I reincarnated as an elf .......and married the yandere villainess.-Chapter 19:Customs

She pulled him to the side of the hill away from the flowers and to a more rocky part of the hill.

She came to a stop in front of a cave entrance and stepped inside.

"Where are we going?" Atheline asked curiously.

She didn’t answer him but continued leading him forward.

The cave didn’t look as dark as he had imagined. Blue luminous mushrooms were lined up symmetrically on the walls as though someone had planted them. The air smelled of wet soil and different flowers.

He had gone to caves but none of them looked as organised. It seemed as though people lived there.

’What’s that?’

Drumming and shouting slowly started to pour into the tunnel, barely audible at first but the more they moved forward the louder it got.

"I’m taking you to a place you high elves would never visit."

’Underground?’

"Isn’t this just a cave?"

"Yes it is, it’s built by my people.."

She said over the loud drumming and music that was now filling the cave. A short walk later the cave opened up to a much larger cave that was filled with multi colored luminous mushrooms.

It was mesmerising.

"What’s this?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

"It’s the lunar worship, " she answered him.

Atheline was looking down at a group of about a hundred dark elves who were singing and dancing around a raging bonfire, but that wasn’t what surprised him; it was their sheer number.

They didn’t look like soldiers since they were a mixture of all ages.

Some of them were holding different kinds of blades while others carried fire torches.

’Is this a ritual or something? Do they live here?’

"They don’t live here but still live in the kingdom."

Atheline nodded. While occasionally visiting the borders, he would meet dark elves walking around and they seemed to get along naturally with the locals.

"What’s happening here?"

The cave was dug deep down and Atheline was standing by the stairs leading down to the group of dancers.

"They’re praying for the Queen’s happy marriage."

Atheline looked at her in shock.

"That’s new, I’ve never heard of such a custom."

"Of course you wouldn’t, this celebration always happens yearly within the dark kingdom," she paused for a moment, " Actually, this is much smaller than the usual one"

"But it’s only happening now that the queen is getting married. "

She chuckled her eyes narrowing in amusement.

"This doesn’t only focus on the queen’s marriage. It’s a prayer and offering to the moon goddess for a fruitful marriage."

Atheline’s gaze moved back to the group. A young man walked to the centre of the group and bowed then pointed at a woman in the circle.

She nodded and walked towards him. Everyone clapped happily the moment their hands touched.

"What’s happening?"

"In our culture, these night festivals are when people make claims."

Atheline raised an eyebrow.

"Like courtship?"

She nodded her head.

"It’s sort of is but it’s also not... courtship in your custom is too open and gives the one you want a chance to choose another. Here, if someone desires another," she explained," they will declare it in the festival regardless of the gender."

At that moment a woman stepped into the dancing circle after the first couple. Killian looked on seriously intrigued as she chose a man who also stepped forward.

"That sounds intense."

’What if you don’t want that person?’

He felt her gaze on him.

"It’s meant to be."

A silence fell over them as they both went back to looking at the festive. Children danced and ate on the side as the adults played their own games.

"Have you ever joined?"

He asked her.

"I used to?" She said with a distant look on her face.

"Used to?"

She turned her eyes to her clasped hands that were clenching over and over again.

"Responsibilities change people. "

Atheline didn’t know what to say. He could only stare at her, studying her lost in thought.

She seemed exhausted, but the light in her eyes hadn’t faded.

’Being a commander must be stressful, especially with a queen like the Villainess.’

Atheline was just about to ask her again when she spoke again.

"Tell me Atheline, if someone were to lay a claim on you," she said calmly," What would you do?"

Atheline was silent. The thought had never crossed his mind since he wasn’t part of any of this tradition.

He chuckled softly.

"I’ll probably run?" He said lightly taking her statement to face level.

For the first time during their time together, her smile reached her eyes but there was something dangerous hidden underneath it.

"Run?" She repeated.

"It seems like the safer option."

She looked at him, the smile still on her face.

"Perhaps," she mummbled but under her breath almost too quietly for Atheline to notice she mummered.

"Running would not help."

Atheline leaned closer to her their bodies almost touching

He frowned. "Did you say something?"

She shook her head gently.

"Where would you run to?"

Atheline shrugged.

"I don’t know."

The celebration below continued but both of them were lost in thought.

Atheline couldn’t comprehend it but subconsciously he felt like something important had just happened.... even though he didn’t understand what it was.

The difference in customs was really affecting him.

’I should probably go read more about dark elves, I might have missed something’

"We should leave before they notice us," she said after a bout of silence.

Atheline nodded and followed behind her as she led him out of the cave.

"Thank you for bringing me here," he said," your festivals are impressive... I would never have seen such a thing. Dark elves aren’t as bad as I thought, you made it look beautiful"

She chuckled dryly.

"High elves always imagine dark elves as cruel, bloodthirsty, and heartless."

Atheline rubbed the back of his neck a small pang of guilt flashing through him.

He sighed. "I admit... that’s what we hear growing up."

Her expression didn’t change, but something colder slipped through her eyes just for a second.

"Yes," she said quietly, "I imagine as much."