Chapter 137: Insatiable Desires
The elf maid naturally did not believe Eve Frostleaf’s words and almost followed her like a shadow.
“Lady Frostleaf, there is nothing for us here. Let’s go back.”
Frostleaf shook her head.
“Archmage Tigris has already agreed to look into the Demon King’s curse for you, and you know he has little time.”
Eve Frostleaf did not stop her steps, lightly leaping onto a silver steed, riding towards the distant Quinas Castle. Camps were set up all around the castle, and in a cleared area surrounded by a fence near the military camp, knights were sparring with each other.
“Lady Frostleaf!” The elf maid caught up on horseback, her voice anxious, “Her Majesty the Queen personally wrote, saying your mission is over, you should return and leave this barbaric place.”
Eve Frostleaf finally asked, “Is she not worried that the princess might meet with misfortune?”
The elf maid looked at Eve Frostleaf’s frosty expression in terror and quickly urged her:
“Lady Frostleaf, please don’t do anything foolish. If you return, you will still have your noble status, and no one will despise you. Your future husband will be of royal blood.”
In the elven noble circles, where there was a tradition of “speaking nonsense,” the great nobles knew of Eve Frostleaf’s parents, even if her biological mother could not openly provide a dowry for Frostleaf.
But her father could. Eve Frostleaf’s father came from a family as rich as a nation and was the greatest noble in the elven capital, Ithaen.
“What is my surname?”
“Frost… Frostleaf.”
“How did it come to be?”
The elf maid replied, “I don’t know.”
“I was abandoned in the autumn when frost fell.”
The elf maid suddenly understood Eve Frostleaf’s resentment. Her biological sister inherited the noble surname upon birth, could call her mother ‘Mama’, and would grow up to inherit the position of elven queen.
Yet Eve Frostleaf was left with the name of fallen leaves covered in frost when she was found abandoned. Though her biological parents treated her well, compared to her biological sister, she felt as worthless as dry leaves.
The elf maid stammered, “Lady Frostleaf, the Queen will surely continue to favor you.”
She didn’t even believe her own words.
Eve Frostleaf asked coldly, “How can dry leaves compare to a princess?”
How could she accept it? Just because of the timing of her birth, she became an illegitimate child, while another became the future elven queen.
How could she bear to see her biological sister adored like a star among the crowd, with their parents doting on her? How could she not feel jealous, and how could she stop herself from seeking affection from her parents?
They would initially feel guilty, but later on, it would become tiresome, and they would tell her to stay aside, eventually leaving her feeling like forgotten, moldy leaves.
The elf maid fell silent for a moment.
Just as the two were about to ride into the military camp, the elf maid thought of something, pulled on Eve Frostleaf’s steed’s reins, pointed to the muddy camp on the ground, and asked:
“Lady Frostleaf, how does the human military camp compare?”
“Rudimentary and filthy.”
The elf maid pointed to groups of human soldiers, most of whom were conscripts, who farmed by day and trained near the lord’s castle during the off-season, with armor that had been left in the armory for who knows how many years.
Most of them wore only a pot helmet, their padded armor was tattered and outdated.
“And how do the soldiers compare to our elves’ army?”
“A bunch of beggars.”
The elf maid pointed to knights grappling in the mud in the distance:
“What about the knights?”
“More than brave, lacking discipline.”
She then pointed to the distant Quinas Castle, which was entirely white and elegantly towering, standing in stark contrast to the disorderly city built around it.
“What about the human city?”
Eve Frostleaf fell silent for a moment, recalling elven cities, and finally spoke frankly:
“A pigsty.”
As knights passed by, they admired the beautiful elf, appreciating her beauty, fortunate that they did not understand the elvish language.
The elf maid pointed at the white castle and asked, “And that castle?”
“It’s okay.”
“Of course, because the castle was built by our clan’s craftsmen. After we abandoned these castles and fortresses, they were occupied by humans who were still in the tribal age.”
Indeed, the notable castles in the Baroto Kingdom were all castles abandoned by the high elves. Once upon a time, high elves colonized the continent, establishing several colonial cities, but eventually, due to a full-blown conflict with dwarves, the death of the elven king, and surprise attacks by dark elves, the high elves were forced to abandon the colonies and leave en masse.
Later, humans moved in and valued the castles left behind by the high elves as treasures, only the noble knights could reside in them, and they had been maintained for over a thousand years.
Eve Frostleaf nodded; she of course knew this history.
The elf maid said, “To put it bluntly, humans, this lower, uncivilized race, are like green skins occupying dwarven fortresses.”
“That’s a bit excessive.”
But faced with such historical facts, it was hard for Eve Frostleaf not to feel a sense of racial superiority.
“Do you want to demean yourself and be with a green skin? Degrade your own bloodline?” the elf maid asked, “Forgive me for being blunt, but it seems like diving into a pigsty and giving birth to a litter of wild offspring, living your life in a pigsty.”
Eve Frostleaf wrinkled her nose in disgust and said, “Shut up.”
Yet, amidst her disgust, she felt an inexplicable delight; the scene described by the elf maid made her heart race.
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to insult Sir George; he’s a very remarkable human.” The elf maid continued, “But he is human. Lady Frostleaf, you are still young and shouldn’t act impulsively. You need to think about your future living conditions. Can you endure the muddy, dung-filled roads of humans? Can you stand their simple homes and ugly clothes? Think about the fact that you might never eat spicy food again.”
“Look at the bow at your waist. If you are with George, will you still be able to use such a good bow and wear such fine clothes?”
Eve Frostleaf glanced at her beloved silver bow and the exquisite embroidery on her thigh stockings, falling silent.
The elf maid released her grip and said, “Lady Frostleaf, please think carefully about your future.”
Eve Frostleaf was filled with frustration and said, “I want to talk to George.”
“Alright, Lady Frostleaf, I believe you have thought this through. I won’t disturb you.”
The elf maid watched Eve Frostleaf disappear into the military camp. She tightened the reins and decided to find her succubus ally to completely sever the connection between Lady Frostleaf and George.
That said, the long-legged silver-haired elf didn’t go directly to find George; instead, she first returned to her room, stripped off all her clothes, and washed herself with the well water.
After bathing, Eve Frostleaf sat on the bed, controlling the wind and fire to dry her long silver hair.
She took out a brand new, untainted pair of silver stockings, bent down, raised her calf, pointed her toes, and slipped the stocking on.
Before meeting George, she cleaned herself up and changed into new clothes; it was a sudden whim, something she never did before.
Eve Frostleaf didn’t know why she thought this way, just felt that doing so would be more comfortable.
Once dressed, her hair finished drying in the warm breeze.
The softness of the fabric against her fair skin felt exquisite; now she was truly untainted in every sense. This sensation was subtle, stirring an unspoken desire within her like a feather, gently dancing in her lower abdomen, lightly tickling her sensitive skin.
Eve Frostleaf slid her feet into a pair of doe leather boots and strode towards George.
As one of the few extraordinary beings in the area, she and George had been assigned excellent quarters within the castle walls and were quite close. Riding the wind, Eve Frostleaf leapt over a few walls and arrived at George’s courtyard.
It was a simple courtyard. In the center was a patch of sandy ground, with a scarecrow adorned with tattered armor, and nearby lay several large stones marked with handprints—George liked to exercise when he had leisure time.
The air carried a hint of George’s sweaty scent.
Eve Frostleaf wrinkled her brow slightly as she inhaled. But it felt as if someone was gently blowing on the feather inside her, and the strange itching sensation only grew more pronounced.
Following the scent of sweat, she knocked on the door:
“George, George.”
“Is there something?” George replied.
The door opened, revealing George in a thin, worn linen shirt that was yellowed at the edges. The sweat on him had gradually dried, creating an unpleasant smell.
“You smell awful,” Eve Frostleaf remarked, stepping through the door and looking around, asking, “Did they assign you to a wood shed?”
“No, I requested a quiet house.” George did not close the door, “I don’t want idle people disturbing me.”
“Then why are you rolling around in the black mud like a pig at the knight tournament?”
“Because I need to win the championship.”
George looked at Frostleaf and quietly asked:
“Can you wait for me a moment? I’m just about to take a shower.”
Standing next to the immaculate Eve Frostleaf, George really did look like a pig that had just rolled in the mud.
“It’s not much.” Eve Frostleaf gazed at George, the itching feeling in her heart intensifying, “Listen carefully to what I have to say.”
“Alright,” George shut the door.
The closed space made the feather in Eve Frostleaf’s heart flutter. Her heartbeat quickened as she stared at George, who remained calm.
“I’ll ask you one last time: do you want to go to my homeland, to the place where the high elves live?”
“I might travel there someday, but I can’t right now.”
“Short-lived race, you don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Eve Frostleaf, I’ve told you I don’t want you to call me that.”
“I’m stating a fact.” She lifted her chin and said, “Do you know who built this castle? It was our clan’s leftover houses that you short-lived races regard as treasures.”
George frowned, “You’re acting strange today. Do you have something on your mind?”
“No.”
“You’re lying.”
“Because it’s difficult for you to understand with your short lifespan.”
“I’m not your punchbag,” George replied. “You’d better leave my room and come back when you’re calm, alright?”
“This is your last chance,” Eve Frostleaf said, “Her Majesty the Queen has summoned me back.”
George paused and asked, “Can you stay?”
“If your tone is more pleading, I might consider it, short-lived one.”
“I don’t want to remind you a third time.”
Eve Frostleaf closed her mouth, staring at George, the feather in her heart maddeningly scratching at her chest, and she couldn’t help but say, “Short-lived one.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than George made his move, swinging his hand directly at her. Eve Frostleaf closed her eyes as her silver hair was grabbed, pulled, and shoved, sending her out the door, which slammed shut behind her.
Eve Frostleaf was not particularly angry; her ears were hot and red. She left, returned to her room, and couldn’t help but recall the way George had rushed toward her. He had been angry, his body filled with a sweaty odor, rushing towards her, and his movements were rough.
Unable to suppress herself, she got out of bed, sealed the doors and windows with ice, and quietly pulled out a book titled “The Suffering of the Elven Queen.”
