Cynthia had heard about the Guardian Ceremony from other Elves, but she only knew it was a ritual held by every Elf Queen to select a Guardian from among the most outstanding Elven warriors to jointly conceive the next Queen.

And the Guardian was almost always the Elf Queen’s partner.

Because the Elf who told her about it was too young and only had a partial understanding of the ceremony herself, Cynthia didn’t know that there had been precedents of the Elves choosing a Guardian from another race.

With this incomplete information, Cynthia’s initial joy at receiving the wreath from Olivia was replaced by confusion. Wasn’t this wreath Olivia’s response to her?

Then did this Guardian Ceremony simply mean choosing a Guardian, and not a partner?

Cynthia, who faced everything with composure and grace, felt her heart waver for the first time. She could sense that Olivia liked her too, but getting Olivia to actually say those words was no easy task.

The sky gradually darkened, and a hazy night enveloped the wooden cabin deep in the forest. Specks of light from fireflies glowed faintly, dispelling the gloom of the night. Silvery-white moonlight cascaded down, draping the not-yet-fully-recovered forest in a dreamlike silver veil.

Cynthia passed through the forest and arrived before the cabin. The door was open, as if awaiting her arrival.

The darkness did not affect an Elf’s vision. Olivia was sitting at the table, lost in thought. Sensing Cynthia’s presence, she lifted her gaze slightly and glanced toward the door. The hand resting on the table moved, and an orange flame illuminated the darkness.

Seeing the orange light suddenly appear in the once-pitch-black doorway, Cynthia’s red lips curved into a slight smile. She stepped inside, glanced at the empty seat by the table but didn’t sit down. Instead, she walked to the wooden bed in the far corner and reached out to stroke the bouquet of flowers placed beside it. The flowers looked freshly picked, with dewdrops still clinging to their petals. “Didn’t Her Majesty the Queen say she was tired? Why aren’t you resting yet?”

She turned to look at Olivia, a faint smile on her face as she asked, “Were you waiting for me?”

The orange firelight flickered, casting half of Olivia’s face in shadow and obscuring her expression. She drank some nectar for a moment before saying softly, “…Sitting here is also a form of rest.”

After speaking, she suddenly raised a hand to her mouth and let out a muffled cough. Although the Light Crystal Cynthia had left her was subtly conditioning her body, her face was still somewhat pale, and her eyes were filled with exhaustion.

Hearing her muffled cough, Cynthia’s brow furrowed slightly. A golden chain shot out, wrapped around Olivia’s wrist, and gently pulled her toward the bed. “You should get a proper sleep.”

Although Elves didn’t necessarily need sleep, it could help them recover more quickly when their spiritual energy was overly depleted.

The golden chain around her wrist soon transformed into the Power of Light and merged into her body. Olivia felt a lightness spread through her, and her fatigue and discomfort eased significantly.

She did indeed need sleep. Olivia raised a hand to rub the space between her eyebrows. Just as she was about to stand, the hand she had placed on the table was suddenly taken.

Seeing that Olivia wasn’t moving, Cynthia assumed she was unwilling to rest. She walked over, took her hand, and “forcefully” led her to the bedside. At such close proximity, Olivia’s weariness dispelled any thought Cynthia had of asking about the Guardian. She let go of Olivia’s hand, gave her a gentle push toward the bed, and said softly, “Get some sleep.”

She turned to leave, but was surprised when Olivia grabbed her arm. Cynthia paused, looked down at the hand on her arm, and blinked. She turned back to Olivia, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile, “Is the Queen inviting me to stay the night?”

As she spoke, she reached up and touched the wreath on her head, her smiling eyes looking exceptionally affectionate.

She had just given this wreath to her, and the words “stay the night” were rather ambiguous. Olivia, who had reached out instinctively, hesitated for a moment before letting go. She cleared her throat and said, “I just remembered that I haven’t thanked you yet.”

Seeing Cynthia staring at her without moving, she averted her gaze. “Go find Polly. She will arrange a place for you to stay.”

“But I want to stay here for the night.” Cynthia looked past Olivia at the wooden bed behind her, hinting, “The bed is very big.”

Olivia frowned and refused, “That’s not possible.”

Cynthia stared at her without blinking and asked, “Why not?”

“…I have never shared a bed with anyone else.” She wouldn’t be used to it, and it would feel very strange.

Cynthia’s eyes flickered. She suddenly reached out, wrapped an arm around Olivia’s waist, and pulled her down onto the wooden bed. A scent like grass and trees filled her senses, and Cynthia couldn’t help but take a deep sniff. Noticing Olivia’s body stiffen, she consciously released her and even created some distance between them. Her eyes half-closed, she said lazily, “You’ll have to get used to it eventually.”

Olivia was a little embarrassed and annoyed. With her back to Cynthia, she wanted to retort, but her lips parted and all that came out was a soft huff.

Her long, light-green hair cascaded onto the wooden bed, intertwining with Cynthia’s. Cynthia turned her head to look at Olivia’s back, her gaze gentle, but her words seemed deliberately meant to provoke Olivia’s anger. “The Queen will have to choose a Guardian someday. Are you going to turn away the partner you’ll spend your life with, too?”

“I wonder what type Her Majesty the Queen likes. But the Elven warriors are all handsome and outstanding. There must be someone among them who will catch Her Majesty’s interest.”

Olivia had felt a trace of discomfort at the first half of the sentence, but the second half made her pause. She then frowned and turned over, wanting to explain that she had no intention of choosing a Guardian from among the Elven warriors. But just as she turned, her vision suddenly darkened. Her slightly parted lips were met by a soft, warm, and moist kiss. The sensation was unfamiliar, yet it made her heart tremble.

Olivia subconsciously placed her hands on Cynthia’s shoulders, intending to push her away, but she had almost no strength.

With her eyes covered, the feeling of the lips pressing and moving against hers became exceptionally clear. Olivia responded passively. When her teeth were gently parted and something even softer tried to explore inside her mouth, her face flushed hot, and she pushed the person on top of her away.

“You…” Olivia’s feelings were complicated. She pressed her lips together, but Cynthia’s scent still lingered on them, leaving her unsure how to react.

Cynthia rolled over and wrapped her arms around Olivia’s waist, burying her face against her body. Her voice was filled with a deep sense of pleasure. “Let’s sleep.”

How was she supposed to sleep like this? Olivia was silent for a moment, then raised a hand and squeezed Cynthia’s wrist, signaling for her to let go. But Cynthia, whether intentionally or because she didn’t understand the hint, only tightened her arms.

Cynthia’s unique scent enveloped her. Olivia could even hear her steady breathing and… a somewhat rapid heartbeat.

So this God Race member wasn’t as calm as she appeared on the surface.

Olivia lowered her gaze, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Cynthia, who seemed to be asleep with her eyes closed. Her tense body slowly relaxed. Although the position was overly intimate, since it was Cynthia, she felt it wasn’t entirely unacceptable.

Olivia reached out, moved Cynthia’s arm, then turned her back to her and closed her eyes.

The battle with the Vampires had truly exhausted her. The moment she relaxed, she quickly fell asleep.

Olivia’s breathing gradually became steady. In the darkness, Cynthia opened her eyes. Her golden eyes stared fixedly at Olivia for a while before she moved closer and wrapped her arms around her waist again. A beautiful curve formed on her red lips, and she too closed her eyes, preparing for a short nap.

Olivia slept for three days. When she woke up, she was the only one on the wooden bed. The Light Crystal was placed by her pillow, emitting a faint golden glow.

With the Power of Light emanating from the crystal, Olivia felt her spiritual energy had recovered much better than she had expected. Although she still couldn’t use large-scale nature magic, the weariness on her face was gone, and even some color had returned to her cheeks.

The relief from discomfort and fatigue put Olivia in a much more relaxed mood. She sat on the bed for a while, her long, light-green hair looking a bit messy from just waking up.

There were still traces on the other side of the bed where someone had lain. Olivia glanced over, her lips pursing slightly. Although she had been asleep for three days, she could vaguely remember that every night, an arm would wrap around her waist, and her back would be pressed against a warm, soft body.

It was unfamiliar, but it seemed she was slowly getting used to it.

Olivia raised a hand to her lips, lost in thought for a moment. Footsteps sounded outside the door. She glanced over, then got out of bed and walked out.

Polly was leaning against the side of the cabin, staring blankly at Cynthia, who was surrounded by Elves in the distance. Hearing the door open, she quickly snapped back to reality and turned around. She first nervously checked Olivia’s condition, and upon seeing that she looked well, she broke into a smile and called out, “Her Majesty the Queen.”

Olivia nodded at her, then also looked in the direction Polly had been staring. The silver-haired God Race member was surrounded by Elves, patiently and gently healing the wounds that had been slow to mend due to the influence of the Power of Darkness.

Cynthia had always been well-liked and trusted by the Elves, and she genuinely loved the Elven race.

When the branches beneath the Tree of Life were disturbed, Cynthia, who had been entrusted with guarding it, could have been a suspect. But Olivia had never doubted her for a moment.

It had nothing to do with her feelings for this God Race member; it was because Cynthia was worthy of her trust.

Seeing Olivia staring intently at Cynthia, Polly thought for a moment and said, “Cynthia has been helping treat our injured clan members for the past few days. And she’s been taking care of the Tree of Life, too.”

Thanks to Cynthia, they were able to recover so quickly.

Olivia listened quietly. After a while, she spoke softly, “Do you think she could become the Guardian of the Elves?” Although she asked the question, it seemed she already had an answer in her heart. The coldness in her light-green eyes had lessened, replaced by a great deal of softness.

Polly didn’t know what, if anything, had happened between Olivia and Cynthia over the past few days, but she did know that Cynthia had been sleeping in Her Majesty the Queen’s room every night.

Polly glanced at Olivia and nodded with some hesitation. “I think she would be a competent Guardian.” She paused, then added, “And an excellent partner.”