Anastasia looked at the steaming food coming from the plate with an expression that could only be described as complete bewilderment.

As a Royal Elf, it could neither taste nor smell food.

It was one of the many curses that came with this damned body. Royal Elves were blessed with perfect magical balance, unmatched lifespans, and bodies that never deteriorated.

But in exchange, they were stripped of so many simple pleasures that other races took for granted.

However, for the first time in its five hundred years of life, Anastasia could actually perceive food properly.

The exquisite smell filled its nose completely, rich and savory and utterly intoxicating.

The aroma was so overwhelming that its cheeks flushed red, warmth spreading across its normally pale face.

'What… what is this sensation?' it thought, completely stunned.

Azel, on the other hand, placed a hand on his hip as he observed the reaction he had been hoping for.

A small, satisfied smile played across his lips.

Regular food would not have stimulated any emotions at all, let alone something as complex as love… Royal Elves were immune to such mundane experiences.

Therefore, he had purchased a rather suspicious item that had been marked down fifty percent for the next forty-eight hours in the System Store.

[Sensory Enhancement Elixir]

The description had been vague, bordering on sketchy, but the effects were exactly what he needed.

He had carefully mixed it into every dish he prepared, coating the ingredients with just enough to bypass the Elf King's natural immunities.

Now Anastasia could not only smell the food but taste it as well.

Though Azel had to admit, he had made distinctly human food for this meal.

From what he had noticed during his time in Elun'varis, even the most skilled elven maids had tried and failed to replicate authentic human cuisine.

Their attempts always came out slightly wrong… either they were too bland or missing that essential something that made human cooking feel alive.

So he had simply cooked with whatever ingredients were available in his own storage ring.

Good stew with hearty vegetables, perfectly seasoned spaghetti with a rich tomato-based sauce, and generous portions of seared monster meat.

You could never go wrong with monster meat, especially if it came from the mountain regions.

"Are you just going to keep staring…" Azel asked as he sat down on the massive bed beside the Elf King, "or are you going to eat as well?"

Anastasia continued staring at the bowl of spaghetti placed before it on the elegant tray.

There was a generous amount of sauce coating the noodles, deep red and glistening, with flecks of herbs visible throughout.

The steam rising from the dish carried that incredible smell directly into its face.

It smelled so amazing that Anastasia actually began to drool.

A single drop of saliva escaped from the corner of its mouth before it quickly caught itself and wiped it away with the back of its hand, embarrassment coloring its features.

"What is this human dish…?" Anastasia asked, its voice barely above a whisper.

"It's called spaghetti. It's a really common dish amongst humans, and depending on the—"

The Elf King didn't let him finish.

It grabbed the fork with both hands like a child discovering a new toy, then began twisting the utensil through the noodles with single-minded determination.

It kept twisting and twisting until the fork was completely loaded with pasta, a massive portion that would be difficult for anyone to eat in one bite.

"I should bring it to my mouth next, right?" the Elf King asked, glancing at Azel for confirmation.

Azel nodded, trying very hard not to laugh at the earnest expression on its face.

Anastasia brought the fork slowly toward its mouth.

Its hand was trembling.

If it could smell, then it could probably taste as well. And if it could taste, then this would be the very first time since the moment it was born… five centuries ago that it had actually tasted food.

The weight of that realization made its chest feel tight.

It lifted the spaghetti the final distance and finally bit down.

A flood of taste exploded across its tongue, filling its mouth completely.

The spaghetti tasted amazing.

The texture was perfect… soft but with just enough resistance.

The sauce was rich and savory with undertones of sweetness from the tomatoes, complemented by the sharp bite of garlic and the depth of herbs.

Anastasia savored it completely, chewing slowly and deliberately as if trying to commit every nuance of flavor to memory then it reached for the cup of water beside the tray and took a long drink.

Water had always been as tasteless as ever, a simple necessity for maintaining bodily functions.

However, today it felt more refreshing than anything Anastasia had ever experienced. The cool liquid washed over its tongue, cleansing the palate and preparing it for the next bite.

"My mouth feels a bit hot…" the Elf King said suddenly, fanning its face with one hand.

Its cheeks had turned even redder. "What is this ingredient…?"

"It's pepper," Azel commented, struggling to keep his expression neutral.

He never really thought he would have to teach a grown-ass adult… especially one who was five hundred years old about something as basic as pepper.

"It's an excellent spice, and it makes your mouth feel hot too. That burning sensation is normal."

The Elf King's heart began beating even more rapidly.

It could feel the rhythm pounding in its chest. In just a few hours since Azel had arrived, he had made it feel more genuine emotion than several centuries of attending to elves and managing the kingdom.

If that wasn't love, Anastasia didn't know what possibly could be.

'However…' it thought as a strange golden light suddenly consumed its heart.

The warmth spread outward from its chest, flowing through its veins like liquid sunshine. A powerful sensation washed over its entire body, making every nerve ending come alive with unprecedented awareness.

'I do regret the fact that I'm apparently very easy. Nagging me to do chores and feeding me good food is enough to make me fall in love with a man I only shared a personal conversation with today…'

The golden light intensified, growing brighter and brighter as it prepared to complete whatever transformation was taking place within the Elf King's body.

This was it.

The moment of change.

Just then, without warning, the light cut off abruptly.

That incredible sensation that Anastasia had been experiencing stopped completely, as if someone had severed a connection mid-flow.

'Huh?'

The Elf King's mind went blank with confusion.

What just happened?

Why did it stop?

Azel noticed the puzzled expression that had suddenly appeared on its face.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked, genuine concern in his voice. "Aren't you going to eat some more…?"

"Y-Yes I am!" the Elf King stammered quickly.

It didn't want Azel to think there was any problem with him or his cooking when the issue was obviously coming from its own side.

Something was preventing the transformation from completing, and it had no idea what.

Anastasia grabbed the bowl with both hands and lifted it directly to its mouth, abandoning all pretense of royal dignity.

It began eating spaghetti at an alarming rate, shoveling noodles into its mouth as if speed would somehow fix whatever had gone wrong.

"I, the Elf King, am completely normal!" it declared around a mouthful of pasta with sauce smearing across its chin.

After finishing the entire bowl of spaghetti in record time, Anastasia immediately went after the portions of meat next.

It stabbed its fork aggressively into a thick cut of seared monster steak and shoved it into its mouth without hesitation.

Another explosion of flavor.

This one was different from the spaghetti as it was simply more intense.

Anastasia could actually taste how perfectly cooked and freshly prepared the meat was.

The exterior was crispy and seasoned beautifully, while the interior remained tender and juicy. Each bite released more savory juices that coated its tongue.

It continued eating with single-minded determination, moving from one dish to another without pause.

The stew came next, rich and hearty with chunks of vegetables and meat swimming in a thick, flavorful broth.

Then more meat.

Then bread to soak up the remaining sauce.

Then even more meat.

About twenty minutes later, Azel found himself staring at completely empty plates.

Every single dish had been devoured.

Not a crumb remained.

He shifted his gaze from the plates to the Elf King, who now sported a noticeably protruding belly.

Anastasia had eaten far too much in far too little time, and its normally slender frame couldn't quite hide the evidence.

Azel couldn't help himself.

He laughed.

The Elf King immediately pouted, its cheeks puffing out in indignation.

"Let me go ahead and clear these…" Azel said, still chuckling as he started to stand up from the bed.

However, the Elf King stopped him with a sudden grasp of his hand.

Its grip was surprisingly firm.

Then Anastasia waved its free hand at the entire tray, and the dishes vanished instantly in a shimmer of magic.

The table was pushed smoothly back to its original position against the wall as if it had never been moved.

"I want you…" the Elf King began, its tri-tone eyes locking directly onto Azel's crimson gaze, "to do what you were doing with my daughter before she erected those pillows between the both of you."

Azel blinked, momentarily caught off guard.

"Cuddles?" he asked.

"Yes. Cuddles."

Azel laid back on the bed, settling into a comfortable position.

The Elf King immediately moved closer, fitting itself snugly against his shoulder with surprising eagerness. Its long silver-green hair spread across the pillows like silk.

He placed one arm around its waist and pulled it closer.

It felt weird doing this with someone who wasn't a woman, someone who technically had no gender at all but he didn't really have a choice at this point.

He had committed to this course of action.

'Is this what it feels like to be held protectively?' Anastasia thought, its mind going blissfully quiet.

The Elf King practically melted into Azel's embrace, all tension draining from its body as warmth and security enveloped it completely.

Within minutes, it had fallen asleep with soft breathing indicating just how deeply relaxed it had become.

Azel allowed himself to relax as well, though his mind remained active.

All in all, it had been a very productive night.

He had made significant progress with the Elf King.

Just then, Gwendolyn phased directly through the closed door.

Her ghostly form materialized in the dim light of the room and Azel looked at her.

After experiencing all those recovered memories… seeing her past, understanding what she had been through, witnessing the person she had been before death… he didn't know exactly how he should look at her anymore.

The dynamic between them had shifted in ways he was still processing.

But it certainly didn't change the fundamental fact that despite everything she had done, despite all her manipulations and schemes and moments of cruelty, she was ultimately a good person.

When she wanted to be of course.

So Azel decided he would wait until she opened up about her past herself before they had any kind of heartfelt conversation about it.

Nothing good would come from forcing such a discussion.

'How was your day of trailing Sylvia?' he thought toward her.

Gwendolyn looked at him properly.

He was currently laid up in bed with the Elf King snugly resting in his arms, looking for all the world like a devoted lover holding their partner.

She floated over to join him on the opposite side, phasing partially through the mattress so she could press her massive breasts against the side of his body.

"It was… uneventful," Gwendolyn reported, her voice carrying a note of disappointment. "Apparently she spent most of the evening looking for you since you weren't in her assigned room but she eventually gave up and returned to her own chambers."

Then her expression shifted, becoming more serious.

"Azel… I have something I want to tell you about."

'What?' His eyes flicked over to meet hers directly.

"I… I…"

Gwendolyn averted her gaze shortly after, unable to maintain eye contact.

"Nothing. Sorry for wasting your time."

Azel shook his head slightly, careful not to disturb the sleeping Elf King.

'Get some sleep,' he thought gently toward her. 'You have more trailing to get to tomorrow.'

"Yes, daddy!" Gwendolyn saluted with exaggerated enthusiasm, a playful grin spreading across her ghostly features.

Azel nearly chuckled aloud but caught himself at the last second.

'Don't call me that…'

…

The next morning, Azel joined the other Royal Elves in walking down the ancient roads of Elun'varis.

In front of them walked the Elf King, its posture perfect and regal despite the events of the previous night.

Right beside it was Sylvia, her golden hair catching the morning light as she maintained her position with grace.

They were being led closer to Yggdrasill, the World Tree that dominated the horizon.

As they walked, the massive trunk seemed to grow larger with every step, its branches spreading so wide they could have sheltered entire cities beneath their canopy.

Azel kept his expression neutral, though his mind was working through everything he had learned the night before.

The other contestants walked in a loose formation behind them… Feliora and her fiancée, the Arclight daughter and her lover, Alvinar looking particularly sullen, and several others whose names Azel hadn't bothered to memorize apart from Elvira of course.

All of them had survived the Trial of Unity and all of them now had the dubious honor of witnessing whatever came next.

Just then, it felt like they stepped through an invisible barrier.

Reality rippled.

The world changed completely in an instant.

What had been a beautiful but normal forest path suddenly transformed into something out of a fairy tale.

Colors became more vibrant, almost impossibly saturated.

The air itself seemed to glow with visible mana particles that danced like fireflies in broad daylight and flowers bloomed everywhere in wild profusion… species that shouldn't exist together, flowers from different seasons and climates all thriving simultaneously.

And directly in front of them stood Yggdrasill in its full, unfiltered glory.

The tree was even more magnificent from this angle, its bark glowing with soft pulses of golden-green light.

Each pulse seemed to synchronize with a heartbeat, as if the tree itself were a living, breathing entity.

Which, Azel supposed, it technically was.

Around them, dozens of small figures fluttered through the air.

Pixies and fairies, each one no larger than Azel's hand, waved enthusiastically at the Elf King and the group of contestants.

Their wings caught the light and scattered it into rainbow patterns that painted the air with color.

Some carried tiny flower crowns.

Others seemed to be singing, though their voices were too high-pitched for human ears to fully comprehend.

Azel looked genuinely surprised for perhaps the first time since arriving in Elun'varis.

This was far beyond what he had expected.

"Don't look that surprised, darling~"

Sylvia's voice cut through his thoughts.

She had moved closer to him, slipping her arm through his with that same practiced affection she always displayed.

Usually, the pet name would have sounded cute, endearing even.

But right now, it made Azel's skin crawl.

"Yggdrasill is a tree that contains such immense amounts of divinity that it's literally the lifeline of the entire planet," Sylvia continued, her tone shifting to something more educational. "Every elf knows this fundamental truth, and that is why we must keep this a secret from the outside world at all costs. Other races would try to destroy Yggdrasill if they knew of its true importance."

She paused, then added with absolute confidence:

"Though it's not like they would actually get through the barrier anyway. The protections are absolute."

'She still didn't explain why we're no longer technically on Elun'varis.' Azel thought, his crimson eyes scanning the impossible landscape around them.

This felt like a completely separate dimension.

[I'll explain it to you, hubby!]

Elarielle's childlike voice suddenly sounded directly in his head, bright and enthusiastic as always.

[Yggdrasill… My precious tree that I planted so long ago is giving off immense amounts of divinity constantly. So much divine energy that it's actively warping the reality around it! Which is why it has produced this separate space where spirits can stay freely and thrive. Also, Yggdrasill seems to have taken a likin—]

Just then, without any warning whatsoever, a massive root shot past everybody in the group.

It moved with frightening speed and precision, completely ignoring the Elf King, bypassing Sylvia entirely, and hooking directly onto the top of Azel's shirt.

Before he could even react, the root retracted powerfully back in the direction of the tree.

Azel's feet left the ground.

"What the—!"

He was yanked forward with enough force to tear him completely away from Sylvia's grasp, his body pulled through the air like a fish on a line.

The other elves scattered in surprise, some diving to the side to avoid being hit.

[The tree seems to have taken quite a liking to you,] Elarielle finished her explanation with obvious amusement in her voice. [How wonderful! Yggdrasill has never done that before!]

'This is NOT wonderful!' Azel thought desperately as he was dragged rapidly toward the massive trunk.

The world blurred around him, flowers and fairies became streaks of color and Yggdrasill grew larger and larger until it filled his entire field of vision.

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