Chapter 6: The Princess, the Traveler, and a Charming Interlude

‘Wasn’t that Serina, the one whose crystal coffin was usurped by her own childhood friend?’

Of course, at present, she hadn’t yet been sealed away in a crystal coffin, so Lynne merely mused this thought to himself.

Serina, caught off guard by Lynne’s abrupt shift in demeanor, was momentarily speechless; only moments ago, he had seemed utterly indifferent.

She spoke timidly:

“Ah, um… I highly doubt anyone in this country would possess the audacity to impersonate a member of the royal family.”

Lynne was somewhat taken aback, having never expected to encounter Serina, the Second Princess—the very one destined to be corrupted by the Black Tide and transform into a formidable boss in the future.

“As a princess, why are you here?” Lynne inquired, his curiosity piqued. “This region borders the Black Tide, hardly a suitable place for a noble princess of your standing, wouldn’t you agree?”

Serina’s expression immediately clouded with difficulty.

“If there’s a reason you can’t divulge, please don’t feel obligated to tell me,” Lynne interjected, noticing the subtle shift in her expression and promptly steering the conversation away. “I was merely asking out of curiosity.”

Lynne offered a polite nod to Serina, then turned as if to depart—

“Um… please, please wait a moment!”

Upon seeing her savior prepare to leave, Serina instinctively cried out, halting his departure.

Her lips parted, yet the words caught in her throat, refusing to emerge, as a conflicted and distressed expression deepened between her brows.

Lynne could discern that Serina was struggling to articulate her thoughts, though he regrettably lacked the time to wait for her to gather her courage.

While he harbored a certain curiosity about the Elven Princess’s presence in such a place, he wouldn’t compel her to speak if she had a compelling reason for her silence.

“Your name…”

Serina’s face had gone pale, and despite her prolonged struggle, the words still wouldn’t come; her palms clenched, her chest constricting uncomfortably, as though a heavy stone pressed down upon it, stealing her breath.

She feared that revealing her true reasons would only invite ridicule.

‘But he, having only just met me, surely wouldn’t mock me, would he?’

“Oh, I nearly forgot, esteemed Princess… my name is Lynne, and I am a humble traveler.”

Lynne offered a warm, gentle smile, then playfully pinched his daughter’s cheek. “This is my daughter, Vivian. Come, say hello to Big Sister.”

“Hello, Big Sister…” Vivian gazed timidly at Serina, her soft, sweet voice so utterly captivating that anyone who heard it couldn’t help but be charmed.

Serina’s lips curved into an uncontrollable smile; her previously somber mood, brought on by her own worries, was swept away as if by a broom upon witnessing Vivian’s heartwarming smile.

‘Oh—what an utterly adorable little girl!’

‘She’s calling me Big Sister…’

‘Unlike those so-called younger sisters within the royal family who, constrained by their status, grudgingly called her “Big Sister” while harboring their own ulterior motives…’

The same address, uttered by Vivian, was pure and untainted by any hidden agenda, especially with that timid yet uniquely childlike sweet lilt at the end.

In that single moment, Serina’s heart felt as though it might melt entirely.

‘She’s simply too adorable, unlike those other younger sisters in the family who, despite their tender age, are already full of cunning schemes.’

‘Aside from Aileisha… she had never encountered such a pure and utterly charming little sister.’

‘Perhaps it’s precisely because Vivian didn’t grow up within the confines of the royal family that she has retained such purity? When considering it that way, perhaps Aileisha…’

“Speaking of which, Princess, given your noble status, calling you ‘Big Sister’ might not be entirely appropriate.”

“No, no, no…” Serina waved her hands dismissively. “Please, just call me Big Sister. I actually quite like it…”

A delicate blush of shyness bloomed across her fine skin.

Lynne observed the princess’s reaction, and a thought solidified in his mind: ‘Sure enough… no one can resist Vivian’s inherent cuteness! Not even a princess of the illustrious Morning Star royal family!’

Lynne couldn’t help but reflect that his decision to allocate some of Vivian’s attribute points to ‘Charm’ had been utterly correct.

Leveraging his daughter to foster a good relationship with the princess surely counted as building a valuable connection.

While it was true that in his previous life he had been bestowed the title of Great Elf Guardian of Alfheim by the Queen, that was a matter for the future.

Currently, Lynne’s social standing within the game had been reset to zero, so cultivating a good relationship with the princess now was undoubtedly a beneficial endeavor.

“Benefactor…”

Serina’s words were interrupted before she could finish. “Princess, there’s no need to be so formal. Simply call me Lynne.”

“Lynne… and you needn’t be so reserved either. Feel free to address me by my given name.”

In that very instant—Lynne felt a profound sense of unreality.

He had never imagined that one day he would engage in such a cordial exchange with a villainous BOSS from the game, let alone address them by their personal name.

‘What a truly peculiar experience, this was. Lynne found himself wishing Tiya could also partake in such an encounter.’

Since the princess herself had extended the invitation, Lynne, without further ceremony, addressed her by her given name.

Yet, having done as he was told, Lynne found Serina staring blankly at him, prompting him to ask, somewhat perplexed, “Is something amiss?”

It was then that Serina realized she had drifted off. Her face flushed with apology as she explained,

“I’m sorry. I’ve told others before not to be so formal, and while they might have altered their tone, I could always still discern the polite distance in their words.”

“In the end, they invariably treated me with formality. So, for you, Mr. Lynne, to address me so directly, it’s quite unexpected.”

“I see,” Lynne replied. “But Serina, you still refer to me as ‘Mr. Lynne.’ Aren’t you, in turn, still being formal with me?”

Serina shook her head. “It’s not quite the same. If I were being truly formal, I would address you as ‘Benefactor Sir.’”

“Then…?”

“It’s royal etiquette,” she explained. “Every member of the royal family is required to undergo etiquette lessons upon reaching a certain age. It’s not something I particularly wish for myself.”

Serina’s eyelashes fluttered downwards, and she placed a hand over her chest, her expression conveying a sincere apology.

“It truly isn’t easy being a princess,” Lynne remarked with a sigh, then looked down at his daughter nestled in his arms and playfully teased,

“Vivian, would you like to learn elegant manners? Big Sister could teach you! Once you’ve mastered them, you’ll be a graceful young lady.”

Vivian’s response to this was immediate—

“No!”

With his obedient daughter’s resolute refusal, Lynne’s grand plan for cultivating an elegant young lady promptly fell apart.

“If I may be so bold, Mr. Lynne, what is your age…?”

Elves, in various fantasy works, have consistently been depicted as a long-lived race, yet their specific lore and characteristics tend to vary significantly across different settings.

Some elves might boast physical ages spanning millennia, yet their mental maturity remains akin to that of a human in their early twenties.

Within the game of Trasil, elves under the age of twenty are considered minors, those between twenty and fifty are adults, fifty to one hundred twenty are considered middle-aged, and any age beyond that is simply not spoken of.

Lynne, always mindful of a certain famous quote by someone named Ah Xu, consequently didn’t dwell too much on the specific lore surrounding Trasil’s elves.

(TL Note: A character from a popular anime, ‘The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,’ known for his cynical and pragmatic observations)

“Me? I am twenty-five years old.”

“Wait… tw-twenty-five!?” Serina’s eyes widened in utter shock. “That’s incredibly young, isn’t it?”

“Young? I suppose it’s all relative,” Lynne mused, scratching his head.

“Uh…” Serina’s gaze flitted from Vivian to Lynne, and she stammered hesitantly, “If I may be so bold as to ask again, Vivian is…?”

“She is my biological daughter,” Lynne stated clearly.

Lynne preempted Serina, answering her unspoken question; he had already deduced her query from her lingering gaze and hesitant demeanor.

“She’s not adopted, but rather the biological daughter of myself and my wife—a true crystallization of our love, you see.”

In truth, he wasn’t entirely incorrect; when the game had first introduced this particular feature, there had indeed been a process involved, designed to enhance realism, though the sensory experiences during that process had been conveniently blocked.

‘Damn this censorship!’

Upon hearing Lynne’s firm declaration, Serina flusteredly lowered her head. “F-forgive me, Mr. Lynne, I didn’t mean to imply that.”

“I understand,” Lynne replied, his expression a touch peculiar. “And speaking of which, you don’t need to keep apologizing to me. You’re making me feel as though I’m the one from royalty.”

Lynne waved a dismissive hand, unconcerned.

Based on his understanding from his previous life, due to elves possessing a significantly longer lifespan than humans, it was exceptionally rare for them to marry and have children immediately upon reaching adulthood, even after coming of age.

While this posed no issue for players, it was an incredibly astonishing fact within the perception of this world’s indigenous inhabitants.

It was little wonder, then, that Serina had reacted with such profound shock.

‘Among elves, I suppose I’m quite the anomaly—getting married and having a child so early, aren’t I?’