Inside a pristine room that had a long table and seven chairs as well as seven different flags hanging on the white walls, an important meeting was underway.
“We still haven’t found any signs of her.” [Nylian]
Nylian reported to the five other elves present around the table. Just like him, they were the heads of the seven most important clans in Faywood, the kingdom of the elves. They were Elenaril, Garrik, Rania, Jastra and Dain, the most influential figures after the king. Hastos, who came from the same clan as their current ruler, was late, for one reason or another.
“Nothing on my side either and it’s been more than a month already. We can’t be sure if that half-breed is still alive.” [Garrik]
Garrik, the man with vivid green hair, said. He had half-giving up hope on finding their target, Ava, alive.
“Whoever kidnapped her wouldn’t kill her. They know her value.” [Rania]
Rania, the woman with blonde hair, firmly declared so, certain that the half-breed was not dead.
“That’s exactly the problem. She’s not worth anything so long as Elenaril’s power is in place.” [Jastra]
Jastra, the elven woman with long green hair, argued against her fellow clan leader’s claim, pointing out that the black-haired half-elf had been rendered powerless, thus dropping her value to zero.
“Before we consider the half-breed’s possible death, we should first track her down.” [Dain]
Dain, the man with long blue hair, told everyone, reminding them that they needed to focus on finding leads.
“That’s easier said than done. Collecting information takes time, especially when we need to be wary of the other countries.” [Elenaril]
The last one who spoke while sighing listlessly was Elenaril, the very woman that rendered Ava powerless. She scratched her long white hair as she brought up the problems that their kingdom’s policies generated. Faywood didn’t actively try to improve its ties with other countries and only kept minimum contact. To be more accurate, their preferred policy was to not disturb and be disturbed by outsiders. As a result, they couldn’t really trust anyone to ask for help. But, if they had made trustworthy alliances, then perhaps their allies would have notified them or even secured the half-breed for them. Now, they were also investigating which country, if any, had kidnapped their asset.
“If only we could mobilize more troops.” [Jastra]
“Sending armed forces into other countries could cause a war.” [Garrik]
“But those that captured the half-breed might be planning to start one.” [Dain]
“Not to mention that even if we do find her, she’ll be useless. Nylian, Elenaril, you two were too hasty with sealing her powers away.” [Rania]
“We had to act fast and I couldn’t gather all of us together on such short notice.” [Nylian]
“Nylian’s right. We’re sorry we didn’t discuss it with you, but time was of the essence.” [Elenaril]
Just as their meeting was once more reaching a dead end, the door to the room opened and a man with long silver hair tied behind his nape walked in.
“I’m sorry I’m late.” [Hastos]
It was Hastos, the last of the seven clan heads. Now, everyone was present. Hastos apologized as he sat down and got right down to business.
“I just received a report. One of our scouts said that there are rumors about an elf with black hair working as a maid in a human country’s castle. There’s a strong chance it’s the half-breed.” [Hastos]
Hearing the first real clue they had in weeks, everyone leaned forward and focused their attention on him.
“Which country is she in?” [Nylian]
Creasing his brows, Nylian asked and Hastos answered while putting on a small, bitter smile.
“Troyas, inside their Capital.” [Hastos]
“… That’s right next to Faywood. How come we never knew until now?” [Nylian]
“My guess is that they’re controlling information on her, though it’s weird that they didn’t hide her race. From the report, she’s walking around the castle, showing everyone her ears.” [Hastos]
“Were they careless? The king of Troyas should be a cunning man.” [Nylian]
“Whatever the reason is, it’s thanks to their carelessness that we got this report.” [Hastos]
The clan heads discussed the possible ramifications of their new findings. They wondered if it was Troyas that kidnapped Ava, how they were controlling her and why they weren’t hiding her, but having her work as a maid instead. Talks of using a peaceful or aggressive approach to get the half-breed back were also brought up.
“Elenaril.” [Nylian]
In the middle of said discussions, Nylian softly spoke to Elenaril so as to not interrupt the others.
“What? If you want to ask for a favor, then let me see my niece and nephew next time I come visit.” [Elenaril]
She told a small joke, possibly from relaxing a bit after finding a lead on the half-breed.
“No. I want to ask if there’s any chance that your seal came undone.” [Nylian]
He asked Elenaril, wishing to check on the matter because of a bad feeling he was getting. Although they had possibly gotten ahold of the half-breed’s whereabouts, Nylian suddenly felt uneasy when he heard the news. After a bit of pondering, the white-haired elf answered him.
“As I’ve said, I can’t tell you for sure since the durations of my seals are unpredictable, but most last for years. In my opinion, the chances that the half-breed can use her powers again after a month are low.” [Elenaril]
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“I can use my powers again.” [Ava]
Inside the capital of Troyas, Ava said out loud to herself with a “It’s about time” look on her face.
It was the night after she woke up and realized that her powers were no longer sealed. The half-elf looked at her right and left hands, each covered by a bright light and dark smoke respectively. After making sure that there was no one around her, even though she was the only person inside the bedroom that was allocated to her, she shot a ball of black smoke at her feet. From the projectile that expanded as if it exploded, a humanoid figure took shape and an armored elf was kneeling before Ava. It was one of the copies that her power created from actual people, which she dubbed “Shadow Puppets”. The man’s clothes and complexion were darker than the real person’s, making his white skin and bright blonde hair appear grey and his steel armor a metallic black.
Feeling the sense of fatigue that occurred each time she created a Shadow Puppet, Ava sat on her bed and took a deep breath. Having finished confirming that her powers had truly returned, she felt pleasantly tired. Then, she made the shadowy elven soldier disappear and summoned another one. Repeating the process, she continued until the exhaustion was too much for her and stopped just short of losing consciousness.
After one month, Ava’s daily routine could finally include training her ability once again.
“Alright. Traveling’s become a lot safer. Now I just need to collect some info and get out of here before they make me do something embarrassing.” [Ava]
Having recovered her elven powers, the half-elf was planning for the future as she looked at her left hand that was covered by a cloud of dense, black smoke. Slowly, an idea on how to gather information took form in her mind. She went to the wardrobe and opened it. Of the few clothes she had, which were gifts from the queen, none of them were to her liking. After all, they were all dresses.
Swallowing her manly pride, Ava looked for the plainest and warmest dress before picking up a chest at the bottom of the wardrobe. Inside it were various pieces of cloth as well as a sewing kit. It was something that the half-elf had asked to have and that the queen had accepted since it was, in her words, a lady-like request. The chest also held a drawstring pouch which contained some of the money that was earned from selling rinses.
After confirming the states of the various items she needed, Ava decided to call it a night and sat cross-legged to meditate.
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“One, two, three, four! One, two, three, four! Keep up with the rhythm.” [Louise]
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Ava spoke her thoughts with a grim expression and a deep, manly voice.
“… I won’t lie. This is embarrassing.” [Ava]
“Less talking, more dancing.” [Louise]
Pressed by the queen, Louise, the half-elf was wrapped up in another dance lesson. The blonde-haired woman was clapping her hands and dictating the pace while the black-haired girl, dressed in a maid outfit, was dancing with her training partner.
“You’re getting better and better at this.” [Dreck]
Said partner, Dreck, complimented her with a smile on his handsome face. The intensity of his attacks seemed to have increased somewhat, leaving any woman spellbound and possibly wobbly on their feet. Unfortunately for him, the one standing before him could not fall by a handsome man’s smile, even if he was an outstanding prince. But, perhaps understanding this, the brown-haired, good-looking guy included other tactics in his arsenal.
Using his left hand that was on her waist, Dreck hugged her close and rapidly spun around three times in place. Their bodies were closely sticking together and their faces were only inches apart.
“Hey! Don’t change the dance when you feel like it! There’s no triple spin at this part!” [Ava]
Still, there was no result and Ava only rebuked him after taking some distance.
“Sorry. I’m a tad excited since the ball is tonight.” [Dreck]
“Oh yeah, the ball where a bunch of nobles will be dancing. The ball that’s the reason why I had to learn how to dance even though I won’t be dancing since I’m working as a maid.” [Ava]
“Don’t frown like that. It can’t hurt to learn the steps.” [Dreck]
“I bet your mom just used it as an excuse to torture me. Ouch!” [Ava]
A black whip fell on the complaining maid’s head, forcing the practice to a halt and the two dance partners to look at the perpetrator.
“Dreck, dance properly. Ava, mind your language, manners and everything else or I will really torture you.” [Louise]
The queen, slapping her horse riding whip in her palm, stood imposingly as she coldly stared at the half-elf.
“For example, I could force you to sit in front of a mirror while my servants style your hair, put on makeup and make you don a beautiful dress. Yes, I believe that’ll be enough to make an extreme tomboy like you writhe in agony.” [Louise]
Louise described a punishment that was more of a normal routine for high standing women and a dream for commoner girls while hiding her mouth behind her whip. However, it was clear that, to Ava, it was indeed fitting to be called a punishment.
“No, not the mirror. I don’t want to look at myself in the mirror. And not the hair. It takes so long. I don’t need to look prettier with makeup! And the dress… Well, I’ve already been stuck wearing dresses for sixteen years, but I still hate it!” [Ava]
“… Maybe this is a hopeless cause.” [Louise]
And yet, seeing her exaggerated reaction didn’t make the sighing queen happy one bit.
“Let’s end it here for today. Dreck, don’t train with the knights and finish your work early so that you can be ready for tonight’s ball. Ava, I believe the head maid asked for your help. Go about your duties and… Try to behave like a young lady.” [Louise]
Just like that, the lesson ended and Ava went off to do the work assigned to her. Dreck looked at her departing back. Just a minute ago, he was holding her hand in his and was even tightly pressed against her. His heart was beating fast and he wished that the dance lesson would have continued for longer.
Ever since Dreck saw the dream that clearly exposed his true feelings and deepest desires, he was approaching Ava for the sake of wooing her. Although it had only been a day since he carried such a goal, there had been no sign of progress. It was a first for him who always made ladies swoon just by walking by them.
Then again, it was only the beginning. There was no reason to give up.
Later on, Ava was cleaning one of the luxurious guest rooms on orders of the head maid. She was a slim woman nearing her fifties who tied her long grey hair in a tight bun behind her head. Being the one in charge of all the maids in the castle, she was a strict person that always wore a serious expression and kept her calm. As such, when a half-elf showed up as a new maid, she didn’t make a fuss and accepted the situation, even as her expression cramped up.
Ava thought the old lady was quite a capable person since she was the only one that didn’t make a fuss over her sudden appearance. Everyone kept their distance and only approached her for work-related reasons, though their behavior was due in large part because of her odd personality and position. After all, what sort of maid was allowed to train with the knights, or could even beat them in one-on-one fights?
Still, her race definitely made them intrigue and wary before she introduced herself. Ava knew this during her time in Sanctuary Academy, but the first impression she gave was rather unpopular to the overwhelming majority. Half-elves truly had a notorious reputation. However, that didn’t make her depressed, but curious. After all, half-elves were hated by elves and that hatred was spread to the other races.
But, strangely enough, the reason for that wasn’t known or questioned. Ava never learned it either during the sixteen years of her life.
“(Half-elves are sterile, hated by elves and lose their powers when their hair is cut short. Haven’t confirmed the last part… And I’ll never confirm the first part.)” [Ava]
Members of different races would come together and have kids. These young ones of mixed blood would grow up and have no trouble with their lives. Yet, only half-eves were shunned and could not have children.
Was that why they were a taboo?
“(Half-elves are weird.)” [Ava]
“I see you’re working hard.” [Dreck]
While Ava was contemplating her own existence, Dreck’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Standing at the door, he was watching the maid clean the room with an amiable smile on his face.
“Shouldn’t you be working, studying or something?” [Ava]
Ava asked as she waved the feather duster in her hand, trying to dust off an expensive-looking vase without accidentally dropping it.
“I just help out my father to know what is expected of me as the next king. It’s nothing difficult.” [Dreck]
Dreck answered before closing the door. He then walked around the room and examined the furniture as he talked to her.
“As for studying, I already learned all I needed from my tutors years ago. Around the time I turned ten.” [Dreck]
“Damn, I bet your sister and every kid are jealous of you. You don’t need to study anymore.” [Ava]
“Haha, Lisa’s certainly capable in her studies, but isn’t quite at my level. Still, thanks to that, she isn’t saddled with weird titles.” [Dreck]
“Titles?” [Ava]
“Oh, you know, nicknames like ‘Boy Genius’, ‘Perfect Prince’, ‘Promising Heir’ and so on. Nothing unexpected.” [Dreck]
“Uh-huh, now those are some real humble nicknames.” [Ava]
Ava said sarcastically as she checked her work and moved on to dust off the rest of the room.
“Though I did get some other, less flattering titles because of how much time I spend training with the knights.” [Dreck]
“… Knight Lover?” [Ava]
“No.” [Dreck]
After firmly denying a title that he really didn’t want to get, Dreck walked up to Ava who was trying to reach the top of the curtains above the windows with her feather duster.
“Need some help?” [Dreck]
He asked, but he didn’t wait for her answer and, using both hands, he lifted her by the waist like a child.
“… This is your idea of helping?” [Ava]
“You can reach now, can’t you?” [Dreck]
“Meh, I would have preferred a chair, but fine.” [Ava]
Although the half-elf sounded unhappy, she still accepted his help and proceeded to do her work while dangling in the air.
“You’re quite light. Are you eating properly?” [Dreck]
“Yeah, even tried overeating out of curiosity, but I didn’t gain any weight. One of the perks that come with having elven blood, I guess.” [Ava]
“Now that’s something that’ll make others jealous, mainly the women.” [Dreck]
“Well, you’ve ever seen pureblood elves? They’re seriously good-looking. Jealousy from other races is probably an everyday thing to them.” [Ava]
“Oh? Then you’re saying that your gorgeous looks are also thanks to your blood?” [Dreck]
“Definitely. Move me a bit to the left. Gotta quickly get this room and five more ready for the guests that’ll be coming today. That head maid’s a slave driver.” [Ava]
“I can see how the servants are kept busy, making preparations to welcome the nobles that’ll be attending tonight’s ball.” [Dreck]
The two talked as Ava diligently did her job. The elven maid was dusting off the top of the curtains while the prince, and heir apparent, was holding her up by the waist. To any bystander, it was an unusual sight to behold.
“Well, are you going to attend the ball? I could be your escort if you want.” [Dreck]
“No way.” [Ava]
“You look cute in those maid clothes, but I’m sure you’d be ravishing in a proper dress.” [Dreck]
“I hate dresses, don’t call me cute, don’t call me ravishing, and hold me steady.” [Ava]
Any compliment Dreck threw at her passed over her head, but he wasn’t downhearted and only smiled wryly, for he had other plans.
“Oops.” [Dreck]
Suddenly, uttering a dumb sound, the perfect prince went and tripped over his feet on flat ground. It was on purpose, of course, and he made sure that the half-elf he was holding wouldn’t get hurt. Falling down, Dreck expertly ended on his back with Ava lying on top of him. The warmth of her body was transmitted to him even through her clothes. Also, an especially soft and pleasant sensation pushing against his chest was making his heart beat harder. The two stared at each other with their faces a few inches apart for a few seconds.
“… What was that?” [Ava]
The maid looked annoyed as she raised her upper body and gazed at him with her eyes of different colors. But, to the prince in love, even her half irritated, half drowsy expression was cute.
“I tripped. Sorry.” [Dreck]
Dreck apologized while smiling, but it didn’t appease her ill humor at all.
“You don’t look sorry. In fact, I’d say that was on purpose!” [Ava]
Ava changed her position to straddle him. Then, she threw a punch at his face, but he easily caught it.
“Now calm down. I was just messing around a bit. It’s no reason to attack.” [Dreck]
“Yeah, but that smile’s practically begging to get punched.” [Ava]
“Hmm, if anyone saw this, you’d be arrested for lese majesty. Maybe I should tease you, for discipline? As I recall, those beautiful ears are really sensitive.” [Dreck]
“Damn! You still remember that!?” [Ava]
Because of Dreck’s comment, Ava swiftly leapt off him and got ready for a fight.
“Elves have dumb weaknesses!” [Ava]
Seeing her excessive reaction, he couldn’t help but happily laugh, which annoyed her even more. While lying on the ground and laughing, he basked in the warm emotions that resided in his chest. Truly, Dreck regretted not having accepted his feelings from the start.
Trying to earnestly win the favor of the girl he loved was so exhilarating and their simple interactions made him ludicrously happy.
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“The city is in sight.” [???]
Evening, under a dim, cloudy sky, a certain group of guards were traveling on horses as they surrounded a carriage. Inside that elegant carriage, a man in his fifties reported to the person sitting in front of him.
“Finally, it takes so long to reach the Capital from our territory. Why do we have to go to the ball anyway?” [???]
Although the young man complained about his parents’ decision, his traveling companion didn’t answer and wisely kept quiet. Wearing a black suit and his greying brown hair swept back, the man had been a servant to the sighing youth’s noble family for decades and understood his personality. Because of his long and prestigious bloodline, that youngster was quite arrogant. It only became worse as he grew up spoiled and blessed with good looks.
The nobleman, who was almost in his twenties, sported such handsome features that any woman would blush upon seeing his face. His platinum blonde hair that he let grow into a short ponytail tied behind his neck appeared to shine white under the sun. His grey eyes were sharp like those of an eagle and his flawless porcelain skin gave him a feminine allure. Coupled with his slim figure, he could be seen as a beautiful man as well. These traits were all weapons and he knew exactly how to exploit them.
“How long before we get to the castle?” [Nobleman]
“I am sorry, Lord Landstral, but please be patient for a bit longer. We’ll be th-.” [Servant]
“I HAVE been patient for a whole day in this shaking carriage. It was a stuffy, boring day surrounded by men and not a flower in sight.” [Landstral]
The nobleman said in a strong tone while sending a glare at his bowing servant. Still, after a few seconds, he sighed and dispelled some of his ill humor.
“Oh well, I’ll vent off this frustration once we reach the Capital.” [Landstral]
He said as he gazed at the scenery outside, a fairly bad smile spreading on his lips.
“It’s been a while. I wonder how that cousin of mine is doing, and if that gossip is true.” [Landstral]