The Heartbeat of the Cruel Elves

"That's off topic," she said quickly. "Anyway, the child of a hag is just an excuse. Just like what the male wizard named Truss from my clan said, hags and their offspring are all female, and I am certainly aware of that. But it doesn't matter, because I don't really want to turn you into a hag's child. I just want to make Princess Cassia think that you are not suitable to be a servant."

"Even if there is no such excuse." She raised her head and looked back at Li Yin with her bright eyes, "I will come up with other excuses. It doesn't matter which excuse it is. What really matters is the purpose, and there are many ways to achieve it."

"However," she paused, an apologetic look once again appearing on her pretty face, "Because of this excuse, you were frightened. This is indeed my inconsiderateness. Please forgive me, Lord Li, Li Yin."

Li Yin suddenly realized. He froze for a moment, feeling both amused and annoyed, then waved his hand: "It's okay."

He was not that squeamish. Since the other party had good intentions, there was no problem. A little shock was inevitable. After all——

"Your original purpose was to scare your compatriots. If you can't even scare me, how can you scare them?" He teased with a smile.

Du Feiya couldn't help but laugh. Seeing that Li Yin didn't care, she gradually relaxed her cautious mood.

The two looked at each other and saw trust and kindness in each other's eyes. However, the reasons for both of them were different. The reason behind Du Feiya's behavior was much more "touching".

"So," Li Yin continued, "you said before that you wanted to 'try to keep a piece of me intact'. Is this also the reason?"

Du Feiya nodded embarrassedly.

"I have to do this," she sighed softly, her eyes flickering and her expression complicated.

"Perhaps this is difficult for you to understand, but for us dark elves, mercy is only a sign of weakness. Cruelty and ruthlessness are the true virtues."

"I don't expect their respect, but in our society, being considered weak is the biggest disaster. All dark elves will think you are the most worthy target of bullying and framing, and will deliberately use you, plot against you, and murder you. So in order to protect myself, I must behave like a true dark elf noble."

"It's the same with you. If I show any mercy or weakness in my negotiations with Princess Cassia, she will despise me and I will lose the opportunity for equal communication and trade, which will make it more difficult to rescue you. On the contrary, if I can try to be more cruel, cold, and evil than my compatriots, then maybe I can win more respect from her, and my proposal for a trade will be more convincing."

Li Yin was stunned.

Although Du Feiya's words seemed incredible at first, combined with what he had seen, heard and felt in the dark elf society over the past few days, upon careful consideration, they did make sense.

In other words, the cruel, cold, even perverted, twisted, and chilling image of the evil female mage in front of him was actually a deliberate disguise? And her true side was actually a warm-hearted friend who deliberately wanted to rescue him?

No - he quickly corrected himself and added in his mind that it was her "real side" after she was bewitched by the "charm".

Chapter 2 Friends ()

Li Yin once again looked closely at the beautiful female dark elf in front of him.

Admittedly, she was a little confused at the moment, and her pretty face was full of shyness and embarrassment, which was very cute. Coupled with her pair of affectionate, gentle and soft eyes, she looked like a girl next door, kind and natural. But Li Yin had not forgotten how she became like this.

If it weren't for the influence of the charm... Li Yin remembered what she and her family members did to an innocent street beggar when they first met the Dinitya family convoy on the street; and when he first met Princess Dufiya face to face in the tavern - he hadn't cast the charm on her yet, and she was competing with a male dark elf in throwing knives - using the other's head as a target.

In essence, she was no different from Princess Cassia, but she was in this state because of the charm. However, compared to Cassia, the reaction of Princess Dufia after being charmed was indeed stronger, but that should be a chain reaction caused by the original personality differences of the individuals. For example, another target affected by the charm, Myrcella, once showed an extremely strong love for physical pleasure with her.

Anyway...

You are the master of charm, Li Yin's heart tightened and he warned himself not to charm himself.

Having said that, I was also frightened by the title of Nevuvel's chief wizard and the identity of his daughter who had been taught by him since childhood. When Du Feiya looked at me with those meaningful eyes, I didn't even think of the possibility of the charm spell being successful. My mind was full of the fact that the spell failed and was discovered, and the panic it aroused.

Now that I think about it carefully, it is possible. After all, my charm can even affect Cassia, the priestess of the Spider Queen. Although the mages are also strong-willed and outstanding, in terms of the firmness of their will, they are generally inferior to the priests who devote themselves wholeheartedly to the fanatical worship and sincere service of the gods. Therefore, as long as Du Feiya, the "mage with considerable accomplishments" in Cassia's words, her "attainment" is not too much higher than Cassia, then in theory, I do have the possibility of controlling her with charm.

Facts have proven that this is indeed the case. Then - Li Yin also confirmed another guess he had made before, that is, Du Feiya herself should not be a super powerful wizard who can cast the eight-ring arcane spell. The reason why she can instantly cast the "anywhere door" must be that she used other external auxiliary means. Otherwise, his charm spell might not be enough to affect her.

He came back to his senses and looked at the female dark elf in front of him again.

"Thank you," he said.

There was a mist in Du Feiya's bright eyes, and she looked at him in confusion.

"Thank you for everything you have done for me." Li Yin said sincerely. "You painstakingly set up this series of plans for me, a foreign slave you have never met before, and even risked being discriminated against and despised by involving yourself in it."

Charm cannot be considered an absolutely mandatory spell. During the spell's continuous effect, any behavior that may lead to a deterioration of the relationship may cause the spell to fail. Similarly, if you can adopt friendly strategies to enhance the relationship during the spell, it can also help to maintain the spell's effect.

Therefore, Li Yin did not intend to act recklessly relying on the success of his charm, but continued to communicate with the princess of the Denitya family in an equal and friendly manner.

"No, nothing happened." Du Feiya said in a low voice with two blushes on her snow-white cheeks.

"Actually," she lowered her head slightly, as if she was embarrassed to look Li Yin in the eye, "I should be the one apologizing to you."

"Everything I did," she said in a panicked and hurried tone, "was completely based on my own one-sided imagination. I acted rashly without even figuring out the actual situation. Not only did I not help you at all, but I also caused you a lot of trouble."

"How could that be?" Li Yin was surprised.

"You... don't have to comfort me." Du Feiya lowered her head even lower, her voice even weaker, like a mosquito's whisper, "I, I know everything."

What do you know? Li Yin was more and more surprised. Even he himself didn't know.

"I..." Before he could word his question, Du Feiya continued talking.

"I had a preconceived notion and made a wrong inference about the actual situation. I thought Princess Cassia was an evil, cruel, and cold-blooded dark elf like my other compatriots. I thought she had done something terrible to you, so I unilaterally wanted to save you from her 'clutches'." Du Feiya said apologetically.

“But that’s not the case at all.”

"What's the actual situation?" Li Yin was confused.

"Didn't you just say that?" Du Feiya raised her big eyes that were innocent yet a little apologetic, "You're doing OK with them."

"So my idea of ​​rescuing you was completely my own decision. You don't need any 'rescue' at all. Princess Cassia is different from other dark elves. She treats you very well."

Li Yin's eyes widened and he was speechless. He was stunned for a moment, and then he felt a strong desire to slap himself in the face.

The last time he had this desire was when he inadvertently recounted his understanding of the witch's son, and was caught by Cassia on the spot for his inconsistencies.

"No, Princess Dufiya." He immediately wanted to squat down, hug her thighs, and yell, "The actual situation is not like this. Take me away, Princess Dufiya."

But then he suppressed his impulsive thought.

Because he suddenly realized that the dark elf princess in front of him seemed kind-hearted, gentle and kind, and seemed to be much easier to get along with than Princess Cassia. But she and Princess Cassia had one thing in common, that is, their attitudes were based on their own charms. If the charms were removed, it would be hard to say whose attitude would be better.

Besides, although Princess Cassia's attitude towards her was not as approachable as Dufiya's, it was not bad overall and was not unbearable.

In addition, if he rashly asked Princess Dufiya to take him away at this time, under the influence of the charm, she might agree - after all, this was her original plan. But the difference between this time and before was that this was not a voluntary transaction as planned by Dufiya. This kind of behavior, which was almost forced abduction or theft, might cause conflicts between the two families - and if this happened, he would become the focus of many dark elves at the center of the vortex.

It is not a wise choice for a slave, and a slave with many secrets, to become the focus.

Finally, there is one more factor that must be considered. That is Lucien Denitja, Dufia's father and the chief wizard of Nevre. Lein's influence on Cassia has proven to be long-term, stable, effective, and very hidden, and has not been noticed by others. But Lein has no confidence in bewitching his daughter for years under the nose of a chief wizard - and since he already has the protection of Princess Cassia, he doesn't see the need to take such a risk.

Of course, such considerations must have a very important premise - Li Yin thought of what happened a few minutes ago and couldn't help biting his lower lip - that is, Princess Cassia is still alive.

The male dark elf wizard risked his life and did not hesitate to detonate three fireballs to kill the many dark elves in the tavern. If nothing unexpected happened, it was not only the three fireballs that exploded, but also the hundreds of barrels of alcohol stored in the tavern. Under such a violent explosion, it is likely that not only the elves in the tavern, but even the entire tavern would have been turned upside down and turned into nothing.

In that case, Princess Cassia...can she survive?

When he thought of this, Li Yin couldn't help but feel heavy-hearted.

After some thought, he decided that continuing to rely on Princess Cassia was still the wisest choice. If Princess Cassia had died in the fire, then he would most likely have to seek help from Du Feiya, and then face her father, the chief wizard.

This is undoubtedly an extremely frustrating situation.

The changing expression on Li Yin's face seemed to have caught Du Feiya's attention. She looked at Li Yin curiously, and then suddenly interrupted his thoughts and asked sympathetically:

"Are you worried about Princess Cassia?"

"That..." She chose her words carefully, as if she was afraid of touching the opponent's forbidden area, "Fireball is... a very powerful magic."

"And... the attacker released three missiles at once. I... I'm afraid Princess Cassia is in great danger."

Li Yin's face suddenly darkened. In fact, he knew everything Du Feiya said, but hearing her say it again was like confirming it again. The severity of the matter still made him feel even more depressed.

In addition, as for Princess Cassia, that cold and arrogant dark elf with extraordinary demeanor, who looked down on others but had a special liking for himself - although Li Yin knew very well that it was only because of the effect of charm - when her heroic and beautiful figure gradually emerged in Li Yin's mind and slowly faded away, Li Yin's heart still felt ripples, and he felt a kind of depression that was difficult to let go.

"However," Du Feiya's comforting voice came again, "You don't have to despair completely."

"After all, Princess Cassia is the daughter of the Seventh Family. She might have some means of protecting herself in times of danger, just like me."

"Anyway, it's too early to draw conclusions and be sad about it." She stretched out a hand, moved closer to him, and timidly touched his shoulder.

Seeing that the other party did not resist, she couldn't help but smile slightly, but then she keenly felt that smiling was not appropriate at this juncture, so she immediately and carefully tightened the corners of her mouth.

Li Yin looked up, half in surprise, half in confusion, at the female elf in front of him who was trying her best to comfort him.

Du Feiya's words made sense, and it was too early to draw a conclusion now. It was not ruled out that Cassia also had some hidden means of protecting her life and herself - her usual calm and unperturbed demeanor made Li Yin more willing to believe this at this moment.

So...what should he do now?

"So," Du Feiya seemed to have seen through his confusion and suggested again with understanding, "Do you want to go back and confirm the situation?"

"Don't worry," she continued, "after such a violent explosion, those attackers probably wouldn't have survived. Besides..."

Her voice suddenly became low. "They are targeting us dark elf women. As long as you are not with us, you will be safe."

"Plus, the turmoil at the tavern has been over for so long, the troops responsible for maintaining law and order should have arrived by now."

"Anyway, if you just sneak back to check the situation and be careful, there shouldn't be any danger."

Li Yin was stunned for a moment, thought about it seriously, and then nodded.

He was stunned because he never expected that the dark elf princess who was determined to "get him out" would sincerely suggest that he return. This strong contrast made him confused for a while. But after a little thought, it seemed reasonable.

After some contact, Li Yin found that although they were also affected by the charm, there was a biggest difference between Princess Du Feiya and other dark elves. Although other dark elves, such as Cassia and Myrcella, had a good impression of him under the influence of the charm, it was only a kind of good impression of the superior to the inferior, and they still regarded him as a slave. Therefore, in their close attitude towards him, there was a strong desire for possession and domination. Du Feiya was completely different. Li Yin felt very strongly that her attitude towards him was completely equal, and she really treated him as a friend. Therefore, there was no idea of ​​restraining herself or restricting herself in her subconscious. All her considerations were to put herself in her shoes and consider the most appropriate way for herself based on her own interests.

After realizing this, Li Yin couldn't help but feel a little touched. Although he knew that this was just the effect of "charm", this long-lost feeling of being treated as an independent and equal individual rather than a piece of property still made him feel deeply moved.

He nodded again, then moved his feet and was about to turn around and leave, but suddenly he remembered something, stopped, looked up at Du Feiya again, and asked, "What about you?"

"Princess Du Feiya, what are you going to do next?"

Du Feiya was stunned at first, and then smiled happily, as if this question made her quite happy.

Chapter 3 Friends ()

However, soon, a blush appeared on her snow-white face.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, "I can't go with you."

"As their main target, I am still not safe until their behind-the-scenes organizer is thoroughly found out, so I need to return to the family as soon as possible."

"Besides," she paused, and then continued, "We just mentioned that if an elf like me stays with you now, it will bring trouble to you."

"So..." She lowered her head and looked at Li Yin steadily. She smiled slightly, and a glimmer of reluctance flowed in her bright violet eyes. "Let's get in touch again when we have the chance."

The affectionate look gave Li Yin a dreamlike feeling. He was in a trance for a while before he nodded gently and responded with "hmm".

"Wait a minute!" Unexpectedly, just as he turned around and prepared to leave, the dark elf princess behind him suddenly spoke again and called him.

Li Yin turned around.

She hurriedly reached her hand to her waist and fumbled in a small bag that was exquisitely embroidered with gold and silver threads. Then she quickly raised her head, with an anxious look on her face, as if Li Yin would disappear from her sight if she was a little slower.

"Speaking of contact," she stretched out the hand she had taken out of her waist bag in front of Li Yin, and spread it out. In her white and smooth palm lay a piece of dark blue crystal stone engraved with mithril magic patterns. Her fair face had a shy and reserved smile, but at the same time, it seemed to contain expectations, "Take this with you."

Li Yin was slightly stunned. In fact, through the magic patterns on the gem, he had already identified the specific use of the stone, but in order to hide his identity, he still had to pretend to ask:

"What is this?" A puzzled look appeared on his face.

"Communication Stone." Du Feiya replied with a smile, "With this, we can contact each other even without meeting."

Then she straightened her face, looked like she was doing business as usual, and said in a serious tone:

"I've thought about it carefully. If... I mean if, Princess Cassia has met with an unexpected accident, and other members of the Borgia family are not kind to you, then you might need my help."

"If that happens, or at any other time, if you are in trouble and need help, please be sure to contact me through this communication stone in time."

What a thoughtful thought, Li Yin thought to himself, feeling truly touched.

"Thank you very much." He smiled slightly, reached out to take the communication stone, and put it carefully into the inside pocket of his shirt.

Seeing him like this, Du Feiya's serious expression relaxed slightly.

"Well," she waited for a moment, then said shyly, "bye, bye?"

Li Yin nodded briskly, "Goodbye."

"Wait a minute!" Unexpectedly, when he turned around again, the elf princess' somewhat panicked voice came from behind him again.

Li Yin was not impatient. He just turned around and looked at Du Feiya again with great interest. He felt that this previously unrestrained and unruly dark elf princess was now so shy and introverted. The contrast between the two was really indescribable and interesting.

"Well...well, Lord Li, Li Yin." She looked at Li Yin timidly and said very nervously.

"I'm sorry to bother you again."

"No, but," she stammered, as if the next words were a little difficult to say.

"Can I trust you completely?" She nodded slightly, and her bright violet eyes looked at Li Yin solemnly.

"Of course," Li Yin frowned slightly, "But don't call me Your Excellency, just call me by my name, Your Highness the Princess."

He blinked and smiled.

"Okay," Du Feiya's face showed a hint of joy, the corner of her mouth tilted, and her bright eyes flickered as she looked at him, "Then don't call me Your Highness, just call me by my name."

Li Yin nodded.