Contrary to the worries of Isabella and the others, Winnidith really had just fallen asleep.
She slept quite comfortably and even had a dream during that time.
However, she could no longer remember the scenery that occurred in the dream.
She only recalled four light orbs falling into a bubble, which were then stirred until the bubble became mottled and messy.
Then, an even smaller white light orb merged into the bubble, and she woke up.
‘What on earth!’
“Are you awake? Does your body feel uncomfortable?”
A man’s voice suddenly spoke from beside her.
Winnidith, who had just woken up from her hazy dream, was still dazed.
Hearing the question, she began to check her body like a machine receiving a command.
“I feel fine, nothing uncomfortable. In fact, the Mana in my body feels denser than before.”
“That is good….
“Wait, who are you?!”
Winnidith turned her head in terror.
A strange blonde man was standing by her bed.
He was quite handsome, but it was a situation of a lone man and a lone woman in a dim room while she had been unconscious.
In an instant, various rumors she had heard in her previous life flooded her brain.
Her Mana began to stir.
She was already unfamiliar with the skyrocketing Mana in her body, and now that her emotions were flared, the energy showed signs of spiraling out of control.
“Please calm down. I am not your enemy.”
Just as Alvain was about to explain, he heard the door being pushed open rudely.
“Lady Winnidith! You are finally awake! How is your body?!”
Mei threw the door open with a bang.
Before she could even check on Winnidith’s condition, she noticed an extra elf in the room, and her gaze immediately turned fierce.
“Lord Elven King, why are you here?”
She had only gone out to change the water.
How was there suddenly another person in the room!
Mei’s gaze swept over Winnidith.
Only after finding everything exactly as it was before she left did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Although the Elves were rumored to suffer from certain… physical indifferences, what if?
A small maid like her could not afford to take such a heavy responsibility.
Alvain noticed the focus of her gaze and smiled helplessly.
“Have at least a little trust in me, won’t you?”
“I do not think a strange man who suddenly appears in a young lady’s room deserves any trust!”
Mei shouted at the top of her lungs.
Maternal love could indeed change a woman.
Even when facing Alvain, the ruler of the Natural Forest, Mei dared to scold him for his rude behavior.
Unfortunately, Alvain had no way to explain himself.
Fortunately, Winnidith finally realized who this person was and waved her hand to tell Mei not to be nervous.
“Lord Elven King—”
Before she could finish, Alvain raised his hand to stop her.
“You are Leah’s friend. In private, let us not be so formal. You can just call me Uncle Alvain.”
‘Is this Elven King really so easygoing?’
Winnidith had seen how well-behaved Leah was in front of him and thought he would definitely be a tough character.
But since he said so, there was no need for her to insist on formalities.
“Uncle Alvain, why did you appear in my room?”
Setting the address aside, he still had to explain why he broke into the room of a young lady like her, didn’t he?
She still had a reputation to uphold!
“It is like this. Because an accident happened while Leah was accompanying you on your tour, I have come on her behalf to apologize to you,” Alvain explained.
‘An accident…’
Winnidith felt a bit guilty.
This “accident” was probably only an accident from Leah’s perspective.
Thinking about it now, she had been quite foolish to jump straight in without saying a word, completely ignoring the consequences of doing so.
Hopefully, Leah was okay.
“By the way, I should inform you that Leah has been confined. Priestess Elaril is guarding her closely,” he added.
The guilt in Winnidith’s heart grew even heavier.
She felt terrible just thinking about a girl as lively as Leah being trapped in a small room.
“Uncle, actually…”
“I know the real situation. However, Leah is about to inherit my position soon and yet she still thinks about playing all day. I am simply using this incident as an excuse to make her focus.”
Winnidith had no way to refute this excuse.
‘Fine, so I’m just a tool in this situation?’
Winnidith’s energy immediately deflated.
At that moment, Mei asked if she should tell Isabella the news of her awakening.
She nodded in agreement.
Isabella arrived very quickly, but her appearance gave Winnidith a fright.
The Princess’s face was covered in exhaustion.
Her eyes were already filled with bloodshot streaks, and her once bright and smooth golden hair had become much drier.
The woman lacked any signs of life, looking just like a senior in high school during exam month.
Isabella breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that Winnidith was fine.
However, when she saw Alvain, the uninvited guest, her eyes immediately turned sharp.
She stood between Winnidith and him like a hen protecting its chick.
“The Sacred Tree is about to bear fruit, and the Elven King is returning to it. Do you still have the heart to sneak into a girl’s room?”
“The Princess must be joking. The Sacred Tree bears fruit every 100 years. The previous Elven Kings have long since passed down the established procedures. All I need to do is follow them,” Alvain said, smiling rather than getting angry at Isabella’s aggression.
“Moreover, because of my daughter’s behavior, a distinguished guest from a foreign country met with an accident. As a father, I had to come personally to apologize.”
“Then the apology is over. You may leave.”
Winnidith, caught in the middle, was completely bewildered.
‘What’s going on?’
Didn’t Bella still need to trade with Alvain to obtain the fruit of the Sacred Tree?
Even if she didn’t deliberately flatter him, they shouldn’t be at each other’s throats like this.
Winnidith felt like her brain wasn’t working properly after her sleep.
But one thing she remembered was that the Natural Forest was Alvain’s territory.
If Bella clashed with him here, she would definitely be at a disadvantage.
Winnidith reached out a fair little hand from under the covers, grabbed the corner of Isabella’s skirt, and gave it a gentle tug.
“Bella, Uncle Alvain really did come here to apologize to me.”
‘My silly Wendy, if he really just came to apologize, why didn’t he use the front door?’
Winnidith was even more confused.
Regardless, she knew Isabella would never harm her, so she obediently retracted her hand.
Even her gaze toward Alvain became wary.
“Since Princess Isabella does not welcome me, then I shall not stay.”
Seeing that both of them were wary of him, Alvain spoke helplessly and left the room.
Fate would find Winnidith sooner or later; he didn’t need to rush this moment.
After he left, Isabella continued to stare coldly at the spot where he had been.
It wasn’t until Winnidith couldn’t take it anymore and said he had completely left that Isabella turned her gaze back to her, her eyes softening again.
“You’ve been asleep for two days. Does any part of your body feel uncomfortable? Do you want me to have someone prepare some food for you?”
She sat on the edge of the bed.
‘I actually slept for two days.’
Winnidith was secretly shocked.
No wonder the first thing both Alvain and Mei said upon seeing her was to ask how she was feeling.
She felt great!
Her back didn’t ache, her legs didn’t hurt, and her body was full of strength.
She felt like she could punch a bull to death!
“It’s good that there’s no problem. Nothing happened in the City of Emerald Shadows over the past two days either.”
Seeing that she was truly fine and that her playful behavior didn’t look like someone who had just learned of a heavy mission, Isabella’s heart finally settled back into her chest.
But once her emotions calmed, the fatigue she had been suppressing surged back.
Her eyelids grew heavier, and her voice became weaker.
Winnidith originally wanted to ask what was with her haggard appearance, but seeing the golden-haired beauty start to emit cute snores in such a short time, all her questions were tossed to the back of her mind.
She gently climbed out of bed, carefully carried the sleeping Princess onto the mattress, and tenderly tucked her in.
After finishing this, her hand moved slightly.
The light in the room gradually vanished, making it as dark and quiet as the middle of the night.
“Goodnight.”