Nightfall enveloped the Elven Royal Capital.
When Lin Qingyue's figure emerged from the void and stepped into the garden of the Queen's Bedchamber, a familiar scene met her eyes.
Beside the white jade round table, Ilanier sat quietly.
She had changed into a loose moon-white dress, her long silver hair draping casually behind her like a waterfall under the moonlight.
On the table in front of her, several plates of exquisite pastries emitted a sweet fragrance, and the steam from the floral tea curled upwards.
This was an unspoken wait.
"You're here."
Seeing Lin Qingyue, the expectation in Ilanier's eyes turned into a brimming smile, and those wine-red eyes were instantly lit up by starlight.
"Yeah, just finished training."
Lin Qingyue strode over, sat opposite her without standing on ceremony, and picked up a pastry that looked like an osmanthus cake, stuffing it into her mouth.
It melted in her mouth, sweet but not cloying, filling it with the purest natural fragrance.
"Delicious," she praised indistinctly.
She had fought high-intensity battles in the Time-Light Training Ground for eight hours in the morning, and then went for another trip in the afternoon.
Although she had taken a shower, that bone-deep ache and fatigue could not be easily washed away by hot water.
The only consolation was that the entire squad had leveled up.
"Eat slowly, no one is fighting you for it."
Ilanier was amused by her appearance. She poured a cup of hot tea with her own hands and passed it over.
Lin Qingyue took it and drank it in one gulp.
The warm tea slid into her stomach, and a current of warmth quickly rushed to her limbs and bones.
She let out a long breath of comfort and slumped against the back of the chair.
"Look how tired you are."
Ilanier looked at the heavy exhaustion at the bottom of her eyes, her gaze full of pity.
She reached out her hand, her warm fingertips carrying affection, and gently traced the contours of Lin Qingyue's cheeks.
"Are the people in your world always so... desperate when it comes to training?"
"If you want to become stronger, you always have to sweat a little."
Lin Qingyue closed her eyes lazily, enjoying Her Majesty the Queen's "special service."
"This is only the first day, there are still several days to come."
"So desperate?" Ilanier's brows furrowed.
"When your level is low, your hands and feet are tied no matter what you do. I don't want to drop the ball at a critical moment," Lin Qingyue explained casually.
Ilanier fell silent.
A moment later, she stood up and quietly walked behind Lin Qingyue.
A pair of soft, warm hands pressed against Lin Qingyue's temples, massaging them with just the right amount of pressure.
"Mmm..."
Lin Qingyue hummed comfortably, her taut nerves visibly relaxing.
"Don't move."
Ilanier's voice sounded right next to her ear, gentle but carrying a hint of command.
The next second, vast and pure life energy surged from her palms, transforming into a warm current that overbearingly washed through every corner of Lin Qingyue's body.
It was an indescribable feeling.
It was as if every thirsty cell was greedily sucking up sweet rain, and every exhausted nerve was being gently soothed and repaired.
The bone-deep exhaustion was melting away at an astonishing speed.
This effect was more than ten times faster than [Moonlight's Embrace]!
"What are you..." Lin Qingyue opened her eyes in surprise.
"Just a little help." Ilanier's voice carried a smile. "Consider it payment for keeping this 'lonely old woman' company and chatting with me every night."
Lin Qingyue didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "How old are you even, calling yourself a lonely old woman?"
"In our Elven Race, reaching 500 years old without finding a partner is already enough to be classified as an older single woman," Ilanier said half-jokingly.
"You aren't one anymore!"
Lin Qingyue blurted out without a second thought.
Ilanier's massaging movements froze.
A touching red blush quickly burned from her cheeks all the way to the roots of her ears.
She shot Lin Qingyue a reproving glare, though her tone carried a hint of shy delight she herself hadn't noticed, as she muttered in retort, "You just have to run your mouth..."
Lin Qingyue chuckled, comfortably enjoying this top-tier "direct energy charging" service.
'A personal massage from the Queen, plus a full infusion of life energy—wouldn't this treatment require whaling through the gacha pool for the ultimate VIP status in a game? I've hit the jackpot!'
A moment later, Ilanier withdrew her hands.
Lin Qingyue stretched her limbs, feeling fully revived and even better than before her cultivation.
"Thanks," she thanked her sincerely.
"There is no need for such words between us."
Ilanier sat back down opposite her, taking small, elegant bites of a pastry, though a faint blush still lingered at the tips of her ears.
"By the way," Lin Qingyue recalled the main issue, "how is the situation in the Northern Territory? Those undead haven't pulled any more tricks, have they?"
"Just some insignificant skirmishes," Ilanier's tone was calm and confident. "Aeldara has already wiped out several waves. They can't even touch the defense line."
She paused and added, "The Undead Scourge is troublesome, but their weaknesses are equally fatal. As long as there is no irregular power like a Dungeon Core involved, relying solely on those rotting bones, they couldn't shake the defense line in the slightest, even with ten times their numbers."
Lin Qingyue nodded, her mind completely set at ease.
The foundation of the Elven Race was far deeper than she had imagined.
The two of them chatted about everything under the sun, from the anecdotes of Tianshu University to the local customs of the Elven Royal Capital, the atmosphere relaxed and pleasant.
Just then, the faint sound of armor plates rubbing against each other came from the entrance of the garden.
Aeldara's figure, clad in pitch-black heavy armor, appeared at the door.
She seemed to have come to report on the military situation, but when she saw the two chatting happily in the garden, her footsteps came to a sudden halt.
On that iceberg-like face that rarely showed any expression, astonishment and helplessness flashed instantly, finally settling into a resignation of giving up all resistance.
Lin Qingyue and Ilanier looked at her simultaneously.
The air was quiet for a moment.
In the end, Aeldara was the first to admit defeat.
She silently lowered her head, gave a standard knight's salute to Ilanier, and said in a flat voice, "Your Majesty, there are no abnormalities at the Northern Defense Line. Your subordinate takes her leave."
After saying that, without waiting for Ilanier to respond, she spun around and quickly disappeared into the night in a manner almost akin to fleeing.
Lin Qingyue: "..."
She looked at Aeldara's fleeing figure, the corners of her mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.
'Is this... completely giving up the struggle and choosing to accept reality?'
She could feel that Aeldara's gaze towards her had shifted from the initial "wild boar that defiled Her Majesty the Queen" to the helpless resignation of "forget it, they already have a child, it's not like they can divorce."
"It seems Aeldara has figured it out." Ilanier couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Lin Qingyue's suppressed smile.
"Figured what out?" Lin Qingyue asked knowingly.
"The reality that we even have a 'child' together." Ilanier winked at her, her wine-red eyes full of mischief.
Lin Qingyue choked on her words for a moment, then smirked and flipped her hand to bring out [As I've Written].
"Speaking of children, it's about time we let our 'precious daughter' out for some fresh air."
With a thought, a pink light flashed, and the exquisitely adorable little girl—Cyrene—appeared in the garden.
"Hungry."
The routine was the same as always.
As soon as Cyrene landed, she accurately threw herself into Lin Qingyue's arms, looking up with her small face to concisely express her core demand.
"Didn't we just have dinner together... Do Mem and Cyrene have two separate stomachs?"
Lin Qingyue complained verbally, but her hands honestly picked up a few pastries from the table and handed them to the little girl.
Ilanier watched this scene, her eyes filled with a gentle smile. The surprise from their first meeting was long gone, leaving only a family-like doting.
"Little Cyrene, do you still remember me?" she asked softly, reaching out her hand.
Cyrene, who was nibbling on a small pastry, looked up at the sound, her beautiful diamond-shaped pupils gazing at Ilanier.
She tilted her head, bringing her dainty nose close to Ilanier's fingers to take a sniff, as if confirming her scent.
A moment later, she seemed to catch that reassuring smell mixed with Lin Qingyue's aura.
She surprisingly reached out her greasy little hand on her own, grabbed one of Ilanier's fingers, and affectionately rubbed her little face against it.
"Mhm!"
She let out a cute syllable. The wariness in her large eyes was replaced by pure curiosity and intimacy.
"Oh my, you even know how to get close to people on your own now." Lin Qingyue clicked her tongue in amazement before solemnly making an introduction to Cyrene, "Remember, this is your Sister Ilanier. From now on, she's also in charge of feeding you."
Ilanier's cheeks instantly flushed red.
She shot Lin Qingyue a reproachful glare, but she didn't pull back the hand Cyrene was holding. Instead, she used her other hand to gently stroke Cyrene's smooth pink hair.
The heartwarming time of this pseudo-family of three was always fleeting.
After eating and drinking her fill, her energy bar fully replenished, sleepiness washed over Cyrene like a tidal wave.
She let out an elegant little yawn, rubbed her eyes, and mumbled to Lin Qingyue, "Sleep..."
Before she could finish her sentence, her tiny body transformed into a streak of pink light and voluntarily slipped back into the open [As I've Written].
The pages closed automatically, restoring the calm.
Heh, sleeping right after eating, so hassle-free!
Lin Qingyue put the book away in satisfaction, just about to take her leave, but she realized the atmosphere wasn't quite right.
With the third wheel... ah, no, the precious daughter gone, the air in the garden seemed to have become thick and sticky.
Ilanier stood quietly in place, her watery, wine-red eyes gazing at her unblinkingly, a certain burning expectation in her gaze.
"Um..." Lin Qingyue just started speaking.
"The child is asleep."
Ilanier interrupted her first.
Her voice was very soft, but it carried an undeniable magic power.
She took a step forward, exhaling a fragrant breath, the warm air brushing against Lin Qingyue's cheek.
"Qingyue, now..."
"It's our turn to do something else, right?"