Ch.345It’s Dangerous Outside (3)

They announced they had prepared a gift for me in Alfheim, but I vaguely suspect what it might be.

Judging from Arwen’s reaction along with the elven communism, it would be strange not to know. Plus, she’s already confessed her feelings to me, so it’s impossible not to realize.

Alfheim intends to gift me Queen Arwen. They claim they can never lose to demons, yet they’re planning to gift their own queen.

One might ask if it’s a bit much to gift the ruler of a country, especially a powerful one, or whether it’s appropriate to treat a person as a gift.

That’s just how this era works. Political marriages exist as a diplomatic tool.

There’s no rule saying Arwen, Queen of Alfheim, is exempt from being part of a political marriage.

In fact, for Arwen, being connected to me would serve as a strong shield both personally and politically.

It’s truly a win-win situation. She can maintain her personal happiness while having sufficient external justification.

‘Still, they probably won’t give the gift right away.’

A day is long. Arwen won’t just hand over the gift immediately but will go through several steps.

She’ll probably spend the whole day on a date and only reveal the true nature of the gift when night falls.

Of course, this is all my speculation, so I shouldn’t be too certain. To confirm properly, I need to head to Alfheim.

Outside the blanket may be dangerous, but I have to go out to receive the gift. Alfheim knows this too, so they’ll surely send their elite forces.

This much I could predict, but then came a completely unexpected condition.

“Honestly. If you want to monopolize him, just say so directly. I don’t understand why you need so many excuses. Don’t you agree, Sister Adel?”

“I agree.”

I smiled wryly watching Marie and Adelia converse. Currently, I’m being groomed by Adelia.

The reason they’re grumbling is because of the condition set by Alfheim.

The gift is solely for “Xenon,” meaning me, so no one else needs to come.

No explanation needed—a national announcement, yet they want only me to come.

Someone unfamiliar with the situation might think it’s natural since it’s a personal gift, but those around me immediately caught Arwen’s intention.

She wants to monopolize me when giving the gift, so she’d prefer others not to come. That’s exactly what she means.

“It’s fortunate she said she’d yield for a few days; otherwise, all the goodwill we’ve built could have vanished.”

“Have you met Arwen before?”

I looked at Marie with curious eyes when she grumbled.

I roughly knew that Cecilly and Arwen occasionally contacted each other, but this was the first I’d heard about Marie.

She flinched slightly, then shrugged her shoulders and answered nonchalantly.

“We met at the mansion before, remember? She gave me a communication device saying we should keep in touch. But we rarely contact each other unless it’s for something special, given our circumstances.”

“Something special?”

“Well…”

Marie rolled her eyes at my continued questioning, then met my gaze. I couldn’t tell what thoughts were behind those ocean-blue eyes.

Then she smiled mischievously, pinched my cheek lightly, and said sweetly:

“I can’t tell you now. Ask Queen Arwen directly later. But don’t ask outright—wait for the right timing.”

“What timing are you talking about?”

“Just ask when the wedding night topic comes up. You’re going to do it anyway, right?”

“…”

She asked so boldly that I was left speechless. Is this really the same Marie who used to get jealous when I was involved with other women?

As if reading my thoughts, she smiled and said:

“Like I said before, you’re too much for me to keep to myself. Rather than facing opposition from all sides, it’s better for my well-being to share you with everyone.”

“…”

“But remember! As I’ve mentioned repeatedly, I’m your number one priority. Don’t ever forget that. Even now, I’m just ‘lending’ you to Queen Arwen. Understand?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Marie’s characteristic statement. As my reputation grows day by day, so does Marie’s consideration.

Who could not love such a woman? She possesses charm that doesn’t fall short compared to any other woman.

Smooch!

I gently held her cheek and lightly pressed my lips against hers. That single act was enough to confirm our affection.

When I faced Marie afterward, her cheeks were flushed. Our flame continues to burn steadily without extinguishing.

“Well, have a good trip. Don’t get too excited and exhaust Queen Arwen.”

“Someone might misunderstand if they heard that.”

“So what? Everyone who matters already knows. Oh, and give Sister Adel a kiss too before you go.”

“N-no, I’m fine!”

When the spark suddenly flew her way, Adelia hastily shook her head. Her face turning rapidly red was quite adorable.

Still, a quick kiss before leaving seemed appropriate. I gave Adelia a light bird kiss too, then checked my clothes.

A simple-looking red formal attire, but with golden cross-stitching that added splendor.

Compared to what other nobles wear, it might seem modest, but to my eyes, it’s plenty elaborate. I particularly liked the cross-stitching done with golden thread.

Originally, I was going to wear clothes without the cross-stitching, but Marie adamantly refused, so it was changed. I liked it anyway.

“Now! It’s time to go. Alfheim said they’re calling their elite forces, so you won’t need to worry about devil worshippers.”

“Alright. Be careful until then.”

“That’s why I’m planning to stay with Sister Adel for now. I should use this opportunity to get closer to Ms. Kate too.”

Despite the fact that I might be going on a date with another woman, and possibly spending the wedding night with her, Marie showed a refreshingly open attitude.

I smiled gently at her lovely demeanor and said goodbye to them. By the way, Father had already left for the mansion to take care of some business.

Kate had also gone to the temple for worship, so Marie and Adelia were the only ones to say goodbye to.

“Well, I’ll be going now.”

“Take care~ Oh! I almost forgot. Here.”

Just before leaving, Marie handed me a bottle. Inside were white pills, and I knew exactly what they were.

Contraceptive pills. I stared blankly at the bottle full of contraceptive pills, then looked up at her.

Marie was smiling from ear to ear.

“Just in case. I absolutely must prevent another woman from having your child before me.”

“…You know elves have difficulty getting pregnant, right?”

“I know, but just to be safe. Once you’ve spent the night together, you probably won’t leave the bedroom anyway. So take them without arguing. If you don’t take them and Queen Arwen gets pregnant, be prepared to break up.”

“Okay, okay.”

Marie is always thorough about these things. Actually, I had forgotten about it, but I didn’t mention that.

“You honestly forgot, didn’t you?”

“No?”

“Even that inability to lie is lovable. Nom!”

“Ouch!”

I wonder when she’ll stop biting my face. I gently rubbed my cheek, which probably had visible teeth marks.

******

While Issac was preparing to head to Alfheim, Arwen was the busiest.

She didn’t mind choosing herself as a gift for Xenon, or rather Issac.

It could politically elevate her status, and it was filled with personal desire.

To be honest, the personal desire was the biggest factor. She didn’t care much about the political aspects and hadn’t even considered them initially.

All of this was what the citizens of Alfheim wanted. What leader would refuse when their people strongly desired something?

Although the announcement was delayed due to Arwen’s embarrassment, at least it was done now.

“Your Majesty. Before you go, you must prepare your body with the spring water from the World Tree.”

“And apply perfume…”

“Your Majesty is the symbol of our Alfheim.”

“You must not go unprepared. Come here.”

She nearly collapsed before even spending the wedding night. She had been so focused on state affairs that she’d forgotten about the elves’ old-fashioned traditions.

Elves value tradition highly, and this is an issue that even the queen cannot avoid.

Especially now when she needs to “wrap” the gift for Issac properly. Although most of the elders and Phiren’s old-fashioned elves were gone, the stuffiness remained.

Not worn-out bad customs, but genuine traditions passed down from ancient times. Arwen, being a half-blood rather than pure-blooded, had no chance of resisting.

‘No wonder the birth rate is so low…’

Thanks to this, she realized why elves have such a low birth rate.

Regardless of gender, having to go through this ritual every time before intimacy would drain anyone’s energy.

Fortunately, she had attendants as the queen, but ordinary citizens would take a long time doing this themselves.

For the prosperity of Alfheim, perhaps this should be changed a bit. Arwen sighed at this untimely challenge.

‘Still, I’m glad I did it early.’

Arwen checked her beautifully adorned appearance in the mirror. At first glance, there didn’t seem to be much difference, but since she usually didn’t dress up, this was an improvement.

Normally, makeup on someone with her youthful appearance would look awkward, but now she embodied both maturity and cuteness simultaneously.

A bright smile showed a girl’s freshness, while a gentle smile revealed a maiden’s innocence.

Finally, the subtle perfume stimulated the sense of smell.

The perfume was also made from the World Tree’s dew. It supposedly has a calming effect just by being near it.

Lastly, her attire. Since the true “gift” was prepared for the night, her current outfit was a white one-piece dress.

However, her attendants seemed to understand where her strengths lay, as the style was slightly different.

One side was covered, but the other was openly exposed. In other words, one side clearly revealed the curves of her hip, while the other showed her snow-white thigh without restraint.

There was no garter belt. Only Arwen’s fair thigh was exposed.

Though short in stature, her proportions were as good as Cecilly’s, giving her a unique charm.

‘I-it’s embarrassing, but it’s a gift for Issac…’

Even though Arwen usually wore clothes with open sides, today’s outfit felt somehow more embarrassing. Was it because it was specifically for Issac?

She blushed as she looked at herself in the mirror, then twirled around and walked away. Her new shoes made a click-clack sound.

Eventually, Arwen reached the bed. On the bed lay the real “gift” for Issac, neatly arranged.

After carefully examining the gift, she looked around and cleared her throat. And then…

“M-my lord. L-look under this blanket. Then the real gift…”

Thud-

Arwen suddenly fell to her knees and…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unable to finish her sentence, she pounded the bed with her fist.

Her face turned bright red, and her long ears shook uncontrollably up and down.

Even after practicing several times, it was still difficult to say out loud.

‘How did that woman do it?’

Suddenly, she remembered Cecilly, who had taught her these words. She heard that Cecilly had described herself as a “dessert.”

It was truly admirable how she could say such vulgar words in front of Issac.

While Arwen was pounding the bed with her fist…

Knock knock knock-

“Your Majesty. Xenon has arrived…”

“I’ll be right there!”

Meeting Issac comes first. Let’s postpone the later matters.

Arwen rose abruptly from her seat with a flushed face.

She didn’t forget to quickly put the gift on the bed into a box. It could have been a disaster otherwise.

“Where is he now? I’ll go meet him myself.”

“Currently, Issac is…”

Alfheim’s gift offensive is just beginning.