Under the maid's guidance, Lin Qingyue walked through the resplendent corridor and finally stopped before a distinctively different door.
This door was carved from a single piece of Ancient Moonlight Wood, the same material as the door to the study she had visited before, equally quaint and elegant.
The maid bowed respectfully to the door and quietly withdrew, leaving the space entirely to Lin Qingyue.
Lin Qingyue collected herself and pushed open the door.
Behind the door was not the study or reception room she had expected.
It was a massive indoor garden.
Warm Moonstones paved a winding path, and a clear stream babbled among the flowers and plants, its water sounding pleasant to the ear.
The air was filled with an unheard-of, refreshing floral fragrance; just breathing it in made one's spirit feel invigorated.
In the deepest part of the garden, under a giant tree emitting a Halo of life, sat a round white jade table and two rattan chairs.
Queen Ilanier was leaning lazily in one of the rattan chairs.
Today, she was not wearing the magnificent dress that symbolized royal authority, but had instead changed into a well-tailored silver-white casual outfit.
Her waterfall-like long silver hair draped casually over her shoulders, shedding a bit of the majesty of a sovereign ruling the world, and gaining a bit of the affinity and charm of a next-door Big Sister.
Seeing Lin Qingyue walk in, she smiled and waved.
"You're here? Have a seat."
Lin Qingyue walked over to the table and sat down, curiously taking in her surroundings.
"This place is..."
"My back garden, and also my bedroom."
Ilanier pointed to an area not far away, half-hidden by lush foliage, where a massive bed formed by entwined living tree roots could faintly be seen.
Whoa, brought straight into the Queen's Bedchamber?
Lin Qingyue's heart skipped a beat.
Had the plot train already welded its doors shut and started racing at top speed?
Isn't this development a bit too fast? Is the next step unlocking some premium paid content?
"Relax." Ilanier seemed to see right through her thoughts, chuckling lightly as she poured her a cup of hot tea, its faint fragrance curling into the air.
"This is the safest and most private place in the entire Royal Palace."
"Besides me and my personal maids, only Aeldara has ever been in here. Though when she comes, she just stands there like a wooden post to report on her work."
She paused, then added, "Now, there is you. From now on, when there are no outsiders around, just call me Ilanier."
The intimacy in her words was completely undisguised.
"Okay, Ilanier." Lin Qingyue readily agreed, picking up her teacup and taking a sip. "So you didn't ask me here just to drink tea, did you?"
"Of course not." Ilanier set down her teacup, her captivating wine-red eyes gazing seriously at Lin Qingyue. "I want you to tell me about your world."
"My world?" Lin Qingyue was taken aback.
"Mhm." Ilanier nodded, her eyes full of pure curiosity.
"A world that could give birth to a... peculiar existence like you. Is the Holy Light there really as colorful as yours? Are the combat styles there all accompanied by songs and visual projections?"
She clearly had a fresh memory of—and a keen interest in—the "concert" and "music video" spectacle Lin Qingyue had pulled off on the battlefield.
"Uh... well about that..." Lin Qingyue scratched her cheek, momentarily unsure of where to begin.
Earth's entire reputation was taking a hit!
She couldn't exactly tell her that she was using a System cheat, and that all those flashy gimmicks were "borrowed" from another world, could she?
"Our world also has magic, of a sort."
Lin Qingyue pondered for a moment, deciding to pick something that was easier to explain.
"It's just that our 'Professionals' system has only been around for a short time. Compared to the Magic Civilization of your Elven Race, which has been passed down for who knows how many tens of thousands of years, it's still in the exploratory stage and quite... crude. So we took another path, called 'Technology'..."
She tried her best to use concepts that people of this world could understand, picking out some interesting anecdotes about "Technology" to share with her.
"As for the combat style... mine is an isolated case. Most people's are still quite plain."
"I really want to go and see it..." Ilanier was entranced, her eyes sparkling with yearning.
"A world where magic is still budding, yet has created miracles in another way."
Looking at her like this, a thought suddenly popped into Lin Qingyue's mind.
'The Queen seems high and mighty, but in her heart, she's actually quite lonely, isn't she?'
Like a canary trapped in a golden cage, possessing everything, yet having lost everything as well.
"What about you?" Lin Qingyue asked in return. "Are you happy being the queen?"
This question caused the smile on Ilanier's face to freeze slightly.
She fell silent for a moment, picked up her teacup, and gazed out at the flowing Magic Galaxy in the distance, her eyes becoming distant.
"Happy? Perhaps." Her voice was very soft, carrying a hint of self-mockery.
"Possessing supreme power, enjoying the reverence of the masses, deciding the fate of a race... that does sound like something to be happy about."
"But, it is also very lonely."
She turned her head, looking back at Lin Qingyue, those beautiful red eyes tinged with a sorrow Lin Qingyue had never seen before.
"As I mentioned when we were having barbecue that day, my old friends changed the moment I put on the crown."
"They started being deferential to me, bowing to me, and carefully weighing every single word when talking to me."
"Even Aeldara... she is like a sister to me, I raised her myself, she's practically half a daughter. She was so mischievous when she was little, but now, when she is in front of me, all that remains is respect."
Lin Qingyue listened quietly, saying nothing.
When you stand too high, everyone will look up to you, but no one will ever dare to embrace you again.
"So, I am very grateful to you all." A sincere and warm smile bloomed on Ilanier's face once more. "Especially you, Qingyue."
"You are the only group of people who, despite knowing my identity, still dare to joke with me, dare to gorge yourselves without caring about your image in front of me, and dare to righteously discuss what's for dinner with me."
"Only when I'm with you do I feel like I'm not just the 'Elf Queen,' but also 'Ilanier.'"
Lin Qingyue looked at the sincerity in her eyes, her heart inexplicably softening.
Sigh, who could resist a mature beauty like her?
"Then just come hang out with us more often," Lin Qingyue patted her chest and said boldly. "As long as you provide the food."
"Pfft."
Ilanier was amused by her remark, the sorrow in her eyes vanishing into thin air. "Alright, I'll provide the food, all you can eat."
The atmosphere became relaxed once again.
The two chatted about anything and everything, like best friends who had known each other for years.
From the strange tales and anecdotes of the Elven Race, to Lin Qingyue's experiences playing video games on Earth.
From Ilanier's dark history of "fooling around" in her youth, to Lin Qingyue sharing her socially dead moments.
Before they knew it, the tea and pastries had been replaced several times.
"I was so engrossed in our chat that I completely forgot about the time."
Ilanier stretched, her perfect curves fully revealed beneath her form-fitting casual clothes, prompting Lin Qingyue to steal a couple of extra glances.
She let out a delicate yawn, a hint of physiological tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
"You look tired too." Ilanier stood up and walked to Lin Qingyue's side, but showed no intention of letting her leave.
She stopped in front of Lin Qingyue, slightly lowering her head. A suspicious blush appeared on her fair cheeks, and her gaze wandered, as if hesitating about something.
Her slender fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her silver-white casual clothes. Her eyes darted away, yet she couldn't help but steal glances at Lin Qingyue again and again.
"Um... Qingyue."
The Queen's voice was as light as a feather at this moment, carrying a hint of uncertainty and pleading.
"Can I... ask you for one more favor?"
"Hmm? Go ahead." Lin Qingyue was a bit curious.
As if making up her mind, Ilanier raised her head, her wine-red eyes looking at her earnestly.
"On the battlefield... that feeling when you held me... I..."
She seemed to find it hard to speak, the tips of her ears completely red, and her voice gradually turned into a whisper.
"That feeling... was very reassuring. I haven't felt that kind of... feeling of being able to safely hand everything over in hundreds of years."
"So..."
Her voice grew fainter, carrying a trace of reliance and coquettishness that even she herself didn't realize.
"Could you... hold me like that, just one more time?"
Ah?!
Lin Qingyue's brain instantly short-circuited.
Wait a minute, did I hear that right? Is Her Majesty the Queen... placing an order? Ordering a subscription renewal for a princess carry?
What is this? Did I unlock the premium content? Holding a queen in your arms is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and now I get to justifiably do it again? Who could resist this?!
Looking into Ilanier's expectant eyes, which were brimming with shyness and vulnerability, Lin Qingyue felt it was absolutely impossible to say "no."
She suppressed the stormy waves surging in her heart and tried her best to maintain her composure.
"Of course, if it makes you feel more at ease."
Before her words fully settled, she had already stepped forward.
Her arms expertly slipped behind Ilanier's back and under her knees. With a standard, firm princess carry, she steadily swept that soft, fragrant, delicate body into her embrace.
Damn it, this cursed SSR-tier tactile sensation! So soft and fragrant! Lin Qingyue roared inwardly.
The woman in her arms was tall and curvaceous, yet impossibly light.
Through the thin fabric, she could clearly feel an astonishing heat, as if she were holding a warm, soft little stove.
Ilanier let out an extremely soft gasp and subconsciously wrapped her arms around Lin Qingyue's neck. Her waterfall-like silver hair instantly cascaded down, and a few strands brushed against Lin Qingyue's cheek, bringing a slight tickle.
Once her body fell completely into that solid and warm embrace, she visibly relaxed.
Like a cat that had found the most comfortable nest, she contentedly rested her cheek in the crook of Lin Qingyue's shoulder.
"Mmh..."
A faint, satisfied sigh was let out almost right against Lin Qingyue's chest, and the slight vibration made her heart skip a beat.
Holding the fragrant and soft queen in her arms, Lin Qingyue walked step by step towards the massive bed formed by intertwined tree roots, feeling as if her CPU was about to fry.
She gently placed Ilanier on the soft bedding and was just about to pull away and take her leave, only to find that the arms wrapped around her neck had not loosened at all, but rather tightened a bit.
"Don't go."
Ilanier's voice came from the crook of her neck, muffled, thick with a nasal tone and sleepiness.
"The bed... is very big."
Lin Qingyue froze.
???
This isn't how the script is supposed to go! Whatever happened to a heart-to-heart talk between besties? How did we fast-forward straight to a sapphic bed-sharing phase?! Did her affection level take a rocket ride?!
She looked down, only able to see the top of Ilanier's fluffy silver hair and that pair of thoroughly red pointed elf ears.
The Queen seemed to realize just how shocking her request was, so she simply buried her face deeper, playing the ostrich, using only her actions to express her reluctance to let go.
Lin Qingyue sighed, resigning herself to her fate.
What else could she do?
She couldn't exactly peel the Elf Queen off of herself, could she?
Under Ilanier's "silent invitation," she stiffly lay down on the other side of the bed.
Calm down! Calm down! This is pure, revolutionary camaraderie!
'Ilanier just treats me as a high-class, self-aware, breathing humanoid comfort pillow! Yes, just a pillow!'
Lin Qingyue lay stiffly. The same faint floral scent that belonged to the Queen lingered at the tip of her nose, and the feel of warm, even breathing came from her side, leaving her mind in total chaos.
'But... isn't the treatment for this pillow a bit too good? Food and a bed included? What kind of ultimate VIP privilege is this?'
'With this level of affection! It would be completely unreasonable if [Moonlight's Embrace] didn't unlock a third effect, right?!'