Free Web NovelIt wasn’t that she was so happy she couldn’t speak.
Forget Aislin—even Vieya’s own mind was completely blank right now.
Objectively speaking, the condition the Elf Queen offered her was very simple, and tempting. But almost immediately, the images of her daughter and Flaviel surfaced in her mind, turning that temptation into deep unease.
Isn’t this supposed to be the land of the elves?
How did it suddenly turn into the Daughter Kingdom of the eighty-one trials?
Without giving her any chance to react, the Elf Queen pulled her own daughter and Vieya together and forcefully shut the door again. The side hall darkened at once, like a giant mouth about to swallow the slime, a faint chill seeping out.
“Are you rejecting an elf’s love?” the Elf Queen said.
“Love?”
Vieya took a few steps back uneasily. Facing that cold, proud face, she hesitated. “According to what you said, senior, doing this would indeed let me achieve my goal, but...”
“There is no ‘but.’”
The Elf Queen cut her off coldly. “Together, you both gain. Apart, you both lose. If you miss this chance and want to find another, I can responsibly tell you—it will be very difficult.”
After a pause, she added, “As long as you agree, I can personally help you with the matters concerning you. Not only your own problems, but your daughter’s problems, or even your questions about this world—I can answer them all for you.”
“...But Aislin...”
“Why are you talking so much? My daughter has already given tacit consent. What objections does a slime like you still have?” the Elf Queen said coldly.
“...Then, happy cooperation?” Vieya suddenly felt like she was stealing a chicken—dangerous, but thrilling.
The coldness on the Elf Queen’s face turned into a strange smile. “Happy cooperation.”
As soon as the words fell, the Elf Queen waved her hand and sent the slime flying out of the side hall. In an instant, only the elven mother and daughter remained inside.
As if everything that had just happened had been an illusion.
Only then did the flushed Aislin snap out of her mental meltdown. “Mom... am I really going to become Vieya’s partner?”
“Unwilling?” the Elf Queen raised an eyebrow.
“No...”
Aislin fiddled with her fingers. “I feel like using something like this to pressure her is unfair to her...” Her voice grew lower and lower. “And she already has someone she loves...”
“Foolish daughter. Remember this—many opportunities in this world, once missed, are lost forever.”
The Elf Queen spoke earnestly. “If you lose this chance and she leaves here, it will be very hard for you to ever cross paths with her again. Many friends are like that—walking together for a while, and then never seeing each other again. So tell me, can you accept that ending?”
Aislin thought for a moment, remained silent for a while, then shook her head in obedience to her own heart.
“Mom... does Dad know about this?”
“Him?”
The Elf Queen crossed her arms and said calmly, “I have my own arrangements on that side. You don’t need to worry. During the Star Dew Festival, find a way to eliminate the other competitors yourself. After the next Queen is ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ confirmed, we’ll announce your matter with that little slime.”
“Mom... are you really stepping down?”
“I’ve sat in this position long enough,” the Elf Queen said flatly. “According to our clan’s traditions, it’s time to cultivate the next Queen. To truly inherit the throne, even after you win the election, you’ll still need a long period to receive the World Tree’s knowledge.”
“That is the foundation of this land. Once you shoulder its responsibility, you’ll hardly have any chance to go out and seek someone you can cling to and depend on. So calm down first, and carefully experience this romance with that little slime. Whether it succeeds or fails, whatever the final outcome, it will be of great help to you in accepting the World Tree’s knowledge,” the Elf Queen said.
At this moment, Aislin vaguely realized a terrifying truth.
Before taking the throne, successive Elf Queens would always find a partner in advance. If she hadn’t run away from home for over ten years, she probably would have been dragged into blind dates long ago.
“Mom... how did you and Dad meet back then?”
“...So you’re curious about that now?”
The Elf Queen glanced at her daughter. “I needed an anchor to stabilize my emotional cognition, so I went out and grabbed someone who looked agreeable enough and brought them back.”
As she spoke, she pulled over a chair and slowly sat down, looking at Aislin’s odd expression as she said calmly,
“If you want something, go take it with your own hands. Don’t you understand that yet?”
...
“An old elf who’s lived for thousands of years—her scheming really runs deep.”
Standing under the scorching sunlight outside the palace, Vieya felt chilled to the bone. “There must be other ways. That old elf is definitely deliberately deceiving me. Damn it—she even deceived her own daughter along with me... What exactly is her objective?”
“Right, I remember Aislin saying her family was harmonious, with both parents present. Then why hasn’t her father shown up for something this big?”
“And Aislin... she seems to have developed other feelings toward me. When did that happen? I don’t remember doing anything that would make her like me.”
“The World Tree... is it really as god-defying as those ancient human records claim? And those ritual conditions...”
Thinking of this, Vieya couldn’t help but sigh.
This is way too hard. Why is it that necromancers can just wave their hands and resurrect terrifying giant bone dragons, but when I want to revive one cute little yellow dragon, it’s so damn difficult?
Do I really have to become Aislin’s partner?
Maybe after achieving my goal, I could just pull my pants up and dump the elf... but that would be way too beastly, wouldn’t it?
Using someone’s feelings like that was something Vieya found hard to accept—especially with an elf as pure and harmless as Aislin. There weren’t many genuinely good people left these days, and she didn’t want to hurt her...
Sigh. No wonder this elven mother and daughter fell out. Turns out they’re just incompatible.
Suddenly—
Vieya shivered, as if something were secretly watching her.
The Elf Queen?
She turned back to look at the white palace complex, frowned, then relaxed. Better to find an elven tavern and unwind a bit.
Anyway, she had plenty of time now. With the Sixth Authority’s divine concealment, plus Aislin’s obedience to her, one day she’d definitely be able to pry the World Tree’s secrets out of the Elf Queen.
“The Elf Queen looks to be in the mature phase of her life cycle—she’s at least several thousand years away from decline. Yet she’s in such a hurry to find a successor. There must be hidden reasons here. That’s a breakthrough point. Looks like I need to find ways to learn more about the elven race.”
The answer to this problem would probably have to start with Aislin.
“So annoying. I feel like I’m walking farther and farther down the scumbag path of exploiting a girl’s feelings,” the slime girl thought gloomily.
Forget it.
Since things have come to this, I’ll go drink first.
Following the street, Vieya arrived at a small tavern in the elven city called “Dukang.”
Don’t be fooled by the elves’ love of peace—they also had a habit of drinking early.
It wasn’t even ten in the morning, yet the outdoor tables in front of the tavern were already full of elves of all kinds, eating assorted fruits and drinking low-proof elven wine.
Vieya felt her appetite stirred, and the gloom in her heart dissipated a little. She walked over and sat at the last empty table.
Just as she was about to order—
Her shoulder was suddenly patted, neither lightly nor heavily.
“Hey, sister. Why are you drinking alone here? Did something unhappy happen?”
A pleasant voice sounded from behind. Turning around, she saw the yellow-haired elf she’d met in the morning standing familiarly behind her, one hand on her shoulder, the other frivolously brushing her hair.
“Looks like your guide is gone. Then how about I be your guide next?”
The yellow-haired elf smiled sweetly. “My name’s Sul. I’m an elf who lives in this city. Cute miss from another race—shall we get to know each other?”
“Sorry, I’m not in the mood,” Vieya said flatly. “Go find someone else.”
“Oh come on, don’t be so heartless.”
Ignoring the slime’s displeased gaze, Sul gracefully sat down across from her, propping her elbows on the wooden table, fingers interlaced under her chin, smiling as she said,
“Guests are guests, sister.”
“Who’s your sister?” Vieya said speechlessly.
She hadn’t expected this elf to be pretty but have such a bottom-tier personality. Sigh... Her mood to taste elven wine vanished instantly. She stood up to leave. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
“Sister, do you know why Her Majesty chose to select a successor this year?”
Behind her, Sul asked calmly.
Vieya abruptly stopped and turned her head. “What do you mean by that?”
