Free Web NovelAfter gently hugging her daughter, Vieya handed out the flower cakes to the two children, then asked with sudden confusion, “Where’s Isabel?”
“She entered the elven healing lodge with you. You only had motion sickness, so some special medicine was enough for you to recover. But she has quite a few issues, so she won’t be leaving the healing lodge anytime soon.”
Aislin walked over to the window, glanced outside, and said with a soothing smile, “But don’t worry. The medical standards of our elven race are very high. Even if she’s a monster, she can still be treated.”
“That impressive?” Vieya asked.
“Of course.” Aislin nodded proudly. “Don’t look at how the human side has high-ranking priests who can borrow divine power—we elves aren’t weak either. Even someone like me, who isn’t good at healing magic, can still perform recovery and conditioning skills!”
Vieya nodded thoughtfully, her gaze unconsciously drifting to her daughter, who was happily munching on flower cakes. She spoke with concern,
“Then... could you help Jasmine get a physical checkup? All these years, my daughter’s body hasn’t really developed much... I’ve asked human doctors and priests before, but none of them reached any conclusions.”
“......”
Jasmine, suddenly becoming the center of attention, felt the flower cake in her mouth lose its sweetness. Why did the topic suddenly turn to me?
I hate seeing doctors...
But she didn’t dare argue with Mother. She just lowered her head and quietly kept eating.
“I can’t really tell what’s going on with Jasmine...” Aislin fell silent for a moment, then said apologetically, “If we have time, after you finish talking with the elders tomorrow, come with me and we’ll take Jasmine to see an elven physician.”
“That works.”
Vieya made the decision, completely ignoring the way her daughter’s face scrunched up like a bitter melon.
After that, Aislin explained more stories about the Elven Royal Court to Vieya, as well as the personalities of the great elders and the temperament of the current Elven Queen.
“In short, the current Elven Queen has a strict personality and strong prejudice against other races. Once she speaks or makes a decision, even if all the elders oppose it together, it won’t change. Um... little Vieya, how about tomorrow I go with you instead? I can help speak on your behalf.”
“It’s fine. The Elven Queen is your family, right? And you said yourself that you’ve already entered the competition for the throne—this is a time to be cautious. Otherwise, if I ruin the image you’ve built among the other elves, I’d really become a jinx—getting close to anyone only to bring them trouble.”
Vieya smiled lightly and said seriously, “Anyway, don’t worry. I’ll know my limits.”
“You’re not a jinx...”
Aislin hesitated, still worried, but didn’t press further. She simply continued telling Vieya about the current Elven Queen’s likes and dislikes, until night gradually fell. Only then did she leave the guest suite with Elliti.
As they departed, the refined and elegant little house fell silent once more. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The slime girl sat quietly on a chair, lost in thought. Tomorrow, she would finally obtain the answers she had been seeking for so long. But... was the World Tree’s method of revival truly feasible? Had that old demon in the dungeon really not deceived her? Could liquid time truly have any effect?
If it didn’t work, should she stay here and wait for the World Tree to cool down and recover, or continue searching for other methods?
All the answers would be revealed tomorrow, yet Vieya’s heart was restless and tense, as though she’d returned to years ago, staying up late on the night before checking her college entrance exam results.
Shaking her head to throw those chaotic thoughts away, she tried to communicate with Flaviel, who had been silent for a long time.
But the dragon horn showed no reaction.
“Ugh... still not awake after sleeping this long?”
The slime girl twirled a strand of hair in frustration. She had a feeling she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
......
Aislin sat quietly before the doors of the Elven Queen’s bedchamber, letting the night breeze ruffle her hair.
The elven guards who occasionally passed by were long used to the sight. After nodding in greeting, they paid it no further mind. The strained relationship between the Elven Queen and her daughter was something nearly the entire elven race knew about. Giving each other the cold shoulder was nothing new.
Moreover, Aislin bringing back a friend of another race had clearly displeased the Elven Queen. These past days, Aislin had repeatedly sought an audience, only to be turned away every time.
The guards who witnessed this couldn’t help but feel sympathy. They had seen [N O V E L I G H T] the foreign friend the princess brought back—quiet, well-behaved, neither causing trouble nor making a fuss. She looked like a sensible child.
“Sigh... Her Majesty the Queen’s heart is really hard. She’s refused to see the princess for months now. The princess used to be so cheerful and smiling—now she’s getting quieter and quieter,” one elven guard sighed.
“Our princess has been stubborn since childhood. Over ten years ago, she ran off to become a bard despite Her Majesty’s objections, and for so many years she didn’t even send a single letter back. That made the Queen furious... It wasn’t until three years ago that the princess returned and took the initiative to apologize. Their rift was almost gone—who knew this would happen again.”
“But the princess’s friend doesn’t look like a bad person to me...”
“Who knows? Have you forgotten what happened over twenty years ago?”
A chill ran through the guards’ hearts. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
Twenty-six years ago, the World Tree that the elven race had guarded for generations was nearly destroyed, almost causing an irreversible catastrophe—because Her Majesty’s own younger sister brought so-called friends to Vilanors as guests.
Those so-called friends instead brought a terrifying disaster to the Elven Royal Court. Afterward, Her Majesty the Queen personally imprisoned her sister—the one who had cut off the disaster at its source—in the death dungeon, issuing the order: “She may only be released after all monsters are dead.”
“Shh... let’s keep patrolling...”
The night was deep, the evening wind cold.
Aislin wasn’t particularly afraid of the chill on her skin, but her chest felt as though it were packed with blocks of ice, numbing her from within.
After who knew how long, seeing no movement from the bedchamber behind her, Aislin sighed and stood up, rubbing her cold arms as she prepared to leave.
Then suddenly—
The Elven Queen’s majestic voice echoed in her heart.
“Come in, my daughter. I hope you will not regret today’s choice in the future.”
Creak...
The doors of the bedchamber slowly opened a crack. Aislin froze, then turned back to the entrance, bowed slightly, and stepped inside.
Only a single small candle was lit in the chamber. The Elven Queen sat at her desk, her tall and graceful figure bathed in candlelight. Long, silver, silky hair cascaded down her back, and she wore a crimson cloak, bent over as she wrote something. Her presence was both imposing and gentle.
Aislin quietly closed the door, feeling somewhat constrained.
“Mother, I—”
“No need to say more. I know why you came.” The Elven Queen set down her quill and said calmly, “I only wish to ask you one question.”
“Of course, Mother. Please ask,” Aislin said with lowered eyes.
The Elven Queen straightened the papers on her desk and said evenly, “Do you truly understand the background of that friend of yours?”
“She is a monster girl... and also the Holy Sword wielder from the human side,” Aislin answered.
“And what else?” the Elven Queen asked lightly.
Aislin lifted her head in confusion, her expression seeming to ask: what else could there be?
The Elven Queen fell silent for a moment, studying Aislin deeply. Doubt rose in her heart—
Could her daughter truly become a good next Elven Queen?
After a long pause, when Aislin began anxiously fidgeting with her fingers, the Elven Queen finally spoke with a hint of helplessness,
“My dear daughter, all I can tell you is to think more about this matter. Think carefully—does that friend of yours truly deserve your trust?”
“...Mother,” Aislin said, her voice complex. “I believe in her.”
“And then?” the Elven Queen suddenly smiled. “You intend to expose the secret the elven race has guarded for ten thousand years to an outsider? Or are you planning to choose her as your spouse?”
“No—no, Mother!” Aislin grew flustered, but when she saw the strange look in the Queen’s eyes, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her, instantly calming her down.
She took a deep breath and reorganized her words. “Even if she’s just a friend, I still think she’s worth trusting. Her eyes are like those of someone who’s often been on the battlefield, commanding tens of thousands of troops. That kind of gaze is different from ordinary people.”
“The entire outside world is developing rapidly now. The threat of monsters is growing, and undercurrents are surging everywhere. Our elven race can’t remain isolated. Sealing off the Elven Forest isn’t a long-term solution—we need allies. True allies...”
“Allies?” the Queen said meaningfully. “You mean that friend of yours? And do you believe eyes never lie... heh heh. Are you certain you have no other feelings for her?”
“......”
Aislin didn’t know why her mother was fixating on this tonight.
She took another deep breath, pressed down the tangled thoughts in her heart, and nodded seriously.
“Heh heh, is that all you came to tell me this time?” the Queen asked again.
Aislin chose her words carefully. “I hope that when you speak with her tomorrow, Mother, you won’t make things too difficult for her... even if her goal is the World Tree.”
“Heh heh, that I can agree to.” Resting her chin on her hand, the Elven Queen looked at Aislin with interest. “But are you truly certain you have no other feelings for her?”
Aislin hesitated, then nodded. “We’re friends.”
“Heh heh, very well. Go back and rest. Tomorrow, I’ll speak with her calmly, as you requested,” the Queen said lightly.
“Hah...”
Aislin let out a long breath of relief. She knew that once her mother made a promise, there would at least be a baseline of assurance. And she had already warned Vieya’s side in advance...
“Then, Mother, I’ll take my leave.” Aislin bowed and left the bedchamber, feeling a great weight lifted.
Heh heh, just friends?
The Elven Queen suddenly smiled, gazing in the direction Aislin had left, and murmured softly,
“Yes... eyes don’t lie.”
