Chapter 36: Understanding Sally

Chapter 36: Understanding Sally

“Your Majesty, please come in!”

As Mason’s words fell, Airael stepped forward into the grand hall.

Behind her, Hela, Celia, Aurora, and Hels followed, acting as her guards.

While walking, she subtly observed the guests on either side.

It was clear that tonight’s guests were all elves, with no other races in sight.

Additionally, all the guests were adults, with none being children like herself.

But that was to be expected.

This banquet was held to welcome Airael and Sally, but both of them were closely tied to the ongoing war.

Naturally, such a matter would be avoided for the little ones.

Of course, Airael as the Elven Queen was an exception.

The guests were all sizing up their queen, and the first impression she gave was that of cuteness.

Although this impression slightly disappointed them, as they continued to observe, they found that the cute queen was not entirely unacceptable.

Cute is justice, after all, right?

Back to the point.

Upon entering the lavish banquet hall, Airael appeared quite indifferent.

To be fair, her royal palace was far more luxurious.

It just seemed more understated compared to this place.

This hall, on the other hand, made the extravagance evident, letting one sense the opulence at first glance.

“How do you feel, Your Majesty?”

Seeing Airael surveying the venue, Mason approached her.

“It’s alright.”

Airael nodded slightly, giving him a lukewarm response.

Mason immediately responded with a chuckle, “It seems Your Majesty is not very satisfied with this place, but that’s understandable; it is indeed a bit too mundane.”

Airael frowned slightly.

Although Mason was self-deprecating, she couldn’t help but feel he was mocking her.

For a moment, not wanting to dwell on it, Airael simply continued, “It is indeed a bit too mundane. Next time, let’s not be so ostentatious.”

“Since Your Majesty has said so, I will surely take heed next time.”

Mason followed Airael’s words, appearing completely unoffended, treating her words as a royal decree.

Am I overthinking this?

Airael thought to herself.

After the exchange, seeing that Airael seemed to have nothing else to do, Mason suggested, “Your Majesty, would you like me to show you around?”

“No, Mason, you can go entertain the other guests; I have Hela and the others with me.”

Airael replied.

Despite the banquet being in her and Sally’s honor, Airael understood the essence of such an event.

A banquet is a social affair, where both hosts and guests actively seek to connect with those they wish to network with.

The main guests are just part of the mix.

While Airael and Mason weren’t strangers, they weren’t particularly close either.

Thus, there was no need to waste precious time any longer.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

Mason bowed and stepped away.

Once Mason left, several guests immediately crowded around Airael to engage in conversation.

Airael patiently talked with them, saying a few more words to those she could chat with and keeping brief exchanges with those where the conversation fizzled out.

However, among the crowd, there were very few who could sustain a conversation with Airael.

In the eyes of the elves, Airael was both their queen and still a child.

This resulted in a significant generation gap.

The noble status of the Queen made it difficult for some elves to approach her, and being a child only complicated matters further.

Interacting with children wasn’t always easy, especially if they were mischievous.

Thus, most elves approached more with the intention of saying hello, trying to make their presence felt before the queen.

Naturally, Airael only greeted them in return.

Whether she remembered them later would depend on their performance and luck.

After greeting who knows how many guests, Airael finally bumped into the other main character of the banquet.

The female knight Sally.

Today, Sally wore a long blue dress, her black shoulder-length hair neatly styled, emanating a striking aura.

Like Airael, Sally had already handled quite a few guests.

As a female knight of heroic third rank, Sally, even without particularly noble status, was enough to earn many elves’ respect.

Making friends with such a strong figure might have its benefits, but no downsides, at least.

However, she didn’t seem to like it.

A hint of impatience was already visible on her face.

Noticing Sally’s impatience, Airael felt a strong curiosity about the knight.

Seeing Airael, Sally composed herself and respectfully said, “Your Majesty, good evening.”

“Good evening, Sally!” Airael replied with a smile.

Then she directly brought up her earlier curiosity: “You seem a bit unhappy? Is it that you don’t like this place?”

Sally was momentarily taken aback by Airael’s “directness.”

After a while, she managed to respond, “I do have a few dislikes.”

Airael continued, “Unfortunately, there’s no way around it, is there? This is just how society is.”

Sally sighed softly.

Airael had voiced her true feelings.

Even though the venue was extravagantly decorated, and the elves looked lovely and wore smiles, everything felt tinged with a sense of insincerity.

When two parties meet, the smiling faces hide each other’s true thoughts.

After sighing, Sally snapped back to focus and looked warily at Airael.

Her reaction startled Hela and the other elves who had been following Airael.

However, Airael quickly intervened, stopping their next move, which prevented the situation from escalating.

“Sally, there’s no need to be so tense; I mean no harm. I just wanted to have a chat with you.”

Airael said.

“I’m sorry; I was a bit presumptuous just now.”

Sally apologized.

Her reaction was entirely instinctive, and she regretted it right after.

After all, the person standing before her was the Queen.

“Sally, you don’t need to worry. It was also my fault for prying into your feelings without permission, which alerted you.”

Airael shook her head.

Her understanding brought relief to Sally, who said, “Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.”

“Sally, would you be interested in chatting with me? I’d like to know more about you.”

Seeing Sally relaxing, Airael initiated the invitation.