Chapter 20 Elf Maid Little Witch Magical Transformation (?)
Melia arranged two rooms for them in the palace tower. Ashlinn's room was neat and elegant, spotless, with an oil painting of a valley landscape hanging on the wall. The painting was rather ordinary, exactly the same as the one in Lucas's room.
The view from the window is expansive, overlooking the entirety of Ilovania. Under the moonlight, the wave-like buildings seem to flow strangely.
It was just as beautiful as she had imagined; the whole valley was clean and pure.
Lucas stopped in front of her door, his brow furrowed.
"This is not quite what I imagined."
How wild Lucas's imagination must be! "Is there anything that doesn't meet Your Highness's expectations?"
“No. It’s just… well, it’s nothing.” Lucas shook his head. “The books say that there’s no place in Ilovia that doesn’t resemble an art gallery. But so far, do you think any place looks like an art gallery? The architecture and sculptures are indeed beautiful. But I’ve seen all those paintings since I was eight years old.”
“You’re really hard to please,” Ashlin shrugged. “I’m perfectly content here. It’s better than sleeping in the dungeon, isn’t it?”
Judging from Lucas's expression, he hadn't heard her at all. He scrutinized the decor of the row of rooms down the corridor, lost in thought, before entering.
The elven maidservants served her a sumptuous dinner. They were vegetarians, and most of the food was salad, but Ashlinn didn't mind at all. The tomatoes, apple slices, and dandelion leaves from Ilovania were incredibly fresh, even more delicious than the roast meat that Sanova had spent a day developing.
The next day, Lucas went out to scout ahead in cat form early in the morning.
"You must plan carefully how to obtain the portrait. It's such a valuable item; even if Aidanling is beautiful and kind-hearted, it will probably be very difficult for her to get it," he instructed before leaving.
“Of course, of course,” Ashlin replied dismissively.
This method failed extremely quickly.
“We have received orders that no human or cat is allowed to see Lord Aidan,” said the guard at Aidan’s room.
"But he's only allergic to cats!"
"Her Majesty Melia is worried that the cat hair on Miss might trigger an allergic reaction."
As expected, plans can't keep up with changes. So Ashlind returned to her room, sat in front of her ornate dressing table, and pondered a solution.
The dressing mirror was adorned with countless pearls, making it exceptionally luxurious and causing her to appear out of place.
Among girls her age, she was rather short, and her face looked a little youthful; if she didn't speak, she could easily be mistaken for being even younger. Whenever she laughed, she would reveal two sharp little tiger teeth, making her look a bit like a little wolf.
The biggest problem is her hair.
They were like pale, withered grass, tangled haphazardly and without any pattern; no elf could have hair like that.
So she took out her spellbook, pointed her staff at the blonde hair, and chanted the spell.
The magic was surprisingly effective. In an instant, she had smooth, flowing wavy hair and looked like a princess from some kingdom.
She added another spell, making her ears pointed. Then, she pulled out a servant's outfit from the wardrobe that looked like it belonged to a lowly elf.
When she looked in the mirror again, she was no longer the unreliable forest witch, but a beautiful and elegant elven maid.
“Perfect,” she muttered to herself.
It was easy to sneak into the palace kitchen. Ashlin quickly picked up a cheese bread and a herb salad, and, mimicking the elves' graceful steps, returned to Aidan's room.
“Her Majesty Melia sent me to deliver lunch to Lord Aidan.” She lowered her head, praying that the guards wouldn’t recognize her.
Fortunately, the security guard was indeed face-blind. He squinted and stared for a long time, seemingly finding Ashlin somewhat familiar, but couldn't produce any proof.
"His Highness has just gone out," the gatekeeper said finally. "You can take him in first."
Ashley slipped into the room.
Since Aidan isn't here, perhaps she could look for it first. The portrait shouldn't be large, but it would be eye-catching enough. After all, how many portraits could a musician possibly have in his room…?
painting……
Ashlin's tray fell to the ground.
Aidan's lunch is gone.
The paintings occupied every inch of the empty wall space.
Landscapes, portraits, and geometric shapes are framed in various uniquely shaped frames.
With no empty space on the walls, the paper spread to the tall oak bookshelves. The bookshelves themselves were already crammed full of scrolls and sheet music, with sketches of paintings tucked into the sides whenever possible.
In one corner of the room, several musical instruments were gathered. A finely crafted seven-stringed lyre leaned against a soft chair, and a silver flute lay on the carpet beside it.
Finding a small portrait in such a room is like finding a needle in a haystack.
She flipped through the drawings and noticed a stack of sketches in the same style on the table.
The fairies in the painting are all drawn with charcoal pencils. The lines are lively and free. Although there are very few lines, the shapes are extremely precise. Every line and every dot is just right.
Could this also be Aidan's work? Ashlin wondered.
Her idol always manages to give her unexpected surprises.
However, the signature on the last sketch denied her guess.
Laurel.
It seems to be an elven painter, perhaps his paintings were so good that Aidan collected them, or perhaps they were close friends.
As it turns out, doing so is quite tempting.
Ashlin had just picked up the sheet music. The paper was of excellent quality, the notes on it were lively and vibrant, and the ink seemed not yet completely dry, giving off a faint scent of ink.
Aidan's sheet music possesses a magical quality, which is why she loves collecting them. Human sheet music doesn't have this power. Just touching it seems to allow one to hear beautiful melodies.
However, she recognized the sheet music. It was "The Tree Spirit and the Boy," the song she sang to Xiaolong Aisusa.
She continued flipping through the pages and found that she knew almost all the pieces. There were also some discarded drafts, which he had crossed out repeatedly.
Does he not have any new works recently?
At that moment, the door hinge clicked.
Aidan walked in lightly.
The great musician appeared even more handsome than the one from the previous night. Moonlight seemed to flow through his silver hair, and his eyes reminded Ashlin of amethysts in a storm.
Ashley stared at him, feeling as if she was about to forget everything she had ever known. It wasn't until centuries later that she vaguely remembered her own name.
She, Ashlin, was standing alone before the legendary figure.
Alive. Just a few meters away.
By the grace of the sun god, the fact that she hasn't yet screamed, hugged him, grabbed the sheet music, cheered, and jumped off the building is already an extraordinary performance.
Upon seeing Ashlin, Aidan raised his eyebrows in confusion.
"Who are you……?"
"Oh." Aidan gave an awkward smile. "It's alright, I'm not hungry anyway. But what are you doing with my sheet music?"
"What sheet music?" Ashlin asked, having completely forgotten about it. "Oh, this? I... um..."
She didn't even have time to come up with an excuse.
"I am here……"
Aidan waited for her to continue, somewhat amused.
“…Check for bugs.” Ashlin forced a lie. “Yes. There’s been a bug infestation lately, have you heard, sir?”
Aidan looked very surprised.
"Wow, I didn't hear a thing."
His voice is as beautiful and melodious as his music, making you want to keep listening.
“You’re very lucky. Very well, there are no worms in the score.” Ashlin put down the score. “Next, it’s time for these drawings.”
She picked up her sketchbook again and pretended to "check" it.
Is there a problem?
“This is a huge problem, sir!” Ashlin exclaimed dramatically. “It’s terrible! I have to check all the paintings!”
Ashlin put down her painting.
"Then why are you telling me? What if I reported her?"
“You won’t, because you’re a human who’s come seeking help.” Aidan slumped onto the sofa, watching her with amusement. “…Miss Bailey.”
Ashlin was deflated.
"How did you know? I thought I was very good at disguising myself."
Ashley was momentarily at a loss for words regarding Aidan's assessment of her soul. She suppressed the urge to howl at the heavens and struggled to regain a sliver of her remaining reason.
“I’m sorry for all that rambling,” Ashlin said. “You’re not allergic to my cat hair or anything like that, are you?”
Aidan chuckled softly.
“No, I think only live cats would trigger my allergy,” he said. “So, what do you want?”
Even at this moment, when answering the question, Ashlin hesitated for a moment between "your signature" and "a portrait of Sheeta".
“Princess Sheeta’s portrait.” In the end, she remained resolute in her mission. “I know it’s in your hands. Prince Lucas and I have a plan that requires it.”
Aidan rested his fingertips on his chin, lost in thought.
Why do you think I would give it to you?
"Because two innocent people need your help to persuade the Queen so that you can reclaim the treasure and break the terrible curse."
That's all?
Such a brief statement sounds unconvincing, but Ashlin's mind was already filled with the fact that "I actually had a private conversation with the elven great musician Aidan," making it difficult for her to come up with anything more impressive.
She recalled the lines she had prepared for their meeting, such as expressing how much she admired his music and talent, but now she couldn't find the right opportunity.
That's all.
Aidan wore a half-smile, his thoughts unreadable.
Then, he abruptly left the room.
Ashley thought he was abandoning her because of her foolish mistake and foolish words. Instead, he simply brought her a violet bud from the balcony.
Now, should she kneel down and express her gratitude with tears in her eyes, or pretend to be reserved and refuse?
Aidan shattered Ashlyn's illusions.
"May I witness your magic, Miss Bailey?"
Ashlin finally understood.
"Is this a deal?" she asked. "I'll show you magic, and you'll let me use Sheeta's portrait?"
Aidan sat in front of her, full of anticipation.
"Of course, whatever you say goes."
Making flowers bloom ahead of time wasn't too difficult for Ashlin's magic, but everything grows according to its own rhythm, and forcing growth wasn't her thing. To complete the task, she had no choice but to play along.
She felt the delicate life of the flowers, and magic flowed within them.
Within seconds, each violet blossom opened its petals, releasing a sweet fragrance.
Aidan stroked the petals of the violet, almost mesmerized. Ashlin couldn't help but recall Lucas's expression when he saw the riddle at the altar of the moon goddess; Aidan was exactly like him.
“This is wonderful,” he said with delight. “No staff, no spells, no rituals… Miss, you truly live up to your reputation.”
“Thank you, sir. You are wonderful too.” Ashlin wanted to kick herself as soon as the words left her mouth. “I meant your music! The music is wonderful.”
Aidan raised an eyebrow: "You're a fan?"
"A big fan. I've collected all 271 of your sheet music."
Seeing Aidan's shocked expression, Ashlind wondered if she had said something wrong again. Perhaps even for a centuries-old elven superstar, possessing such a vast collection of sheet music was a chilling thing.
“Prince Lucas has a collection of 276 books,” she added, then cursed herself inwardly for making things worse and betraying her teammate.
“It’s an honor.” Aidan chuckled. “I never imagined I’d have such a devoted fan among humans. This bouquet is for you, my dear fan.”
Ashlin, holding the flowers, stood up shyly and said, "Just call me Ashlin."
Aidan turned around, opened the drawer, and took out a small silver box.
“Hita’s portrait is inside.” He sounded confident. “When I showed it to Melia, for some reason she was indifferent and didn’t take it… I think she was deliberately holding back…”
Aidan chanted a spell, and the silver lock on the small box turned and opened with a "snap".
Neither of them spoke.
It was completely empty inside.
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