135. Spring outing (3)

The woman in front of me had a one-sided expression. It was not natural for me to be pleased with her because of her small acquaintance.

I slowly took her image into her eyes.

A woman with blue-green eyes and golden hair. Her beauty possessed an elegance that transcended her race.

And indeed, she was openly exposing her long ears, which signaled to her that she was not human.

Friel Arielt.

She was none other than the Great Forest’s elf.

‘… Why the hell are elves here?’

Elves in this world are a closed race.

Settled in the Great Forest between the kingdom and the empire, they do not easily show their faces to human society.

At most, like this time, he only attended important events such as the coming-of-age ceremony of the first princess of the kingdom and the enthronement ceremony of the emperor of the empire. They just spend most of their time leisurely in their own area, as if the circumstances of the short-lived species are not their business.

Even if this is Friel Arielt, there is no difference. After all, he’s just an elf….

The relationship with me that Friel wanted was a master-servant relationship.

No, to be precise, as much as I remember wanting to have something nice to look at or a pet.

No matter how strong a goblin’s greed is, there’s no way he’ll leave the World Tree and come back just to get a pet.

The goal of my thoughts is getting deeper.

However, even in the midst of that, I simply lowered my head to answer her greeting, and then asked a question.

“… How did you find out our identities?”

After seeing Maehwa, we returned to the city and wrapped ourselves in robes again to hide our identities.

It’s going to be pretty hard to find us without some insight.

“Hmm.”

Certainly, Siabelle also seemed to be interested in the subtle distance between Me, Sione, and Friel, and her insight.

Even if that wasn’t the case, Siabel was just staring at her ears as if she were seeing her elf for the first time.

Friel took a moment to check Sia Bell’s expression before she replied.

“Ever since I was young, I have had good eyesight… Yes, Ray, the scent from you has become thicker.”

Friel’s fake smile grew thicker. Then, her great interest melts into her gaze and attacks me.

‘Tsk… ….’

It was a natural reaction.

The elf race itself is a very unique race that can smell the scent of spirits.

In the meantime, my spirit’s energy has developed more chastely, and the skills I can demonstrate through this have also increased.

The energy of my spirit blended in the gentle wind and tickled the tip of her nose.

The wind mixed with freshness, and the plain scent of a fire burning in the firewood.

It wasn’t strange that the elf who smelled the scent ignited his curiosity about me.

So it wasn’t unusual for her to be interested in me… I’m just really unhappy with this situation.

‘It’s become a nuisance.’

She’s already been to her own side once, and it’s Friel who speaks proudly on her deserted morning walk.

I don’t know if it’s less than then… She showed more interest than me that day.

There were many people around her, so she did not openly show her greed, but it was obvious that she was currently struggling in her deep greed.

Probably, if I wasn’t clinging to Sione’s side, Friel would come up to me and start talking nonsense again.

‘It will be stuck in the Great Forest. Why did they come to the count’s house and do this?’

As I tried to denigrate her burdensome interest in my heart, I saw Shione’s reaction.

Flinch.

“… Scent?”

Fragrance. Shione’s body shook for a moment at Friel’s words that the scent that emanated from her intensified.

Shione’s tone was cold as she whispered her words.

I thought that spring was coming and she went back to the north with Arya. Her bone-chilling cold still lingered in Shione’s small voice.

Unless those pointy ears were decorations, Friel must have heard Shione’s cold whispers.

She said with a casual, friendly smile.

“There are many eyes here… It’s going to be hard to take off the hood here. Now, shall we go inside the church and talk for a minute?”

“Wait… Let’s talk.”

Unlike when Shione and I chatted and played, it was like Ainel doing business in the office.

Siabel, who relieved her emotions and left only insensitive reason, accepted Friel’s question first.

Siabelle pulled back her hood and slowly entered the church, and Sione and I followed after them.

Even in the midst of this, my head is spinning fast in this sudden situation.

She summarized her thoughts on why elves are here.

‘The elves, and Ainel said, the Arielt family—’

… I’m sure you’re one of the three families recognized for their authority by the high elves.

Not only did they take on the main role of protecting and managing the World Tree, but they also had the right to share the blessings of the spirits with the high elves.

‘… It’s clear that there’s something wrong.’

The daughter-in-law of such a family dared to visit from the easternmost point to the westernmost point of the kingdom.

Those handsome goblins who always live only in the forest where the roots of the world tree reach.

And the fact that the better-looking dwarves among them left their sanctuary and came all the way here….

This must mean that there is something important that the high-ranking person has to personally come to this place to resolve.

‘I don’t know what kind of responsibility I came here for.’

I could tell that it would never be light.

Siabel and Friel entered the church first and talked.

Along with Tong Seong-myeong, the two shared each other’s approximate social position to gauge, and the story was opened in moderation.

Sia Bell put a puzzled look on her face, which had been numb to the point of being cold.

“The count had not received any message that a person from the Great Forest, and an elf from the trusted family of Frielt, would come to the territory, but… …. If he had sent a message, he would have been able to enter the territory with an ample welcome. If it’s not rude, can I ask why you came to our territory without any news?”

The elf was an unscheduled guest.

Also, it is not a person to meet without any connection in front of the church in Yeongji like this.

“The reason why I came to Yeongji without any message… It’s a pretty serious story. I’m going to have a long talk with the head of Cianella later. Lady Siabelle? Could you be considerate of me?”

However, Friel avoided giving us the answer, and Siabel quietly exchanged her gaze with Friel Arielt.

The image of blue pupils is caught in Friel’s turquoise eyes. Conversely, Siabelle’s blue eyes capture the image of turquoise pupils.

For the two of them, peeking into each other’s depths was a quicker way to confirm than chatting with words.

The two of them exchanged glances like that and exchanged private or quite public conversations.

In the meantime, Sia Belle came out and glanced back at Shione before she asked Friel.

“I think you knew my brother and Ray… ….”

At Siabelle’s uncharacteristically lengthy question, Friel Arielt smiled brightly, as if the topic of conversation he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

“I can’t know. On the day of Her Highness’s coming-of-age ceremony, with Lady Shione—”

Friel raised her head a little and met Sione’s eyes.

Shione’s expression cooled down at the moment of their meeting.

“Because I saw with my own eyes how one brave knight guarded Her Highness closer than anyone else from the scoundrels who dared to attack.”

Friel, who had been staring at me through Shione, starts brushing my blonde hair with her graceful gestures.

“The loyalty of the two of you that I saw at that time shone so brightly that it took my eyes off you for a moment.”

Saying that, Friel’s smile turned toward me.

“I heard the news on the way to Yeongji. She said that Lady Sione said she jumped over a wall as an archer… Congratulations.”

“… Thank you.”

Shione raised the corner of her mouth at Friel’s words. However, her eyes did not smile and contained Friel coldly.

Shione, who was like a cute puppy, was uncharacteristically sensitive like a fussy cat.

If you stroke her hair a few times, she will feel her temper again, but her mood is the mood, so she can’t put her hand on her head.

I just watched Friel, who handled the situation skillfully, and Shione, who dispersed her subtle tension.

Friel gave her a refreshing smile and nodded her head.

“Besides-“

Blue-green eyes roll and embrace me.

“Did you hear a lot about the knight?”

“… ….”

“A man who knows how to use magic… Moreover, they said that even the devil was captured with a single arrow…….”

As Friel showed to Sione, she had a fresh smile like a blooming sprout.

“So… I thought she was like a loyal knight. Thinking about it again, I think the word prince in a fairy tale would be more appropriate. It’s really cool.”

However, I feel that her smile is more artificial than anything else, far from being taken by the elf’s beautiful smile. The denial only increased.

And that’s when the words ended. A priest started approaching us from inside the church.

A man with silver hair. Zion Cianella.

From noble mtl dot com

Confirming that he was approaching, Friel shrugged her shoulders and continued her words.

“It would be nice if we could have a separate talk with Youngae and Ray. It seems like a lot of time has passed… My colleagues who came to the county together will be waiting for me. I guess I should go first.”

“Can I hear when you plan to visit the Count’s residence?”

“I plan to visit you by tonight, is that okay?”

“I will tell my mother separately. Our Countess… We will welcome the Arielt family.”

* *

Shion joined, and Friel Arielt left the church.

In the short amount of time she was in, Sione clearly felt that there was something stuck in her heart.

Frustration and a little anxiety.

All of the trivial but negative thoughts stemmed from the past that happened last fall.

The situation she saw the moment she came out of the dorm because the return of Ray, who went to meet alone with Her Highness, was too late.

Ray had narrowed the distance with Friel Arielt more than necessary.

His cold expression, and the eyes of Friel Arielt, stricken with possessiveness.

His obnoxiously strong possessiveness was so blatant that it did not match the elves widely known for their integrity and innocence.

And that possessive desire was none other than Ray.

─I’m sorry… I have no intention of becoming Mr. Friel’s.

I didn’t like it.

The very fact that someone else is coveting what I have obtained completely.

That’s why I was with Shion and Siabelle unnie saying hello.

I came out of the church with the excuse that I would get some fresh air and see Friel off.

I pulled the hood down to cover her hair and approached Friel.

She faced me as if she knew it.

“Priel. I haven’t forgotten what happened in the fall.”

Friel stroked her chin and tilted her head.

“Autumn thing?”

The elf was laughing.

“You seem to have been particularly focused on Ray today. That’s why I thought I’d talk a little bit about the car that was seeing me off.”

“… ….”

“I don’t want you to be greedy for Ray anymore. He-“

My current attitude. My voice that comes out bluntly while staring straight into your eyes may seem a little rude, but….

But, as expected, in the fall of last year, Friel didn’t do the most rude thing to me first.

That’s why I just continued my words without hesitation.

“My property. You are my only slave.”