Chapter 204 The Elf Queen's Meeting, the Elf Prince, the Evening Breeze...
Lai and Tata didn't have to wait long. At dinner time, another elf knocked on the door of their guest room, inviting them to the evening's banquet.
Tata followed obediently behind Lai without encountering any obstacles.
Generally, pets are not allowed at formal dinner parties. To others, Tata was undoubtedly Lai's pet.
But as if they had received some kind of order, they did not refuse Tata and Lai's company.
Some of the bolder elven maids would steal glances at Tata from time to time, seemingly quite fond of the little monster.
Lai followed the elf into a lounge, which was actually a small, makeshift reception room. Someone was already inside—a stunningly beautiful elf dressed in luxurious robes and wearing a jeweled crown.
She was more beautiful than any elf Ray had ever seen, possessing an unparalleled noble air, as if even glancing at her would be a desecration.
"May Her Majesty be well."
The elves bowed to her, and Rae, following human etiquette, also bowed to her in respect.
"You are Ray."
"Yes."
"Don't be so formal. You are escorting my naughty little son back to the Elf Kingdom. You are a distinguished guest of the Elf Kingdom, and we will fulfill any request you may have."
The Queen treated Rae very gently and without any airs.
"I've already heard about your situation from Sepulia. A physician will treat the monster cub tomorrow."
"Thank you for your generosity."
Lei bowed again.
This is not a place that emphasizes equality for all, but a dictatorial world where the king and nobles hold absolute power.
When facing someone in absolute power, you should still bow your head when necessary.
They can be very respectful to you, but you can't really take yourself too seriously and try to climb the social ladder.
Ray knew how to protect himself; he didn't want to make the other person uncomfortable with his manners.
Being humble and courteous can never do any harm.
The Elf Queen didn't show it on her face, but her favorability towards Laiyi rose to another level.
"Mother."
A familiar voice came from inside, and the Queen and Lai looked together at the door to the reception room that had been pushed open.
A cute elf with silver-white hair appeared before everyone.
Judging from the voice, the elf in front of him was Saiya, who had spent a long time with Laiyi.
Aside from similar facial features and almost identical builds, Ray couldn't see any resemblance between this elf prince and the Saiah he knew.
Having shed her freckles and the disguise of her eye and hair color, Saiya transformed from an ugly duckling into a noble swan.
After bowing to the Queen, Seya gave Lai and Tata a bright smile.
"Lay, Tata, do you still recognize me?"
"It's Seya!"
Tata exclaimed softly, "The little monster's nose doesn't lie."
Ray's face showed the same expression of shock.
He thought that Saiya was at most a relative of some elder of the Elven race, but he never expected that his true identity was even higher than he had imagined.
All the strange things that happened when they lived together in the past have now been answered.
No wonder Seymour was so confident in promising Lai that he would heal Tata's old wounds once he returned to the Elf Kingdom.
“My real name is Sepulia, you can always call me Sepulia.”
Saiya winked at Tata, and the little expression he made, coming from his real face, was incredibly lively and adorable, without feeling out of place at all.
"Lay, thank you for saving me when I collapsed in the small mountain village. If it weren't for you, I might never have come back."
"You are welcome."
"Your Majesty, the banquet is ready."
"Alright. Please move over, guest."
Because of her status, the Elf Queen left first.
The restaurant where the banquet was held was inside the door of the small reception room. Seyia walked beside Lai, with a beautiful elf girl carrying Tata behind them.
Tata had a lot of questions she wanted to ask Seya, but now was clearly not a good time.
"Lay, don't be nervous. Your mother always likes to make a big deal out of small things. Just treat it as a simple dinner. I will come to see you tomorrow with the doctor."
Sayya whispered something beside him.
Their posture was somewhat intimate, which drew frequent glances from the other elves towards Laiyi.
"OK."
Lei quietly distanced himself from Seya.
With such a face, it's easy for Sayya to attract too much attention when she speaks to him.
During dinner, Lei felt extremely uncomfortable, trying to remain invisible and avoid attracting too much attention from the elves.
The presence of a strange human at the elven royal banquet was itself a very attention-grabbing event, and Lei attracted countless scrutinizing glances, both overtly and covertly.
When they accidentally make eye contact with other elves, the atmosphere becomes particularly awkward, and they can only nod at each other as a greeting.
There are other social activities after the dinner.
Saya, who had been keeping an eye on Lai's movements, helped him fend off those invitations with obvious ulterior motives and led Lai away from the restaurant.
Tata, on the other hand, was given a small table to eat at and ate very well. The fresh meat provided by the Elf Kingdom's kitchen suited the little monster's appetite perfectly.
Saiya was the most beloved little prince in the Elf Kingdom, so even if he did something inappropriate, no one dared to point out his mistakes.
However, his sneaking out this time did anger the Elf Queen, and for the next six months, he would not be allowed to step out of the castle.
He obediently accepted his mother's punishment.
If it weren't for the need for him to entertain Lai, he might still be locked up in his bedchamber.
"Lay, don't distance yourself from me. Let's just act like we always do in private."
Seyia anxiously awaited Ray's final judgment.
From childhood to adulthood, he was surrounded by elf children of similar age who treated him with respect and deference.
No matter how much I tease them, they will never complain.
He learned a lot of lessons and suffered a lot during this sneaky escape, but he also gained friends like Lai and Tata.
"good."
Upon hearing Lei's answer, Seya visibly breathed a sigh of relief.
Let some things go; he's not ready to tell his mother everything yet.
"Your Highness."
"What's up?"
"His Majesty has something to discuss with you."
"knew."
After escorting Lei to the guest room door, Seyia left in a hurry.
Lei is happy to have some alone time.
Once Tata is healed, he can use the teleportation array in the Elf Kingdom to travel to the royal city and find an opportunity to rescue Neil.
I wonder how he is doing over there.
"Hello."
Lai called out to an elven maid who was passing by in the corridor.
"Greetings, Mr. Victor."
The maids bowed.
"You don't need to be so polite. I'd like to ask where there's a teleportation array around here."
“It’s inside the palace. Are you planning to leave? You’ll need to speak with His Highness Sepulcia about that.”
"No, thank you."
Lai thanked the elf and returned to his room.
The elves' nightlife seems to be much richer than that of humans.
Lai didn't eat a full meal that night, so he took some dried meat and red dates from the pendant to fill his stomach.
He stood on the balcony, feeling the coolness brought by the night breeze.
In the large square beneath our feet, the elves seemed to be having a feast. The square was brightly lit, and tables were laden with delicious food and sweet fruits.
The area around the Mother Tree was not as lively, with a dozen glass lamps illuminating the surroundings.
There, the elves were still lining up to pray to the mother tree, and some elves in love were kissing each other under the mother tree, letting the mother tree witness their undying love.
Fluorescent plants dot the city, giving this fairyland a unique beauty at night.
This is truly a country surrounded by flowers and plants.
No wonder it can produce such delicious fruit wine that would make the Golden Oak Alchemist spend all his gold coins.
Lai's thoughts drifted back to that delightful little story he had once read.
It tells the interesting story of the most famous dwarf master in human society before he moved into the White Pagoda.
It was this master who changed many of our lifestyles.
Lai looked up at the sky, where the two bright moons of the Casa continent still hung, and the stars formed an unchanging galaxy.
Fortunately, they remained on the continent of Casa, rather than arriving in some dimensional space that resembled a black market.
It's not an illusion; this beautiful elven kingdom truly exists on this continent.
"The Elf Kingdom wasn't like this before."
Ryan appeared, sat on the edge of the protruding balcony, and spoke first.
He rarely talked to Lai about the past, which made Lai feel somewhat flattered.
"What does it look like?"
"There are trees everywhere, not so many buildings, and no palace."
"That's what Ryan said."
"Have you been here before?"
"I stayed there for a while. The previous contractor was an elf."
Saiya had mentioned this before and regarded that legendary elf as his role model, which made Laiyi quite curious.
What kind of elf is he?
Lian didn't speak, as if lost in memories.
"His personality is not like that of an elf, yet he made the choice that was most beneficial to the elven race."
"You must have had a very memorable time."
"Um."
As time passed since he regained consciousness, Ryan's memories of the past became clearer.
This also made his personality appear more and more human.
Lai recalled the description of the elementals in the book, which described them as emotionless destructive machines that would cause a catastrophe every time they appeared on the continent.
Ray felt that the author had a major problem, misleading the general public who relied on the text of the book as their primary source of information.
The elements he recognized made it clear that this was not how it was supposed to be.
"I know what you're thinking."
"......"
What's the difference between this and crickets chirping in front of someone?
Would you like to try some sweet wine?
Ray abruptly changed the subject, but it was effective. Black lines quickly appeared on his left arm.
The gentle breeze blowing from the balcony paired perfectly with the low-alcohol sweet wine, and the human's emerald green pupils turned into a different kind of dark gold.
Snoring—snoring—
"Lai" looked toward the source of the sound, where the little monster was lying on the soft chair, fast asleep.
Tata adapted well to the Elf Kingdom, showing no signs of acclimatization problems.
The cubs know nothing of sorrow.
"Lai" leaned quietly against the balcony, feeling the breeze and the intoxicating aroma of sweet wine.
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Author's Note: Tata: Humans, you can't rummage through a beast's bellyband!
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