Free Web NovelIt seemed that sometimes being too popular was also a kind of trouble.
But for some reason, the feeling wasn’t bad at all.
Look—those little elves had been beaten up by so many competitors, yet they still came specifically to give me fruit to eat. Didn’t that just prove my charm was sky-high? Off-the-charts high. Popular wherever I went?
“Let’s go. She probably just mistook me for someone else. I’ll gladly accept the fruit though~”
With that said, the slime girl happily gnawed on the fruit while accompanying a completely speechless Aislin and Jasmine into the palace.
This was a grand hall dedicated to banquets—clean, orderly, spacious, and magnificent. Every table was piled high with fruits and pastries. Two elves who had been rivals just yesterday could now clink glasses at the same table, chatting and laughing cheerfully.
Walking along the red velvet carpet, Vieya ran into Sul, who was wandering around looking for female elves to drink with, and also encountered the head of the Lano family, who sat alone at a table eating quietly...
As she passed by, Vieya warmly waved to each of them in greeting.
“Wow—my good sister is here too! Want to have a few drinks with us?” Sul raised her glass in invitation.
“No, no. You all enjoy yourselves.”
“Come on, sister! The election’s over—competitors turn into good sisters now!”
“I have things to do tonight. I’ll invite you properly next time...”
Vieya smiled politely, then proactively turned to strike up a conversation with the Lano family head who was eating alone.
“Sister Lano, would you like to take a walk with us tonight?”
“Hmm? So it’s Miss Vieya... Good evening. But please let me stay here quietly by myself. I’m not very used to moving around too much,” Lano said gloomily.
“...Alright then. We won’t disturb you while you grow mushrooms here.”
“Mm. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Vieya waved as she took her leave. Just stepping inside, she had already encountered two family heads—plus the one right at her side, that made three families’ blood secured.
But where had the remaining family head gone?
Vieya fell into thought.
Beside her, Aislin asked oddly, “Little Vieya, you’re unusually proactive tonight. You’re greeting every elf you see.”
“Exactly. Mom’s getting more and more fond of flirting around,” Jasmine chimed in resentfully.
“Hey now, I just want to change myself a little. Be more enthusiastic with everyone. Don’t react so strongly.”
Vieya waved her hand dismissively, then turned the tables and bit back, “Besides, I just want to make a few more friends. Is that not allowed either?”
“......” Aislin opened her mouth, then, finding nothing to say, could only sigh dejectedly.
This slime really had a way with words—clearly harboring ulterior motives, yet dressing herself up in such righteous, dignified language.
But Jasmine, standing nearby, didn’t care about any of that. She muttered, “Even for friends, this is way too enthusiastic. There’s no sense of boundaries at all...”
“Hey—what do you, you unlucky kid, know?!”
Vieya vigorously kneaded Jasmine’s cheeks like dough, rubbing until she could only make muffled “mmph mmph” sounds before finally letting go. Then she narrowed her emerald-green eyes and threatened,
“Little Jasmine, when we’re outside, you have to listen to Mom. You’re not allowed to sabotage my scene, got it?”
“Dohn re...” Jasmine replied indistinctly. Her fair little face was covered in finger marks from the slime’s kneading, her eyes watery, making her look extremely pitiful.
“You’re really only good at bullying your own daughter,” Aislin said, exasperated.
“......”
You’re an unlucky elf too!
Vieya shot a vicious glare at the silver-haired elf behind her. After that, there was only silence as they walked on without speaking.
She just wanted to build good relationships with everyone, so that when the time came to draw blood, there ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ wouldn’t be any friction or lack of cooperation.
Was that wrong? No, it wasn’t.
Soon, the banquet reached its climax.
The invited elves took their seats in an orderly fashion. The little elves who had been playing around in the aisles quieted down and ran back to their elders, standing obediently at their sides, peeking timidly toward the high platform at the end of the red carpet.
The Elven Royal Court—Hall of Conferment.
This palace had a history of tens of thousands of years. According to legend, when the first Elven Queen built the Elven Royal Court, she had constructed it at the same time, making it the true sanctuary of the court. It had been repaired many times, and rebuilt many times, yet even now it still retained a strong architectural style from ancient eras. Two red drapes hung down from above, swaying gently in the breeze.
Several past Elven Queens had ascended the stage here. For an ordinary elf, being able to step onto this stage was considered the highest possible honor.
Tonight, the hall—capable of holding nearly ten thousand elves—was packed to the brim. Even elves who couldn’t squeeze inside gradually clogged the entrances and windows, surrounding the entire Hall of Conferment so tightly that not a drop of water could pass through.
For the elven race, this was a grand occasion that might only be seen once every few hundred years—something that almost only appeared when a trusted Elven Queen was born.
The elven guards tasked with maintaining order were suffering immensely, though fortunately, most elves understood etiquette, so no incidents broke out for the time being.
The first to take the stage was the elf responsible for the opening ceremony. She wore sacred ceremonial robes and spoke of The Inheritance of the Elves.
The curtains on the stage hung low. Despite it being deep into the night, the lighting was abundant and bright, while the guests whispered softly among themselves.
Normally, at banquets with such a festive atmosphere, people would already be clinking glasses and talking loudly. But tonight, no one raised their voice. The guests wore meticulously prepared attire—long gowns reaching the floor, composed and reserved like proper ladies.
“That’s the current head of the 【Ba】 Clan,” Aislin lowered her voice as she looked at the ceremonial elf on stage. “Historically, ceremonies like this have always been handled by their family.”
Vieya nodded in understanding. After spending so much time in the Elven Royal Court, she had also noticed that the four great elven families each had their own divisions of responsibility.
Aislin’s 【Sen】 Clan seemed to be the one with the highest investment in combat power among all elves. Most of the primary combat forces were connected to their family, and the current family head was also the Elven Queen.
As for the other three great families, Vieya didn’t know much—only roughly who their family heads were...
However, the elf currently presiding over the ceremony, she had only seen once before—on the day Isabelle had her accident, in the recovery house.
Unfortunately, that day the elf had been wearing a veil. Vieya hadn’t seen her face, nor did she know her name.
“What’s her name?” Vieya asked curiously.
Aislin shook her head. “You’d have to ask Mother, or Sister Kui whom we met that day. It seems that successive heads of their family all hide their true names. Only a very small number of elves know them.”
“So mysterious?”
Vieya paused, staring intently at the elf maiden on stage—her figure both graceful and sacred—as if trying to discern something from her.
But the other party still wore a thin layer of white gauze, making her features hard to see.
‘Forget it. Better not use Appraisal. No need to step on someone else’s taboo...’
Vieya suppressed her curiosity, shifted her gaze to the fruits and pastries in front of her, and licked her lips.
At this point, it was better to fill her stomach first.
