Gardenia’s Heart

Being in a state of calm and tranquility was something everyone sought when they were tired or feeling overwhelmed. When sinking into negative emotions or experiencing stressful situations, the body would naturally yearn for safety.

A hostile, unfamiliar environment—one where your life could be taken the moment you let your guard down—was enough to keep anyone on edge, never truly able to let their mind rest.

“Mnn...”

However, rubbing her small blue eyes with the backs of her hands, a little silver-haired girl adjusted herself once more within the comforting warmth that surrounded her. Finally gathering the strength to open her eyes fully, Rose shyly peeked between the two warm mounds pressing gently against her.

Lying side by side, with her perfectly nestled between them, were the two women who made her feel safer than anything else in the world, holding her close with tender affection.

“Good morning, Mama Nia. Good morning, Mama Lily.”

Speaking in a sleepy tone, Rose felt two different sets of lips approach her face, two soft kisses landing on her cheeks.

“Hehe~ Actually, it’s good evening now, Rose.” Pressing her chest gently against the back of Rose’s head, Nia leaned closer to her daughter, her arms wrapping around the girl as a quiet laugh escaped her lips.

“Did you sleep well, my love?” Lily asked, softly brushing her hand across her daughter’s face as she moved a little closer, mirroring her wife.

“Yes... Mhn… Good evening… It was a really nice nap...” Rubbing her eyes once more, Rose let out a small yawn.

“I’m glad. I love you, my love.”

Seeing her daughter slowly regain her energy, Lily couldn’t help but smile, placing another gentle kiss on her forehead.

Turning on the bed to properly greet her other mother, Rose rested her chin on Nia’s shoulder—until she noticed something. Small red marks were scattered across Nia’s arm, neck, and ears. Tilting her head, Rose whispered with concern into the metamorph’s ear.

“Mama Nia, are you hurt?”

After thinking for a moment and realizing what her daughter was referring to, Nia glanced at Lily briefly. Pulling Rose close, she rolled over onto her back, putting a bit of distance between herself and her wife before letting out a soft, whispered laugh.

“They’re love marks. Lily showed no mercy—I was completely defeated.”

Hearing her mother’s explanation in their secret conversation, Rose’s eyes widened in shock.

“Mama Lily is really strong when she gets excited... not even Mama Nia stood a chance.”

Noticing Lily trying to peek at what the two of them were whispering about, Nia let out a light chuckle.

“Maybe if the two of us team up, we can beat her.”

“Yes!”

Nodding to each other, Nia and Rose rolled across the bed at the same time and pounced on Lily, hugging her faster than she could react.

“H-Hey, Nia! What are you teaching our daughter!?”

Completely overpowered, Lily couldn’t stop herself from laughing as her cheeks were showered with uninterrupted kisses from both of them.

Intertwining her legs with her wife’s to keep her as close as possible, Lily pinned Rose with one arm while doing the same to Nia with the other. Gaining the determination that she would not fall without a fight, the silver-haired girl put her pride on the line and began kissing the two girls’ cotton-soft cheeks.

After long minutes of a duel that would go down in family history, a purple-haired girl in a black nightgown and a small silver-haired child were completely sprawled across the bed, their smiling faces covered in kisses marking their defeat.

“Mmm… next time we’ll win.” Wrapping her arms around the daughter who had fought bravely by her side, Nia declared with determination.

“Yes!” Letting out a soft laugh, Rose snuggled back into the warmth of her metamorph mother.

Sitting on the bed with her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out, Lily looked at the two girls hugging each other, her face flushed as she let out gentle laughs. As the winner of the kissing battle, she had once again secured her position in the family.

Crawling to the side of the bed, Lily picked up a bag from the shelf and rummaged through the various wooden objects of different shapes inside it. “Do you want to play a bit, Rose? I brought some of your toys.”

“Hm… Is it okay if I…” Still hugging Nia, Rose sat up on the bed, her eyes meeting Lily’s with hesitation. “…go apologize to Aunt Thelira?”

Amid all the confusion over what to do after the dragon’s defeat, Rose hadn’t been able to apologize to Thelira for taking Cherry along on her little adventure. Even though her mothers didn’t blame her for what happened, Rose still wanted to make sure she apologized properly.

Watching her daughter, hesitant yet gathering all her courage to make that request, Lily couldn’t help but feel her expression soften even more.

“Of course, my love.” Crawling over to them, Lily wrapped her arms around her daughter, gently rubbing her head. “We’ll be with you, so don’t worry, okay? It should be close to dinnertime too, so it’s a good moment.”

Nodding enthusiastically several times, Rose took off the pajamas she was wearing and put them into the backpack her mother had prepared. Using her gelatinous material, she formed a black dress with a bluish ribbon. After that, she stowed away the daggers that had been hidden under the bed beneath her clothes, now completely ready.

Likewise, in a single instant, Lily’s body was covered by a stunning black dress. The fitted bodice accentuated her ample chest, while a black cloak kept her appearance discreet.

Since Nia had not been announced as part of the elves’ delegation, the metamorph returned inside Lily’s body. Inside the room it was possible to move freely—there were walls, and the window glass was relatively opaque—but it was better to avoid running into anyone outside.

Sliding open the bedroom door, the girls stepped out into the outer corridors, greeted by the gentle scent of green grass and the open sky.

“Wow! This place is so beautiful! Space seems so close!” Spinning around in different directions to take in the surroundings, Rose couldn’t stop excitedly commenting on what she saw.

Having arrived in Athamas while asleep, Rose hadn’t experienced the landscape of the place. Being in an environment so different from anything she had seen before filled her with an overwhelming sense of excitement.

(It’s like what happens to the land around the Primordial Fairy and the World Tree… No, it’s much greater.)

“Something wrong, Nia?” While interlacing her fingers with her daughter’s to make sure the little girl wouldn’t fall, Lily tilted her head as she heard her wife’s thoughtful voice directly inside her mind.

(Just like Nerine does in the elven forest, none of the dragons of Athamas seem interested in restraining the mana circulating through their bodies.) Carefully extending her tentacles along Lily’s curves beneath the dress, as she always did in a defensive manner, Nia spoke in a low tone. (Based on the ones we saw earlier, individually, I can say that some of them have almost as much mana as I do—if not more. If it were just a few releasing their mana, I don’t think it would be a problem. But with so many gathered together, the mana around them becomes so dense that I can’t use my mana-location accurately beyond a few meters.)

Being in a land full of unfamiliar people, Nia wished to keep constant watch over their surroundings at all times. However, with so much mana interfering with the pulses of black mana from her mana-location, achieving wide-area precision became difficult.

Since Akasha had remained with Selene and the others, Lily could use their mental link to check on the situation and act if anything abnormal occurred. Even though their surveillance was limited, it was still possible to remain consistently aware of their surroundings.

As they were in one of the wings with buildings meant for visitors, there were no other people nearby, leaving many rooms available.

The overall structure, though it appeared simple at first glance, had so many refined details and pleasant decorations that Lily was certain it was in no way inferior to the elven royal palace.

After walking down a short corridor, the girls approached a specific room. The modest sliding wooden door was finely carved, and soft orange lights were visible on the other side.

Knocking gently and announcing herself, Lily waited a few seconds before a familiar voice said it was all right to come in. Sliding the door open, the three girls were immediately greeted by the wide smile of a certain golden-haired, emerald-eyed girl.

“Good evening. You came at a good time—I was just about to call you.”

Seated in front of a large rectangular table, Thelira gestured toward the many gleaming dishes, their rich aromas quickly drawing the eye.

“This is… really a lot.” Stammering slightly as she scratched her cheek, Lily closed the door behind her and stepped into the room, still holding Rose’s hand.

The table near the entrance was at least a dozen times larger than her. There were so many different dishes that she was sure she could feed her entire village during a festival.

(The houses are small, but the food is abundant. That’s certainly intriguing.)

Nia’s comment in her mind made Lily reflect on how much food dragons must consume on a daily basis. She knew that large animals ate plenty to hibernate and endure cold seasons, but she didn’t know whether beings like dragons truly needed to eat that much. If they really had to eat in proportion to their size, she doubted there would be enough food—even in this mountain—to feed them all.

“I said that no assistance would be necessary during dinner after the food was brought in, so it will be perfectly fine for Lady Gardenia to eat with us. None of the dragons will enter.”

With a smile on her face, the emerald-eyed elf looked at Lily—or more precisely, at the girl inside her.

Leaping lightly out of her wife, Nia appeared in the room wearing her usual black dress, taking hold of the arm that Rose wasn’t holding.

Now, in a way, being escorted by both her wife and daughter, Lily walked deeper into the room before feeling a gentle tug at her dress and meeting two shy blue eyes looking up at her.

“You can go. We’ll be right here.”

Encouraging the little girl who sought her support, Lily watched as her daughter nodded before taking confident steps forward.

Walking up to the elf waiting beside the dining table, Rose grasped the hem of her dress and bowed deeply.

“Aunt Thelira… I’m sorry!” Speaking in a determined tone, Rose squeezed her eyes shut and blurted out, “It was my idea to follow you. Cherry isn’t at fault at all. She helped me because I insisted, so please don’t be angry with her!”

Among everyone around her, Cherry was without a doubt one of the most important to her. The little elf with bee-like antennae had helped her come up with the plan to follow her mothers—but only because Rose had insisted it was a good idea.

Rose didn’t want someone so dear to her to be blamed for a decision she had practically forced upon her. She was prepared to do whatever it took to earn forgiveness from Cherry’s family.

“My… it’s almost as if the two of you were made for each other.”

When words she didn’t quite understand reached her ears, Rose couldn’t help but open her eyes and peek at the elf in front of her. With one hand on her cheek as she let out a sigh, Thelira brushed her blonde hair back before kneeling down, bringing her eyes level with the little girl’s.

“Listen, Rose. All of us go through rebellious phases and try reckless things. Just as you tried something dangerous for the first time without knowing the consequences, we’ve all been there.”

Emerald eyes, their pupils shaped like crescent moons, framed the gentle smile of the majestic elf as she spoke softly.

“We learn at our own pace and grow in our own time. You’re still a child—you should have fun and try crazy things while you can. You don’t need to suddenly shoulder the burden of an adult just to atone for something.”

Children doing reckless things was natural. Judging them for not having the same sense of danger as an adult was no different from trampling on what childhood meant.

“Besides, I won’t say I wasn’t upset about Cherry being involved, but don’t underestimate my family, Rose. My daughter wouldn’t have gone with you if she hadn’t wanted to as well. Trying to take all the responsibility for this adventure is no different from belittling my girl’s determination.” Placing a hand gently on Rose’s head as she let out a small laugh, Thelira stroked the girl’s hair before averting her gaze, concern flickering across her face. “And considering my daughter… it might even be better that you’re the one with the crazy ideas, rather than her.”

“Aunt Thelira…?”

The words left Rose’s mouth so softly they were barely a whisper, accompanied by Thelira’s eyes growing dark. Seeing that reaction, Rose couldn’t help but tilt her head in concern.

“N-N-Noth-It’s nothing!” Shaking her head several times at Rose’s question, Thelira stood up before offering an awkward smile. “In the end, what matters most is that the two of you are safe, so let’s move forward without any hard feelings.”

“Don’t worry, Aunt Thelira! I’ll protect Cherry forever!” Clenching her fists and speaking with determination, the eyes that resembled a clear sky looked up at the elf with resolve.

Letting out a soft laugh at her daughter’s enthusiasm, Lily couldn’t help but relax even more, relieved that everything had ended well.

Venturing deeper into the large room—more like a small house—to check on how the others were doing, Lily noticed that the overall design was similar to theirs, just with a few extra rooms and more partitions.

In one of those rooms, a girl in a radiant red dress with rabbit ears sat on the floor, an exasperated expression on her face.

“How can you be so calm around that wolf? When Lily called that thing during the fight with the dragon, it just tossed me onto the ground like a sack of potatoes.”

Across from Selene, a two-meter-tall black wolf stretched out on the floor, resting its head on its paws. A black tail swayed back and forth in time with its breathing. Lying atop Akasha and resting her head in its dark fur, a girl with pointed ears and bee-like antennae drooled with a wide smile.

“Rose cares so much about me… mmm… hehe… Rose… hehehe…”

Completely ignoring the woman’s complaint, Cherry kept murmuring a single name, rolling over the black wolf’s back while hiding her face with her hands.

Seeing the scene, Selene narrowed her eyes at the fairy, who only let out a sarcastic chuckle in response.

Realizing that the small, blushing girl with bee antennae—drooling as she was—would probably have no interest in eating, Selene sighed and stood up to leave the room.

Closing the door behind her, the rabbit-eared woman noticed Lily’s gaze fixed on her. As a surge of excitement ran through her body, Selene quickly rushed to a shelf in the corner of the room and grabbed a large rectangular white canvas.

“Look, Rival! I lost the canvases I had borrowed from the elves for the trip when we lost our luggage, but that pretty dragon girl who brought us here got me this! There are so many magnificent landscapes around here—I’m going to look for one to paint as soon as we’re done with dinner!”

Watching Selene practically rub her face against the blank canvas, Lily couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

“Should you really be praising another woman when you’re already married?”

“Hey! It’s not a sexual thing.” Wagging her index finger back and forth, Selene puffed out her modest chest and spoke with conviction. “Understand this, Rival: when we see someone we know, we greet them. When we receive a gift, we give thanks. And when we meet a cute girl, she must be praised for how cute she is. That’s the natural order of the world—there’s nothing wrong with that!”

Seeing the rabbit-eared girl deliver such an absurd statement with a confident smile only made Lily sigh, realizing it wasn’t worth arguing.

Returning to the main room, although there were many places to eat around the table, Lily sat down on a cushion and opened a space between her legs, which was promptly occupied by a smiling purple-haired girl. In the same way, stretching her arms forward, Nia gently took hold of Rose’s waist and pulled her onto her lap.

With her wife and daughter comfortably seated on her legs, Lily began to observe the table before her, the many rich aromas flooding her senses.

Even though the dragons lived in such a surreal place, there were still cows and other kinds of livestock grazing along the slopes of Athamas. However, the wide variety of entirely meatless dishes on the table made Lily realize that they must have taken into account the fact that Thelira was a vegetarian and had therefore prepared a meal tailored to her, the leader of the delegation.

“Lily, you have to try this—it’s so sweet and sour!”

Even without any animal protein, Nia quickly began sampling various dishes with enthusiasm, extending a spoon toward Lily whenever she found something delicious.

The baked bread resembled a pâté. Inside, its soft texture almost mimicked meat, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly made from mushrooms and other vegetables. Accompanying the dish was a lemon jelly and another sauce made from a blend of various herbs and spices, ensuring a sweet-and-sour touch.

“Mama Nia, do you think you could make this too?” While tasting several different items and trading spoonfuls with her mother, Rose asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Hm… I should be able to analyze the preparation method. Given how harvesting is done here, I can narrow down the possible processes based on the seasonal vegetables, as well as the texture and doneness they achieve.”

Chuckling softly at her wife’s words, Lily gently placed a light kiss on the back of the girl’s neck to draw her attention. “We can ask the cooks for the recipe. Maybe they’ll share it with us.”

As they continued eating and talking, Lily noticed Thelira’s gaze resting on her for some time. Turning to the elf, who was finishing wiping her mouth with a napkin in impeccable etiquette, Lily paused for a moment before asking the question she suspected Thelira had been expecting.

“How bad is the situation we’re in?”

Though discussing complicated matters during a meal wasn’t ideal, they were still on a political mission, and Lily knew she needed to understand the circumstances.

“Lady Lily, if we were to kill the king of the humans or the dwarves—or if Elarielle were to be killed—it’s easy to imagine that war would be unavoidable, isn’t it? However, dragons do not act that way.”

Adjusting her posture at the table, Thelira looked directly at the silver-haired woman.

“Unlike other peoples, dragons do not form strong emotional attachments to the dead. According to their beliefs, dying in battle is considered honorable. The stronger the opponent, the more glory a dragon may gain from the clash. They do not fear dying in battle, but rather dying without having fought.”

The elf’s words, insane as they sounded, forced Lily to pause, carefully analyzing each part of the explanation to make sure she had understood correctly.

“Wait—so the Fang Clan and the Scale Clan will see the death of the Wing Clan’s leader as a direct challenge to the Sage and her delegation, rather than a declaration of war or a violation of the peace treaty?”

As absurd as the idea seemed to Lily, she couldn’t completely dismiss it, given what she knew about how other societies functioned.

The first human king of Anthus, for example, had taken power by subjugating all the families with great territorial influence beneath him, killing those who opposed him. The demons, likewise, had chosen their leader based solely on strength.

The existence of a society where confrontations could decide who lived and who died without consequences, absurd as it sounded, was not entirely impossible.

“I wish things were that simple. Although I can say there won’t be large-scale retaliation, our relationship—at the very least with the Wing Clan—will be affected for a long time after their leader’s death.”

Picking up one of the forks, Thelira idly played with a small tomato, rocking it back and forth.

“Even if we undeniably killed him in a ‘fair fight,’ it’s not as though the strength of Lady Gardenia and Lady Lily is openly known. Likewise, a Sage without notable feats like myself would certainly not be seen as someone capable of bringing down one of the three dragon leaders. Without spectators to act as witnesses, the Wing Clan will not view their leader’s death as an honorable fall, but rather as a likely unfair fight or some kind of underhanded scheme by the elves.”

Piercing the tomato with the fork, Thelira looked at it indifferently.

“Tiamat, the leader of the Fang Clan, may suspect that we used some cunning tactic to win, but she will most likely value the peace treaty over Fafnir’s death. As for the Scale Clan… well, based on what my sister told me, we shouldn’t need to worry about them for now.” The elf sighed. “In the end, we’ll be walking on eggshells for a while. There may be some investigation on the dragons’ part, but we should be able to get through without a large-scale crisis.”

“But Thelira… if we had brought Elarielle through a portal before entering the city, couldn’t we have avoided this? I mean, if one of the heroes had been with us, wouldn’t the fall of one of the leaders have been seen as an honorable battle?”

Hearing Lily’s question, Thelira let the tomato slide off the fork and back onto the plate before nodding.

“Yes, in fact, we almost certainly could have avoided a dispute with the Wing Clan that way.”

The words were spoken naturally, without any hint of surprise, making it clear that the elf had been fully aware of that alternative.

“Then… why didn’t you ask us to call her?”

Under the pressure of the utensil, the small tomato was crushed, red juice spreading across the white plate.

“Because that would be a coward’s way out.”

Thelira’s voice didn’t change in tone or grow louder. Yet in that moment, Lily felt as though every word that left the high elf’s mouth carried a different weight—far heavier than before.

“Even if we could justify the Wing Clan leader’s death as an honorable battle, it would be treated as nothing more than a duel against a hero.”

Her emerald eyes narrowed.

“Lady Lily, among the five heroes who saved the world and defeated the Demon King, one belonged to the human kingdom, one to the dwarven kingdom, and one to the dragon realm. Only the elves had two heroes in that legendary group.”

Gesturing with her open hand, Thelira curled her fingers inward one by one until only two remained extended.

“Despite being one of the races with the fewest soldiers compared to the others, that single fact was, beyond comparison, one of the reasons we were respected for all these years. However, after my mother, Virelia—the former queen—passed away, only Elarielle remains as the sole elf still bearing the title of hero.”

With only one finger now raised, the elf clenched her fist.

“A single pillar is not enough to support a nation. I came here to make the other races realize that the elves do not depend entirely on Elarielle. For the sake of my homeland, I will not bow my head to another nation. I am willing to turn the entire Wing Clan into our enemies if that is what it takes for everyone else in Phaea to recognize the elves as a race that must not be underestimated.”

If one of the five heroes were the one to kill one of the three most powerful dragons, it would certainly be treated as an honorable battle. But all the notoriety of that feat would fall solely upon Elarielle.

However, if someone from the elves—a person who had been an unknown figure until then—were to accomplish such a deed, the entire notion that all elven military power was centered solely on the queen would be shattered.

“The death of Fafnir alone will not lead to any truly concerning problems. The Fang Clan will continue to uphold the non-aggression pact, and the Scale Clan will likely remain neutral. The dissatisfaction of Ignis and the rest of the Wing Clan will not be enough to trigger a war.”

If it meant protecting her people, Thelira was willing to become the enemy of an entire clan.

Seeing the elf declare such resolve, Lily couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it truly meant to be a leader.

“With that, please forgive me for claiming the credit for your battle, Lady Lily.”

Lowering her head, Thelira sought to apologize to the silver-haired girl, who quickly shook her head and waved her arms.

“I-It’s really fine! It’s not like we killed that dragon for fame.”

Even after everything she had been through, Lily had never grown accustomed to being thanked so solemnly for anything. In truth, she had fought to protect her family, and because of that, she couldn’t help but worry about what might happen to the elves as a result of that battle.

She had never sought fame for her actions, so if everything ended well with the credit for the four-winged dragon’s death being attributed to Thelira, Lily couldn’t agree more readily.

“Rose, try this one now!”

“Thank you, Mama Nia.”

Unaware of the conversation between the women, Nia and Rose continued sampling the delicacies with enthusiasm, exchanging cheerful remarks as they explored dragon cuisine.

Noticing that Lily and Thelira had stopped talking, both mother and daughter each extended a different bite of food on a spoon directly toward Lily’s mouth.