Chapter 230: He bumped into the Elf King’s face.

The choice is mine?

Shu Li fluttered his translucent wings, thinking as he flew.

When he had confided his troubles to the Elven King, that had been the answer he'd received. Afterward, the King had taken him to the library.

Shu Li hadn't finished studying dark magic yet. If he hadn't left the Faerie Forest to attend St. Velia Magic Academy, he would normally have needed to return to the Elven Kingdom for lessons every two weeks.

Since he'd arrived unusually early today, the Elven King had insisted that he attend an hour-long lesson.

Shu Li followed behind him with his head drooping, flying in a crooked, unsteady line, completely absorbed in his thoughts.

What the King meant was that Ace's feelings were Ace's business, while whether to reciprocate them was entirely up to Shu Li.

In other words, feelings couldn't be forced.

He shouldn't allow someone else's affection to throw his own heart into turmoil.

Since Ace hadn't openly confessed anything, there was no need for Shu Li to bring it up.

They were good friends. They could simply continue treating each other as they always had. Deliberately avoiding Ace would only make him seem petty.

Besides, having someone as outstanding as Ace develop feelings for him was actually quite an honor.

Once he'd figured that out, Shu Li stopped agonizing over the matter. He sped up and caught up with the Elven King.

Perhaps because he had frequently attended same-sex weddings among both the Fairies and the Elves, the question of sexual orientation never even occurred to him.

Just as they were about to enter the library, the Elven King suddenly stopped and turned toward Shu Li, parting his lips as though about to speak.

Unfortunately, Shu Li was flying forward with his head down.

Caught completely off guard, he collided with the Elven King's cheek with a resounding smack.

"Uh—"

The palm-sized Little Fairy was now plastered against the Elven King's left cheek, his arms and legs spread wide.

Shu Li squeezed his eyes shut, his entire body rigid.

I'm doomed! I'm doomed!

Did I just... cause a midair traffic accident?

In all eighteen years of being a Little Fairy, he'd only ever suffered one "plane crash," on the very first day of his life. He hadn't had another accident since.

And now this!

It was all because he'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he'd forgotten to watch where he was going.

What do I do now?

Shu Li's brain crashed completely.

He remained motionless against the Elven King's cheek, looking for all the world like a tiny decorative figurine.

A strange light flickered through the Elven King's green eyes.

He reached up and gently "peeled" the little fellow off his face, the corners of his mouth lifting into an ambiguous smile.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

The Elven King lowered his gaze to the Little Fairy lying motionless in his palm, pretending to be dead.

Shu Li clasped his head in both hands and folded his spread wings forward, wishing he could wrap them around his entire body.

I've fainted. I didn't hear anything. I didn't hear a thing...

Holding the Little Fairy in his palm, the Elven King walked to a table beside the library window.

He took a clean handkerchief from his storage ring and spread it across the tabletop before transferring the Little Fairy onto it.

The moment Shu Li touched the pleasantly fragrant handkerchief, his predicament became even more unbearable.

Should he keep pretending to be unconscious, or should he get up and apologize to the King?

But whichever he chose, the embarrassment would be unbearable!

The more Shu Li thought about it, the more conflicted he became.

As he breathed in the delicate fragrance surrounding him, however, his body gradually relaxed.

And then...

He actually fell asleep!

He'd gotten an enormous amount of exercise that day, and by evening his body was growing tired.

Ordinarily, he should have gone to bed early. But after the succession of startling and embarrassing incidents he'd just experienced, he was mentally exhausted as well.

Breathing in the fragrance of Yiling Herb lingering on the handkerchief, he gradually drifted into a deep sleep.

Besides being used as incense, Yiling Herb also had sleep-inducing properties.

Unconsciously clutching a corner of the handkerchief, Shu Li slept soundly.

The Elven King's gaze softened.

He took out another handkerchief and draped it over the Little Fairy like a blanket.

Then he retrieved a book he'd borrowed from the magic academy's library and settled down to read at his leisure.

As the morning sun climbed higher, the Crystal City gradually came alive.

The Elves who had risen early began going about their daily activities.

Islar had gotten up particularly early that day.

After eating breakfast in the dining hall, he hurried to the Mother Tree to wait for Shu Li.

For some reason, however, the Little Fairy was nowhere to be seen.

"Islar, are you waiting for Sperien?"

Sayah and Haileni entered the courtyard together. They found the little cub standing there with his cheeks puffed out, his head tilted back as he stared intently at the Mother Tree.

"Sperien's late today," Islar complained, pouting. "I've already finished breakfast."

Seeing his expression, Sayah walked over and gently stroked his blond hair.

She smiled.

"Actually, Sperien came back two hours earlier than usual today."

"Really?"

Islar's eyes lit up.

"Where is he?"

"He's in the library—"

Before Sayah could finish, Islar shot out of the courtyard and raced toward the library.

Sayah couldn't help laughing.

"He's certainly impatient."

Haileni sighed.

"Sometimes I feel like I've failed as his first teacher."

"No," Sayah reassured her. "You've taught Islar very well."

Islar had nearly become a Dark Elf cub. As a result, he was sensitive and lacked a sense of security.

Taking care of him was an exhausting responsibility. Without extraordinary patience and genuine affection, someone might not have lasted even a month.

Haileni had devoted herself to caring for Islar in every possible way.

She had already done more than enough.

Islar ran all the way to the library.

Every Elf he passed reminded him to slow down. He answered obediently each time, but never actually reduced his speed.

Only after entering the library did he finally stop.

"Hello, little Islar. Good morning."

An Elf greeted the cub warmly.

"Good... good morning, Galot."

Slightly out of breath, Islar returned the greeting politely.

Galot couldn't resist patting his little head.

"Are you here to see Sperien?"

Islar nodded.

Galot raised a finger to his lips.

"Shh. Sperien's asleep. Don't wake him, all right?"

Islar blinked his bright eyes.

"Asleep?"

Galot pointed toward a table beside the window.

Islar looked over and froze.

He saw the Elven King sitting behind the table, reading a book.

And there, lying on the tabletop beneath a beautiful handkerchief, was the Little Fairy.

He really is asleep!

Islar approached the table on tiptoe.

Unfortunately, he was too short to see over the tabletop. He had to stand on the tips of his toes and stretch his neck as far as possible, gazing longingly at the sleeping Little Fairy.

The Elven King closed his book and put it into his storage ring.

Then he beckoned to the cub.

"Come here."

Islar hesitated before walking around the table to the King's side.

"Good morning, Your Majesty," he whispered.

"Good morning, little Islar."

The Elven King reached down, picked him up, and settled him on his lap.

Now Islar could clearly see the Little Fairy sprawled comfortably on the handkerchief, fast asleep.

Shu Li had absolutely no idea that he was being observed by an adult Elf and a young cub.

He was sleeping far too soundly to notice.

After all, this was normally his sleeping time in the Central Court.

Although his "bed" was a little hard, it smelled wonderful, allowing him to sink into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Islar rested his chin in his hands and gazed at Shu Li, his little mouth forming a pout.

It looked as though he wouldn't be able to play chess with Sperien today.

Still, watching the Little Fairy sleep was surprisingly entertaining!

"Your Majesty, when will Sperien wake up?" the cub asked.

"When he's had enough sleep, he'll wake up naturally," the Elven King replied.

Islar looked puzzled.

"Then why don't you take him back to his room and let him sleep in bed?"

There was a handkerchief beneath him, but surely the tabletop couldn't be as soft as a bed.

The Elven King smiled.

"Strictly speaking, he was supposed to have an hour of lessons with me."

Islar was astonished.

"So... Sperien fell asleep during class?"

The Elven King thoughtfully pulled the handkerchief back over the Little Fairy, who had kicked off his "blanket."

"Yes."

Islar wrinkled his little nose.

Remembering that he also had lessons to attend later, he felt too embarrassed to stay and keep Sperien company.

After a while, he voluntarily climbed down from the King's lap, bowed respectfully, and left the library to find Haileni for his lessons.

The Elven King took out his book again and resumed reading at an unhurried pace.

Shu Li slept for a very long time.

He slept straight through the morning and well into the afternoon in the Elven Kingdom.

When he finally woke, his mind was still foggy.

Where am I?

He moved his eyes around and saw a long row of bookshelves.

Then he noticed the Elven King sitting nearby, reading.

Almost the instant Shu Li turned his head, the Elven King closed his book and slipped it into his storage ring.

He moved so quickly that Shu Li didn't even catch a glimpse of the cover.

"Awake?" the Elven King asked softly.

Shu Li abruptly sat up.

The handkerchief covering him slid down, but he barely noticed.

He stared blankly at the Elven King.

"I... fell asleep?"

The Elven King nodded.

Shu Li turned to stone.

He was beginning to think that returning to the Elven Kingdom so early had been a terrible mistake.

He'd made a fool of himself in front of the King again and again.

He was so embarrassed he wanted to disappear into the ground.

How could there possibly be such a stupid Little Fairy in the world?

As if crashing into the Elven King's cheek hadn't been bad enough, he'd actually fallen asleep while pretending to faint!

Then he looked at the setting sun outside the window.

Shu Li was horrified.

I slept for almost an entire day!

Oh no! What time was it?

He still needed to visit Wanaku to purify the Mother Tree's offshoot and its little fruits!

And he had to deliver medicinal herbs to Efit!

"Your Majesty, I... I have to go!"

He threw off the handkerchief, spread his wings, and hurriedly bowed to the Elven King.

Without waiting for a reply, he spun around and dashed out of the library, flying toward the courtyard where the Mother Tree stood.

The Elven King watched him fly away before leisurely folding the handkerchief.

Shu Li reached the Mother Tree.

Without even stopping to rub against the fruits hanging from its branches, he plunged straight into the trunk.

Eunomisis, what time is it in Wanaku?

He asked the Mother Tree as he traveled through the passage within its root system.

'Eight thirty.'

Oh, good. That's a relief.

Shu Li secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He entered the main trunk of the Mother Tree's offshoot and climbed upward until his little head emerged among the high branches.

The sun in Wanaku was scorching.

Its rays made Shu Li's skin sting, so he immediately ducked beneath a leaf.

He took out his high-ranking magic staff and began the purification work.

Ten minutes later, he put away his staff and crouched beneath the leaf to wait for Efit.

But after waiting for a long time without seeing any sign of Efit, Shu Li frowned.

He had clearly agreed with Efit to change their meeting time to between seven and eight every morning.

Yet Efit hadn't appeared yesterday or today.

What happened?

Given Efit's dutiful, unfailingly consistent nature, he shouldn't have missed their meetings without a reason.

Eunomisis, do you know where Efit went?

'Lanno and Luka secretly left Wanaku. Efit went to look for them,' the Mother Tree replied.

When did that happen?

'The day before yesterday.'

The day before yesterday? But you didn't tell me yesterday!

'You didn't ask.'

Shu Li froze.

Only then did he remember that there were certain things the Mother Tree simply wouldn't volunteer unless he specifically asked.

Scratching the back of his head, he had no choice but to return to the magic academy first.

It was six in the morning in Igya City.

After returning, Shu Li didn't even have time to wash up.

He immediately released his original power and enlarged himself to his usual size. Then he took out a stack of paper and a quill, sat down at his desk, and began writing furiously.

This is terrible!

He'd gone to the Elven Kingdom, fallen asleep, and completely forgotten to write his reflection on yesterday's training!

Ilio was certainly no kindhearted teacher.

If Shu Li failed to hand in his training reflection, he could forget about having an easy time today!