Kiss
After convcing the three elves to rest, I started to pace around in a somewhat irritated manner. I had rinsed my mouth several times but still felt on edge. Watching me pace back and forth, Anna reminded me, "Sir, why do I feel as though you are flustered?"
I stopped in my tracks. I grabbed my hair; I nearly wanted to yell. While I was setting up things with the elves and Leah's education, I couldn't show how flustered I was. I was dying from shame once I was done, and my mind was free to run wild.
I brooded, "What the hell was that?! Sleeping beauty fetish?! Why did she wake up right after I kissed her?!! Man, now I feel awkward as can be. Take responsibility for what? What's that supposed to mean…? If Leah and Veirya find out about it, I really will be turned into a corpse.
How do I explain it to them when it happened not long after they left? Mm… I wanted to kiss her, since the Queen didn't wake up, only for her to really have woken up…? If I had that power, doctors would be unemployed. I don't think Veirya will buy it. Leah… I need to tell her the story of sleeping beauty before I tell her about it…'
What responsibility was she talking about? Does the Elven Queen want to go back to the elven lands…? I sure won't let her go back there; the elves stopped accepting her ages ago. There's only one possible outcome when she goes there, and that is death. When responsibility and the situation at the time are combined, it's not good news. Does she want me to take responsibility for sending her home? That's acceptable, but if she's asking me to take responsibility romantically… Then, I… I… will probably be buried alive, won't I…?"
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Current time in the elves' room.
The diplomat turned to look at the Queen: "Your Majesty… I suggest you settle down here. The elves no longer accept us. Furthermore, those nutcases do not comprehend your intellect. They betrayed you; you have no reason to return. They are bound to destroy our forest, which is why there is no need for us to return! Moreover, that man kissed you, which means he has resolved to stay with you for eternity. It would not be bad to be by his side. At the very least, you would not have to deal with the pestilential elves again. Although you have lost your eyes, you have obtained a new pair of eyes. He will look after you; otherwise, he would not have kissed you. Moreover, you would not be against marrying a human, would you?"
"Her Majesty cannot marry." The Queen's bodyguard grumpily looked at the diplomat. It was clear that she considered it an insult for an Elven Queen to like a man and want to marry him.
"But she is no longer the Queen…"
"Says who?!! Once our people understand, once those vile creatures show their true nature, I believe our people will allow Her Majesty to return!! Our Queen is the greatest Queen. How can she marry a human and never return after such a minor blow? Her Majesty must not marry. An Elven Queen cannot marry. An Elven Queen must give her everything to elves. Have you forgotten that all successors were the offspring of the best and valiant soldiers who died in battle?"
"No, I haven't… However, Her Majesty has nowhere else to go but here… Instead of waiting for that unrealistic future, how about thinking about how to get through today? Without today, you'll never have the chance to wait until the day the elves need us. More importantly, Her Majesty can no longer deal with national affairs. That's why it's better to live a decent life here instead. He isn't a bad man; he kissed Her Majesty; he confessed to her. It is important to marry a man you love."
"But why did he kiss Her Majesty upon their first meeting?"
"Probably because he loves her?"
The two women started to feel excited for some random reason. Perhaps it was because even elves enjoyed gossip. Nevertheless, the Elven Queen, who was the main star of the story, silently lied on her bed. She gently touched her lips. As the Queen of elves, she was ready to give everything for elves when she was raised by her predecessor. She did that all the time. She earnestly thought elves would flourish more if they interacted with humans. She always gave everything she had for elves. She never desired a love for herself, but she felt a different feeling when their lips touched; she felt an electric current jolt her heart. The darkness before her eyes was seemingly lit up. Elves saw the last step, the confession, as a kiss in a romance. In other words, that man proposed to her.
The Elven Queen silently contemplated: "I've never seen the man before, but that was the first time that a man proposed to me. Should I agree to marry him? I want to return, but I know that will mean inevitable death. I just want to go back, because I'm frustrated. Do I really want to die now, though?
I felt love for the first time. If I die now, wouldn't that mean that I wouldn't get to experience love? This feeling is far too rare to come by. It's such a beautiful feeling. I thought I would never see the light. When he kissed me, however, my entire world seemingly lit up. I just can't see his face."
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Current time in the elven forest.
*Bang!!!*
"This truly is an interesting weapon."
Lucia's brother put down the gun. He looked at the tree branch, which he snapped with a shot, and softly chuckled as he looked at the dwarf. The dwarf smiled with contentment: "That is our newest invention. It does not have a very long range, but once you have mastered it, it works simpler than bows and arrows. Using guns to perform salvo is very effective."
"Uhm, even children can kill now. It truly is an effective weapon. Very nice, very nice. I want to buy some. Lucia, Lucia!"
From the perspective of elves, the more effective a weapon was for killing, the better it was to them. They may have always used bows and arrows, but they never glorified them. They always believed more lethal weapons to be superior, subsequently continuously updating their weapons. Lucia was currently sitting to one side, seemingly pondering something. It took her brother several attempts to get her attention?"
"What's the matter?"
He rubbed her head with a smile" "Are you thinking of that human again? Although you two did kiss last time, that was unexpected kiss, so it shouldn't count. Plus, doesn't he love Veirya? Investing yourself in a fruitless romance will hurt yourself."
"I'm not!" Lucia's face suddenly turned red. She looked at her brother with a grumpy expression: "Brother, what exactly is it that you need me to do?"
"Head to humanity's lands and see if you can get some money from that man. See what else we can sell. We've sold flavouring, so what else is there? Go see him first. See if there's anything that he needs. It's best if you can bring more money back. We need money to buy these weapons. Then we'll train the elven children to wield them. Oh, right, Lucia, you can practice with them, too. I think that weapons will develop based off these in the future."
"All right."
In spite of adamantly refuting her brother's teasing, as soon as she heard that she could go to that particular town, Lucia couldn't supress her excitement and smile. Her brother chuckled as he turned around. He hated humans, but he didn't hate the man his sister liked. She was his only sister, after all.