Yarra’s Adventure Notes
Chapter 1026 - 141: Mother’s Assist

Chapter 1026: Chapter 141: Mother’s Assist

"Cough, cough, cough." Perhaps it was the water he had spat out that choked him, but Pannis kept coughing continuously, unable to utter a word. No one could blame him, for this was the first time in over a hundred years that someone had breached this topic. Flare, with her gentle and subtle personality, delicate as a daffodil in a serene valley stream, never showed more than a faint warmth in her actions, no matter how passionate her feelings. Even though she had resolved to compete with the girls for Pannis’s ownership, she had never told him directly, at most merely hinting subtly. Likewise, the girls from the adventure team had never made their intentions clear either, all patiently playing a guessing game, considerately leaving room for Pannis to play dumb.

However, a remark by Queen Ika, whether intentional or not, suddenly severed all possibilities for Pannis to continue playing dumb. In an instant, the girls’ expressions grew complex, eyes filled with wariness as they stared at this beautiful elf wearing a dazed expression. In the eyes of the girls, the queen they saw before them had transformed from a seemingly naive beauty into a cunning and malicious schemer, using her foolish appearance to cover her sinister intentions.

"What are you talking about? When did I ever do that? Stop causing trouble." Flare, half laughing and half crying, spoke annoyed while pushing her mother from behind, "Go back, go back. Didn’t you say last time that going out exhausted you and that you wanted to retire in the World Tree for the rest of your life? Didn’t you swear not to step out until Yarra Doomsday? Then just stay in! Why do you keep following and causing trouble? Go back now!"

"Hey, hey, hey, don’t push me." Ika, being pushed by her daughter from behind, clung to a tree trunk, whining, "Ah, my back, my back is going to break because of you. You all don’t know, but every time this daughter of mine gets embarrassed, she rushes me away. A few years ago, when you went to the Realm of the Dead, she seriously told us that if we didn’t return, her sister would succeed as queen. When we asked her why, she acted just like this and almost pushed me off the World Tree. Ah, why are you still pushing? It’s pouring outside, and there’s so much Thunder Element! I am your mother; is it really appropriate for you to send me back now? Is this your plan to kill me?"

"How can there be a mother like you," Flare hissed through clenched teeth, regaining her senses and not pushing her mother anymore, only speaking in exasperation, "Regardless, you hurry back after the weather clears up, and don’t follow me anymore."

"But by the time the weather clears up, it’ll already be very late." Ika touched her lips with a finger, putting on a fragile demeanor and spoke with a pitiful voice, "It’s so dark outside, I’m really scared. Can’t I just stay?"

"You’re using that tactic again; it’s simply dreadful." Flare, at her wits’ end, slumped onto a tree stump and covered her forehead in agony. "I told you not to bring home affairs out, told you not to act pitiful, told you to go back, yet you don’t listen. Goddess, whenever I think that my sister often stays with you, I worry that you’ll lead her astray."

"Don’t be mad, little Flare." Ika poked Flare’s cheek, quickly dodged before her daughter could get angry, and walked over to Pannis. She bent down and stared at him for a long time until his forehead began to sweat and his expression stiffened. Then she pursed her lips and said, "So you’re Kyle? Hmm, you don’t look anything special, just an ordinary human, with such short ears, not pretty at all. Can your ears move? You see, ours can."

"Uh, hehe, hehe." Pannis looked embarrassedly at the ears drooping and then standing up in front of him. Indeed, for the long-eared Elves, the ears are an important standard in their aesthetic view, and a pair of delicate and beautiful long ears could significantly enhance a person’s appearance. Although he had known this, observing an Elf’s ears from such a close distance while being observed himself was a first-time experience for him, so he could only force a laugh and say, "Indeed very short, haha, haha, I’m really sorry to disappoint you. No wait, haha, I shouldn’t have had any expectations to begin with."

"How boring, I thought humans who could captivate little Flare must be interesting." Ika pouted and said discontentedly, "I’ve been worried about you for over a hundred years, and I was even prepared to carve your name on the Companion Tree, just waiting for you to accept and the ceremony to begin. Strange, you’re such an ordinary human, how did you manage to... mmm mmm mmm."

Flare covered her mother’s mouth and forcefully dragged her to the corner, starting to lecture her with an almost crazed expression. The others sat in the center of the shelter, glancing at each other, as the awkward atmosphere slowly spread among them.

"Ika has always been that way." As the only Elf in the room who was older than the former Queen herself, Antuin was also the only one whose expression didn’t change. He just sat calmly on the side, holding a teacup and enjoying the chaotic drama unfolding in front of him, until Flare dragged Ika aside to school her. Then he blew on the steam rising from his teacup and leisurely said, "She has always been like this since her time as the queen, always creating chaos in the King’s Court, giving everyone headaches. We thought having Flare and Lily would make her mature a bit, but as you see, that hasn’t happened. Yet, despite this, everyone still likes her, and no one ever really gets mad at her, including Flare and Lily. Oh, by the way, Lily is Flare’s younger sister."

"Heh, we understand." Catherine smiled subtly, but her smile was still a bit strained, and the wariness in her eyes never faded. The young lady adept at interpreting human hearts and seeing through plots certainly didn’t believe that the former Elf Queen’s performance today was merely for the sake of causing trouble. A queen who could foresee the rise of Neutral Land and its role in reducing warfare, and who extended a hand of friendship, wasn’t likely to lack other motives in the knight girl’s view—even without deep thought, the most probable guess was that she might be indirectly aiding her daughter’s war. Moreover, thinking it through, even though Pannis appeared unchanged now, it was impossible for him not to be affected by these words.

"That’s so cunning." Although the current queens might not be aware, a few young ladies still muttered to each other, casting disdainful glances at Flare’s retreating figure: "She is really too crafty."