It was afternoon by the time Earl finished accompanying the Royal Elven Family to Alea's contract.
He returned home alone to meet his mother for their promised date.
"Shall we go?" Ari smilingly asked after Earl readied himself. Today, she was wearing an elegant wrap dress that was white in colour. The dress hugged her frame tightly, showing her slim waist, long legs, and curvy figure. Her hair was tied into a ponytail while letting some bangs cover her forehead. It gave her a very classy and graceful look. She was dazzling.
"You look stunning today." Earl sheepishly told her as he held his arm out for her to grab.
"Fufu, thank you. You too."
"Am I pretty?"
Ari stared at Earl's delicate face and quickly adjusted his collar. "Yeah."
They entered their good ol' magic operated carriage together, and Earl directed it to move randomly.
"Is there anything you want to do?" Earl asked.
"I don't know. You can choose something."
"Okay. I might have something in mind." Answering so, Earl directed the carriage to another direction.
The location they arrived at was a Magic Beast Staple. Here, various Magic Beasts had been tamed for rent. They were often used as means of transportation by Adventurers in the outside world.
"This is..?"
"I thought it would be more fun to ride one of these guys around the block. We can get a horse." Earl explained.
Ari looked at him weirdly and asked. "Since when did you know how to ride a horse?"
"It can't be that hard."
"I'll teach you."
"You know?"
"I had to ride often back when I was a noble lady."
"A white knight in shining armour." Earl joked.
"Far from it. But maybe you can be my white knight today."
"I'll be back!"
With that said, Earl ran inside to get them a beautiful horse for the day. He soon returned with a white horse. It had pristine white fur, which was well taken care of.
Ari hopped on it without a second thought. At this moment, she looked like a true, noble lady.
"How do I get on?"
"You can choose between the front and the back."
"I like hitting you from behind, so I'll choose the back."
"I prefer that too."
Earl then jumped on the horse and sat snugly behind his mother, hugging her waist tightly and enjoying her softness. He could smell her wonderful feminine, floral fragrance in full.
Ari looked back to confirm Earl's position and then adjusted her grip on the lead.
"Shall we go?"
"Yeah."
The pair moved through the city slowly on the horse's back. The Spirit Mist was still present, so it was difficult to see far ahead, making every scene refreshing to see. Everywhere they went, they would also receive a lot of stares for their eye-catching appearance. The pair had a beauty that was comparable to the elves.
The Spirit Festival was an event that lasted several days. As the week unfolded, Artasia was becoming more and more lively. Today, they could see various plays being performed which pertained to the history of the elves.
There were tales of the first elves, who were immortal—the story of friendship between the first elf and spirit that became forever. There were also stories of the elves and the dark elves.
Siv was a daughter of a typical elf family. They had travelled to Artasia for her to witness the Spirit Festival first hand. Unfortunately, in her excitement about all the new things she saw, she ran off ahead of her father and mother. As a result, she had become lost. She stood in the middle of the street helplessly with tears in her eyes.
She was just a young child, unknown of the ways of the world. Then, as her eyes pooled further with tears, an elegant white horse stopped before her. On the horse sat two beautiful people.
"Are you lost?" The human male on the horse with gem-like eyes asked gently.
"Hic! Mhmm..." She managed to squeeze out a nod through her tears.
The beautiful lady smiled softly. "Don't cry, child. I'll let them know for you."
Mana swirled around the lady's hand like water. The sheer beauty of it caused Siv to stop tearing up for a second. As an elf, she was more sensitive to mana than other races. The strands of mana then shot out in an unknown direction.
Seconds out later, she heard the sound of running behind her.
"Siv!" Her father cried as he came running for a hug.
She had witnessed a miracle today, a scene out of a fantasy. When she looked back, the horse and the two people on it were no longer there. Before she knew it, her tears had stopped flowing, and a joyful smile was left on her face.
"Children always get lost during festivals," Ari said.
"Children..." Earl caressed her stomach gently.
"It will be a few short months before we see our child."
"Should we go shopping for baby items?"
"It wouldn't hurt to check."
"I hope... our child grows up magnificently."
"Me too."