Liya pushed open the gate and stood in the courtyard, looking at the crowd that had gathered.

Leon was standing at the entrance of the mansion, with an elf with long, pointed ears standing beside her.

The appearance of an elf naturally attracted the attention of many servants.

Lia waved her hand, dismissing the servants.

Then, she turned her gaze to the elf.

She had long blonde hair and danced gracefully in the air.

She was wrapped in pure white silk, and her fair skin seemed to glow in the sunlight.

Her petite body looked somewhat unsteady, like a cold, delicate flower bud, as she stood somewhat reservedly beside Leon.

Leon approached Lia and spoke respectfully.

“Miss Lia, she said her name is Lacey.”

Lacey in front of me looks very delicate, but her personality doesn't seem to match her appearance.

She tilted her head back, somewhat proudly, and looked at Liya in front of her.

But she seemed somewhat taken aback when she heard Leon's respectful tone.

"Same...same race?"

"Why are you so respectful to a mere human being?"

Hearing Lacey's words, Lia raised an eyebrow.

This elf doesn't seem very friendly towards humans.

"Shut up."

Leon's cold voice rang out, and a glint of cold light flashed in her eyes hidden in her hood as she gave Lacey a cold look.

Lacey seemed startled, staring blankly at her, but only received Leon's still indifferent and distant words.

"I have no kin like you."

The air around them seemed to tense up. Noticing the somewhat awkward atmosphere, Lia quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

"Okay, okay."

"Leon is my family, she was just defending me."

As Lia spoke, she gently patted Leon's back, signaling her to compromise a little.

She didn't want Leon's attitude towards Lacey to lead to her being falsely accused of abducting an elf.

Oh, Kokote doesn't count.

To reiterate, she is a contracted employee of our company.

Arbitrary oppression.

"Alright, Leon, you don't need to say anymore."

Hearing Lia's words, Leon regained his composure, turned his head away, and remained silent.

Lacey seemed a little unable to accept it, but then she saw Lia smiling and her voice ring out.

"I heard you're looking for the Elf Queen?"

"I do have some news."

...

Inside the mansion's opulent hall, a faint scent of incense seemed to linger in the air.

The opulent hall was dominated by several enormous sofas occupying the central area.

The floor-length black and gold curtains covered most of the huge window.

Only a few rays of sunlight pierced through the gaps and the skylight overhead.

Lia sat on the sofa, and Lacey naturally sat opposite her.

White, slowly drifting clouds floated across the dome, revealing the azure sky before everyone.

Leon stood behind Lia, looking every bit like her bodyguard.

"Why were you captured... and ended up in the fleet of those demi-humans?"

Lia asked Lacey, who was standing in front of her, with a kind expression.

For the elves, especially for Lacey who seemed so arrogant in front of them.

Naturally, we cannot use passive words like 'grab'.

So Lia quickly changed her mind.

As expected, the elf simply raised its head slowly, appearing extremely arrogant and confident.

"In search of the Queen, I left the Elf Forest and happened to encounter those humans in the wild."

"They said they could help me find the Queen, but only if I went with them and did them a favor."

So I went with them.

She shrugged, her tone revealing remarkable composure.

It was as if it was telling Leah that if she hadn't chosen to follow those people, she would never have been caught.

Lia listened to her words, her face showing complete agreement, and nodded.

"Do you have any impression of those people who grabbed... or bumped into you?"

"Goose? Impression?"

Lacey raised a finger and rested it on her chin, blinking her eyes and looking around uncertainly, as if she were recalling something complicated.

"I just remember there was a warrior with a sword in there. He looked pretty strong, and I still have a strong impression of him."

"Of course, he's definitely not as good as me."

As she spoke, she crossed one leg over the other, spread her arms out on the back of the long sofa, and shrugged.

Recalling the swordsman's appearance, Lacey's face still seemed to carry a hint of disdain.

Lia looked at her, clapped her hands with a smile, and said in a flattering tone:

Wow, that's amazing!

"Oh right, there's nothing much to offer you so early in the morning. How about a cup of tea?"

"Hail Nathan? Please make a pot of tea and bring it up."

Lia called out behind her and turned back to look at Lacey.

"We only have tea here, do you mind?"

Lacey gave an indifferent look and waved her hand.

"Forget it, no matter how precious human things are, they're not good enough. Ordinary tea will do."

"Back when I was in the Elf Forest, I drank only natural dew and sweet rain. Of course, the dew there was no ordinary dew."

"The elves will collect them and bless them with nature's blessing, making them incredibly sweet. Humans like you who drink them will even live longer."

Lia narrowed her eyes again, clapped her hands lightly, tilted her head and smiled as she said:

Wow, that's amazing!

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