Over the following period of time, things went exactly as Serveyia had predicted; there were no official matters left to discuss.
Although banquets were held from time to time, they were truly just banquets.
During these events, not a single piece of official business was ever mentioned. They were purely for social gathering.
“Serveyia, I want to go back…”
In truth, the hospitality of the Elf Race was excellent and very meticulous.
The problem was that no matter how good the treatment was, there was still a huge difference compared to one’s own home.
Liuli truly missed Saint Laia Academy.
“Little Fox, don’t be in such a hurry. You’re being looked after here with good food and drink, so why are you so intent on leaving?”
“I don’t know, I’m just starting to feel a bit bored…”
There was still a fundamental difference between a guest and a Master.
No matter how well those people treated her, it couldn’t change the fact that she was a guest here.
When doing things, she inevitably had to be mindful of certain boundaries.
“Wait just a little longer. The Elf King clearly doesn’t want to let you go yet, Little Fox. If nothing else, to the Elf Race, Saint Laia is indeed an ally worth befriending deeply. It’s only natural that they would want to build a relationship, isn’t it?”
“I understand…”
“Besides, even if you return to Saint Laia, what awaits you is merely the next Diplomatic Visit. Are you sure that’s what you want, Little Fox?”
“Is — is it that soon?”
“Of course. After all, for Saint Laia, isn’t the duty of a Princess to visit various Races to give speeches and convey her message of Peace? You don’t think Saint Laia is supporting you for nothing, do you?”
“It’s not that. I just simply feel — shouldn’t I be given some time to rest?”
“Of course there will be rest, but travel will naturally be the norm in the future. You should get used to it as soon as possible, Little Fox.”
“Will all future travels be like this?”
To be honest, this Motorhome trip had left a bit of a bad impression on Liuli. ‘I don’t seem to have an eye for beauty,’ she thought.
Although it was initially said that they would appreciate the scenery along the way, no matter how much she looked, she couldn’t find any scenery worth admiring.
“If you don’t like it, you can bring it up. We can choose other modes of transportation in the future.”
This time, the distance between the Forest of Elves and Saint Laia Academy wasn’t very far.
Even so, the time she spent on the Motorhome hadn’t been happy. If there was a chance, Liuli truly didn’t want to experience such a boring journey again.
“By the way, where is that Forest Elemental you bought?”
“It? It’s currently in the Room reading a Book.”
It was strange. After she bought this Forest Elemental, it had been unexpectedly obedient.
Over the past few days, she had basically left it out, but the Forest Elemental hadn’t played a single prank.
In fact, its favorite thing to do lately was read Books.
The residence Mister Seth prepared for Liuli actually contained several Books about the history of the Elf Race.
Over the last few days, the Forest Elemental had already read through all of them. Yesterday, it had even begged her to find new Books for it to read.
It was only then that Liuli realized that even a cold Forest Elemental could make one’s heart flutter when it acted spoiled, thanks to its cute face.
The problem was that she hadn’t brought many Books with her.
The only thing she could give the little guy to read was the Book Aili had given her before they left — the one Aili had written herself.
“What Book is it reading? Aren’t all the Books from the Room right here?”
“It’s just that Book Aili gave me.”
“That Book!? How could you let a Forest Elemental read that Book!?”
“I know, but it kept begging me. Could you really find the heart to refuse it, Serveyia?”
“Little Fox, raising a pet is the same as raising a child. You can’t spoil them excessively. No matter how cute they are, you must learn to say no.”
“Then, you go and refuse it next time, Serveyia. I can’t bring myself to be that heartless.”
When it came to educating children, Liuli actually knew a theory: if two parents generally have one play the good cop and the other play the bad cop, they can achieve a better result.
Since she couldn’t play the bad cop, she might as well let Serveyia play that role.
“Little Fox, you’re quite the opportunist. You want me to be the villain while you harvest the Forest Elemental’s favor, right?”
“But I intended to play the good cop from the start. You’re the one who said not to spoil it, Serveyia. In that case, isn’t it only logical and right for you to handle it?”
Fine, Liuli knew it wasn’t exactly “logical,” but she truly couldn’t find the heart to refuse the adorable Forest Elemental.
Besides, whether it could understand the Book was another matter entirely. Perhaps the Forest Elemental couldn’t even comprehend the contents.
Naturally, Liuli comforted herself this way. She had no idea if the creature could actually understand. But even if it could, what could it possibly do?
“You’re always ordering me around. Fine, I’ll go try, but I don’t think I can persuade it.”
“If even you can’t persuade it, Serveyia, then what other way is there?”
“Little Fox, have you really not noticed? This Forest Elemental is exceptionally obedient toward you, isn’t it?”
With Serveyia’s reminder, Liuli did recall something.
It seemed that over the past few days, whenever Serveyia used a slightly harsher tone with the Forest Elemental, it would hide inside her Fox Tail.
As time passed, Serveyia stopped saying anything harsh to it.
Just as she said she would, Serveyia went back into the Room to try and talk to the Forest Elemental.
A moment later, Serveyia walked back with a helpless expression, spreading her hands toward Liuli.
“As expected, it was useless. I knew it. If we really want to persuade it, you’re the only one who can do it, Little Fox. It won’t listen to me at all.”
It seemed there were things even Serveyia couldn’t handle. However, looking at her, she didn’t seem truly angry, nor did she seem to have gone in with a real intent to solve the problem.
“So, can it actually understand what’s written in the Book?”
“I don’t know about that, but it certainly looks like it can. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be reading constantly and asking for new ones every now and then.”
“With the intelligence of a Forest Elemental, can it really understand that content?”
“In terms of absolute intelligence, it certainly can. Understanding it wouldn’t even be difficult. The problem is that a typical Forest Elemental definitely wouldn’t have the patience to read. That’s why your Forest Elemental is so exceptionally rare. Logically, such a rare Forest Elemental shouldn’t have remained in the Shopkeeper’s Store. A Forest Elemental with such a well-behaved personality should have been a hot commodity. Little Fox, do you think it’s possible that the Shopkeeper was doing us a favor?”
“Uh, are you asking me, Serveyia?”