“Then I know what you should do exactly.” I decreed before turning toward Seraphiel, “Can you bring us some leaves and branches from the nearby park? Teach her some of your elven magic.”
“Sure!” Sera cheered and rushed out of the building, being visibly excited about the prospect.
“Lord Black…? I can’t do elven magic, it’s not possible for humans.” Felicity murmured as she eyed me with a questioning gaze.
“You’ll see what I meant with that phrase. Your father is the richest human alive today, we can’t surprise him with mere artifacts or other rare items. However, as a fellow family man, I can tell you that if he truly loves you, then any sentimental gift you give him into which you poured your heart would make him shed a manly tear of pure joy. He can’t expect his young daughter to give him an item that surpasses the ones he has in his collection or could acquire with a mere thought, in fact, I would bet that he dreads events like this because he has to pretend to be excited about the gifts nobles and his children give him – for the thousandth time at that.”
The young princess placed a pointer finger on her chin as she began pondering over my words, and she kept at it until Sera returned and plopped her tender bottom back on my right thigh once again.
“Princess Felicity, by ‘elven magic’ master meant our great talent when it comes to anything that has to do with nature. Please allow me to show you something.”
Seraphiel wasted no time as she gently placed the gathered branches, leaves, and delicate flowers onto the table before us. With a serene smile that only someone who was truly at peace with the world and her place in it could have on her lips, she began her work.
Her slender hands moved with the practiced grace of someone intimately familiar with the art of nature crafting. The branches bent and weaved as if responding to her touch, intertwining into the beginnings of a crown.
“This is a form of creation we elves cherish – working with nature to craft something meaningful. It’s not magic in the literal sense, my master just likes to be a bit of a poet sometimes. Humans can replicate my motions with practice. Also, this is not just about beauty, but intent as well. The wood will remember your care, the leaves will carry your thoughts, and the flowers your affection.”
Felicity leaned closer and I saw her amethyst eyes widen as she observed the intricate work. “It’s beautiful…” she murmured before she gasped as something came to her mind, “Won’t it wilt in time?”
“We coat it with the wax of a specific bee type, you can find it in the Vraven Kingdom as well so once you’re done with your creation, you’ll have to go to the markets and acquire some and gently coat it everywhere with a soft brush. It’ll make this crown not only shine vibrantly but also live on forever, though you might need to re-coat it every few years.”
She took a breath before continuing, “This is also why we who consider ourselves as the protectors of mother nature tolerate damaging it in this case. We preserve nature in a slightly different form – no wood, leaves, or flowers shall be wasted. Not even a single speck of them.” Seraphiel decreed with a strict tone, letting the girl know that she would be angry if the princess wasted some parts.
It was quite funny seeing a sex slave speak to the princess as such, I must admit. The head maid was about to part her lips to voice her extreme dissatisfaction, but Felicity blindsided her; “Please remain quiet, Martha.”
I heard an audible gasp of pure shock escape from the old woman, she was shocked to her very core so much so that her fainting form had to be caught by the other maids.
This girl only spent a few minutes in my presence but she was already breaking bad… Oh boy.
“Miss elf, what can I call you?”
“As you can see,” Seraphiel replied while gesturing at my face that was veiled behind my wolf mask, “we have to remain in incognito due to some circumstances, so please just call me Miss Elf for now.”
“Okay, Miss Elf! Can you teach me? I’m sure Father will like it if I manage to make him one with my own hands!”
“Sure!” Sera cheered back joyously.
The two girls then completely ignored the auction as they began to focus on crafting the mightiest (cutest) crowns possible. “Master, this is for you…” Seraphiel whispered before placing her first completed one on my head and giving me a soft kiss on my cheek, after which she once again glanced at Lilith with a smug grin.
This time I couldn’t tell her reaction because I didn’t activate my spell, but I was sure it must’ve been glorious, best evidenced by Sera’s giggling.
“Ah! Miss Elf, I keep messing up…!” Felicity whined adorably.
“You have to do it like this…” Seraphiel calmly guided her, but the girl messed up once again.
“I can’t see well enough from here… You’re sitting too high up!” The princess decreed, but before Seraphiel could climb down from my thigh, it was the little lady who instead climbed up onto my left thigh.
“Young Lady?!” Martha screamed with great alarm and followed up by fainting for the second time.
“Felicity, I don’t think you should sit there… Your mother will be very angry if she hears about this.” Lilith spoke up, and I could hear sheer disbelief in her tone. This living legend couldn’t believe what her eyes were showing her, and she wasn’t alone. The entire building saw it.
“Hmph! Let her be angry with me. I’m tired of pretending to be a good girl.”
“Young lady…” Stormlord grunted, or rather begged.
“Shush! Your job is to protect me no matter the circumstances, just because I listened to you thus far doesn’t mean you have the right to order me around.”
“… Yes, My Lady.”
Consider my earlier theory of Stormlord having the permission to tell her what to do officially debunked.
Also… damn.
The sweet little daughter entered full-on rebellious mode just after she spent a bit of time with me and Seraphiel. I hope the king won’t be angry with me, and neither will mommy Morgana despise my guts.
I was truly innocent in this case.
For once in my life.
Felicity soon started dangling her little legs back and forth, and together with Seraphiel, they began humming a happy song as they continued their handiwork with my elf showing the steps that needed to be taken, and the princess doing her utmost not to mess up, and neither to waste any ingredients because my sex slave would chide the royal princess of the human kingdom, not caring at all for her place in the pecking order.
Elves were literal psychopaths as I alluded to multiple times. When it came to nature (or feet), they turned into complete nutjobs. Well, at least elven women. I never interacted with an elven male before, I didn’t know how they acted. But if I may be honest, neither did I particularly care.
The auction continued at the same time, and I did pay some attention to it. I bid on a few items, but once the price soared to an amount I wasn’t comfortable with, I gave up each time. Nothing truly moved me enough to make me consider spending a fortune.
Just when the girls managed to have Felicity create a nature crown by herself, the auctioneer spoke up once again.
“Esteemed ladies and gentlemen! We spent a couple dozen minutes on unmoving items, so let’s liven things up a bit with moving objects! Lord Black gave us quite the display today of why elven women are so highly sought after by us gentlemen, so we wish to offer you the chance to bid on our newly acquired batch of long-eared slaves! We imported them from the Ravenshade duchy at quite the hefty price, so, respectably, ready your pouches!”
The slaves were brought out to the podium, and Seraphiel looked up from her handiwork only to freeze instantly.
She began trembling from head to toe before gripping onto my hand with all of her force as if she needed my physical support just as her deathly scared voice sounded in my mind;
<Quinlan, That’s my mother!!>