilia is a young woman belonging to the Iorph race, a people who stop aging in their mid-teens and live for centuries. She is introduced as the closest friend of Maquia within their secluded village, where she lives alongside her friends Maquia and Krim. Leilia is described as spirited, rebellious, and free-spirited, with a confident and passionate nature that contrasts with Maquia’s more reserved demeanor. She is considered the most beautiful girl in her clan.

Her life is dramatically altered when the Mezarte kingdom invades the Iorph village in search of the secret to their longevity. During the attack, Leilia is captured and taken to the royal palace. She is forced into a political marriage with the prince of Mezarte, with the kingdom aiming to introduce Iorph blood into the royal bloodline and produce an heir who might inherit their long life. This arrangement strips her of her freedom and isolates her from her people. She becomes a prisoner within the palace, treated as a commodity rather than a person.

Leilia’s motivations are initially rooted in her desire to be reunited with her former lover, Krim, and to escape her captivity. However, after she gives birth to a daughter named Medmel, her focus shifts to her child. The palace staff keep Medmel separated from Leilia from birth, as the girl shows no physical signs of Iorph heritage. This forced separation becomes a source of deep, enduring anguish for Leilia, and her primary motivation turns into the longing to see and be with her daughter. Over the years, she is consumed by despair and isolation, kept sane only by the thought of her child.

Within the story, Leilia serves as a dark parallel to Maquia. While Maquia finds a measure of freedom and fulfillment in the human world by raising an adopted son, Leilia is trapped in the royal court, denied the opportunity to be a true mother to her own child. Her experience highlights the tragedy of being treated as a vessel for a bloodline and the cruelty of being separated from one’s family. Her role is that of a victim of political ambition and a symbol of lost autonomy.

Key relationships define her arc. Her bond with Maquia is one of deep friendship, and their reunion years later is charged with emotion. Her relationship with Krim is romantic before her capture, but over time, she comes to see his obsessive, single-minded drive to rescue her as a burden rather than a source of hope. When Krim finally reaches her during a siege, she rejects his plan to flee, prioritizing her desire to see her daughter over escape. Her most painful relationship is with her daughter, Medmel. Leilia obsesses over the girl from a distance, but they only share a brief, tragic encounter near the end of the film, where Medmel does not recognize her.

Leilia’s development follows a trajectory from a vibrant, confident young woman to a broken, passive prisoner consumed by sorrow. For much of the story, she displays little agency, appearing meek and resigned to her fate. This passivity contrasts with her initial personality, creating a sense of a character whose spirit has been worn down by years of captivity and loss. In the climax of the film, after a brief reunion with Medmel, she finally reclaims her will. Encouraged by Maquia, she chooses to leave the palace behind and fly away on the last living Renato, achieving a bittersweet liberation. Her arc ends with her moving forward, having let go of her past.

As an Iorph, Leilia possesses the natural abilities of her race: she does not age beyond her teenage appearance and lives for centuries. She is also skilled in weaving Hibiol, a special cloth that records the passage of time, a traditional craft of her people. Beyond these traits, she has no supernatural abilities; her significance lies in her personal journey and the thematic contrast she provides to the protagonist.