“I understand, Miss Sephirena. May I ask what your relationship with Princess Liana is now?” Gardenia asked.

“Guard.”

“Guard?” Gardenia wasn’t very clear about the extent of Sephirena’s abilities. They didn’t know much about the current outside situation, but she felt that Sephirena seemed somewhat inadequate.

“You don’t need to worry about my safety. With Minoga here, I’m very safe,” Liana said. “You just need to help Sephirena cultivate the Tree of Life.”

“Besides, as an Elf Princess, she should have some knowledge in this area. Perhaps she can find the reason for the Tree of Life’s withering?” Liana deliberately said this for Sephirena to hear. “Maybe because of this, she can regain the recognition of the forces of nature?”

Recognition...

Recognition had no meaning to Sephirena anymore. She didn’t need the recognition of the forces of nature; what she wanted was only the truth of what happened back then.

Sephirena looked at Gardenia, somewhat puzzled. She hadn’t detected at all that Gardenia was an elf. How was it done, to be able to hide herself so perfectly?

“What did you do? Why couldn’t I tell you were an elf?” Sephirena had only lost the forces of nature; she hadn’t completely become someone who’s unable to use magic.

“This is a secret potion given to me by Lady Ambis. It allows me to completely conceal my identity. Since you were brought here by Princess Liana, I can choose to trust you. Moreover, since we’re discussing the Tree of Life, I believe presenting myself this way to Princess Sephirena would be more convincing,” Gardenia said.

“What kind of potion is that?” Sephirena had never heard of this before. Being able to make an elf appear completely similar to a human, with no way to tell they were an elf, was something that had never happened before.

“Does Princess Sephirena also want to take it?” Gardenia immediately saw through Sephirena’s thoughts, then shook her head. “I’m sorry, this is a potion specially formulated by Lady Ambis for me. It can be said that in this world, it only works when I take it.”

Seeing Sephirena’s confused and somewhat disbelieving expression, Gardenia slowly explained, “Because I, from the beginning, was different from other elves. If they are the perfect elves, then I am the defective one.

“It’s said that elves are a race blessed by magic, but among our people, I’m considered a magic fool. Magic that others learn with a single glance usually takes me several days to understand.

“Of course, these aren’t major problems. Time, for elves, is the cheapest thing. Since I was naturally weaker than others, I used time and effort to make up for it as much as possible.

“But, Princess Sephirena should be very clear that illusion magic is the magic we are proud of, and it’s a magic that all elves must master.”

“Yes.” Sephirena nodded. She was very clear on this point. Only when you’ve mastered this magic can you be recognized by the Elf Forest as an elf.

Sephirena herself was once an excellent elf mage, but now that she had lost the forces of nature, she naturally couldn’t use these anymore.

“How should I put it?” Gardenia thought for a moment. Her tone conveyed a sense of loss, but the warmth and strength from the hand in hers reassured her.

“As I said earlier, I am a defective elf. I can only use magic with one hand. If it were the right hand, that would be fine, but unfortunately, I can only use my left hand to release magic, which causes my magic to be inherently weaker than others.1Implying either magic used with the right hand being somehow stronger, or it’s a matter of using your dominant hand

“To this point, these are still within an acceptable range. But after countless attempts, I discovered that I could use illusion magic, but it was truly just an illusion, unable to transform into reality like other elves. And coincidentally, I was once considered a high elf. Princess Sephirena, you should be very clear what it means to be a high elf, right?” Gardenia said.

Listening to their conversation, Liana thought that the Elf Forest didn’t seem to be in a much better situation than the current predicament of the King of Lisat.

Sephirena naturally understood what this represented. An unrecognized elf, although not expelled, would be ridiculed by other elves.

Moreover, from the fact that Gardenia knew so much about her from the beginning, it was evident that Gardenia’s identity was not ordinary. Common elves had no right to know so much.

A high elf unable to use illusion magic was similar to when Liana couldn’t use magic before. Although others might be respectful on the surface, what happened behind closed doors was unclear.

Gardenia probably couldn’t stand such a life, which was why she left the Elf Forest.

“I’m really grateful to Lady Ambis. She allowed me to use illusion magic again. She solved this problem for me. Although my right hand still can’t use magic, it has other uses,” Gardenia said.

Liana seemed to have heard something extraordinary, and it sounded somewhat familiar. So someone with authority outside might not have the same status in the bedroom? Liana felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if she had seen this somewhere before.

Of course, Liana also caught the key point, “Gardenia? You can use illusion magic?!”

This was a very important matter for Liana. Liana didn’t like leaving everything to the unknown. After she fell unconscious, everything would have to be left to them.

Although Liana trusted them very much, if she could remain conscious, that would be better. Liana was also worried that if there was a diligent assassin who gave her a couple of extra stabs, it would be over.

“I can, but due to my original defect, I can’t master it perfectly. The duration might be a bit short?” Gardenia said. “And, it takes some time to prepare materials to assist me.”

“That’s not a problem.” Time was still relatively abundant. Liana planned to resolve this issue within the next half year.

But Liana was concerned about another point. Although elven illusion magic could achieve near-perfect deception, if someone detected it was illusion magic, then all the preparation efforts would be wasted.

“Will people discover it?” Liana asked.

“If it ends in a short time, generally, no one will notice,” Gardenia said.

This was one of the reasons humans didn’t want to provoke the elf race. Their magic was a product of nature. After use, it would merge with nature, making it difficult to detect. They were a race born with natural advantages.

They could control nature. If human magic had traceable patterns, then elf magic used nature to suddenly attack from all around, leaving no trace to follow.

However, this was only ideal when the opponent was weak. Illusion magic was the same. Fundamentally, illusion magic was also a testament to an elf’s powerful magic, just one of their magic.

“Good.” Liana nodded. The time Liana needed wasn’t much, just a moment would suffice.

Sephirena looked at Gardenia, “Now that you can use illusion magic, shouldn’t you be able to return to the Elf Forest?”

Gardenia left the Elf Forest because she couldn’t use illusion magic. But now that she could use it, shouldn’t she be able to return to the Elf Forest?

But Gardenia shook her head, “Indeed, I can now use illusion magic, and I am qualified to return to the Elf Forest. But why should I go back? I’m very satisfied and happy with my current life. Having Jasmine by my side makes me much happier than when I was in the Elf Forest.

“Moreover, as you just saw, under normal circumstances, I can’t speak. I’m mute. Only when I become an elf can I speak. But maintaining the elf state consumes a lot of magic power, and my body can’t sustain it for long. This is also a side effect of that potion.

“Of course, Lady Ambis explained everything clearly to me before I took it. I took it voluntarily. This is also why I can’t give this secret potion to Princess Sephirena.”

Gardenia looked at Sephirena, seemingly wanting to discourage her. Although she wasn’t clear why Princess Sephirena wanted to use this secret potion, concealing one’s elf identity was something that would absolutely not be done unless forced. Moreover, Sephirena’s identity was special.

“The most important point is, Princess Sephirena, your current state is already similar to having taken the secret potion. The potion only hides elven magic. Some elf characteristics still can’t be removed, such as our ears.”

Gardenia’s words completely cut off Sephirena’s thoughts.

Liana stood to the side, feeling oppressed just from listening. What if this worsened Sephirena’s condition?

Liana looked at Gardenia and suddenly spoke, “Being defective isn’t necessarily all bad, is it? At least because of this, you met my mother. She healed you, allowing you to use illusion magic.

“Most importantly, you said that you’re happier now than before. This proves this point. You left the Elf Forest with my mother, met Jasmine, and that’s why you have this perspective, right?”

Gardenia walked in front of Liana, reaching out to pat Liana’s head. “Princess Liana, you’re really just like Lady Ambis. You said the same things as Lady Ambis did back then. You’re a person as gentle as Lady Ambis.”

Gardenia glanced at Sephirena from the corner of her eye. The current situation seemed somewhat familiar, but she also vaguely guessed Princess Liana’s thoughts.

Not only were the words exactly like Lady Ambis’, but even what she was trying to do now was exactly like Lady Ambis?

Lady Ambis saved her back then. Was Princess Liana now trying to save Princess Sephirena?

Gardenia crouched down, pinching Liana’s cheeks. “Since Princess Liana has said these words, let me use Lady Ambis’ words to respond to you.

“ ‘The reason imperfection becomes more beautiful is because there are people who appreciate you. But that’s not the key point. The most important thing is that the person who appreciates you stays by your side, gradually filling your imperfections, turning your flaws into your uniqueness. Leaving isn’t necessarily an end or escape; perhaps it’s a rebirth and change.’ “

Liana rubbed her cheeks. Why did all these people like to pinch her cheeks so much?

Was it some kind of checkpoint?

But Liana quite liked what Gardenia said. Liana glanced at Sephirena. Her expression was the same as usual, showing no particular change.

Sephirena’s eyes wavered slightly. She could see that Gardenia was truly happy and fulfilled.

So an elf who left the Elf Forest could still show such an expression?

Sephirena had seen other expelled elves before, but those elves’ eyes had, more or less, some fear and terror.

And the entire elf seemed to have lost some vitality, completely different from how Gardenia was now.

Sephirena opened her mouth.

Liana thought she was going to express some opinion, thinking that Gardenia’s words might have changed her somewhat.

But she only said, “I’m going to take care of the Tree of Life.”

Then she silently walked toward the Tree of Life in the center of the lake.

She stepped on the lake’s surface. Due to the forces of nature, she didn’t sink. She climbed onto the small island in the center of the lake.

The nearby young elves weren’t afraid but looked at this elf with curiosity, seemingly puzzled why she didn’t have the unique magic power of elves.

But because these elves were still in their infancy and hadn’t developed consciousness, they only followed their instincts to places they felt comfortable, such as this Tree of Life area, which was very suitable for them.

Sephirena reached out. Having lost the forces of nature, she could only dig around the Tree of Life by hand, leaving some space, then cupping water to pour over it.

Watching these familiar processes and operations, Sephirena bit her lip. She recalled the days she spent caring for the Tree of Life with her sister Tarashil. Tears fell from the corners of her eyes, dropping onto the Tree of Life.

The reason the Tree of Life was called the Tree of Life was because it truly had life and consciousness. It seemed to sense the sorrow in Sephirena’s tears. It extended its delicate branches, gently touching Sephirena’s arm, as if comforting her.

Sephirena also realized that her emotions were somewhat out of control and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

She cleared her throat and sang an elven song. However, because she hadn’t sung for so long, it was a bit off-key at first. But after several attempts and corrections, she finally adjusted.

Liana watched from afar. She never knew Sephirena had such a skill. It didn’t seem to have been mentioned in the original story.

“Is it the singing?” Although the Tree of Life had no expression, its swaying branches seemed to be jumping happily.

Liana looked at Jasmine. Gardenia was now standing behind Jasmine, the two holding hands tightly.

According to what Gardenia had just said, Liana knew that maintaining the state where she could speak continuously consumed a lot of magic power. Liana could now see the fatigue on Gardenia’s face.

“Should I take it from here?” Jasmine said.

“Yes.”

“The Tree of Life is the mother that nurtured the entire Elf Forest. We elves are born under the Tree of Life and grow under it, so we should take care of our mother. So, in the Elf Forest, we’ve always had a tradition. On every night of full moon, elves would come to sing in front of the Tree of Life,” Jasmine said.

Full moon night?

The full moon night was a unique day for elvenkind.

Liana knew a bit about this. The elf race possessed night vision. At night, their eyesight was stronger than during the day.

Their magic power and its recovery rate were also enhanced, being more powerful at night than during the day, especially on full moon nights when their strength would reach its peak.

Naturally, if the children of the Tree of Life were like this, the Tree of Life itself, on full moon nights, was also at its time of growth.

Once it achieved twelve growths, on the twelfth full moon night, the Tree of Life would bloom with various beautiful flowers to reciprocate the elves’ care and songs. These weren’t ordinary flowers.

The flowers emitted a unique magic power that could alleviate elves’ fatigue, heal their ailments, and increase their magic power.

This was the most important day for elves, but since the Tree of Life was affected, it had stopped for decades.

“So do you normally sing to the Tree of Life like this?” Liana asked.

“Yes,” Jasmine said, but she also complained a bit, “That’s what Gardenia says, but I’ve never seen her sing.”

Gardenia glared at Jasmine. Liana didn’t need a translation to understand this, but Jasmine translated it anyway.

“She said that because we usually need to guard the entrance and can’t both come here, so of course I can’t see her.”

But Jasmine asked in return, “Even when Lady Ambis was here and we could act together, you didn’t sing for me to hear.”

Ouch!

Gardenia fiercely pinched Jasmine’s waist to express her dissatisfaction and embarrassment.

Then she seemed to say something, and Jasmine smiled slightly but chose not to translate.

Liana: Urgent, urgent, urgent!!

“But, it’s really surprising that Princess Liana brought Princess Sephirena here,” Jasmine said.

“You’re the one who surprised me,” Liana looked at Gardenia’s long ears, which had been hidden with accessories before. “You’re actually an elf.”

“I apologize, Princess Liana.”

“I’m not really angry. If you apologize to me so seriously, I’ll feel guilty,” Liana said repeatedly.

“Princess Liana is indeed as kind as Lady Ambis,” Jasmine emphasized this point again.

Liana waved her hand, somewhat embarrassed. “Then it seems you don’t know how the outside world evaluates me.”

“We do know,” Jasmine said. “Princess Liana, don’t tell me you think we’ve been guarding this place without knowing anything about the outside world?”

“Uh...” Liana looked away guiltily. “Of course not.”

“I still go out to buy things from time to time. It’s just that people don’t recognize me,” Jasmine said. “I have some understanding of the outside rumors.”

Back then, Liana was living quite comfortably. Jasmine had once gone to Venus Manor but was immediately sent back.

Liana probably didn’t even know about this incident.

Although Princess Liana was a bit rebellious at that time, at least there wasn’t much concern about her safety.

“Seeing Princess Liana like this now, we’re really happy,” The two were somewhat Liana’s childhood playmates. They were also saddened by what Liana had become.

“I’m sorry for worrying you,” Liana looked at the two guardians in front of her. They were more like her sisters in the past.

When her mother came to the back garden to collect materials, she would leave Liana with them, letting them take care of her.

“Princess Liana doesn’t need to apologize to us.” They couldn’t accept Liana’s apology.

Rather than talking about these not-so-pleasant memories from the past, it was better to chat about some interesting things.

For instance, Jasmine had also heard some special rumors. “Princess Mephilia is really good to Princess Liana.”

“Of course! Mephilia is really good to me!” Just mentioning Mephilia made Liana’s lips curve upward involuntarily.

Jasmine and Gardenia wondered what changed from the last time the two came to the back garden together. “What kind of relationship do Princess Liana and Princess Mephilia have now?”

The two looked at Liana °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° with curious gazes. Given their relationship from last time, there must be something fishy.

Moreover, Princess Liana’s cheeks were now somewhat red, clearly showing embarrassment. The two must have something going on!

“Just, a very good relationship,” Liana’s expression was somewhat awkward, though she hadn’t said anything wrong.

Then the two had an ‘I understand’ expression but didn’t inquire further.

“Do I need to step aside? After all, this is your...” Jasmine said halfway, realizing that it might sound too distant and Gardenia would be unhappy, so she quickly corrected herself, “After all, this is about the Elf Forest. Maybe I shouldn’t be here listening?”

Gardenia herself didn’t have much opinion on this. She looked at Liana, wanting to ask for her view.

“I don’t have any problem with it. Besides, if Jasmine isn’t here, you’d have to consume mana to speak, wouldn’t you?” Liana said.

“She doesn’t need mana to speak. Using magic to write it out is also possible, and it doesn’t consume much from Jasmine,” Jasmine translated for her.

‘Who doesn’t take an offered way out?!’

“It’s fine, just stay here. I’ve already told you about Sephirena’s situation. I trust you both,” Liana said.

“Thank you, Princess Liana,” Jasmine nodded gratefully.

From their previous conversation, it was clear that the fourth princess named Sephirena had an unknown past.

Liana came to a grassy area and sat down, smoothing her skirt with her hand.

Liana looked up at the sky. The snowflakes falling in the air outside disappeared when they reached a certain point.

It seemed to be because the barrier outside was protecting the inside, as this was a place for growing medicinal herbs, requiring very stable conditions.

The barrier effectively prevented the influence of various adverse weather, maintaining a stable environment in this space.

Jasmine also sat down beside Liana, while Gardenia shamelessly laid on Jasmine’s lap.

Gardenia closed her eyes, seemingly telling Jasmine a past story. Jasmine’s eyes gradually showed a shocked expression.

Jasmine needed to calm her inner feelings a bit. She reached out, playing with Gardenia’s long ears.

Liana remembered that not just anyone could touch an elf’s ears. That day, Sephirena almost hissed at her.

“Princess Liana, regarding Princess Sephirena’s situation, it’s roughly like this: Princess Sephirena had a very close sister named Tarashil...” Jasmine said.

But Liana interrupted her. At this point, there was no need to hide anything. Liana showed the bracelet again, “I already know some of the specifics from Avira.” 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“Is that so?” Gardenia’s expression didn’t show much surprise. “So Princess Liana indeed found Princess Sephirena under the premise of knowing these things, right?”

“More or less,” Liana didn’t conceal this matter much. “But Sephirena’s emotions are somewhat unstable now, which is a bit tricky.”