Side Story: What Happened in the Elven Capital
1,
“Hehe, guess who I am!”
A silver-haired girl skipped in like a spring sparrow, covered the blue-haired girl’s eyes from behind, and smiled bright as morning light.
“It’s definitely LittleSnow!”
Yue Liuyi shook her head with a soft laugh; the riddle felt like a child’s game. She knew LittleSnow’s voice by heart, and that faint bloom-scent always gave her away.
“Mmm… the difficulty’s way too low! Then I’ll give Little Yue a harder one!”
Dixue kept her palms over Yue Liuyi’s eyes, warm as petals, refusing to let go.
“Huh? What’s the hard one?”
“Mm-hmm~ Little Yue, guess what I’m wearing right now~”
“Eh? Clothes…? Isn’t it your usual white archer dress?”
Yue Liuyi searched her memory. LittleSnow dressed easy and light for comfort… but Dixue’s figure turned anything she wore into a different kind of beauty.
“Mmm… nope!”
“Then is it the Rangers Lodge uniform?”
“Also nope!”
“Not that…?”
A blush rose like dawn. Yue Liuyi swallowed, a scandalous possibility slipping in like a mischievous breeze.
“Could it be… you’re not wearing anything?”
“Ehh—wha! Little Yue, what are you even thinking!”
Dixue froze, then playfully shoved Yue Liuyi onto the sofa, her little fists tapping in feigned outrage like drumming rain on leaves.
Only then did Yue Liuyi see Dixue’s outfit… a lavish little dress, folds like layered clouds and lace like spun frost, perfectly matching what Yue Liuyi had on.
“Wait… LittleSnow, you’re wearing…”
“Honestly! I finally found an outfit that pairs with Little Yue’s, and you say I’m wearing nothing? How indecent! I’ll squish!”
Even with Yue Liuyi down on the sofa, Dixue wouldn’t let go, venting teased annoyance with the gentlest mischief.
“Uu! LittleSnow, don’t squish—okay, okay, I was wrong! > <”
Embarrassment bloomed hot as a sunrise. In this new girl’s body, everything felt too sensitive; a little rub and her cheeks flushed, breath turned heavy like summer air.
“Little Yue, you love to daydream. It’s daytime—how could I not be wearing—”
(Huh? So at night LittleSnow might…)
She had the thought, but she was smart enough not to say it. If she made Dixue grumpy and got teased more, she’d die of shame on the spot.
So Yue Liuyi veered the topic like a breeze changing course.
“Mm… LittleSnow, that dress looks beautiful on you.”
“Eh…? Th-thank you, Little Yue!”
Girls are simple creatures; Dixue was no exception. Praise landed like a petal on water, and her mood spun from storm to clear sky in a blink.
“Right~ Little Yue, do you have anything on right now?”
“Nope, nothing planned.”
“Then come with me to an event the Elven Parliament just launched!”
“An event…?”
“Mm! A peace celebration. Both elves and adventurers can join. It’s in the Elven Garden, over in the Oldroot Quarter.”
“What’s it like?”
“Follow me and you’ll see.”
“Mm, let’s go together!”
2,
The streets of the Elven Capital pulsed with life, a tide of people flowing under bright sun. Adventurers streamed in with horses and laughter, and friendly chatter bloomed between elves and travelers along clean wooden boardwalks.
And Yue Dier—the silver-haired beauty with a graceful frame—was tugging Yue Liuyi by the hand, excited as a wind chime in a brisk breeze.
They say fingers tie to hearts. It felt true. With Dixue’s hand holding hers, Yue Liuyi’s spirit pressed close like two leaves touching; even their heartbeats felt braided.
“Hehe, having a domesticated Little Yue is the best.”
“What do you mean domesticated! Is there even a wild Little Yue in this world?”
“There used to be. But I caught her and brought her home!”
“That’s so mean!”
“La-la-la~”
Dixue hummed a folkish tune, as natural as hillside grass, as far and blue as this sky.
“Little Yue, we’re here!”
“Whoa… why so many people?”
She looked around. The usually quiet Elven Garden was packed like a festival—adventurers and elves, young and old, buzzing like a market at temple time.
“Because there’s an event. And a lot of prizes. Crowds love prizes.”
“Prizes…?”
“Mm!”
Dixue nodded and led Little Yue to a counter. A modestly dressed elf girl sat behind the table, handing out slips with careful hands like a scribe of spring.
“Guests, are you here to pick up clues for the World Tree Maiden Festival?”
“Th-the World Tree Maiden Festival!” Yue Liuyi jolted, then whispered in Dixue’s ear, worry fluttering like a trapped moth. “The World Tree Maiden Festival… did something happen to Ailuna? She was fine just two days ago!”
“Little Yue, not a mourning rite—this is a festival. Ailuna wouldn’t just die. We’re celebrating peace. The elves hide treasures all over the capital, then hand out hazy maps to participants. It’s like a citywide hunt.”
“Oh… so that’s it.”
“Mm-mm! So we’ll join in, too~ Dear lovely attendant, could we get a clue?”
“Of course! Would you like a simple clue or a complex one?”
“First time—let’s go simple.”
“Here you go. Have fun, you two~”
The elf girl slid over a small slip. Yue Liuyi took it. A little diagram was engraved on it, and a line of text in several tongues.
“This is…”
“A treasure clue! Lemme see… The treasure hides under the leaves of the thirteenth branch. The target should be right there!”
“But… the thirteenth branch—where is that? A landmark in the Elven Capital?”
“If it were, someone would’ve snagged it already.”
“True…”
“That’s where the diagram matters. It usually points to more detail.”
They studied the drawing together. Lines curled into an elegant elven motif, fine as vinework. Abstract, yet you could make out a gate woven of tendrils, and the overall frame was the shape of a leaf.
“What does it mean?”
Yue Liuyi blinked, a little lost, like mist over water.
“I’ve got it! Definitely the easy tier.”
“Eh!? So fast!?”
“Hehe, I’m your big sister, after all! See? Your sister is reliable when it counts.”
“Hey, LittleSnow, no more suspense. Tell me—where is it?”
“Hehe~”
The silver-haired girl smiled with fox-bright mystery and looked toward a certain place…
