Rya and Quinus left the room and headed towards the tavern. As they were walking Rya made sure her Seer Stone was safely nestled in between her breasts. When they arrived, they found most of the party, waiting for their arrival.

"There you two are. I was wondering if we would have to send a search party for you," Percy teased with a mouth full of food. Dalia wasn't that much better as the wolfkin was inhaling her meal.

"Were you planning on saving some food for us?" Quinus asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Nope, sorry," Percy said, swallowing.

"Percy? You know you're a human and not a beastkin, right," Rya joked, sitting down.

Quinus sat down next to her and they both started eating.

"Hey, don't blame me. My mate is very passionate in our private time. And we burn off a lot of energy at night," he winked at Dalia while taking a sip of water from his cup.

Dalia blushed, and she turned her head to look at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Percy grinned.

"Uh huh," Dalia grumbled before she continued to eat.

Rya had to ask, "So Dalia... Did you fail to get the jump on him? You seem poutier than normal."

Dalia put down the piece of meat she was about to bite into and sighed before speaking.

"Haah... I thought I had him this time but it turns out he let me jump him in bed! It doesn't count if he just lets me win!" she explained, still feeling a little salty about her failure.

"Aww, but that's so sweet of him," Rya cooed.

"Yes, it is," Percy grinned, kissing Dalia on her cheek.

"Pff!... Some 'alpha mate' I turned out to be. I have to have my mate give up his victory just to feel like a winner," she pouted, taking a swig of water.

"Oh, lighten up. Besides, you were so happy when you had the jump on me. That smile alone was worth getting jumped on," Percy assured her, making the wolfkin blush again.

"I suppose you are right... B-But I can't get soft! I need to be better," she muttered before stuffing her face again to hide her embarrassment.

Rya and Quinus just looked at each other and shook their heads. While six of the Royal Knights were impressed by how much food Dalia could pack away in one sitting.

"Are all wolfkins like this?" Sir Bart asked Sir Richard.

"Pretty much. Wolfkins are very competitive by nature. They're always trying to get better at everything. That's why slavers are always trying to capture them for the battle arenas. They have a natural desire to fight and win," he replied.

"Does that make it right to enslave them?" Rya asked Sir Richard pointedly.

"No, not at all. But it's something you have to understand. They want to fight and will do anything to do so. They have a strong survival instinct and a drive to become stronger," Sir Richard tried to defend himself. As Rya slowly glanced over to Dalia who was succumbing to Percy's head pats.

Sir Richard grimaced when he followed Rya's gaze and saw the mighty wolfkin melting in the hands of the young ranger.

"I... I didn't mean... That... is an exception!" he stuttered, realizing that the wolfkin next to them was proving his point wrong.

"Sure it is," Rya rolled her eyes.

Quinus couldn't help but chuckle a little, earning a glare from Sir Richard.

"Sorry... But it was funny," Quinus apologized.

"I don't understand what's so funny. The fact of the matter is this. Lady Dalia is a special case. Most wolfkins are slaves. So, they fight for the entertainment of the crowds. That's how they get stronger," Sir Richard tried to explain.

"She's not an exception, Sir Richard. She is simply a woman who's a little forward due to her upbringing. But that doesn't mean she's incapable of being civil or showing kindness," Rya argued.

Sir Richard wanted to argue but he then heard Dalia purring as Percy scratched behind her ears.

"I suppose I was a little too hasty with my opinion. Forgive me, Lady Rya. I was mistaken," he admitted, not wanting to continue this conversation any further.

Rya smiled triumphantly at him and then turned to her meal. The food looked like a shepherd's pie with some bread and a side salad.

"Mmm. Looks delicious," Rya said, grabbing a fork and knife. Her stomach was rumbling more than normal this morning and she needed to fill it with food.

'Gawd... This is embarrassing. I'm hungry all the time now. Maybe having all this sex with Quinus is making me burn more calories?... But my corsets seem to be getting a little tighter over this past week. Gah! I just wish the cravings would go away! Why doesn't this world have ice cream... Maybe I can come up with a way to make some,' she thought to herself while taking a bite of the pie that tasted similar to a beef casserole.

"This is delicious," she commented after chewing and swallowing.

"Yeah... It's hitting the spot," Quinus agreed.

The party continued to eat their meals and talked among themselves. Rya noticed Nieren sitting at the far end of the twenty-person table with her head down.

'Jesus! Did she not get any sleep, again? And there's no food on her plate either... She must have stayed awake all night. She needs to start taking better care of herself,' Rya thought while shaking her head after witnessing her friend's poor condition.

Yuliana came from her room and into the tavern with a pot of tea in her hands. The green-haired elf could only shake her head at her daughter's state.

"Good morning," she greeted the table.

"Morning Yuliana," Rya greeted.

"Hello, Miss Yuliana," Quinus added.

"Good morning," the group said, acknowledging her presence.

"Mmmm..." Nieren grumbled.

Yuliana poured everyone some tea and sat down. She grabbed a piece of bread and buttered it. She then began eating her food.

"How are you today, Lady Rya?" Yuliana asked politely.

"I'm doing well. And yourself?"

"I am feeling quite well today, thank you," she replied, smiling.

"Good to hear," Rya smiled back before looking at Nieren's sorry state. "Is Nieren going to be okay? She looks dead on her feet," Rya asked Yuliana.

"I don't know. She refuses to use the earplugs I gave her and now she has a horrible headache. She probably needs to use a potion to help rid it," Yuliana sighed.

"Well? I can help if that's alright," Rya offered.

"Oh? That's kind of you, My Lady. But if you keep coming to her rescue then I fear she will never learn," Yuliana admitted.

"Maybe... But I can't help but feel sorry for her," Rya said while taking a sip of her tea.

"Naugh! I'm fine!" Nieren snapped her head up and yelled out before her fatigue caught up to her and slammed her head into the table with a loud 'thud'.

Everyone stared at her in silence. Yuliana couldn't help but cringe at the sound of her daughter's skull colliding with the wood.

"See? That's exactly what I mean," Yuliana sighed.

Everyone stared at the young wood elf and shook their heads.

Nieren startled herself awake and sat up in her chair. Her body posture was stiff and rigid, and she had a scowl on her face. Plus the bump on her forehead was painfully red.

"Ugh... Why does it have to be so noisy today?" Nieren mumbled while rubbing her head.

"Because we are in a tavern," Rya sighed, shaking her head.

"I-I'm fine. You're all just paranoid," she muttered, waving her hand dismissively.

"No. You are not," Yuliana chastised.

"Yes, I am, mother... And I'll be better once you bring me some tea," Nieren said while trying to look dignified.

"Nieren? Your mother already poured you a cup of tea. It's in front of you," Rya said with concern in her voice.

"Huh? What? OH! Yes! T-Thanks!" she stammered, as she noticed the steaming cup of tea on the table in front of her. It was right next to a potted plant in the center of the table. Nieren weakly reached out for the cup of tea, but she accidentally grabbed the potted plant instead. And thanks to her sorry state, she mistakenly channeled her mana into the plant.

The plant started to grow before everyone's eyes. Yuliana did a double take when she saw a beautiful red flower bloom. She nearly dropped her cup of tea when she realized what her daughter was doing. All these decades of her daughter failing to use the "Green Word" to communicate with plants made her fear that she was a failure of a mother and a wood elf. But now that Nieren was able to use the green word, her hopes were renewed.

'That was a flower of love and passion... Could it be? Has she found someone? Wait! That's not what matters right now. What matters is that she has finally learned how to speak with the plants. I can't let her ruin this chance,' Yuliana thought excitedly to herself.

"Nieren! You're using the green word!" she shouted happily.

"Huh? Wah!" Nieren gasped and looked around in a haggard state. That was when she noticed that she was holding a potted plant. She let it go and it landed on the table with a thud.

Nieren blinked her eyes rapidly before she realized her mistake.

"I... I-It's your imagination, Mom!" Nieren panicked and then she grabbed her tea and started drinking it while acting like she didn't do anything. "Mmmmh... The tea is good! Thanks, Mom! Ha ha! I feel better than ever!"

The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Yuliana didn't care that her daughter tried to hide her talent. She had the starry-eyed look of a proud mother and it made Nieren nervous.

"I prayed to the spirits for this day!" she cried out.

"W-Wait! M-Mother!?" Nieren stuttered as she knew what her mother was going to do.

"This calls for a celebration!" Yuliana exclaimed and jumped up and hugged her daughter. Pulling her head tightly against her large chest.

Nieren was panicking on the inside but she couldn't do anything to stop her mother.

"Mom... Your boobs are crushing my head! And you're just seeing things," Nieren said as her mother's chest muffled her voice.

"What was that, sweetie?" Yuliana asked, rubbing the top of her daughter's head.

The wood elf mother wasn't letting her daughter go, no matter how much she squirmed.

"Mother! I-I said-" Nieren stopped mid-sentence when she felt her mother's grip on her tighten.

"Mmmph!? Mmmf! Mm!" Nieren squeaked, trying to break free.

Rya shook her head at Nieren's weak attempts at denying facts. The cat was out of the bag and Nieren needed to accept that her mother now knew her secret.

'Jeez!... Poor Nieren... She's trying so hard to deny the truth, but if she doesn't admit that she's a green word user to her mother. Then I'll tell Yuliana myself. She deserves to know the truth. And maybe Yuliana will stop blaming herself for being a bad parent,' Rya thought.

After a few minutes, Nieren finally escaped her mother's vice-like grip.

"Gah!... Mother! I told you that it was a fluke," Nieren tried to argue.

"No, it's not, dear. You've used the green word, I saw it with my own eyes," Yuliana said, smiling at her.

"Mom! I am telling you that I'm—"

"Nieren!... The secret is out. If you won't tell her then I will," Rya cut her off.

Nieren's face became redder with embarrassment.

"T-There is no secret! Don't listen to her mom!" she tried to deny.

Yuliana looked at Rya, then back at her daughter, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What are you two talking about? What is going on?" Yuliana demanded.

"Rya! Please, don't do this! You promised not to tell her," Nieren begged.

"And I wouldn't if you didn't just use the green word in front of everyone," Rya scolded her.

"Nieren? You've been able to use the green word all this time?" Yuliana asked with shock in her voice.

"NO! Rya, don't please!"

"Yuliana... Nieren's mana vein had some seals or curses placed on it. I was able to heal it. That's when I saw her mage veins coming back to life. She had the ability to use the green word. But she couldn't access it until I fixed them," Rya said, taking pity on the poor girl.

Yuliana looked at Rya as her savior and her eyes filled with tears. She began to hug her daughter again, but it was even tighter as Nieren's head almost disappeared into her mother's chest.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Rya. I didn't know. I had no idea. Thank you for helping my daughter," Yuliana cried while swinging back and forth while hugging her daughter.

"Mom... I can't breathe... And you're embarrassing me," Nieren said with a muffled voice.

"Oh, sorry," she said, letting her go, "Now you can stop playing the adventurer and become a proper Wood Elf Princess!"

Nieren was mortified, and she wanted to die at that moment. She just couldn't deal with the embarrassment.

"Ugh..." Nieren groaned.

Everyone at the table was feeling the secondhand embarrassment from Nieren, with the exception of Dalia, who was enjoying Nieren's suffering.

"Y-Yuliana? You do know that Nieren's my retainer. And she needs to maintain her fighting skills, right?" Rya stuttered while coming up with an excuse to help her friend.

Yuliana blinked and realized that Rya was right. Her daughter vowed to be her retainer and serve as her sword and shield. And Yuliana knew her daughter was serious when she said those words.

"Oh... I suppose you're right... But can't you dismiss her from that duty? I'm fine if she continues being your lady-in-waiting, but she's a princess and should be learning about diplomacy and other important skills. Not some adventurer that runs around in labyrinths," Yuliana asked, not wanting to give up her dream of rebuilding the Wood Elf Kingdom for her daughter.

"Mother! You can't ask her to do that," Nieren argued, but Rya had another idea.

"I would have agreed to that, Yuliana... But you see, Nieren is also a light mage. And it wouldn't be right if I took her away from her calling," Rya stated.

"She is a light mage?!" Yuliana exclaimed.

"Yes, she is," Rya nodded.

Yuliana looked at her daughter in shock, 'She has her father's gift of being a light mage!? But he said it would be impossible for her to gain it! He said that only full-blooded High Elves were capable of using the "white word"... Could it be that he lied to me about this as well?... N-No... He wouldn't.'

"A light mage and a green word user? How can she be both?" she asked.

"What do you mean?... She's half-high elf, right?" Rya asked.

"But full-breeds are the only ones that can use light magic. So how is my daughter able to use it? How do you know she's a light mage?" Yuliana asked.

Rya looked at her with a perplexed look, "Well, that's not the case because I've seen her mage veins and she has two of them. It seems like it's another lie from the High Elves, Yuliana."

The older wood elf sighed as her old habit of believing everything from the High Elves resurfaced. It was second nature for her to believe them after four hundred years. But after everything Rya has done for her and her daughter, she knew she shouldn't have doubted her.

"That's true. I'm sorry. But please forgive my stupidity, Rya," she apologized.

"Hey, it happens to the best of us. I'm not offended. Just remember that you can trust me. I would never lie to you," Rya said before returning to eating her meal.

Yuliana felt a sense of warmth filling her heart.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have doubted you," Yuliana apologized again.

"You are forgiven," Rya smiled at her.

Nieren seemed to relax when her mother finally let her go and stopped smothering her. That was until her mother chimed in again, "Oh! I need to get some pots for the seedlings! There's so much catching up to do, Nieren. You wait here and I'll be back," Yuliana said, getting up and hurrying out of the tavern.

"Mom! No, don't! I don't need to learn..."

*SLAM!*

Goes the door as her mother went out to get some supplies.

"Urk!" Nieren groaned and sat down with her head in her hands.

"Aaand she's gone! Ha ha! Woody's going to be a planter," Dalia teased, laughing at the blonde wood elf.

"Shut it, mutt! Or I'll put a muzzle on you!" Nieren growled at the demi-human.

"Oh! How scary! Flowers are way more dangerous than that bow of yours," Dalia laughed harder.

Nieren clenched her teeth. Then a smirk formed on her lips, "Yeah, I wonder how many flowers I can put in your hair before you start looking like a cute defenseless maiden, waiting to give birth."

Dalia stopped laughing and looked at Nieren. Her eyes went wide.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me!" Nieren growled.

Dalia hid behind Percy, " Gamma! Keep her flowers away from me!"

"She's just bluffing. Nieren wouldn't do that," Percy said.

"You're not helping, Percy," Rya groaned.

"Huh? How am I not helping? Nieren has never done anything to harm her before," Percy stated what he thought was a fact.

Rya and Quinus just gave him a look of disbelief.

Nieren grabbed the flower pot and channeled her mana into it as more flowers began to bloom.

"W-What is going on?!" Percy gasped as the plant continued to grow many flowers. Nieren had a sinister grin on her face as she held the pot in her hand.

"Oh, Percy. You just sealed Dalia's fate," Rya chuckled.

"W-What did I do? Nieren is just bluffing... right?" he stuttered, turning to the blonde wood elf.

"D-Don't laugh, Alpha! H-Help me!" Dalia panicked as Nieren pulled out over three dozen red flowers.

"Heh heh. It's payback time, puppy," Nieren chuckled darkly.

Dalia squealed and ran out of the room. Nieren chased after her, laughing maniacally.

"You're not so tough now, wolfy! Take your punishment!"

"NO!"

Rya laughed at their antics. While the Royal Knights were stunned by how the other races acted. It went against all the stereotypes they'd heard about other races.

"S-Sir Richard? I thought you said Wolfkins are very competitive by nature?... Are you sure we have the correct species?" Sir Bart asked.

"Of course, I am! I've studied all the known species of demi-humans in our world," Sir Richard huffed.

"Well, maybe the studies are wrong? Because she seems to act almost like another human. Maybe a little more of a free spirit," Sir Bart questioned.

"I would have to agree with Sir Bart. The demi-human has shown no signs of aggression, except if she's provoked. But you could say that about humans as well," Sir James added.

"I'm telling you that Wolfkins are the most aggressive out of the known species of demi-humans. We've fought them on several occasions, and their ferocity in battle is something to behold," Sir Richard insisted.

"That's only if you are their enemy," Percy interjected.

"And what do you know, boy?" Sir Richard growled.

"More than you do, sir. She's my mate and I would appreciate it if you don't talk about her like that," Percy warned him.

"So, she's your mate. I'm not impressed. You have no idea how hard it is to control the beast that's inside of her kind. You will see soon enough that you're in over your head," Sir Richard warned.

With that, Dalia jumped into Percy's arms with red flowers in her black hair. It made her look so adorable but deadly at the same time.

"D-Dalia, are you okay?"

"No... She almost got me. She was going to put these in my ears, so I ran here to hide," she said, clinging to him.

"You're doing a bad job at hiding, dog!" Nieren shouted as she came into the room with more flowers in her hand.

"Eep!" Dalia clung harder onto Percy when she saw the wood elf zeroing in on her.

"L-Lady Nieren! Please stop! Dalia is sorry for teasing you," Percy pleaded.

"Oh, I'll stop. But if you try and tease me again. I'll make sure to put flowers in your tail, Dalia," Nieren grinned.

"W-What?! You wouldn't dare," Dalia said while peeking out from behind Percy's shoulder. Her tail was wagging playfully.

'D-Does Dalia enjoy being chased? Huh... That's cute.' Rya thought as she witnessed the two of them.

"Do you want to find out?" Nieren grinned evilly.

Dalia shook her head no while whimpering, even though her tail wagged harder than before.

"Then let that be a lesson to you, pup. I always win," Nieren said while walking back to her seat.

Dalia's ears drooped and her tail slowed down, "You're no fun," she muttered.

Percy just smirked and patted her head, "Well, you could ask her to chase you, you know."

She blushed, and leaned into his hand, "Mm-hmm. It's only fun if she tries to get me."

Rya chuckled.

'I can't believe Dalia likes to play cat and mouse. She's so weird.' Rya thought.

Four of the Royal Knights were watching how affectionate Dalia was being to Percy. Then they all turned to look at Richard who was sweating profusely.

"Um, Sir Richard? I think the boy has things under control," Sir James chuckled nervously.

"Y-Yes... A-Apparently," Sir Richard gulped while rubbing the back of his neck.

"I kinda want to have a wolfkin as a wife. They are quite lovely, wouldn't you say, gentlemen?" Sir Bart laughed.

"I can't agree with you more, Sir Bart. They are quite attractive. If I were single, I would have snatched her up in a heartbeat," Sir James added.

"So, once we return to the capital, I should tell your wife that you wish to replace her with a wolfkin?" Lady Rachel asked while finishing her meal.

"Eh... I take it back. Bart... Good luck in finding a wolfkin," Sir James quickly replied.

"I don't need luck... Percy! Do you know where to find a wolfkin? I would love to give one a try as my woman," Bart shouted out from the other side of the room.

Percy was surprised that one of the older knights asked him where to find a woman like Dalia.

"U-Um, I don't know, sir. Dalia was saved by Lady Rya in the labyrinth. And Lady Rya was the one to convince my love to give me a chance. So, I don't know how to find a woman who wants to be in a relationship," Percy answered.

"Haaa... Well, I'll find a way. I'll find a wolfkin woman and tame her. I'll become a wolf's alpha male!" Sir Bart proclaimed.

"Oh!? You think you can handle a wolfkin of my caliber, aye? Hehehe! You can try, but it will end with you being a beta," Dalia taunted the older knight.

"Ha! We will see about that. If I find a wolfkin worth her salt, then you will see me come back a conqueror of the fairer sex," Bart boasted.

"Hmph! If there's a free wolfkin without a mate. She will run away from you the first time she picks up your beta scent," Dalia stated.

"Is that a challenge?"

"Yes, it is. We, females, can smell weakness and we stay away from those who are weak," Dalia explained.

"Oh!? Are you calling me weak? I will find a free wolfkin and she will be so in love with me that she won't even remember her past lovers. Then I'll bring her back and have her show off her devotion to me," Sir Bart countered.

"Pfft. As if that's possible. No wolfkin female would ever fall for a human male. Even a warrior, such as yourself," Dalia chuckled.

"You're going to eat those words, wolf girl," Sir Bart stated as he got up and left the table.

Lady Rachel turned to Sir James, "Isn't she mating a human? Why is she saying that wolfkin females won't fall in love with a human male if that's what she's already done?"

"I have no idea, Lady Rachel. I was wondering the same thing," Sir James said.

"There you humans go. Overthinking things as usual," Dalia sighed.

"Overthink things? How are we overthinking this, missy?" Lady Rachel challenged.

"It's simple. And if I need to explain it then you humans are too stupid to understand. I'm going to get ready to leave," Dalia stated as she got off Percy's lap and walked out of the room.

"Why you, little!... Come back here!" Lady Rachel demanded.

"What the hell was that?" Sir Richard asked Percy.

Percy was scratching the back of his head as he didn't know what to say. So, Rya came to Dalia's rescue.

"Well... Dalia realized that she talked herself into a corner and refused to admit that she was wrong. She likes to push the blame onto others then she retreats to save face. Or embarrassment. It's hard to tell when she runs away." Rya answered.

"She lied to us? She is a coward then," Sir Richard said.

"She may be clumsy sometimes but she's a clever one. Plus she's been through so much with her near-death experience. So give her some slack. She knows that she's wrong but won't admit it. So just roll with it please," Rya defended her friend.

"I can't believe you're defending her. She's a disgrace," Sir Richard huffed.

Rya, Percy, Nieren, and Quinus glared at him, "How dare you," they said in unison.

"T-That's not what I meant," Sir Richard tried to defend himself.

"Sir Richard... It's best to know when one is beaten. And you are losing this fight," Lady Rachel sighed.

"I can't help it. All wolfkins are a nuisance. They are all the same," Sir Richard grumbled.

"And I'm a Dark Elf... So am I a nuisance to you as well, Sir Richard?" Rya questioned him.

"Personally, no... But it will cause problems with the nobility. You've shown me more than enough that not all Dark Elves are evil," Sir Richard explained.

"Good. I was getting tired of proving myself. But you should start treating Dalia better. She may act all tough, but deep down she's been through a lot. And she's my lady-in-waiting," Rya stated.

"Haaa... I'll do my best, my Lady," Sir Richard sighed.

With that everyone in the Tavern finished their meals before heading outside to meet up with the General, Johan, Tayna, and the rest of the party.