“Hmm? Are you not the second daughter of Camus the herbalist?”

The young elf hastily bowed to her as she said, “Yes, Elder. My father asked me to invite you to our home as my mother is not feeling well. Can you come and see her?”

“What happened?” Leeora asked.

“Father does not know the cause. At first, we thought she was just tired, but it’s been three days since she started feeling weak. She’s been sleeping all morning today,” the young female elf informed with worry. “She also has no appetite.”

“Oh, dear.” Leeora thought for a while and looked at the human girl. It would be a pity to ask her to return to her home when Leeora had barely convinced her to go out. “Will it be all right for you to wait, my dear? It won’t take long and I will be back in a while. Till then, Lusca will accompany you.” She tapped her staff on the ground a few times. Hearing the summon, the magnificent brown stag came running towards them with elegant strides.

The human girl smiled as she rubbed the soft fur of the beautiful stag. Seeing her reaction, Leeora felt relieved to leave her on her own.

Realizing that she was alone, only then did nervousness seep into her.

The residence of the High Elder of the clan was of course in the centermost part of the city, the most beautiful as well as the most lively part of Ronan near the central plaza, where most of the crowds gather during the day. That meant that many residents of the city would normally pass by where the human girl was standing.

For someone who grew up with a single person as her sole companion in a haunted mountain, how would it feel to be the centre of attention?

The human girl recalled the stories Gaia told her about the people of the outside world. She said she should be careful of people, that she shouldn’t talk to strangers, that she should be suspicious if someone treated her kindly…

That was why she preferred to stay inside the comfort of her house. At least up in that tree, she could openly enjoy the beauty of her surroundings without having to interact with people. Though she did want to use this situation to observe the city up close, she found herself feeling tense that the elves were staring at her.

The human being that the King personally brought from outside the kingdom.

The elves of Ronan were all curious about her, especially since she became the topic of rumour due to Erlos. She was now the woman who the king brought to his bed. However, since she’s the guest of the High Elder, many of them decided to stay away from her.

While the adults could somehow control their curiosity and not trouble this guest, the ignorant young elves weren’t as cautious

“Is that the ugly human you were talking about, Zeno?”

“Yes, she is the one,” Zeno, the kid that sneaked inside the human girl’s home the previous day, replied.

The human girl turned around and looked at the group of elf kids who appeared to be half her age. They were approaching her with wide eyes, as if she were a spectacle never seen before.

“So is this what humans look like? Her ears are so small!”

“Waah, she really is ugly,” another kid commented. “She looks so thin!”

“Shh! If Elder hears you, you will get an earful.” Zeno stopped him.

“Can we go closer? She won’t bite, right?” one other kid asked.

“I don’t think so or the Elder would not have left her by herself,” Zeno replied. “You forget but Elder said Lusca likes good kids! If Lusca doesn’t like you, he won’t let you touch him. But see? She’s petting him.”

“Oh, you are right. That means she’s a good human.”

“Are there good humans? My mother said all humans are bad.”

“She’s a special human, dummy! Special! She’s brought by the King, isn’t she? Why would the King bring her if she’s bad?”

“What’s her name?” one kid asked.

“I don’t know,” Zeno replied. “Let’s go ask!”

The other young elves looked hesitant, but the boy called Zeno approached her without fear. He looked like a leader of those kids and was trying to show off that he was not scared of anything.

“What’s your name, human?” Zeno asked her boldly.

The human girl simply stared at those kids in amusement. Their noise reminded her of a bunch of chirping birds she saw nesting on the branches of the tree outside her window. Their long ears made her curious, and she particularly liked those innocent eyes looking at her with friendly intentions. She found Zeno’s brash attitude especially adorable and remembered how Leeora had pulled that kid’s ears. It brought a light smile to her lips. It made her wonder if she was allowed to touch those ears.

Seeing her not answering, the kids talked among themselves.

“She’s not speaking. Is she a mute?”

“If she’s mute, then doesn’t that mean she’s deaf as well? Can she not hear us?”

“I don’t think so?” Zeno scratched his head and looked at the human girl again. “You remember me right? I am Zeno. What’s your name?”

At first, he thought that the human girl would ignore them, but to his surprise, she responded by shaking her head.

“She’s shaking her head! Does that mean she doesn’t understand us?”

“Maybe she’s saying she doesn’t hear us?”

“No, she must be saying she doesn’t know her name!”

“Don’t humans have names?” one kid asked.

“Are you stupid?” One kid hit him in the end. “If they don’t have names, then how do they call each other?”

The group turned towards her, but this time, there was no reaction from her.

“She is mute, deaf and doesn’t even have a name,” one kid concluded. “Maybe the King brought her here because she’s pitiful?”

“Hey, I am asking you your name. Why won’t you answer me?” Zeno insisted. “Don’t you have a name?”

“Her name is Ember.”

A slow yet dignified voice coming from behind them answered their question.

Despite not recognizing the voice, the bodies of the kids stiffened and their instincts were telling them to stay put. They didn’t dare turn to look at the source of the voice.

On the contrary, the human girl didn’t fail to recognise this voice. It was the voice of the most terrifying man she’d ever met.

It was as if the world became silent and only the sound of footsteps stepping on dried leaves could be heard.

The atmosphere around them turned tense.