Free Web NovelThe Elven Royal Court, Vilanors
Snow-white palace complexes stood at the heart of a forest as green as rolling waves, the sun peeking out from the sea of clouds.
Vieya truly hadn’t slept all night. After coaxing her daughter to sleep, she sat by the window without moving, eyes fixed on the elven city outside. At the boundary where night met dawn, a half-arched rainbow appeared in the sky, stretching from a corner of deep blue straight to the forest’s distant horizon.
Such pure colors—like a dream suspended in midair. Nowhere else did rainbows ever look so breathtaking.
“The rainbows here are beautiful, aren’t they?”
At some point, Aislin had come to her side.
“Yeah. Way prettier than any I’ve seen elsewhere.”
“That’s how it is in the elven lands,” Aislin smiled. “Every morning this rainbow appears on schedule, spanning the entire realm, and it doesn’t fade until nightfall. It’s beautiful—but after seeing it for hundreds of years, you do eventually get tired of it.”
“Sounds like the rainbow bridge connecting Asgard and Midgard in Norse myths... I wonder if people can walk on it,” Vieya muttered softly.
“?” Aislin tilted her head, glancing at the slime girl, clearly puzzled by her train of thought. “You didn’t look like you slept last night. Are you really okay?”
“I’m fine.” Vieya shook her head, closed her eyes briefly, then said softly, “Let’s go.”
......
The suite Aislin had arranged for Vieya wasn’t far from the grand hall where the Elven Queen discussed and handled state affairs. However, before meeting the Queen, they still had to pass an interview with the elven great elders.
Interview—Vieya’s own shorthand for the process.
Though it was still morning, many elves were already out and about. As Aislin led Vieya along the road, the elves’ head-turn rate was ridiculously high. On the surface they were looking at the elven princess, but in reality they were all sneaking glances at the slime girl following behind her.
It had been many years since an outsider last came to Vilanors...
“Heh, Aislin, is this the friend you mentioned—the one who saved your life?”
A blond elf with a side ponytail walked over, curiously sizing up Vieya, then said with a hint of disappointment, “She’s so small. That’s got to be a juvenile form, right? And the quality of magic inside her doesn’t look very high either?”
“Suur, this is a guest of the Elven Royal Court,” Aislin stepped in front of the blond elf. “Please mind your manners.”
“Eh, alright.” The elf girl called Suur laughed and stepped back, spreading her hands. “Then I won’t block your way. Remember to bring your friend to the Star Dew Festival—our elven race hasn’t had outsiders in years.”
Aislin didn’t reply. She merely nodded and continued forward with Vieya.
After walking a while, Vieya couldn’t help asking curiously, “Who was that yellow-haired elf? She was really pretty...”
“......”
Aislin suddenly fell silent. After a long moment, she said gloomily, “Her name is Suur. She’s the eldest daughter of the ‘Salt’ tribe, and one of the strongest competitors for the next Elven Queen.”
“The Salt tribe?”
“Mm.”
Aislin answered softly. “The Elven Royal Court is made up of many different elven tribes. The tribe I belong to is ‘Moon,’ and it’s currently the largest tribe in the court.”
“I see.” Vieya felt enlightened. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
“You’re interested in Suur?” Aislin suddenly asked. “I rarely see you take the initiative to learn about others...”
As she spoke, Aislin’s voice grew quieter. She remembered their first meeting at the docks—Vieya had been completely indifferent to her back then. Cold, even.
The slime girl pursed her lips. She wanted to answer honestly—that Suur’s figure and style were kind of... spicy, very much her type. But after thinking it over, she decided that sounded too flippant. So she said nothing, just shook her head.
“That’s good.” Aislin regained her composure and said in a low voice, “Don’t be fooled by Suur’s looks. She’s a bad elf—loves using and toying with other people’s affections. A real heartbreaker.”
Vieya blinked and said nothing.
So she’s a scumbag elf, huh? She looked pretty dignified and ethereal just now, though.
They walked the rest of the way in silence. Aislin brought the slime girl to the side hall’s entrance and gave one last reminder: “Don’t worry. The elders are all good-natured. Just answer whatever they ask. If you don’t know something, say you don’t know.”
“Easy.”
Vieya flashed an OK sign, pressed down the faint unease in her heart, and pushed the door open.
The moment she stepped inside the side hall, the door behind her slammed shut.
At the same time, Aislin waiting outside completely lost her sense of Vieya’s presence.
On the other side—
Startled by the automatically closing door, the slime girl instinctively turned around, only to have her view blocked by a vast shadow.
An elven woman appeared behind her without warning—wearing a black-and-white woven gown, silver hair cascading like a waterfall, fairy-like beauty and jade elegance. A warm, gentle smile curved her lips, yet her eyes were icy cold, fixed straight on the little slime as if they could see through the heart itself.
In that instant, Vieya’s body truly froze for a beat. Not only from the oppressive difference in height and presence, but also because that face—so similar to Aislin’s—sent a shock through her mind.
Got it. This is /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Aislin’s mom, no doubt about it.
Wasn’t I supposed to fight the small elite mobs first to grind some experience before facing the final boss?
Why did I walk in and get locked onto by the big boss immediately?
Worse still, a cold aura enveloped her surroundings. Under its influence, even her thoughts began to slow.
...Will Aislin grow this big too in the future?
As that stray thought crossed her mind, Vieya silently activated her Seventh Authority—the passive ability derived from the Heavenly Pegasus—to dispel all external forces affecting her body.
The next second, the icy aura around her was blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to advance even an inch.
Vieya returned to normal.
The Elven Queen’s expression shifted slightly. Curious, she asked, “How did you do that? Your internal magic level is still hovering around the eighth tier.”
“...Just a trivial trick. I hope it doesn’t amuse Your Majesty.”
With a thought, Vieya activated her First Authority—the power to turn stillness into motion and motion into stillness. It ran quietly, directly freezing the Elven Queen’s body in place. She spoke softly,
“I came this time with sincerity. I only wish to make a deal with you, Your Majesty.”
Feeling her body immobilized by nothing more than a touch, the Elven Queen showed no anger. Instead, she smiled.
“Interesting. And what do you have that you can trade with me?”
“Your daughter, Aislin.”
Vieya replied calmly. “I can help her ascend to the position of the next Elven Queen. Right now, she has many competitors and places considerable trust in me. I could shatter her resolve—or I could help her sit on the throne with legitimacy. Your Majesty, you wouldn’t want to see your daughter fall into the abyss because of your choices, would you?”
