novelraw Chapter 258 : Chapter 258
Chapter 258 : Chapter 258
Chapter: Eternal Friendship, Eternal Radiance of Sun and Moon
No matter how you looked at it, the Gray Elves had successfully played the victim.
It didn’t matter whether those ragged children they brought along had really lost their parents, or whether they had actually almost been kidnapped by human poachers. It didn’t matter if their territory was truly plagued by frequent raids. What did matter was—they had played the victim well, won the Elf Empress’s sympathy, and successfully returned home.
That was the only thing other Elves saw: the Gray Elves had made it back to the Elderwood, right beside the Sacred Tree.
By nature, Elves were not fond of lying. And perhaps the Gray Elf chieftain truly hadn’t lied outright—but not lying didn’t mean she hadn’t embellished.
Which, in turn, gave the other Elf tribes a perfect script to copy.
Yes, none of them lied. They simply exaggerated certain facts, highlighting either rare or widespread hardships.
Thus began the "Tragedy Parade to Return Home", and leading the next wave, right after the Gray Elves, were the Snow Elves.
The chieftain’s daughter—a beautiful Elf maiden with hair like snow, skin like frost, and a curvaceous figure—arrived with the full backing of her people, claiming she had come to the Sacred Tree on a pilgrimage, seeking Empress Teresa’s permission.
Under the guise of ancestral worship, it was a request that couldn’t reasonably be denied. Teresa, of course, granted them access.
But once they reached the ancestral homeland, their true intentions came to light.
They began praising the land, waxing poetic about the rich history between the Snow Elves and the Sacred Tree, and speaking at length about the glory and prosperity the Snow Elves had enjoyed under Gold Elf governance.
Yimi, who had been appointed to receive them, gave a side-eye to the elegant, water-like Snow Elf heiress beside her. The latter showed no signs of arrogance despite Yimi’s shorter stature, remaining respectful and deferential throughout. That, at least, Yimi appreciated.
But the girl's intentions were obvious—her agenda was practically bouncing off her face. Every other sentence was about the ancestral land; every fifth word was about Elven unity. It was clear that their visit had little to do with worship.
After the Elven nation reestablished itself and the Elderwood resumed functioning, Teresa appointed Yimi as the Ambassador for Foreign Affairs.
Due to a severe lack of personnel, however, Yimi held multiple titles—including leader of the Sacred Tree Maintenance Division and Infrastructure Commander.
Despite her many hats, Yimi managed just fine. If nothing else, she was competent.
And just as expected, the Snow Elf heiress Lorelien finally circled back to her real reason.
“Lady Yimi, may I ask how Her Majesty the Elf Empress has been lately?”
“Not too great. She’s been overworking. I get scared just looking at the piles of paperwork on her desk,” Yimi replied truthfully.
“Ehh? Really? Her Majesty has truly sacrificed herself for our people…” Lorelien gasped, face full of reverence and pity. “I’ve brought some special herbs from the northern lands—excellent for fatigue relief. I was hoping to present them in person. Could you perhaps... arrange a meeting?”
There it is.
Yimi’s heart whispered.
That comment of hers had played right into Lorelien’s hands, giving her the perfect segue to request an audience with Teresa.
Yimi shot a strange glance at the gentle, snow-lily-like girl beside her.
This one… definitely not as innocent as she looks.
“...I’ll have to check with Her Majesty. If she agrees to see you, that’s fine. If she doesn’t, then no amount of persuasion will help,” Yimi sighed.
“Thank you. This is for you—I hope you’ll accept it.” Lorelien presented her with a delicately carved porcelain bottle of alchemical potion.
The scent alone, as soon as Yimi took it, was refreshingly pleasant.
“This is a tonic distilled from Northern Snow Lotus essence. It invigorates and beautifies. I hope you won’t mind accepting it.”
Yimi knew she couldn’t refuse and simply accepted it without further words.
This girl came prepared.
Soon enough, Lorelien was granted an audience with Teresa.
And just like with the Gray Elves, she pulled the same strings—but this time, with upgrades.
She wept bitterly, claiming the northern lands were harsh and deadly. The Snow Elves were barely surviving, constantly harassed by beasts and human bandits. They had no safety, and all they wished was for Teresa to let bygones be bygones and allow them to come home.
Yimi stood nearby, listening in—shocked when Lorelien invoked the memory of her late father, who had died tragically in an accident. She spoke of how his dying wish had been to return to the Sacred Tree and have his remains buried there.
That heartfelt appeal was masterfully executed—and with Elves being highly emotional creatures, it hit far harder than the Gray Elves' story.
After playing the family card, Lorelien then offered herself for punishment on behalf of her father's past decisions.
She removed a piece of clothing and dropped to her knees in a deep dogeza.
Given how revealing Snow Elf attire already was—indeed, most Elves dressed quite lightly—removing one layer left very little to the imagination. Her snowy-white skin, including the two bouncing rabbits, was on full display.
Big rabbits. White as snow.
Teresa hurriedly told her to rise, but Lorelien took it a step further—offering herself as Teresa’s slave. If the Empress didn’t trust the Snow Elves, she could take Lorelien as a hostage to serve at her side.
Good grief.
Yimi stood aside, clicking her tongue in amazement.
What a bold move. Why not just propose marriage to the Elf Empress while you're at it?
Even without marrying her, having the daughter of the Snow Elf chieftain serve at Teresa’s side would be an incredible honor.
It used to be that only the Moon Elves had the privilege of serving near the Gold Elves. Now the Snow Elves were trying to leap ahead.
Teresa didn’t accept the offer—but she couldn’t deny the effect Lorelien’s heartfelt plea had.
She proposed the Snow Elves return to their old territory—a snowy steppe in the northern Elderwood.
Teresa knew the girl wasn’t truly offering herself as a slave. That would be absurd. No noble heiress would willingly live as someone else’s servant.
Lorelien left, mission accomplished. Her mother’s orders had been fulfilled. But no one noticed how her lips pouted slightly—as though she had failed to complete her real objective.
Soon after, the Snow Elf lands became deserted. They, too, had returned home.
It was like being in kindergarten, watching classmate after classmate get picked up by their parents while you sat alone, waiting anxiously.
Now that two tribes had played the victim and gone home, the Wood Elves and Sea Elves couldn’t sit still anymore.
What followed was a circus. Both tribes brought out their own tricks.
The Wood Elves, who had no real environmental issues, came in full force—the chieftain himself, leading the entire tribe, showed up before the Goldenwood Palace, kneeling en masse as Teresa was working.
Startled, Teresa agreed—as long as they cleaned up their own territory. The Wood Elves rejoiced, promising to serve her forever as sword and shield.
As for the Sea Elves, despite lacking in melodramatic flair, their sincerity shone through.
Originally, Teresa had planned to wait until all dangers were cleared before bringing her people back. But they insisted, even promising to handle the threats themselves. So Teresa let them be.
And so, within two months, nearly all Elves had returned home.
Guess who’s still stuck in Sagewood?
Alone.
Looking at the files detailing the “successful stowaway operations” of each Elf tribe, Moon Elf King Proton was left dazed.
None of them had informed him—not that he expected them to. At this point, the Moon Elves were pariahs. No one even bothered to say, “Hey, I’m going to see my mom—bye.” That would’ve been considered polite.
What now? What should I do?!
Proton’s biggest concern wasn’t the fact that everyone had left—it was…
Why can they go home, but we can’t?
“Astrid, what do you think?” Knowing that no amount of letters or groveling would change Teresa’s mind if she disliked him, Proton looked pleadingly to his daughter.
“...”
Astrid sighed. “I’ll go speak with Her Majesty the Elf Empress.”
“Thank you!” Just hearing that calmed Proton like a soothing tonic.
Times really had changed. Now fathers bowed in gratitude to their daughters.
Astrid made the journey to the ancestral land alone.
She didn’t need escorts. She believed her bond with Teresa was strong enough.
But the first thing she saw when she arrived was a snow-haired beauty chatting casually with the palace guards.
“...”
“Yo, Astrid! You’re back?” Yimi called out, flashing a mischievous smile when she noticed Astrid’s eyes narrow.
“...Who’s that?”
“Oh, that? That’s Her Majesty’s... ah, no—attendant. The eldest daughter of the Snow Elf chieftain. Real sweet girl. Only moved here recently, but she’s already hanging around His Majesty every day—delivering gifts, clothing, you name it. She’s even friendly with the guards.”
“...”
“What’s wrong? Why do you look like someone stole your home?” Yimi teased.
“...”
Without a word, Astrid marched into the Goldenwood Palace, heading straight upstairs.
There sat Teresa in full regalia, buried in paperwork. Hearing the familiar steps and aura, her expression softened immediately.
“Astrid, you’re here?” she called without looking up.
“Mm.” Astrid sat beside her. She had stayed in the Sagewood until now to avoid disturbing Teresa’s work—but clearly, she could no longer do that.
“The scent in this room... it’s Snow Lotus extract, isn’t it?” Astrid murmured, sitting closer. “Your whole body reeks of it.”
“Yes, from Miss Lorelien. Pretty refreshing, right? I think it’s—ah!”
Before Teresa could finish, a warm hug enveloped her from behind. Softness pressed against her back.
“A-Astrid?”
“You’re covered in that scent.” Astrid brushed aside the hair by Teresa’s ear, letting her silver hair fall across Teresa’s shoulder. She whispered gently:
“Your Majesty... I’m feeling a little jealous.”
“Jealous?...” Teresa began—but then a familiar lavender scent wafted into her senses. Different from the incense, this was a fragrance tied to memories—present and past, forever lingering.
It was like aged wine. The longer it lasted, the richer it became.
Bathed in that aroma, Teresa's body softened. She collapsed onto the bed.
“Is that incense really more fragrant than me?” The silver-haired Elf leaned seductively atop Teresa, teasing her.
“...Not even close,” Teresa whispered, brushing Astrid’s cheek. Her emerald eyes glowed with affection.
Their gazes locked. Astrid leaned in, hands by Teresa’s temples, eyes closing...
***
“Well, because of you, I can’t finish my paperwork today,” Teresa complained, dressing at the bedside. Her cheeks still bore a faint blush.
Astrid looked away, slightly embarrassed.
Here Teresa was, handling national affairs, while she had barged in, overcome by jealousy. Really...
“Come now, don’t look so glum—it’s pointless,” Teresa said. Before Astrid could react, soft fingers touched her lips, and Teresa took her hand.
“If we can’t work, we might as well take the day off.”
“Come on. Let’s go have fun~” Teresa giggled like a mischievous girl—just like she used to.
Astrid felt a wave of nostalgia. As a child, it was always Teresa who took her by the hand like this...
“Where are we going?”
“Who knows? But first, let me introduce you to a few people~”
“People?” Astrid was puzzled.
When they arrived at the Goldenwood Palace’s guest wing, a familiar voice rang out.
“Big Sis Teresa! Big Sis Astrid!”
A small, soft figure flew into Astrid’s arms.
“Wenfu?”
“Don’t forget about me!” came a cheerful voice. Felicia, dressed in a rare princess gown, stood from the couch and waved.
“You’re all in the Forest of the Elves?!” Astrid was surprised.
“What? Are we not allowed? Just because she’s Empress now, doesn’t mean we’re not still teammates.”
“Today is our Sun-Moon Brilliance team’s celebration, after all,” Felicia smiled.
“Miss Felicia, weren’t you here representing the Whiteglass Kingdom to form an alliance?” Teresa chuckled. “Don’t forget your mission.”
“Relax, I won’t. But more importantly—tonight’s team party is the real highlight!”
“No matter where we are, or who we become—we’ll always be teammates!”
“Of course,” Teresa said warmly, looking at everyone present. “Forever.”
(The End)